"You!!!" Tian Dao's expression instantly changed. Hearing such ancient secrets, his sealed memory gate reflexively flew open, revealing a terrifying truth!

The girl paid no mind to his transformation, sighing softly. "That is why I always taught Hong Ling never to hold back when acting. But her excessive kindness made her too stubborn; ultimately, she didn't heed my words... Still, it is what it is. I will take care of the trouble she left behind."

"You are... The First One??!!" Tian Dao was utterly stunned, gazing blankly at the girl, his voice laced with endless dread and shock, his very body trembling.

From those dusty depths of memory, he finally recognized this girl.

Starting from the most ancient Chaos, a prophecy existed within the Endless Worlds: When mortals began to perceive the Heavens Beyond the Heavens (Tian Wai Tian), powerhouses of the Heavens Beyond the Heavens would emerge. Then, every eighty-eight epochs, another such power would appear, continuing until the twelfth cycle. These twelve Tian Wai Tian powerhouses would serve as the Pillars of the World, shattering the Great Calamity.

Though few believed this prophecy at first, it eventually became reality. Countless epochs ago, twelve Tian Wai Tian powerhouses did indeed end the era of Calamity, allowing everything within the Endless Worlds to continue.

And the one who initiated this prophecy was none other than the girl before him—Qi Qi!

According to the oldest historical records, she was the very first Tian Wai Tian powerhouse of the Endless Worlds!

She was not a demon, yet she was more terrifying than any demon; she was not a god, yet she was more omnipotent than any god. From her very debut, she ascended with meteoric speed, remaining undefeated across countless epochs until she reached the realm of Tian Wai Tian.

Eighty-eight more epochs passed until the arrival of that legendary man, and only then did Qi Qi's myth of invincibility finally end. She then pursued that man, fighting him across an entire epoch. What transpired between them during that time is unknown to anyone, but afterward, Qi Qi became that man's maidservant.

Theoretically, Qi Qi must have lost. However, despite her defeat, her strength had not diminished in the slightest; instead, it grew even stronger than before.

A god-demon-like girl and a legendary man—the two became the most formidable combination!

Few knew of this ancient secret; only experts of the Ninth Heaven (Jiu Chong Tian) could glean knowledge of it, and those who did would never spread it, instead sealing the truth within the Gate of Memory. Tian Dao never imagined that the legendary individual would appear before him—it was utterly absurd!

"No... Impossible! You should already be dead!" Tian Dao stammered, trembling. He couldn't believe it, refused to believe it; if this were true, it was unimaginable!

Even though the legendary man eventually surpassed her and suppressed Qi Qi, her status as the First One remained unshakable. Even within the Time Travel Corps (Shi Zai Tuan), her power and insight ranked at the very forefront. Although she appeared docile most of the time, once engaged in battle, she transformed into the most terrifying God of Death, mercilessly erasing all enemies.

The only being capable of suppressing Qi Qi in that state was that legendary man.

Did he have to fight such a terrifying entity?

A chill swept through Tian Dao.

Qi Qi regarded him coldly. "Speaking of which, the troubles left behind by Hong Ling and the others are quite numerous, and you are one of them. Then there is Yi Ren, who grasped the interplay of Chance and Necessity. A mere 'chance' she carelessly tossed aside, through infinite evolution, actually achieved the ultimate principle of Destiny, attaining the supreme Dao of Fate. But that fellow was too overconfident; only he would dare challenge a member of the Time Travel Corps one-on-one. His capture by Xiao Yao and confinement as a man in a bottle was, in fact, inevitable."

At this, the corner of Qi Qi's mouth curled up, revealing a cruel smile. "Xiao Yao didn't kill Fate because she felt he might still have some use. But to me, any enemy holds no meaning. Those who oppose me have only one outcome: death... You should know, besides 'The First One,' I have another title. Do you remember it?"

"Heaven Rank Nemesis! The Vengeful Maidservant!" Tian Dao whispered hoarsely.

Qi Qi's abilities were unique; she belonged to no established system but rather merged myriad Great Daos through equal exchange, meaning she single-handedly mastered all forms of power. This made her truly omnipotent and the nemesis of any Heaven Rank (Tian Jie) expert... Even at the Quasi-Heaven Rank, she could fell a Heaven Rank powerhouse!

And she was not merely Quasi-Heaven Rank now; she was Heaven Rank!

Furthermore, due to her personality, which turned utterly cold the moment she fought, none of her enemies had ever survived.

Therefore!

During the time she was alive, she was the nightmare of all powerhouses! Although Tian Dao had been forcibly stripped of the supreme realm of the Ninth Heaven in the previous battle, he still retained the strength of the Fifth Heaven. Against this level of power, Lin Luo was like a mouse without legs facing a cat—having absolutely no room to resist, instantly blasted into dust by a casual strike, his technique of "Nothingness Giving Rise to Something" (Wu Zhong Sheng You) sealed away into eternal silence.

But as the saying goes, fortune turns in cycles, and next year it might be your turn.

Tian Dao, having just cast Lin Luo into eternal sealing, hadn't even savored the fruits of victory when a girl appeared like a brilliant meteor. A single palm strike was enough to shatter the Fifth Heaven Rank Tian Dao into fragments.

Of course, only his physical body was pulverized; Heaven Rank experts do not truly die, especially since Tian Dao's true essence was conceptual—the body was merely an appendage, or perhaps a weapon, which he could restore at any moment.

Thus, in the very next instant, his body reconstituted itself and materialized nearby.

"Who attacked me?!" As soon as he appeared, Tian Dao roared with deep fury. He was truly enraged. Since his "birth," even when he was the Tian Dao of a Minor World, he possessed Quasi-Heaven Rank strength. He had grown stronger step by step, enduring several great wars until reaching the Ninth Heaven realm, yet his body had never been shattered before. The only time it had been shattered countless times was during the previous fight with the God of Slaughter (Sha Shen).

But the God of Slaughter was a Tian Wai Tian powerhouse. Even though her realm was severely weakened due to certain factors, fluctuating between the Ninth Heaven and Tian Wai Tian, she still possessed the power to instantly kill him. Twenty Ninth Heaven experts fought one God of Slaughter; eighteen perished, one was cast into the endless torrent of reincarnation, never to awaken, and only he, despite suffering massive trauma, barely managed to keep his life.

Therefore, he did not feel humiliation; instead, he felt pride. After all, from antiquity until now... he was the only one to survive the full force of the God of Slaughter's attack—a feat worthy of boasting. But!

To be utterly pulverized by some unknown little woman who suddenly appeared was an absolute disgrace... igniting fury within him.

However, despite his rage, he did not vent it blindly. The preceding attack, though a surprise assault, capable of shattering his body in its Eternal State (Geng Gu Zhuang Tai), implied an opponent of equal footing.

He could afford to be nonchalant with Lin Luo because Lin Luo’s strength was too weak to even warrant him fighting seriously... But now, he dared not be careless... even if he possessed absolute confidence in being unmatched among peers!

So, after restoring his body, he did not strike immediately but cautiously looked toward the spot where he had just stood. There, he saw a girl standing there.

The girl appeared to be about seventeen or eighteen, exquisitely beautiful, with flowing silver hair that moved without wind past her waist. She wore a set of black maid's attire on her slender frame, as black as ink, making her look strikingly heroic. Yet, her peerless countenance was set in an expression of arrogant indifference. Her crimson pupils emitted not heat, but endless cold light... merely looking into her eyes felt like witnessing the most terrifying things in the world, causing a sense of utter dread that extinguished any will to resist.

Compared to Tian Dao, the girl's body was pitifully small, like a kitten beside an elephant. Yet, standing motionless, the aura she emitted completely overshadowed Tian Dao, as if she were the sole entity in this world, the true protagonist, existing eternally... unchanging forever!

Even Tian Dao inwardly gasped upon seeing her, knowing he faced an opponent of extraordinary caliber... though he had no idea where she had emerged from.

"Tian Dao, do you still recognize me?" The girl’s gaze fixed on Tian Dao, her indifferent look suggesting she was viewing a roadside pebble rather than him.

Tian Dao intensely disliked such a gaze; he felt utterly scorned. But for some reason, the indifferent way she looked at him felt... appropriate... a thought that confused him greatly.

More confusing still were her words: did she know him?

"You are...?" Tian Dao paused slightly, frowning subconsciously as he searched his deepest memories, but no such powerhouse existed among them.

Seeing his expression, the girl knew he had forgotten. She spoke, "Hong Ling’s ability controlled all Great Daos, including Tian Dao. To counter the Three Thousand Daos of Tian Wai Tian, she consolidated every Tian Dao within the Endless Worlds. But she was ultimately too soft-hearted. To leave a trace of order, a sliver of future for this world, she deliberately spared one Tian Dao from a Minor World. Because this was the only Tian Dao remaining in the entire Endless Worlds, it gained the potential for infinite development, eventually growing into the strongest Tian Dao within the Endless Worlds after countless epochs. Unfortunately... Hong Ling's soft heart left behind a disaster, for this Tian Dao intended not to bring a bright future, but to instigate greater chaos, bringing back the Age of Calamity. Do you agree, Tian Dao?"