A Celestial Phenomenon Descended, Heaven Celebrated! The Heaven-Swallowing Demonic Art Reached Minor Mastery!
That day, the sun shone bright and beautiful.
Xiao Fan stood tall at the very center of the bustling, noisy crowd.
He continued telling the story of the Ruthless Empress.
Brilliant sunlight seemed to coat him in a sacred sheen, making him look like a deity descended from myth, radiating a remarkable, eye-catching aura.
"Throughout the long, arduous road of cultivation, the Ruthless Empress had never shown the slightest fear. Her resolve was unyielding, her decisions sure, like an unrivaled sharp sword: once drawn, it was unstoppable!"
"Faced with wave after wave of pursuers, she showed no fear and struck back without hesitation. With her ruthless methods and decisive spirit, she swept aside everyone who dared stand in her way, carving out her own broad road through the bloody, storm-swept path of cultivation!"
"In those days, the road to becoming an Emperor was like a steep, towering precipice that pierced the clouds. Resources were desperately scarce, and the competition between factions was brutal. Every struggle for resources came with bloodshed and sacrifice."
"Yet with her unbending will and extraordinary strength, the Ruthless Empress fought her way through that thorn-choked path, forging a trail of blood as she climbed toward the supreme throne of the Emperor!"
Xiao Fan's voice rang out, deep and impassioned, like the tolling of a great bell.
The listeners around him were all immersed in the story.
Some even clenched their fists without realizing it, veins bulging along their arms.
It was as if they, too, had been caught up in the heat of battle.
Xiao Mei, in the crowd, was even more excited. She waved her arms and shouted, "Wow! The Ruthless Empress is incredible! Brother Xiao Fan, it's amazing that you knew someone as legendary as her!"
Her pretty, adorable face glowed with excitement, and her lively eyes shone with fervent admiration.
[Beep! Xiao Mei completely believes your story. You have gained 1,000 Bragging Points!]
Xiao Fan smiled faintly at Xiao Mei in the crowd and continued.
"When I met her, she had already lived a second life and had long since transcended the Emperor Realm. You could say I witnessed her entire journey, from obscurity to rising through the ranks and ruling the world. Those years are etched in my memory. I'll never forget them."
The Great Emperor Beginningless in the original story had certainly never transcended the Emperor Realm, but when you were telling a story... you bragged as much as you liked.
I said I'd lived a second life. So what?!
Xiao Fan raised his head slightly and gazed toward the distant sky, a faint look of reminiscence appearing on his face.
His eyes were deep and faraway, as if they had pierced endless stretches of time and space and sunk into a whirlpool of memories.
It was as though the scenes of the past were flashing through his mind like images in a film.
"When we first met, we found our temperaments and aspirations perfectly matched. But the path of cultivation is like rowing upstream: if you don't advance, you fall behind, and the slightest slackening will see you swallowed by the merciless current of time. So we agreed to meet once every five hundred years and discuss the vast principles of the Great Dao together."
His voice was low and magnetic, drawing everyone in despite themselves.
The crowd could almost feel the devotion to the Great Dao and the relentless pursuit of understanding it.
It was a spiritual force that transcended time and space, flowing slowly through their hearts.
"Every time we met, we would discuss the Great Dao at length. The clash of ideas and sparks of wisdom taught me so much. It was like finding a lamp in the dark—it benefited me immensely."
Xiao Fan's eyes held the longing of someone recalling years long past.
His expression seemed to have traveled across time and returned to those wonderful days spent discussing the Dao with the Ruthless Empress.
Well... for the sake of bragging, Xiao Fan was also diligently honing his acting skills and shamelessness!
The crowd listened, spellbound.
"Finally, at the end of our sixth five-hundred-year cycle, she broke through every obstacle and became an Emperor. At that moment, the heavens changed color, all creation shone together, and the entire universe celebrated."
Xiao Fan's voice rose abruptly, crashing beside the crowd like a thunderclap.
A gratified, proud smile bloomed across his face, as if he had experienced that moment himself.
The crowd drew sharp breaths, their eyes filled with awe and longing.
It was as if they had witnessed that astonishing, glorious moment with their own eyes. For a long time, none of them could calm down.
"Not long after that, the Supremes of the Dark Forbidden Zone unleashed a dark upheaval..."
"When the dark upheaval came roaring in like a demon's howl, the entire universe plunged into endless peril. The Ruthless Empress, one of the strongest beings at the pinnacle of the universe, stepped forward without the slightest hesitation..."
Xiao Fan's words rolled through the crowd like successive peals of thunder.
The Dark Forbidden Zone... feeding on the lives of billions... countless planets falling.
The scene fell utterly silent.
Everyone was deeply shaken by the vast, tragic spectacle and the Ruthless Empress's fearless courage.
They seemed to see her in the boundless abyss of darkness, shining like a dazzling lamp.
Her light reached every corner of the universe, driving away the gloom.
Awe and amazement filled every face.
[Beep! The crowd is impressed by your story. You have gained 1,200 Bragging Points!]
The story went on, but it had almost reached its end.
"Eventually, in the long river of time, the Ruthless Empress chose to spend her later years guarding that mysterious and perilous forbidden zone..."
"As I said earlier, the forbidden zone concealed many ancient and powerful beings. Their strength was unfathomable, and if they ever lost control, they would bring a disaster of unimaginable proportions upon the universe, like a raging flood or savage beast."
Xiao Fan's voice was grave and solemn, making everyone feel the weight of the responsibility and the enormity of the task.
"With her supreme strength, the Ruthless Empress established an imposing presence near the forbidden zone. She kept its powers from running rampant and protected the peace and stability of the universe."
"Yet after that, I never saw her again. The merciless current of time swept us into different eras, never to meet again."
A hint of loneliness and longing colored Xiao Fan's voice.
He seemed to be speaking of an unspoken pain: a yearning for the bond they had once shared and helplessness before the passage of time.
"What happened after that? The Ruthless Empress is so powerful. She didn't end up alone in the forbidden zone, did she?"
A little girl with red eyes raised her hand to ask. It seemed that if Xiao Fan said yes, she would burst into tears.
Xiao Fan smiled, a hint of nostalgia in his expression.
"Later, she lived a second life too. Not for any other reason, but to wait in this mortal world for her brother's return."
Xiao Fan's gaze softened, as if he could see the Ruthless Empress, alone but steadfast, waiting.
"Not for immortality, but only to wait for your return in this mortal world."
His voice seemed to hold a mysterious power. Each word struck the depths of everyone's hearts like a heavy hammer.
In that instant, they all felt the depth and grandeur of that emotion.
It was a power that transcended life and death, transcended time and space—a power that brought tears to their eyes!
And the instant Xiao Fan finished telling the story, he seemed to sense something within himself.
The Innate Sacred Body Dao Fetus in his body stirred with a strange, wondrous insight.
In a flash, a mysterious, ancient aura radiated from him, as if he had become one with the heavens and earth.
The air around him seemed to freeze, and even time appeared to stop flowing.
Then, as if the Great Dao resonated with him, the clear sky abruptly transformed.
In broad daylight, thunderclaps exploded out of nowhere, deafening enough to tear the firmament into countless fragments.
Dark clouds gathered overhead like black mountains bearing down upon them.
Gale-force winds howled through the area, sweeping everything before them and whipping everyone's clothes in the wind, as if the whole world were celebrating Xiao Fan.
[Beep! Your story has earned the recognition and belief of many people. Reward: 2,000 Bragging Points!]
[Beep! The host's Innate Sacred Body Dao Fetus has gained an insight and triggered a celestial phenomenon. The Heaven-Swallowing Demonic Art has reached minor mastery!]