A cross-time dialogue spanning over two millennia.

Not to mention Jing Ke, even the Heavenly Dao was shaken.

Is this the might of an Emperor Realm powerhouse? So terrifying they can tear apart the fetters of space and time to intervene in matters from two thousand years ago!

Xu Lai didn't respond to Jing Ke's question, but instead looked toward the Heavenly Dao.

The Heavenly Dao instantly understood. Feigning sagacity, it said in a deep voice, "I am the Heavenly Dao. Answer this question swiftly!"

"Are you also from the Ji Family? To think you want to change my fate and usurp my spiritual fortune... Such devious scoundrels!" Jing Ke shouted angrily. "I will await an explanation from the Ji Family in the Nine Kings' Palace. Otherwise—"

His threat was cut short.

The image in the void suddenly shattered as if destroyed by an external force, ending the retrospective.

Xu Lai was silent.

The Ji Family?

Among the top one hundred Dao Orthodox Sects in the Universe, no such family existed. There wasn't one even in the top ten thousand.

But to alter fate and spiritual fortune...

Those at the Immortal Venerable Realm and above could do it, but there was no reason to. It would mean being tainted by immense karma. And karma was what cultivators were most reluctant to get involved with. The higher their Boundary, the more they avoided it.

As for the Nine Kings' Palace...

It wasn't well-known; few were aware of its existence. Legend had it that it was built back when the rules of the cosmos were different, constructed jointly by nine peak Emperor Realm powerhouses as a place to receive the veneration of their believers.

The danger of the Nine Kings' Palace was countless times more horrifying than the Samsara Sea of the Emperor Realm tombs. No cultivator who entered had ever survived.

Fifteen eras ago, a peerless powerhouse, whose true form was a demonic tree that had reached the Emperor Realm, believed himself to be unparalleled. He sought to enter the Nine Kings' Palace and become the tenth king, hoping to enjoy the endless veneration of the Universe.

In the end, his corpse was found at the entrance of the grand hall.

On the gigantic tree trunk, a corpse that spanned half a star system, was a simple eight-character inscription: "Virtue inadequate, entrance forbidden."

Of course, very few cultivators were aware of this. It was something Xu Lai himself had only stumbled upon after becoming an Emperor Realm powerhouse.

Time had buried far too much.

Today, even ancient Tao Lineages with histories spanning dozens of eras might not remember the Nine Kings' Palace.

How could cultivators from Earth, a forsaken Cultivation Planet in the farthest corner of the Universe, possibly know?

Xu Lai rubbed the bridge of his nose.

Earth truly surprises me time and time again. A mere cursed dagger... A figure who left such a prominent mark on history two thousand years ago... somehow connected to the Nine Kings' Palace, deep within the Universe...

If Xu Lai had only been a little curious at first, his interest in the dagger's origins had now grown immense, especially since it concerned a mysterious forbidden land in the Immortal Domain.

"Where is Jing Ke buried?" Xu Lai asked the Heavenly Dao.

"Uh..." The Heavenly Dao choked, hesitating for a long moment before saying, "The Supreme Emperor, although I am the will of this planet... you of the Human Race don't usually care where your own cells are buried after they die, do you?"

Fine. Xu Lai knew this entity was unreliable and couldn't be counted on.

"Let's go, then."

Xu Lai turned and left the cave.

"Ah?" the Heavenly Dao asked in a daze. "The Supreme Emperor, you're leaving just like that? Why not trace time back a little further and ask Jing Ke?"

"Do you really think I'm omnipotent?" Xu Lai looked at the Heavenly Dao with a peculiar gaze. "Or perhaps you want me to be tainted by great karma so you can take my place? How about I just hand the Heavenly Court over to you?"

"...No, no, no, The Supreme Emperor, you've misunderstood me!" The Heavenly Dao's eyes grew misty with tears. "I am your most loyal follower! You are the light of my life, illuminating my path! How could I possibly have such a treasonous thought?"

The Heavenly Dao added resolutely, "If I did, I wouldn't be human!"

"..."

Xu Lai pursed his lips. Its combat ability is nothing to speak of, but its bootlicking skills are certainly impressive.

He took one last deep look at the cave entrance. Though his mind was full of questions, he had no good leads at the moment, so he decided to set the matter aside to investigate another day.

After all, Earth is Yiyi and Ruan Tang's home planet. If possible, I'd like to protect it completely.

「Back at the hotel.」

Instead of snuggling with Ruan Tang for a morning nap, Xu Lai got up to prepare breakfast, as his daughter would be waking up soon. To his surprise, Ruan Tang woke up before Yiyi.

Seeing Xu Lai cooking, she wrapped her arms around him from behind and said softly, "Thank you for all your hard work."

Xu Lai froze. Ruan Tang was being so proactive and gentle all of a sudden that it made him a little uncomfortable; he felt as if she were plotting something.

Xu Lai asked cautiously, "Honey, what did I do wrong? I'll fix it."

"I wanted to reward you with a hug for working so hard," Ruan Tang said, giving Xu Lai an exasperated look. "But what's with your attitude? It's as if you think I'm going to hurt you!"

"So that's how it is," Xu Lai sighed in relief, then muttered, "A tigress turning into a kitten would scare anyone."

Ruan Tang was dumbfounded.

Her voice sharp with annoyance, she demanded, "Who are you calling a tigress?!"

As the words left her mouth, Ruan Tang swung her small fists at Xu Lai. Seeing his completely unfazed expression only infuriated her more.

She opened her mouth and bit down on his neck.

After they had fooled around for a while, Ruan Tang's cheeks were flushed and she was panting, looking utterly alluring. Xu Lai couldn't resist planting a kiss on her forehead.

Idiot. Is kissing my forehead the only thing you know how to do? How is that any different from how you kiss our daughter? I'm your girlfriend, not your child!

Ruan Tang pushed Xu Lai away and rolled her eyes. "I'm hungry. Let's eat."

「At nine in the morning.」

After their daughter woke up and had breakfast, the family took an electric trolley to the seaside for some fun. Beibei was overjoyed at the sight of the water.

She transformed into a giant conch shell.

She took Ruan Tang for a ride on the 'shell-cycle,' a novel experience that left Ruan Tang wide-eyed and exclaiming continuously. The shell zipped across the sea, bouncing along and threatening to tip at any moment, causing Ruan Tang to cling tightly to Xu Lai from behind.

His wife, after all, was wearing a swimsuit—even if it was that same, very conservative one-piece.

"Honey, it's okay, we won't fall. You can let go," Xu Lai said, a smirk playing on his lips even as his tone was perfectly righteous. "You're getting in the way of me holding our daughter!"

"No..." Ruan Tang refused to let go, no matter what. What if she fell? She had seen a huge shark—it was so dangerous! Flustered, she instinctively gripped him even tighter.

Deep down, she felt wronged. That big idiot Xu Lai only has eyes for his daughter. What about his girlfriend?

"Fine then." Xu Lai sighed, feigning helplessness. "There's really no handling you."

Beibei shot Xu Lai a disdainful look. It was you who told me to 'speed up and make it bumpy,' and now you're pretending to be annoyed...

Unable to bear seeing the ever-kind Ruan Tang being deceived, Beibei slowed down. The conch shell steadied, gliding smoothly without any more bumps.

Xu Lai sent a message via his Divine Sense, "Beibei, crank it up!"

"Xu Lai, I can't go against my conscience and help you anymore!" Beibei huffed, turning her head away.

"..."

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