Lu Chen paced the confines of his chamber, his mind a whirlwind of tragedy and tactics. "The Sword Pavilion isn't enough," he muttered, his eyes flickering with the cold light of future knowledge. "To pierce a Rank 9 hide, I need a conductor. I need Yue Xiao."
In his past life—the future that would now never happen—Yue Xiao was the Saintess of the Frozen Moon Palace. She was the only one who didn't look at him with pity when the world fell. She had sacrificed her soul to freeze Fang Yuan's movements for a mere three seconds, a sacrifice that haunted Lu Chen's every waking moment.
"This time," Lu Chen vowed, his voice low and jagged, "I won't let you die for a lost cause. I will make you the weapon that ends him."
He knew that at this exact moment in the timeline, Yue Xiao was undergoing the "Trial of the Nine Frosts" at the northern peaks. It was a trial that would leave her permanently scarred if she didn't have the "Heart-Protecting Pill"—a pill that hadn't been invented yet, but whose recipe Lu Chen carried in his memories.
Meanwhile, high above in the Sect of Ancient Void, Fang Yuan felt the shift in Lu Chen's intent. He was watching through the System's "Fate-Monitor," seeing the golden thread of Lu Chen's destiny entwine with a new, silvery-white thread.
"Yue Xiao... the Frozen Moon Saintess," Fang Yuan mused, resting his chin on his knuckles. "In the original timeline, she was a minor annoyance. But now, with his guidance, she could become a Rank 8 Moon Crusher within two years. A perfect battery of Yin energy."
Fang Yuan's eyes glinted with a dark, predatory curiosity. He didn't want to stop their reunion. In fact, he found the idea of "true love" being used as a source of power to be delicious.
"System," Fang Yuan commanded, "Calculate the energy output of a Rank 8 Ice Spirit sacrifice compared to a standard Rank 9 planet-harvest."
[System Analysis: Integrating a Rank 8 Ice Spirit into the Great Harvest Array will increase the final 'Immortality Pill's' purity by 35%. It will also stabilize the Space-Time bridge.]
"Excellent," Fang Yuan whispered. He reached into his own Qi and condensed a small, dark seed—not a curse of loyalty this time, but a "Sovereign's Blessing".
"I'll help them," Fang Yuan chuckled, a sound that would have chilled Lu Chen to the bone. "I'll ensure she survives her trial. I'll even ensure she grows stronger than she ever dreamed. After all, a farmer must make sure the prize heifer is well-fed before the winter slaughter."