February 14th.
Valentine's Day.
Beijiang City.
Snowflakes had begun to fall from the sky since dusk, but this couldn't deter the enthusiasm of the couples, and the streets were packed with people.
And in Beijiang Park.
Everything was still so quiet.
In the middle of Beijiang Park, there was a lake, not very large, but due to the severe cold, the water had frozen over.
At this moment.
There was a rumbling sound coming from beneath the lake's surface.
Crack!
After a loud noise, the frozen surface of the lake shattered as if punched by a giant, the dark lake water surged upwards.
The fish in the lake all floated to the surface, the air filled with a strong fragrance.
They were actually cooked alive.
Suddenly, a pair of skeletal hands appeared on the stone steps by the shore, and then arms, and finally, a crystal clear skeleton slowly walked up from the water onto the shore.
The sky was covered with dark clouds, and a huge vortex appeared above the skeleton's head.
The skeleton looked up at the sky and let out a strange laugh.
As he smiled, blood vessels and muscles began to rapidly appear on his body, and in the blink of an eye.
The skeleton had transformed into an incomparably handsome man.
The man muttered to himself, "Three thousand years... I never imagined that after three thousand years, I could return!"
Then the man looked up, and a beam of golden light burst forth from his eyes.
The giant vortex in the sky shattered in response.
At the same time, an immensely majestic aura emanated from the man.
For a moment, the entire Beijiang City, and even the whole of Dongdu, trembled.
Many elderly people meditating cross-legged opened their eyes in unison, their faces filled with sheer terror.
Because they sensed an extremely powerful presence, so strong that even a brief perception of it almost imprisoned their souls.
Who could it be?
Who possessed such an imperial might?
Xue An had not expected that he could come back.
Three thousand years!
So much had happened in those three thousand years.
The once down-and-out young man had become an Immortal Venerable, a figure counted among the very few at the top of the entire realm.
If it weren't for a flaw in his Heart Realm during the final moment of his ultimate enlightenment, his achievement would have fallen short.
Xue An would have been the supreme being of the entire realm.
However, as he was on the brink of death and his path was about to be extinguished, Xue An used his Supreme Divine Skills to tear through time and space, finally returning to Earth!
He looked around the park with a sense of loss.
In the past, he and An Yan used to come to this park often to play.
"An Yan, are you... doing well?" Xue An murmured to himself in a low voice.
In the past, Xue An had a happy family.
After graduating from college, in the eye of envy and jealousy, he took An Yan, the belle of the university, to this city and began their sweet life together.
Back then, neither of them had much money, and they could only afford to live in a small room.
But those days were extremely happy.
Every day when Xue An came home from work, An Yan would have prepared dinner early and waited for him at home.
Xue An had thought that life would continue in this happy and peaceful way.
But later on.
The family of An Yan tracked them down to this city.
Only then did Xue An realize that An Yan's true identity was the daughter of the An Family from Zhongdu.
The An Family from Zhongdu!
This was a colossus, so powerful that many multinational corporations were merely part of their extensive ventures.
And An Yan was a legitimate branch member of the An Family.
Therefore, the An Family absolutely would not allow An Yan to be with an ordinary man like Xue An.
Yet An Yan adamantly refused to return and was even prepared to break away from her family.
Without any choice, the man who came to fetch An Yan dropped a foreboding "take care of yourself," and then left Beijiang.
But that was just the beginning; soon after, Xue An lost his job, and no company dared to hire him.
Out of options, Xue An went to work on a construction site, taking on even the most exhausting tasks without complaint.
Not for anything else.
But because An Yan was pregnant.
However, as An Yan's belly grew larger and she was about to give birth, Xue An disappeared due to an accident on the construction site.
Only Xue An knew that because of that incident, he had entered a bizarre world of the survival of the fittest filled with gods and demons.
And that departure lasted three thousand years.
Suddenly.
He shuddered all over, his face showing a shocked expression.
He had returned after three thousand years, only to find that on Earth, only four years had passed.
This also meant that An Yan was still alive!
Although bound by the rules of the Heavenly Dao, Xue An's remaining strength was still not to be underestimated.
He closed his eyes, and his Divine Sense instantly enveloped the entire Beijiang City.
But the result was fruitless.
As expected...
An Yan had already left Beijiang.
A bitter smile appeared on Xue An's lips; his sudden disappearance must have dealt her a huge blow!
"An Yan, I'm back!"
"Have our children been born yet?"
"Is it a boy or a girl? You said you liked girls the most, so it must be a pretty little girl, right?"
Xue An muttered to himself and then began to search for people related by blood to him with his Supreme Divine Consciousness.
I've found them!
Huh?
Why are there two!
Xue An was stunned, a slow smile spreading across his face, and then he vanished into the snowy night.
On the streets of Beijiang City, a couple was enjoying the snow scene.
"Big brother, the sister is so pretty, why don't you buy a flower for her?" a timid voice came from behind.
The couple turned around and saw a little girl carrying a basket of flowers, looking at them with hopeful eyes.
This little girl was only about four or five years old, cute as a button, with big eyes, a small nose, and long eyelashes that made people want to take a bite.
"What a cute little girl. It's so cold, and you are still out selling flowers?" the girl crouched down and asked with a smile.
The little girl smiled, revealing two dimples, "Yes, sister, I'm not cold. Buy a flower, please!"
"Buy one!" The man also said with a smile as he took out some money.
But just at that moment, another girl who looked almost exactly the same came over, "Big brother, buy two, one for each of us!"
Two little girls, not only identical in appearance but also dressed the same, stood together and were simply adorable.
"My goodness, are they twins?"
Such a beautiful scene.
"Which one of you is the older sister, and which one is the younger sister?"
"Sometimes, I'm the older sister!"
"Sometimes, I'm the younger sister!"
The two little girls said in their milky voices.
This scene also attracted many passing pedestrians; for such cute little girls, they had to part with their money indeed!
So, in a short while, the girls' flowers were sold out.
But this also attracted malicious gazes.
Just as the two girls were about to leave with their flower baskets, a plump woman with a sullen face blocked their path.
"You two little sluts, who allowed you to sell flowers on my turf?" the woman snarled.
The two girls were startled and then said timidly, "Fat auntie, we didn't know this was your turf! We'll leave right now!"
"Want to leave?" The woman waved her hand, and several mean-looking men surrounded the two girls.
This woman was indeed the local tyrant of this neighborhood, known as Sister Feng.
She had been eyeing the twin sisters for a while. Seeing that they had sold so many flowers in no time with their cuteness, she harbored vile thoughts.
If she could catch them and take them under her control, wouldn't that be like owning a money tree?
The girls were terrified, one of them pushing the other, "Sister, run quickly!"
"Run? None of you will escape!" Sister Feng laughed grimly.
The men began to close in as well.
Although the little girls thought about running away, how could they, at the age of four or five, possibly stand a chance against these adults?
They were quickly caught.
"Fat auntie, please let us go, we won't dare to do it again!"
"Still calling me fat auntie? I'll have you know, I've already investigated the two of you. Orphans, wild children, that's what you are. If you behave, I might take care of you, otherwise... Hmph!" Sister Feng threatened, both tough and soft.
"We are not wild children. We have Papa and Mama!" the two little girls shouted.
"Oh? Then call your Papa and Mama to save you!" Sister Feng laughed, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth.
The two little girls were disheartened by what Sister Feng said and whispered, "We are not wild children. Our Papa and Mama just went to a faraway place. They will come back!"
"Haha, that's the funniest thing I've heard. Wild children are just that, no matter what you say!" Sister Feng laughed.
"Do you know that your laughter is truly disgusting?"
Accompanied by a detached voice, Sister Feng's laughter stopped abruptly, and a figure appeared at the end of the alley.
At that moment, the wind and snow were heavy, but the figure stood tall and straight, slowly approaching.
"Who is it? When Sister Feng is handling business, all others can piss off!" one of Sister Feng's men barked.
The two little girls shouted, "Uncle, save us!"
The person who arrived was naturally Xue An. He looked at the two little girls being caught; the tremor from their bloodline told him that these little girls were his daughters!
His heart quivered at the thought.
Could these be his children?
They really did resemble An Yan.
No, those eyes were more like his own.
Xue An couldn't help but gaze at them intently.
"Are you deaf? I told you to piss off, didn't you hear?" One of the men cursed and reached out to push Xue An.
But the next moment, his hand was severed at the wrist.
Blood spurted out, staining the snow, a startling red.
"Ahhh...." The man was first stunned for a moment, then screamed in extreme pain.
Xue An surveyed the people present and slowly counted, "One, two, three...."
"What the hell are you counting?" Someone roared, trying to rush over.
But as soon as he did, his legs were cleanly broken at the knees.
Xue An waved his hand, and the wind and snow obscured the view of the two little girls.
He then said indifferently to Sister Feng, "Eight people in total. Remember, don't get separated on the road to the netherworld!"
Sister Feng felt as if the man's gaze was that of a supreme emperor; she didn't even have the qualification to kneel and submit.
"No... spare me..."
Her words stopped abruptly, as a flame surged from beneath the feet of Sister Feng and her people.
In the blink of an eye, the eight people were reduced to ashes.