"Y-you're leaving?"
Seeing the Ruthless Great Emperor make these arrangements,
Shi Xiu was taken aback.
Hadn't we agreed to become Dao companions?
Seeing how reluctant he was to part with her,
the Ruthless Great Emperor decided to leave him with an unforgettable impression.
And so, before everyone's eyes,
the beautiful woman walked straight up to Shi Xiu.
She pressed her fiery red lips against his.
"My little husband, you must come find me someday. No going back on your word!"
After saying that,
her figure slowly grew faint.
She vanished like air.
Was that...
a farewell kiss?
Gazing in the direction where the Ruthless Great Emperor had disappeared,
Shi Xiu could not put it out of his mind for a long time.
Before transmigrating, he had never even held a girl's hand.
Now, an empress had stolen a kiss from him.
[Ding! Congratulations, host, on gaining a new immortal affinity. Your second check-in is about to trigger. Would you like to check in?]
Yes, of course!
[Ding! Congratulations, host, on checking in and obtaining the peerless technique, Grass Character Sword Art. You can unlock only the first level at most.]
After hearing this system notification,
Shi Xiu froze.
"The Grass Character Sword Art? From one of the ancient Ten Fiends? The one that can cleave through eternity with a single sword strike?"
Wasn't this the Desolate Heaven Emperor's ultimate move in the novel?
He'd actually obtained it through a check-in?
Was it all thanks to that kiss from the Ruthless Great Emperor?
[That is indeed the technique. The complete sword art was originally hidden within the Mountain Treasure in the Great Wilderness.] [Because of the host's check-in, the treasured technique within the Mountain Treasure has automatically become incomplete. The treasure will emerge ahead of schedule.]
What a chain reaction!
Shi Xiu's system was called the heaven and earth fortune-seizing system.
There was only one complete version of the Grass Character Sword Art in the world.
Now that he had obtained it through a check-in,
the Mountain Treasure that had originally housed the sword art was bound to stir.
It seemed it would emerge ahead of schedule.
This might draw the covetous attention of forces throughout heaven and earth.
Of course, that included Shi Xiu.
He could join the fight for it, too.
Though he had mastered only a tenth of the sword art,
unleashing a single strike would drain almost all his strength.
Yet that strike would absolutely be powerful enough to slay as many as three supreme human experts.
This check-in had truly handed him an incredible bargain!
And just as Shi Xiu was feeling smug,
that strand of the Ruthless Great Emperor's spiritual consciousness returned to her true body.
After absorbing those memories,
the outwardly ice-cold empress actually broke into a smile.
"Boy, I'll be waiting for you in Heaven Beyond Heaven. If you can board my Black Ship, I'll consider you to have passed!"
To think the empress was actually serious.
Yet just then,
two voices rang out from the unknown void.
"Who would have thought the illustrious empress would develop mortal affections?"
The first to speak was an Immortal King from the void.
He was also the owner of that enormous eye from earlier.
Upon hearing his voice,
the Ruthless Great Emperor immediately put away her smile.
"Heh, I hardly think my affairs are any of your concern!"
"Indeed, they are not. But the heavenly Dao treasure body does not belong to you alone. We, too, are determined to obtain it!"
As the argument rang out,
the seemingly tranquil expanse of the universe suddenly grew lively.
Several high-ranking planets renowned throughout the universe also spoke out.
"The heavenly Dao treasure body must be paired with a Dao companion of at least holy maiden rank to realize its worth. All disciples, heed this command!"
Sure enough, a single stone stirred a thousand waves.
With the return of the empress's consciousness,
countless covetous gazes traced her path all the way back.
Everyone fixed their sights on the depths of the Great Wilderness.
Soon, the forces on this plane all received instructions from above.
The Heaven Mending Sect in the Upper Realm.
"By decree of the Grand Supreme Elder, a heavenly Dao treasure body has appeared in the Great Wilderness. Send your elite female disciples down to the mortal realm at once to recruit him!"
"Yue Chan respectfully obeys the Grand Supreme Elder's decree!"
As the Heaven Mending Sect's holy maiden, Yue Chan was a great beauty famed far and wide.
She had never expected her superiors to send her personally
to find a man in the Great Wilderness.
With so little information available, Yue Chan would have to rely on her own abilities to find that man.
Then she would bring him back to the Heaven Mending Sect.
The orders from above were to spare no cost.
That included Yue Chan herself.
The Rain Clan in the Great Wilderness.
"Our clan has received the Rain God Decree, commanding us to seek a man in the Great Wilderness who possesses a heavenly Dao treasure body..."
The Fire Clan's imperial palace.
There stood a girl of just thirteen.
She already looked fifteen or sixteen.
Her forehead was full and fair, her face delicately oval, her dark brows curved, and her large eyes sparkled like crystals with a spirited radiance.
Her skin was snow-white and her figure tall, her supple little waist swaying like a snake in exquisitely graceful curves.
Whether in looks, bearing, or figure, she utterly outclassed every beauty he had seen on Douyin in his previous life.
This was Huo Ling'er, the Fire Emperor's daughter.
Because she excelled in every respect,
the Fire Emperor had summoned her directly.
"Ling'er greets Father!"
"My dear daughter, I have a matter concerning our clan's rise or fall to discuss with you!"
The Fire Emperor was merely an ordinary Venerable in the lower realm, and who knew where he had received the news.
As it happened, Stone Village was not too far from them.
Why not let his daughter try her luck?
If she happened to catch the eye of the man with the heavenly Dao treasure body,
wouldn't their future descendants have the potential to become Great Emperors?
But after hearing her father's words,
Huo Ling'er shook her head like a pellet drum.
"What? Father wants me to go to that savage wilderness and find some wild boy to marry? I'm not going!"
This little lass.
Why was she so headstrong?
Just then,
a plump little bird resembling a sparrow flew in.
The elders beside the Fire Emperor immediately fell to their knees.
"Greetings, Lord Sacrificial Spirit. What brings you here?"
Despite Little Red Bird's adorable appearance,
the bird's true form was the Vermilion Bird, the Fire Kingdom's Sacrificial Spirit.
"I sensed that the Mountain Treasure will emerge early. Bring some people and come dig for treasure with me!"
As it turned out, someone's earlier check-in
had stirred up the entire world.
Sensing the Mountain Treasure's tremors,
the Vermilion Bird could no longer remain calm.
And upon hearing this,
Huo Ling'er, who had been so reluctant earlier, immediately volunteered.
"Huo Ling'er is willing to accompany Lord Sacrificial Spirit!"
"You?"
Looking down at the lively little girl,
Little Red Bird then looked at the Fire Emperor.
The latter kept nodding and winking in encouragement.
"Very well! You, too, carry the aura of our Fire Clan's royalty. Come along!"
"Hooray! Huo Ling'er is willing to follow you, my lord!"
In truth, the Fire Kingdom's princess did not know
that the Mountain Treasure was located not far from Stone Village.
And a treasure like this
was certain to attract every force in the Great Wilderness.
If she wanted to meet that mysterious man,
this would undoubtedly be the best opportunity!
Surely everyone could see that!
After arranging all this, the Fire Emperor
returned to the Ancestral Shrine.
After lighting incense, he repeatedly kowtowed before his ancestors' memorial tablets.
"Ancestors of the Fire Kingdom, grant your blessings. May my daughter obtain a heaven-sent opportunity..."
Before you continue