by Feng Yue
Charles looked at him in confusion.
“You know he’s a Romulusian, right? A descendant of demons.” Constantine pointed at his chest. “He was born with two hearts. One left, one right. The Romulusians believed that only those destined to be heroes would have that.
“From then on, he became an apprentice of the elder. That was the start of his path to betrayal. The wandering nation desperately needed a guide. He believed that too. But when he realized that no matter what he did within, he could still not save Romulus, he betrayed everyone’s expectations.
“He left Auschwitz for the Sacred City and never returned until Auschwitz became a pile of rubble.”
Here, Constantine fell into silence. After a long pause, he murmured, “His entire life, he worked to complete his destiny but in the end, he was abandoned by his destiny. In the beginning, he wanted to save his brethren. Later, he betrayed his brethren. Even later, when he believed strongly in the Sacred City’s radiance, he witnessed Ye Lanzhou’s death and was utterly disappointed.
“He wanted to save the human world but realized that the human world was rejecting his salvation… Now, Gaius wants to rebuild order and create a better era. Sadly, the era does not seem to love him.”
Constantine could not help but laugh. His smile was full of mockery. “He is a contradicting ironic man. Charles, does this disappoint you?”
After a while, Charles shook his head. “Sir, he sounds like a pitiful man.”
“Pitiful?” Taken aback, Constantine quickly burst into laughter. “Perhaps. Because of these pitiful men, the world will never have peace.”
Looking at him, Charles asked tentatively, “Then, you…can’t advise him to stop?”
“Charles, did you know that a sense of mission is the gift from the demon?” Constantine drank with his head lowered and said, “It is wrapped up nicely to disguise its horrible nature. So many people go crazy for it, even willing to die for it.
“If it cannot be satisfied, it will cause insomnia, making one feel hellish torment. Even if you die, you won’t be able to rest in peace.
“All these years, so many have died because of Gaius, sacrificed for him. If he stops, then all those sacrifices would be in vain. Do you understand? Those deaths have become a curse, turning the sense of mission into a demon entangled in his life. He can’t stop even if I’m blocking him.”
Charles fell silent.
Seeing his sadness, Constantine roughly ruffled his hair. “There are so many people in the world. It’s not your place to be sad for him. Come, Charles. Let’s drink to him.” He stuffed a glass into Charles’s hand and raised it. “For Gaius, for the revolution, for the f*cking world, cheers!”
Throwing his head back, Constantine downed the glass and collapsed into the chair. He had finished the entire bottle of hard liquor. He lay on the sofa, intoxicated. As if seeing something, he smiled and quietly recited something in a foreign tongue.
“Inde genus durum sumus, experiensque laborum; Et documenta damus quâ simus origine nati…”
Therefore we are a hard race and inured to labors and we give evidence of the origin from which we are born.
447 This Is Grea
The Jiuzhou Continent was in the center of the Xuantian Realm. This was the world of the martial artists. From lowest to highest, they were divided into nine realms: warrior, master, grandmaster, martial lord, martial king, martial emperor, martial king, sovereign of war, and god of war.
The once-child prodigy, Ye Aotian, had started cultivating his qi at three years old. He became a warrior at age twelve and a master at fourteen but had lost his ability to cultivate at fifteen. Because he no longer needed to cultivate. He had already become the one and only god of war in the world!
He was the god of war, Ye Aotian!
From then on, he traveled the world, enjoying all the beauty and riches. As a legend, he passed many years.
Now, at the bank of the West Lake of Hangzhou, a youth stood there with his hands behind his back. He gazed at the beautiful scene but his eyes seemed lonely and sad. They seemed filled with thousands of seasons and solitude.
So many girls gazed at him from a distance. Their cheeks reddened and their hearts beat faster involuntarily but they did not dare to approach the youth. That was because there was someone beautiful beside him.
“Brother Aotian, I don’t care how many girls you have. I only care that I am in your heart.” Murong Qian’er, the current number one of the beauty ranking of Jiuzhou, leaned against Ye Aotian. She felt the aggressive aura and was intoxicated with love.
“Qian’er, since you are with me now, I won’t let you down.” Ye Qingxuan smirked. He caressed Qian’er’s cheeks. Qi rushed into her gut. She instantly rose through the realms, passing the martial emperor and martial king level, jumping into the immortal sovereign of war realm.
“Brother Aotian!” Feeling her cultivation reach an unprecedented level, Qian’er felt incredible and incredulous. “You’re too good to me!”
“My darling, you are too polite. Since you are with my husband, we will be sisters from now on.” An elegant woman held Qian’er’s hands. She was Gudu Yuehua, the sovereign of war who had ruled for a millennium. “Husband is becoming more and more powerful. Us six hundred girls cannot care for him well enough. In the future, we must work live together well. Here, this is my gift for you as a sister.”
With that, Gudu Yuehua pulled out a shining sword. Qian’er’s delicate figure trembled. “Is this the magical Gudu Nine Sword that Husband made for you?”
“No, you are mistaken. This is the Gudu Six Hundred Forty-Seven Sword. It is a gift from me for our first meeting.”
Hearing this, Ye Aotian threw his head back in laughter. He brought the two beauties into the air. In the clouds, a crowd of girls watched them come and swarmed over delicately.
“Congratulations on the bonding between Husband and Sister Qian’er.”
Ye Aotian smiled and said, “Come, Qian’er, let me introduce you to your sisters. This is your second sister Mengqi, third sister Muqing, fourth sister Aoshan, fifth sister, Manwen, sixth sister Yuexi, seventh sister Xianghan…and your six hundred and forty-sixth sister Lianmeng.”
“Husband, you are too good to me.” Qian’er leaned against Ye Aotian, her soft chest pressed against Aotian’s arm, making the man’s member misbehave.
“You’re so mean. You’re trying to bully me again.” Yuehua smiled and reached out. She tapped his cock, making it grow fierce. Yuehua looked up. Glancing at Aotian, she bent down and parted her pretty lips…
And thus, there was chaos and until the girls all begged him to stop and all were satisfied. Qian’er stroked the hard length and could not help but sigh, “Husband, please go find some more misters. We cannot handle you anymore.”
Ye Aotian did not answer.
“Husband is too powerful,” the girls said. “Husband, go find some more sisters.”
Ye Aotian still did not answer.
After a round of lovely whining, Ye Aotian finally snapped out of it. He looked at the beauties. “I have a question.”
“What is it, Husband?” they all asked.
“I am only one man but I’ve conquered more than six hundred girls. And yet you are all so loving of each other. There are no fights or jealousy. It’s incredible.
The girls all laughed. “Husband has gone crazy again.”
“Also,” Ye Aotian looked down at his crotch, “making love with 647 girls one after another would take 373 and a half hours if each person takes half an hour. That means 186 hours and 45 minutes. That means that each session would take fifteen days. During these fifteen days, I can’t sleep or eat and I can only act mechanically. Even a steel pillar would be flattened but I didn’t even scrape my skin.”
“That is because Husband’s body is like a god.”
“But in addition to that weird stuff, if you all love me so deeply, how are you willing to share me with six hundred other girls and ask me to get even more?”
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“Brother Aotian, I do not care how many girls you have, as long as I am in your heart,” Yuehua answered shyly. “And your thing is too powerful. I…”
“That’s weird. Does cultivating increase power or hormones?”
In a daze, the girls disappeared. Ye Aotian looked up and saw a realistic yet illusory figure. His eyes brightened. “Elder, you’ve come just in time. Ever since I found the ring you hide in from the backyard when I was eleven, I’ve always had a question.”
The elder with a head of white hair smiled. “Aotian, what is your question?”
“What exactly is qi?” Ye Aotian asked. “Where does it come from? How is it created? How does it exist? Why does it enter our body? What state is it? Gas? Liquid? Solid? If it’s called qi, then it must be gas, right? Does that mean I have a large amount of gas inside my body? Why haven’t I swelled up?”
The elder replied, “That is because your veins are strong. The qi condensed into the fighting spirit and is contained in the sub-universe of your body.”
“What state is the fighting spirit in? Is it tangible?” Ye Aotian murmured. He grabbed a girl over and ripped her apart after killing her. “Where are the eight qijing veins and two rendu veins? Where is the sub-universe? Inside the brain?” As he spoke, he lowered his dagger and opened Qian’er’s brain. But there was nothing there. “Is this the sub-universe? Then where is the gut?”
The elder remained silent.
“And the nine levels are warrior, master, grandmaster, martial lord, martial king, martial emperor, martial king, sovereign of war, and god of war… Why are there two martial kings?”
“Don’t overthink.” The elder pulled two pieces of spirit fruits. “Aotian, it is time to cultivate. Come, eat this fruit.”
“I’m not Aotian.” The youth looked up. “My name is Ye Qingxuan.”
“Is it bad to be called Aotian?” The elder sighed. “You became a god of war at age fourteen and are undefeatable. You are the best of the century and possess power and beauty. Everyone fears and respects you. Your friends love you, are obsessed with you, and will never leave you. What is bad about this life?”
“Everything’s great about this life.” Ye Qingxuan sighed. “But it’s too fake.”
“If you don’t like it, we can change to another one.” The elder shook his head. Time spun and they returned to hundreds of years ago. At age fifteen, Ye Aotian lost the ability to cultivate. His skills even decreased and he fell lower than a warrior. He was looked down upon and even the girl he had been arranged to marry from childhood rejected him. Then when he was eighteen years old, the elder re-appeared and gave him new hope.
“Are you satisfied with this life?”
“Why do I have to cultivate?” Ye Qingxuan asked. “You can turn into an inflator but why do I have to pump myself with gas for no reason? Why can’t I just live?”
“I see.” The elder finally understood. “You don’t like to cultivate.”
The world instantly darkened and all fell into the void. The universe opened again and created a new world. History rolled by until it came to modern day. The masterpiece Dies Irae welcomed its highest wave of popularity. The biggest guild of the game—Dragon Guild—guided the most elite players to start a new historical mission: recreation of the gods. They fought past all the obstacles to the temple of gods. There was only one step before they could push open the door and became the new gods.
But just then, the guild leader, general of the elite group, and the strongest warrior of the game, Dragon Aotian, went offline!
The game company quickly sent a video call to Dragon Aotian.
“Hello, this is Wang, the GM of the game company.”
“Wang?” Ye Qingxuan looked at the old man with white hair in the screen. “Aren’t you the elder?”
“…Haha, how come you went offline?” Wang asked after clearing his throat. “Is there something wrong with the game?”
“Oh, no.” Ye Qingxuan pointed to the stove behind him. “I got hungry and I’m making ramen now.”
“The entire league is waiting for you! There’s only one last step of the mission!” Wang was stunned. “Can’t you finish it before eating?”
Ye Qingxuan thought a bit and said, “Your game is boring. I don’t want to play anymore.”
“No, you must play it.” Wang cried, “The main plot hasn’t started yet! You have to enter the game warehouse. We have to wait until you defeat the last boss before we can bomb the warehouse and send you to the other realm!”
“…Why do I have to get bombed?” Ye Qingxuan asked blankly. “Why do I have to go to the other realm?”
“If you go to the other realm, you can rule the world with the most powerful character in the system!” Wang wiped at his cold sweat. “And haven’t you been working on this mission? If you complete it, you’ll be at god level!”
“Oh.” Ye Qingxuan nodded. Slurping his noodles, he said, “Why do I have to go to the other realm for no reason? They might not even have toilet paper there.”
Wang was silent for a long time. Then the screen flashed and someone appeared. “Hello, I am the manager of the game company. My name is Zhao—”
“Elder, you just said that you’re Wang.”
The man’s expression was unchanged as if he did not hear anything. “Based off of your feedback, we’ve decided not to send you to the other realm. If you finish this mission, we can send you back to be reborn.”
Ye Qingxuan drank soup and asked, “Why am I being reborn?”
“You already know all the secrets, missions, plots, and hidden jobs of the game,” the person said. “After being reborn, you can become the most powerful in the game! You can win money!”
“But I don’t want to play games.” Ye Qingxuan scratched his head. “I don’t want to be reborn either. My life is good right now.”
“If you’re reborn, you can get the school beauty!” Wang advised. “Or you can buy a house in the big city! You can make a fortune!”
Staring at him, Ye Qingxuan took his time to finish the noodles. Then he set down his bowl and asked seriously, “Being reborn to buy a house? Do you think I’m stupid?”
The man fell silent. He was covered in sweat. Annoyed, he tugged at his tie and lit a cigarette. Inhaling angrily, he muttered, “Bro, isn’t this just a dream? Why can’t you go with the script? Don’t you how hard it is for us to get subscriptions and ratings? What do you want? Tell me and I’ll take it!”
448 But I Just Don’t Like I
“What exactly do you want to do?”
“Nothing.” Sprawled on the sofa, Ye Qingxuan cocked his head and found a comfortable position. “Life is short. Can’t you let me lie down properly?”
“You think life is too short?” The one in charge brightened. “I have an idea!”
Instantly, the world caved in and history ended. After who knew how long, a giant was born from the turbidity. He opened up a new world, clear air rose up and polluted air dropped down, and all began to grow.
Time passed and a towering mountain rose in the west of Jiuzhou. It pierced the clouds. It had been thousands of years since the world had ended. Now, Mount Zhou was nothing like before and instead felt pure and peaceful.
A group of boys waiting at the foot of the mountain looked up. The white clouds had transformed into a jade staircase. It extended from heaven’s door and landed beside their feet.
“The Sacred Qingxuan Sect will reopen its doors today and accept apprentices!” a majestic voice rang out from the clouds. “Anyone interested may come. After you pass through the three challenges, you will become my apprentice! If you can cultivate successfully, you will naturally be able to enjoy longevity with no worry of disasters or catastrophes. You will shine with the sun and moon and live forever with the Earth!”
With that, the group cheered. They began climbing the path of clouds with all their might to reach the peak. But then, atop a large white stork at the peak, the majestic voice seemed to realize something. “H
uh?”
A beam of light fell from the sky. The majestic monk stood before the bedraggled youth. Holy light shone in his eyes. He looked both overjoyed and shocked.
On the other hand, the youth looked at him indifferently. “Elder, are you here to compliment me?”
“A natural saint! A natural saint!” The monk laughed heartily and then looked at him solemnly. “Child, I am the most powerful of Jiuzhou, Xuanqi. Are you willing to be my personal apprentice, cultivate with me, and enjoy the path to sainthood with me?”
“Elder…” Ye Qingxuan sighed. “Why do you have so many tricks? Is this really my dream?”
‘Xuanqi’ looked at his indifference and could not but sigh. He waved and the stork, flowing clouds, and mountains all disappeared. Bending down, he looked at Ye Qingxuan.
“Ye Qingxuan, ruling the world, being undefeatable, being immortal…these are beautiful dreams that people aren’t able to have no matter what. Don’t be too picky.”
“I don’t like it.” Ye Qingxuan shook his head. “I just want to lie down.”
“Would you like me to give you another game storage?” The elder rubbed his hands in anticipation.
“…Can you listen to me?” Ye Qingxuan looked down on him. “Who even are you?”
“I am you, Ye Qingxuan.” The elder changed. Sighing, his surface sloughed down. What replaced him was a blurry figure that looked a bit like Ye Qingxuan.
“I am the notes in your consciousness’ music theory. I am the musician part of you. I am a part of the Dreamweaver, the spirit made from the thousand-year music theory of the Ye family. I am able to project into a human shape through your cognition. It is my duty to help you choose a dream.”
“Oh.” After a long while, Ye Qingxuan nodded. “I don’t want any dream. You can go.”
“Don’t say that!” The projection looked at him pitifully. He pulled many thick books from his pocket like a lonely and helpless salesman. “I have the dreams of all the Dreamweavers here. One must suit you! Please just choose one!” He flipped open the first one. “Look at this, the warlord of a city! This is really popular in the strange organisms of the aether world! What do you think?”