"A Match Made Across a Thousand Miles binding successful—binding half-successful. The Red Luan Law thread has split. Priority binding in progress: the Heavenly Jade Saintess of the Desolate Forbidden Land; Xiao Nannan, the Red Dust Dao Fruit of the Ruthless Empress; Yan Ruyu, descendant of the Azure Emperor."
"Gasp! What did you do, you damn system?"
Hearing the system notification, Jiang Ming felt his scalp go numb. Why had the binding succeeded, only for it to pause and stutter before becoming half-successful? Who the hell had it tried to bind?
Hadn't it said it would bind the finest woman in this area? Wasn't that Yan Ruyu?
But what had happened?
What a sin!
Actually, Jiang Ming had a bold thought. Perhaps it might—
The lousy system's reward had tried to bind the slumbering Ruthless Empress within the Desolate Forbidden Land, but that required a reward of at least four and a half stars.
What kind of mess had this turned into?
He did want to live off a woman, but unfortunately, he had never gotten the chance!
Following the principle of proximity, as if specifically trying to disgust him, it had bound the Heavenly Jade Saintess, a Desolate Slave. What use was there in binding such an unnecessary woman? Did the damn system think Jiang Ming was so desperate that he wanted to marry every woman he saw?
How criminal!
It had wanted to bind the Empress's Dao body, which was transforming toward becoming a Red Dust Immortal, but had not quite succeeded. It immediately made a tactical detour, shifting its target to Xiao Nannan.
Did it realize this was a crime?
Yan Ruyu withdrew her slender jade finger. Her beautiful eyes brimmed with curiosity as she looked at the Long-Armed Demon Ape Jiang Ming had transformed into. She did not care who had killed that man. It was only the Qixia Sect. Perhaps it had once been glorious, but now it was nothing to fear.
Yan Ruyu was undoubtedly a peerless beauty rarely seen in the world. She looked to be only around sixteen. Her hair was like three thousand rivers of stars, black and lustrous, gathered into a high cloud coiffure. Her long lashes curved naturally, while her bright, watery eyes seemed to hold a misty spring rain within them, like a clear pool of water.
She was born with jade-like bones and skin fairer than snow. With an Azure Lotus as her soul, she parted her red lips slightly, revealing crystalline teeth that glimmered with a captivating luster. "Long-Armed Demon Ape."
Those were the first words Yan Ruyu spoke. Based on some vague fragments of memory, she had recognized the true identity of the demon ape Jiang Ming had transformed into.
That was precisely why she was so shocked.
In this era, the emergence of a pure-blooded Long-Armed Demon Ape among the Demon Race was like the appearance of a Sacred Body among the Human Race.
"You can all leave. Go back and tell the Qixia Sect that I, the Long-Armed Demon Ape, killed that man. If you want revenge, come find me."
Jiang Ming cast a glance at the remaining beast riders, who had been frightened out of their wits, and spoke coldly.
As for this one-horned horse...
"Could you give it to me? It is descended from a Unicorn. It is still young, just a child."
Yan Ruyu looked at the one-horned horse and spoke again. Her swan-like neck was elegant and aloof, her collarbones hidden from view. Yet she remained flawlessly beautiful. Her delicate features, peerless face, and graceful curves—every inch of her was perfectly tailored to a man's tastes. Anyone who saw her would feel that beauty had reached its absolute limit.
Jiang Ming finally began to properly examine Yan Ruyu, the woman whose Demon Emperor's Armament he had coveted at first, and whom the system had accidentally bound after its failed antics.
Her pure, flawless temperament alone, like an orchid in an empty valley, made her seem detached from the mortal world, like an immortal maiden untouched by worldly smoke and fire. She could fulfill anyone's imagination of a fairy.
Then there was her face, capable of eclipsing the moon and shaming flowers, of making fish sink and geese fall. It was enough to make countless beauties in the world feel ashamed and newly envious, as though all the beauty in the world had been bestowed upon her. What an unfairness of Fortune.
With just one glance at her, would not all ordinary women and beautiful things in the world fade into insignificance?
This was truly:
A single backward glance, and a hundred charms were born; the powdered beauties of six palaces lost all color.
In fact, she did not even need to smile or look back.
"Fine."
It was only a one-horned horse. Keeping it would serve no purpose beyond killing it for meat.
Hearing this, the one-horned horse immediately ran over to Yan Ruyu ingratiatingly. Its instincts told it that it had nearly died just now.
"Let us part here. If fate permits, we will meet again."
After thinking it over, Jiang Ming still felt that now was not the time to have much contact with Yan Ruyu. A gentleman's friendship was as light as water—that was what he ought to do. Once Yan Ruyu obtained the Demon Emperor's Armament, it could suppress her Fate Pattern and prevent Jiang Ming from getting her killed.
It was still too dangerous now. If his Fate Pattern got such a moving, perfect young girl killed, would that not be another sin?
With that, Jiang Ming no longer hesitated. He took a single step and used Shrinking the Earth to an Inch. His figure rapidly vanished across the endless ruins at a speed visible to the naked eye.
"What an incredible escape technique."
The golden-winged young woman could not help but exclaim in astonishment. She had wanted to say it long ago. She had thought that with the augmentation of his Xun Wind power, he was already incredibly fast, perhaps even faster than a Lightning Bird. She had not expected to be so thoroughly shaken today.
"That is the innate divine ability of the Primordial Antiquity ferocious beast, the Long-Armed Demon Ape: Shrinking the Earth to an Inch."
Yan Ruyu's expression remained calm as she watched Jiang Ming's departing back. A faint ripple stirred in her heart. Why did she feel that she would meet this Long-Armed Demon Ape again? She was very curious about his origins and past.
For some reason, she had a favorable impression of this Long-Armed Demon Ape.
"What is the difference between Primordial Antiquity ferocious beasts and Desolate Antiquity ferocious beasts?"
The golden-winged young woman immediately asked again with curiosity.
"By the Desolate Antiquity era, many powerful ferocious beasts had already disappeared. At most, they could be considered descendants of ferocious beasts. The difference is enormous.
"During Primordial Antiquity, many powerful ferocious beasts established lineages and became known as the Primordial Royal Clans, or even the Primordial Imperial Clan."
Every word Yan Ruyu spoke was like heavenly music, crisp and pleasant, stirring the heart.
Many of her memories were extremely vague. Much of what she remembered came from part of the inheritance the Azure Emperor had left her.
In truth, she had only awakened from the ruins' secret realm fifteen years ago.
Within her memories were scattered fragments, all very hazy. In that era, there had been Long-Armed Demon Apes, Six-Eared Demon Apes, Spirit Stone Apes, and Zhu Yan.
"Let us leave first. We need to hide in the secret realm for a while. You few should stop moving around outside so much in the future. The opening of the Azure Emperor's tomb is drawing near. All kinds of heretics and grave robbers have appeared within the ruins."
Yan Ruyu spoke again in her cold, clear voice.
"Yes, Your Highness."
The golden-winged young woman, the burly horned man, and the Lightning Bird all answered in unison.
Today had truly been full of twists and turns. If Yan Ruyu had not arrived in time, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
"I forgot to loot the bodies. Yes, I really forgot."
"As a cold-blooded Primordial Antiquity ferocious beast, the Long-Armed Demon Ape, wouldn't looting bodies be terribly beneath my dignity?"
"But being poor is even less dignified. A poor bastard is scarier than a ghost."
Jiang Ming had fled two thousand miles in one breath before remembering this matter. An intense battle began within his mind. The thoughts of this life's Jiang Ming clashed fiercely with those of Shushan's Jiang Ming. Neither would yield, until the thoughts of Earthling Jiang Ming utterly crushed them both.
That was right. How could someone as poor as Jiang Ming not loot bodies?
He could no longer rely on the system. He needed to stand on his own.
"The system rewarded me with a large chunk of Light Stone. This time, once I break through to the Foundation Establishment Stage, my Life-Bound Sword can evolve into a magical treasure."
Earthling Jiang Ming's way of thinking dealt another decisive blow. Sigh, the thoughts of Shushan Jiang Ming and Shrouding the Heavens Jiang Ming were simply too naive.
They did not understand the so-called law of "it smells so good." Pride and frustration could not solve any problems. Only by shamelessly eating what should be eaten, drinking what should be drunk, and using what should be used—silently accumulating strength and becoming stronger and stronger—could one draw closer to the truth.
The system now seemed omnipotent.
But once Jiang Ming became an Immortal Emperor and reached the Sacrificial Dao, it would no longer be so omnipotent. Right?