In the torrential downpour.
Xu Lai, holding the sleeping Xu Yiyi in his arms, cut a solitary figure. Yet in the eyes of the guests with their complicated expressions, he stood as imposing as Mount Tai.
Tang Yi.
Han Buming.
Ye Wuxuan.
Which of these names wasn’t renowned far and wide? Yet all of them had perished at Xu Lai’s hands without causing so much as a ripple. If word got out, whoever spread it would surely be branded a lunatic.
Even the Ye Family, at the height of its power, had been obliterated in an instant.
The gazes directed at Xu Lai were filled with deep apprehension. A few timid women, whose associations with the Ye Family were not shallow, looked away and whimpered softly, fearing they too would become collateral damage.
Xu Lai offered no explanation. In truth, he was a very reasonable man; life and death were all part of the cycle of cause and effect. If the Ye Family hadn’t harmed Yiyi, Xu Lai wouldn’t have bothered with them at all, much preferring to spend his days quietly with his wife and child.
Only Ye Wanqing, languishing in Hell, would spend the rest of her days filled with endless regret. The Ye Family had missed out on a world-shaking opportunity. If they had cared for Xu Yiyi with dedication over those five years, their family could have dominated not just Hangcheng, but the entire universe.
After all, Yiyi’s surname was Xu.
The Xu of The Supreme Emperor, Xu Lai.
She was destined to inherit the Four Immortal Domains of the east, west, north, and south, and to become the Lord of the Heavenly Court.
Unfortunately, life offered no do-overs, nor a second chance for the Ye Family to choose again.
But the elites and dignitaries of Hangcheng, standing in the downpour, now knew one thing for certain: they must never, ever provoke Xu Lai.
And—
Xu Yiyi and her mother.
Their expressions reverent, they bowed and lowered their heads, proactively clearing a path for him to leave.
Xu Lai looked up at the sky and muttered to himself, "It’s pouring rain on the joyous day of my reunion with my daughter. Is the Heavenly Dao of Earth targeting me...?"
SWOOSH!
The dark clouds scattered in an instant, revealing a clear, boundless sky.
Outside the main gate of the Ye Family estate, the gardenia trees in the greenbelts along countless streets of Hangcheng quietly blossomed.
The entire city was blanketed in white!
The petals swayed gently in the breeze, as if in welcome.
The sky cleared.
The flowers bloomed.
A satisfied smile finally appeared on Xu Lai’s face. "That’s more like it. Daughter, Daddy is taking you home!"
Xu Lai departed, leaving behind a crowd of dumbstruck wealthy family heads, corporate executives, famous celebrities, and government officials.
"I remember earlier, when Xu Lai got furious, the sky instantly turned dark," a young man whispered.
"Not just in Hangcheng. The whole world looked like it was the apocalypse," his female companion added, holding up her phone to show a news report. "And all the gardenias in Hangcheng have bloomed."
"Isn’t the blooming season for gardenias from March to July? It’s already September."
"The experts are calling it climate change."
"..."
Everyone harbored the same eerie thought: Could it be that Xu Lai is the source of all these bizarre phenomena?
Drenched in a cold sweat, they resolved to keep everything they saw today an absolute secret. Otherwise, they might end up just like the Ye Family, never even knowing how they died.
Only Su Daiyi gazed in the direction where Xu Lai had disappeared, her beautiful eyes shining thoughtfully as she murmured, "You really are full of stories."
「Above Hangcheng.」
Xu Yiyi lay sound asleep on a bed of soft clouds while Xu Lai looked down upon the mortal world.
He had found his daughter. He also knew where her mother was, but the problem remained—
How am I supposed to explain this?!
Having had no contact for five years, he was certain his wife must be filled with resentment and fury.
"Taotie, this is urgent! Come quickly!"
A voice transmission crossed an immense distance, echoing directly inside the great hall of the Heavenly Court.
The First Divine General, Taotie, who was discussing various matters with the other Divine Generals, heard the call and dove headfirst into a spatial rift.
Ten minutes later.
Taotie gazed upon the exquisitely beautiful Xu Yiyi, whose features strikingly resembled The Supreme Emperor’s. His face brimming with joy, he asked, "Supreme Emperor, is this your child, the Princess of the Heavenly Court?"
"Mhm," Xu Lai said with satisfaction. "She looks just like me, right? She’ll definitely be a great beauty when she grows up!"
"Of course! With the excellent genes from you and the Mistress, the Princess is guaranteed to be the number one beauty in the Four Immortal Domains."
Taotie knelt on one knee in the void, showering him with praise.
However, Xu Lai’s expression fell. "Your mistress must hate my guts right now."
"Your subordinate understands. I will ensure the Mistress is reborn into a good family in her next life," Taotie declared as he stood up, killing intent radiating from him.
"Get lost! I brought you here to strategize on how to win a woman’s heart back!" Xu Lai kicked him away. "Is fighting and killing all I ever taught you?"
Taotie felt utterly wronged. He was the First Divine General of the Heavenly Court. He had shed blood and tears for the Heavenly Court, his hands stained with the blood of countless lives, his fearsome reputation echoing throughout the Four Immortal Domains. And yet, just because he didn’t know how to win over a woman, he was being looked down on by The Supreme Emperor!
"The Second Divine General, Baize, she understands a woman’s heart best. I’ll contact her right away."
"Forget it, forget it. I’ll handle it myself," Xu Lai sighed. It was better to rely on himself than on others.
"By the way, Supreme Emperor, the Black Dragon Clan you sealed in the forbidden lands of the Western Immortal Domain has been getting restless lately. They’ve been using puppet sects of their Tao Lineage to attack the Heavenly Court’s branch..."
"Perfect!" Xu Lai was overjoyed. "Go catch one or two young dragons. I want to make a stew to help nourish my daughter."
"..."
The Divine General Taotie was silent for a moment.
Thirty thousand years ago, the Black Dragon Clan, once one of the most powerful races in the Western Immortal Domain, had attempted to overthrow the Heavenly Court’s rule, even conspiring with thirteen Celestial Clans.
Naturally, they failed.
Their crime warranted the execution of their entire race, but The Supreme Emperor, in his magnanimity, merely sealed them within the forbidden lands. However, the cunning Black Dragons refused to submit and constantly tried to break the seal to regain control of the Immortal Domain.
Coincidentally, there was a Divine General in the Heavenly Court from Earth with the surname Chang. He was not only a master of both spatial and temporal laws but, more importantly, was also an expert at every culinary technique: boiling, steaming, stewing, and roasting.
And so, as time went on—
The Black Dragon Clan, which had flourished for several epochs, ranked tenth among all races, and was renowned within the Dragon Race for its rapid reproduction rate, had been eaten to the point of being endangered. Now, their numbers had dwindled to merely a few hundred.
Taotie quickly departed from Earth, sighing to himself. The Human Race was not to be trifled with. They could eat anything and even turn it into a delicacy!
Meanwhile, after much hesitation, Xu Lai finally muttered to himself, "I’ll go find her once Yiyi wakes up. Avoiding it forever isn’t a solution."
「A thousand kilometers from Hangcheng, in East Sea City.」
Ruan’s Fashion Design Co., Ltd.
In the president’s office on the seventh floor, a woman in a professional black skirt suit stood before a massive floor-to-ceiling window, staring blankly at the bustling traffic outside.
Her waterfall of black hair was swept up, a single stray lock brushing past her ear. Her perfect figure, accentuated by her clothes, was enough to make even her female secretary steal a few glances.
The secretary sighed silently. It was a pity that despite being known as the most beautiful woman in East Sea, their boss maintained an icy, unapproachable demeanor toward everyone. Otherwise, her number of suitors would surely double.
"Yiyi," Ruan Tang whispered softly. She had been trying to call Ye Wanqing since the morning, but her calls went unanswered, as if they had vanished into the sea.
"Ye Wanqing..." Ruan Tang clenched her fists, her beautiful face as cold as ice. "Yiyi, Mommy will find a way to save you! I will!"
Just then, the secretary’s phone rang. She quickly answered, her voice turning sharp. "How could you mess up something so simple? Get rid of them now! What? Our entire security department was defeated?"
"What’s going on?" Ruan Tang’s gaze swept over, and the secretary felt an immense pressure. She answered cautiously, "A man with a child barged into the company, saying Xu Yiyi is looking for her mother. But don’t worry, President, I’ll call the police right away."
"Deal with it quickly," Ruan Tang said icily. She then suddenly spun around, her eyes blazing. "Who did you just say!?"