He just broke up with his girlfriend and is already living with the devilish rich girl.

North Sea.

The once ethereal sea of ​​clouds has now transformed into a bloody battlefield.

Countless enormous dragon corpses floated in the crimson sea of ​​clouds.

They were either cut in half or had their heads pierced, and the golden dragon blood stained the sky red.

The tattered dragon scales fluttered down like fallen leaves.

The once glorious Dragon Clan Cloud Sea has long since turned into ruins.

And on the tallest dragon pillar in the Dragon Palace.

Qinghan was covered in blood and was tightly bound by countless chains that shimmered with runes.

One of her dragon horns was broken off, and her white dragon scales were covered with deep wounds that revealed the bone.

His breathing was weak; he could only gasp for breath.

Blood slid down her long, silvery-white hair, dripping into the sea of ​​clouds below and spreading out in ripples.

The hunched old man stood before her.

There was a hint of respect in his eyes.

"You've already tried your best."

He spoke slowly, his voice hoarse and aged.

"You fought to the last moment for your people, for this so-called homeland of yours, and you deserve respect."

"But many things in this world will not change their final outcome because of your efforts."

"Sometimes, the harder you try, the more you struggle, the more profound the despair you feel."

"I have also experienced this kind of despair."

Qinghan weakly raised her head, her eyes filled with incomprehension and resentment.

Why...why is this happening...?

I was so close to winning...

But why... did his power suddenly increase several times over...?

The old man pinched the sparse beard on his chin and smiled as he voiced his doubts.

"You're wondering why my power suddenly surged at the moment you were about to kill me, right?"

Unfortunately, generally speaking, no one will answer this question for you.

"But I admire you greatly, so why not make an exception this time?"

He looked at Qinghan, his eyes flashing with an almost morbid fanaticism.

"Just now, I finally retrieved the soul of the 17,777th member of my clan."

"At this moment, I am truly the last remaining Mirage Demon."

"Our Mirage Demon clan exists in this world as a legend in itself."

"In ancient times, there was a chaotic demon named Nightmare, whose power originated from the nightmares and fears of all living beings."

"Powerful enough to devour the entire world."

"Because its power was so great that even the world itself could not bear it, it was eventually forcibly divided into 18,000 parts by the laws of the world."

"Our race does not like fighting; we just want to live quietly in our own dream world, without any conflict with the world."

"And what was the result? Our kindness and concessions were met with being treated as heretics and driven to extermination."

"the same as you."

The old man looked at Qinghan with a hint of pity in his eyes.

"Your power has long surpassed that of your kind, reaching a new level."

"But because of that so-called 'responsibility' and 'bond,' they remain here to guide those so-called clansmen who have long since decayed."

"If you had been a little more selfish and left this North Sea long ago to pursue your own path, you might have already broken through the bottleneck. How could you be bound here and suffer such humiliation?"

Qinghan was panting, and slightly raised her eyes.

Looking at the old man in front of me, who seemed to have gone mad.

She suddenly laughed, a weak laugh filled with irony.

"How... pathetic..."

"What?"

"The world is so vast, yet you are all alone."

Qinghan looked at him.

"You gathered the power of all your people and became that so-called Nightmare, but so what?"

"There will never be another being in this world whom you can call a 'compatriot' again."

"Everything you've done is nothing more than to satisfy your twisted desire for revenge."

"How pathetic."

The old man pondered for a moment, then smiled.

"Perhaps."

"But who is responsible for this current situation?"

"And who is it that comfortably enjoys this 'peace' built on our bones?"

"You may say that you did not know any of this, but that is not a reason for your exoneration."

"You are guilty of the same crime as those executioners who personally slaughtered my people."

He slowly cast the fishing rod in his hand toward Qinghan.

The fishhook, gleaming with a cold light, was aimed at her dantian.

"Once I retrieve your dragon core, your mission will come to an end."

Qinghan slowly closed her eyes, preparing to face the final outcome.

Just then.

A hand gently grasped the fishhook that was about to touch the cold water.

Bai Ziheng floated in mid-air, blocking Qinghan's way, looking down at the old man.

The old man looked up at Bai Ziheng.

For the first time, a solemn expression appeared in his cloudy eyes.

Before that power of fusion.

Bai Ziheng's existence was like the rising sun, so dazzling that it was impossible to look directly at him.

"How dazzling, my divine being."

The old man grinned.

"But, newborn deity, do you truly possess the ability, the magnanimity, and the courage to dispel the ancient souls that have lingered for millennia?"

Bai Ziheng smiled and tightened his fingers slightly.

"Click—"

He easily crushed that seemingly indestructible fishhook into pieces.

"Give it a try?"

"careful......!"

"It's cold and weak," she reminded him.

"Be careful of his fishing hook! His power is a kind of power of rules!"

Upon hearing the words "power of rules," Bai Ziheng's expression became more solemn.

However, the old man in front of him was not angry at the destruction of the fishhook.

Instead, he revealed a strange smile.

He looked at the fishhook in Bai Ziheng's hand, now reduced to powder, and exclaimed in admiration.

"As expected of a newly born god, he was able to crush my 'cause and effect' with his bare hands."

"But...do you really understand what you just did?"

Bai Ziheng did not answer, but simply looked at him quietly.

"Heh... Since it is a god, it is qualified to know the whole truth before it falls."

The old man casually tossed the fishing rod aside, and it vanished into starlight.

"My special ability is called Causal Fishing."

He extended the first withered finger.

"Rule number one: Anything touched by my hook, whether it is a tangible object or an intangible thought, will be marked with the bait."

"Just like you did just now, when you crushed my fishhook, your hands are now stained with my 'karma'."

He extended his second finger.

"Rule number two: I can 'reel in' at any time and force any part of the baited target, no matter where it is, to be pulled in front of me."

Finally, he extended his third finger, his cloudy eyes flashing with an almost morbid fanaticism.

"Rule number three, which is also the most interesting point, is that when I decide to fish for a certain bait, I can set a 'fishing condition'."

"As long as this condition is triggered in reality, no matter where the target is or how strong they are, I will be able to directly extract their most important core."

"This process ignores space, ignores defense, and ignores all power."

After listening, Bai Ziheng remained calm, but a hint of inquiry appeared in his eyes.

"Why are you telling me all this? No one would so easily reveal all their cards."

Upon hearing this question, the old man's smile became both incredibly bright and incredibly cruel.

"Because, Your Majesty..."

"This is the final condition for activating my rules."

"I must make my prey clearly understand the inescapable 'cause and effect' they are about to face!"

"Only with absolute knowledge and understanding can this cause and effect be absolutely irreversible!"

The old man opened his arms wide, as if embracing the impending victory.

"Just now, the moment you appeared, I set the conditions for today's fishing."

His voice, like the final judgment, echoed above the sea of ​​clouds.

"That's the condition."

"When Bai Ziheng says 'Let's give it a try' to me, I will fish out his heart!"

The moment the words fell.

Bai Ziheng's body suddenly stiffened.

He slowly lowered his head and looked at his chest.

A fishhook that gleamed with a cold light, formed from the void.

Unbeknownst to him, it had already penetrated his divine body.

It brought out his heart, which was still beating fiercely and radiating a dazzling golden light.

The old man reached out and grasped the heart in his hand as if taking something from thin air.

He held it up close and examined it closely, a look of fascination and rapture on his face.

"It's...perfect..."