Ye Guan stepped out of the tiny pagoda, quietly leaving the Boundless Spacetime.

Once he was outside, he immediately heard the sounds of battle in the distance. Ye Guan looked up and saw several cultivators attacking Jing Chu.

Jing Chu was at her peak, and there was no way she could be defeated quite easily. It would also be difficult to pin her down if she weren't overzealous in the fight.

Ye Guan transmitted a message to Jing Chu.

Amidst her fierce battle against the cultivators, Jing Chu received Ye Guan's message. Not one to waver, she unleashed a wave of martial intent, forcing her opponents to retreat. In the blink of an eye, she vanished like a shooting star into the distant horizon.

Her sudden departure left the people of the Wujian Universe bewildered. What was she even doing here? How come she came here for no reason and left for no reason?

The Great Sorcerer Clan Leader, Wu Daotian, watched with furrowed brows as Jing Chu disappeared into the distance.

"What did she want?" an elder asked in a deep voice.

Wu Daotian stared at the distant horizon. "That was strange."

He doubted that her sudden appearance in the Wujian Universe was an act spurned on by boredom. There had to be an explanation behind it! An idea came to mind, and Wu Daotian turned toward the Boundless Spacetime. His brows knitted deeper.

Noticing that, the elder remarked, "Clan Leader, are you worried that she was trying to distract us from that Tianxing Ruler in the Boundless Spacetime?"

Wu Daotian remained silent, but his face darkened.

The elder glanced at the Boundless Spacetime and said, "That Boundless Spacetime is incredibly complex. She hasn't been able to break through it. If she can't do it, then no fruit from the Tianxing Civilization can do it."

"That's not it." Wu Daotian shook his head. "It is indeed complex, but since she dared to pull that on us, she must be confident. Something isn't right here."

Wu Daotian turned to the starry sky and said, "The High Priest will arrive tomorrow. No matter what her intentions were, everything will end by then."

The elder's expression changed, realizing the gravity of the situation.

Within the Great Sorcerer Clan, the High Priest's status was higher than the clan leader. Legend had it that the High Priest could communicate with unknown entities, so even the clan leader had to heed the High Priest's commands.

The elder hadn't anticipated that the High Priest would return.

"Contact the Grand Sect Master of the Evil Dao Alliance; we need their assistance. We can't let just earn some profits on the sidelines," Wu Daotian said.

"Understood," the elder nodded and left.

***

Meanwhile, Ye Guan and Jing Chu soon arrived in an unknown starry region.

Jing Chu looked at Ye Guan and asked, "Is she out?"

"Let's head into the pagoda," Ye Guan said, leading Jing Chu directly into the tiny pagoda.

Zhan Qing rushed toward Jing Chu and hugged her tightly. She showered her with kisses and fondled her as well.

Ye Guan watched in astonishment as Jing Chu frowned in disgust. With a wave of her martial intent, she pushed Zhan Qing away, wiping the saliva off her face in dissatisfaction.

Zhan Qing, however, seemed unfazed.

"Little Chu, I missed you so much!" she exclaimed, giggling.

She lunged forward but was blocked by Jing Chu's martial intent.

"You're so petty," Zhan Qing pouted, "I just want to kiss and touch you…"

Ye Guan shook his head and smiled. He realized that the fruits he had encountered were either arrogant or amusing. This was a standoff between an arrogant fruit and an amusing fruit!

"Let's get down to business," Jing Chu said.

Zhan Qing's smile vanished. She turned to Ye Guan, and her face was serious as she said, "We have to conduct the Tianxing Ruler Inheritance right here in the pagoda."

Time was of the essence.

"Alright," Ye Guan agreed.

Soon afterward, Ye Guan and the other fruits gathered before the Tianxing Life Tree. Zhan Qing looked at Ye Guan, Yi Nian, and Jing An before saying, "Just go inside."

"Is there anything we need to take note of?" Ye Guan asked.

"There's nothing to worry about, just go in," Zhan Qing replied with a smile.

"Alright! Let's go."

Just like that, Ye Guan, Jing An, and Yi Nian entered the Tianxing Life Tree.

Outside, Zhan Qing gazed at the Tianxing Life Tree and muttered, "Those two fruits are quite exceptional; they are the future of the Tianxing Civilization."

Jing Chu nodded. The internal strife was quite devastating.

The Tianxing Life Tree could revive fruits, but it would take a long time to do so. In the interim, they needed to cultivate new powerful fruits.

"Some rules need to be abolished," Jing Chu said.

"I understand, but I'm still worried. Tianxing Ruler Si Ying is correct. If we were to abandon the divine laws and the majority of our fruits end up marrying men from other civilizations, it would lead to our annihilation…"

Jing Chu's expression fell. When the Founding Ancestor had established the divine laws, it wasn't out of disdain for other civilizations but to protect the Tianxing Civilization.

If the fruits married the people of other civilizations, they'd no longer be able to reincarnate. This wouldn't be a problem if this happened to one or two fruits, but it would become a disaster if it became a norm.

One had to think about the long-term repercussions.

If the issue was handled poorly, it would lead to a tragedy.

Jing Chu looked at Zhan Qing and asked, "Do you have a solution?"

"I don't," Zhan Qing said, shaking her head.

Jing Chu frowned.

Zhan Qing yawned. "I don't want to deal with this anymore. Let that silly fruit Jing An figure it out. After all, she's going to be the next Tianxing Ruler. I'm not trying to avoid doing my job here. It's a test for her as well!"

Jing Chu shook her head.

Just then, Zhan Qing hugged Jing Chu from behind and giggled. "Little Chu, you've grown again!"

Boom!

A powerful wave of martial intent pushed Zhan Qing away.

Zhan Qing pouted, saying, "Don't be so petty; what's the harm in touching you? I read somewhere that the more you touch those things, the bigger they will get! You can touch mine, too."

Jing Chu immediately left.

Dealing with a shameless girl was truly a headache.

***

𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

Today, an elder arrived at the First Hall of the Evil Dao Alliance. He looked around and saw that the place was deserted.

When the elder entered the grand hall, he saw only one person.

"Grand Sect Master," the elder greeted with a smile.

The Grand Sect Master glanced at the elder and calmly asked, "Does Clan Leader Daotian have anything to say?"

"Tomorrow, the High Priest of the Great Sorcerer Clan will arrive in this universe region. We intend to annihilate the Tianxing Civilization, and we'd like the assistance of both you and the First Hall Master by then."

The Grand Sect Master nodded. "Sure."

The elder hesitated. "I wonder if First Hall Master…"

While the Grand Sect Master was strong, he was not powerful enough to help the Great Sorcerer Clan. The elder's true goal was to recruit the First Hall Master into their cause.

The Grand Sect Master glanced at him and replied calmly, "Rest assured, on the day of the battle, the First Hall Master will definitely attack and catch them off guard. After all, this fight is of utmost importance for our Evil Dao Alliance."

"Our clan leader wishes to meet with the First Hall Master."

The Grand Sect Master frowned. "You do not trust the Evil Dao Alliance?"

"No, that is a serious claim. The clan leader merely wishes to meet the First Hall Master, nothing more, nothing less."

The Grand Sect Master stood up slowly and replied, "Don't worry. We will definitely do our best. After all, the Tianxing Civilization suffered greatly in their internal strife. They've lost countless cultivators, including Fu Wu.

"Now, the only one left who is worthy of a fight is Jing Chu. Our victory is basically guaranteed. Don't you think the Evil Dao Alliance has no reason to refuse that kind of alliance?"

The elder looked at the Grand Sect Master and nodded. "I look forward to welcoming the both of you."

With that, the elder turned around and left.

He had a sinking feeling that something was off, but he quickly dismissed the thought. The Grand Sect Master was right; their victory was guaranteed, so the Evil Dao Alliance had no reason to refuse to work with them.

When the elder left, the Grand Sect Master closed his eyes and reminisced.

***

Ye Guan found himself in a world filled with trees; the air was full of abundant Tianxing Lifeforce. He discovered that his fleshly body, which was restored by his sword intent, was actively absorbing the Tianxing Lifeforce in the air.

Ye Guan surveyed his surroundings, filled with curiosity.

Just then, a green light descended, landing just a short distance away from him.

Ye Guan could see a silhouette within the light, but he couldn't see the newcomer's face.

Ye Guan was a bit baffled by the sight.

Just then, the figure extended its right hand. Before Ye Guan could comprehend what was happening, a beam of light melted into Ye Guan's glabella.

Boom!

Ye Guan's eyes widened in shock. His vision blurred as the world around him spun rapidly. It felt as if he were traveling through the vast expanse. His fleshly body then erupted into flames.

What was happening?

Ye Guan's heart raced. Before he could contemplate further, his head grew heavy. Everything around him moved at the speed of light, and he felt as if he were ascending to the heavens.

He clenched his teeth, struggling to remain conscious, but his fleshly body was completely engulfed in flames. After an unknown amount of time, Ye Guan finally felt himself come to a stop, but his head was still pounding.

Just as he was about to open his eyes, a voice echoed in his ear. "

Hmm…

you're not a fruit…"