The System Is a Thief!

The Imperial Guards were all elite among the elite. By mortal standards, every one of them was exceptionally skilled.

Figures flashed past one after another, racing after Di Xin.

Di Xin wildly brandished his sword and sprinted into the distance, leaving the Imperial Guards utterly baffled. Even now, they hadn't caught the slightest glimpse of the assassin.

Was the Great King out here smiting the heavens, the earth, and thin air?

"Boom..."

Just then, a deafening explosion suddenly rang out behind them.

The ground shook as rocks flew in every direction.

Di Xin whipped around toward the sound, only to see the Extraterrestrial Meteorite explode with a thunderous crash. Countless fragments shot out in every direction, their force terrifying.

Luckily, he and the Imperial Guards had already put some distance between themselves and the blast. Otherwise, they would have been caught in it.

That was close!

Di Xin cried out inwardly, giving the system a hundred likes.

Judging by the force of the meteorite's explosion, if they had been any closer, not one of them might have survived.

The system had really come through this time. What was that about "staying here and continuing to wait for death"?

It was obviously telling him to choose the second option!

A true ally, a steadfast ally, his closest comrade-in-arms, a childhood friend and sweetheart who had grown up with him.

No, none of that was enough to express how close they were. The system was... Dad. His real dad, at that!

As Di Xin sighed with emotion, the Imperial Guards turned to look as well, all of them wide-eyed and silently grateful they'd escaped disaster.

"Great King, where is the assassin?"

The tall Imperial Guard commander reacted fastest, flashing to Di Xin's side.

"Oh, I was looking for..."

Di Xin gave a perfunctory reply, then focused on the words appearing before him.

[The host made the correct choice. The option task is complete. Reward: High-grade Acquired Spiritual Treasure, Monster Summoning Banner! Special note: This treasure already has an owner. Its original owner is Goddess Nuwa.]

At the same time, Di Xin suddenly saw, through his inner vision, a small golden gourd appear out of nowhere in the system space.

The moment he finished reading the notification, his hair stood on end.

System... you're not Dad anymore. You're out to screw your own dad!

How could you give me a treasure that already had an owner?

Wasn't that just stealing?

If Goddess Nuwa sensed it, how was he supposed to keep lying low?

Di Xin could practically see Goddess Nuwa, sword in hand, chasing him across the world.

No, perhaps she wouldn't chase him across the world. Maybe there'd just be a "poof," then he'd let out a "gaa"... and that would be the end of him.

To be chased across the world, he'd first need to be able to keep pace with her. But he still couldn't even fly!

Di Xin stared at the golden gourd in the system space, as if he were holding a scorching hot potato. He couldn't bear to keep it, but couldn't bear to throw it away, either.

Innate Spiritual Treasures were treasures born when heaven and earth first formed, while Acquired Spiritual Treasures were crafted by people afterward. Their owners usually had some kind of connection with the treasures themselves, and could even use that connection to pinpoint their locations.

Of course, these were vague bits of knowledge Di Xin remembered from his previous life, gleaned from all sorts of online novels. He couldn't be completely sure.

The ancient books in the Imperial Study didn't mention anything about it.

It seemed the library still wasn't comprehensive enough!

In that moment, Di Xin's mind raced through countless possibilities.

"Great King, Great King..."

Seeing that King Zhou was clearly lost in thought, the Imperial Guard commander hurriedly called to Di Xin a few times. He grumbled inwardly: They were supposed to be discussing the assassin. What was wrong with the Great King?

"Ah, Fang Bi, have they caught the assassin?"

Di Xin collected himself and asked out of nowhere.

Fang Bi: "...!?"

He held the post of Palace Guard General and also commanded the Imperial Guards. He was a staunch supporter of King Zhou and knew him fairly well.

Hearing the Great King ask that, he was so stunned he nearly choked.

Great King, you can see for yourself that we're all right here. We haven't even seen a hair of the assassin. How are we supposed to catch him?

"Um, where is the assassin?"

Fang Bi didn't dare deceive King Zhou, so he simply asked outright. Otherwise, he might be suspected of deceiving the sovereign.

"The assassin turned into a streak of white light and disappeared. Didn't you see? Also, that rock was probably set off by the assassin. I'll go take a look..."

Di Xin brushed off the question with a few casual words, then headed for the rubble-strewn ruins of the Imperial Study.

Scattered rocks lay everywhere. The enormous Extraterrestrial Meteorite had been completely pulverized in that one explosion. They couldn't find a single fragment larger than a bowl.

The crater left by the meteorite had grown even larger. Shattered bamboo slips and silk scrolls lay in countless fragments, giving off wisps of black smoke.

The shaken Imperial Guards hurried after him, but Di Xin sent them all away under the pretext of continuing the search for the assassin.

He quickly examined the meteorite fragments, but found nothing unusual. The fractures in all the rocks looked nearly identical, and for the moment, he couldn't figure out what had caused the explosion.

The doubts in his mind only grew heavier.

He didn't linger there. Instead, he strolled toward the Imperial Garden.

The Extraterrestrial Meteorite incident had already happened. He could look into the truth at his leisure, but there was something urgent he needed to deal with right now.

That was the golden gourd in the system space.

Since the system said the quest reward was the Monster Summoning Banner, there was no doubt about it.

The banner must be stored inside the gourd, which served as its container.

As it happened, he knew a little about the Monster Summoning Banner. This Acquired Spiritual Treasure was the bane of the Monster Race. It could not only summon monsters but also suppress and restrain them. Its divine powers were incredibly formidable.

If he remembered correctly, Goddess Nuwa had used this banner when she summoned the Three Demons of Xuanyuan Tomb.

Di Xin couldn't have been happier to get his hands on such a treasure.

The problem was whether Goddess Nuwa could sense that the Monster Summoning Banner was with him. After all, the system's way of handing out rewards was no different from stealing.

Should he leave it in the system space, or find a safe place to store it?

That was the question.

Di Xin strolled along, deep in thought.

Suddenly, he remembered the Pine Wood Sword Yun Zhongzi had given him.

Before the sword went into the system space, Daji had sensed its power from far away. But after he put it in the system space, he'd had breakfast with Daji, and she hadn't reacted at all.

Could that mean the system space blocked the aura of treasures?

Then... would Goddess Nuwa be able to sense it or not?

Di Xin had no idea.

But one thing was certain: if he took the Monster Summoning Banner out of the system space, there was a much greater chance Goddess Nuwa would sense it.

Whatever!

He'd face death head-on. Di Xin decided to gamble on it. What if he won?

Having made up his mind, Di Xin summoned an attendant from afar. "Summon Grand Master You Hun to Longde Hall to meet with me!"