Julian Wang merely twisted his body with practiced ease, the dangerous curse grazing past him.
High above the battlefield, Erwin and Emperor Zheng Qin watched the battle below with tactical interest.
"You cannot win, Erwin," Emperor Zheng Qin stated with absolute certainty.
Erwin smiled. "Who can truly predict the future?"
Emperor Zheng Qin's gaze fell upon Old Tom fighting below. "They exist because of you, and they will die because of you today. Many others have already had their predetermined fates altered by your presence. The moment you appeared, destinies began to shift drastically. This proves that endings aren't unrewriteable. My path is the correct one!"
Erwin remained unaffected, his smile unchanging. "The ending can indeed be rewritten, but it is I who am rewriting it, not you."
"I truly do not understand why you insist on stopping me," Emperor Zheng Qin said with obvious frustration. "What is it like beyond these walls?"
Erwin's voice was firm. "Precisely because you have never stepped outside them, you cannot comprehend. My purpose here is to stop you. This was predetermined from the beginning. Perhaps my very existence is merely a setting created by a whim of some greater being."
Emperor Zheng Qin stared at Erwin, silence stretching between them for a long moment. Finally, he shook his head and waved a hand, summoning a chessboard from nothing.
"It seems we need more time," Emperor Zheng Qin said. "Shall we play a game?"
Erwin smiled and approached the chessboard. In that moment, the two didn't seem like tense enemies, but rather old friends.
However, as Emperor Zheng Qin placed his first piece, a change occurred.
From the black dragon behind Emperor Zheng Qin, streaks of black energy suddenly shot toward Erwin.
Erwin's lips curved knowingly. He showed no panic, merely tapping a chess piece onto the board with his finger.
In the next instant, purple mist rose from the dragon behind him, blocking the black mist and pressing slightly toward Emperor Zheng Qin.
"I never expected you to have grown to this level," Emperor Zheng Qin admitted. "Truly astonishing."
"I have to thank you for that," Erwin replied. "If it weren't for your fusion of Eastern and Western bloodlines, condensing your origin, I wouldn't have been able to reverse the origin of the ancient gods so quickly."
Emperor Zheng Qin placed another piece. The black dragon roared and pounced. Erwin remained calm, placing his own piece. The purple dragon charged to meet it, the two beasts instantly clashing in a roar of magic.
Yet, the two men remained completely unaffected.
"I am very curious," Emperor Zheng Qin said, breaking the silence. "How exactly did your soul pass through that wall?"
Erwin smiled. "I thought you weren't going to ask."
Emperor Zheng Qin waited quietly for the answer.
"You should be able to guess," Erwin said. "For my soul to pass through that wall, three conditions were required. First, a person who could see through that wall as you do—someone with an understanding of the world behind it who knew of my existence. Second, someone capable of guessing your complete plan and adding their own calculations to it. Finally, the strength to calculate the timing perfectly—contacting Merlin, gathering the forces of the East and West, using the Dragon Vein to suppress you, and awaiting my arrival."
Emperor Zheng Qin frowned. "It seems you've figured it out."
A cold glint flashed in Emperor Zheng Qin's eyes. "That old bastard from Kunlun..."
He shook his head. "No. I already killed him using Felix Xu. He died before me; how could he ruin my plans?"
Erwin said, "Kunlun, as the first cultivation sect in the land of dragons, does have some tricks. For example, he could contact the figure in Fengdu. When he ruined your plans, his name was Bowen Liu."
Emperor Zheng Qin's expression faltered. "Bowen Liu? The man from the Ming Dynasty who severed the dragon vein?"
Erwin nodded.
Emperor Zheng Qin realized the truth. "So that is how it was. Back then, I dispersed my essence to fuse the most perfect bloodline, leaving me weak and vulnerable. I was curious how those people knew of my existence. Now it seems Bowen Liu was behind it all. To prevent me from noticing the abnormality of the dragon vein, he orchestrated attacks to distract me. What a scheme."
Erwin said, "Yes. Using gods to enter the game, initiating the first divine war—it was all aimed at you. Afterwards, he used the Dragon-Locking Formation to imprison the dragon vein, preventing it from channeling power to you. Under the influence of that formation, those who initially served you turned into those who suppressed you. He was truly powerful."
Emperor Zheng Qin laughed. "A grand scheme indeed. So, what methods did he use to bring you here?"
Erwin shook his head. "I don't know, but he should be here soon. Why don't we ask him ourselves?"
As Erwin finished speaking, a streak of light flashed across the sky. A middle-aged scholar appeared before them.
It was Bowen Liu—or rather, a remnant of his soul, similar to Ravenclaw.
Bowen Liu bowed to Emperor Zheng Qin. "Greetings, First Emperor."
Then, he looked at Erwin. After a moment's thought, he bowed again. "Greetings, Prince Qi."
Erwin waved his hand. "Sir, please do not call me Prince. I am not a prince of this world, and in our era, there was no such title."
Bowen Liu said, "But the bloodline still exists, does it not?"
Erwin remained silent.
Emperor Zheng Qin scrutinized Bowen Liu. "It really is you. I didn't expect you to have actually reincarnated."
Bowen Liu said, "Yes, Your Majesty. It has been a long time."
Emperor Zheng Qin said, "I knew from the beginning that you would affect my plans, so I sent Felix Xu to deal with you. I never expected it would still be you in the end."
Bowen Liu said, "Your Majesty flatters me. If Your Majesty hadn't been so determined to kill me, I wouldn't have had the chance to see through your plans, would I? So, this is the way of cause and effect."
Emperor Zheng Qin said, "So, how did you bring his soul from outside the wall?"
Bowen Liu laughed. "It is more accurate to say that Your Majesty brought him."
Emperor Zheng Qin was taken aback. "What do you mean?"
Bowen Liu said, "Has Your Majesty forgotten what he did after he discovered that wall?"