Just as Su Chen was about to step onto the next column, a soft but clear voice drifted from behind him.
"Wait…"
His foot paused mid-air.
Su Chen's eyes narrowed.
"…Seriously? She wakes up now?"
His first instinct was to ignore her completely and just keep climbing. But the moment that thought crossed his mind, a sharp ripple passed through his chest — not pain, but a warning. A deep, primal instinct flaring in the back of his mind.
Don't turn your back on her.Otherwise consequences might be dangerous.
Su Chen stiffened slightly.
Over the years — or rather, in his past few months of barely surviving this absurd world — he had learned one thing:
When his instinct screamed like this, it was never wrong.
"…Tch," he muttered, annoyed. "I knew she'd be trouble."
With a reluctant sigh, he slowly lowered his foot and turned around to face her.
The woman was still seated, the phoenix and dragon auras coiling gently around her like divine guardians. Her eyes, half-lidded before, were now fully open — sharp, intelligent, and eerily calm.
Su Chen's expression remained guarded. He didn't speak. He just stared, waiting for her to say whatever nonsense she was about to unleash.
"Are you looking down on me?"
Her voice was cold, but oddly sweet — the kind that could charm a thousand fools without trying.
"You dare to bypass me without even acknowledging my presence?"
Su Chen's brow twitched.
"What the hell is this now…"
His face visibly darkened, irritation bubbling beneath his calm exterior.
A pointless argument with a brainless daughter of luck. Just what I needed.
He had no idea what kind of delusional drama this woman was about to start, but one thing was certain — the more beautiful they looked, the more chaotic their lives tended to be.
Still, he took a deep breath and swallowed the insult hanging on the tip of his tongue. No need to die early for the sake of sarcasm.
With a restrained sigh, he let out a polite ahem and slowly lowered himself to sit on the stair across from her, keeping a safe distance.
After a brief pause, his tone turned composed — almost serious.
"Miss Fairy's question is quite… something."
He tilted his head slightly, giving her a calm but unreadable look.
"Am I looking down on you?"
A faint smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.
"Before I answer your question," Su Chen said calmly, his voice steady but eyes narrowed slightly, "I have a question of my own."
He glanced at her — or rather, at the hazy veil of spiritual mist that still obscured her face.
"Do I know you? Have we met before?"
"…No," she replied coldly, the same calm tone as before.
Su Chen nodded slightly.
"Alright. Then did I borrow spirit stones from you? Or are you, by any chance, one of my long-lost relatives?"
This time, she hesitated for just a moment before answering,
"…No."
"Good," Su Chen said, expression turning serious. "Because from what I remember, I was just quietly passing by. I didn't say a word to you, didn't disturb your cultivation, didn't even breathe too loudly."
He leaned back slightly, letting out a slow breath.
"So tell me," his voice dropped, eyes sharpening, "why the hell would a random stranger quietly walking past you mean I'm looking down on you?"
His tone turned sharp, irritation finally spilling over.
"You think the world revolves around you or something? What are you, some brainless woman playing empress on a staircase?"
"You dare to call me a brainless woman?" her voice grew sharp, laced with icy fury. "You're courting death."
As she spoke, she released a burst of spiritual pressure toward Su Chen — majestic and fierce, like a tidal wave meant to crush an ant.
But nothing happened.
Not even a breeze stirred.
The Heaven Stairs trial had already sealed everyone's cultivation at the Core Formation stage. No matter how extraordinary her aura was, it couldn't break that rule. Her divine pressure fizzled out the moment it was released, as if slapped down by the world itself.
Su Chen's face twitched.
Annoying. Truly annoying.
He pinched the bridge of his nose, clearly fed up. Then his eyes sharpened.
"I called you a brainless woman because you're acting like one," he snapped. "If you had even half a working brain, you'd have minded your own business instead of starting pointless drama with a stranger."
Not bothering to argue further, Su Chen waved his hand and opened his system interface.
"System," he muttered, tone impatient. "Open 'Daughter of Luck Detection'—I want to know just how much trouble this woman is."
A small screen flickered to life in front of him, glowing faintly with golden characters.
[Ding! Identifying Daughter of Luck… Long Qianxue detected.]
[For detailed information, tap to expand.]
Su Chen raised an eyebrow and tapped the screen.
[Name: Long Qianxue]
Status: Empress of Chaos Empire
Cultivation: Supreme Realm (Peak – 8000 years)
Physique: Dragon-Phoenix Physique]
[Description:
One of the most beautiful—and arrogant—women in the entire Upper Realm. Currently holds the title Empress of Chaos Destiny and is among the youngest Supreme Realm experts of the current era.]
[In the original timeline, she was a major villainess in the story of Jiang Chen, the son of luck. Eventually, she was killed by him during the peak of their conflict.]
[However, due to the activation of a mysterious ancient treasure during her final moments, her soul was sent back to the past with all her memories intact. With this future knowledge, she successfully located a secret realm and obtained the legendary Dragon-Phoenix Physique, a dual-element divine body known for both extreme cultivation potential and terrifying combat ability.]
[She entered the Immortal Palace not just for its inheritance, but also… for you.]
[Well, technically, not you—but the original Su Chen, bearer of the Ancient Sacred Physique, a man whose name echoed across the heavens in her past life.]
[Although she never had direct contact with him back then, his legend was unmatched. Even someone as proud as Long Qianxue couldn't help but admire him from afar. He was simply out of her league.]
[Now, reborn into the past, she's determined not to miss the chance.]
[System Prompt]: Recommendation—
Conquer her.
She's powerful, rich, and respects your "past self."
More importantly… she might actually be useful.]
After reading through the entire description, only one thought echoed in Su Chen's mind:
"…She wasn't lying. I really am courting death."
And worse… he wasn't even the original Su Chen.
"Damn that bastard… even after dying, he's still dragging me into messes!"
Su Chen felt like crying. He clutched his head in frustration, muttering under his breath.
As for that so-called "System Advice"—this damn bastard clearly wants me dead!
"Women with this level of ambition don't care about anyone. Even if she ends up liking you, just being around her is enough to get you killed. And if she turns against you? You'll definitely die."
Su Chen's face darkened.
He let out a long sigh, full of helplessness.
"I just want to cultivate peacefully… is that too much to ask? Why does everyone in this damn realm act like they're in a revenge drama!?"