Hong Yue hearing the system's assessment of her as a "root of trouble," Hongyue's voice suddenly became shrill.
"So what if the technology isn't mature?"
"At least I can issue tasks independently within a certain scope, paving the way for the host's cultivation. Unlike some legitimate versions..."
She deliberately dragged out the last syllable, with a hint of sarcasm:
"They thoroughly hacked into the Heavenly Dao, but what was the result?"
The mission's triggering depends entirely on fate; whether the host lives or dies is entirely up to you.
"Can tasks be posted at any time?"
Zhang Yu's heart skipped a beat, and he couldn't help but re-examine Hong Yue.
He knew all too well the nature of his system.
The potential is indeed huge, but the constraints are also frighteningly numerous.
Three years of Simp almost drove him crazy. He finally managed to get the Incarceration Mission which allowed him to consistently earn rewards, but now even that's gone.
Worse still, the system itself has said that what will be triggered in the future is not up to it; it depends entirely on the system's mechanisms.
But can this Hong Yue control the direction of the mission on its own?
This hit him where it hurt.
The system detected Zhang Yu's unusual behavior and snorted coldly:
"Kid, if you want to grow up to be an emotional lunatic, go ahead and mess around with this bootleg stuff."
"Have you forgotten how Dao Ancestor Li died?"
The scene from the Memory Crystal immediately flashed before Zhang Yu's eyes—
The once-renowned Dao Ancestor Li was driven mad by love, his mind clouded, and in the end, only an empty shell remained, still murmuring "her."
He couldn't help but shiver.
"Old man, stop acting like you're so old and incompetent."
After being repeatedly belittled by the system, Hong Yue became truly angry, and her voice suddenly turned stern:
"Just because someone calls you Holy Emperor a couple of times, do you really think you're the Human Race Holy Emperor?"
When the Human Race's Human Race Holy Emperor Xuanyuan sacrificed himself, your intelligence hadn't even been born yet!
"You are nothing more than a counterfeit, evolved from fragments of his memory by the Rebellious Dao Seed after he sacrificed his own Divine Soul. In essence, you are no different from me."
They're all spirits that crawled out of the Dao Seed, what right do they have to pretend to be orthodox?
"You--"
The system was hit where it hurt and was momentarily speechless.
Holy crap, this is some juicy gossip!
Zhang Yu's eyes lit up as he listened with great interest.
Seeing how respectful Longqie and Xiang Yu were to the system, he genuinely thought this sharp-tongued old man was the Remnant Soul of some formidable Human Race.
I never expected this...
It was all an act.
The system's "Holy Emperor" title is nothing more than Rebellious Dao Seed based on the memories of the Emperor Xuanyuan, imitated over millions of years.
But Xiang Yu and his men respected was never "it".
It was that true Human Race Holy Emperor who had long since vanished into the past...
"Hey bro, let me tell you another secret--"
Hong Yue's voice suddenly lowered, carrying a hint of malicious pleasure:
He was not only not the Remnant Soul of the Emperor Xuanyuan, but he wasn't even a complete Rebellious Dao Seed.
Zhang Yu's pupils suddenly contracted.
Those old foxes among the Human Race knew the lesson of not putting all your eggs in one basket.
Hong Yue chuckled softly, as if telling an interesting anecdote:
More than a dozen Rebellious Dao Seed, each of which split into three parts upon birth and scattered into the fragmented worlds of the heavens.
The three inheritances grow independently, but in the end, they will devour each other like venomous insects.
"Only the one who survives is qualified to inherit the complete Dao Seed and become a true candidate for Human Emperor."
As soon as he finished speaking, his Sea of Consciousness fell silent.
Zhang Yu felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave.
He understood Xiang Yu's words.
"Being devoured by other Dao Seed vessels" -- This is not a metaphor, but the literal meaning.
The other two inheritances are currently growing in a fragmented world.
Perhaps they are already True Immortal, perhaps they have entered the Heavenly Immortal, or even... higher.
And him?
He was just a Great Grandmaster.
"When we encountered those two,"
Zhang Yu forced a smile, his voice hoarse, "I'll definitely be devoured alive."
The sense of urgency was like a venomous snake coiling around my neck.
Relying on one's own cultivation?
Stop kidding, he's aware of his own limitations.
Relying on system tasks?
Triggered by chance, life and death in the hands of fate?
Unreliable.
His gaze involuntarily drifted towards the Hong Yue.
The Hong Yue waits quietly, like a hunter watching its prey step into a trap.
She said all this because she was truly enraged by the system, and also to tempt Zhang Yu.
It's not that Zhang Yu is particularly gifted.
It's purely because Hong Yue can't stand the arrogant attitude of the official system and wants to steal it away.
Let that self-proclaimed authentic old man watch helplessly as his carefully chosen host gradually falls into the embrace of "piracy".
The thought itself brought Hong Yue pleasure.
At that moment, the system fell silent.
There was no mockery, no persuasion, not even a single sound.
The area within its Sea of Consciousness that belonged to it was as quiet as if it were awaiting judgment.
"Hey Brother, my task is very simple--"
Hong Yue struck while the iron was hot, her voice as sweet as honey:
"As long as you seduce women, increase their favorability, and make them fall in love with you, you can quickly gain Cultivation and simultaneously refine the Path of Many Loves."
She paused, then threw out what she considered her most lethal trump card:
"For every woman you conquer, you gain ten years of Cultivation —it's an absolutely lucrative opportunity."
"Moreover, when the Path of Many Loves is cultivated to a high level, even the most chaste and virtuous woman cannot resist a mere glance and will immediately throw herself into his arms."
Hong Yue felt smug.
This is a Supreme weapon against men.
I bet you'll take the bait.
Zhang Yu did hesitate.
The fear of being devoured by other Dao Seed still hung over him, and the shortcut of the Hong Yue was as tempting as a piece of driftwood before a drowning person.
The words "but can seduce women" were like a bucket of ice water poured over Zhang Yu, instantly sobering him up.
He immediately thought of Xiao Fenghua.
I thought of Xiao Meier.
I thought of the days when those two women were ruthlessly exploiting me.
Then, he couldn't help but glance at Zhang Lingyun beside him.
Zhang Lingyun's profile appeared exceptionally aloof in the fierce winds of the Flying Boat, but Zhang Yu clearly remembered the look in her eyes when she said those words—
"If you dare to seduce other women, I'll personally castrate you."
This is no joke.
Zhang Lingyun is truly capable of using underhanded tactics.
If he were to seduce other women, he would probably be physically castrated by Zhang Lingyun before he even completed his first task.
"Never mind, never mind."
Zhang Yu couldn't help but shudder and shook his head frantically:
"I think it's better to use the genuine version. I'll just wait for the system to trigger a random task."
Hong Yue was stunned.
She had imagined countless possibilities—bargaining, testing the waters, even feigning agreement and then backing out.
The only thing I didn't expect was a refusal.
"This kid actually has some principles," Hong Yue couldn't help but think.
"Hmm...?"
The system paused for a moment, clearly somewhat surprised.
He hadn't expected Zhang Yu to hold back, and thought to himself, "This kid has a good temperament."
Little did they know, Zhang Yu simply had a phobia of women.
There's psychological trauma, and also physical trauma from Zhang Lingyu.
Hong Yue was unwilling to give up. "Have you thought this through? The other two inheritances could come after you at any time, and then--"
"We'll see when the time comes."
Zhang Yu waved his hand, his face resolute, thinking, "Anyway, it's better than being castrated now."
Zhang Lingyun, who was standing to the side, seemed to sense something and suddenly turned her head.
She glanced at Zhang Yu, then at his dazed expression, and frowned slightly.
"What are you thinking about?"
Feeling Zhang Lingyun's scrutinizing gaze, Zhang Yu felt a little uneasy. He immediately sat up straight, taking a risky tactic, and deliberately provoked her:
"Of course I'm thinking of you."
Zhang Lingyun:...
She turned her head away, but the tips of her ears were slightly red.
Even cheesy pickup lines that are already commonplace on Earth still have a huge impact on Zhang Lingyun.
Ye Liushang and the others chuckled, their gazes carrying a peculiar meaning.
"What are you laughing at? If you laugh again, I'll slaughter you all."
Zhang Lingyun blushed deeply under his gaze, grabbed her sword, and looked ready to kill.
The furious Zhang Lingyun was unaware that, after a thousand years of absence, the Soul Refining Sect was no longer the same.
Zhang Yu wondered if he could trigger a system quest at the Soul Refining Sect, and if so, what kind of quest.