"Want to repay me? It won't be that easy."
Underneath the Ruthless Emperor's feet, the ancient inscriptions of the Grand Dao ignited. A brilliant silver radiance burst forth, enveloping her entirely.
"I told you—I won't let you be hurt again."
Chen Xiaoming smiled faintly as a majestic silver light surged from his body, consuming him inch by inch. His gentle eyes, filled with emotion, shook the Ruthless Emperor to her core. In that instant, a realization dawned upon her, stirring something deep within her heart.
The silver glow gently carried her body away. And just before she vanished from sight, Chen Xiaoming's infuriating voice echoed softly in her ears—
"Remember this: what you owe me, you'll owe for a lifetime."
As his words faded, the Ruthless Emperor's figure disappeared, transmitted away. From behind her mask, her eyes lingered on him one last time before she was gone.
Boom.
A terrifying strike descended—only to crash into the empty void. The inscription array had shattered, yet Chen Xiaoming remained utterly unshaken. He had long since etched a formation, which had safely sent the Ruthless Emperor away.
"Now then... it's time to deal with you."
His icy gaze shimmered with the collapse of infinite space. Just one glance sent a shudder through the old man's soul. In that instant, an overwhelming sense of powerlessness overwhelmed him, as though he were nothing more than an ant before a god. A crack splintered through his Dao Heart.
Impossible. He was supposed to be the ant!
Fury flared in the elder's eyes. How could he—an exalted cultivator—feel fear before someone so insignificant? Unforgivable.
"Die!"
His furious roar shook the entire Sacred Domain's minor world. Heaven-Net and Earth-Fiend formations sealed the skies, the Ten Yama Kings suspended above. Laws of Heaven and Earth surged into being, forming a death prison around Chen Xiaoming. Stars from the Sacred Domain plummeted. The yellow spring of the Netherworld rose to corrode all life.
But Chen Xiaoming stood calmly in place. The spectral figure behind him had already faded, and a terrifying silver light now shimmered faintly across his body like a sea of stars.
Slowly, he raised his right hand. A burst of dazzling silver erupted. His arm disintegrated into nothingness—then instantly reformed. With a gentle sweep of his palm—
"Whoosh..."
A breeze stirred. The surrounding space rippled slightly.
Then—nothing happened.
The elder blinked, confused. He stared at Chen Xiaoming, thinking he must have lost his mind. But just then, his expression twisted.
Boom... Boom... Boom.
The heavens above split open. A boundless, apocalyptic force surged through—the embodiment of the Grand Dao's might, powerful enough to obliterate all creation.
"An Emperor Armament…? Someone brought an Extreme Dao Emperor Weapon?"
There were no Great Emperors in the current Five Regions. Only an Extreme Dao Emperor Weapon could unleash such an attack—and only the great dynasties and sacred grounds possessed them.
But as the elder frowned in thought, he realized with shock: the destructive force hadn't targeted Chen Xiaoming. It had shattered the Sacred Domain's firmament—and then vanished. As if it had never been meant to destroy, but merely... to open the sky.
"As expected... the starry skies outside are far more beautiful."
Chen Xiaoming looked up at the brilliant stars, nodding with satisfaction. But his casual words struck fear into the elder's heart. A terrible suspicion formed—a truth too terrifying to accept.
The elder turned, horrified. Chen Xiaoming simply smiled back.
"No. No, it's not you—it can't be!"
The elder roared, his voice tinged with madness. Divine light surged, the laws of the Sacred Domain crashed down, and finally, his attack reached Chen Xiaoming, disintegrating his body in a terrifying flash.
Relief crossed the elder's face. A cold smirk formed as he muttered:
"An ant is just an ant. How could he have unleashed that kind of strike...?"
"Oh? Is that so?"
A whisper slithered into his ear—like a mournful wail from the depths of the Nine Hells. The elder's body shuddered violently. Behind him, the Ten Yama Kings of death billowed with shadow. Ghostly wails cried out from coffins of death energy, surging toward the origin of the voice.
Buzz...
The heavens quaked.
A terrifying space-based Grand Dao law manifested. From the corner of his eye, the elder saw Chen Xiaoming raise a single finger.
A beam of spatial law surged forward. All void and all attacks vanished into primal chaos.
Chen Xiaoming shook his head lightly. To him, the elder was already no more than an ant.
No more words.
A silver point of light flicked forth.
Crack—
The void shattered. That point of silver bloomed in the elder's gaze. The law of space solidified. The elder swung his deathly coffin—but it was instantly pierced through. The remaining force blasted through his skull, erasing all traces of life.
Whoosh...
A breeze whispered by.
The elder's eyes widened as death took him. A final strand of silver glimmered from his forehead—then consumed his entire body, leaving not a speck behind in this world.
Chen Xiaoming gazed indifferently at the fading remains, sweeping up the elder's relics with a casual wave. Then his form flickered—and he vanished from the Sacred Domain, returning beneath the starry heavens.
The stars shimmered above. Chen Xiaoming lightly clapped his hand.
The Sacred Domain collapsed into dust.
His brows furrowed. A blinding silver burst exploded from within. His body disintegrated almost instantly.
"So... I've reached my limit, huh?"
He murmured softly, his gaze turning to a distant point. Through the boundless void, a figure was rapidly approaching.
The silver radiance erupted once more, devouring his form again—before slowly reforming.
His prior outburst had drawn upon his bloodline's origin power. That power had coalesced into a silver spear—now detonated completely by his own hand.
Even the mightiest bloodline, without full comprehension and mastery, is merely a ticking time bomb.
When it explodes depends not on theory—but fate.
Whether it kills the enemy first... or its bearer.
In Chen Xiaoming's case—it was clear his fate was tougher.
After all... he's a damn cheat.
"In the end... I still didn't stay."
He let out a soft sigh.
Divine light radiated from his form. A unique pulse resonated, stirring the laws of heaven and earth. Dao patterns intertwined above him, and a piercing, blade-like aura condensed overhead.
"Sever!"
A flash of brilliant silver. Something deep within Chen Xiaoming seemed to be cut away. His aura collapsed; his face went pale, almost bloodless. He looked to the distance—where a familiar figure was drawing near.
He slowly closed his right hand. Scattered starlight, under the guidance of his last wisp of silver power, gathered in his palm.
It coalesced into a single silver seed.
Huff… Huff... Huff…
His breathing grew ragged, as if all his strength had drained away. Watching the approaching figure, a faint smile lifted his lips. Then, he lightly tapped the space before him.
A gentle white light appeared, instantly surrounding him.
In the next moment—Chen Xiaoming vanished.
Swish.
A white-clothed figure arrived, gazing across the empty heavens.
Only a silver seed floated in the air.
The woman reached out, taking the seed into her palm. As it pulsed with silver light, a faint laugh echoed through the void—
"Remember... what you owe me, you'll be repaying for a lifetime."
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