Yet that red-gold sword shadow still cleaved through the gray giant palm, and a razor-sharp remnant wave slashed across the Sun family ancestor’s cheek!

The ferocious grin on the ancestor’s face froze instantly.

He stiffened in place, slowly raising a hand to touch his left cheek.

His fingers came away warm.

A hideous gash, deep enough to expose bone, ran diagonally from his cheekbone to his jaw, blood gushing out in torrents.

Staring at the glaring crimson in his palm, he seemed unable to believe it.

“You… little… beast…”

In an instant, his eyes filled with bloodshot veins. A terrifying Golden Core pressure exploded outward, whipping sand and stones into the air and throwing heaven and earth into turmoil!

“I will… grind you to dust!”

Seething with rage, the Sun family ancestor struck down with another palm, its might even greater than before!

Xiao Che lay sprawled on the ground, who knew how many of his bones shattered—he couldn’t even move a finger.

Looking up at the sky-covering palm shadow, he tugged at the corner of his mouth in a bitter smile.

This is it.

Just transmigrated, cheat barely activated—and I’m already about to die?

At the instant, death was about to swallow him—

A voice devoid of all mortal warmth rang out without warning.

“A mere Golden Core ant dares touch someone belonging to this Empress?”

A peerlessly beautiful figure in moon-white and pale-cyan palace robes had already appeared soundlessly before Xiao Che.

Azure hair cascaded like a waterfall, her back serene and aloof.

She casually raised a slender finger and lightly pointed forward.

All sound fell silent.

The wind stopped. Sand and stone froze in midair. That terrifying palm shadow became like an ink painting suspended in time—and then—

It shattered inch by inch, dissolving into motes of empty light.

The Sun family ancestor froze in place, the fury on his face instantly turning into boundless terror.

His mouth hung open as his entire body trembled uncontrollably.

A title that made his soul quake squeezed out between his teeth, his voice sharp and warped.

“G–Great… Great Emperor!”

“Correct,”

The Qinglian Empress said calmly, her gaze falling upon him like dust beneath her notice.

“But there is no reward.”

She raised her hand again, slender finger pointing through the air.

“At this moment, I grant you death.”

There was no earth-shaking spectacle, no dazzling surge of spiritual light.

The Sun family ancestor didn’t even manage to fully form an expression of terror before he disintegrated bit by bit into the finest motes of dust and light, returning to nothingness—as though he had never existed in this world.

Golden Core mid-stage.
Sun family ancestor.
Body and soul annihilated.

The wind swept over the barren hills, stirring up a faint veil of dust.

Where the ancestor had stood, there was now nothing—only that moon-white, pale-cyan figure standing quietly before Xiao Che.

The Qinglian Empress looked down at his battered state.

“With a Foundation Establishment body, you withstood a full-power strike from a mid-stage Golden Core.”

Her voice remained emotionless, though her gaze shifted slightly.

“You didn’t… disgrace this Empress.”

As she finished speaking, she flicked a finger. A strand of gentle cyan spiritual light sank into Xiao Che’s brow.

He immediately felt a vast, cooling vitality surge through his limbs and bones. Shattered bones rapidly rejoined, the churning qi sea calmed, and severe internal injuries began to heal.

Though somehow… the way she healed him felt a bit like the last time he’d been knocked unconscious…

“Many thanks to the Empress for saving my life.”

Xiao Che coughed up a mouthful of congealed blood, feeling that more than half of his injuries had recovered.

He blinked, muttering inwardly.

Tch—this isn’t finding a Dao companion at all… this is strapping a nuclear weapon to my back!

In the future, if I run into someone I can’t beat, can I just raise my hand, call time, and… invite the Empress out to clear the field?

Even he was starting to feel a little embarrassed by how broken this cheat was.

As if reading his thoughts, the Qinglian Empress immediately doused him with cold water.

“The battle just now consumed a trace of this Empress’s law origin.”

Her figure seemed slightly fainter than before, though her tone remained flat.

“For the next three months, this Empress must enter deep slumber and will be unable to act again.”

“During that time, if you provoke trouble of this level once more…”

“Then pray for your own fortune.”

Her words lingered as the moon-white, pale-cyan figure dissolved into scattered radiance, disappearing into Xiao Che’s brow.

Only a faint after-echo remained in his sea of consciousness:

“While this Empress sleeps, do not harbor improper thoughts toward that little girl. Otherwise…”

Great. Can’t beat her, can’t shake her off, get knocked out every time we dual-cultivate… what kind of fate is this? Suffering, truly.

And here I thought I was some chosen protagonist.

Xiao Che shook his head, casting aside the stray thoughts.

He struggled upright and sat cross-legged to regulate his breathing.

The Pure Yang qi within him circulated on its own. Combined with the lingering vitality left by the Empress, his injuries and depleted spiritual power recovered at an astonishing pace.

In less than a quarter hour, his aura stabilized completely.

Xiao Che opened his eyes and glanced at the pile of wreckage not far away—the remains of the Duyun Kite—his heart giving a painful twinge.

Well, there goes the family’s treasured flying spirit artifact.

He walked over, intending to store the wreckage in his storage ring, only to find the space far too small—it wouldn’t fit at all.

Tch. This ring really needs an expansion.

With a thought, he tried communicating with the Hongmeng Heavenly Tome in his sea of consciousness.

The pile of wreckage vanished from before his eyes. In the next instant, it lay quietly in a corner of the Tome’s Sumeru space.

“So it really works…” Xiao Che grinned. That’s a useful function.

He didn’t linger any longer. Rising to his feet, he identified the direction and pushed Chasing Wind Steps to the limit, his figure darting out like a wisp of smoke.

Though he couldn’t fly through the air, he skimmed treetops and barren grass with each leap, his speed far from slow.

He had to hurry back home.

His sister and parents must be worried sick.

…

The Xiao Residence.

Night had fully fallen. Lanterns beneath the eaves cast a warm glow.

A small figure leaned against the doorframe, peering outside again and again—it was Xiao Qing.

When that familiar white-clad figure came into view, her eyes lit up instantly. Like a fledgling bird returning to its nest, she flew straight toward him.

“Brother! You’re back!”

Xiao Che caught her steadily and rubbed the top of her head.

“Mm. I’m back.”

“How did the academy test go? Was it smooth?” Xiao Qing asked eagerly, eyes shining.

“Everything went smoothly,” Xiao Che replied succinctly.

“I knew it! My brother is the best!” Xiao Qing’s eyes curved into happy crescents, even happier than if she herself had passed.

“We’ll talk about the academy later.”

Xiao Che gently pressed her shoulder, his expression turning slightly grave. “Where’s Father right now? The study?”

“He should be. I just saw the light on,” Xiao Qing nodded quickly, sensing the urgency in his tone. “Brother, did something happen?”

“Something urgent. Let’s see Father first.”

…

The Clan Head’s study.

Brightly lit.

Xiao Zhan­tian was flipping through a volume of clan records. His complexion looked better than a few days ago, though fatigue still lingered between his brows.

A knock sounded. Xiao Che entered with Xiao Qing.

“Father.”

“Che? Why are you back already? Did something change with the test?”

Xiao Zhantian set the booklet down and looked at his son.

“The test went very smoothly. I obtained a direct-entry qualification to the Tianshu Court.”

Xiao Che delivered the good news first, his tone calm and steady.