“Speak! I want to see what other excuses you have!”
As she spoke, Ji Xuanyuan did not forget to exert her pressure. “However, I must remind you that this place is surrounded by an inescapable net. Do not even think about stalling for time to cast some escape spell! Now that you have fallen into my hands, there is absolutely no way for you to run. Not to mention, there is a peak Domain Transformation Realm expert secretly stationed here.”
That last sentence was a complete fabrication by Ji Xuanyuan. While the Immortal Dynasty did have Domain Transformation Realm cultivators in reserve, it was impossible to mobilize one in a single day.
On the other hand, Chu Yuan began to ponder just how much information he should reveal. In his past life, the Empress had been the mainstay of the Righteous Path Alliance, but she was also a monarch with deep schemes. If she discovered he was the Sacred Son of Taixu and had a background with the Demon Path Alliance, what would happen then?
She would undoubtedly use that information to threaten him, using the Sacred Son to control the Taixu Sacred Realm. That was one detail he absolutely could not reveal. However, a simple lie would surely be seen through.
‘What should I do?’
Chu Yuan took a deep breath and then sent a sound transmission: “Does Your Highness believe in… rebirth?”
Rebirth?
Ji Xuanyuan’s heart skipped a beat. ‘As I thought! But is he really my Junior Brother?’
While her curiosity peaked, Chu Yuan continued, “In my previous life, I was cast out by the Chu family. I fell into the Demonic Path and became an evil cultivator, committing countless slaughters. This led me to accidentally kill the person who treated me best in this world, leaving me with a lifetime of regret. I eventually died at the hands of a Snow-haired Sword Immortal. I thought I would go to hell, but I never expected to unexpectedly return through rebirth.”
‘Accidentally killing the person who treated him best… A lifetime of regret…’
Listening to Chu Yuan’s narrative, Ji Xuanyuan thought of her own experiences in her past life. Since he mentioned being killed by the Snow-haired Sword Immortal, she was almost certain of his identity as a reincarnator.
Recalling her past memories, Ji Xuanyuan, who had been revered as the Demonic Extermination Sword Sovereign, had slain countless evil cultivators. It was entirely possible that Chu Yuan had died at her hands.
‘But who exactly was he in that life?’ Ji Xuanyuan couldn’t quite remember. To her, killing demons was as common as eating bread. Who would remember every piece of bread they had ever eaten? It was impossible!
Among all the evil cultivators she had killed, she only remembered one person from start to finish—the one who caused her a lifetime of regret!
Considering his background with the Chu family, hope flared in Ji Xuanyuan’s heart once again. But it was only hope; she would not trust him easily based on a mere “possibility” again.
Just then, Chu Yuan sighed. “In this life, I only want to make up for… some regrets.”
As he spoke, his gaze drifted past Ji Xuanyuan and landed on Gu Qingwan, who was not far away. The girl sat upright with her hands folded over her knees, occasionally stealing a glance toward them before quickly lowering her eyes.
Chu Yuan sighed through the sound transmission. “My childhood friend suffers from the Nine Yin Severed Meridians and will not live past three years. In my past life, I failed to save her. In this life… I want to try.”
‘The Nine Yin Severed Meridians?’
‘Isn’t that the mark of Shennong Valley?’
Ji Xuanyuan’s Divine Sense quietly swept over Gu Qingwan. A moment later, she withdrew her Divine Sense, a strange look flashing in her eyes.
‘It really is the Nine Yin Severed Meridians!’
Such a restriction was hidden deep within the marrow. Ordinary cultivators would never notice it. Unless they investigated deliberately, even high-level cultivators would overlook it. This restriction was also used by Medicine King Valley to select the successor to the Saintess.
Recalling her hundreds of years of memories from her previous life, Ji Xuanyuan knew very well that none of the Saintesses selected by Medicine King Valley had been named Gu Qingwan. Considering that the restriction on Gu Qingwan had already been activated, it wasn’t hard to guess that she was destined to die in the upcoming trials.
‘This boy… He’s doing all this just to save her? To make up for his regrets…’
Ji Xuanyuan felt an odd sense of similarity between the man beside her and herself. If he was her Junior Brother… No!
‘What if this is all a lie?’
Throughout the ten-thousand-year history of the Immortal Dynasty, it wasn’t as if there were no cultivators with similar experiences. Such stories were often recorded in novels and circulated within the Realm of True Emotions.
Having been played before, Ji Xuanyuan had become much more cautious. The evidence he provided was not enough. She needed solid proof that would stop her heart from wavering.
Using her own status as a fellow reincarnator, Ji Xuanyuan questioned him directly: “Since Elder Shenbao has returned from the future, you must be well aware of everything that will happen in the next hundred years. May I ask how I will ascend the throne and govern the Immortal Dynasty in that future?”
Ji Xuanyuan’s words actually reminded Chu Yuan.
‘That’s right! I can use information about the future to gain her trust. However, I didn’t have much contact with this future Empress in my last life…’
Chu Yuan recalled his past. Although the Xuanyuan Empress’s fame had shaken the world, he had only ever heard of her. Even in the later stages, when the Xuanyuan Immortal Dynasty joined the Righteous Path Alliance as a main force against the demons, Chu Yuan had never met this exceptionally beautiful Majesty.
After thinking for a while, a thought suddenly struck Chu Yuan.
‘Right! Before the Xuanyuan Empress ascended the throne, she was caught in a period of internal strife. Based on the timeline, it should happen within these few years.’
Chu Yuan immediately sent a transmission: “Your Highness, regarding the future, I truly have one thing to remind you of!”
He paused deliberately. Ji Xuanyuan felt frustrated but played along. “What is it? Don’t waste time, get to the point!”
Chu Yuan replied, “Your Highness, you will soon be framed for attempting to usurp the throne. Under the impeachment of the civil and military officials, Empress Wu Yue will strip you of your title as Crown Prince. You will be imprisoned somewhere within the Immortal Dynasty, and after that, the Second Princess, Ji Chang, will take over the administration. Her rule will lead to internal chaos. You, while imprisoned, will become the only hope, eventually leading an army back to court to set things right.”
Listening to him, Ji Xuanyuan’s thoughts seemed to drift back to those years of internal strife. The Demonic Path wreaking havoc at court, the birth of Heizha, the floods at Chentang Guan… One could say those years of conquest were the most dangerous experiences she had before her coronation.
He could predict these things, and the mention of the “Snow-haired Sword Immortal” further supported his identity as a reincarnator. But his identity as her Junior Brother…
Ji Xuanyuan continued her interrogation: “Then why are you still helping the Demon Path Alliance earn money to buy a Dragon Egg? Are you trying to prevent the Alliance Leader from being born, or are you trying to control the Alliance Leader ahead of time to rule over the others? And where did your cultivation and this Command Medallion come from?”
Ji Xuanyuan poured out all her questions at once. At the end, she suddenly realized something.
‘The Command Medallion!’
Having participated in two demon-slaying campaigns in her past life, she knew very well that the Great Elder Token of the Demon Path Alliance possessed a unique restriction that could connect to the Alliance Leader’s Divine Sense. This was something common Elder Tokens did not have.
The designs were exactly the same, so even the disciples within the Demon Path Alliance couldn’t tell the difference. But Ji Xuanyuan was different. She had once captured that token and knew exactly where the difference lay.
In her past life, her Junior Brother had been the Great Elder of the Demon Path Alliance before his death, with power second only to the Black Dragon Emperor. As long as she checked the token he possessed, Ji Xuanyuan could completely confirm his identity!
Without another thought, Ji Xuanyuan held out her hand. “Your token, let me see it!”
Faced with Ji Xuanyuan’s forceful attitude, Chu Yuan frowned, but he could only obediently hand over the Command Medallion.
The moment she took the token, Ji Xuanyuan’s Divine Sense probed into it. She immediately felt the unique aura that belonged solely to the Great Elder Token.
‘Yes! It’s right!! It’s him!!!’
Ji Xuanyuan’s breathing became ragged. As she looked at the young man sitting beside her, her eyes began to mist over.
Finally! Finally!!
After taking such a long, winding road, she had finally confirmed that the person before her was her Junior Brother. Moreover, he wasn’t just the Junior Brother from the life where they never met! He was the very Junior Brother she had run through with her sword—the one she wanted to make amends to more than anyone else!