"I won."

Her voice was just like I had imagined, ethereal and otherworldly.

But Xu Qian was puzzled. What did it mean that she won?

“I gave them many chances, and it turns out that the laws of the world need disaster, and they need me.”

As she spoke the last three words, Xu Qian noticed a subtle expression on her face. She was looking down upon all living beings with an utterly calm demeanor.

To be honest, he looks pretty smug. Xu Qian thought to himself.

Whether it was a guess at Xu Qian's inner thoughts or not, the person opposite suddenly curled the corners of his mouth into a smile. This smile was like spring returning to the earth, melting away the ice and snow, and adding a touch of warmth to his expressionless face.

“Stay with me, and I’ll give you anything you want,” she said again.

"I can give him anything he wants," this "rich woman"-like statement made Xu Qian's eye twitch. "Is she really that arrogant?"

"What do you mean by 'rich woman'?" The other woman chose not to hide the fact that she could hear his inner thoughts, and looked at him with her almond-shaped eyes.

[An omnipotent...God.] (Sincerely)

This statement clearly pleased her, making her even more interested in Xu Qian. However, she soon heard the next sentence.

But I can't stay with you; I have many things to do.

"For example...your master?"

[Um. ]

"That's me. You've found me now, isn't that enough?"

[No, that's not right, you're not her.] Xu Qian was very stubborn.

She approached, stood almost face to face with him, and then smiled.

"If I say yes, then yes."

With a flick of her sleeve, a scene appeared in the water mirror behind her that was very familiar to him—Qianye Lake in Yanwen, Shangjiang Tower in Dangxi, Wanglong Pavilion in Yizhou, and Yangzhi Workshop in Shangdai.

These are the places Xu Qian visited when he first came to this world.

The final scene is of Changai Mountain.

It was winter. Xu Qian, who had been entrusted by the pharmacy owner, went up the mountain with great excitement, but he did not expect to get caught in the mountain's maze. Just as he was hesitating whether to give up his divine speed to get out, Xu Qian met his master, Zhong Lilan, in the snow.

She stood amidst the snow-capped mountains, her white dress blending almost seamlessly with the snow, leaving only her clear and bright eyes visible.

Although his master was usually stern and seemed aloof and distant, she actually cared deeply for each of her disciples and was a very kind person at heart.

Xu Qian looked at his reflection in the water mirror as his master took him up the mountain. From acquaintance to friendship, time passed year by year, and he gradually built a home in this strange world, with family members who cared for and loved each other.

Until that day, he was tricked into the ice coffin by his master. Afterwards, Zhong Lilan immediately contacted all the immortal sects and families in the Nine Provinces Continent and rushed to Hidden God Valley. In that unprecedented battle, the immortal sects were completely wiped out, and the Nine Provinces Continent was declared to have collapsed.

Only he, who was left in the ice coffin, has survived to this day.

[But why?]

She didn't answer his question, but instead gestured for him to continue reading.

A new scene unfolded in the water mirror—

The opening scene is set in the same four locations as before, followed by Changai Mountain.

Xu Qian was now confused. Did this water mirror have a built-in replay function? Was it trying to make him see it again because it was afraid he wouldn't be able to see it clearly?

But soon, Xu Qian discovered that the scene before him was somewhat different—his first meeting with his thirteenth senior brother was not on the way up the mountain, but at his master's residence. Moreover, his thirteenth senior brother was slightly injured.

Although the other person still had a friendly smile on their face, the sight of them touching his injured arm was somewhat inexplicable.

In Xu Qian's memory, his thirteenth senior brother had not been injured this time...

The scenes in the water mirror jumped around very quickly. Apart from the fact that the daily life on the mountain had not changed much, the only difference was with the thirteenth senior brother.

Unlike what he remembered, his thirteenth senior brother was told that he possessed a different kind of blood. During a trial, he was unexpectedly taken hostage by the demon elder Blood Rakshasa and trapped in Hidden God Valley.

Not only that, but an even stranger scene unfolded: Xu Qian did not undergo the tribulation, was not tricked into the ice coffin, and did not miss the great war between immortals and demons. The elites of various immortal sects from the Nine Provinces Continent gathered together and went to the Hidden God Valley—in order to prevent the birth of the Demon Lord.

There, Xu Qian had never seen such a strange Hidden God Valley. In his memory, Hidden God Valley had always been secluded from the world, just like its name suggested—a place where immortals secluded themselves.

Xu Qian had only visited the valley once before, when he first entered Jiuyue, and it was like a paradise on earth, with birds singing and flowers blooming everywhere. But now, a huge barrier firmly surrounds the entire valley, shrouded in black mist, making it impossible for outsiders to see its face clearly.

Kunlun Jun led his people there with utmost caution, but they were attacked by the demons as soon as they entered the barrier.

Upon closer inspection, I was greatly surprised.

In just a few days, the seal on the gate deep within the Hidden God Valley Forbidden Land had been breached by the evil creatures inside, and the crazed demons were rushing out in droves, a scene of dense, chilling numbers.

Kunlun Jun, the ruler of the Nine Provinces, looked unusually serious. The occurrence of this breach was completely beyond his expectations, and things suddenly became tricky.

"The seal might not hold for long. Order all sects to provide support immediately! Other elders, join me in setting up the formation. We cannot let these things escape before reinforcements arrive!"

"yes!"

"yes!"

Immediately upon receiving the news, the various immortal sects and families of Kyushu dispatched people to provide immediate support.

...

The battle lasted for seven days. Endless demons poured out from the breach in the seal, and no one knew how many more were behind them. It was like a bottomless pit that could never be extinguished. The demons seemed to feel no pain, and just charged recklessly like moths to a flame, showing no fear even when faced with extremely sharp blades.

In the battle between quality and quantity, the demons gradually gained the upper hand over time.

In the water mirror, Senior Brother Lan, whose spiritual power had been exhausted, was ripped out of his heart by a demon's palm while trying to save him. Bright red blood splattered onto Xu Qian's clothes, which were almost indistinguishable in color. He froze on the spot, his face filled with disbelief.

"Senior Brother Lan—"

Seeing this, Xu Qian could no longer distinguish which scene was real, and felt a pain in his chest that left him speechless.

Unfortunately, the Water Mirror didn't have a pause button. Senior Brother Lan died right in front of him, his blood-stained face, which had always been smiling, turned pale and lifeless...

Xu Qian didn't know how he could keep watching. He hadn't seen the battle in the previous scene, but now he was truly experiencing what cruelty meant.

One by one, the familiar faces died before his eyes, and in the water mirror, he could only fall down and then rise again on the spot; he could save no one.

This battle resulted in countless deaths and injuries; as far as the eye could see, there were only rotting corpses.

More and more demons escaped from the breached seal, and they changed their weapons again and again.

Why couldn't the seal be repaired? Can it still be repaired? — This was the only thought left in the minds of the remaining people.

At this moment, the demon clan chief, Zhifeng, vomited a mouthful of blood, and he was met with resistance from the Earth Gate.

Everyone was stunned. A black light flashed from the seal of the earth gate, and they were immediately alarmed—Oh no! The Demon Lord has been born!

The Earth Gate absorbed the power of the dead souls from the corpses, forcibly catalyzing the birth of the Demon Lord. If no one stops him, the consequences will be unimaginable once the Demon Lord appears, and the entire Kyushu may enter an eternal period of darkness.

When the time came, Kunlun Jun had no choice but to offer up the forbidden Kunlun technique. He would use the souls of all the immortal disciples here as a sacrifice, and with the combined power of several elders, he would repair the seal on the Earth Gate.

But before that, he needs someone to help him train these dead souls.

“Master! Cultivating the Soul of the Dead will backfire from the torment of purgatory…” Kunlun Jun’s personal disciple’s expression changed drastically.

"This is... the only way now." Kunlun Jun's expression was solemn.

“…Let me do it.” Xu Qian supported himself with one hand on the sword. He was now completely exhausted, and his mana was also depleted. But there was one advantage: he wouldn’t die. So what if it hurt? He could endure it.

Just as he was about to walk forward, he was stopped by his master.

"Disciples of Jiuyue, heed my command! Guard the Star Array—protect the Soul Array!" After saying this, Zhong Lilan walked directly to the center of the Soul Array.

"Master!" Xu Qian cried out anxiously.

Zhong Lilan did not turn around to look at him.

Xu Qian was lifted up by his two senior brothers, one on each side, and they were very determined to do so.

The remaining people had no time to think. The elders of each sect performed their duties to protect the formation, while the disciples of Jiuyue quickly switched to sword formations, temporarily creating a safe circle.

Within the soul array, there were countless pitiful wails, some of which belonged to their fellow disciples, and some were even their own flesh and blood. But now, they could only watch with tears in their eyes as their souls were cruelly forged.

Time seemed to stretch on endlessly and agonizingly.

At the very center, Zhong Lilan was as if she were soaking in a bath of blood. Not a single piece of her body was intact. The hellish pain in the soul array would be reflected on her body one by one. One person, a hundred people, a thousand people, or even ten thousand people, but she did not utter a sound.

Seconds passed, and the Kunlun Forbidden Technique was almost complete when, unexpectedly, another incident occurred—

The Demon Lord crawled out of the underground gate, sporting the handsome face of his thirteenth senior brother, but everyone knew that this person was no longer him.

"Thirteenth Brother!"

"Senior Brother Meng!"

"Don't go over there! He's not your senior brother anymore!"

Xu Qian looked at his former thirteenth senior brother, clenched his sword-wielding hand, but couldn't help trembling.

"Roar—" The ground suddenly trembled.

The bloodlust has driven the Demon Lord's thirst for blood to its extreme. Both the immortal sects and the demon race have become nourishment for the Demon Lord, and with each step, he can be seen becoming stronger.

"Stop him! Quickly!"

"We can't let him get close to the soul array!"

"roar--"

The disciples of Jiuyue transformed into the Seven Star Formation once again, and the flying swords on their backs shot forward like meteors. The forty-nine flying swords locked the Demon Lord firmly in the sword formation, rendering him unable to move.

Qi Zi thought that the Demon Lord had only recently appeared, and the sword formation could still temporarily trap him.

"We can hold on a little longer, quick—"

As soon as the Seven Sons finished speaking, there was another loud bang from behind. In the blink of an eye, the Demon Lord actually broke the flying swords on the sword formation. While breaking free, he also knocked the Seven Sons who were trapped behind him backward, and several of them coughed up blood.

The only demon clan leader who hadn't participated in the protective formation, Feng, quickly led his disciples to fill in. Their clan's Thousand Feather Net was very strong and initially managed to stop the Demon Lord, but it lasted less than a quarter of an hour before it was defeated due to the depletion of spiritual energy.

Several elders were guarding the formation, and the rest who could go up went up, but after several days of fighting, they were either physically exhausted or had exhausted their spiritual energy. How could they be a match for this newly born demon lord? Rushing up would just be a waste of their lives.

He discarded his priceless magical treasures as if they were worthless spirit stones, but this only slowed down the Demon Lord's approach.

Xu Qian, his face pale, hurriedly swallowed the mana-restoring potion he had just made, and also took a health-restoring one. Only then did he rush forward with the Crimson Lotus in his hand. His two senior brothers beside him could not restrain him at all now that he had mana.

"My little one, don't go—"

Upon hearing this, not only Xu Qian in the water mirror, but even Xu Qian watching from outside almost stumbled—couldn't people refrain from calling him by his nickname in public?!

Holding the Crimson Lotus, he stood firmly in front of the Demon Lord. After seven days of struggle, the Crimson Lotus was now filled with blood energy, making it a true weapon of death.

"roar--"

The Demon Lord, now completely transformed into a demon, was almost unrecognizable as his thirteenth senior brother. His crimson eyes held only a primal thirst for blood. Xu Qian sighed; he had no time for hesitation or internal struggle.

The two quickly engaged in combat.

Xu Qian dodged the opponent's attack with a light, agile movement, then with a backhand flick, he thrust his sword forward with unstoppable force, aiming straight for the Demon Lord's left hand. An orange-tier weapon is an orange-tier weapon after all; having spent money on it, blood immediately appeared upon impact. The Demon Lord, clearly continuing his thirteenth senior brother's left-handed habit, was significantly slowed by the injury. (Actually, it was just the slowing effect of the Tai Chi technique.)

Not only that, Xu Qian also used the kite to kite the boss to the extreme, using the Flying Leap and various small light skills, and then using the Cloud Ladder to reset the Flying Leap. Basically, he avoided fighting as much as possible, mainly to buy time.

But the Demon Lord wasn't stupid. After fighting for a while, he realized he couldn't catch up with Xu Qian at all, so he stopped fighting him and went after someone else.

Xu Qian saw that this wouldn't do, so he had no choice but to get down and symbolically fight with him a few times.

The first few times were fine, but as time went on, Xu Qian clearly felt the strain. The Demon Lord was growing rapidly, and he was caught and bled several times. If it weren't for his skillful use of his lightness skill, he would have been seriously injured many times over.

"Little one, lead him to the underground gate, Master and the others have finished—"

"Don't call me 'Mo'—" Xu Qian felt a sudden pain in his chest. Looking down, he saw a hand on his chest, or rather, a hand piercing through him. The smell of blood wafted from his chest.

Putting everything else aside, it hurts quite a bit. That was the only thought in Xu Qian's mind.

"Roar—" The Demon Lord let out a 'whoosh' sound, with a hint of pleasure, the pleasure of capturing prey.

"Thirteenth Senior Brother..." Xu Qian collapsed uncontrollably, his health bar instantly emptied, leaving him five minutes away from resurrection.

The air froze. This accident happened so unexpectedly, an accident that no one could have imagined.

"My little one—"

Senior Brother Fu Kun almost strained his voice to the bone; heaven knows he could make such an unpleasant sound. Xu Qian, lying down, thought to himself.

Don't go.

Zhong Lilan drew her White Rainbow Sword, the sword that had followed her for many years, a sword that had only ever killed people.

Amidst the flashing blades, the Demon Lord was knocked back several steps by the sudden close-range, chilling sword. However, he quickly recovered, having already made some progress. After all, in terms of talent, he had also perfectly inherited Senior Brother Meng's abilities.

The other elders weren't idle either. They could leave the sealing to Kunlun Jun, and let the old bones handle the rest.

"Changliu Zhenren—"

Zhong Lilan turned around and threw the Tomorrow Talisman at the Demon Lord. That thing was particularly effective against demons, as it could temporarily blind them. Although the duration was very short, it was enough.

The Demon Lord instinctively closed his eyes, and as darkness fell, he was struck several times by powerful forces. In an instant, his skin was torn open, and he became a bloody corpse.

Upon seeing this, the elders unleashed their best skills, no longer caring about inventory; their only concern was whether they could use the supplies.

Just as the group was trying to force the Demon Lord back, they never expected that the smell of blood would actually stimulate the Demon Lord.

Shedding the blood-soaked corpse's outer skin, the original flesh and bones grew into tough yet ugly armor. This was the true Demon Lord, a monster that should not exist.

The situation on both sides changed instantly. All their magical treasures became useless. However, the Demon Lord was less than three meters away from the gate. Success was within reach. How could they give up so easily? They might as well go all out.

"Sect Leader Chu—"

"good."

...

This situation is a dead end, just like the appearance of the Demon Lord.

In the end, some were injured, and some died.

Zhong Lilan supported herself with one hand on her white rainbow sword, her lips trembling slightly. The Demon Lord's shadow fell upon her, completely enveloping her. In that instant, Zhong Lilan closed her eyes—

At that moment, a blue halo appeared beneath her feet—

Suppress the mountains and rivers!

Zhong Lilan suddenly opened her eyes and saw a familiar sharp blade piercing through the Demon Lord's chest. Black blood mixed with red blood splattered on Zhong Lilan's face. Looking at her was Xu Qian, who was behind the Demon Lord and holding the Crimson Lotus.

He smiled.

Zhong Lilan suddenly had a bad feeling.

The next second, Xu Qian resolutely sacrificed himself. His blood merged with the Crimson Lotus, instantly drawing a prison beneath his feet, binding him and the Demon Lord together forever. He then turned and plunged into the deep underground gate.

...

Dark, endless black mist spread from the valley, corroding everything in its path.

The world was destroyed.

Only when evil is washed away by the long passage of time may this world be restarted because of a single weed.