ATG: God of Shadows

The silence that filled the room after Alex's departure felt heavy, as if his presence still lingered in the air. Xia Hongyi, still processing everything that had transpired, turned to look at his daughter, Xia Qingyue. His eyes softened with concern.

"Qingyue, are you sure about this?" Xia Hongyi asked gently, his voice filled with genuine care. "Marrying someone like him… it's not a decision to be made lightly."

Xia Qingyue nodded slowly, her gaze distant as she mulled over her decision. "Father, I have thought about it carefully. My engagement to Xiao Che was merely a formality. If what Alex says is true, then there is no reason for me to uphold a promise based on falsehoods. Moreover, Alex is offering me something I have longed for—an opportunity to pursue my true path."

Xia Hongyi's expression remained thoughtful, but there was a subtle hardness in his eyes when she mentioned her mother. "Your true path?" he echoed softly, focusing on her instead of the reason behind her desire. "I understand that you want to grow stronger, but aligning yourself with someone like Alex could have unforeseen consequences. His power is dangerous, Qingyue. I just want you to be safe."

Xia Qingyue's heart warmed at her father's concern, even though she couldn't help but notice how he skirted around the mention of her mother. "I know, Father. But finding Mother and understanding my own potential is important to me. Staying here would only limit me. This is my chance to break free and seek my own destiny."

Xia Hongyi nodded slowly, his focus entirely on his daughter. "If that's what you truly believe, then I'll support your decision, Qingyue. You've always been strong, just like your brother. I only want what's best for both of you. But please, promise me you'll be careful."

Xia Qingyue smiled softly at her father's words, feeling his love and concern. "I promise, Father. I won't take unnecessary risks. I just… I need to do this."

Xia Hongyi reached out and gently squeezed her hand, his expression tender. "I know you do, and I trust you to make the right choices."

Touched by his support, Xia Qingyue nodded, her resolve strengthened. "Thank you, Father. I won't forget that."

As they sat in silence, the bond between them felt reassuring. Xia Qingyue knew her father cared deeply for her and her brother, even if his feelings about her mother's disappearance were less clear.

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With Alex

As soon as Alex left the Xia Mansion, he shot to the sky and landed at the mountain area behind the Floating Cloud City.

"Hmm, now I need to decide about what should I do about Yun Che. According to Xia Qingyue, her wedding was supposed to be after 2 months, so that basically marks the start of the plot. Should I let Yun Che live? Or should I just kill him?"

"The way I am right now, Yun Che even with all his plot armor won't be a threat to me at all and there's also the fact that he has two of the seven Heavenly Profound Treasures."

"I can just get the Mirror of Samsara right, but then I won't be able to get the Sky Poison Pearl as in the original novel it was divided into two parts, but that shouldn't stop me as I don't need that Pearl anyways."

"While I do not need the Mirror of Samsara as well but collecting the Heavenly Treasures seems kind of cool, I can just use them to get favors or more like some greedy women I know."

"Xiao Lingxi or basically the Ancestral Goddess is supposed to give Yun Che the plot armor on the night he dies because of her attachment towards him, essentially destroying the plan the Ancestral Goddess had made to recover her power."

"But what if, Yun Che never dies or what if Xiao Lingxi were to not feel anything special about him. The only reason that she gave all her plot armor was because of grief and it makes sense as she had nobody else to rely on."

"Hmm, I guess I will let Yun Che live for now and see that will he get reincarnated this time even after me messing up the plot. And if he does then I will just let him complete the Sky Poison Pearl for me and take it from him." 

"As for Xiao Lingxi, I will tame her as well. I do not need to be afraid of the Ancestral Goddess if she never reincarnates which will only happen if I make sure that Xiao Lingxi never dies, thus leading to this cycle never being completed."

"Hmm, that sounds good. Being able to have all those hot asian girls by my side makes me wanna fap right now. But I guess I shouldn't as there won't be any need for it soon enough."

"I will just sleep for sometime I guess. Sleeping in the wild does feel good but soon enough I will sleep on those damn milky soft tits." saying so, Alex slept on the soft grass in the shadow of a large tree, waiting for the evening to come.