In the middle of the one-sided fight, a paper suddenly dropped out of the small cage.
Seeing the paper, Little Mortal stopped attacking the red-eyed lady and picked it up to read.
[Interrogation Result:
The two new prisoners are shadow soldiers,
Chosen cultivators with the "dark root."
Under the command of the Shadow Commander.
They were trying to protect the Emperor and his family.
The first one saw you enter the capital and was watching you the whole time.
But due to your act against the Emperor's parents, he took action to protect them.
Shadow Commander:
The empire's protector.
Behind the scenes, they are responsible for eliminating any threat to the human empire.
Shadow Scarlet:
The daughter of the previous Shadow Commander and the current leader of the group.
Her father was trying to develop the technique Harmony With All Beings because he saw great potential in it for their line of work in the empire.
Conclusion:
They have been chosen by the guardian law of the current universe to be guardian candidates due to their heroic acts of protecting humans for generations.
But due to the manipulated law and the interference of this universe's parasite, even though they are under the guardian law's influence, they don't honestly know what they are doing.
By the way, you can see her in the picture on the wall.]
Little Mortal gasped and hid the paper.
"They were heroes?"
Then he scratched his head and muttered,
"I forgot you need to be somewhat decent, at least, to be a candidate."
He looked around and saw a large picture with a bunch of people in it—the one mentioned in the Interrogation Result.
They seemed to be essential figures from the empire's past.
Among them, in the back row, was a group of people in black cloaks. Their faces were barely visible.
But in the arms of one of them was a little girl with red eyes.
"It turns out they were good people, just led down the wrong path because the corrupted universe law manipulated them..."
Little Mortal looked at the red-eyed lady—or rather, Shadow Scarlet—then at the Emperor with an annoyed expression.
"So disappointing. You can't even recognize your own people?"
The Emperor was confused.
Who's my people?
Little Mortal stood there, scanning the room as if searching for something.
The three waited in silence.
What if they said something that triggered him?
Then they saw the little monster's eyes suddenly widen—filled with shock and fear!
He pointed at the window and shouted,
"Dragon!"
The three, wondering what could frighten him so much, turned toward where he pointed.
The Emperor was the most nervous.
Now there's even a dragon coming to the capital!?
But he remained in character and merely glanced at the window.
The Empress stood up in shock!
Yet no matter how hard they looked, there wasn't even a bird outside, let alone a dragon...
"Dragons are fast. Before you turn around, it's already gone."
They turned back and saw the little boy standing beside the red-eyed lady.
Two familiar bodies now lay unconscious at Shadow Scarlet's feet.
"Little Scarlet, I think you dropped something."
The red-eyed lady, still reeling from the mention of a dragon, was shocked again—both by his knowing her name and his sudden friendliness.
She looked down to see what she'd "dropped."
Two unconscious black-robed men lay on the ground in front of her.
She and the couple were speechless.
What do you mean, 'dropped something'? Are they spirit stones that fell out of your pocket?
Then they watched as he—hands behind his back, shaking his head—walked toward the painting like a nostalgic elder.
He gazed up at it wistfully, as if lost in memory.
After a sigh, he said,
"It feels like just yesterday this painting was made."
Then, spotting the little girl, he added emotionally,
"Look how small you were, Little Scarlet. You're still so clumsy—dropping things left and right."
Shadow Scarlet was stunned.
How old is he? What does he mean, 'still so clumsy'? And why don't I remember him if he knows me so well?
The couple was even more shocked.
She's the girl in the painting? And he talks like he was there when it was made?
The Empress, now deeply suspicious, asked cautiously,
"Big Brother Sect Master… are you in the picture too?"
They knew most of the people depicted. If he lied, they'd know!
Scarlet and the Emperor mentally applauded her.
Good job! Now we'll catch him red-handed!
But the three paled instantly.
Wait—'catch him'? Wouldn't that make him angry? He might beat us… or worse, erase us!
The Emperor and Scarlet shot the Empress an annoyed look.
The Empress gulped, realizing her mistake as she stared nervously at the little monster.
Little Mortal, visibly taken aback, scanned the painting.
Most figures had silver hair or were hidden in cloaks—none resembled him.
The three watched as he grew stressed, even biting his lower lip.
Cold sweat dripped down their foreheads.
But then, as if struck by inspiration, he loosened his wristbands and headband—adjusting them without removing them.
He pulled a pen from his pocket, paused, then put it back.
A moment later, he tightened the headband and wristbands.
A sudden wind blasted through the hall—BANG!—shattering every window!
The trio's hearts leaped into their throats.
They knew something had happened… but what?
The unknown was always the scariest when dealing with monsters like him.
It was as if something had moved at impossible speed, creating a shockwave the glass couldn't withstand—but the result was a mystery.
Little Mortal turned slowly, a smirk playing on his lips.
"Sister-in-law."
The Empress answered in a trembling voice,
"Y-yes, Big Brother?"
"Every painting… has a painter."
The three were speechless.
Drenched in sweat, they looked at the painting's corner—where the artist's name should be.
It didn't matter who the original painter was.
Now, a new name was etched there:
[Leonardo Da Vinci]
"That's my name from back then by the way."
A single thought echoed in their minds:
With enough strength, you can rewrite history—even in front of witnesses who know the truth.
Little Mortal, satisfied, announced,
"Alright, I'm done here. I have an appointment with one of my special forces members to attend to."
He walked to the table, stuffed cookies into his pocket, and added,
"So if you'll excuse me."
But Shadow Scarlet stepped forward hastily.
"Senior… Da Vinci, what about me? What should I do about my problem?"
Little Mortal blinked.
"What problem? Oh, I almost forgot. Come here, Little Scarlet. Sit with us—"
He glanced around but found no extra chairs.
Annoyed, he turned to the Emperor.
"No cookies, no servants, and not even a chair for guests?
Are you sure this is the Emperor's property ?"
The Emperor waved his hand, summoning a fancy chair from his storage ring.
This little monster is angry at me for no reason…
Little Mortal shook his head in disappointment.
"Come, sit. We'll talk. And don't call me 'Da Vinci'—that name belongs to the past. Call me Sect Master."
Shadow Scarlet sat cautiously.
Little Mortal picked up his teacup—only to find it empty.
Before he could complain, the Empress hurriedly refilled it.
"Sister-in-law, you're so considerate. Please remind me to give you candy when my backpack's around. I don't have any now."
The Empress forced a smile.
"Thank you, Big Brother. I'll remind you."
I don't want your candy. Just leave before my husband breaks character…
"Alright, tell me your story, Little Scarlet."
As blue smoke curled from the "senior," Shadow Scarlet awkwardly recounted her past.
Ten years ago, she began hearing voices—urging her to act due to the world's "emergency."
The first goal: become the strongest in the world, fast.
This led her to a man in black robes with red patterns—the same person Little Mortal knew as the human trafficker boss and Law Enforcement Hall Master.
Their deal was simple: She'd share Harmony With All Beings; he'd give her Devourer, a forbidden technique that traded human lives for breakthroughs.
The catch? The Devourer required sacrifices to be motionless in formation, or the success rate plummeted.
Harmony would pacify the victims; Devourer would consume them.
Her plan: Let the sect masters break through, then use both techniques on them to fuel her own ascent.
But the cost? Madness—To use Harmony on so many strong cultivators and mixed souls as a side effect, nothing but madness could be the result.
The only reason the sect masters didn't care was that they were far stronger than the mortal humans being sacrificed to them.
But for her to sacrifice the already advanced sect masters meant an unimaginable side effect on her soul.
But the words in her mind were like a bewitching voice that she couldn't resist.
Until today, when she went under Little Mortal's control, she came back to her senses.
But she knew that it was all temporary because he was around.
"That is my story.
I hope Sect Master can help me, or just kill me.
I don't want to shame my family, like what my father did."
The couple was shocked at this realization.
They wondered why, around 10 years ago, they had lost contact with the organization known as Shadow Soldiers, which had helped the empire with some issues...
So this was the reason? They went rogue?
And this group of people was so secretive that even the Emperor didn't know who the leader of each generation was.
"Let me see."
Little Mortal took out his notebook and started flipping through the pages.
After searching for some time, he said,
"Oh, it's here."
Then he cleared his throat with an 'ehem' and started reading.
"If the position of the guardian candidate is forced on you, there are three ways to make yourself free and get rid of it.
First is death."
Then he looked at the speechless audience, his expression awkward.
"Second is to find another candidate, and say:
'I withdraw from the guardian competition in favor of the candidate with the name "X," and I will accompany him or her on the path to becoming the guardian.'
The problem with doing this is—"
At this point, while Little Mortal was reading from his notebook, Shadow Scarlet didn't wait and muttered to herself,
"I withdraw from the guardian competition in favor of the candidate with the name 'Sect Master,' and I will accompany him on his path to become the guardian."
And she sighed in relief.
She could feel it—it was like losing a great opportunity and a significant burden simultaneously.
"...Due to guardian candidate identities being secret from each other, if a candidate's name is exposed and then used in this way, they need to fulfill one extra condition to become the guardian."
Then he flipped to the next page,
"And the third way is just to wait for one of the candidates to win the competition and become the guardian. This way, you will be disqualified."
Then he looked at Shadow Scarlet and said,
"The third way seems to be the best.
Just wait for a couple of days, and it will be done."
But he saw her biting her lip and looking away, like she didn't want to make eye contact with him.
"Don't worry, Little Scarlet.
Losing in a competition is part of life as well.
How can you always be the winner?
And especially with an opponent like me."
He gave her some words of advice like a senior.
Then he looked at the couple and said,
"Right?"
But he saw the Empress looking away too, like she didn't want to make eye contact with him either.
And the Emperor... still in character, looking like an Emperor.
The couple heard Scarlet mumbling to herself.
At first, they thought she was doing the right thing by giving up on this 'guardian' position—that no one knew what it was—to this little monster.
Who could even compete with him?
Just give him what he wants and wish him good luck before saying goodbye.
So that was the best decision.
But when they heard the penalty that came with this choice,
They thought this was the worst decision they had ever made...
Little Mortal looked at the silent crowd suspiciously!
Then he suddenly slammed the table, added the fourth handprint on it, and said,
"I know what you guys are trying to hide from me!"
The three felt their hearts stop.
'He already knows!
We are done for!'
"One of you just farted, so you're trying not to make it obvious! In your dreams, if you think you can hide it from me!"
Then he looked around and sniffed the air, looking like a detective trying to find the evidence.
A moment later, while giggling, he hit the Empress's leg with his elbow and whispered,
"It was the Emperor, right?
I know it was him—look how dense he is, like there's one more to be released!"
The Empress didn't know if she should be happy that he didn't know what was going on and just let the blame fall on her husband, or defend his reputation and say,
'The Emperor never farts!'
The Emperor, who felt nothing of his dignity was left, was going to sacrifice himself and say it was him.
And Scarlet felt guilty, thinking about how to tell him the truth without making him angry.
The two Shadow Soldiers in corpse mode just pretended to be dead—they knew they were in the safest position.
But someone else—or better to say, something else—beat them to it.
At this moment, while Little Mortal was pointing at the Emperor and laughing, his guardian token separated from his waist and floated in the air.
A mechanical voice sounded:
[Due to the candidate's registered name as a competitor for the guardian position being exposed in front of another candidate, a trap from the current 'Universe Parasite' has been triggered.
The candidate, Shadow Scarlet, influenced by the trap without her own will, used the second way of withdrawal to withdraw from the competition.]
Little Mortal's laughter stopped; the smile on his face froze.
He slowly turned his head toward the floating token.
The token continued:
[The penalty for adding an extra condition will be announced to the candidate after consulting with the Planet Manager.
Please be patient.]
The hall became deadly silent.
There was only one question in everyone's head:
'Was that simple sentence so serious?'
'Who is the Planet Manager?'
'What are the conditions, and why is there now an extra one?'
'And it seems it wasn't anyone's fault, but there was a trap?'
'Who is the Universe Parasite?
Just the name alone is scary!'
Little Mortal was now like a statue—unmoving, rooted to the ground, with empty eyes.
...
Not long after.
Somewhere high in the sky.
A place that no one could fly to.
A withered old man was lying on a bed made of clouds.
He wore a blue robe with white clouds on it.
At this moment, the old man's closed eyes trembled, as if he was hearing something, and he was trying to open them.
But he was too weak even for that.
Then a mechanical voice sounded:
[I repeat, Planet Manager of Cultivation world.
Based on the rules for the guardian competition,
One of the candidates needs to fulfill an extra condition.
Planet Manager can decide on the extra condition.
If there is no response from you in 100 seconds,
The guardian token will decide in your place.
Countdown begins.
100, 99, 98...]
The old man tried his best to form a sentence made of clouds in the air with the last energy he had left.
....
Back in the hall, Little Mortal, looking anxious, was waiting nervously.
The Empress gave him another tea to drink.
Shadow Scarlet looked embarrassed.
The Emperor... still in character, looking dignified.
While sipping his tea, Little Mortal had been locked onto the Emperor for some time now.
Then he went in front of him and stared at him more closely.
The Emperor, feeling his gaze, thought he was going to say some other nonsense to him—until he heard him say:
"Look at him."
The Empress felt depressed. Can you stop making fun of my husband?
But the following words shocked them.
"Like an unmovable mountain."
Then he took another sip of tea, staring at the Emperor intensely.
"Like his emotions are all in a prison, shackled by his determination."
He took another sip.
A background music track suitable for introducing the main character began playing.
The crowd felt something wasn't right—was another scene starting?
He continued:
"In just half a day, twelve terrorists descended upon his door.
But he didn't even frown."
Another sip.
"The man with the strongest Daoist name descended.
But he didn't even frown."
Slurp.
"The mastermind who was going to bring disaster to his subjects—an ancient senior—descended.
But he didn't frown."
Sluuurp.
Then he raised his voice and said with a heavy tone:
"Look at his eyes.
There is no fear in them!
No emotions! No hesitation!
A fearless Emperor!
A ruler above all rulers!"
Then his head dropped weakly, and he became depressed.
"And me, with all my power...
Lost all of my courage in the face of just a little problem?"
He turned to the Emperor again.
"Tell me, Your Majesty.
What should I do?"
Then he shouted hysterically:
"I made a mistake!
I underestimated my opponent...
I thought because I'm out of his range, I could do anything..."
At this point, the Emperor's voice—the voice of a true ruler who thought it was time to play along—sounded:
"You can pick up a mistake and carry it as a burden, or you can set it down and use it as a stepping stone to greatness."
Then, a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"The choice is yours."
Little Mortal looked at him blankly.
Blue smoke stopped coming out of him.
Then his eyes changed, and he suddenly kneeled on one knee and said gratefully:
"Your Majesty is wise.
One sentence from you, and I have been enlightened!"
The Emperor sighed in relief inside. Looks like things are under control again.
This little monster was a mix of 80% child and 20% chaotic thoughts.
At this moment, the token's mechanical voice sounded again:
[After consulting with the Planet Manager, the extra condition has been decided.
Guardian candidate 'Sect Master,' by Planet Manager's request, your seventh condition to become the planet guardian is...]
Little Mortal declared confidently:
"I am ready for any challenge!"
The rest, who didn't know who the Planet Manager was, were curious to see what the ending to this show would be.
[Bring the Planet Manager back on his feet.]
The crowd:
"..."
What does that even mean?
But someone understood what it meant.
"YOU DYING OLD MAN!
I'LL BEAT YOU UP IF I SEE YOU!"
The crowd:
'Alright, it's not a good thing.'