“Lord Aoki! Nong Li was killed by Yue Qi! Run!”
Xiao Ya was covered in blood, staggering as she threw herself in front of Aoki, who had just regained consciousness. Her face was full of terror and despair.
Aoki sat up with a jolt, his mind wrenched from the brutal chaos and fragile peace of the simulated world. The sudden return to reality left his brain blank. Nong Li… killed by Yue Qi? The very Nong Li who had just regained her memories in the simulation and managed to reach a hard-won ceasefire with him—now, in this real world… was already dead?
No, no, no, there’s still a way, still a way. He could go back to the simulated world and fix this problem.
And then what?
The vast discrepancy between worlds made him dizzy, but he immediately seized on another crucial point in Xiao Ya’s words and urgently asked, “Where’s Lin Qiyou?”
“Who?” Xiao Ya wiped the blood off her face, confusion filling her eyes. “Who’s Lin Qiyou? Lord Aoki, did you hit your head? We don’t have time for this! That lunatic Yue Qi is still chasing us! It was Lord Nong Li who risked her life to hold her back, giving me a chance to warn you!”
It was like another heavy blow slammed into his heart.
Lin Qiyou… no longer existed.
Not forgotten, but as if she had never existed at all.
Did Lin Qiyou never cross over to this world? Or did something happen to her in that simulation world that erased her very existence?
A chill crawled down his spine. Doubts flooded his mind as he saw the panic on Xiao Ya’s face. He asked, “Then what about you? What’s going on with you?”
“Me?”
Xiao Ya froze.
Without Lin Qiyou, how did this Xiao Ya come to exist?
Inexplicably, Aoki now felt a sense of being out of place in this world, as if he were an anomaly.
“Let’s go!” Aoki suppressed his tumbling emotions, knowing this wasn’t the time to dig deeper. He pulled Xiao Ya up, ignoring his body’s lingering weakness. Relying on his Qi technique’s acute perception of the surroundings, he raced desperately deeper into the forest.
Far behind them, earth-shattering explosions and Yue Qi’s cold, murderous shouts echoed. This didn’t make sense. Didn’t Xiao Ya say Nong Li was dead?
Then why was there still fighting?
Or was Nong Li on the verge of death, simply using her remaining life to buy them time to escape?
As they fled, Aoki didn’t forget to ask Xiao Ya about her background.
From Xiao Ya’s stammered, fear-laced explanations, Aoki managed to piece together some information. Xiao Ya claimed to be one of the candidates for this generation’s “Hero” selection, and had, by chance, received secret help and guidance from Nong Li, which allowed her to find him. According to Xiao Ya, Lord Nong Li had been making arrangements long ago, tracking down traces of the Hero Advisor Aoki, and opposing the forces of the Moon Aran Church.
So, the story would keep progressing, no matter how the elements changed. The narrative always managed to move forward with its own momentum.
They maintained a desperate pace, finally shaking off any possible pursuit. After confirming their safety, the two stopped at a concealed mountain cave. Xiao Ya collapsed to the ground in exhaustion, tending simply to her wounds.
“What about the massacre at Rose King’s Capital? What happened there?”
“Massacre? Wasn’t that just a conflict between Saintess Yue Lan’s forces and Lord Nong Li’s candidate for Saintess? Wasn’t really a massacre, was it? Just some magic went wrong, and a lot of people died… Why do you ask?” Xiao Ya was still wary of Aoki, speaking with her neck drawn in.
“Is that so…”
Aoki leaned against the cold stone wall. His heart was still racing, but his mind was spinning rapidly.
The situation in the real world was even worse than he had imagined. His fiancée, Yue Qi, was terrifyingly powerful—far more so than during the Demon King crusade. Her goal was clear: eliminate all outsiders like himself. Nong Li’s fate was uncertain, but things looked grim. Lin Qiyou had vanished completely, as if she never existed in this world.
What should he do now?
If he kept being passive in the real world, he’d only end up dead. He needed to strike first, and his weapon was the simulation!
He had to change things again. Was this not progress?
At the very least, hadn’t he resolved the conflict between Lin Qiyou and Nong Li?
No matter how it was resolved, a fight avoided is still a fight avoided.
But it still wasn’t enough—nowhere near enough. He needed to do it again!
Although he could alter the simulation to affect reality, every choice he made in the simulated world was a one-way path. He could return to the simulation, but not change the timeline.
In a sense, he only had one chance, so he had to be fully prepared—a plan that would allow both Lin Qiyou and Nong Li to exist safely.
At first, he’d wanted to keep both of them in their respective worlds, but now it was all too clear.
With his own power, he could never take on Yue Qi. He would die.
Suppose Yue Lan was actually on his side, and he’d misunderstood her all along—but now she’d become Yue Qi.
He needed Nong Li and Lin Qiyou.
So, this time, the goal was no longer simply to mediate a conflict or save someone.
He stared at the dim moonlight outside the cave, as a clear and ruthless plan gradually formed in his mind.
Nong Li and Lin Qiyou—both were powerful, yes, but their real strength came from the immense forces and social ties they commanded in the simulated world. Nong Li’s identity as Demon Fox King and her influence in Benji City, Lin Qiyou’s title as Sword Immortal and the foundation of the Youjian Sect—these were extensions of their power.
If… he could fundamentally shake or even shatter those supports?
Besides, there were also forces capable of restraining them—the other Demon Kings and the sects dissatisfied with the Youjian Sect’s leadership.
What he needed to do was simple: redirect the conflict.
This was easy to grasp: when a conflict can’t be resolved, when it’s irreconcilable, you must use another conflict to shift it away.
Nong Li and Lin Qiyou hated each other, wanting the other dead? Even after all his efforts, they couldn’t let go of their hatred?
Then it was simple: let them become outcasts within their own factions, stripped of their authority as Demon King and Sword Immortal, betrayed by their comrades, forced to deal with endless internal strife and power struggles—too exhausted and distracted to focus on anything else.
Once their personal strength and influence were severely weakened, shackled by their own problems, how could they possibly reach out to harm each other?
This idea was cruel—essentially stabbing them in the back, using their trust and feelings for him. But Aoki had no other choice. The crisis in reality was urgent. Yue Qi’s threat hung over him like a sword; he couldn’t allow the “trouble” from the simulation world to add further chaos to reality. He needed two helpers, allies to face Yue Qi and fulfill his mission.
How many times had he been killed? Eaten?
If they still couldn’t find a way to realize their own value, the cycle of hatred and slaughter would only continue!
“Xiao Ya, protect me. If there’s any trouble at all, take me and run! I can’t die! Do you understand?” Aoki suddenly shouted to Xiao Ya at his side.
“Eh? Yes!!!”
Xiao Ya stood up and performed a Saint Light salute, her posture graceful.
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