In the true war of plunder, the Heavenly Dao of the Mùsù star system itself was probably the real main force, a cold and hungry consciousness seeking to consume a younger world to prolong its own life. These cannon fodder invaders were optional at best—tools sharpened and thrown into the dark.
But if one of them managed to kill her, that would remove a massive problem for the invading forces. So even if these people died by the dozens, it didn't matter at all to the master of that dying star. From beginning to end, the Heavenly Dao of the Mùsù star system only loved itself. Maybe that was exactly why it declined step by step, its internal energy bleeding away until it was close to total collapse.
"I didn't expect the Heavenly Dao of the Mùsù star system to be this rotten. Those people are risking their lives for it, and it just discards them whenever it wants," Xiao Jin muttered in dissatisfaction within her sea of consciousness. The little spirit genuinely hated the Mùsù star system and everything it represented.
Hearing that, Song Wanníng curled her lips coldly, her eyes fixed on the distant road. "Good and evil never have a clear boundary. The Heavenly Dao of the Mùsù star system doesn't think it has done anything wrong; it is simply trying to survive at any cost."
After saying that, she didn't linger in the desolate mountains and headed toward the nearest city, her robes fluttering as she moved through the morning mist. On the road ahead, she deliberately wandered at a leisurely pace, acting as if she hadn't noticed any pursuit at all. But she knew Song Jing had been following her, hovering at the edge of her divine sense and looking for a perfect chance to get close again.
It wasn't until she entered the city and checked into a busy inn that she finally saw him again, right when she went downstairs to find a meal. The common room smelled of roasted meat and strong tea.
Today, Song Jing was dressed in a pristine white robe and wore a polished jade crown. He was seated by a window, looking out at the street while admiring the view with a practiced air of detachment. Even while eating, he kept a straight and elegant posture, appearing truly refined and graceful to the other patrons. A female cultivator even came over to strike up a conversation, but he politely declined with a charming, distant smile.
Then, as if he had only just noticed her by accident, he raised his brows in feigned surprise. "Song Daoyou, you're here too? What a coincidence."
At this point, Song Jing had completely forgotten his identity as an invader. Or rather, he had never cared about the mission in the first place. His mind was filled with thoughts of how to pursue a woman and how to show off his unique charm in front of Song Wanníng.
She glanced at him, already used to the misplaced confidence of these invaders. For some reason, no matter what their identities were in their previous lives, once they came to this world and gained power, they always became inexplicably confident. It was incredibly jarring to anyone who knew the truth. And yet they were completely unaware of how transparent they were.
Her eyes cooled as she walked over to his table. "It's been a while. What a coincidence indeed." She sat down by the table naturally, her movements fluid and acting completely at ease.
Seeing her sit with him, the smile on his face deepened. For the rest of the meal, he eagerly served her the best dishes, asked after her comfort, and showed a constant, bustling concern. He was so enthusiastic that even she started feeling uncomfortable under the weight of his attention.
She had met plenty of male cultivators and had been pursued by geniuses before, but Song Jing was the most direct and the most eager of them all. This approach was a bit too forceful, lacking the subtle dance of attraction she was accustomed to. True courtship should be about displaying one's own charm through action, not overwhelming someone with excessive, hollow enthusiasm.
Still, she didn't say anything to discourage him. Her thoughts were simple now; she wanted to see if she could dig out more secrets from him or the presence in his soul. If she couldn't get what she needed, she would find a way to kill him once they were away from witnesses. She also wanted to run an experiment to see if a soul search was possible on an awakened host. With the Mùsù star system awakening their consciousness, she worried a soul search might trigger a self-destruct mechanism, so she could only try and see.
While Song Jing was busy flattering her, thinking he had already moved her heart with his worldly grace, he had no idea she was calculating exactly how to take his life.
After the brief meal, he shamelessly invited her to go out sightseeing through the local scenic spots together. She let a small, shy smile touch her lips and nodded, pretending she couldn't bring herself to refuse. They agreed to set off together early the next morning.
Back in his own room, he couldn't wipe the grin off his face. He paced the floor, his white robes swishing. "Hahaha, I knew it. As long as I made a move and used the techniques from my old world, I would definitely win Song Wanníng over. Good thing this body after transmigrating isn't bad to look at. Otherwise, she might not even have looked at me twice."
He was glowing with pride, feeling that his charm was impressive enough to win over even a goddess like her. In his sea of consciousness, the shadowy figure of the white-haired man curled his lips in mockery.
"Have you thought it through? If you really get together with her and abandon your mission, you will be betraying the Mùsù star system and your master."
"Of course I have thought it through. It is just a lousy, dying world. So what if I betray it? What is there to care about?" Song Jing chuckled lightly, his tone filled with disdain for his origin. "I don't want to go back to that rotten, polluted world ever again. This world is great. I'm an immortal now with power over life and death. If I really destroyed this world for some broken, starving place, how stupid would that be? I would be throwing away a diamond for a piece of coal."
He wasn't wrong at all in his selfish logic. The Mùsù star system was about to collapse anyway, so what was there to struggle for? This world let him fly, live forever, and enjoy the company of beautiful women. He would have to be insane to help the Mùsù star system destroy his new playground.
"Heh heh." Hearing his answer, the remnant soul's laughter turned meaningful and dark.
Song Jing shot the air a glance. "What, why do you, a mere remnant soul, care about this stuff? You should just help me properly. When I find you a suitable body in the future, I will let you cultivate again and we can rule a mountain together."
He didn't care about the remnant soul's reaction. Ever since he transmigrated, that soul had been stuck in his sea of consciousness. What was strange was that the soul hadn't chosen to possess the body itself and had instead given the control to him. Just for that gesture of cooperation, he was willing to go to great lengths to find it a good body and help it seize rebirth. After basking in his own pride, he sat on the bed to meditate and wait for the next day's date.
He secretly prepared a lot of things. Song Wanníng was a woman of the Cultivation Realm; she definitely hadn't seen the romantic gestures from his original world. When the time came, he would move her to tears with his uniqueness. She would slowly realize that he was completely different from the stiff, traditional men of this world and would be utterly captivated by him.
Early the next morning, she deliberately changed into a light blue dress of fine silk and even styled her hair with a simple jade pin. The moment she stepped out of her room into the hallway, she left him standing there stunned. She was already breathtaking to begin with, but after dressing up, she became a rare beauty that eclipsed the morning sun. It took him a while to snap out of his daze before walking over.
"Wanníng, you look really beautiful today," he said, his voice dropping an octave. "This is for you." As he spoke, he handed her a large bouquet of bright red flowers he had gathered.
She stared at the flowers, a flash of genuine confusion crossing her eyes. What was this even for? The plant wasn't particularly pretty, it couldn't be eaten for spiritual gain, and it wasn't a useful medicinal herb. Still, she smiled politely, accepted the bundle, and turned to place it back on the table in her room.
"Thank you. I like it," she said, her voice soft.
"Like my ass," Xiao Jin cursed inside her sea of consciousness, itching to pry open Song Jing's head and take a good look at his brain. "Who gives garbage like this as a gift to a cultivator? At the very least, he should have given some high-grade immortal stones or a decent talisman. He is cheap as hell."
Long Ling quickly nodded in agreement, and even the usually quiet Bodhi Tree Spirit couldn't help nodding its leaves along. That showed just how useless and shabby the gift really was in their eyes.
But Song Jing didn't notice their disdain at all. Seeing her carefully put the bouquet away, he thought she had been deeply moved by his romantic gesture. The smile on his lips deepened as he led her out of the inn.
The theme this time was sightseeing through the nearby mountains and rivers. He took her out of the city gates, attentively serving her every step of the way and pointing out the scenery with an air of practiced sophistication.