After hearing the scruffy man’s words, a man in a black robe stood up.
He smiled slightly and shook his head. “No rush. These kids still have pure life essence in their bodies. It’s at its best right now. We can use them for cultivation first. Everything else can wait.”
“Alright. Big Brother picks first, and the rest of us will split the rest afterward,” the scruffy man said with a grin.
“Remember, our cultivation method is frowned upon by many. Don’t ever let it leak out. Using others’ life essence like this can only be done occasionally, otherwise, we’ll be seen as evil cultivators,” the black-robed man warned seriously.
“Don’t worry, Big Brother. Cosmic Sect has survived this long because we keep a low profile. We never cross the line,” the noblewoman added, nodding.
After they finished speaking, the black-robed man slowly walked to the group of captives.
He casually pointed at a few children, and those he selected were taken to the back of the village.
When he stopped in front of the boy in white, he let out a curious sound and said, “What a good-looking boy.”
“I see your fate is unstable. Want me to read your fortune?” the boy in white said calmly.
“Fortune-telling?” the man in black chuckled, rubbing his chin. “Interesting. Go ahead. If you get it right, I’ll spare your life. If not, well, someone will definitely like that pretty face of yours.”
“Tell me your birth date and time,” the boy said steadily.
The black-robed man gave him the information.
The boy in white then closed his eyes. A faint energy swirled around him. It was daytime, so it wasn’t easy to notice, but if you looked closely, you could see faint stars twinkling in the sky.
After a short while, the boy slowly opened his eyes.
His skin was already fair, and dressed in white robes, he now looked even paler, like he had been drained of strength.
“Fang Bao, leader of the Cosmic Sect,” he said calmly.
“Not surprising. Anyone can find that out with enough effort,” the man said, shaking his head.
“You were born in the Eternal Prefecture to a fairly well-off family. But before you reached adulthood, your family fell apart. You had to go out into the world on your own, right?” the boy asked.
A flicker of surprise crossed the man’s eyes. No one knew his true background. This boy didn’t seem capable of digging that up.
“Interesting. Keep going,” he said.
“Being a rogue cultivator was tough. You wandered for three years and gained nothing. Then, during a life-or-death moment, you stumbled upon a legacy, an inheritance. After that, your cultivation shot up and you began to make a name for yourself.”
“A few hundred years ago, you came to Void Valley, teamed up with others, and founded the Cosmic Sect. That’s when you started targeting Void Wood.”
The boy continued, “If I’m right, the legacy you found was left behind by a demonic cultivator. The method you practice now is not accepted by the world, it goes against the natural order.”
“What natural order? In this world, only the strong survive. Back then, I was worse than a dog,” the man said coldly. “Look at me now. Don’t talk to me about what’s right or wrong.”
The boy in white said nothing more.
“Kid, if you’re so good at fortune-telling, why didn’t you see that you’d end up in our hands?” the scholarly man nearby asked.
“In this world, one can only read the fate of others, not their own,” the boy replied.
“Teach me your fortune-telling method, and I’ll let you go,” the black-robed man said.
“There’s no method. It’s something I was born with,” the boy shook his head.
“I originally wanted to keep you around, but you know too much. I’ll have to kill you,” the man said darkly.
“Aren’t you curious about what I said earlier? About the chaotic energy around you, the omen of disaster?” the boy asked, looking up.
“Then tell me,” the man said, chuckling.
As soon as he spoke, a powerful force suddenly descended from the sky.
The moment it arrived, the surrounding space shattered. A fireball slammed down, destroying everything.
With a loud boom, the fireball hit the ground, tearing it apart. A wave of energy exploded outward, leveling everything in its path.
When the dust cleared, Xu Zimo appeared, dressed in a purple robe, stepping out of the flames.
He looked around at everyone and asked calmly, “Who’s the boss of the Cosmic Sect?”
The area fell silent. Everyone stepped back.
“It’s him,” the boy in white said, pointing at the black-robed man in front of him.
“Sir, I’m not-!” the man tried to speak, but his words stopped short.
Countless sword lights rained down from the sky. In an instant, every member of the Cosmic Sect in the village was beheaded.
Thousands of heads fell to the ground. The scene was horrific.
The ground was littered with blade marks and corpses.
Xu Zimo walked slowly up to the black-robed man, grabbed his head, and was about to leave.
“Wait,” a voice called from behind.
Xu Zimo turned and saw the boy in white looking at him.
“What is it?” Xu Zimo asked.
“You saved me. I owe no one anything. Let me read your fortune in return,” the boy offered.
“I didn’t save you. I just killed them. That has nothing to do with you,” Xu Zimo replied.
“No. Cause and effect. Either you kill me, or let me repay you with a reading,” the boy insisted.
Xu Zimo waved his hand lightly, and his sword aura sliced through the ropes tying the boy down.
“Fine. Go ahead,” he said.
“I need your birth date and time,” the boy said.
Xu Zimo thought for a moment, then gave him the information.
The boy closed his eyes, his fingers moving quickly as he calculated.
After a long time, he opened his eyes with a confused and stunned expression.
“Y-you don’t exist...! This is impossible!” he said in disbelief, looking at Xu Zimo.
Xu Zimo just smiled. Ever since he had created a new era, he had severed his fate from the destiny of the Primordial Heartlands.
Now, no one could read his future.
But the boy still seemed unwilling to give up.