The little silver boat shuttled through turbulent spacetime. Every time it flashed, it changed course. The shifting seemed random at a glance, but upon closer inspection, it was following a long, predetermined path.

When Su Yi heard the heart devil’s question, he didn’t even hesitate. “I wouldn’t say I hate you.”

“You don't?" said the heart devil. “I’ve helped you on numerous occasions, and I’ve never once refused your requests, yet I refused for the first time when your confidante’s life was hanging in the balance. You really don’t hate me at all?”

He paused, then said, “I can tell you with absolute certainty that, were I willing to intervene, Lu Hongpao would have been in no danger. Without my help, she’s doomed. Are you...”

Su Yi shook his head. “I understand what you’re trying to say. ‘Small favors breed gratitude, but excessive kindness breeds dependence, entitlement, and resentment, right?”

If you gave a man on the verge of starvation a bowl of rice, you’d save his life, but if you kept feeding him, he’d soon take your assistance for granted and grow dependent on it. If you suddenly cut off your support, he’d resent you and hate you for it!

The heart devil had helped Su Yi on numerous occasions, in many cases of his own volition. If Su Yi took this for granted, with no concern for the weight of his debts, how would he respond when the heart devil suddenly refused to help him?

That was the meaning of the phrase “Small favors breed gratitude, but excessive kindness breeds dependence, entitlement, and resentment.”

“I can tell you honestly that I’m upset; there’s no getting around it. But I don’t hate you,” said Su Yi. “It’s okay to ask for favors, but the other party has every right to refuse. You’re under no obligation to help me. How could I not understand that?”

He paused. “Of course, I’m still upset, but it’s my enemies who are to blame for Lu Hongpao’s death, not you. I should respond to this by hunting them down and killing them, not by resenting a heart devil.”

The heart devil sighed. “And here I thought that even if you hadn’t grown dependent, this would be different, and that you’d resent me for my heartlessness. It seems you really haven’t changed.”

Su Yi sighed, too. “There’s nothing for it. Our relationship is different from my relationship with Lu Hongpao. It’s different from all my other relationships, too. It’s far too unique. A battle of the heart exists between us. Even if I want to treat you like my good brother, I have to carefully weigh the consequences first. And isn’t that true for you, too?”

The heart devil fell silent.

Su Yi raised a jug of wine to his lips, but he was in no mood to drink. His memories of Lu Hongpao had all floated back up to the surface, and he sat there in a daze.

The heart devil in the rusted sheath sighed as if he'd lost all will to live. “If I’d known he’d respond like this, I would never have tested him. I picked up a stone and threw it at my own foot. It’s exasperating!”

But Su Yi didn’t see any of this.

......

Lu Hongpao stood amidst the turbulent starry skies of the Literati Continent, her soul origin blurring as her vitality flowed away. Her form was growing indistinct.

But the Celestial Peak within her was growing clearer and clearer.

The four Heavenly Sovereigns watched it intently, their gazes heating up. It was obvious that Lu Hongpao wouldn’t last much longer. This battle would soon reach its end!

Finally, Heavenly Sovereign Yaoguang was the first to run out of patience. He attacked from afar, condensing a net out of baleful qi. It blanketed the sky as it descended upon Lu Hongpao.

The other three Heavenly Sovereigns looked stricken. All of them attacked without hesitation. They’d fought side by side earlier, but they’d since gone from allies to competitors! Each was faster and more decisive than the one before.

Hei Ya held his black bone cauldron aloft and watched coldly.

On the River of Destiny, Eternal Thrones were supreme treasures that all cultivators longed for even in their dreams.

But to Hei Ya, they were nothing but an opportunity to traverse the River of Destiny and reach the Far Shore. He was from the Far Shore of Destiny to begin with, so he had no need for an Eternal Throne.

But the sight of the four Heavenly Sovereigns scrambling over good fortune without his permission pissed Hei Ya off. They might put on a show of respecting me, but they obviously don’t take me the least bit seriously!

Boom!

The stars were thrown into upheaval. Firelight swept forth.

Lu Hongpao’s awareness was fading, and she stood there blankly, not reacting even in the face of the Heavenly Sovereigns’ attacks.

But it was then that a heaven-shaking impact rang out, causing such a commotion that the already devastated stretch of stars swayed. When those on the ground looked up, they saw that the starry skies seemed to be collapsing. It was an utterly terrifying sight.

But although no one noticed it, a dazzling figure shot toward the Literati Continent like a meteor from the distant stars, tearing a hole through the starscape. He seemed incomparably far away, yet he covered seemingly endless distances with every step. He was like a raging windstorm in motion; time and space split like paper before him.

The four Heavenly Sovereigns’ joint attack was hurtling toward Lu Hongpao when something unbelievable happened. That windstorm of a figure appeared in front of her right in the nick of time! He was more than just fast. He seemed to reverse time and space, teleporting instantaneously, appearing out of nowhere like a ghost!

Kaboom!

The four Heavenly Sovereigns’ attacks slammed uselessly into the new arrival. Dazzling light and a deafening impact followed. But much to the Heavenly Sovereigns’ horror, this new arrival was like an unbreakable barrier. Even just standing there, he seemed utterly unshakable. The four Heavenly Sovereigns’ attacks bounced off him harmlessly, then receded like waters at low tide!

“This...!” The four Heavenly Sovereigns were stunned.

Only now did they see the new arrival clearly. He was dark-skinned, thin, and honest-looking. His hair and beard were disheveled. He looked like an ordinary old farmer, yet he simultaneously seemed endlessly tall and grand, as majestic as the heavens themselves!

Who is that? How did he get here? We’re Heavenly Sovereigns. Why didn’t we sense him at all?

But before they could wrap their heads around it, the thin man waved and said, “Step aside, all of you!”

A windstorm swept them away, sending the four Heavenly Sovereigns flying.

“So it’s you, Li Sansheng!” Hei Ya gnashed his teeth, his face full of disbelief. “How are you still alive!?”

Hei Ya sensed the thin man’s arrival instantly, but it was too late to stop him. It was only after the thin man forced the four Heavenly Sovereigns back that Hei Ya realized who he was.

Li Sansheng was one of the Big Boss’s loyal lackeys, as well as a ferocious expert of the Dao of the Sword, known as an unreasonable ignoramus. He often said that there were only two types of people in this world: those who were ants, and those who weren’t. But he often lamented that the latter group was far, far too few in number.

The four Heavenly Sovereigns were shocked and furious. They’d been on the verge of claiming the Eternal Throne, only for someone to interfere. Who wouldn’t have been upset? Hei Ya’s reaction cleared their heads, but at the same time, they found it hard to stay truly calm.

This “Li Sansheng” person was just too terrifying. They didn’t even need to think to know that he was from the Far Shore of Destiny, too!

Li Sansheng completely disregarded the Heavenly Sovereigns. He pointed at Hei Ya and said, “Wait there. I’ll deal with you later, you traitorous dog!”

With that, he turned, stretched out his hand, and grabbed, pulling a blue streak of sword qi out of Lu Hongpao’s soul. He shattered it into a rain of light, then he reached for Lu Hongpao’s shoulder.

Boom!

Far-reaching, snowy firelight transformed into a mysterious diagram, then fused into Lu Hongpao’s all-but-extinguished soul origin. Her soul was instantly rejuvenated, like a dried-up tree in spring. With all her growing death qi expelled, her soul origin flourished with shocking newfound vitality.

She reacted as if awakening from a dream, her eyes widening. She looked at the thin man in front of her, then at Hei Ya and the four Heavenly Sovereigns. Despite herself, she looked a bit dazed.

She’d faced death and overcome it. It seemed almost as if a lifetime had passed!

“You came close to death, but you’re still alive. I arrived just in time.” Li Sansheng visibly sighed in relief, then flashed Lu Hongpao a simple, earnest smile. “Miss, I’m here on the big boss’s orders to save your life. I’m no villain!”

How lofty of an existence was Lu Hongpao? She’d experienced countless unbelievable things in her life. Thus, she quickly calmed down, forcefully suppressed her curiosity, then said, “Even if you were a villain, given the circumstances, I’d happily just pretend you were a good person.”

Li Sansheng scratched his head and laughed. “That’s good, then!”

Hei Ya and the four Heavenly Sovereigns watched this exchange, their expression shifting. Hei Ya glowered, while the four Heavenly Sovereigns’ hearts sank.

Li Sansheng had casually saved Lu Hongpao from otherwise certain death. His abilities were far too terrifying!

It was then that Li Sansheng turned around. He disregarded the Heavenly Sovereigns once more, his gaze focused first on Hei Ya, then on the black bone cauldron.

When he recognized it, he laughed coldly. “So, after betraying Sword Sovereign City, you scampered off to become Yun Wuxiang’s dog!”

Yun Wuxiang was an ancestral-level expert of the Yao Path, as well as one of the select few on the Big Boss’s must-kill list.

Hei Ya disregarded the insults and jeering. “Sword Sovereign City fell a long time ago. You’re the real dog here, Li Sansheng—and a masterless dog at that. Who are you to mock me?”

But then, Hei Ya realized something. His brow furrowed. “No, wait. You said you’re here on the big boss’s orders. If that were the case, why would that Su kid run away just now? Are you bluffing? Are you trying to trick me into thinking the big boss is still alive?”

It was truly strange. Su Yi was the big boss’s reincarnation. Were he capable of commanding Li Sansheng to come to his aid, he wouldn’t have needed to run away. How could Lu Hongpao ever have come so close to dying then?

There had to be something strange going on here!

Li Sansheng sneered. “How could a traitorous dog like you possibly fathom the big boss’s methods?”

He took a step forward, and the stars shook. Time and space were thrown into disarray. Indescribably tyrannical sword force instantly spread in all directions, enveloping everything on all sides.

The four Heavenly Sovereigns looked stricken. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

All Li Sansheng did was take a step forward, yet he’d practically transformed the starry skies into a cage, sealing the area completely!

Hei Ya’s brow furrowed.

Li Sansheng, meanwhile, glared and rebuked him. “Don’t just stand there! Get the hell over here and kneel down so I can twist your dog head off!”