(Brain Storage Location)
Thunderclouds gathered above the nine heavens.
Beneath the sky, eight ten-thousand-year-old god-locking chains tightly bound a blood-soaked man in the center.
The man's hair was disheveled, and his body was covered in blood. He was enveloped in Blood Essence, making it impossible to see his true appearance.
Standing before the man were a man and a woman.
The man was named Lin Feng, and he possessed a face more delicate than a woman's.
However, this face, which should have been handsome, was now distorted and terrifying due to his excitement.
The woman standing beside Lin Feng possessed a breathtakingly beautiful face. Coupled with the crimson imperial robes she wore, her graceful figure was perfectly accentuated.
Only, the woman's face, like a bright moon, was cold as ice. In her seemingly clear pupils, there was a strong sense of disgust and hatred.
The woman was Yu Xiyan, the female Emperor of the Yin Tian Dynasty. She possessed the Ice Phoenix Bloodline, a rare treasure seen only once in a thousand years. Her cultivation had reached the Emperor Realm three years prior, and both her appearance and cultivation placed her undeniably at the pinnacle of the Xianwu Continent.
The man trapped within the Soul-Locking Chains was named Shen Zhao, the husband of the female Emperor Yu Xiyan, the God of War of the Yin Tian Dynasty, and the powerful King Wu.
Shen Zhao, who came from a humble background, rose through the ranks of the empire's generals step by step, based on his military achievements. He established the Breaking Army Manor and formed the Iron Guard, fighting on the battlefields for the empire and achieving glorious feats.
He once led tens of thousands of imperial soldiers to the Wolf Pass, slaughtering a million Barbarian Soldiers. The hundred thousand Iron Guard stood their ground, repelling the invading Nine Nether Demon Army. With flying ships setting sail, they rode the waves and annihilated the seven nations of the Southern Dragons, conquering the kingdom of heaven. He also led an expedition to the Ancient Ruins, capturing and killing an ancient god anomaly, eliminating a world-destroying assimilation and pollution...
In every battle, wherever the Breaking Army Manor's forces went, gods and demons alike trembled in fear, and the three thousand Mystic Sects and Immortal Clans of the Xianwu Continent were filled with dread.
Those high-and-mighty Mystic Sects and Immortal Clans, for the first time, submitted to a mortal dynasty, lowering their status and bowing their proud heads.
During Shen Zhao's reign, the empire's territory expanded twelvefold, spanning one-third of the Xianwu Continent. It could be said that Shen Zhao, through his own efforts, brought the Great Yin Dynasty to a peak that was not originally meant for it.
It was a pity. Today, the former god of war of the empire, the war god of the Breaking Army Manor, the pillar of the Yin Tian Dynasty, was about to die in this carefully laid-out scheme.
"Shen Zhao, you murdered the Former Emperor and plotted to usurp the throne and harm the current Empress. Do you know your crime!"
Lin Feng's voice echoed in Shen Zhao's ears like a ghost.
However, Shen Zhao's blood-covered face was raised, looking towards Yu Xiyan.
Yu Xiyan just watched Shen Zhao quietly. In her cold eyes, the intense hatred could not be concealed.
Her marriage to Shen Zhao had been a fatal mistake from the very beginning.
She never felt that she had liked Shen Zhao, even though this man had made her the Empress of today.
Yu Xiyan admitted that this man was very good to her, so good that it was unbelievable. For twenty years of marriage, he had been obedient and followed the rules, respecting her like a guest, and even knowing that they could only be married in name and would never be a real couple, he had no regrets.
But anything she wanted, Shen Zhao would find a way to get it for her, even at the cost of his own life. He never hesitated, and without him, the Yin Tian Dynasty wouldn't be as strong as it was today.
However, as long as Shen Zhao was around, she felt like a puppet. The Yin Tian Empire only knew of the undefeated war god, Shen Zhao. When had anyone mentioned the name of Yu Xiyan, the Yin Tian Empress?
She believed that she could accomplish everything he did for the empire, and perhaps even do it better.
Of course, the reason for wanting to kill Shen Zhao wasn't solely because of his overbearing power and arrogance.
It was because Shen Zhao had killed her father for the sake of power, murdered her entire royal family, and, worse than a beast, had defiled her mother, driving her to suicide…
Shen Zhao's crimes were too numerous to count.
"Shen Zhao, you have contributed to the nation. I had promised you a life of glory. However, greed knows no bounds, and your actions have angered both gods and men. I cannot possibly forgive you."
"Heh…"
Yu Xiyan finished speaking, only to be met with a self-deprecating chuckle.
Lin Feng, hearing this, solemnly began to enumerate Shen Zhao's crimes: "Shen Zhao, you plotted to poison the Former Emperor, you humiliated Empress Dowager Gu, you colluded with evil cultivators, you attempted to instigate a war with the Western Buddha Sect Country, and you even plotted to usurp the throne. Each count is listed, do you admit to them or not?"
This idiot doesn't know what he's rambling on about. Whatever, he's just a useless waste who hides behind a woman and lives off her. Arguing with him would only insult my intelligence.
The voice was soft, but Yu Xiyan still heard it. After a slight moment of doubt, she returned to her aloof, unapproachable demeanor.
Lin Feng roared, "Silence is taken as admission! Then you will pay with your life for those you've harmed!"
Eight Soul-Locking Chains, forged from ten-thousand-year-old Yin Fire Iron, were further tightened and reinforced under Lin Feng's frenzied spiritual power. Blood gushed from Shen Zhao's body like a fountain.
His consciousness gradually began to blur, and his raised head slowly drooped.
The current Shen Zhao could no longer hear, see, or perceive. His senses were shut off, as if he had entered the void.
He knew this was a sign of death approaching. His clenched fists bulged with veins, and he mumbled something under his breath.
Shen Zhao felt exhausted. Ever since he'd transmigrated to this Xianwu Continent, he'd been forced by the System to grovel at Yu Xiyan's feet. Yet, after nine cycles of reincarnation, sacrificing everything, he'd still lost to the so-called destiny.
So, he decided to give up.
At this moment, the System's voice echoed in his mind:
"Ding! Host's mission to conquer the Empress has failed. Sensing the host's life signs are about to dissipate, do you wish to perform a time rewind? Please successfully capture Yu Xiyan's heart in the tenth life. The System will definitely bestow generous rewards."
Little master, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading. It's even more exciting!
However, the System's voice ignited a strong sense of unwillingness within Shen Zhao, who should have already succumbed to fate.
Compared to the tragedy of nine lives and Yu Xiyan's coldness, he hated this System that toyed with his destiny even more.
"Are you mocking me!"
A thunderous explosion. Shen Zhao abruptly opened his eyes and roared.
Immediately, thunderclouds filled the abyss of the nine heavens. At the edge of the sky, a faint dragon's roar echoed, as if doomsday was upon them.
Even Lin Feng and Yu Xiyan, who had already controlled the situation, were shaken by Shen Zhao's roar.
"I just want to live for myself! Do I want to continue this endless cycle of reincarnation? I absolutely will not accept it!"
The next moment, Blood Essence surged around Shen Zhao, and he merged with the heavenly thunder, causing ten thousand streaks of lightning to descend.
In an instant, the eight divine chains that bound Shen Zhao shattered completely. Breaking free from his shackles, Shen Zhao let out a long howl to the heavens.
"It's not good, Xiyan, retreat quickly!"
Lin Feng immediately felt that something was wrong. He immediately activated his Qi Sea to resist the surging Yuan waves, but he was still blasted back a hundred feet by a gale filled with supreme Dao essence.
Yu Xiyan's cultivation was far above Lin Feng's. She only retreated a few steps, her palm lifted slightly, and a crystal-clear flying phoenix appeared in front of her, circling in the air. In an instant, it transformed into an ice peak qi shield, blocking six consecutive strikes. While blocking the violent energy waves, she was also pushed back more than ten yards.
"My fate is not decided by the heavens, but by me. From today on, my destiny is in my own hands!"
In the next moment, Shen Zhao's meridians were completely severed. The blood that sprayed from his body turned into streaks of blood-red lightning, spreading in all directions, turning everything the lightning touched into scorched earth.
"This is..."
"Above the Great Emperor, the God-Human Realm (Ascension Realm)?"
Lin Feng and Yu Xiyan, who witnessed this scene, had long since lost their previous composure. Replacing it was endless surprise and shock.
However, they didn't know that this was Shen Zhao using his last remaining life force to express his unwillingness to the System.
"System warning... Host's life force has dropped to 99%, immediately forcibly executing time reversal."
"I'll get you! Die! All of you, die!"
In the next moment, Lin Feng and Yu Xiyan witnessed a scene they would never forget.
They saw Shen Zhao suddenly plunge his hand into his left chest, and then clench his own heart.
"Ha, got you——"
"Warning… Warning…"
"Ah~"
Then, with a roar, Shen Zhao forcefully crushed his own heart. In an instant, blood-red lightning from the Nine Heavens Abyss roared around Shen Zhao, and a power that did not belong to this world crashed down from the sky.
"Not good, Xiyan, run!"
Lin Feng exclaimed in alarm, taking the lead and leaping away.
Yu Xiyan was half a step slower. The instant she rose, a drop of blood accidentally splashed onto her forehead and quickly vanished into her body.
The next moment, the two in mid-air saw an unbelievable scene.
The nine-layered abyss, towering ten thousand zhang high, shattered and collapsed the instant the blood雷 fell. Following that, the nine-layered mountain range, stretching for thirty thousand miles, was instantly filled with blood mist, which then drifted away with the wind.
"It's over just like that?"
Feeling Shen Zhao's soul dissipate in that instant, Yu Xiyan muttered in disbelief.
It was too easy.
The military god, who had planned without error and schemed for a thousand miles, had died so easily?
Just, after the revenge, why wasn't there a trace of joy in his heart? Instead, there was even a kind of indescribable sense of suffocation?
Why was this?
"De…tect…ing…Sys…tem…Host…de…parting…from…compulsory…start…ing…rule…rule…changing…time…reversal…initiating..."
Suddenly, the System, which was scattered in the air, emitted a mechanical echo, indistinguishable between male and female, and seemed to laugh as if it had gained self-awareness.
"Want to break away from the System's control? Is it that easy? No one can escape the System. Don't think you can control your own destiny just because you've lost your shackles.
Host, you are the most perfect vessel I have sought for billions of years.
This System will definitely return to the Host's body again and continue to lead the Host towards the peak of the supreme path."
The next moment, blood mist soared into the sky, and blood rain fell, scattering across the entire Xianwu Continent…
"Hoo~"
The next second, Shen Zhao abruptly woke up from the bed, clutching his chest and looking around.
The familiar scene in the room, the familiar arrangement. This was indeed the official residence of the Peace and Security Division where he served as a guard in the imperial capital of the Yin Tian Dynasty twenty years ago, wasn't it?
"Back again. Is this the tenth lifetime now?"
Shen Zhao chuckled to himself, then got up to tidy his clothes.
According to the original plot, today was the day Yu Xiyan, who was seventeen years old, would ascend the throne.
And Shen Zhao, who was about to become the royal consort, would have his first formal meeting with Yu Xiyan today.
Subsequently, he was treated as a tool, becoming Yu Xiyan's nominal husband. For the next twenty years, under the System's instructions, he had to set aside all dignity and help Yu Xiyan ascend to the peak of martial arts. Finally, because of the arrival of Lin Feng, the son of the plane's destiny, Yu Xiyan's heart was secretly moved, and Shen Zhao would eventually be brutally murdered again.
Nine lifetimes, constantly in a cycle, constantly challenging the predetermined trajectory.
However, no matter how hard Shen Zhao tried to please Yu Xiyan, it was never as effective as Lin Feng's shallow smile, which easily captured the heart of the aloof Empress.
This life, Shen Zhao decided to give up.
Screw being a simp, a lickspittle never gets a good ending.
Thinking of this, Shen Zhao unconsciously slapped the table.
However, the table immediately shattered into pieces, and the ground beneath his feet cracked into a spiderweb pattern.
This scene immediately stunned Shen Zhao.
You see, every time he was reborn, his cultivation was only at the Qi Condensation Realm. Cracking a table wasn't a big deal, but that required using spiritual energy.
And now, just a casual slap, and the table turned to dust? This was completely beyond Shen Zhao's understanding.
"What the hell is going on? System, explain yourself."
While summoning the System, Shen Zhao quickly examined his body.
This examination immediately shocked him. He felt the Spiritual Energy within him was boundless, like a vast and inexhaustible universe.
However, this Spiritual Energy was sealed and could not be released. Moreover, he couldn't even detect his cultivation level; from the outside, he looked like an ordinary person.
"System! Give me an explanation, System?"
After calling out several times, the System, which usually responded with a mechanical voice, didn't make a sound.
Suddenly, Shen Zhao had a bold thought: Could it be that I really crushed the System in my last life?
After calling out a few times and confirming that the System, which had followed him for nine lifetimes, was gone, Shen Zhao finally laughed.
"Nine whole lifetimes! Finally! Finally free, hahaha…"
But after laughing, Shen Zhao immediately started packing his belongings, making a decision that went against all tradition!
Run!
Run as fast as possible!
He had finally broken free from his shackles; there was no reason to stay here and be a simp. The farther he ran, the better, and he never wanted to have anything to do with Yu Xiyan, that ice queen, again.
Forget about the Barbarian Race invasion, the Nine Nether Demon Army, the Ancient Ruins rift, or the South Sea Dragon Clan's chaos.
He didn't need to think about any of that now. All he needed to do was run away as quickly as possible. He couldn't stay in this place for even a second longer; any delay could lead to unexpected changes.
The door was suddenly pushed open.
Shen Zhao looked up and saw Fatty, who was wearing the same guard uniform as him, standing in front of him. However, Fatty's rank was Captain, one level higher than Shen Zhao's Vice-Captain.
Behind Fatty were two skinny lackeys, who looked at Shen Zhao with expressions that screamed to be punched.
"Shen Zhao, what are you dawdling for! We're waiting for you. Hurry up and join the group to enter the palace. Damn it, what a disgrace. Hurry up, gather at the main gate!"
"Oh ho~ You're pretty bold, huh~"
Hearing this, Shen Zhao stood up and cracked his knuckles, producing crisp sounds. He smiled slightly at Fatty, revealing what he thought was an extremely civilized grin…