"Xia Lun, I love you, Xia Lun... Everything I have is yours... My dear Xia Lun... My beloved..."
Xia Lun narrowed his eyes as Aina lay against his chest, whispering sweet nothings he could never tire of hearing.
"Thank you," Xia Lun murmured, stroking Aina's smooth back. "I love you too."
Aina pursed her lips, seemingly unsatisfied with his response.
"Xia Lun... You're being too cold," she pouted, poking his chest. "Just a single flimsy line?"
"Have you rested enough?" Xia Lun cupped Aina's face, his thumb gently kneading her soft cheek.
Aina's lips curled into a smile—finally satisfied. As always, actions spoke louder than words.
The Demon King's wings unfurled behind her, ready to envelop them once more.
"Wait."
Xia Lun reached out, gripping the bony cartilage of Aina's bat-like wing.
"What's wrong?" Aina tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
"Fold your wings away," Xia Lun guided her, turning her around and positioning himself behind her. One hand steadied her wing while the other held her arm.
"It's been a while since we've done this... Your wings would block my view of your face," he whispered against the nape of her neck.
"Hmph, how bold of you, Xia Lun," Aina sneered. "Are you forcing me into this humiliating, beast-like posture for your amusement?"
Xia Lun's expression faltered. "You don't want to?"
"But since it's your request, as your wife, I suppose I can reluctantly oblige." Aina folded her wings, the crimson appendages shrinking into twin scarlet markings on her back.
"Don't misunderstand—I'm only proving that even with my back turned, I, the Demon King, can effortlessly discern your intentions..."
Xia Lun remained silent. They had done this countless times before—in fact, the first time had been Aina's idea. Clearly, she kept inventing new theatrics to keep things fresh for him.
A sharp gasp escaped Aina as Xia Lun caught her off guard.
"Tch, not bad, Xia Lun. Sneak attacking while I'm distracted..." Even after the initial stumble, Aina refused to concede.
Xia Lun smirked.
"Ngh—that last one nearly killed me... Couldn't you be gentler?"
Instead of relenting, Xia Lun intensified his assault. Aina arched forward like a drawn bowstring, her body trembling under the relentless advance.
"Xia Lun! Ah—Xia Lun, if you keep this up, I'll...!" Panic flickered in her voice—being bested so swiftly by the Hero would be mortifying.
Xia Lun ignored her protests, pressing on mercilessly. Aina's wrists remained trapped in his grasp, denying her even the dignity of muffling her own cries. Whimpers spilled from her lips, raw and unrestrained.
Finally, Xia Lun released her. Deprived of support, Aina collapsed like a snapped cord, shuddering as she lay sprawled.
"Xia Lun... You're truly a monster."
Crawling onto his chest, she purred, "So overwhelming, my Hero."
"Can't help it. You're too tempting, Demon King." Xia Lun brushed a kiss against her lips, but Aina seized him, pulling him into a deep, hungry embrace.
Reluctantly, they parted—life awaited beyond their private world.
"Let's get up." Aina waved a hand, her robe materializing to cloak her lithe figure.
"Liyana and the others seem to be back," Xia Lun noted, glancing outside.
Another flick of Aina's wrist, and fresh clothes draped over Xia Lun. Her earlier threat to banish his garments into the void hadn't been idle.
"We're hooome!"
Liyana barged in—"barged" being the operative word, as few people kicked their own door open upon returning.
"I-I'm back too..." Mo Lini murmured, avoiding Xia Lun's gaze.
"Is something wrong?" Xia Lun asked softly, immediately sensing her unease.
"Ha! I took her for green dumplings, and she overate. Now she's fretting about her figure. Xia Lun, you should bring Aina sometime—she'd love them!" Liyana scratched her head, feigning nonchalance.
Though Liyana acted normal, Xia Lun suspected they were hiding something.
But he let it slide—everyone had secrets. Back in his adventuring days, he'd never pried into his comrades' pasts, judging them solely by their present actions.
"Come, Aina."
He didn't refuse Liyana's suggestion. Aina adored sweets—except honey-glazed pancakes.
Aina cast a lingering glance at the pair but followed without comment.
"Whew... Do you think Xia Lun noticed?" Mo Lini exhaled.
"Of course not. Strong as they are, they're not omniscient." Liyana's voice wavered slightly.
"But he seemed perceptive... Liyana, if he asks me directly, I won't be able to lie."
"He won't ask." Liyana waved dismissively.
Not "won't be able to"—she knew Xia Lun's sharp eyes missed little. That eerie blue glow in the Grand Cathedral against the Twilight Apostles hadn't been for show.
If Aina found out... surely Xia Lun would protect her?
Liyana shrank into herself, already envisioning the worst.
Well, Aina probably wouldn't kill her—but punishment was inevitable.
"Blop blop—"
The slime, Little Blue, leaped from Mo Lini's head and darted away.
"Little Blue?!" Mo Lini reached out, but the creature vanished with uncanny speed.
"Wow, is that a slime or a rabbit?!" Liyana gaped.
Then again, given the enhancements Aina had fed it, perhaps the agility wasn't surprising.
"You don't think it ran away?" Mo Lini fretted.
"Doubt it." Liyana shrugged.
"Then where did it go?"
"Who knows? Probably off playing."
Liyana wasn't worried.
After all—what trouble could one little slime possibly cause?
rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!
transmigrates into the world as the sect master of the Heavenly Yan Sect, which is on the verge of being wiped out. He binds a system that grants him cultivation power based on the number of disciples he has: for each disciple, he automatically gains a year's worth of cultivation every single day! Take one disciple: every day he gains 1 year of cultivation power. While others struggle through a year of bitter training, he gets the same just by sleeping through a single night. Take ten disciples: every day he gains 10 years of cultivation power. Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul—he breezes through all bottlenecks without lifting a finger. Take one hundred disciples: every day he gains 100 years of cultivation power. Even a Soul Transformation Venerable before him can’t survive a single blow. Take ten thousand disciples: every day he gains 10,000 years of cultivation power! With a wave of his hand, he topples empires. With a single step, he crushes the sacred grounds of the universe. ... While others fight tooth and nail for secret techniques, Lin Yan casually hands out Nascent Soul-level cultivation manuals as beginner textbooks. While others strain to find talented recruits, Lin Yan opens his doors to anyone—so long as they’re human. In just three short years, the Heavenly Yan Sect went from a backwater sect made up of three crumbling huts to a sacred land that every cultivator under heaven would kill to enter. ... One day, otherworldly demon gods invade, with a million demon soldiers pressing down upon the realm. Lin Yan, yawning, rises from his lounge chair and glances at the system panel: [Current Disciples: 1.28 million] [Daily Cultivation Increase: 1.28 million years] He waves his hand casually, and the countless demon soldiers are reduced to ashes in an instant. “So noisy… interrupting my fishing.”
lities. One day, Qi Yuan was buying groceries when he unfortunately came face-to-face with a monster. Just when he thought he was going to die on the spot, he suddenly heard the monster's thoughts... "This aura, he's definitely not an ordinary master!" "So terrifying, so terrifying." "A fight with my back against the wall, I can't take it anymore." Qi Yuan: Ah, no one told me that my awakened ability isn't telepathy, but rather the stronger my enemies imagine me to be, the stronger I truly become. PS: Zhou Hai in the first chapter is not the protagonist.
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
