Child of Fortune

In a mysterious, vast underground palace, Qi Miaoxuan sat cross-legged in mid-air. Below him churned dark purple magma, thick as blood. Sparks from bursting bubbles splashed against the rock walls, only to be instantly extinguished upon touching the dripping stalactites. Frost flowers coated the milky white stalagmites, and cold air seeped down from the cave ceiling, colliding with the heat from below to form a strange white mist.

The structure of this underground palace defied logic. The temperature difference between the dome and the ground distorted the air, reflecting eerie blue runes on the rock walls. Even more terrifying were the arrays suspended in mid-air, not carved into the stone but formed from countless tiny light patterns in a circular design, rotating slowly at a visible speed. Each light pattern exuded an ancient pressure. As they operated, they would meticulously draw out strands of ethereal white spiritual energy chains.

The chains were not illusory but possessed a tangible chill, writhing like living creatures before piercing Qi Miaoxuan's chest in unison. They precisely coiled around a dagger in his heart. The dagger's blade was pitch black, now tightly bound by the spiritual energy chains. Every attempt to tremble caused the chains to constrict further, sending waves of dull pain through his chest cavity.

"Roar..."

From the dagger came the roars and bellows of a dragon soul: "Bitch slave, you dare to think of devouring your master? Everything you have was bestowed by me. What means do you have to control this seat? Don't you know this seat is formed from the rules of heaven and earth, neither alive nor dead?"

Qi Miaoxuan's upper body was bare, revealing well-defined muscles. His white hair drifted, floating in the air. He opened his eyes slightly and said calmly, "Azure Dragon, the more you act like this, the more hysterical you become!"

"Hmph, bitch slave seeking death..."

With a roaring dragon's cry, the dagger trembled violently. A green phantom suddenly appeared in the void – a dragon shadow. Its body coiled, scales and claws splayed. Though only a few strokes of light and shadow, it exuded an air of looking down on the world. As its head lifted, a low yet extremely penetrating dragon's roar faintly sounded.

However, the dragon shadow coiled in the void was completely wrapped in rune iron chains permeated with Mysterious Ice Cold Air. Each chain was inscribed with flowing golden runes. With every low growl and tremor of the dragon's body, the iron chains tightened like living creatures.

But, in this very instant, "Roar..."

The Azure Dragon let out a fierce roar!

Its azure dragon body suddenly arched like a full moon. The scales, covered in a bronze sheen, bulged like surging angry waves, unleashing world-destroying power. The Mysterious Ice Iron Chains wrapped around the dragon's neck first emitted a muffled "crack" of being unable to bear the strain, then shattered inch by inch like a spider web. The chain links exploded into fragments of flowing fire, shooting out in all directions with a whistling sound that tore through the air, striking the surrounding floating spirit reefs and sending shattered stones flying.

The broken iron chains dissipated into gas. The Azure Dragon leaped up. Its sweeping dragon tail stirred up a storm, churning the entire Rune Light Screen that had sealed the space into broken glass. Its gilded pupils burned with sky-scorching rage. As its head lowered, two streams of scorching dragon breath sprayed out, ploughing two charred deep ravines into the ground.

"Bitch slave!" The thunderous sound wave, laced with pressure, smashed down below. Fragments of chains still clung to the dragon's snout, tinkling as they fell. "You think a mere Earth Vein Spiritual Energy can trap this seat's Tidal Wave Body?"

The void trembled. The Azure Dragon, carrying world-destroying fierce aura, crashed towards Qi Miaoxuan. The gang feng sprayed from its gaping maw made the cloud layers flutter like torn rags. Its scales scraping against the air produced sparks of red-gold. The dragon might, capable of overturning mountains, pressed down on space, causing spider-web-like ripples before instantly reaching Qi Miaoxuan.

However, Qi Miaoxuan remained motionless, suspended in the turbulence. His frost-white long hair moved without wind. He merely raised his eyelids slightly, then thrust out a palm.

In an instant, a purple flame appeared in his palm, like an ink lotus blooming in the cold night, its edges pulsing with profound rhythm. As soon as it left his body, it transformed into a giant purple fire lotus. With a surge of eerie glow, it engulfed the charging Azure Dragon entirely.

"The Fire Kirin was a waste, not even a match for this seat when it was alive. You, bitch slave, actually dare to use its Ancestral Fire Origin against this seat. Utterly wishful thinking!" Contemptuous thunder rolled from the dragon's throat. The Azure Dragon's gilded pupils burned with disdain.

Before the words fell, its dragon body suddenly shook. The purple flame around it exploded like a living thing, turning into vast mist.

However, before the Azure Dragon could react further, the vast mist condensed in mid-air into thousands of purple crystal chains entwined with runes.

At the same time, nine mysterious black platforms suddenly appeared in the void. Runes were carved onto their surfaces. As eerie purple light bridges lit up between the platforms, all the chains, like spirit snakes, connected head to tail, weaving a tightly sealed Binding Array around the Azure Dragon!

The Azure Dragon let out a disdainful snort and swung its dragon tail, only to feel a toughness from its chain body that was utterly different from before. The purple crystal chains seemed to absorb its power. Every struggle caused the chains to tighten further. It was a soul body, and now it felt as if it were being evaporated, turning into wisps of purple smoke that merged into the purple crystal chains.

Even more terrifying was that the array runes lit up in unison, continuously compressing the entire space inward. The dragon shadow, which had once covered the sky and sun, was forcibly squeezed smaller by several circles. The azure dragon soul body erupted with fine cracks amidst intense pain.

The Azure Dragon's face changed greatly. "What is this?"

Qi Miaoxuan slowly rose, his bare feet stepping on the void as he walked towards the Azure Dragon. He said softly, "Azure Dragon, you've been dead for over two thousand years. You've been in the Reverse Scale Blade for over eighteen hundred years, and I've been your blade rest for over twelve hundred years!

For these twelve hundred years, you've been in a deep slumber, waking only rarely. Therefore, you have no idea how much the world has changed in these past thousand years. You don't know about Battle Qi, you don't know what level formations have developed to, and you don't know that countless talented individuals have emerged, making various martial arts seem divine.

The restrictions you placed on me are now outdated. You only know that the Fire Kirin's Ancestral Fire Origin can't harm you, but you don't know that the Heaven-Concealing Array, which uses the Ancestral Fire as its formation eye, is something even your True Dragon Body couldn't break free from."

The Azure Dragon began to panic, saying, "Even if you can trap me for a while, you can't trap me forever. While the Ancestral Fire's energy is strong, it's not limitless. It's not a living being and has no consciousness, only instinct. Its instinctual absorption of energy can't compare to its consumption. When the Ancestral Fire's energy is depleted, I will make sure you suffer a fate worse than death!"

Qi Miaoxuan smiled faintly and said, "Guess what I did, risking severe injury, to bring back the Fire Kirin's Body?"

The Azure Dragon said in a deep voice, "What schemes and tricks do you have up your sleeve now?"

Qi Miaoxuan replied, "I've already mastered a method to absorb the Fire Kirin's power. I will merge the Fire Kirin into my body. At that time, my entire body will be a grand formation, and I will be the Fire Kirin. I will continuously absorb Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy, and the Ancestral Fire will never lack energy.

As for you, don't even think about getting out. I will slowly refine you, and your Origin Power will be sealed in the Reverse Scale Blade forever!"

The Azure Dragon roared, "Bitch slave, you dare to betray your master..."

"Shut up!" Qi Miaoxuan rebuked. "What right do you have to accuse me of betraying my master? You are nothing but a beast. After dying, you only managed to cling to existence by acting as a weapon spirit. The Reverse Scale Blade is my weapon, and you, the Azure Dragon Soul, are merely the weapon spirit of the Reverse Scale Blade. I am the master, and you are the slave. You've been betraying your master all along!"

The Azure Dragon said furiously, "Nonsense! If I hadn't granted you longevity, you would have turned into withered bones long ago!"

Qi Miaoxuan sneered, "So what? We both took what we needed. I needed longevity, and you needed my talent. I am an Innate Sage, with a Dragon Face and Sun Horn. You needed my destiny to help you regain consciousness. You bestowed part of your Origin Power upon me to save yourself. We have a Symbiotic Body, yet you used your methods to enslave me for over a thousand years. Now, it's time to switch places!"

Qi Miaoxuan reached out and grabbed, pulling down the Azure Dragon trapped in the cage.

Qi Miaoxuan looked at the Azure Dragon and said, "Don't worry, it will take me a long time to refine you. You can watch as I master the true Great Dao and become the Heavenly Dao!"

The Azure Dragon said coldly, "A fool's dream. There is no Heavenly Dao in this world; it's merely a concept!"

Qi Miaoxuan said coldly, "When I devour all Origin Power, then, I will be the Heavenly Dao!"

As the words fell, Qi Miaoxuan formed a hand seal and quickly compressed the cage until it was only the size of a fist, like a purple iron ball. The Azure Dragon struggled within, trapped.

Qi Miaoxuan stuffed the iron ball into the wound on his chest.

In that instant, The entire underground palace suddenly became incredibly hot. Golden Liquid flowed from all directions, like dense runes binding this world. In a flash, the Golden Liquid poured into his body, as if a Kirin's Phantom was roaring within him.

The trip to Mobei was incredibly rewarding for Gu Mo. He obtained a seven-star martial art, the Tathagata Divine Palm, and an eight-star martial art, the God of War Catalog.

Especially the God of War Catalog, which directly elevated his Realm to above the Ascension Realm, allowing him to glimpse the Laws of the World.

This was a very special existence.

The instant he broke through, his consciousness entered a very ethereal state. He felt as if he had reached beyond the world, standing in a unique position. At that moment, people or things before him seemed like frames in a film, as if he could rewind or fast-forward with a mere flick of his wrist.

That instant, he understood. He had seen the laws.

For example, spring passes, and then summer arrives; this is a law.

And in Gu Mo's current vision, it seemed all things were like this. Although the future was unknown, he saw as if a thread connected everything. The future was not unknown, but a fixed development under the laws.

And as these laws operated, they would give birth to special Law Qi, existing like the purple flame that floated out of the Fire Kirin's body after its death.

This Qi was very, very special. Its value lay not in quantity, but in comprehension and application.

It was also at that time

that Gu Mo finally understood why he couldn't kill Qi Miaoxuan.

Because they were simply not on the same level of existence.

However, he could injure Qi Miaoxuan and kill the Kirin because, before he saw the laws, he had already grasped a certain amount of Law Qi.

Previously, when Gu Mo obtained the Dragon God Skill and the Dao Heart Seed Demon Great Technique, he could feel the fluctuations of all things in heaven and earth. Theoretically, he had sensed the laws of the world back then.

It was just that his Realm was insufficient at the time, so he couldn't see them, but he had already begun to grasp a certain amount of Law Qi in a subtle way.

But it wasn't Qi Miaoxuan's fault for not taking him seriously. After all, he couldn't see that "Qi" before, so he naturally couldn't use it to its fullest.

Looking back, Gu Mo felt it was quite perilous.

If the Dragon God Skill's transformation into a dragon hadn't awakened the remnant soul of the Azure Dragon within Qi Miaoxuan's body, the combat that day with Qi Miaoxuan would have been Big Trouble.

However, Gu Mo didn't feel lingering fear.

After all, he hadn't fought with his full strength. If he couldn't have injured him at all, he would have definitely lost. But at that time, he just couldn't see the Law "Qi," but it wasn't that he didn't possess that "Qi." If he had fought with all his might, he wouldn't have been completely defenseless.

Besides the Tathagata Divine Palm and the God of War Catalog, Gu Mo also gained a lot from Yu Shier. He acquired a large pile of Heavenly Material and Earthly Treasures, which were extremely valuable, along with various medicines and Yu Shier's lifetime summary of medical knowledge. These were undoubtedly top-tier secret manuals in the martial world.

In addition, Gu Mo also managed to extract Yu Shier's Poison Bead, which had gathered all the poisons in the world, from the Void Array and took it with him.

Finally, Gu Mo escorted Ye Jinglan's team all the way to Qingzhou Province before leaving.

The reason for escorting them was that Mobei's location was special; it was a border region, separated from the Chu Kingdom only by that desert. It was hard to guarantee that the Chu Kingdom wouldn't send people to intercept them after receiving news about the He Xu Ruins.

However, in the end, it turned out that Gu Mo had worried too much. They were escorted all the way to Qingzhou without encountering any interception.

Gu Mo returned to Linjiang City just in time, arriving the day before Lunar New Year's Eve.

When Gu Mo arrived at the original address of Unique Villa, he saw that Unique Villa had been renamed "Gu Manor."

"Ge, you're back!"

Just then, Gu Chundong and Hong Yi returned from outside, both carrying bags of things.

Gu Chundong quickly ran to Gu Mo, raising her small head to claim credit. "How is it, Ge? Isn't this manor renovated nicely? Let me tell you, I've already bought all the furniture inside. Also, I bought over a dozen maids. When Sister-in-law comes, there will be plenty of people to serve her..."

Gu Chundong pulled Gu Mo into the manor and showed him around.

Have to say, Gu Chundong had done quite a lot during this time. The original villa was a fabric shop, and many of its furnishings were geared towards business, not suitable for direct living. But now, there was no trace of its past; it was a complete residential manor.

The only flaw was that the strength of the guards Gu Chundong had hired didn't quite match the level of Gu Manor. After all, the home of the Number One Under Heaven didn't even have a single Warrior of the highest caliber in the martial arts world.

However, on second thought, it wasn't that necessary.

After all, with the Devil's Lyre in hand, Gu Chundong was qualified to contend with the Great Grandmasters on the Gan Kingdom's Heavenly Rankings. As for Hong Yi and the Zither Player, they were the pinnacles of combat strength in the human world. Even if the guards were Grandmasters, it seemed meaningless.

Gu Chundong happily walked around the manor, holding Gu Mo's hand, introducing every stone and every tree to Gu Mo.

As they walked, Gu Chundong suddenly said, "Oh right, Ge, after the New Year, we'll probably have to go to the Capital City again."

Gu Mo asked doubtfully, "What's wrong?"

Gu Chundong said, "A few days ago, His Majesty Emperor Gan sent someone with a letter, inviting us to the Capital City to observe the ceremony. The second day of the second lunar month is the day the Crown Prince will be chosen. The Succession Ceremony will be held in the Imperial Palace!"

Gu Mo nodded slightly.

The last time he returned from Penglai Island, he had met Emperor Gan at the Imperial Palace once. At that time, Emperor Gan had informed him that the chosen Crown Prince was the Second Prince, Prince Jin Li Zhongqing. It was normal for a Succession Ceremony to be held now.

"Arrange the time and let's go!"

Gu Mo wasn't very interested in the matter of choosing a Crown Prince, but it happened to be the right time. He had already planned to go to Chang'an City after the New Year.

This was because there were two matters to attend to in Chang'an City.

First, there was Yu Shier's inheritance in the Corpse Cocoon Cave within the Dead City. Gu Mo needed to retrieve those items. Second, there was the game Qi Miaoxuan was playing with the Poison Bead.

Gu Mo was well aware of the power of the Poison Bead. If it truly detonated in Chang'an City, the terrifying toxicity and plague it would unleash could turn Chang'an City into a dead city within ten days, or even one to two days.

Although Gu Mo had already informed Ye Jinglan, the power of the Poison Bead might not be something Ye Jinglan and the Royal Family could suppress.

It wasn't that the Gan Royal Family was weak, but the Poison Bead was too overpowered. After all, it was developed by the Plague God, one of the Thirteen Taboos, over two hundred years. Theoretically, it was a product that transcended the human world.

Chang'an, Imperial City.

Heavy snow fell, blanketing the city in a vast expanse.

Li Zhongqing, soon to be Crown Prince, was conversing with Emperor Gan in the Imperial Study. The father and son sat facing each other, the room feeling slightly chilly.

Emperor Gan handed a memorial to Li Zhongqing, saying, "This is news from Minister Ye Jinglan, sent by carrier pigeon. The He Xu Ancient City has been successfully opened, and the property left behind by the He Xu Kingdom has been found. It's enough to support the frontline war effort for at least another six months!"

Li Zhongqing exclaimed with joy, "That's wonderful! Congratulations, Father Emperor. With this victory, our Da Gan will surely triumph, and you will expand our territory and be remembered in the annals of history!"

Emperor Gan waved his hand, saying, "That's not what I wanted to discuss. Minister Ye's letter also mentioned some complications during the process. They actually encountered the legendary taboos – the Fire Kirin and the Plague God. However, the good news is that these two taboos were slain by Great Hero Gu!"

Li Zhongqing's eyes widened in shock.

Emperor Gan continued, "But, according to the letter, there is also some bad news. The Plague God left behind a Poison Bead capable of turning Chang'an City into a Dead City. It's spreading throughout the Jianghu world via the Tie Hanshan lineage."

Li Zhongqing's heart leaped. "I've heard about this matter, Your Son. About half a year ago, a significant disturbance and conflict suddenly erupted in the Jianghu, sparked by a treasure map to the Cold Mountain Treasury. Rumor has it that the Cold Mountain Treasury holds invincible martial arts, riches equal to a country, and the world's strongest divine weapons."

Emperor Gan said gravely, "According to Minister Ye, this was merely a game played by the Plague God to toy with the mortal world. He intended to bring about the destruction of all of Chang'an City, creating an unsolvable historical mystery. We must find the Poison Bead and eliminate the crisis. Furthermore, we must keep this information strictly confidential and prevent any leaks.

Now, with the Succession Ceremony imminent, various countries have sent delegations to observe. The Chu Country has also sent their delegation, led by their Princess Xiao Ziyin. This woman is no ordinary person. If she learns of the Poison Bead's existence, she will undoubtedly try to make it erupt, even if it means risking her life. If the Poison Bead truly erupts in Chang'an City, then Gan Country will be finished, and the unification of the world by Chu Country will be within reach!"

Li Zhongqing nodded. "Your Son will certainly not leak any information. However, compared to your worries about Xiao Ziyin, Father Emperor, I am more concerned about Ye Chen, who is accompanying her."

"Ye Chen? Who is this person?" Emperor Gan asked, puzzled.

Li Zhongqing replied, "He is a Jianghu person from Chu Country, without any official position. It's normal that you wouldn't know of him. If I hadn't been held hostage in Chu Country for ten years, I might not have noticed an ordinary Jianghu person within the Chu Country delegation.

He is quite famous in Chu Country, arguably the most renowned prodigy in the current Chu Country Jianghu, the undisputed number one prodigy. Originally, this person was unremarkable and had no significant reputation in the Jianghu. But just five years ago, he suddenly emerged, becoming the most talked-about prodigy in Chu Country in a short period."

Emperor Gan inquired, "What is extraordinary about this person?"

Li Zhongqing pondered for a moment. "Simply put, he's bizarre. How bizarre, you ask? Let me put it this way: when others fall off a cliff and are smashed to pieces, he might encounter a reclusive master who teaches him ultimate skills, or even receive a lifetime's worth of cultivation in an instant.

Every time he faces a life-or-death situation, a way out inexplicably appears at the last moment, either through the help of a master, a sudden breakthrough in battle, or surviving a great disaster and obtaining a fortuitous encounter.

Most importantly, this person has always had a personality that doesn't compete or strive for anything, yet all sorts of good fortune seem to fall upon him. It's said that this person has never cultivated any martial arts, but by the time I returned to the country, he was already ranked third on Chu Country's Heaven Ranking. The strangest thing is that those who seem to offend him end up having terrible luck, yet upon investigation, it's never found that he was the one who acted."

Emperor Gan was greatly astonished. "Is he truly that bizarre?"

Li Zhongqing's expression turned grave. "It is rumored that this person is an Innate Sage, accompanied by celestial anomalies, with boundless fortune!"