Chapter Eighty-One: An Ancient Clan? The Celestial Court Island? The Great Luo Plan?

Jiang Qingxue’s temperament was like an iceberg—unmoved by anyone, utterly aloof and untainted by the mundane world. In contrast, the girl standing before them was lively and spirited, her delicate features made all the more charming by the playful dimples and the gentle smile at her lips. Moreover, unlike Jiang Qingxue’s pure blue eyes, this girl’s eyes gleamed an unusual golden hue—bright as twin gemstones that seemed to dispel all wariness in those who met her gaze. There was no doubt about it: her natural affinity with others was overwhelming.

She landed before Lin Qiye with a nimble grace, descending from the clouds as if she belonged to them.

“How about treating me to a few skewers of barbecue?” she asked, her tone light. “The aroma has made my stomach rumble.”

Hearing Jiang Qingxue’s voice—so uncharacteristically lively—Chen Fan’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. He stared in disbelief, then leaned in to whisper to Lin Qiye, “Isn’t the Island Mistress supposed to be an ice-cold beauty? Qiye, did you secretly win her over? Incredible, Qiye.” He raised a thumb in admiration, casting Lin Qiye a meaningful look.

In Chen Fan’s mind, Qiye’s abilities and looks were more than enough to spark a story between him and Jiang Qingxue. After all, it was his brother Qiye. Chen Fan couldn’t help but chuckle.

Lin Qiye shushed him. “This isn’t Jiang Qingxue. She’s someone else entirely…”

While they whispered, Lin Qiye handed three skewers of roasted dragon meat to the girl. “There are only three.”

“Thanks, handsome,” she replied, taking the skewers. Her teeth gripped the bamboo sticks, and with practiced efficiency, she pulled the meat into her mouth, cheeks bulging adorably as she devoured all three in moments.

Her golden eyes lit up, and a look of bliss spread across her face. She chewed ravenously, finishing all three in an instant.

Chen Fan was speechless. “Definitely not the Island Mistress,” he mused. “Where’s the elegance of a beauty? She’s just a glutton.”

He shook his head, watching the girl curiously. She ignored him completely, devouring her food as she studied Lin Qiye with focused, unwavering attention.

After finishing, she exhaled contentedly. “Can I have a hundred more?”

Chen Fan was at a loss for words.

Lin Qiye replied, “No, you’ll have to grill them yourself. And you’ll need to pay Xiao Fan afterward—you eat too much.”

“Money’s not the issue; it’s all about the food!” she declared, dropping into a seat diagonally across from Lin Qiye.

With astonishing speed, she placed ten skewers on the grill. Then she propped her chin in her hands, her golden eyes scanning Lin Qiye from brow to eyes, then down the line of his nose to his lips, even pausing to study the depths of his pupils. She stared for a long while before suddenly speaking. “Handsome, where have I seen you before?”

Lin Qiye frowned in confusion. “I’ve never met you.”

The girl tapped her delicate chin in thought, then giggled. “Maybe I’m mistaken.”

Lin Qiye gazed at her, thoughtful.

“Handsome, my name is Jiang Nian. What’s yours?” she asked, fixing him with intense curiosity.

Chen Fan watched, stunned. He knew Qiye was charming, but to have a top-tier beauty interrogate him the moment they met—if he just nudged things along, he could win her heart! Chen Fan was filled with envy.

But Lin Qiye felt nothing. “I’m Lin Qiye. This is my childhood friend, Chen Fan. We’re both novices—just entered the ranks of Silver Walkers.”

Jiang Nian smiled cryptically. “Silver Walkers, is it? Hehe.” She clapped her hands as if remembering. “Oh! I know why you seem so familiar to me now!”

“You look just like a certain amazing aunt I know. Your eyes, your features, even your expression—it’s all the same.” She leaned in, eyes sparkling. “No wonder you’re so good-looking. That aunt was the top genius and the most beautiful woman on Heavenly Court Island in her day.”

“But then… something happened. Sigh… You should be careful. Never let that ancient family from Heavenly Court Island find you. If they do, they’ll kill you without hesitation.”

Her words were strange, as if she was warning Lin Qiye about something real.

Lin Qiye looked up sharply, sensing the sincerity in her voice. In other words, he might actually have a living mother out there—and, perhaps, ties to some ancient family…

His thoughts spun. “What’s your aunt’s name?” he asked.

Jiang Nian only smiled mysteriously. “I won’t tell you. Back then, she dominated an era. Unfortunately, her family produced an even more monstrous genius—a… something-or-other. When the aunt and uncle went out to train, their son was used as a sacrifice for the Da Luo Project. Not only was something important taken from him, but he was thrown into the black mist as an offering… The child was only three years old. Too pitiful.”

Her golden eyes glimmered as she rambled, half to herself, half in speculation.

Lin Qiye pieced together what she said: some ancient family on Heavenly Court Island, for the sake of the Da Luo Project, had stolen something vital from a three-year-old child, then sacrificed him alive. The story sounded absurd, but instinct told Lin Qiye that he was that child.

Still, he didn’t feel as though anything was missing from his life. The Supreme Bone? He didn’t have such a thing! He already had his own invincible path—why would he need a Supreme Bone?

He shook his head, his expression growing cold. Across from him, Jiang Nian watched, noting how his interest flared and then was quickly extinguished. She couldn’t help but laugh.

“You’re certainly composed. It’s not that I don’t want to tell you,” she said, “but you’re too weak to get involved with Heavenly Court Island or the ancient families. When you become a true Immortal-level Walker, you’ll have the qualifications to approach those families. It’s better you know nothing for now.”

Lin Qiye smirked inwardly and quietly activated his Genesis Simulation.

[This simulation requires one billion Walker Points. Remaining: 3.5 million Walker Points.]

He was taken aback. The information cost more than a billion? So be it—knowing now wouldn’t make a difference anyway.

He maintained a calm expression. Jiang Nian happily munched on her skewers, golden eyes smiling.

“Good, keep your disinterest. For the sake of a plan, they sacrificed the aunt and uncle’s son without hesitation. Both were the top talents on Heavenly Court Island—if they’d been allowed to grow, they’d have become giants in their own right. But even they had to make way for the Da Luo Project. Can you imagine the madness of those ancient families?”

“It turns out their madness paid off. The Da Luo Immortal Embryo they created has already surpassed the peerless talents of all other families a hundredfold. They say he’s already established a divine kingdom in the Immortal World—unprecedented power!”

She sighed. “That poor little boy. So you must be careful—never let them catch sight of you. They’ll leave you no way to survive. But as long as you stay away from Heavenly Court Island and Shenzhou, you won’t encounter them.”

She patted Lin Qiye on the shoulder, as if comforting him.

“If that ancient family ever comes for me,” Lin Qiye said, his gaze serious, “I’ll crush them beneath my heel!”

Jiang Nian was taken aback by his conviction. For a moment, she truly believed he might be able to do it. But logic quickly reasserted itself—Lin Qiye’s words were nothing more than the defiance of a prideful boy, ignorant of the ancient families’ true terror.

In reality, should he ever face them, all his pride and arrogance would be swept away like a puddle before the sea.

Jiang Nian shook her head with a soft laugh. “Best not to think of opposing them. In the face of the ancient families, you and I are nothing but ants. Even the most monstrous genius, one who could suppress an entire era, would be crushed without resistance.”

“You might be the top talent in Li City, but in the bustling capitals—Beijing, Shanghai, Shendu, Haidu—where dragons walk among men and geniuses are as plentiful as fish in the sea, you’d be nothing noteworthy. On Heavenly Court Island, the top talents are so fearsome, you can’t imagine the pressure they exert.”

She looked on in awe.

Lin Qiye remained unmoved, but Chen Fan was visibly annoyed. “My brother Qiye isn’t weaker than any of them…”

Lin Qiye quickly raised a hand to silence him. Chen Fan hesitated, but swallowed his anger.

Lin Qiye smiled reassuringly at him, then turned back to Jiang Nian. “Although your words are unpleasant, thank you for telling me. Sooner or later, I’ll cross paths with them. Whether they’re as golden as they seem or rotten within, time will tell.”

“For now, let’s enjoy the barbecue.”

He spoke with quiet confidence, then calmly resumed eating as if nothing had happened.

Jiang Nian clicked her tongue in amazement. “You’re admirably calm. If you really are that three-year-old boy, please be careful.”

With that, she resumed eating with abandon, her lips glistening with oil—making her already lively features even more endearing.

Under her influence, both Lin Qiye and Chen Fan found their appetites unusually large. In no time, the three days’ worth of dragon meat Chen Fan had purchased was gone.

Time slipped by. As they feasted, night fell and endless black mist swept the world—yet the floating island shone with golden light, dispersing the gloom.

“Qiye, see you tomorrow.”

“See you.”

The barbecue ended. Lin Qiye returned to his villa, immediately searching the forum with his mind.

Ancient Families: insufficient permissions.
Da Luo Project: insufficient permissions.
Heavenly Court Island: still insufficient permissions.

“As expected, I’m not qualified to know.” He shrugged. “No matter what connections I have to those ancient families, as long as they don’t provoke me, we’ll be fine.”

He pushed aside his curiosity and lay down. As he closed his eyes, Li You’s face surfaced in his mind.

“That guy… I’m not strong enough to kill him yet. Even though I took care of Guiyuzui and the other four Golden Walkers who tried to assassinate me, it’s not enough.”

Lin Qiye wasn’t one to forgive a grudge. If someone tried to kill him, he’d repay it a hundredfold.

“I need to find a way to give Li You a taste of misery,” he mused as sleep overtook him.

…

The next day, the floating island was especially lively. The Walkers were all abuzz.

“Did you hear? Yesterday, five Golden Walkers from the Jianghu Faction fell in the Grand World! They teamed up for a massacre, but they were all wiped out—neither body nor soul returned.”

“That’s a major event. Has any squad from Li City ever been wiped out before? Even that vicious Li You’s son couldn’t rack up a kill count like that. Who did it?”

“No idea. None of our Academy Faction’s Golds died.”

“All our Academy Faction Golden Walkers escaped. Word is, the killer started slaughtering at seven years old. Terrifying!”

“Is that person from the Academy Faction, or a powerhouse from some other city who wandered in?”

“According to the experts, probably a genius from one of the great cities stumbled into the fight.”

A gasp. “So the geniuses from the great cities are really that terrifying?”

“Of course! Those prosperous cities aren’t like our poor, backward little town.”

As the crowd chattered, a figure streaked across the sky—Jiang Qingxue, her dress billowing, the sword at her waist shimmering with purple light. Her eyes were cold, even tinged with killing intent.

Seeing her expression, Lin Qiye raised an eyebrow. His instincts told him she was off to avenge the Academy Faction for Li You’s attack on the floating island the day before.

So, Lin Qiye quietly activated Genesis Simulation.

[This simulation will cost 10,000 Walker Points. Remaining: 3.49 million Walker Points.]

[Simulation result: Platinum Walker Song Shu of the Academy Faction will lead Jiang Qingxue and ten other Golden Walkers to ambush some of the Jianghu Faction’s geniuses in retaliation for the previous attack.]

Reading the result, Lin Qiye’s eyes sparkled. A bold, exhilarating plan came to him.

“So, Li You, you led Golden Walkers to ambush me? This time, I’ll make you furious—and utterly helpless…”

A cold, vicious smile curled his lips.

“Even if I can’t kill you yet, I can certainly make you miserable.”

With that thought, he quietly activated the Starshift technique and stealthily approached the Jianghu Faction’s floating island.

The battle between the Jianghu and Academy Factions had already begun. Song Shu descended with authority, producing a fragment of an evil artifact…

…