My Top-Tier Tycoon Wife

A long time passed.

Luo Xiu was bent over, his arms hanging limply at his sides. With bare feet, he staggered forward across the scorching earth. Each step was exceptionally difficult.

After his final attack, the entire Silent Sea Forest had been reduced to a scorched wasteland, an apocalyptic scene.

Several tens of meters ahead, Zhang Qiming lay silently on the ground. His body was almost completely charred, with only blackened, smoking stumps of bone remaining where his hands and feet used to be.

But he was not dead.

The powerful Spirit Martial Markings were absorbing the vital energy from the heavens and earth, slowly repairing his body. Fortunately, Luo Xiu had been careful enough to muster his last bit of strength to come and check on him.

In the silence, Zhang Qiming opened his charred lips. "Kid... you've won," he rasped, his voice weak and indistinct.

Luo Xiu collapsed beside him, saying with genuine praise, "As expected of one of the Upper Nine Deities. You're very strong. If it weren't for the Dragon Origin Power, I couldn't have killed you."

Zhang Qiming chuckled. "Had I obtained the other half of the Spirit Martial Markings, one move would have been enough to exterminate you."

Luo Xiu asked, "So that's why you were targeting Zhang Yi? To take her markings?"

"It seems you know quite a bit, youngster."

Luo Xiu slowly raised his hand, and a wisp of the Aura of the Dead condensed into a sword in his palm.

Zhang Qiming glanced at the sword, which radiated a deadly air. He knew he was about to depart for the Yellow Springs, but his expression was unperturbed.

"Kid, are you well acquainted with that girl from the Zhang Family?"

"Yes."

Zhang Qiming spoke slowly. "When I die, the Spirit Martial Markings will be lost forever. This is a great misfortune for my Zhang Clan. If possible... I'll have to trouble you to give my half of the markings to her, so she can merge with and comprehend them."

"After all, she also bears the Zhang name."

Luo Xiu asked, "What do I need to do?"

"After I die, just take my inner core and give it to her to absorb."

Luo Xiu nodded gently and plunged the sword into Zhang Qiming's neck.

Like a ravenous specter, the Aura of the Dead swiftly devoured his life force. Zhang Qiming's face filled with agony. He gazed at the gray sky, and then, as if in a final burst of life, he erupted in laughter.

"In this life, I've enjoyed everything I could! Today, I go to the Yellow Springs with no regrets!"

"No, that's not right. I have one small regret: I never got the chance to strip the stunning Her Majesty the Empress naked and enjoy her thoroughly! HAHA—"

His laughter stopped abruptly as Luo Xiu, his eyes filled with murderous intent, snapped his neck.

Thinking of Di Xuanji, whose current situation was unknown, Luo Xiu was filled with a helpless worry.

Eldest Martial Sister, just hang on a little longer... I'll come save you as soon as I recover!

After taking Zhang Qiming's inner core, Luo Xiu prepared to cremate the body with the Indestructible Divine Flame.

"Brother, don't! The body of a Half-step Earth Immortal can be refined into a great deal of Dao Yuan!" Little Pouch hurriedly flew over to stop him. "Besides, the vital energy that old bastard drew upon before is actually the same stuff as Dao Yuan, so his body is a treasure. It would be a real shame to just burn it."

Luo Xiu withdrew the Indestructible Divine Flame and collapsed onto the ground. "Do as you please," he said, utterly spent.

Right now, all he wanted was a long sleep. He was so weak he didn't even have the energy to capture Zhang Qiming's soul.

The River Demon Pagoda shone with golden light, and in an instant, it absorbed both Luo Xiu and Zhang Qiming's corpse into its spatial interior.

Once inside, Luo Xiu consumed one of the Healing Pills he had refined earlier, then collapsed onto the ground and fell into a deep sleep, oblivious to everything.

Little Pouch got busy refining Zhang Qiming's corpse.

「A long time passed.」

When Luo Xiu awoke, he found a large pile of miscellaneous items in front of him.

Little Pouch said, "Brother, these are from that old bastard's Storage Magical Treasure. I overloaded and detonated it, which is why all this stuff spilled out."

Luo Xiu rummaged through the pile, finding mostly junk that he looked down on. Only a few medicinal herbs were of any use.

"He was one of the Upper Nine Deities, yet he was this poor."

Little Pouch grumbled, "I don't think he was poor. It's just that you, Brother, are used to seeing so many good things that you look down on this trash."

Luo Xiu smiled and continued to dig through the pile.

To his surprise, he found quite a few electric tools made of silicone among Zhang Qiming's things. There were also dozens of boxes of condoms and a great deal of scandalous women's clothing!

Luo Xiu said, "This old pervert really was something else. Little Pouch, can this trash be refined?"

Little Pouch stated proudly, "Anything can be refined, but these things won't yield much. By the way, Brother, what are these Magical Treasures for? I've never seen anything like them."

Luo Xiu looked at the pile of "Magical Treasures" with a strange expression, momentarily unsure how to explain or what to do with them.

"These silicone Magical Treasures are for... well, never mind. You just stay an innocent little pagoda. Human affairs are too complicated, so don't ask so many questions."

"Oh."

"Find a place to throw them out later," Luo Xiu said.

"Oh, right, Brother!" Little Pouch added. "That old bastard's corpse has been refined into Dao Yuan, and there's a lot of it! But you have to leave some for me, you can't hog it all! I helped out, after all. I bumped into him when you were killing him."

Afterward, Luo Xiu took half of the Dao Yuan and entered the Land of Lawlessness. Only then did he remember Xia Chan, who was still waiting inside.

Fortunately, Xia Chan's injuries had somewhat recovered, allowing her to withstand the Aura of the Dead in the Land of Lawlessness. She had been there for so long without any major issues.

Seeing Luo Xiu covered in scars, his tattered clothes barely covering him, Xia Chan was deeply concerned, but also utterly shocked. The fact that Luo Xiu was here, alive, meant he had dealt with Zhang Qiming, one of the Upper Nine Deities!

"I'm gravely injured and need to enter seclusion, so you'll have to stay here for a few more days."

After giving his instructions and leaving her some supplies, Luo Xiu went alone to the place where the Primordial Divine Vine was planted to enter seclusion and heal.

After this period of growth, the Primordial Divine Vine had sprouted new shoots. They were black vines with glowing golden patterns, entirely different from the lava vines Luo Xiu had first seen in the Tomb of Civilization. Just as Master Ping had said, this divine vine could truly survive in any environment, evolving different forms according to its surroundings.

At this rate, however, he had no idea how long it would take for the vine to mature, let alone how long until it bore Dao Lemons.

Luo Xiu suddenly thought of Lin Tong and Tuof, who had merged with the Primordial Divine Vine, and couldn't help but worry. I wonder what will become of those two.

Then, his thoughts turned to Master Ping, who was still in seclusion inside the Holy Lotus Jade Pendant. And I wonder when that broken vase will finally emerge.

「Ten days passed in the blink of an eye.」

Luo Xiu slowly opened his eyes and exhaled a long, turbid breath.

After consuming the Healing Pills and absorbing the Dao Yuan, his injuries had fully recovered. To his surprise, there had been an unexpected gain—the Dao Yuan refined from Zhang Qiming's corpse had helped him break another Blood Ban Seal!

There were nine Blood Ban Seals in total. One had been unlocked thanks to Queen Chi Sha, leaving eight. Now, another was unlocked, leaving only seven!

After some testing, Luo Xiu found that he could now exert strength equivalent to the Nascent Soul Realm.

"Miss Chu, we should set off."

Luo Xiu returned to the Palace of the King of Law to find Xia Chan.

"How are your injuries?"

"More or less healed."

Xia Chan suddenly noticed something and looked at Luo Xiu in astonishment. "This aura... you've reached the Nascent Soul Realm?"

Luo Xiu simply smiled without a word.

Before being afflicted with the Blood Ban Technique, even he didn't know his true strength. He didn't feel like he'd *reached* the Nascent Soul Realm, but rather that he'd been *weakened* to it.

"What's our next destination?"

Xia Chan pondered for a moment. "After the Silent Sea Forest is the Dragon Ridge Plains."

"Let's go."

Upon leaving the Land of Lawlessness and seeing the Silent Sea Forest now reduced to a scorched wasteland, Xia Chan was too shocked for words. She couldn't begin to imagine what kind of cataclysmic battle had taken place there.

"So, you really killed Zhang Qiming?"

Luo Xiu smiled. "A pity there are no witnesses."

Xia Chan gave him a long, deep look. "Chen Shuisheng, you are terrifying."

Luo Xiu replied, "Which means you might have just let a wolf into your house."

After nearly half a day of trekking over mountains and ridges, the two set foot on the Dragon Ridge Plains. It was a long strip of plain situated atop a mountain that spanned hundreds of miles across the range. On a map, it resembled the spine of a great dragon.

The air on the plains was fresh, white clouds drifted lazily overhead, and cattle and sheep grazed in herds. The scenery was breathtaking, stirring the impulse in one to live there as a hermit.

「Another day later.」

Luo Xiu came across a huge palace on the plains. A person was sitting at the palace entrance.

It was a man more beautiful and enchanting than any woman.

Xia Chan frowned. "That is one of the Upper Nine Deities, the Divine Flame God—Zhu Meique."

Luo Xiu's gaze sharpened, his eyes resting on Zhu Meique's exquisitely beautiful face.

Although he had been mentally prepared, coming face-to-face with the man still weighed heavily on him. Zhu Meique's strength surpassed even Zhang Qiming's!

He no longer had the Dragon Origin Power. And even though he had broken another Blood Ban Seal and could wield the strength of the Nascent Soul Realm, it was still far from enough to face one of the Upper Nine Deities.

But...

Luo Xiu still took a step forward.

Even if you're a god, if you block my path, you will die!