Silence lingered after the Ninth Hunter vanished.
A heavy, suffocating silence that pressed on the chest like a mountain.
Xiao Wang remained half-conscious, breathing shallowly in the silver-haired girl's lap.
Yun Xi paced nearby, nerves stretched thin.
The air flickered.
The Sanctuary — once a grand trial ground — now felt empty.
Too empty.
Too quiet.
And far too unstable.
Cracks spread across the floor like spiderwebs. Runes flickered like dying stars. The portal shimmered weakly behind them, pulsing in unstable waves.
Yun Xi frowned.
"This place won't hold for long… We need to leave soon."
The silver-haired girl hugged Xiao Wang tighter.
"But he's injured—!"
"He'll recover," Yun Xi said. "He's Xiao Wang… and—"
A new voice cut her off.
Smooth.
Playful.
Infuriatingly smug.
"Well, well… I didn't expect to wake up to two beauties arguing over my body."
The silver-haired girl froze.
Yun Xi froze.
They slowly looked down at Xiao Wang—
—but the eyes staring back at them were different.
Colder.
Sharper.
Glinting like molten gold with a playful, sinfully mischievous curve.
His lips curled into a wicked grin.
"Ladies…" he purred, "you can stop squeezing me now. I'm flattered, but I need my ribs intact."
The silver-haired girl turned bright red.
"I—I wasn't—!"
"You definitely were." His grin widened. "Don't be shy. You can continue later."
Yun Xi rubbed her temples.
"Oh no… not him."
Xiao Wang stretched his arms, sitting up with an elegant, almost lazy confidence.
His entire aura changed.
Not heavy.
Not solemn.
Not cold like the fighting personality.
Instead—
He radiated danger wrapped in charm.
A serpent with a smile.
A devil with dimples.
The silver-haired girl blinked rapidly. "Xiao… Wang?"
He winked.
"The one and only. Handsome edition."
Yun Xi groaned. "This personality of yours is going to start a war."
Xiao Wang flicked his hair back dramatically.
"Sweetheart, I could start a war just by smiling. It's not my fault, Heaven blessed me too generously."
The silver-haired girl's face reddened again.
"H-Huh?! You were dying ten seconds ago!"
"Ah, yes." Xiao Wang sighed dramatically. "Fighting terrifying Hunters… resisting death… discovering I had a soul echo of a woman who loved me enough to defy Heaven…"
He smirked.
"It was truly romantic."
Yun Xi slapped him on the head.
"Serious mode. Now."
"Ow—! Abuse! I'm an injured man!"
"Xiao Wang."
"…Fine."
The mischievous glow dimmed — not gone, but controlled.
He stood, stretching slowly.
The system flared behind him.
[OTHER PERSONALITY ACTIVE: CHAOTIC SHADOW]
[Traits: Mischievous, Sharp Tongue, Womanizer, Unpredictable, Teasing, Strategic]
[Warning: Emotional impulses may override logical judgment]
[Note: Power output increased by 22% when this personality leads]
He grinned.
"Ah. I like this version of me."
Yun Xi shook her head. "We don't."
"Tragic. Anyway…" Xiao Wang turned toward the portal, expression suddenly focused. "This place is collapsing. We need to gather the survivors and leave."
Yun Xi stiffened.
"The others…"
Silence washed in again.
The Sanctuary had been brutal.
Monsters. Illusions. Soul trials.
Heavenly pressure.
Many would not have survived.
Xiao Wang closed his eyes. His mischievous aura dimmed, replaced with a faint, serious weight.
"…Let's go."
He snapped his fingers.
Dark sword aura exploded outward—gentle, not destructive.
A wave.
A sound-based sweep.
His sword intent rippled across the Sanctuary.
Moments later—
FOOTSTEPS.
Groans.
Weak voices.
Figures limped out from behind the ruined pillars, emerging one by one.
The surviving candidates.
Bloodied.
Pale.
But alive.
About a dozen of them.
A boy collapsed to his knees, staring at Xiao Wang with wide, terrified eyes.
"Y-You…! Are you alive? You fought that thing—?!"
A girl whispered tremblingly, "He… he saved all of us?"
Another murmured, voice filled with awe,
"He's… not human."
Xiao Wang clutched his chest dramatically.
"You wound me. I'm very human."
The silver-haired girl muttered, "Too human sometimes…"
He grinned.
"Is that a complaint or praise?"
She hid her face in her sleeves.
"Both!"
Before he could tease her further, the Sanctuary trembled violently.
Cracks split the walls.
The ceiling groaned.
Yun Xi shouted, "EVERYBODY MOVE! THE SANCTUARY IS COLLAPSING!"
Xiao Wang snapped into action.
He stood tall, expression shifting to a more serious one—still mischievous around the edges, like a devil who became a general.
"Form a group! Stay close! No one wanders off. I'll guide us out."
A young cultivator gasped, "Guide us? You can navigate collapsing spatial realms?!"
Xiao Wang smirked.
"Sweetheart, I can do a lot more than that."
He tapped the Devouring Sword against the floor lightly.
Black ripples spread outward like ink.
The portal ahead steadied—just slightly.
"Move."
The survivors followed like frightened chicks behind their mother hen.
Xiao Wang walked at the front, back straight, aura relaxed, humming lightly as if they weren't escaping a collapsing dimension.
A stone slab fell from above.
Everyone screamed.
Xiao Wang lazily raised a hand.
SLICE.
The slab split into twelve equal pieces mid-air and dissolved into dust.
"Calm down," he said. "If I wanted you dead, you'd be much more creatively disposed."
"THAT DOESN'T HELP!" someone cried.
He chuckled.
They reached the portal.
Yun Xi turned back.
"The Sanctuary… it was supposed to be a holy trial. Now it's—"
Xiao Wang interrupted with a shrug.
"Everything breaks eventually. Even Heaven's toys."
He stepped through the portal.
Light enveloped them.
A breath.
A rush.
And—
—sunlight.
Fresh air.
Warm wind brushes their cheeks.
They had returned.
They stood inside the grand courtyard of the King's Palace — a vast marble space surrounded by golden pillars, banners fluttering, guards stationed in formation.
But the palace wasn't silent.
Crowds had gathered.
The remaining princes.
Royal guards.
Ministers.
Servants.
Nobles.
All are waiting anxiously for the Sanctuary team to return.
When the first survivor stepped out, a wave of gasps rolled across the courtyard.
When all twelve survivors emerged—
Shock.
Tears.
Chaos.
People screamed names.
"Lian! You're alive!"
"My daughter! My daughter—!!"
But everything fell silent the moment Xiao Wang stepped out last.
Sunlight hit his hair — black with faint golden streaks of soul resonance.
His expression was playful, confident, and handsome to a dangerous degree.
And somehow…
Even stronger than before.
A noble whispered, terrified,
"That… That is the boy who fought Heaven's Hunter?"
A guard muttered, "His aura… it feels like standing before a king…"
The King himself stepped forward — robes heavy with authority, crown gleaming.
His eyes narrowed the moment he saw Xiao Wang.
"You… disrupted the Sanctuary."
"Technically," Xiao Wang replied with a smile, "Heaven started it. I just finished the argument."
The King's face twitched.
Yun Xi looked terrified.
The silver-haired girl tugged on Xiao Wang's sleeve frantically.
"Please stop provoking the King!"
Xiao Wang leaned down and whispered to her, "If he gets angry, hide behind me. I'll protect you."
She squeaked and hid behind him instantly.
The surrounding ministers were stunned.
The King's aura thickened.
"Boy… do you know your offense?"
Xiao Wang gave him a lazy grin.
"Probably.
But before you threaten me—"
He turned, lifting his hand.
Behind him, the survivors straightened, standing firmly.
"They lived because I kept them alive."
His voice softened.
"But others died because Heaven interfered."
The King froze.
The courtyard fell silent.
Xiao Wang continued, voice calm, but sharp:
"So before you punish me… consider thanking me."
The King's lips tightened.
For a long moment, no one breathed.
Then—
A soft clapping sound echoed.
A prince stepped forward — tall, handsome, wearing silver armor.
Prince Kael.
The strongest prince.
He smirked.
"I like you."
Xiao Wang raised a brow. "Please don't. I prefer women."
The entire courtyard erupted into choking coughs.
Yun Xi slapped her forehead.
"WHY IS THIS PERSONALITY SO ANNOYING?!"
Prince Kael burst into laughter.
"You're bold. Good. We'll get along."
Xiao Wang winked.
"Maybe. I only befriend people who don't try to kill me."
"Then we'll get along very nicely."
The tension dissolved just slightly.
But beneath the relaxed atmosphere…
A truth lingered.
The Ninth Hunter had retreated.
But he wasn't gone.
Something worse was coming.
Xiao Wang felt it.
A shadow behind the sunlight.
A chill beneath the warm breeze.
His mischievous grin softened for a moment as he looked at the sky.
"…They won't let me rest."
The silver-haired girl tugged his sleeve.
"Then… we won't leave your side."
Yun Xi nodded, joining her.
"And we're stronger together."
Xiao Wang's grin returned.
Dangerous.
Handsome.
Unrestrained.
"Well then," he said, turning toward the palace interior,
"Let's go meet destiny."
The King watched him walk past.
His voice deepened.
"Xiao Wang… your path is no longer only yours. Heaven has chosen you."
Xiao Wang didn't turn around.
He simply waved over his shoulder.
"Then Heaven better prepare. I bite."