Su Qingyue had once held his hand under starlit skies. On Earth, before this madness began, she was his first love. They dreamed of forever. They spoke of futures built together.
But love, Ye Chen learned, had no weight in a world ruled by spirit stones and sword intent.
He saw her again last month—her arms around Lin Jian, the inner disciple of the Azure Cloud Sect. Lin Jian was every inch the opposite of Ye Chen—talented, rich, handsome, and ruthlessly ambitious. His cultivation had already reached the Golden Core Realm before his thirtieth birthday.
"You were sweet," Su Qingyue said as she glanced at Ye Chen from Lin Jian's side, her voice filled with pity, "but kindness doesn't matter here. You can't protect anyone with words."
That moment etched itself into his bones.
Even Bai Lingxue, the wife he had fought to win respect from, had grown distant. She hadn't spoken to him during family meals, nor shared a single night beneath the same roof for months. The love he held onto—fragile and frayed—had been discarded without a second glance.
He had failed them, perhaps. Or perhaps… they had never seen him at all.
But soon, they would.
The Compass pulsed.
And the world… would learn regret.