Slip of paper?!
Why did Yang Hong sneak this to you? Why couldn't he say whatever it was out loud? Why did he pretend to be so indifferent...
Why had he clammed up and refused to talk about certain things earlier?
You were supposed to be a dead man—even if you found out the truth, you'd take it to the grave with you.
「Unless... there's a pair of eyes watching his every move. Watching *us* talk!」 Your eyes narrowed sharply as the realization hit you like a bucket of ice water, sending a chill down your spine.
In that moment, you could almost *feel* it—a pair of invisible eyes locked onto the retreating figure in the distance.
That was the only explanation. It was why Yang Hong had been forced to resort to such underhanded tactics to warn you.
If you hadn't volunteered the secret of your "rebirth," your uncle would've never risked passing this message to you.
In the entire Qianyuan Empire, the only person who could make the Qianyuan God of War himself fear acting freely... was the Human Sovereign in the imperial capital.
Wait a minute.
If every word of your conversation just now had been monitored, did that mean Yang Hong had been holding back the truth? That there was more to the story than he'd let on?
「He's been keeping Yang Hong under surveillance all these years... what the hell is the Qianyuan Human Sovereign planning? Could it be that Yang Hong's still hiding something he hasn't told me?」
「And that look of disdain he had earlier... could it be that my uncle was never afraid of Chen Tai, the mastermind behind all this? That he was actually afraid of the old man in the imperial palace?」
「Shit. Going south was just another trap.」
Sun Qian's face paled as he stared at the messages on the Villain Simulator, an uncontrollable shudder of dread coursing through him.
He was nothing but a tiny shrimp that hadn't even grown into a full-sized fish—and yet, he'd stumbled headfirst into a high-stakes power game?
His uncle... was actually locked in a silent battle of wits with the Qianyuan Human Sovereign!
Otherwise, how could a man exiled to this backwater mountain, supposedly gravely injured, know *everything* that was happening in both the imperial capital and the Demon Capital?
「But why would a disgraced Qianyuan God of War, stuck in the southern mountains, make the imperial palace fear him so much that they need to keep him under constant watch?」
「Let me think...」
Sun Qian's gaze sharpened. He instantly activated Supreme Mode, his mind transcending mortal limits as he replayed every word of the conversation from the Villain Simulator, hunting for gaps, for lies, for secrets.
He knew there was something off about their talk. Something hidden between the lines.
Wait.
His eyes widened, and his breath caught in his throat. He'd realized it.
「I followed Xiu'er's last wish. I found the secret place where she and your father used to meet...」
「When I found him, he was half-crazed, rambling like a fool—clearly, he'd paid a terrible price for his failed rebellion...」
「I killed him with my own hands. Then I took his head to the palace...」
Took his head...
He *only* cut off his head!
What about Chen Xuan's body?!
What about the fully awakened Supreme Imperial Bone inside that headless corpse?!
「HOLY SHIT! Yang Hong's been hiding a fully developed Supreme Imperial Bone this entire time!」
Your mind raced. Even without the Supreme Imperial Bone to sustain Supreme Mode, you'd pieced together the truth in seconds.
It seemed your uncle was far more cunning than he let on. And your sudden arrival... had probably thrown a wrench in his carefully laid plans.
Wait a second.
Could it be that your arrival here was *also* part of someone's scheme? That someone had intentionally sent you here to test Yang Hong?
And Yang Hong, bound by whatever constraints he was under, had chosen to hold his hand, to play along—until you'd dropped the bombshell about your rebirth. Then he'd seized the chance to slip you the message.
You leaned back against the tombstone, motionless, the slip of paper clenched tightly in your right hand. You waited until Yang Hong's figure vanished into the distance, until that spine-tingling feeling of being watched finally dissipated—then you carefully unfolded the note.
There was nothing else on it. Just a few sparse words, scrawled like an address.
「Imperial Capital—Secret Realm—Dragon Temple」
Your eyes narrowed. You memorized the words instantly, then tried to burn the paper with your spirit flame. But to your shock, you were completely drained—nothing more than a mortal now.
You shrugged, then crumpled the note and stuffed it into your mouth, swallowing it whole. Your body went limp, slumping to the ground as you closed your eyes, ready to meet your end.
「This game's way too deep. I keep stumbling into these high-level power plays out of nowhere. Thank god for the Villain Simulator—my real body would've died a hundred times over by now.」
「Alright. This simulation's about to end.」
You closed your eyes, feeling your life force ebb away with every breath, ready for the simulation to terminate... when suddenly, the ground began to shake.
BOOM!
CRACK!
The earth a few feet away exploded open, and a figure shot out like a prairie dog—disheveled, covered in dirt, reeking of filth, a bloodstained blade clutched in his hand.
The moment he emerged, his bloodshot eyes locked onto you, burning with the unbridled rage of a man who'd found his mortal enemy.
「Sun Qian! You bastard! Twenty years! For twenty years, I've crossed mountains and rivers, trekked across the entire Qianyuan Empire! I even snuck into the imperial palace once! I've been hunted like a dog every single day—starving, sleepless, running for my life! And today... today I've finally found you!」
「Damn it! Ten years ago, in the Demon Capital, I saw a dog piece of trash who looked a little like you! I was so out of my mind, I mistook him for you! I hacked him to death on the spot! I even dug out his bones!」
「Do you know what I've been through these past twenty years?! Do you?! Hahaha! You'll find out soon enough! The grudge of my severed arm! The hatred of my stolen wife! Today—」
The Chosen One, Ye Fan, rambled madly, staggering toward you with the bloodstained blade raised high.
From his ranting, it was clear he'd spent the past two decades living for nothing but revenge against you.
「Today I'm going to tear you limb from limb—HOLY SHIT! Why are your eyes closed?! Why are you stopping breathing?! Don't you dare die! I've been looking for you for twenty years! Don't you *dare* die on me now!」
「AAAAH! YOU SON OF A BITCH! HOLD ON A LITTLE LONGER!」
Seeing you gasp your last breath, the already unstable Ye Fan snapped completely.
Was there anything more agonizing than being so close to revenge... only to watch your enemy die right before your eyes?
「How dare you!」
BOOM!
A golden arrow shot through the air like lightning, piercing Ye Fan's chest clean through and sending him flying backward. It was Yang Hong—he'd sensed the commotion and turned back.
CRASH!
The bloodstained blade slipped from Ye Fan's limp hand, slamming down hard onto your skull.
You, who'd been just seconds from death, jolted awake for a split second, your hand clamping down on the blade as if in a final burst of life.
「Which son of a bitch just hit my—」
SLAP!
Your life force faded away, and you breathed your last.