69: Chapter 69 Jade Emerges from Qingqiu, Fate Decides to Change

The wind and snow wailed, like a lament, offering the final dirge for the passing of a formidable figure.

Wuxiang's body turned to ashes in Su Shuang's sight, along with all the sins of his life and his final atonement, completely dissipating over the homeland he had personally destroyed.

That phrase, 'Shuanger... Uncle was wrong,' seemed to still linger in her ears, carrying endless regret and a hint of release.

Su Shuang knelt in the snow, her body trembling uncontrollably due to immense grief and the violent resonance of her bloodline.

The warm "qingqiu jade" in her palm felt like a living heart; every pulse surged the three centuries of longing, three centuries of solitude, and three centuries of waiting into the depths of her soul like a tide.

This was not cold information, but the unwillingness and hope of countless clansmen before their deaths, the final obsession of her parents who placed all their hopes upon her.

Tears finally broke the dam, falling hotly onto the accumulated snow, instantly melting small pits.

She did not cry out loud, merely biting her lip until the taste of blood spread in her mouth.

This is not the end; this is just the beginning.

What she had brought back was not just a piece of jade, but the very lifeline of the entire Qingqiu Fox Clan.

"Can you stand up?"

A steady voice sounded beside her, and a hand, with undeniable force, gently supported her tottering shoulder.

Chen Fan had walked to her side at some unknown time. He didn't offer any words of comfort, but expressed the most solid support through his actions.

He knew that any words at this moment would be pale and powerless; what she needed was not sympathy, but a pillar to lean on.

Su Shuang slowly stood up following the strength he provided, glanced at him through her tear-filled eyes, and nodded.

It was at this moment that the copper coin in Chen Fan's embrace, which had been hot from resisting the power of the "Night Candle," suddenly cooled down.

Immediately following, a strange suction was transmitted from the copper coin, which produced a faint yet profound resonance with the qingqiu jade in Su Shuang's palm.

A faint light, imperceptible to outsiders, flashed and vanished between the two of them.

Chen Fan felt as if a long-sealed shackle in his mind had been broken open with a 'crack,' and an unprecedented clarity swept over his entire body.

Before his eyes, the system interface, visible only to him, refreshed frantically.

[Warning: Unknown high-dimensional energy intervention detected...]

[Warning: System module undergoing unknown coupling...]

[Coupling complete... Critical Hit module is upgrading...]

After a string of red warnings, the interface finally stabilized, displaying golden text that made his heart pound.

[Congratulations! Core Talent 'Absolute Critical Hit' has been nourished by Bloodline Power and permanently enhanced!]

[Critical Hit Rate increased to 20% (Permanent)]

[Talent module unlocked new function: 'Critical Hit Foresight' (Beginner Level)]

[Critical Hit Foresight: 0.3 seconds before a crisis descends, your perception will highlight warning points on attacks capable of inflicting critical damage.]

[Host detected establishing a deep link with the high-dimensional bloodline 'Lord of Qingqiu'; Critical Hit module secondary upgrade initiated, estimated upgrade time: Unknown.]

Chen Fan's breathing hitched slightly, and the corners of his mouth involuntarily curved upward.

A permanent 20% Critical Hit Rate!

This meant that theoretically, for every five strikes he landed, one would be a world-shattering critical hit!

Even more monstrous was the 'Critical Hit Foresight,' which was practically an official cheat, granting him the ability to see through an enemy's fatal attack in milliseconds.

This was no longer simple combat assistance; it was a divine skill that bordered on foresight!

He lowered his gaze to the copper coin that had returned to its ancient simplicity, then looked at the radiantly flowing qingqiu jade in Su Shuang's palm, understanding dawning in his heart.

The origin of this copper coin was far more mysterious than he had imagined, and the qingqiu jade was definitely not as simple as an S-rank relic.

High-dimensional bloodline?

The system even used that term; it seemed this muddy water was deeper than he had anticipated.

He grinned, a trace of roguish arrogance in his smile, and muttered softly, "It seems even the System is having trouble keeping track of my messy ledger."

Simultaneously, at the edge of the snow forest several hundred meters away, a figure clad in green stood silently like a ghost.

Green Face spread his palm. The specially made ink pellet in his sleeve had absorbed enough energy, its surface smooth as a mirror.

As his will moved slightly, four distorted black characters slowly emerged on the ink pellet, precisely the residual thought echo of the "Night Candle's" final dissipation—Calamity Approaches.

Green Face's brow furrowed tightly. As the top informant planted by the Administration Bureau in the East Asian War Zone, his mission was to monitor all anomalies and eradicate any existence that threatened the 'System's' rule.

But everything he witnessed today had completely overturned his understanding.

The pain and purity of the youth called Seventh of Class C during his so-called 'purification'; the resolute self-sacrifice of the old man Broken Brush; and especially Wuxiang, the traitor whose hands were stained with the blood of his own kin, ultimately choosing to atone with his life and protect with his soul.

Were these people truly 'Calamities'?

In contrast, the System was cold and ruthless, viewing players and NPCs as mere data, and history and heritage as erasable bugs.

Its so-called 'purification' was more akin to erasure.

"If the System is the true calamity..." Green Face looked down at the four characters in his palm, his voice hoarse like sandpaper friction, "Then I, this dog that bites for my master, should also... change masters, or perhaps, take a bite out of my master."

Before the words faded, his figure dissolved like a wisp of green smoke, silently merging into the vast snowy forest, vanishing without a trace.

He did not choose to take a side immediately, but the scales in his heart had already tilted decisively.

Above the altar, the wind and snow grew fiercer.

Su Shuang's emotions had calmed down; her sorrow was buried deep in her heart, transforming into an even firmer will.

She looked at Chen Fan and said solemnly, "Chen Fan, thank you. From now on, you are forever a friend of Qingqiu."

Just then, the Jade Spirit in her arms suddenly flashed with light and lightly leaped into the air again. The small fox phantom spun anxiously, emitting a series of sharp mental signals.

"Master! We must leave quickly! Although the 'life furnace' in the north still exists, the 'Calamity Appointer' guarding the 'Life Recording Division' has already received news of the imperial seal's appearance. They are moving south from the 'Heavenly Capital,' and will arrive here in seven days at most!"

"Life Recording Division? Calamity Appointer?" Chen Fan frowned; these terms were completely new to him.

Su Shuang's expression instantly became extremely grave. She gripped the qingqiu jade in her palm and explained, "The 'Life Recording Division' is one of the core institutions of the Administration Bureau, specifically responsible for tampering with and 'correcting' the destiny trajectories of all living beings in this land. Our Qingqiu Fox Clan's book of fate was forcibly destroyed by them. And the 'Calamity Appointer' is the most terrifying executioner of the Life Recording Division. They are not players, but rule enforcers created directly by the System, specifically tasked with eliminating S-rank threats like us, who are 'historical remnants'!"

Seven days!

Time was extremely tight.

If they were caught by the Calamity Appointers, facing enemies at that level of rules, they would have no chance of winning.

A look of determination flashed in Su Shuang's eyes: "We must reach the ancestral land deep within the Kunlun Snow Mountain before they arrive, and use the qingqiu jade to ignite the final 'life furnace'! Only then can we awaken all our clansmen scattered across various places whose bloodlines have been suppressed, and reignite the fortune of Qingqiu!"

This was a race against death!

Upon hearing this, Chen Fan showed no fear; instead, a fierce fighting spirit ignited in his eyes.

He slung the broken saber, which now had several nicks, over his shoulder, its blade reflecting a chilling gleam in the wind and snow.

He grinned at Su Shuang, showing his white teeth: "Life Recording Division? They handle bookkeeping? Perfect, I also have an unsettled score. Let's go. Don't wait for them to come; let's go burn their book of fate first!"

Su Shuang was infected by his fearless spirit, and the last trace of gloom in her heart vanished.

She nodded heavily, turned to face the north—that was the direction of Kunlun, where hope lay.

The wind and snow intensified, almost swallowing the figures of the two people.

They did not look back again, stepping into the vast snowfield one by one, moving resolutely toward the unknown perilous journey.

Behind them, over the ruins of Qingqiu that had been razed to the ground, beneath a piece of charred broken wood, a tiny cluster of faint, crimson flames, which seemed capable of being extinguished at any moment, quietly ignited against the falling snow.

The firelight was small, yet exceptionally tenacious, illuminating the dead silent land as if declaring an unyielding oath.

The steps of the expedition had just begun, yet neither of them noticed that the sky above them, churned into chaos by the wind and snow, had quietly stilled at some unknown time.

The wind stopped, and the snow stopped.

An indescribable absolute pressure, as if originating from another dimension, slowly descended from the heavens.

It was formless and intangible, yet heavier than ten thousand towering mountains, causing the qingqiu jade in Su Shuang's palm to emit a painful hum.

Chen Fan's body hairs stood on end; the recently acquired 'Critical Hit Foresight' was warning him frantically at this moment!

But this time, instead of a highlighted attack point appearing in his mind, there was a blinding, destructive white light, as if the entire world was about to be simultaneously locked and detonated by some irresistible absolute power!

This was not an attack targeting a single person, but a... judgment covering the entire heaven and earth!