Somewhere in the Blood Origin Continent...
Crimson Demonic Qi emerged from thin air, swirling violently before expanding outward. A male figure took shape within it, collapsing to his knees as he touched the ground.
This person was the Blood Prince, Chu Di, who had just escaped from Xia Zhenhai's sword with the aid of a valuable protective treasure.
He wore a pale expression from the near-death experience. As he recalled the events from earlier, that pallor twisted into fury.
"Xia Zhenhai!" he roared. The helplessness he'd felt before his enemy was a humiliation—a stain on his path.
He had to take revenge!
But now, there was no chance. The other party had already stepped into the Dao Realm—a taboo strength in the middle realm like this Seventh Heaven. There was no way for him, or anyone else, to stand against that.
Fortunately, since the opponent had stepped into the taboo realm, he couldn't act recklessly either, so he could rest assured, for now, that such a powerful expert wouldn't hunt him down. At least, not without consequences.
"This isn't the end… I'll make you pay," Chu Di whispered through gritted teeth, cold fury burning in his eyes.
Chu Di got up, stood on his two feet, as he was about to leave this secret location and return to the Palace.
Suddenly—
"What?!" Chu Di exclaimed, suddenly realizing that countless transparent swords were hovering around him—orbiting him like a star stream.
They had arrived completely silent in all aspects. By the time he noticed them, it was already too late.
Without giving him a moment to react, the swords shot forward and pierced through his body.
"AAARGH!" Chu Di screamed in agony, blood spraying from his mouth.
He was completely impaled—his body skewered from every angle. Chu Di struggled to break free, but the swords held him firmly, locking him in place like a prisoner nailed to the floor.
Worse, he realized his cultivation had been sealed. He couldn't circulate even a wisp of Qi, and his Divine Sense couldn't extend beyond his body.
He hadn't expected an ambush in this place—he was completely caught off guard.
Gritting his teeth, Chu Di slowly lifted his head as he tolerated the pain that seared through his entire body. He had to see who was behind this.
Then, through eyes filled with hatred, he caught a movement. A male figure stepped forward from the shadows—calm, unhurried.
As the figure emerged into the light, Chu Di's eyes widened in shock.
"Ji Wushuang! Why are you doing this?! You and I have no personal grudge!" Chu Di roared, both shocked and furious to see that the one who had ambushed him was the same man who had ruined his plans at the Blood Moon Altar.
At first, Chu Di hadn't taken this person seriously.
Even though Ji Wushuang was a genius feared and worried by many, Chu Di had never taken him seriously. In his eyes, Ji Wushuang was nothing more than a fleeting spark—bright for a moment, but ultimately faded.
After all, this person was only a mere Spirit Integration cultivator. What could such a lowly expert do to him and the palace?
However, everything changed after that sword strike—a single slash that shook the entire realm.
From that moment on, Chu Di no longer dared to underestimate him. He had even made up his mind to avoid offending Ji Wushuang in the future.
This complete change of mind was because the feat Ji Wushuang displayed on the battlefield was enough for everyone to regard him as a future Heavenly Immortal. Who would dare to offend someone destined to ascend?
Yet, who would have thought that this very man would come after him for no reason, and go as far as to strike within the Blood Origin Continent, the Chu Di's own territory?
He hadn't even met this Ji Wushuang in person until a few days ago on the battlefield—and even then, they never directly engaged.
Why target me?!
Chu Di was confused and demanded to know why he had been ambushed. Knowing it would be nearly impossible to survive if his attacker intended to kill him here, he vowed that, before he died, he would at least uncover the reason.
Ji Wushuang gazed down at Chu Di with indifferent eyes.
This old enemy—someone who had once tormented him in a previous timeline—was now reduced to a pathetic state, like a dying insect. Yet Ji Wushuang felt nothing.
No satisfaction, no joy, not even hatred. There was no surge of emotion as he once expected, even against someone as hateful as this.
Perhaps it was because he had already passed his Saint Tribulation—its effect on his mind and soul seemed to truly linger, even in this new timeline, not just his assumption.
Chu Di was one of the greatest obstacles in his previous timeline. He and Chu Di were destined to cross paths. And like all others, Ji Wushuang would eliminate them whenever the opportunity presented itself.
Just like the countless enemies he had already eliminated on this second journey, Chu Di was no different. This was the path to immortality—his All-Cutting Dao.
Anyone who stood in his way would be CUT!
"Chu Di, you can only blame yourself." He spoke without emotion. Without another word, Ji Wushuang raised his sword.
"What?! I didn't do…" Chu Di's voice cut off.
A silver arc of light flashed.
Chu Di's head fell, his eyes still wide in disbelief—unable to comprehend why his path had to end this way.
After that, Ji Wushuang began to loot Chu Di's corpse. He hadn't just killed this old enemy to sever their destined entanglement ahead of time—he did it for resources too. After all, the number one figure in the Seventh Heaven was anything but poor.
Chu Di was absurdly wealthy. As the Blood Prince and the master of the Blood Fiend Palace, he always carried a massive amount of personal treasures, along with a significant portion of the faction's wealth stored in his space ring.
For cultivators belonging to factions, carrying the faction's wealth in their personal space ring was considered a serious offense. It was far too risky—if they died or disappeared while outside, that wealth would be lost forever. As a result, most top-tier cultivators avoided carrying faction resources with them unless absolutely necessary.
But this was Chu Di. He never imagined he would be robbed.
The result?
Ji Wushuang reaped everything. The contents of Chu Di's space ring easily surpassed what Ji had accumulated over many years since arriving in this realm. It was enough to sustain his cultivation all the way until he reached the Dao Realm.
Taking an enemy's life brought him no feeling—but now, a wide grin spread across his face as he counted what he had gained.
Satisfied with what he had gained from this place, Ji Wushuang prepared to leave. Staying any longer could be dangerous—his trump cards had all been used.
Besides, he needed to hurry back to his abode to recover his injury, as wielding Dao Essence through a current cultivation realm had taken a significant toll on his body and soul. If a Peak Grand Unity or Half-Step Dao Treader expert encountered him now, he would have no way to fight back—only escape.
Ji Wushuang took out the Void Ship—a treasure he had acquired from the Unparalleled Sword Edge Heavenly Immortal's Inheritance dimensional world.
Among all his possessions, this was the most invaluable, of course, not counting the two Heavenly Treasures he had. It was a relic that couldn't be created or replicated with the Nine Heaven Realm's profession mastery; it was crafted in the legendary Immortal Realm.
He quickly boarded the Void Ship and drifted into the void between the space-time. Within an hour, he had returned to the Myriad Dynasty Continent. However, the moment he arrived, he immediately sensed something unusual unfolding.
He gazed at the sky. The Blood Moon had vanished days ago—yet now, another strange phenomenon had taken its place. This one, however, was not harmful.
Quite the opposite.
The yellow sun was gone.
In its place hung a Pure White Sun, radiating a gentle, sacred light. Its aura was pure, cleansing everything across the continent. Wherever the sunlight touched, the lingering demonic taint left behind by the Blood Moon was swiftly purified.
The aftereffects of the Blood Moon—scars that experts once predicted would plague the continent for hundreds of years—were being erased completely, as if the catastrophe had never occurred at all.
Even more surprising, Ji Wushuang realized that his injury was slowly healing under the light of the Pure White Sun.
His eyes narrowed. This miracle didn't bring him any joy—only unease, a challenge. The appearance of the Pure White Sun confirmed his suspicion—There was an unknown variable in this timeline.
All the strange future changes he had noticed since arriving on this continent—this wasn't a ripple caused by his actions.
The Unknown—Something or someone that had never existed, or played no role, in the previous timeline.
If it were a person…
Then that could only mean one thing—
A new player had stepped onto the board.
Act 2—Myriad Dynasty Continent: The New Settlement Has Ended.