Each of the nine dragon maidens possesses extraordinary abilities.

After touring the area, the girl returned to the council chamber and couldn't help but exclaim, "It's so beautiful! My sister must have put a lot of thought into building it."

Arrogance remained silent, which was taken as tacit agreement. She invited the girl to sit beside her and poured her some precious spiritual tea. This tea was far superior to the tea at the roast chicken shop; its fragrance was intoxicating and calming. The girl took only one sip and immediately felt her meridians relax, and her spiritual energy flow more naturally.

The girl asked, "So, shall I begin?"

She nodded arrogantly, wanting to see the girl's true abilities: "Sure, you can do whatever you want. Don't worry about consuming spiritual energy; there are special magical artifacts here to gather spiritual energy."

The girl seemed to transform in an instant, a faint blue light filling her eyes, and she whispered, "Even if you were to be torn to pieces, would you feel any hatred?"

Arrogance immediately straightened up: "Sister?" She circulated her spiritual energy, ready to suppress at any moment, "Are you alright?"

The girl's blue light vanished in an instant, and she suddenly returned to normal, laughing, "Don't be nervous, don't be nervous, that was just a minor side effect."

"It's a little scary," she said arrogantly. She remained alert, her movements tense, like a vigilant lioness standing guard in her territory.

"Don't be nervous, don't worry, I won't harm you. Everything is in flux, I'm just observing the changes that belong to you." She took out a tortoise shell from her bosom, with a ghostly blue flame burning beneath it. "Ah... what ominous signs. What you pursue, what you cherish... will tear you to pieces and kill you many times over."

Arrogance breathed a sigh of relief and sat back down in her chair. It seemed the girl was calculating her future Daoist partner. Arrogance said, "You may have misunderstood. I don't care about this. The Dao I cultivate dictates that I will not seek a Daoist partner in the future."

Yes, pride had made that decision in her heart; otherwise, she wouldn't have left home so resolutely. Everything she had was given to her by the Holy Emperor, so in the ever-changing future, she would also dedicate everything to the Holy Emperor, striving to save Him, gain His approval, and become His representative.

How could someone like her possibly become a Daoist partner with another man? It would be unfair to her, unfair to that man, and unfair to the Holy Emperor. Just as she was about to say something, the girl sitting next to her suddenly burst into tears, the tears streaming down her face uncontrollably.

Arrogance was taken aback. Why was the child suddenly crying? Just as she was struggling with how to comfort the girl, the girl spoke up: "Such a heartless person... In all those changes, he never once let you go. Sister, you should leave, otherwise, he will cut you into a thousand pieces."

Arrogance paused for a moment, then said, "Um... I'm not planning on finding a man."

"He returned from the abyss, carrying all his hatred, which, though not towards you, still pierced your heart with a thousand arrows."

"Are you even listening to me, huh!" Arrogance waved his hand in front of the girl's eyes. "I've already said I won't be looking for a cultivation partner."

"Sister, please love yourself more," the girl said.

Arrogance said, "I've always loved myself."

The girl said, "Yes... your father consulted that fortune teller, who said that one of your father's children would transcend the world and become his most outstanding child. So your father stubbornly believed that one of his children could lead the family to the top. What a pity..."

Arrogantly, she stood up abruptly, a chill emanating from her. She demanded sharply, "Who are you?"

The girl sobbed, "So-called transcendence will bring destruction, what a terrible change. Sister, never go looking for so-called love, it will destroy everything you have."

Arrogance suddenly reached out, gathering spiritual energy. Just as his natal magic weapon was about to appear, the girl suddenly jumped up and grabbed Arrogance's wrist: "Don't resist, sister, let me finish telling you about the final changes."

Arrogance was stunned and did not stop it for a moment.

She said, "If love kills you a thousand times over, will there still be love? Your soul remembers his appearance, your body remembers the pain he inflicted, and then you are burned by flames. What will be left?"

"What do you want to say?" the arrogant man asked.

The girl said, "Are you planning to form the Seven Deadly Sins? Is it for the Holy Emperor? Why don't you come with me? Come with me, and maybe you can escape these changes."

He said arrogantly, "You really do know a lot. What's your relationship with that fortune teller from back then? How long have you been following me?!"

The girl released her grip, sighed, and stood up. "If one day, sister, you understand, then come find me, and I will save you." She gently placed the written note and the tortoise shell on the table. "Here are the answers to the questions you most want to know."

Arrogance didn't reach for it, but watched the girl warily, ready to strike if she made even the slightest move.

"Goodbye, sister." The girl gave a sad smile and left without looking back. Her figure slowly melted into the sunlight, and she disappeared before she even left the courtyard.

Arrogance, still shaken, checked all the magical artifacts, but there was indeed no one there. What happened? Had she encountered a ghost? The way the girl left didn't seem like magic, because there were no traces of spells used. So how did she leave?

Uneasy, he arrogantly glanced at the things the girl had left on the table. The tortoise shell, which he didn't know had been skinned alive from some spirit tortoise, bore cracks from the girl's eerie blue flames—a vertical, thin, dark brown line extending downwards, about an inch long, deep and straight, with clear edges and no breaks. The branch extended diagonally to the right from the middle of the trunk, that is, to the west. This branch was thinner than the trunk, with a slightly forked end, like a bird's tail feathers spread out.

There is another very faint line on the branch, which continues to extend westward from the fork, so faint as to be almost invisible unless you look closely.

She then looked at the record on the paper, which read: "[On the day of Gui Mao, a divination was performed. The question was: 'Will the Emperor send down an envoy?' The answer received after the divination was: 'He will send down an envoy; it will be an envoy chosen by the Emperor.'"]

I most wanted to know the answer to that question. He stared blankly, arrogantly.

If you were to ask her what she most wanted to know... it certainly wouldn't be who her first member of the Seven Deadly Sins was, nor would it be whether she could break through to the next level. She wanted to know if her connection with the Holy Emperor was real, and whether the Holy Emperor would choose her as his proxy.

She couldn't understand the cracks on the tortoise shell, but she could still read the writing. Did this mean that the Holy Emperor was planning to choose a successor?

Could it be her? And what's going on with this girl? What did she mean by crying and shouting those words? Pride buried his questions in his heart and carefully put away the tortoise shell and the note.

Everything changed... No matter what, she couldn't escape. In the end, the answer was confirmed: the Holy Emperor had indeed been watching them all along, and He had chosen a proxy. Unfortunately, that person was not her.

.........

My body is in excruciating pain.

Something surged from the depths of my soul, like some images.

Blood and flames burned together, and the man stood there, blood streaming from his hands.

Arrogantly strained to look up, but could only see the man's blurry outline, with a ball of light floating beside him.

The man said, "That's enough. It's time to lie down."

She said, "...I can still play."

The man said, "Your cultivation level is too low. Although you broke through in battle and reached the Dao-Holding Realm, the gap between us is still too large. That's enough. It's no fun to keep killing you. I'm tired of it."

She looked up, trying to make out the person's face: "Yes, in your eyes, we are so insignificant, you can kill us as you please, do whatever you want with us, but I can't give up..."

The man said calmly, "It proves that you can't do anything. Where was your god when I was killing you? You had quite the nerve to say you wanted to slay a god, ha, but now you're just a joke."

A haughty, furious roar: "What are you doing, so high and mighty, insulting me?!"

She erupted again, but the man's hand slammed down mercilessly, shoving her head into the ground. At that moment, the man was even more enraged than she was: "Me, superior? I'm the one asking you, what are you doing, acting like a lunatic? Playing house? Your people are dying because of you, because of your stupidity and arrogance. You think killing a god is something fun? What makes you think you can do that?!"

Blood spurted out, but because of the ground, it smeared into her nose and mouth. She coughed violently, but even so, she did not give up: "...You're right, yes, it's all my fault. My arrogance killed them. So now, I can't be afraid, I can't back down. I'm going to fight you to the death. In my next life, I will kill a god!"

"Then you can wait until your next life!"

The violent man smashed her head open like a watermelon being cracked open. There were countless similar scenes, each ending in her gruesome death.

Yes, she was incredibly arrogant. She had no idea of ​​the gravity of the situation. She was overjoyed and wanted to dedicate everything to the Holy Emperor, but she didn't understand the path she was walking down. She was so naive, like a newly hatched bird, wanting to learn to fly the moment it saw the blue sky. But how could that be possible? The Four Gods shamelessly manipulated humanity, including her. She was biased and believed that killing a god was possible, but instead, she was used as a shield by the gods, hindering Lu Yueyuan's path.

Pure in thought but powerless in action, he became arrogant time and time again, and was killed by Lu Yueyuan time and time again.

In those simulations, Lu Yueyuan certainly considered recruiting them as allies... However, she was too arrogant. Without the identity of an agent, she wouldn't listen to anyone. She would think and doubt, which was certainly a good thing, but too much thinking and doubt led her into an abyss.

Kill her again and again, simulate her again and again.

Their souls were covered in wounds, and the threads between them grew more numerous and complex.

They did have their good times. In fact, when Lu Yueyuan first met Arrogance, they got along quite well. But gradually, problems arose. They both firmly believed that one could solve the problem simply by releasing the Holy Emperor, while the other, pursuing the truth, doubted that all gods were the same. Therefore, in all subsequent simulations, they broke off their relationship.

Until the very last time, until this... the very last time.

Huff... Huff...

Arrogance gasped for breath. She had regained consciousness. When she fainted, she somehow remembered the mysterious girl's encounter and saw many strange scenes... But none of that mattered now. She had actually fainted during the battle with the dead soul. Damn it, that was a big no-no!

Have those dead souls already rushed up? Her last consciousness was of being surrounded by many versions of herself, and then, in a life-or-death situation, she used something... It was a strange feeling, combined with Lu Yueyuan's magic. So what's the result now? How long has she been unconscious?

My eyes hurt, and it was pitch black; I was probably blinded. My lower body was on the sand, but my upper body was warm, like I was soaking in a hot spring.

"Has he regained consciousness?" It was Lu Yueyuan's voice.

"You... sigh, have I failed?" the arrogant man asked.

“If you had failed, both I and Jealousy would have died, and you wouldn’t have had the chance to lie in my arms now,” Lu Yueyuan said. “The ten days are up, and you’ve done very well.”

Arrogantly, he asked, "Did I really... succeed?"

"Of course, you eventually learned the secrets of my magic and absorbed those dead souls that were modeled after you, so you also became stronger. Hmm... it's best not to move yet, you're still being treated, you'll be able to see it soon enough."

"...I'm glad I helped you. I don't want you to say I'm just playing house anymore." Arrogance said this subconsciously.

Then she felt the person holding her stiffen, as if she had been stripped naked and thrown into the snow, terribly cold.

However, the coldness only lasted for a moment, and soon the embrace was warm again.

She wanted to say something more, but Lu Yueyuan interrupted her: "Get some rest. You've absorbed so many dead souls, you deserve a good night's sleep."

Chapter 106: Scumbag (6k)

Ten days have passed, and Lu Yueyuan has almost finished drawing.

Arrogance completed her task beautifully. Just as Lu Yueyuan had thought, this guy could only unleash his full power at the critical moment of life and death. However, the effect of unleashing his power was a bit too good, so good that it reminded Arrogance of the scene of his own death in the previous simulation.

The house game is over...

In fact, Lu Yueyuan had said this to Arrogance not long ago. However, now that Arrogance had brought it up again, Lu Yueyuan did not think that she had remembered what she said before. She had simply absorbed a large number of dead soul fragments, which made her remember some things from the past.

Not every god needs to see Lu Yueyuan's face to know that he is just a small grasshopper in the timeline. The True Self Emperor has witnessed the death of all things in the world. The dead souls created by His divine kingdom are the residual fragments of those who died and passed by. His power also includes dreams, self, darkness, illusions, etc. Arrogance absorbed so many dead souls, among which were fragments of death from other timelines of his own.

This was also Lu Yueyuan's original intention. As he acted alongside the Holy Emperor, he would eventually be exposed to the eyes of his two most powerful enemies. They would make adjustments based on his actions, one of which was to turn Arrogance against them.

Lu Yueyuan couldn't let this happen. First, he had to make sure there was no rift between himself and Arrogance.

Those deaths were just the beginning; one day, they would have to be honest with each other, and only then could they reach the end.

The set-up array repaired the arrogant body. Lu Yueyuan fed her some pills and, after confirming that she was sound asleep, carefully placed her next to the repaired magic artifact.

The painting of death was finished; the dead souls vanished, and the whole sky became gloomy. Something was rapidly awakening.

Jealousy sat beside him, watching him longingly.

Lu Yueyuan had told her before that he would give her an answer before his painting was finished, but Jealousy had already given her the answer two days earlier: she was willing.

She was willing to become Lu Yueyuan's Daoist partner.

So, in the last two days, when arrogance made the world seem meaningless, jealousy accompanied Lu Yueyuan in painting.

What should Daoist couples do? They should cultivate together, open their spiritual seas, exchange techniques, or do something more private.

Jealousy was completely foreign to her. Becoming a Daoist partner was an incredible thing for her, but she didn't know how to do it.

It's okay, Lu Yueyuan will guide her.

These past two days, the Holy Emperor has been thankful that his heart was sealed, otherwise he would have really rushed in and torn that scumbag Lu Yueyuan to pieces.

I've never seen him so skilled. He was verbally guiding the young girl to be passionate with him, while his hands were constantly drawing his own death scene. Love and destruction could actually happen at the same time.

In the eyes of the Holy Emperor, teasing had almost become a power of Lu Yueyuan. He only needed to use words and attitude to manipulate the entire atmosphere and make you willingly immerse yourself in the romantic atmosphere he created.

Just a promise? No, a promise is too simplistic. He didn't make any promises, but you just assumed you would be with him forever.

Even the Holy Emperor had to marvel at Lu Yueyuan's special talent, let alone feel jealous.

If the red line that the Holy Emperor can see with his eyes is real, then jealousy is like soup being simmered in the already boiling love. If it is fake, then it doesn't matter, she will willingly sink into it.

So, were the threads Lu Yueyuan saw real or fake? Did the other party possess some kind of power that could shield the Holy Emperor? Lu Yueyuan looked into the girl's eyes, where his reflection was completely visible, and there was no doubt that they overflowed with love.

It was subtle and profound, manipulated by Lu Yueyuan, yet still conservative, because it was too heavy.

Pure love...how is that even possible?

Lu Yueyuan didn't believe it; even a god couldn't do that.

envy......

Who exactly is she?

Jealousy also sensed Lu Yueyuan's terrifying nature. Even though she knew that 99% of what he said was probably a lie, she still wanted to gamble on that 1% truth.

His charm carries the flavor of time, like a fine wine that has been aged for many years.

In this world, young women are always drawn to cultivators who have cultivated for a long time. They possess eternal youth, can destroy mountains and rivers with a mere gesture, and, more importantly, embody a deep-seated confidence that grows stronger the longer they cultivate. These young women are also seasoned drinkers, fond of this kind of wine that has been brewing for years.

Jealousy is no exception. At first, Lu Yueyuan was just talking about it, but slowly, jealousy unconsciously approached. It's like a delicious soul. You crave his protection, and you also crave him crying in your arms like a child, so you can take the opportunity to soothe his scars.

For alcoholics, the drinking begins the moment the bottle is taken out. They carefully examine the bottle, then pop the cap open, savoring the exquisite aroma that rushes through their nostrils and soars to the top of their heads. They don't rush to pour; they sip it little by little, as if serving a great deity, licking the remaining bits from the rim of the bottle, even if it means swallowing sawdust and dirt along with it.

Jealousy said, "I love you," and she was about to pounce on Lu Yueyuan and bite his ear, but thankfully...

Time's up, and the arrogant side's time is up.

Lu Yueyuan also finished his painting. What a pity, two days, no more, no less. If only he had won the fight earlier.

Now she could only watch helplessly as Lu Yueyuan treated the wounds of arrogance and sat in the middle of the painting like an enlightened being, waiting for the arrival of a god.

Endure it, endure it. Only now, out of jealousy, has she realized the red thread that has been drawn between herself and Lu Yueyuan.

But she did it willingly.

She wasn't opposed to it, but rather looked forward to what would happen next, so she just watched eagerly.

Waiting for new pleasures.

While waiting for the arrival of the True Self Emperor, Lu Yueyuan was also pondering the true identity of Jealousy.

At least, he could rule out Fairy Miaoyin... If this deity was behind her, Jealousy wouldn't just stand by and watch. So, who could she be? Ling Suxian, one of the Four Gods, Qing Zaishan whose powers hadn't yet been revealed, or... something else entirely?