The Half-Emperor Who Was Betrayed

(All the female leads in this book are adults.)

Wutan City, Xiao Family.

From a secluded little courtyard came bitter, helpless, self-mocking laughter.

"Hahahaha... Xun'er, Xiao Xun'er, Gu Xun'er..."

The man had a youthful face and baby-soft skin, yet his eyes held a depth that did not belong to someone his age.

His name was Xiao Fan, an orphan adopted by the Xiao Family's Great Elder. The Great Elder had originally intended to train him into a loyal guard for the Xiao Family, but young Xiao Fan had unexpectedly succeeded in condensing Dou Qi and broken through to the third stage of Dou Qi in one stroke. The Great Elder had therefore brought him into the clan and assigned him a small courtyard reserved only for outstanding clan members.

Though it was situated in a remote location, it still showed just how highly the Great Elder regarded Xiao Fan.

Even after realizing that he had been reborn, he had still believed his previous life was merely a dream, nothing more than a nightmare. But when Xiao Fan removed the necklace around his neck, a green crystal core appeared in his hand.

This was the only inheritance left behind by the parents Xiao Fan had never met.

Out of habit, Xiao Fan sat down to cultivate. As his Dou Qi vortex spun, the crystal core steadily vanished, turning into pure energy that Xiao Fan absorbed.

With a dull thud, Xiao Fan's entire body trembled.

"Dou Qi, fourth stage..."

Yet this did not bring Xiao Fan much joy. Instead, the bitterness in his heart deepened, because the cultivation method from his "dream" had truly worked. That also proved the "dream" had not been false. He really had been reborn.

Looking at the familiar yet unfamiliar little room, Xiao Fan felt no happiness.

Xiao Fan leaped down from the bed and gently ran his fingers over the already spotless furniture. Though his residence was remote, the Great Elder truly had not treated Xiao Fan poorly. This place was far better than the dwellings of ordinary Xiao Family disciples.

For that reason, Xiao Fan had always been deeply grateful to the Xiao Family's Great Elder. It had been the same in his past life. Once Xiao Fan had gained a certain degree of strength, he had continuously protected the Xiao Family.

But now, looking back, Xiao Fan let out a soft sigh.

"Xiao Family... I have repaid everything I owed you."

Even Xiao Fan had never expected that the Xiao Family, now confined to a tiny corner, had once been one of the renowned Ancient Eight Clans. Xiao Fan understood the importance of bloodlines, but he was merely an orphan taken in by the Xiao Family. He possessed none of the Xiao Clan's bloodline.

Even so, in his previous life, Xiao Fan had still relied on his own efforts to break through to the Half-Emperor realm. Yet at the critical moment of becoming a Dou Emperor, Xiao Xun'er—no, Gu Xun'er—who had been protecting him, had used a secret technique to strip away the key to his ascension: Origin Qi.

"Xiao Fan, you should understand that Brother Xiao Yan needs this Origin Qi more than you do!"

Those were the final words from Xiao Xun'er that Xiao Fan vaguely heard after his Origin Qi was forcibly stripped away.

Xiao Fan wanted to say something, but no sound would come from his mouth.

Even Xiao Fan could not understand why, from the day Gu Xun'er arrived at the Xiao Family, he had been drawn to the delicately beautiful little girl at first sight. Even though she had possessed a cold personality, he had shamelessly remained by Gu Xun'er's side.

Humble, lowly, laughable—he had believed that given enough time, he could gradually warm her heart. Yet he had never expected that the result would be his own heart freezing completely.

Perhaps even deep down, he had never imagined Gu Xun'er would betray him. That was why her secret technique had succeeded.

Trusting others too much had been Xiao Fan's weakness.

"Hahahaha..." He laughed to mock himself and his own stupidity.

As his body gradually turned cold and his soul slowly dissipated, his heart instead became unusually calm.

How could he not understand Gu Xun'er's thoughts? Everything, all of it, had been brought upon himself by his own arrogance.

Watching Gu Xun'er tear open space and leave without looking back, Xiao Fan closed his eyes. With his heart already dead, no emotion remained within him.

As his life force drained away and the cultivation of his entire life returned to Void Flame, Xiao Fan waited quietly for death alone in the void.

After leaving, Gu Xun'er looked at the beauty before her, whose bearing and appearance were in no way inferior to her own. Her beautiful brows furrowed slightly, but she still turned and left without looking back.

That figure immediately blocked Gu Xun'er's path and shouted, "Stop, Gu Xun'er! Where is Xiao Fan?"

The rebuke carried the pressure unique to a Dou Saint and swept mercilessly toward Gu Xun'er.

"Are you Ancient Void Dragons planning to declare war on the Gu Clan?" Gu Xun'er flipped her palm, forming a profound hand seal that easily blocked the Dou Saint-level pressure.

Gu Xun'er gave a cold snort and quickly departed.

"Don't think the Gu Clan behind you makes you so impressive!"

The Ancient Void Dragons' perception of space was incomparably sharp. Not long after Gu Xun'er left, the space Xiao Fan had opened began to collapse after losing the power sustaining it. Unable to bother pursuing Gu Xun'er, the purple figure rushed into the space that was about to shatter. Her dragon claws easily tore through space as she charged inside at incredible speed.

"Xiao Fan! Don't let anything happen to you!"

But the sight of Xiao Fan—pale-faced, his life force slowly fading, his eyes tightly shut—threw her into complete panic. Her beautiful eyes trembled and darted helplessly.

"No, no, no, Xiao Fan!"

She anxiously shook Xiao Fan's body, which was already like a candle flickering in the wind.

"His soul... his body... they're both disappearing..."

As though she were taking out Sugar Pills, all kinds of high-grade medicinal pills continuously appeared from her hand. Her voice grew even more anxious. "The soul—medicine to heal the soul..."

"Not this, not this one either!"

"Why isn't there any?!"

The countless pills piled nearly into a small mountain, each containing immense energy. But high-grade pills that could heal the soul were exceedingly rare. To treat Xiao Fan's soul injuries, only an emperor-tier pill might possibly work.

An Ancient Void Dragon Dragon Seal appeared in her hand. The vast Dou Qi and soul energy within her continuously entered Xiao Fan's body, trying to preserve his dying soul, but it was ultimately futile.

His body and soul were vanishing faster than they could recover...

As though experiencing a final flash of life, Xiao Fan opened his eyes. Seeing the anxious person before him, he unconsciously smiled.

His faded emotions stirred once more. Only then did Xiao Fan realize that he seemed to have let down far too many people in this life...

Xiao Fan raised a pale hand and gently wiped away the tears at the corner of her eyes. "Xiao Yan'er, I'm sorry."

Even now, he could not make up for his regrets. Countless emotions surged through his heart. The Little Dragon Maiden from back then now possessed the bearing of an empress, but what could he do? He could only watch the Little Dragon Maiden he had raised sob without end.

Tears dripped down her cheeks...

"Liar, you big liar!"

"Xiao Fan, why can't you look at me? I've grown up. I'm no worse than that woman!"

Looking at the grown body in his arms, with its graceful curves, he saw that she truly was no longer the little girl from before.

Her choked sobs and crying continued without end...

Xiao Fan seemed to remember something. He took out a medicinal pill he had long prepared from his robes. "Xiao Yan'er, stop crying. It tastes like honey."

Just as Zi Yan forced a smile and reached out to take it, Xiao Fan's hand suddenly lost all strength. Like a puppet with its strings cut, he fell straight down.

"Xiao Fan!" Zi Yan's forced expression instantly shattered as she caught the falling Xiao Fan in her arms.

Cold lips, two scorching streams of tears, love that could neither be kept nor had ever been obtained.

Her red lips pressed together. She bent down and kissed him without hesitation.

"Xiao Fan, you owe me this!"

Zi Yan grew increasingly frantic, her voice trembling as tears mixed with choked sobs and ceaselessly flowed...

No one knew how much time had passed. Zi Yan tore open space and emerged alone. Looking at the solitary Dragon Emperor, not a single Ancient Void Dragon spoke.

Not only had Xiao Fan's body vanished, even his soul had left nothing behind. Zi Yan could only tightly clutch the Sugar Pill Xiao Fan had handed her at the very end.

"Ancient Void Dragon Clan, heed my command. From this day onward, we declare war on the Gu Clan. We will not rest until one side is dead!"

"Yes, Your Majesty the Dragon Emperor!"

The Ancient Void Dragons had only one emperor, and the emperor's command was where the Ancient Void Dragons' blades pointed.

She, Zi Yan, the emperor of the Ancient Void Dragons, would avenge Xiao Fan...