“Life?”
“I’m not interested in your life, Master.”
“I’m gambling with your life, and you’re gambling with my heart.” Su Bai jabbed her chest hard and forcefully.
“You want to see what’s inside here, don’t you? Fine, I’ll show you. But you have to make a bet with me!!”
“Will you bet?” Su Bai asked in a deep voice.
“I’ll bet.”
Zhou Xuan’s interest was instantly piqued. After all his careful scheming, wasn’t this exactly what he sought—to fill Master’s heart, to make Master face the emotions and desires buried within?
“Please, Master, tell me.”
“I have a rare treasure that can reverse time and space. I want to wager with you again in the next life!”
“How does Master wish to wager with this disciple?”
“We’ll gamble on victory. If I, with my memories sealed, still lose to you, then you win. Otherwise, I win!” Su Bai declared resolutely.
“Interesting.” Zhou Xuan clapped with a smile. “Even though I know full well Master will set a trap for me, I’ll still take the bet.”
“Who made this disciple so hungry for Master’s heart? Even if I know it’s a pit of fire, I will jump in without hesitation.”
“Master, please bring out that treasure.”
At this, Su Bai suddenly looked embarrassed. She coughed lightly, “First, you need to break my seal. Only then can I bring out the treasure.”
At her words, Zhou Xuan frowned slightly. Never mind the sheer number of spell formations he’d drawn on Su Bai over the centuries—just undoing them would take an enormous amount of time.
Not to mention, Su Bai’s true cultivation at the Nascent Soul stage—he wasn’t fully confident he could restrain her again as he did before.
The only thing that could defeat his Master was her ambition and desire.
“Just a sliver will do. Only I can use even a wisp of power.” Perhaps sensing the man’s concern, Su Bai spoke up.
Upon hearing this, Zhou Xuan’s frown eased. He nodded lightly, “Very well, as Master wishes. But…”
As he spoke, he waved his hand, and three items imbued with supreme Nascent Soul power emerged from the void: the Human Emperor Banner, the Earth Emperor Cauldron, and the Heavenly Emperor Divine Mirror!!
In his left hand was the Human Emperor Banner, in his right a pitch-black spear, on his head the Heavenly Emperor Divine Mirror, his feet on the Earth Emperor Cauldron, and his waist adorned with the [Heavenly Emperor Spirit Lock Formation] array core—he was armed to the teeth!
Su Bai:
“There are countless heroes in this world. Never underestimate anyone—especially you, Master.” Zhou Xuan spoke with gravity.
“Um… could you not make this bet? I haven’t experienced any pleasure yet.” At this moment, a timid and weak voice sounded. It was Blood Consort.
She gazed at Su Bai, her pink eyes shimmering with affection. “Main body, that thing is too dangerous. Why don’t we set aside our differences and enjoy ourselves together? I don’t mind pushing from behind.”
Su Bai raised a hand to her forehead, exasperated. Then she shot a fierce glare at a certain troublemaker. “I seriously suspect you’ve brainwashed her with some kind of enchantment.”
“This disciple merely helped Master discover her true nature. Like I said, if Master faces her own heart, today’s Blood Consort will become tomorrow’s Master.”
“Sophistry!”
“I don’t like men, nor do I have such filthy desires! And I definitely don’t debase myself to the point of wanting to be with another version of myself, getting screwed by a man together!”
Screwed?
Zhou Xuan’s heart stirred. He didn’t know what the word meant, but quietly memorized it.
“Enough talk.” The man reached out, gently tapped Su Bai’s forehead, and a wisp of the seal unraveled. “Master, please proceed.”
For the first time in centuries, a sliver of spiritual power surfaced out of nowhere. Su Bai was overjoyed, but as she looked up, she was met by three Nascent Soul weapons aiming at her, the [Heavenly Emperor Spirit Lock Formation] core glowing ghostly white, the black spear with its gray-white stone tip, and Zhou Xuan himself—on high alert and ready for anything.
Su Bai, helpless, reached into the void, and a seed surrounded by the aura of cosmic light appeared in her palm, exuding faint traces of time as if carrying fragments of the river of years.
[One-Time Experience Card · Cosmic Light Seed: Extremely Dangerous! Extremely Dangerous! Extremely Dangerous!! Can return to an anchored moment in the past, but those who play with time will ultimately be played by time!!!]
“This thing really is too dangerous. It might even endanger the real me in this world.” Blood Consort’s eyes brimmed with tears, her slender hands tightly clutching Su Bai’s robe as she pleaded softly.
“Please, stop, main body. I’m begging you.”
“Putting everything else aside, haven’t we done enough wrong? We hit him, beat him, even drained his blood. Now we’re under house arrest, restrained by scholars—this is the punishment we deserve.”
“Besides, isn’t being a woman great? Even if we care about our dignity, about morality, about self-restraint, the pleasure we get—far beyond what men feel—is real and brings a level of relaxation we’ve never known before.”
“Nonsense! This is a duel between men! You, brainwashed by some seductive spell, have no right to speak!” As if struck at her core, Su Bai’s shock and anger flared as she kicked Blood Consort away. “Still daring to help this damned troublemaker? Damn it, I’d cut you down with my sword if I could!”
“I may love political intrigue! But that doesn’t mean I lack the blood and courage a man should have! If I cower, then I’m no man!!”
Blood Consort’s expression twisted in struggle and pain, tears streaming down her face and soaking her robes. “Why must it be life or death? Why can’t happiness and self coexist, why…?”
“Don’t cry, Blood Consort. Your face will be ruined if you do.” Zhou Xuan now gently lifted Blood Consort from the ground, brushing away imaginary dust from her. His eyes brimmed with fondness and pity as he softly kissed her forehead.
“If someone stands tall, then someone must be small. I want to protect Master forever, to bring her happiness. All the burdens she carries should be laid down. Once they’re gone, under my protection, Master can be a carefree, joyful woman.”
“Heh! What utter nonsense!” came a cold laugh.
Zhou Xuan turned, bowed respectfully to Su Bai, and said, “It’s all thanks to Master’s teachings. Everything I believe—the rule of strength, the responsibilities and duties between man and woman, yin and yang, harmony and desire—I learned it all from you.”
Su Bai was momentarily at a loss for words. Then she snorted coldly, broke the Cosmic Light Seed in half, and threw it to Zhou Xuan.
[The Cosmic Light Seed, split in two—one half for each of you. You don’t immediately activate the time reversal, but use your wisp of power to make some small preparations. Disguised as Mister Bai and using the Cosmic Light Seed’s power, you send the few remaining members of [Extinguish Sun] back into the past.]
[Zhou Xuan watches, but does not interfere. He knows what you are doing, and you know he is also preparing his own backup plans.]
[After all, with both sides having their memories sealed and risking time’s backlash, there’s no such thing as playing fair. Both turn into sly schemers, maneuvering their chosen pawns in the open and in the shadows to stack the odds.]
[Once everything is ready, you choose which point in time to rewind to. The Cosmic Light Seed gives you two options: the first timeline, the first cycle, and the current timeline, the second cycle.]
[After a moment’s thought, you don’t choose to go back to the very start of the second cycle, but to the first cycle you’re more familiar with—anchoring at the thirty-first year.]
[First, that troublemaker always claimed you never loved or cared for him, so you’ll let him see for himself how good a teacher and benevolent father you were; second, those who play with time are ultimately played by it, and you’re worried about putting your real self at risk—so even with your memories sealed, you plant several psychological hints for yourself, using a small lever to move a great force.]
[Victory or defeat between you and Zhou Xuan won’t be decided in a single day, but in the future—using the past to support the future!!]
[Timeline selected: First cycle, thirty-first year anchored!]
[Simulation rebooted! Initiate!!]