"Chi Jun, do you recognize me?"
Lu Yuan's tone was distant.
Chi Jun broke into a cold sweat and hurriedly said, "This humble one once had the honor of participating in the Greenwood Realm's world-destruction battle alongside Your Lordship. I witnessed Your Lordship's invincible bearing. At the time, I was only a Level 3 Contractor, completely insignificant. But Your Lordship's peerless feat of killing the Greenwood Realm Lord with a single spear has remained etched deep in my heart to this day."
Chi Jun spoke from the heart, fanatic worship flashing in his eyes.
"Greenwood Realm..." Lu Yuan searched his memories. He seemed to have some impression of it, but it was not particularly deep.
Lu Yuan gave Chi Jun a deep look, then waved his hand. "For the sake of our having once been comrades, you may leave."
"Thank you, Lordship, for sparing my life."
Chi Jun hurriedly got up from the ground and communicated with the Main God in his heart. A moment later, a strange glint flashed through his eyes. The Main God had actually agreed to let him leave, and without demanding any price.
Chi Jun could not help sighing inwardly.
As expected of Lord Hunter. Even the Main God had to show Lord Hunter some respect. Looking across the countless contractors in the Main God Hall, Lord Hunter was probably the only one with such privilege.
Soon, a pillar of light teleported Chi Jun away.
At the same time, the blue pillar of light enveloping Xue Jiu vanished, revealing Xue Jiu within, his expression vacant and his eyes filled with disbelief.
He had heard everything Chi Jun and Lu Yuan had said just now. But precisely because he had heard their conversation, Xue Jiu was so deeply shaken.
"Hunter!" Xue Jiu looked at Lu Yuan, his voice trembling. "The legendary Hunter of the Main God Hall... is actually you!"
Lu Yuan shook his head. "I haven't been a Hunter for a long time."
"Then you gave up that identity of your own accord. After you, the Main God Hall never had another Hunter." Xue Jiu smiled bitterly. He knew that no matter what happened, he would not survive today.
Because standing before him was the Hunter who had once shaken the Main God Hall and been hailed as the Main God's own son—Lu Yuan!
Lu Yuan did not refute Xue Jiu. He merely extended his hand calmly and erased him from existence.
At the instant Xue Jiu died, a ray of light shot out from his body and plunged straight into Lu Yuan's mind.
Lu Yuan did not resist. He calmly accepted it, though he sighed inwardly. "What is meant to come will come in the end."
Immediately afterward, a cold voice rang out in Lu Yuan's mind.
Imprint successful. Congratulations, you have become a Level 0 Contractor of the Main God Hall and completed the Beginner Trial World mission. You may upgrade to a Level 1 Contractor. Ding! A hidden imprint has been detected on the Contractor. Changing identity. Respected Hunter Lu Yuan, welcome back to the Main God Hall.
As these voices faded, the scenery before Lu Yuan suddenly changed.
At that moment, Lu Yuan found himself in a boundless starry sky. Before him stood nine figures so vast and majestic that they dwarfed entire galaxies.
The nine figures resembled gods, demons, immortals, and saints all at once.
At that moment, the nine figures quietly watched Lu Yuan.
"I told you that one day, you would return eventually."
The master of one figure spoke, his voice grand and magnificent. The moment he opened his mouth, it seemed as though the entire universe trembled.
"With contractors everywhere throughout the All Heavens and Myriad Realms, it would have been difficult for me not to return." Lu Yuan spread his hands and spoke helplessly.
Facing these nine terrifying and majestic existences, Lu Yuan showed no fear. He spoke with them as though they were old friends.
"Fate is wondrous indeed. Lu Yuan, you could hide for a while, but not for a lifetime. Now that you have returned, will you leave again? If you still choose to leave, we will not stop you. But I believe that one day, you will return here again."
Another majestic existence spoke.
In the past, Lu Yuan had been the Hunter of the Main God Hall, specifically responsible for dealing with violators on behalf of the Main God Hall and cleansing certain worlds.
Later, for certain reasons, Lu Yuan voluntarily gave up that identity.
Generally speaking,
once a contractor entered the Main God Hall, they could never leave for the rest of their life. Even violators were no exception.
This was a rule established by the Nine Great Main Gods. Even Level 9 and Level 8 Contractors could not change it.
Yet when Lu Yuan told the Main God that he wanted to leave, the Main God readily agreed.
In the eyes of any contractor, this was an utterly inconceivable matter.
Perhaps, as the rumor circulating in the Main God Hall claimed, Lu Yuan really was the Main God's own son.
But only Lu Yuan himself knew that the truth was even more outrageous than that.
Hearing this Main God's words, Lu Yuan fell into thought for a while. A moment later, he smiled and said, "Since I'm already here, I'll play around before leaving."
The nine Main Gods smiled, then spoke in unison. "Very well. Who told you to be the Tenth Main God unanimously acknowledged by the nine of us? Do as you please. When you've had enough fun, we'll talk then."
As their voices faded, Lu Yuan returned to the Tianxiao Continent.
Standing on a battlefield drenched in blood, amid mountains of corpses and seas of blood, Lu Yuan wore a somewhat melancholy expression, as though he were lost in thought.
Soon, Lu Yuan shook off the chaotic thoughts in his mind and began another round of slaughter.
As one Child of Destiny after another was harvested, the entire world had already fallen completely dark.
With a palm strike, Lu Yuan killed the final Child of Destiny. He slowly withdrew his hand, stood proudly in the air, and looked down in all directions.
Looking at the mountains of corpses and seas of blood below, Lu Yuan's eyes held a thoughtful glimmer.
"Too weak. Could the so-called Children of Destiny really be only this strong?"
"System, do you know the reason?"
In reply to the host, under normal circumstances, the strength of a Child of Destiny is closely connected to the world they inhabit. In most cases, a world can support only one Child of Destiny. All the destiny of that world will also gather upon that Child of Destiny. Therefore, only such a Child of Destiny can be considered a true Child of Destiny. However, the Tianxiao Continent itself is not particularly powerful, yet more than a hundred Children of Destiny were born there in a bizarre manner. The limited destiny was divided among over a hundred Children of Destiny, causing each of their destinies to be extremely limited. Therefore, they are not strong.
"So that's how it is."
Lu Yuan nodded.
Boom!
At that moment, thunder roared across the heavens, and dark clouds covered the sky.
After Lu Yuan killed all the Children of Destiny, the wrath of the Heavenly Dao reached its absolute peak.
Lu Yuan looked up at the sky, then said, "Elder You, I'll trouble you."
"This old servant is merely doing what he should."
Elder You's voice rang beside his ear. Then a dazzling sword gleam cleaved through the sky. The dark clouds scattered, and the world returned to clarity.
Lu Yuan looked around and, after confirming that no one had escaped, strode toward the Ancient Stone Tablet.
Looking at the ten-thousand-meter-tall Ancient Stone Tablet before him, Lu Yuan did not hesitate for long before placing his hand upon it.
The next instant, Lu Yuan appeared upon a dim Wilderness.
A voice rang in his ear.
The examinee's talent has been detected to exceed the testing stele's limit. The examinee has automatically obtained an admission quota to Tiancang Academy, a Low-Level Academy under the jurisdiction of the Taiyuan Divine Court. Examinee, please report to the academy within one month.
"This...?"
The corner of Lu Yuan's mouth twitched. He had originally wanted to see how difficult the Ancient Stone Tablet's test was, but he had never expected to pass just like that.
He could not help feeling disappointed.
Looking at the white jade token that had just appeared in his hand, Lu Yuan casually tossed it into his Storage Space, then vanished from the Wilderness.
His purpose for coming to the Tianxiao Continent had been achieved. It was time to return to the Dark Continent.