Ji Lingling suppressed the worry in her heart and gently tapped Ji Xue's forehead, saying, "Your father is preaching the Dao in the ancestral hall. The entire clan is listening."
"Come, it's time to listen to the Void Sutra. The Void Sutra does not like children who run away."
Ji Xue: "…"
That sounds like the scripture has consciousness.
Mother, that's terrifying.
Yet she did not resist when Ji Lingling carried her toward the ancestral hall.
As they stepped forward, the scene shifted.
The ancestral land unfolded like an ancient painting. White jade steps floated in the void. Immortal cranes circled above. Rivers of starlight flowed beneath transparent bridges formed from condensed spatial law.
Every step Ji Lingling took seemed light, yet space folded beneath her feet. Mountains retreated, clouds parted, and in the blink of an eye they had crossed tens of thousands of li.
The ancestral hall loomed ahead.
It did not appear grand in the mortal sense—no excessive carvings, no flamboyant decorations. It was merely a simple ancient hall suspended within a quiet expanse of void.
Yet above it—
The heavens rotated.
Stars shimmered in alignment with an invisible rhythm. The Dao hummed faintly, like a vast ocean breathing.
This was not ornament. This was resonance.
The Void Emperor, her father, Ji Daoyuan was preaching.
Before they even entered, Ji Xue felt it.
A soundless fluctuation pressed gently against her divine sense. It was not oppressive. It was not sharp.
It was vast.
So vast that her small Wheel Sea instinctively trembled.Within her navel, the sealed origin flickered faintly.
Ji Xue's scalp tingled.
Not again…
Last time she sat here, she had fallen asleep halfway through "On the Nature of Emptiness and Existence," and drooled off to a beautiful dreamland, causing many Great Saints to criticise her afterwards.
If she wasn't the princess of the clan, she would definitely have been scolded and probably even thrown out of the family for being so disrespectful to the Emperor.
Ji Xue clenched the hem of her mother's cloth and lowered her head, trying not to look at others.
Ji Lingling carried her into the hall.
Inside, rows upon rows of clan elders sat cross-legged, robes unmoving, expressions solemn. Saintly qi rose like pillars, intertwining yet never colliding.
At the highest seat, Ji Daoyuan sat in white robes. He seemed ordinary at first glance. Yet space around him was subtly fractured into countless layers. Within those layers flickered the birth and annihilation of stars.
Ji Xue swallowed.
Cheap Daddy… ah no, Emperor Daddy… was in lecture mode.
Ji Lingling placed her gently beside him.
The moment Ji Xue's small body touched the jade platform, the murmuring Dao sound grew clearer.
"Void is nothingness. Nothingness is void." Ji Daoyuan's calm voice echoed, neither loud nor soft, "Emptiness is the mother of form. Form is the shadow of emptiness."
As his words fell, a vision manifested above the hall.
A boundless black expanse appeared.
From that emptiness, a spark ignited.
The spark expanded into galaxies. Galaxies collapsed into dust. Dust returned to silence. Creation and annihilation danced within a single breath.
The Great Saints below felt their hearts tremble. Some entered minor enlightenment on the spot. Others' auras surged.
Ji Xue blinked.
Okay, visually impressive.
Still abstract.
She tried to focus.
She really did.
But her modern brain kept translating it into nonsense.
Void equals zero. Zero gives birth to one. One becomes two. Two becomes three and three becomes many.
What's this? Binary coding of the universe?
Her thoughts wandered.
Above, Ji Daoyuan's gaze shifted slightly.
He saw it.
That faint drifting of her mind.
Instead of anger, a trace of helpless amusement flashed in his eyes.
"Xue'er."
His voice alone caused the entire hall to quiet further.
Ji Xue stiffened.
"Yes… Father?"
"Tell me," he asked gently, "if void gives birth to form, what gives birth to void?"
Silence fell.
Dozens of Great Saints subtly leaned forward.
The Emperor was testing his daughter.
Ji Xue's mind blanked.
What gives birth to void?
In novels, this was usually some profound answer like "Dao," or "Heart," or "Nothingness beyond nothingness."
But she panicked.
Her mouth moved before her brain caught up.
"Maybe… laziness?"
The hall froze.
A Saint choked on his breath.
Another's Dao heart trembled dangerously.
Ji Lingling covered her lips, trying not to laugh.
Ji Xue wanted to bury herself into the Divine Spring.
Ji Daoyuan stared at her for three breaths.
Then—
He laughed.
It was not loud, but it carried warmth like sunlight through winter clouds.
"Laziness," He repeated thoughtfully. "When one does nothing, all returns to stillness. When stillness deepens, void appears."
The elders blinked.
Wait.
That… actually made sense?
Ji Daoyuan nodded slowly.
"Action creates form. Inaction returns to void. Laziness, in its purest sense, is non-contention."
He looked at Ji Xue with deeper eyes.
"Non-contention aligns with the Dao."
The Great Saints suddenly felt enlightened.
Some even bowed slightly toward the little girl.
Ji Xue: "…"
She did not mean it like that.
She just didn't know the answer.
But now—
Her casual nonsense had been interpreted as profound Dao insight.
Ji Xue felt cold sweat form on her back.
How did her cheap Daddy twist her foolish words into such profound truth? As expected of an Emperor, even nonsense can become profound knowledge in his hand. My
Ji Daoyuan's voice softened, "However, true non-contention is not escape."
His gaze pierced beyond the hall. For a fleeting instant, his eyes turned cold as the eternal void. Then the emotion vanished. He looked back at Ji Xue.
"Xue'er, remember this."
"One may avoid contention in small matters."
"But when darkness descends—"
His voice resonated like a divine bell.
"Even void must take form."
The hall trembled slightly.
Ji Xue's heart pounded.
Did he sense something?
For a brief second, father and daughter locked eyes.
In his gaze, she saw no suspicion.
Only boundless affection.
Ji Xue lowered her head.
Her small fists clenched unconsciously.
She had wanted to drift lazily through this era.
To hide behind inevitability.
To trust that heroes like Shi Hao, Ye Hei, and others would solve everything.
But sitting beside this man, feeling the warmth of his sleeve brush against her, she couldn't help but ponder.
If darkness truly descended…
Could she really remain lazy?
In her previous life, she was just an ordinary otaku who had become decadent after experiencing the hardships of society and pain of growing up. She had lost all her ambitions and immersed her entire being in the fantasy of anime, manga, novels, and games.
Fantasy was her escape route and reality was her source of pain and depression. She didn't know where her future would lead nor did she care about it. She just went with the flow, unable to return to her former spirited young self.
In this life, fantasy has become reality and cultivation is possible. Supernatural is no longer a dream and both status and power are in her hand.
But Ji Xue can't imagine herself turning into the hero in anime and saving this world. Her soul isn't that great.
But—
Ji Xue looked at Ji Daoyuan then at the various Elders, her heart was incredibly complex.
These old man were annoying but one day they would probably ll turn into ashes beneath this dark turmoil.
Her small fingers tightened unconsciously.
Seeing her daughter look dazed, Ji Daoyuan shook his head helplessly.
This little girl, she was always so sleepy in his sermon.
Ji Daoyuan raised his hand slightly, "Today's sermon ends here."
Gasps echoed faintly.
Ending early?
Everyone looked at the dazed Ji Xue who looked sleepy no matter how they looked at it and they were all speechless in their hearts.
It's one thing to distort the sermon but now even sermons are cut off in the middle.
Many Great Sages who had just gained some insights couldn't help but feel resentful. If only the sermon had continued, maybe they would breakthrough.
They sighed at their bad luck but none of them truly blamed Ji Xue.
The reason they could even get this sermon was because Ji Xue was here. Otherwise how could it be so easy to listen to an Emperor's teaching everyday.
They bowed in unison, "As Your Majesty decrees."
As the elders dispersed like flowing clouds, Ji Daoyuan lifted Ji Xue gently and placed her upon his knee.
Up close, he no longer resembled the suppressor of restricted zones. He was simply a father.
"My daughter, what are you afraid of," He murmured quietly but didn't say it out loud. His eyes revealed a hidden depth.
As an Emperor, Ji Daoyuan had this level of insight. Not just him. Ji Lingling, Shen Caiji, and other Great Sages more or less could feel the anxiety hidden beneath Ji Xue's heart.
They had all lived for at least thousands of years. How could a mortal with decades of life hide from them. Their experience was simply too rich and their cultivations were also unfathomable for current Ji Xue.
But none of them knew the reason.
As the princess of the Ji family, Ji Xue best resources, best teachings, best food and best clothing across the entire Nine Heavens and Ten Earths. Normally she has nothing to fear.
As such, she shouldn't be anxious.
Ji Daoyuan didn't understand, nor did Ji Lingling and others.
As an Emperor, Ji Daoyuan had countless ways to pry into Ji Xue's thoughts and worries. But as a father, he wouldn't do so unless necessary.
He would give her time and love she needed and wait for his daughter to reveal her true thoughts.
"Xue'er..." Ji Daoyuan said softly, caressing his daughter's cheeks with doting affection. .
Ji Xue's chaotic thoughts calmed down under the gentle touch.
"Remember, with father here, there is nothing to be afraid of"
Ji Xue's vision blurred slightly.
Her small hands slowly gripped his robe.
Ji Xue, she was afraid she couldn't avoid this vortex of fate.
This family, she didn't want it to fall apart.
For this, she did not need to become an illusionary Immortal or Immortal Emperor. She did not need to surpass Shi Hao or challenge the Plateau.
But just a Great Emperor was enough.
A Chaos Body with Great Emperor cultivation was enough to suppress all enemies under the heavens.
Ji Xue buried her face into Ji Daoyuan's chest, her voice muffled.
"Father."
"Mm?"
"If one day… you are tired…"
"Then… I'll help you."
Silence lingered. Then, a soft laugh echoed through the ancestral hall.
"Good."
...