In the blink of an eye, Xu Shuanglin was already pulled into another reality by the hand that came out of the Gate of Time, Space, Life, and Death. Although Nangong Si wanted to give chase, it was impossible. The moment Xu Shuanglin was dragged in, the gate was shut. Nothing remained in the night sky, but a small piece of Xu Shuanglin’s coat, which hadn't been sucked into the gate before it closed. In the dead silence, it fluttered and fell into the lake, the white cloth getting soaked with water and slowly sinking into the lake.

     “How is this possible?” Mo Ran muttered. “How can there be someone in this world who can truly control the Gate of Time, Space, Life, and Death?”

     As the former Emperor Taxian-Jun, he knew that there were three forbidden techniques: the Zhenlong Chess Formation, Rebirth, and the Gate of Time, Space, Life, and Death.

     Although the first two forbidden techniques were difficult to learn, they weren’t unheard of in the cultivation world. For example, in his previous life, there were always some people who could use these two techniques, such as Master Huaizui.

     However, there were very few records about the Gate of Time, Space, Life, and Death—the most recent being thousands of years ago, when a great master was so distraught by the death of his beloved daughter that he opened the gate.

     He wanted to bring his daughter, who was still alive in another time and space, back to his own world.

     However, his actions were caught by the him of that reality. As a father, how could the him of that time and space allow his beloved daughter to be taken away from him?

     In this desperate battle between the two, the space-time crack that had been opened was distorted, and in the end, the daughter was drawn into the rift and crushed to pieces…

     After the great master came back, he was heartbroken, sealing the forbidden scroll in sacred wood. He became the last person to fully master the Gate of Time, Space, Life, and Death.

     Because this forbidden technique had been sealed for so long, over the years, more and more cultivators were convinced that there was no such thing as the Gate of Time, Space, Life, and Death.

     However, in his previous life, Mo Ran, because of his boundless cultivation, had actually torn open a rift similar to the Gate of Life and Death by himself, with an incomplete scroll in his hands.

     However, the crack was extremely unstable. Mo Ran had thrown a rabbit through, trying to send it to a location thousands of miles away. The rabbit passed through, but due to the instability of the crack, it emerged with its body turned inside out, a bloody mess with its heart still pounding…

     Later, Mo Ran tried many more times. There were always five or six times out of a hundred that things would go wrong. And when they did, the scene was extremely disgusting—splitting up, falling apart, and even the head appearing quickly, but the body being spat out half an hour later.

     But even so, it was enough to cause an uproar in the cultivation world.

     Almost everyone thought that Mo Ran restored and mastered the Gate of Time, Space, Life, and Death, but he himself wasn’t so sure. He hadn’t seen the forbidden technique from thousands of years ago, but based on the historical records, he felt that the technique he copied was far from the real one.

     Chu Wanning rushed to the edge of the lake and picked up the piece of cloth left behind by Xu Shuanglin, closing his eyes. When he opened his eyes, he let out a slight sigh of relief, but then became more and more worried.

     He shook his head and said, “It’s not a complete Gate of Time, Space, Life, and Death. That person should have only mastered half of the scroll. According to the spiritual power left on this cloth, it should only be a gate of space, not a gate of space-time.”

     “What do you mean?”

     “In other words, there is still a big difference between this spell and the real forbidden technique,” Chu Wanning explained. “The only remnants of spiritual energy I can perceive is that of space. So, Nangong Xu was pulled into another place by someone through this space rift.”

     Mo Ran thought, Isn’t this similar to the gate I opened in my previous life? If that was the case, then it wasn’t impossible to achieve.

     However, a shadow still lingered in his heart. He asked, “What if it is the true forbidden technique? What will happen when it’s used?"

     For some reason, Chu Wanning’s expression became a little strange. He paused for a moment before saying, “If this is the real Gate of Time, Space, Life and Death, then it can do more than just tear space apart. It can even take Nangong Xu to another reality.”

     At those words however, Mo Ran’s expression changed slightly. He frowned and didn't say another word.

     In his previous life, he didn’t have much information about this forbidden technique, and he didn’t know how credible the records he did have were. So, he didn’t think the rumor of the great master who had torn open the space-time crack for his daughter was reliable.

     But now that the words had come out of Chu Wanning’s mouth, Mo Ran was finally convinced.

     However, this sort of certainty sent a chill down his spine. In the five years Chu Wanning was gone, Mo Ran had read many classics, and suddenly began to wonder about another forbidden technique—

     Rebirth. He faintly felt that the mystery of his own rebirth was truly strange.

     He had never seen the true Rebirth technique in his past life, but he thought that the so-called “rebirth” would be similar to his own, going back to a certain year and month before his death and starting over again.

     However, in this life, Mo Ran had witnessed Master Huaizui perform this forbidden technique. He was puzzled. Huaizui’s Rebirth technique was to bring Chu Wanning’s soul back from the underworld and return it to the body that was not yet seriously damaged, allowing him to continue living on in this world.

     This kind of Rebirth was not the same as what he had experienced.

     After he died in his previous life, if someone had used the same Rebirth technique as Master Huaizui to save him, then he would have been reborn in Wushan Palace. He would still be the fearsome Emperor Taxian-Jun—Chu Wanning, Shi Mei, uncle, and auntie… These people would still be dead, and no one would be by his side.

     Because of this, he guessed that there was more than one method of Rebirth in this world, which resulted in him being reborn in a different way from Chu Wanning. But at this moment, when he heard Chu Wanning mention the Gate of Time, Space, Life, and Death, he suddenly had a very terrible idea.

     Could it be that he was not only affected by the Rebirth technique, but also by the Gate of Time, Space, Life, and Death at the same time, so that his evil soul, that should have been suffering in another time and space, would come back to when nothing had happened yet—when there was still time to turn back?

     If that was the case, wouldn’t all his actions be under the watchful eye of the person behind the scenes? Everything, including his rebirth, would have been planned by the person watching silently behind his back.

     Mo Ran felt a chill run down his spine.

     However, before he had time to think about it more, he suddenly heard an earth-shaking explosion from where the tribulation fire was burning in the distance.

     “Let’s go,” Chu Wanning said.

     Before his voice even faded away, the fire burning the seventy-two cities of Rufeng Sect suddenly intensified and soared dozens of feet into the sky, its light reaching the heavens!

     At this moment, even if Mo Ran and the others didn’t rush over, even if they were several hundreds of miles away from Rufeng Sect, they would still be able to see the raging inferno burning through the dark night.

     Xue Zhengyong had already brought Madam Wang out of the sea of fire, but when he looked back, he saw that the fire had turned into two entangled bodies; a man and woman were gradually taking shape. Xue Zhengyong was stunned, “This… What’s going on?”

     As a member of a distinguished family, Madam Wang had seen many precious artifacts. Her expression immediately changed, and she said, “This is a scroll that can be used to record memories. This scroll doesn’t need any spell to support it, so it’s likely that it was laid down by the caster beforehand. Once it is ignited by tribulation fire, the memories sealed inside will appear in the fire. As long as the fire doesn’t go out, the memories will continue to play.”

     Xue Zhengyong couldn’t take it anymore. Looking at Rufeng Sect being engulfed by tribulation fire, a trace of pity was hidden in his eyes. When others revealed the truth, they would find a few witnesses and pull them together to say a few words. Once the evidence was put forward, then the matter would come to an end.

     As for Xu Shuanglin? He was a madman, making scrolls of his memories and setting them on fire to show the whole world how filthy his family was. Using the vast sea of fire as a canvas, he cast a spell to amplify the people’s unseemly whispers and turn them into a thunderous roar, so loud even a deaf person could hear them.

     “This Xu Shuanglin… what is he up to?” Xue Zhengyong sat on the expanded iron fan with Madam Wang, floating in the air. His face was illuminated by the blazing flames as he mumbled, “Could it be that he hasn’t exposed enough of Rufeng Sect’s dirty secrets and wants to continue?”

     Madam Wang: “...”

     Xue Zhengyong continued, “Enough. It’s really enough. He has already torn Rufeng Sect apart to the point where it has become the laughingstock of the cultivation world. Why won’t he let it go…”

     But as a woman’s voice rumbled from the sea of fire, the cultivators who had escaped into the air were all stunned.

     Xue Zhengyong was also stunned.

     “Liu-ge, we’re both so old. Why… why are you still not decent? …Mm…”

     With this soft groan, the two burry figures in the burning fire gradually became clearer. The tribulation fire that swept across the seventy-two cities expanded the two naked bodies to the extreme; just the five bat patterns on the woman’s white arms alone were expanded to the size of a pavilion, and the flower patterns on the bats were also clearly visible.

     Everyone was stunned as they turned their heads to look at Jiangdong Hall, one of the ten great sects of the cultivation world.

     The disciples of Jiangdong Hall were even more frightened. Their eyes were as big as bells, and they stared blankly at their Sect Leader, Qi Liangji.

     This woman, who had just risen to the position of Sect Leader, instantly went pale, her face ashen. She stood on her sword like she was made of wood, standing in the night wind.

     On her arm, clearly painted, were five bats with flowers…

     She never could have imagined that her private affair with Nangong Liu would be seen in its entirety and made into a scroll of memories. Now, it was all exposed, without any concealment.

     She was instantly stunned.

     Mo Ran was also stunned. Almost immediately after the naked visage of Sect Leader Qi appeared in the air, Mo Ran covered Chu Wanning’s eyes.

     “Don’t look.”

     Chu Wanning: “...”

     This was almost a subconscious action. Mo Ran was full of possessiveness towards Chu Wanning. He once wanted to possess this person’s body, his breaths, his moans, and his broken sobs between his lips and teeth. Now, he wanted to possess Chu Wanning’s clean and pure heart.

     “Don’t look, it’s dirty.”

     What’s dirty? So what if you cover my eyes? Chu Wanning thought. His ears were still clearly echoing the ambiguous sounds of a man and woman’s entanglement.

     Chu Wanning kept silent, letting Mo Ran fold his hands in front of his eyes. He tried to maintain his composure, but his face unconsciously became slightly hot.

     “Ah… Hurry, hurry… Ah, ah. Ngh…”

     Mo Ran: “...”

     Chu Wanning: “...”

     Because his eyes were covered, his other senses were suddenly much clearer. Sect Leader Qi’s seductive voice was like a tiny claw that climbed up his spine, stirring up a tingling itch wherever it passed.

     It was unknown if it was on purpose, but her voice was full of ardent passion. To her, the man’s invasion was like the thick roots of a giant tree buried deep into the fertile soil. The bubbling spring water beneath the mud was drilled out, the air seemingly flowing with the smell of a heavy rain.

     This sound made Mo Ran very anxious and at a loss for what to do. He wanted to raise a hand to cover Chu Wanning’s ears, but he was unwilling to move his hand and uncover his eyes. What’s worse, was that in this suddenly erotic atmosphere, Mo Ran suddenly felt that what he desired most in his heart was neither to cover Chu Wanning’s ears, nor his eyes. There was a violent tiger in his chest that roared, urging him.

     Although it was inappropriate, he suddenly realized that what he wanted most was to grab Chu Wanning from behind and hold him tightly in his arms. He wanted to caress his back intimately, eagerly suck on his ears, and then turn Chu Wanning’s face towards him for a fierce kiss.

     His gaze was dark as he stared at Chu Wanning, his breathing gradually becoming unnatural. Although Chu Wanning was strong and fierce, he was no longer any match for Mo Ran in terms of size. If Mo Ran ever wanted to do something to him, like he did in his previous life, Chu Wanning wouldn’t be able to fight back against him. This stubborn man’s accumulated strength could only be used to suppress the moans between his lips. He would endure to the limit, but never hope to escape the fate of being crushed into nothing.

     The person in front of him didn’t know what was going on in Mo Ran’s head. As if to ease the awkwardness, Chu Wanning cursed in a low voice, “This is outrageous.”

     “Yes.” Mo Ran’s throat was dry, but his eyes were now very moist. He agreed in a low voice, “Very outrageous.”

     “Qi Liangji was obviously a married woman. Her husband just passed away, and she only recently took over the position of Sect Leader of Jiangdong Hall. Who would’ve thought that she would actually turn around and do this kind of improper thing with Nangong Liu?” Chu Wanning was extremely disdainful, and said concisely, “Absurd.”

     “Yes.” Even though it was a bad time, the desire in Mo Ran’s heart could not be contained. Mo Ran himself didn’t even notice that his lips had gotten closer, almost at the back of Chu Wanning’s neck as he said absent-mindedly, “It’s absurd.”

     He glanced at the sky indifferently. Nangong Liu and Qi Liangji’s live erotic display was still violently churning.

     He vaguely recalled that Qi Liangji was much older than Nangong Liu, and that her husband was Nangong Liu’s sworn brother. According to seniority, Nangong Liu should be calling her sister-in-law. He didn’t know how these two seemingly innocent people managed to get together.

     Just as he was thinking this, Nangong Liu’s hoarse voice came from within the tribulation fire. Mo Ran looked up and saw that these two shameless people had changed positions. Nangong Liu purposely seduced her and said, “If you still want it, call me gege.”

     “???” Mo Ran was truly shocked.

     Can it… be like this?

     But she was clearly so much older than him. How… how could she call him gege?

     Taxian-Jun had underestimated Nangong Liu’s capabilities and overestimated Qi Liangji’s face. This woman had probably been tortured to the point of madness. She didn’t shrink away at all, instead she gasped and moaned, “Gege… Gege… Don’t torture me anymore… Ah…”

     “...” Even Mo Ran, whose face was as thick as a city wall, couldn't help but turn red.

     At this moment, Chu Wanning’s soft eyelashes trembled slightly against Mo Ran’s palms, as if they knew the heat and itch in his heart and wanted to use this small movement to scratch away the numbness in his bones.

     However, those delicate eyelashes were far too soft and light. They moved a little, but the itch didn’t disappear, and only grew until it was unbearable.

     Mo Ran froze for a moment as he looked at the back of the man’s neck in front of him. His pale skin seemed to glow with a slight peach blossom red in the night.

     He blinked, his heart beating like a drum.

     He didn’t dare look again, and lowered his eyelashes. Under this curtain, his eyes were pitch-black, like burnt ashes, burning with a blazing heat. Under this darkness, were layers upon layers of sparks. He was only waiting for Chu Wanning to bestow upon him a gust of wind filled with love, and the sparks would burn out from the embers, the brilliant glow setting the prairie ablaze.

     Mo Ran suddenly felt regret—

     Why couldn’t he have found out about Nangong Liu’s perverted fantasies in his previous life?

     If he had seen this earlier, he would have bullied Chu Wanning like this back then. He would have had that high and mighty man lie under him, panting and gasping on top of the woven silk, looking at him with a misty gaze until he called him gege.

     Then, he recalled that in this life, Chu Wanning had actually called him gege before—not only did he call him gege, he even called him shixiong.

     However, at that time, he didn’t know Xia Sini’s true identity, and still thought the little shidi was only a little shidi.

     Now that he looked back, his heart was burning. He was bold and ambitious, and even though he knew it was impossible, he couldn’t help but think about it.

     He thought about Chu Wanning lying on the bed, a few wisps of sweaty hair on his forehead. His phoenix eyes were closed slightly, leaving only a subtle gaze to look at him. There was stubbornness and restraint in his eyes, then a trace of love, which burned away the stubbornness and restraint and turned into a thin layer of red at the corners of his eyes.

     Chu Wanning’s lips were half-open. He tried his best to bite him and keep silent, but in the end, he opened his mouth and called out to him in a low voice, “Gege…”

     Mo Ran: “...”

     He didn’t know when he let go of the other person, but he probably knew subconsciously that if he continued to cover Chu Wanning’s eyes so intimately, he really wouldn’t be able to hold himself back from doing something outrageous.

     Love was a very difficult emotion to contain. Moreover, Mo Ran had tasted it before, and knew what it was like.

     Chu Wanning turned around to look back at him. His cheeks were a little red, but when he raised his chin unconsciously, his eyes were bright and clear, showing a little bit of pride.

     “What’s wrong with you?”

     Mo Ran glanced at his lips, then coughed softly and turned away, “Nothing.”

     The memories in the tribulation fire continued.

     Nangong Liu caressed Qi Liangji’s hair and asked lazily, “Have you asked all the elders in the sect about that matter?”

     Qi Liangji opened her soft eyes, “What matter?”

     “Look at you. Even though you know, you always beat around the bush with me,” Nangong Liu said. “What other matter could it be? Didn’t you tell me before that after you became Sect Leader, you would work to merge Jiangdong Hall into Rufeng Sect?”

     “Oh, that.” Qi Liangji smiled, “Don’t worry. I just succeeded the position not too long ago. The Sect Leader’s seat isn’t even warm yet.”

     Nangong Liu continued, “You have to hurry. When our two sects become one, I will let you be First Protector of Rufeng Sect. When that happens, you will be under one person and above thousands…”

     As Nangong Liu said this, he couldn’t help but touch her waist. However, Qi Liangji seemed a little unhappy. Despite her flushed face, she raised her hand to stop him, “It wasn’t easy to climb to the position of Sect Leader, yet you won’t let me stay for just a few more days? You’re not going to marry me properly and make me the wife of Rufeng Sect. What’s so good about being First Protector?”

     Nangong Liu replied with embarrassment, “You know Si-er’s temper. If I want to remarry, he definitely won’t agree. Furthermore, with our current statuses, marriage isn't a personal matter. If someone were to speak of it, who knows what kind of unpleasant words they would say?”

     “Unpleasant words?!” Qi Liangji’s eyes were filled with anger as she glared up at him. “If you’re afraid of unpleasant words, I’m not. Don’t you remember how my husband died? Do you think I just want to replace him as the Sect Leader of Jiangdong Hall? Nangong Liu, you should know well how I’ve treated you since childhood!”

     Nangong Liu soothed, “Alright, alright, alright. Don’t be angry, don’t be angry.”

     Qi Liangji raged, “How can I not be angry at you?! You married that little bitch Rong Yan in order to make your dead old man appoint you as his heir! I… I had no hope, so I married my shixiong. Now that both of them are dead, you… you really only want me to be your First Protector after our two sects merge?!”

     “Liangji…”

     “I refuse! Whoever wants to be First Protector can be First Protector, but you have to marry me! That son of yours, Nangong Si, is unruly and hard to tame, just like that bitch Rong Yan. Do you really plan to let him succeed the position of Sect Leader?” Qi Liangji continued arbitrarily, “I am not afraid of the world’s gossip. We are now a widow and a widower, so what’s wrong with getting married? Who’s in the way? Not only will I marry you, but I will also give you eight or ten more young masters. Nangong Liu, do you want my children, or the child that bitch left for you?”