WHAT! I Have To Kill Heaven's Son To Live!

Yi Ran, standing beside Reon, was momentarily taken aback by the raw emotion in his voice.

'Brother Taiyang… I never imagined you were such an extraordinary person!'

Her gaze lingered on him, her eyes softening with a newfound admiration.

'I thought you only relied on cunning tricks to mock others, but today… you've proven me completely wrong by defeating me with such ease!!'

'And now… you even acknowledge it—'

'You knew you had erred in the past, and yet, instead of hiding from it, you've been working tirelessly all this time to better yourself…'

'Such a person… even I can't help but admire...'

Suddenly—

A strange flutter bloomed in her chest. She pressed a hand against it, feeling her heartbeat quicken.

'W-What is this… this strange feeling? Why does it... grow stronger the more I look at him…?'

Her eyes lingered on Reon once more, and she swallowed softly.

'It's… because of Brother Taiyang… I'm certain of it.'

Meanwhile, from the other side of the Grand Platform, Yang Mi's eyes turned toward Yang Lie, her gaze clouded with clear dissatisfaction and disappointment.

'Brother Lie… I didn't think you could be so petty...'

'If you can't even forgive a small mistake born of jealousy—and especially when that person is now working so hard to atone for it—'

Her eyes narrowed, the weight of a past memory tightening her chest.

'Then you are far from being a man as great as my Brother Ming…'

A bitter thought crept into her mind as her lips pressed into a thin line.

'Did I… make a mistake… in choosing you?'

From the lofty tiers of the audience seats, a man cloaked in deep black sat in perfect stillness—yet the faint curl of his lips betrayed a quiet amusement.

A low, restrained chuckle slipped from his throat.

'Hahaha… Xue Taiyang… just as I thought. My judgment was not wrong after all.'

Beneath the shadow of his hood, a smirk bloomed across his concealed face, tinged with both delight and intrigue.

'From the very first moment I met you, I knew you were different… a man who would reshape himself in pursuit of greatness. And now… you've proven me right.'

'To defeat my cousin Yi Ran… so effortlessly…'

His voice trailed off into a deeper, more amused tone.

'That is why… you are the most worthy man to become... the husband of my adorable, peerlessly talented younger sister.'

This mysterious figure was none other than Long Ming, the eldest brother of Long Rou Xi and the First Prince of the mighty Great Longxia Kingdom.

Long Ming's eyes narrowed, their sharp glint hidden in the shadow of his hood.

'Still… I wish to see you face that so-called bearer of the Heavenly Peerless Sword Body of the Founding Ancestor…'

Far away, upon a separated Great Elder's floating peak—

In the heart of a vast and opulent residence, draped in silken curtains and adorned with treasures, a female Great Elder reclined leisurely upon her bed.

Her gaze lingered on the glowing Spiritual Screen projected upon the high ceiling, its light casting shifting patterns across her graceful form.

A faint smile curved at the corner of her lips, though the shadows concealed much of her face.

"Xue Taiyang, is it? Hm… quite the fascinating little one."

In other secluded peaks and hidden chambers, the Great Elders, Supreme Elders, and even the Ancestral Elders found themselves musing over the young man.

For all his past blemishes, there was now a fire in him—unwavering, determined, and far too bright to be ignored.

On another colossal floating peak—

The Tempest Sword Saint, Qin Jiran, sat cross-legged upon the polished jade floor of his meditation hall.

His towering frame was still, yet his brows were furrowed, his expression shadowed with discontent.

'That boy…'

His sharp eyes narrowed, fixed upon the vast spiritual screen shimmering before him, its surface rippling with the image of the duel.

'Yang Lie… how utterly disappointing. He cannot even grasp the simplest art of forgiveness?'

A heavy sigh left him as his hand drifted to his great, weathered beard, stroking it in thought.

'His heart festers with vengeance—clinging to a petty grudge from the past like a starving wolf to a bone.'

The Sword Saint's gaze grew distant, his mind sinking into the weight of his own choices.

'Can he truly… no—' his eyes darkened,

'Is he even worthy… to inherit the culmination of all my life's sweat and blood?'

'The Righteous Techniques I forged through thousands of battles… the Sacred Arts passed down from our Ancestral Sword Saints?'

His voice was little more than a whisper, yet it carried the weight of the storm.

'When my sword arm can no longer guard this sect… will Yang Lie truly be the shield that stands in my place… or will he be the blade that breaks it?'

But then—

He let out another heavy sigh as a dangerous memory from the past resurfaced.

'Seventeen years ago… all the Supreme Beings of this world gathered in the Central Continent.'

'Together, we gazed upon the Star Phenomena in the Cosmic Sky, and from its omens we foresaw that… in the near future… something catastrophic would strike this world.'

'Even we Supreme Beings... wouldn't be enough to stop that!'

Star Phenomenon

Seventeen years ago, a grand and ominous event shook the heavens — a celestial occurrence that appears only once every millennium, heralding great catastrophe.

That night, fourteen brilliant stars blazed in the Cosmic Sky, shining brighter than anything else in the world.

But then… a single pitch-black star emerged, devouring one bright star after another until all fourteen were consumed.

This event became known as the Star Phenomenon — a sign feared equally by commoners and nobles across all lands.

Many believe it to be the harbinger of the world's end.

Qin Jiran's eyes glinted with resolve.

'And to save this world… the only ones capable of halting such a catastrophe are... the Heaven's Favor Children.'

'We also prophesied that... there is at least one Heaven's Favor Child in every Continent and across the Great Oceans.'

'Thus, it became the duty of every Supreme Being to protect them… until they have grown strong enough to safeguard their own lands.'

He turned his gaze back toward the Spiritual Screen.

'That is why… I still wish to believe in him.'

'He bears the Peerless Sword Body of our Founding Ancestor… though he has yet to refine that Heavenly Physique.'

A shadow of unease flickered in his eyes.

'If my instincts are correct… he may be the Heaven's Favor Child of the Sleeping Dragon Continent… and the only hope for both our sect and this land when that unknown catastrophe descends upon us.'

For now, he set aside those foreboding thoughts, curiosity overtaking caution.

'But for the moment… let's see—if they were to face off in a Life-and-Death Duel, who would emerge victorious?'

Back on the Grand Platform—

Reon's face remained lowered, his expression carefully crafted to appear weak and vulnerable, as if resigned to being used and hunted.

Then—

Ding!

A familiar system chime echoed softly in his mind, and one panel after another materialized before his eyes.

[Host's brilliant scheme against the Favored Son of Heaven, Yang Lie, has worked perfectly—his reputation throughout the sect has been severely damaged!]

[Yang Mi, his beloved sister and Daughter of Destiny, has had her favorability toward Yang Lie drop from 70 to 50.]

[Other Daughters of Destiny are also beginning to see him in a negative light—some even despise him!]

Reon scanned the messages, a flicker of surprise crossing his face as he read the second panel.

'Yang Mi's Favorability toward Yang Lie is only 70?!'

'Wasn't she supposed to be a yandere completely obsessed with her brother? I expected it to be off the charts—like 101!!!'

'Or… could there be more going on beneath the surface than meets the eye?'

But then, more panels appeared:

[Due to Yang Lie's plummeting reputation and waning favor among the Daughters of Heaven, his Protagonist Rank has dropped from B+ to B-.]

Reon's eyes widened in mild shock.

'Wow... After causing Yang Lie so much suffering all this time… he only got downgraded to B- rank?!'

'Then what was his original Protagonist Rank to begin with?'

[Xiao Yan has lost 4,000 Destiny Points and 400 Heavenly Luck Points have been stolen.]

[Congratulations, Host. You have gained 40,000 Villain Points.]

A slow, triumphant grin spread across Reon's face, just barely hidden from the eyes of those around him.

'Hehe… I knew it. If I had simply fallen for his rage bait earlier, I never would have gained this much.'

But then—

Ding!

[Yi Ran's Favorability toward Host has increased by 10.]

[Yang Mi's Favorability toward Host has increased by 20.]

[Great Elder Li Qin's Favorability toward Host has increased by 15.]

Reon's eyes sparkled with amusement.

'Damn… so much love and affection pouring in!'

'Am I really that impressive?'

Slowly, he raised his head and fixed his gaze on Yang Lie, who stood rigidly ahead.

Yang Lie's face drained of color, but fury burned hot within him—veins bulging across his forehead.

'First Yi Ran, and now… even others?'

'Why is everyone favoring that Xue Taiyang over me—the Son of Destiny?'

His grip tightened on the sword in his hand, knuckles whitening.

'He's nothing but a worthless insect, a stepping stone beneath my feet!'

'I'm the one cleansing this world's filth… so why has everyone turned against me and started praising that damn fucker?'

'They should be worshipping me. I am the only one who truly deserves it—not him!'

'He should just die quietly, so I can complete my Main Scenario Quest.'

Bloodshot eyes blazing, Yang Lie snarled at Reon,

"Hey, bastard! Enough with your blabbering! Are you going to fight me to a Life and Death Duel or not?!"