The villainous bosses from their past lives have all been reborn.

In the void, the dilapidated palace remained an enigma.

Yuan Xiu stood before the palace gate, endless darkness beneath his feet, and behind him the direction he had come from—a world suspended in the void like a glass bead, where azure and emerald green intertwined, and clouds veiled it like a thin gauze. Looking down from above, he realized for the first time how insignificant his own world was, as if it could be swallowed up by the darkness of this void at any moment.

The palace was built of a type of stone he had never seen before, its entire surface displaying a color between grayish-white and bluish-green, covered with fine cracks as if it had endured unimaginable erosion over the years. Above the lintel, there were inscriptions, the strokes ancient and vigorous, yet unlike any script of the time.

Yuan Xiu stared intently, and the characters slowly changed under his gaze, transforming into characters he could recognize.

"Dragon-Slaying Platform".

He stepped into the hall. The hall was extremely empty, except for a high platform standing in the center. The platform was as smooth as a mirror, but it was covered with cracks of varying depths. Within the cracks, dark red deposits could be vaguely seen, like long-dried bloodstains.

Behind the high platform, a skeleton sat upright on a stone chair. The skeleton was draped in a tattered robe, and a few uncorrupted fragments of clothing remained on the skeleton, faintly revealing its former splendor.

"You've come!"

Yuan Xiu was startled. Such a sound suddenly emanating from this otherwise silent void was truly unsettling.

He looked up and confirmed that the voice was coming from the skeleton in front of him.

"Do you know who I am?"

"have no idea!"

"So you said 'I'm here'?"

"I don't need to know who you are, I just need to know that someone is coming!"

The words of the withered bones were weathered and profound, as if the former, who had experienced many storms, was advising the younger generation not to be impatient.

"Then shouldn't you explain this to me?"

"Let's start from before we slew the dragon!"

These words left Yuan Xiu speechless. However, the skeleton in front of him continued to speak eloquently.

"Before slaying the dragon, this small world was connected to the greater world. However, this connection was very weak. Few of the beings in this world benefited, while many suffered."

"Victim?"

"Before slaying the dragon, a world-destroying war took place in this world. At that time, an evil species from beyond invaded this world, and not a single living being survived. We joined hands and paid an extremely heavy price to finally extinguish this evil species."

Yuan Xiu sat down on the ground, just like a child listening attentively to an old man telling a story.

"And then what happened?"

"Later, when my cultivation reached a certain level and I ascended to this place, I learned the truth."

"the truth?"

"The aftershocks of the vast world often reach here. That evil species that terrifies the creatures of this realm is nothing more than extremely weak food in the vast world!"

"Ingredients?"

Yuan Xiu's face showed surprise. Didn't that mean that in front of the powerful beings of the Great Thousand World, the creatures of this world weren't even qualified to be food?

"Looking at this extremely weak world, I feared it would be affected by the aftershocks of the Great Thousand World, so I conceived the idea of ​​slaying the dragon and severed the connection between this world and the Great Thousand World."

At this point, the old man's voice sounded very tired.

"I am a sinner!"

Upon hearing this, Yuan Xiu understood. The old man, for the safety of this world, severed the dragon vein, cutting off the connection between this realm and the outside world. However, the outcome was not as the old man had predicted.

Connecting to the vast world presents immense dangers, but also immense opportunities. Severing these connections would leave the beings of this world struggling endlessly in a dead world.

Sure enough, the old man's next words confirmed Yuan Xiu's guess.

"This world is dead!"

Yuan Xiu quickly posed his question:

"What about reconnecting this world with the greater world?"

"Given the fragility of life in this world today, reopening the gates would be tantamount to destroying the world."

Yuan Xiu fell silent after hearing this.

After the old man finished speaking, his bones turned into a bead, leaving behind his last words.

"I have been here for thousands of years, yet I have never made up my mind. Today, I place the decision in your hands. With this bead in hand, you can choose to reconnect this world with the outside world, or leave this world alone and travel to the Great Thousand Worlds. You can make your decision at your own pace; having already reached the eleventh realm, you have only just stepped out of the threshold!"

Yuan Xiu looked at the bead in her hand and cursed: "That old man."

To save this world, the connection between heaven and earth must be re-established, but the price is the destruction of the world, and all living beings will no longer be able to survive.

But if I leave, it would be like watching the creatures of this world struggle in a world that is already dead.

No matter which option I choose, it makes my conscience uneasy!

Yuan Xiu stood there, not knowing how long she had been standing there—perhaps only a moment, perhaps a very long time. In this void devoid of sun, moon, and stars, time seemed to have lost its meaning.

……

Yanzhou, a small cottage on the back mountain.

"Ugh, what are you doing in broad daylight!"

With a flushed face and her hair disheveled, Yin Hongyue got up from the bed, panting heavily.

Yuan Xiu lay on his bed, entering a state of enlightenment, contemplating the universe and life.

After returning from the Void Palace that day, Yuan Xiu had already made a decision.

Trust in the wisdom of future generations!

No one knows where Yuan Xiu went that day. But there's no need to know.

After the death of the third prince, the court quickly returned to normal.

There were forces in the East China Sea, the Southern Frontier, and the Western Regions who wanted to take advantage of the chaos in the Great Zhou Dynasty. However, the deaths of many leaders in these three regions quickly dissipated these ambitions.

The situation quickly stabilized, and peace was restored in various places.

Despite his great achievements, Yuan Xiu did not remain in the prosperous capital of the Great Zhou Dynasty to pursue the path of a powerful minister. After appointing Xia Jin to command the troops of the six northern prefectures, Shu Fang to lead the Black Guard, and Xia He to remain in the capital, he returned to Yanzhou and lived a peaceful life.

Sunlight streamed in through the window, and under the ginkgo tree outside, a small white snake was rolling a bead, like a playful child.

Yin Hongyue was sitting in front of the dressing table, her long black hair cascading down her snow-white back as she tidied her makeup.

Yuan Xiu closed her eyes, enjoying this moment of tranquility.

He knew that one day he would set off for the vast world, but not now.

During a long journey, there is always a need for rest.

……

(Finish)

-----------------

Before the Chinese New Year, I impulsively wrote the first chapter and published the book. Looking back now, it was a poor decision.

Originally, the book was intended to start from the eleventh realm and go upwards. However, after thinking about it, I realized that while this idea is unprecedented in the martial arts world, it is already commonplace in the fantasy world.

So I'll stop here.

Please forgive me, dear readers!

As for the new book, it's under consideration.

Friends, may we meet again someday!

……