NO.9

Hong looked into Ji Qing's eyes. Eyes are the windows to the soul, especially for Hong, whose cultivation of the mind was exceptionally high and his observations incredibly keen... He could completely discern from the subtle reactions in her eyes whether Ji Qing was under a hypnotic spell, a charm, or if she was speaking from her heart. “What's going on?” “What does Princess Qing mean by those words?” “What else could it mean? A breakup.” “Why the sudden breakup? Wasn't Princess Qing adamantly refusing to yield before, which is why she was confined in the pavilion? How could she suddenly change her mind?” The women of the Demon Killer Clan watching from the distant corridor whispered amongst themselves, puzzled. They wondered how what should have been a joyous occasion had turned out like this. Hong silently watched Ji Qing. Ji Qing also looked at Hong. From her eyes... Hong could tell that Ji Qing had not been hypnotized or charmed. “Why did you suddenly decide to leave me?” Hong asked Ji Qing. “You told me that some things should be done, and some shouldn't. When making a decision, one must be decisive, and what needs to be sacrificed should be sacrificed,” Ji Qing said softly. Though her voice was light... even Luo Feng, standing behind Hong, clearly felt the resolve in the short-haired woman's words. “So, you're sacrificing our feelings for each other?” Hong pressed. Ji Qing said nothing, only gritted her teeth and nodded. “Sacrifice?” Hong stared at Ji Qing, his voice low. “Why didn't you say any of this when your clan ancestor and your teacher tried to stop us? You stubbornly resisted them both. But now, when I asked my brother for help, finally met your teacher, Illusory Spirit King, and risked my life to pass through the Eighteen Illusory Realms of Desire, when I successfully emerged and came to you happily, you tell me this?” “Why?” “Why the sudden change of heart?” “Why didn't you say anything before?” Hong stared at Ji Qing. Ji Qing remained silent. Hong's anger was already surging... Luo Feng, standing nearby, also felt a pang of indignation. How could things have turned out this way? Ji Qing had always steadfastly resisted her clan ancestor and teacher, yet at the very last moment, she suddenly changed her mind. “Look, Hong is about to lose it.” “Anyone would lose it! I heard he risked his life to pass through the Eighteen Illusory Realms of Desire. One wrong move, and he could have lost his life in reality. How could he not be angry when Princess Qing suddenly says such things?” “If it were me, I'd be furious too. How could she give up such a good man?” The women of the Demon Killer Clan discussed amongst themselves, watching the events unfold. ... Hong looked at Ji Qing. Ji Qing lowered her head. “I must make a choice. Love is important, but some things are more important than love. This is also what you taught me.” Hong took a deep breath. “Are you truly decided?” Hong asked softly. “Yes,” Ji Qing nodded. Hong let out a bitter smile. “I never thought that after all these years, falling for a woman again would end like this.” Ji Qing bit her lip. Although she was a strong woman, capable of making many decisions within her clan, and even believed herself to be far stronger than her father... even when facing the senior disciples who were Undying Beings, Ji Qing never once thought of bowing her head. Yet, before the only man she had ever loved, she always felt weak. “Ji Qing,” Hong said, looking at her. “Hm,” the short-haired woman looked up, gazing at the man she loved most. “I hope you achieve your goals and dreams,” Hong said with a faint smile. “And also... I apologize for bothering you all this time.” With that, Hong turned directly and walked towards Luo Feng. “Third Brother, let's go,” Hong said to Luo Feng, then *whoosh*, he vanished into thin air. Luo Feng watched everything in silence, then glanced at the short-haired woman in the distance, who was desperately holding back tears, and let out a soft sigh. *Whoosh*. He too vanished into thin air, his consciousness returning to the real world. “Brother Hong,” Ji Qing watched the moment Hong turned and disappeared, his last words echoing in her mind—'I apologize for bothering you all this time.' “Bothered me?” “Did he bother me?” Ji Qing murmured silently in her heart. She knew Hong's character well. His seemingly plain and simple “I apologize for bothering you all this time,” spoken before turning to leave, concealed an immense amount of pain. And— Ji Qing understood that once Hong left, he likely wouldn't look back. Because she understood him deeply. “I'm sorry,” Ji Qing whispered in her heart. ... The women of the Demon Killer Clan were all somewhat bewildered. They had expected Hong, who had earned this opportunity by 'risking his life to pass through the Eighteen Illusory Realms of Desire,' to be in pain, sorrow, or anger, and to react violently. But none of them had imagined... that he would simply say, “I apologize for bothering you all this time,” and then turn and leave. ... Just like the palaces of the Undying Beings under the Virtual Universe Company, which are all on Thunder Island. The palaces of the Undying Beings under the Cosmic Mercenary Alliance are also gathered on a single plane. Everything that happened in Illusory Spirit Palace... was quickly spread by the servants talking amongst themselves. ... “He even passed through the Eighteen Illusory Realms of Desire set up by Illusory Spirit King. This young man is quite impressive. At least he's very strong when it comes to illusions of desire, and he probably won't be lacking in other areas either.” “Oh, and he's an Elite Tier talent from our Giant Axe Martial Arena? Go arrange for him to be recruited into the training camp that's currently underway.” “Yes, my lord.” ... In the Ganwu Universe Nation, on 'Qiongyu Star,' one of the nine First-tier administrative planets. Luo Clan Manor. Luo Feng looked at Hong before him, sighing inwardly. Three days ago, what seemed destined for a perfect ending had suddenly taken an unexpected turn. Luo Feng had been certain, even telling Hong directly: “I'm sure of it. She was so resolute in resisting her teacher and clan ancestor, yet at the last moment, she suddenly changed her mind. This is highly abnormal. Either Silver Snow Marquis is behind this, or Illusory Spirit King is interfering!” Hong had replied then, “Of course, I understand that Silver Snow Marquis or Illusory Spirit King influenced Ji Qing.” “But Brother, how could you just leave like that? Just give up?” Luo Feng pressed at the time. “Perhaps others influenced her, but the decision was Qingqing's.” Hong smiled calmly. “And I know Qingqing's personality very well. She's very much like me; once she makes a decision, it's hard to change. And I could tell... she truly made that decision from the bottom of her heart.” “Why?” Luo Feng pressed. “Why did she give up?” “Because of herself, or for her clan,” Hong sighed softly. “I know her well. She's an extremely strong-willed person. Her determination to become a super-powerful being is no less than her desire for love! And... she also has a strong attachment to inheriting her clan.” ... Standing in the manor, Luo Feng looked at Hong, recalling their conversation from three days prior, and sighed deeply. Regardless, his elder brother's affair had indeed ended tragically this time. “Luo Feng, don't feel it's not worth it for your elder brother,” Hong said, smiling at Luo Feng. “Life is full of partings and reunions... Besides, my passing through the Eighteen Illusory Realms of Desire this time actually caught the attention of the Giant Axe Martial Arena's higher-ups. They even specifically ordered me to be transferred into a training camp for a batch of Elite Tier talents that's currently underway. Without that special order, I would have had to wait several more decades to enter the training camp.” “Hm,” Luo Feng nodded. “Take care.” “Don't worry,” Hong smiled and nodded. “Luo Feng, my disciple and I will be leaving first,” said the white-haired elder, 'Luo'. Luo Feng nodded. Immediately, Luo and Hong entered a circular, saucer-shaped spaceship, approximately 620 meters in diameter, with a mottled purple and gold exterior, which was parked on the nearby lawn. This was the spaceship specifically dispatched by the Giant Axe Martial Arena to pick up Hong. “Brother, make a name for yourself and show that Illusory Spirit King what you're made of!” Luo Feng called out. “Haha...” The black-clad Hong, walking towards the hatch, turned and laughed. “Making a name for myself? I've never doubted it! Third Brother, you can't slack off, or your elder brother might just catch up to you!” “If you've got the skill, then try to catch me,” Luo Feng chuckled. Then, Hong laughed heartily and entered the spaceship. A moment later. The colossal saucer-shaped spaceship slowly lifted off, departing from the Luo Clan Manor, and swiftly soared into the sky, disappearing into the deepest parts of the clouds. On the lawn, Luo Feng looked up, watching the spaceship depart. “Your Highness,” Dilun stood behind him. “Elder Brother has gone to the Giant Axe Martial Arena's Elite Tier training camp,” Luo Feng sighed with emotion. “No matter what, Elder Brother's matter is settled, and this affair ends here! I no longer need to stay on Qiongyu Star... Dilun, make arrangements. Prepare to depart for my homeworld.” “Yes,” Dilun nodded. Luo Feng looked up at the sky. Homeworld. Milky Way Galaxy! Earth! It had been over two hundred years since he last returned to Earth, and his Luo Clan had already become a prominent family. “It's time to go back and see,” Luo Feng murmured. ... That same day, Luo Feng, accompanied by his guard squad, boarded the Yunmo Star and departed from Qiongyu Star, beginning his journey back to his homeworld in the Milky Way Galaxy! ... In the Ganwu Universe Nation, on a very ordinary life planet called 'Valuo Star,' located tens of thousands of light-years from Qiongyu Star. Inside an underground base on Valuo Star. “Team Leader, the intelligence has been transmitted via the Virtual Universe Network. After 369 layers of sequential translation and character replacement corresponding to cosmic coordinates, the intelligence states: Luo Feng, leading his guard squad, recently departed Qiongyu Star aboard an F-class spaceship. His destination is unknown, but the intelligence department's deduction is... there's a 72% probability that Luo Feng is heading to his homeworld,” a bald, three-eyed man in a silver uniform reported respectfully. “Hm.” Another bald, three-eyed man in a black uniform was looking at the screen before him. On the screen was a detailed profile. It was Luo Feng's profile. “The intelligence on NO.9 is still very scarce. We must gather enough information and have absolute certainty before carrying out an assassination. Every operation within the territory of humanity's 1008 Universe Nations comes at a huge cost. We must succeed... in one attempt. Our last assassination attempt on NO.1 failed, and we suffered heavy losses. We cannot afford to fail this time,” said the bald, three-eyed man in the black uniform.