Seventeen Dou Emperors and the Cleaver...

"Mm, I won't go pick up Little Flower for now. After all, it'd be a bit troublesome to bring it back only to bring it here again soon. Great, it's decided! Time to go home!"

After entering the spatial rift, Gu Xia thought it over and decided to return directly to Wutan City rather than head to the Magical Beast Mountain Range to pick up Little Flower. Judging by the timing, Xiao Yan should be gradually making his way into the Magical Beast Mountain Range around now.

As for why he cared so much about Xiao Yan's movements, it was because he wanted to confirm whether Xiao Yan would still obtain another opportunity like he had originally, now that Gu Xia had taken the opportunity that had belonged to him—or whether he would simply continue cultivating without gaining anything...

"They probably won't give him another opportunity, right? Unless Xiao Yan is heaven's illegitimate son!"

Although Gu Xia had some guesses in mind, he still needed to confirm them. Xiao Yan might be like a younger brother to him, but he still had to be cautious. Who knew whether Xiao Yan might grow even more terrifying because of his appearance...

"Mm, that should be impossible. After all, this world can't possibly produce another peak Dou Emperor. Forget reaching the peak—even reaching the Emperor realm is unimaginably difficult... Sigh."

Thinking of breaking through to the Dou Emperor realm, Gu Xia recalled his own goals and wishes. On the current Dou Qi Continent, breaking through to Dou Emperor through cultivation was practically impossible. Under such circumstances, the Emperor Pill was the only hope of becoming a Dou Emperor.

But to refine an Emperor Pill, never mind anything else—even obtaining the pill formula alone would be extraordinarily difficult. It was likely that such a formula could only exist in the tombs of ancient emperors. Not to mention all the other necessary conditions...

"No matter what, I will definitely refine the Emperor Pill!"

Although Gu Xia was invincible, he had his own duties and convictions. After all, being too powerful was ultimately rather lonely...

Gu Xia let out a soft sigh and shook his head. Temporarily tossing those distant goals aside, he sped up through the gaps in space...

By dusk, Gu Xia had successfully returned outside Wutan City. Looking at that familiar city, Gu Xia smiled faintly. Taking a step forward, he had returned—ah, no! Young Master Xia had returned!

At this moment, within the Xiao Clan, Xiao Yan was still secretly developing. At Gu Xia's residence, a young girl dressed in sky-blue robes sat beneath a tree, staring blankly toward the entrance...

"That stupid blockhead went out to have fun without taking me again! It's been two days and he still hasn't come back. He deserves to get bitten to death outside!"

A day slowly passed, yet the person the girl had been eagerly awaiting still did not appear. She knew that she would probably be waiting in vain again today...

"Big bastard, stinking jerk! You leave Xun'er all alone every time! Don't you know you're my only family here...?"

As the girl watched the sky gradually darken, the loneliness in her heart surged forth once more. When she had been little, her father had sent her here. He had told her that she could have a peaceful childhood here. She had wanted to cry at the time, because she did not like the feeling of being separated from her father.

It was because of that silly blockhead who always called her little sis that she gradually learned to accept the loneliness of being far from home. From then on, she learned to be strong and sensible. That foolish blockhead had always stayed by her side and made her laugh. He let her temporarily forget the loneliness of leaving home. With him around, she was no longer afraid of being alone...

But at some point, that silly, honest blockhead began disappearing for long stretches of time. Yet he would always return before nightfall, carrying a huge basket of herbs on his back. He told her that those herbs were meant to treat her illness...

She believed him, because back then, she would often feel as if her whole body were being burned by fire. She could not even walk. She remembered one time when she had another "episode." It felt as though a glowing red piece of charcoal had been stuffed into her head, and the pain was so unbearable that she wanted to chop her own head off...

She could no longer remember when it was, but as she cried soundlessly from the pain, she suddenly felt the charcoal in her head disappear.

A cool sensation slowly spread through her body in waves. It felt so comfortable that it made her want to sleep, and in the end, she did fall asleep. But before drifting off, she saw that silly blockhead treating her... From that day on, she was able to drink medicinal soup he specially prepared for her every day. He knew she did not like bitter things, so he deliberately added lots of sugar to the medicine, making it less unpleasant for her to drink...

Oh, right, he had also always helped boil water for her! Even though the water he boiled was always an oily green color, she did not mind, because that green water made her feel very comfortable.

After that, her old illness never acted up again. Her cultivation speed also improved greatly. It was not until she was fourteen that she learned from Elder Ling that the person who always called her little sis had been disappearing every day to gather herbs for her.

She did not know how difficult it was to gather such huge baskets of herbs, but she knew that there had always been a silly, honest blockhead caring for and protecting her...

Perhaps that was when she began to like that blockhead...

"What a foolish blockhead. If I don't tell you, you won't stop gathering herbs, will you...?"

As Xun'er recalled all those moments from the past, she felt happy, but also a little angry. It was as though someone completely failed to understand her feelings, constantly jumping around in her heart while their relationship remained stuck at the sibling stage without moving an inch!

It was not as if she had been subtle. She had nearly blocked him at the door and told him, "I like you." Yet every time, his ridiculous antics would throw everything off course, driving her nearly mad.

This was the first time he had disappeared for so long. She had grown used to watching him act silly by her side, and those days had actually been so happy. Once again feeling loneliness and unease, Xun'er silently buried her head between her knees beneath the tree...

"Huh? Little sis, why are you here?"

Just as Xun'er was gradually sinking into darkness, she suddenly heard that long-lost, punchable voice beside her ear...

"You big idiot!!"

Xun'er abruptly raised her head. At last, she saw that handsome face again—dashing yet flamboyant, modest yet ridiculous. Unable to restrain the longing in her heart, she threw herself into that long-missed embrace...

"Little sis, why are you crying? Did you run out of money for food? Or did your new clothes get ruined?..."

Listening to Gu Xia's nonsensical attempts at comfort, Xun'er could not help revealing a relieved smile...

He was still the same person. He had not changed at all. Still just as annoying...

"Hmm? Brother, why do you smell like other women! Two of them, even!"

Suddenly, Xun'er's delicate nose twitched as she lay in Gu Xia's arms. Like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, she instantly exploded...

"A scent? Where? I clearly washed..."

Gu Xia suddenly realized that he seemed to have said something wrong. He hurriedly covered his mouth, staring in horror at Xun'er, who had begun to emit dark energy...

"Oh? So you learned to take a bath before coming home, did you? Brother, do you want to tell me yourself? Or would you like your little sister to help you say it?"

Xun'er's dark transformation grew increasingly severe. Gu Xia could even see the phantom of a prajna behind her. No one knew what mystical power darkened Xun'er possessed, but even a peak Dou Emperor like him could only tremble beneath that dark-emitting prajna phantom...

"Wait, little sis! Listen to my sophistry—ptui! Listen to my explanation!"

His survival instincts suddenly kicking in, Gu Xia hurriedly dropped to both knees in a posture of surrender. He hoped darkened Xun'er would spare his miserable life...

"Brother, why are you kneeling? Your little sister still wants to hear your sophistry... Come, stand up and say it. Kneeling is so dirty..."

The increasingly kind expression on Xun'er's face made Gu Xia feel more and more desperate. There was no other way. He could only use his final survival technique!

"Little sis! Can you not hit my face?"

Then, Tom Cat-style screams rang out from that ordinary little courtyard...

Gu Xia, deceased! He had lived for fourteen years, eight months, twelve days, four hours, and fifty-five seconds!

Evaluation: Even with the cultivation of a Dou Emperor, he still could not escape the fate of the cleaver. So it definitely had to be a single-female-lead story!

Gu Xia: "Scram! I'm not dead yet!"