The butterfly formed from thin mist danced gracefully in the air, spinning delicately above Xu Qi An and the Nine-Tailed Fox before transforming into the figure of an elderly man with long hair and beard, his sleeves floating ethereally.

The Supervisor!

Xu Qi An felt both surprised and unsurprised. He quickly stood up and cupped his hands in greeting, smiling as he said, “It’s been half a year since we last met. How have you been, Supervisor?”

“I was just worrying about how to rescue you, or how to communicate with you while bypassing Huang.”

His attitude was very humble. Although the Supervisor was now merely a “mere Fate Master,” respecting the elderly was as much a part of Xu Yinluo’s nature as getting things for free.

The Supervisor’s downfall had occurred in early winter, and now it was late spring of the following year, approaching early summer—about half a year had passed.

The Supervisor stood with his hands behind his back and snorted, “Can’t you see that I’m at the end of my rope? What do you mean ‘how have I been’?”

I was just being polite… Xu Qi’an reflexively grumbled internally about the old silver coin while maintaining his respectful demeanor: “What brings you here?”

As he asked this question, Xu Qi An had a feeling of cards being laid on the table. He sensed that the Supervisor would reveal everything to him on this island.

The revelations would likely concern the gods and demons, the future catastrophe, and the old silver coin’s subsequent arrangements and schemes.

The Supervisor sighed and asked, “Do you know what this island is?”

“It’s an ancient battlefield of gods and demons. This place is filled with forbidden zones formed by fallen gods and demons, scattered with fragments of spiritual essence,” the Nine-Tailed Fox answered on behalf of Xu Qi An.

The Supervisor nodded, “To be precise, this place is the final battlefield where the gods and demons met their end, and also the beginning of their extinction. The true reason for their fall lies in the center of the island.”

“Huang came to this island for something specific within it.”

Xu Qi An and the Nine-Tailed Fox instinctively asked: “What thing?”

The Supervisor shook his head slightly and said, “It’s something that cannot be described in words. When you see it, you’ll naturally understand what it is.”

The secret of the gods and demons’ fall is in the center of the island, and it’s some kind of object. Wait, that god-demon descendant on Silkworm Island told me that the ancient gods and demons went extinct because they suddenly went mad, fought each other, and ultimately ended the era of gods and demons.

There was no mention of fighting over some object… Xu Qi An frowned and said, “Didn’t Huang come here to return to his peak? To restore his Beyond-Mortal realm power? Or perhaps that object can help Him return to his peak.”

This was different from what he had imagined.

He had originally thought that Huang had traveled thousands of miles to the God-Demon Island to return to his peak, accumulate capital, and resist the three Beyond-Mortal realm experts of the Nine Provinces continent.

He hadn’t expected it to involve an even greater secret.

“Returning to his peak is one of His goals, which doesn’t conflict with taking that item,” the Supervisor looked around and continued, “Huang was one of the most powerful gods and demons in ancient times, possessing Beyond-Mortal realm combat power. During the god-demon war of that era, He made too many enemies and became the target of a collective attack by the gods and demons.”

“Although He survived by luck, His spiritual essence was damaged, and He never returned to his peak.”

“He disguised himself as a god-demon descendant, killing everywhere. Later, when the Dao Sovereign drove Him out of the Nine Provinces, He never stopped slaughtering god-demon descendants, all to repair His damaged spiritual essence and return to the Beyond-Mortal realm.”

The Nine-Tailed Fox asked, “Consuming different spiritual essences can repair one’s spiritual essence?”

She wasn’t too surprised; she had long known about Huang’s true form of having problems and His continuous slaughter of god-demon descendants.

“That’s His innate divine ability. The consumed spiritual essence can be transformed into His own, thereby repairing the damage. In a sense, the essential nature of spiritual essence is the same,” The supervisor looked at Xu Qi An and smiled, “Unfortunately, god-demon descendants are of little use to Him. Just like for you, ordinary Third-Rank experts are of no benefit. And you’re only trying to advance to Half-Step Martial God, while He wants to return to the Beyond-Mortal realm.”

Xu Qi An’s heart stirred: “Earlier, when you reminded me to throw out that bone, you wanted to force Him to absorb the spiritual essence?”

The Supervisor nodded: “After entering the island, He had gradually absorbed a certain amount of spiritual essence and reached a bottleneck. If He continued to absorb more, He would need to enter hibernation to digest it. He didn’t want to hibernate, so He had to stop absorbing.”

So that’s how it was. I wondered how that bone could suppress Huang… Xu Qi An brought the conversation back on track and asked, “What’s the story with this God-Demon Island? Why was it hidden in the Great Void, and what caused its recent emergence?”

The silver-haired beauty’s pointed ears instinctively perked up atop her head, though she didn’t notice it herself, focusing intently on the Supervisor.

“I cannot answer your first question!” The Supervisor shook his head first, then said, “As for the reason for its emergence, you should already know. The fall of the gods and demons was the first catastrophe, and now the second catastrophe is approaching. The cause of the former’s destruction is related to it…”

The Supervisor’s tone was calm and composed.

But upon hearing such an earth-shattering secret, both Xu Qi An and the Nine-Tailed Fox felt their hearts race, even experiencing palpitations.

Xu Qi An lowered his voice, his expression more serious than ever: “That object, is it the so-called catastrophe?!”

He had never been so close to the truth!

At the same time, intense curiosity welled up inside him, wanting to know immediately what exactly was on the island.

The Supervisor pondered briefly, then slowly nodded: “You could say that.”

Xu Qi An felt that the Supervisor hadn’t finished speaking but tactfully didn’t press further.

“Impossible!”

The Nine-Tailed Fox shook her head and objected, “If that object on the island is the so-called catastrophe, the Poison God, Shaman God, and Buddha wouldn’t sit idly by without any reaction.”

Xu Qi An looked at the Supervisor, who fell silent for a moment before smiling and saying, “The two catastrophes are different. The object on the island is indeed the core and key to the catastrophe, but it belongs to the first catastrophe. Moreover, during the era of gods and demons, there were no Gatekeepers.”

“What are Gatekeepers, and what do they guard?” The Nine-Tailed Fox voiced the confusion in Xu Qi An’s heart.

“When you reach the center of this island and see it, you’ll naturally understand,” the Supervisor said.

Xu Qi An looked at the Nine-Tailed Fox and saw a vein bulging on her smooth forehead, showing her irritation though she was forcibly holding it back.

Get used to it, practitioners are just this annoying… he silently grumbled to himself.

This included the Supervisor and his disciples, though the mascot glutton and the unlucky one were exceptions.

“The key and core of the second catastrophe is fate, right?” Xu Qi An stared at the Supervisor.

“Correct.”

This time, the old silver coin gave a definitive answer.

“So that’s why the Buddha, Shaman God, and Poison God, the three Beyond-Mortal realm experts, haven’t sent anyone overseas?” the Nine-Tailed Fox asked in sudden realization.

If the Supervisor played coy with her again, she’d burn down the Star-Observing Tower when she returned to the Nine Provinces.

The Supervisor shook his head: “Except for the Poison God, the others don’t know about this island’s existence. This is a secret known only to gods and demons.”

I thought Beyond-Mortal realm experts knew everything… Xu Qi An probed, “Supervisor, is this why you deliberately let yourself be sealed by Huang? Your true aim is also that object at the center of the island?”

The Supervisor sighed: “I truly fell into a trap unexpectedly, completely unprepared. Ah, I’m getting old…”

I don’t believe you for a second!

Xu Qi An knew the taboos of Fate Masters and didn’t dig deeper. He glanced at the Nine-Tailed Fox and said, “You sought me out hoping I would stop Huang’s plan and snatch that object.”

The Supervisor nodded: “If that object falls into Huang’s hands, all will be lost.”

“Didn’t you say that object was a product of the first catastrophe, unrelated to the second?” the Nine-Tailed Fox argued.

The Supervisor calmly explained, “It being the key to the first catastrophe doesn’t mean it’s useless. Whether it’s the first catastrophe or the second, the essence is the same, only the method has changed.”

So we must fight to the bitter end… If the essence of both catastrophes is the same, why did things change between then and now? Is it because of the appearance of the Gatekeepers? Xu Qi An said helplessly, “But you saw the situation earlier—even working together with the Kingdom Master, we’re no match for Him.”

The Supervisor spoke unhurriedly: “What do you think is most important when fighting Huang?”

Without thinking, Xu Qi An replied: “The power to smash Him with one punch.”

The Supervisor angrily retorted: “It’s the ability to escape! You crude martial artist.”

Crude martial artist… The Nine-Tailed Fox beside them silently mouthed the words in agreement.

“With your current combat power, you’re not enough to resist Huang. You don’t need to defeat Him, just snatch that object from His hands. Therefore, ambush and escape are extremely important. So…”

The Supervisor paused, looked around, and smiled, “You need the power of this space.”

The space they were in was filled with fragmented, constantly moving spatial forces.

“First, I shall give you a magical artifact!”

With these words, the Supervisor extended his right hand and grabbed at the void. The space rippled visibly, like a disturbed water surface.

After fumbling for a moment, the Supervisor pulled something from the void.

The object looked like a transparent glass ball, containing a black vertical pupil with twisted blood vessels extending from its edges.

“An eyeball?”

Xu Qi An guessed it was formed from the spiritual essence of that former god or demon, similar to the fire-attribute spine.

The Supervisor ignored him and turned to look at the Nine-Tailed Fox, his free left hand making a grabbing motion toward her.

The Nine-Tailed Fox felt a pain in her head as if someone had forcefully pulled her hair.

Then she saw a tuft of her white hair being pulled out by the Supervisor, floating weightlessly toward the old man.

A small cluster of silvery-white hair strands floated toward the glass ball. The moment it touched the glass ball, blazing hot flames erupted from the Supervisor’s palm, and the two items quickly distorted, like melting iron.

They merged and intertwined, finally becoming a bracelet.

The bracelet was woven from silvery-white hair, strung with a glass bead the size of a thumbnail. The bead contained a black vertical pupil but without the blood vessels.

The Supervisor tossed the bracelet to Xu Qi An and said, “Blood bond with it!”

Any magical artifact requiring a blood bond was at least a divine weapon of the highest caliber. Ordinary magical artifacts were tools that anyone could use, not requiring bonding.

A divine weapon had just been created like that.

If Elder Song saw the Supervisor’s alchemy skills, would he cry with envy… or perhaps he’d look down on it, thinking such alchemy lacks soul… Xu Qi An caught the bracelet, squeezed a drop of blood from his fingertip, and with curiosity and anticipation, smeared the blood drop on the glass bead.

A few seconds later, he successfully established a “connection” with this magical artifact and mastered its functions.

This was a magical artifact with a single function—spatial transformation.

Of course, being single-function didn’t mean it was simple. Spatial transformation has multiple applications, such as teleportation, spatial cutting, retrieving objects from a distance, and so on.

Spatial cutting couldn’t harm Huang, but Xu Qi An could teleport Him far away by cutting the space where He was.

However, this move could only be achieved through ambush. Once the opponent was prepared, they could easily counter it by moving quickly.

“With this, the chances of snatching from the tiger’s mouth have indeed greatly increased,” Xu Qi An said.

However, the Supervisor shook his head:

“No, it would be very difficult for you to snatch from the tiger’s mouth in normal conditions, right in front of Him. You’ll need a powerful enough helper to create an opportunity.”

He looked at the Nine-Tailed Fox.

She frowned repeatedly and snorted, “I can’t do it.”

She had a premonition that after the earlier lesson, the next time they met Huang, He would kill her first, clearing away the annoying fly.

The Supervisor smiled at her: “The place where the Qingqiu Fox fell is also on this island.”

This meant that the Qingqiu Fox’s fragmented spiritual essence would also exist here.

I remember that the Nine-Tailed Fox’s spiritual essence can be inherited, and those of the same clan can seize each other’s spiritual essence. This is the fox spirit’s opportunity to advance to First Rank… Xu Qi An became excited and turned to look at the Nine-Tailed Fox.

The silver-haired beauty demon’s eyes suddenly blazed with light.

The Supervisor smiled and asked, “Are you satisfied with this deal?”

The Nine-Tailed Fox took a deep breath, calming her inner excitement, and said thoughtfully, “If I can advance to First Rank and master the innate divine ability of the Nine-Tailed Fox lineage, our chances would indeed be much greater.”

Xu Qi An asked, “What is your lineage’s innate divine ability?”

What kind of innate divine ability requires First Rank to control?

“Nine-Tailed Fox, as the name suggests, naturally relates to the tails,” the silver-haired beauty demon’s smile suddenly became somewhat complex as she said, “My mother was also a Nine-Tailed Fox, and she had nine grand elders by her side, but none of them survived. Do you know why?”

Xu Qi An shook his head, looking at the Nine-Tailed Fox’s complex expression, instinctively feeling there was a catch here.

The silver-haired beauty demon chose her words carefully and said softly, “Because foxes have nine lives! All nine Grand Elders died before my mother did. When Nine-Tailed Foxes reach maturity, they split into nine soul fragments that merge with the nine tails. This is the embryonic form of the innate divine ability.”

“When reaching First Rank, the nine tails advance further, changing from duplicates to substitutes, and the substitutes’ purpose is to die in place of the true body. In other words, at First Rank, I would have nine lives.”

The tails die in place of the true body… Xu Qi An’s joyful mood suddenly vanished, and he said gravely, “Then the tails that die…”

The Nine-Tailed Fox spoke indifferently, “Naturally, they die completely. However, as long as the true body remains, a new tail can grow every hundred years. But the newly grown tail has no connection to the previous one—for the previous tail, it truly died.”

“This is why I and the nine tails address each other as master and servants, not as sisters.”

“If we were sisters, there would inevitably be emotional attachment. Once there are emotions, there would be heartbreak—just seeking trouble for ourselves.”

Xu Qi An remained silent for a long while before saying, “It cannot be Ye Ji, Bai Ji, Qing Ji, or Xue Ji.”

He knew all four Ji’s. The first two went without saying, and he had some attachment to the latter two as well. If the Nine-Tailed Fox “had to die,” Xu Qi An could only ensure these four Ji’s safety.

“Agreed!” The silver-haired beauty demon gave her promise.

Her face was expressionless, appearing utterly cold, but Xu Qi An, familiar with her usually cunning style, knew that the Nine-Tailed Fox wasn’t truly without feelings for her nine sisters, that they weren’t truly just master and servants without other bonds.

How cruel indeed… He slowly exhaled, then suddenly remembered something and said, “Oh right, Supervisor, the Imperial Observatory has a new Supervisor.”

“Sister apprentice Caiwei was unanimously chosen to take your position.”

The Supervisor’s expression suddenly collapsed.

…

Imperial Palace.

Royal Garden, pavilion.

Wearing a plum-colored palace dress, Huaiqing sat at the round table, her jade-like fingers holding a white Go piece, frowning in silence.

After a while, she helplessly conceded by placing her piece: “I have lost.”

“It’s all Xu Ning Yan’s fault. After playing against him for so long, my Go skills have seriously declined. Indeed, one takes on the color of one’s company.”

Sitting opposite her, Wei Yuan smiled gently: “Wasn’t Your Majesty quite happy during those days?”

“You even neglected state affairs, thinking only of playing Go with Xu Ning Yan all day. I thought his Go skills must be exceptional to have caught Your Majesty’s competitive spirit.”

He discreetly glanced at Huaiqing’s dress. It was after that period that Huaiqing returned to wearing dresses.

The changes in her state of mind during that time were not for others to know.

Huaiqing, being so intelligent, naturally heard Wei Yuan’s teasing and banter, and said coolly: “Lord Wei should bring the Queen Mother out of the palace soon, lest when the scandal breaks, the court historians record in the annals: ‘The eunuch Wei Yuan caused havoc in the imperial harem.'”

Wei Yuan’s expression remained unchanged as he said: “Your Majesty, Zhu Jiu of the northern demon tribes has given his response the other day. He does not wish to participate in the so-called catastrophe. If we continue to pressure him, he will lead the demon barbarians to the freezing lands of the far north.”

Huaiqing stopped the mutual barbs, no longer continuing to hurt each other, and said with a cold smile: “At least he knows his place.”

The demon barbarians had completely withdrawn from the Nine Provinces’ power stage, adopting an attitude of lying flat, having lost their ambition to compete.

Wei Yuan put down his Go piece, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said: “Actually, regarding future trends, although Third Rank transcendents are extremely powerful fighters, they have no benefit to the overall situation. If he doesn’t want to get involved, let him be. Just make sure he pays back what he owes to Great Feng in money and grain.”

Huaiqing nodded in agreement and asked, “What movements are there from the Shaman God Sect?”

“No movement. They are waiting for the Shaman God to break free from the seal. Before that, they probably won’t take any action,” Wei Yuan said.

“What about the Western Regions?” Huaiqing asked again.

“According to intelligence from our spies, the wealthy and powerful nobles of the Western Regions have basically all set out for Alanduo. They believe that with the Buddha’s manifestation in the world, He will save all beings, allowing everyone to attain enlightenment.”

“It’s a once-in-a-millennium opportunity.”

Wei Yuan smiled and said: “If we want to launch a military campaign against Buddhism, now would be an excellent opportunity.”

“It would be meaningless,” Huaiqing shook her head: “What are Lord Wei’s thoughts on this matter?”

Wei Yuan replied without hesitation: “After Shensu’s head was retrieved, the Buddhist sect no longer needed to split their attention to suppress it. Now with the catastrophe approaching, what does Your Majesty think Buddha will do next?”

Huaiqing also answered without hesitation: “Make arrangements.”

Wei Yuan continued: “Therefore, this Buddhist Assembly is Buddha’s arrangement.”

Huaiqing had already thought of this and asked accordingly: “So, should we find ways to disrupt the Buddhist Assembly?”

This matter troubled her.

With Xu Ning Yan absent from the Central Plains, and the pillar-like Nine-Tailed Fox also gone, Great Feng and the Southern Border’s fighting power was greatly diminished. Even if Shensu returned to peak condition and led Great Feng’s transcendent experts, they couldn’t defeat the three Bodhisattvas led by Buddha.

Wei Yuan smiled and said: “Sometimes, to defeat an enemy army, you don’t necessarily need to confront them directly. Cutting off their supplies and reinforcements can also drive them to desperation. Your Majesty must learn to look at problems from different angles.”

“We can set aside the Buddhist Assembly and think only about what Buddha, or the Beyond-Mortal realm experts, want.”

Huaiqing’s heart stirred, and she blurted out: “Fate!”

Wei Yuan’s smile widened: “Then, can we boldly guess that the Buddhist Assembly is a method and means of condensing fate?”

Seeing Huaiqing frown and nod, Wei Yuan continued: “After knowing this enemy army’s weakness, we can cut off their supplies.”

Huaiqing’s eyes brightened: “How do we cut them off?”

Wei Yuan’s gaze suddenly sharpened: “Buddhist monks are limited in number, they can’t control the vast Western Regions, can’t control the masses of common people. And while the noble class is heading to Alanduo, the governing power in various countries and cities will inevitably weaken.”

“What the court needs to do is not stop the Buddhist Assembly, but seize this opportunity to secretly support Mahayana Buddhism, divide the Western Regions people’s faith, and expand its scale. Then encourage the Western Regions people to migrate to the Central Plains.”

“Weaken the Western Regions’ fate.”

Huaiqing sighed: “A good strategist should plan for the whole world.”

“I will fully support Lord Wei, spare no national resources, at any cost.”

Wei Yuan smiled and said: “Although Your Majesty is a woman, your boldness far surpasses previous rulers.”

…

Somewhere on God-Demon Island.

Xu Qi An and the Nine-Tailed Fox stood at the edge of a certain forbidden area. He looked at the illusory naked beauties swaying their hips ahead and sincerely said:

“Please allow me to accompany you.”

The silver-haired beauty demon heard the seductive sounds around her ears and frowned: “No, I’ll go in by myself. If I go in with you, this Kingdom Master’s five-hundred-year preserved virginity would be in danger.”

Xu Qi An said irritably: “Listen to how you’re talking, who isn’t a virgin here?”

“Mere seductive illusions cannot tempt this Silver Gong.”

Shameless… the Nine-Tailed Fox rolled her eyes and said: “I’m afraid you’ll take advantage of this Kingdom Master under the pretense.”

The two bantered as they walked side by side, entering the area where the Qingqiu Fox had fallen.