The man stopped abruptly, as if recalling the most crucial detail, and stared sharply at Han Lu.
Where is Lin Mo? Where did he go?
How should I know?
Han Lu waved her phone. The signal dot representing Lin Mo on the screen had long since vanished without a trace. He didn't need me as a guide anymore, so I came back. Otherwise, do you think you'd be seeing me right now?
According to Han Lu, Lin Mo had evaporated from the face of the earth once again.
He didn't say where he was going? the man pressed.
Do you think he would tell me that? Han Lu retorted, a hint of mockery in her eyes.
The man choked on his words for a moment, then sneered. True. In his eyes, characters like us aren't even fit to carry his shoes. A monster capable of suppressing Zhang Gonglian is indeed someone we can't afford to provoke.
He accurately flicked his cigarette butt into a distant ashtray.
Still, this information is enough.
With that, he turned around in satisfaction and walked toward the back door of the bar.
Remember, you never saw me today.
I certainly haven't seen any dogs today, Han Lu said without raising her head, continuing to keep company with that bottle of strong liquor.
The man paused, looking back with a deepening smile on his face.
Hehehe... you crazy woman, your mouth is still as stubborn as ever.
He pulled open the back door, and before disappearing outside, his eerie voice drifted back.
Let's hope your sister's bones are as tough as you are.
The door closed, and the bar returned to its dead silence.
Han Lu slowly set down the bottle. The strong liquor inside was already half gone.
She stared at the vanished signal dot on her phone screen, remaining silent for a long time before opening her photo album.
In the photo, a pale-faced young girl lay quietly on a hospital bed, her body covered in various tubes.
Han Lu's gaze lingered on that face for a long time. The coldness and hardness in her eyes quietly melted for a brief second, only to freeze again into an even deeper resolve.
She muttered to herself.
Lin Mo... please don't let me down.
--System: Host, when are you going to be the number one in Jinmen?--
Please don't let me down.
Lin Mo had one hand in his pocket and pressed his phone with the other, walking leisurely in front.
Zhang Gonglian followed behind, sighing deeply, his entire face written with helplessness. How did I let you down again?
No one came to beat you up. It makes me very disappointed, Lin Mo said without looking back.
He walked briskly along the bluestone path in front of the main hall.
The Dragon Tiger Daoist Sanctum was quite peaceful. Cultivation here depended entirely on self-discipline, and the disciples had their own daily tasks. Unless there was important business, rarely did anyone wander around outside.
Thus, along the way, apart from a few hurrying Daoist priests, they hardly saw anyone.
Lin Mo walked all the way toward the Celestial Master's Mansion, muttering in his heart: Logically, Daoist Gongyue should have spread the news by now.
What was going on? The Celestial Master's cultivation base had been sealed—such great entertainment, yet no one had come knocking to thrash the little Celestial Master?
However, when the two stepped one after another into the familiar office of the Celestial Master's Mansion, the sight before them made Zhang Gonglian's footsteps freeze instantly.
In the office—no, in the entire courtyard, from the doorway to the bottom of the steps, stood two neat rows of Daoist priests.
These people all had deep, steady auras and wore immaculate Daoist robes. The youngest among them looked at least a dozen years older than Zhang Gonglian. They were all elder-level figures.
Pairs of eyes brushed over in unison.
Looks like your popularity isn't that great, Lin Mo leaned close to Zhang Gonglian's ear and chuckled softly.
Zhang Gonglian's mouth twitched violently.
He took a deep breath, suppressing the chill in his heart, forcefully squeezed out a trace of composure befitting a Celestial Master, and stepped forward.
Senior brothers, you are not cultivating in your respective courtyards, but have gathered here today. Is there an important matter?
These two rows were all his master's disciples. The Old Celestial Master had taken in many disciples in his life, and those present weren't even all of them.
They were his senior brothers, and also the true foundation of the Dragon Tiger Daoist Sanctum.
From the crowd, a thin Daoist priest with a goatee stepped forward. He leisurely stroked his beard and spoke with a fake smile:
Junior Brother Gongyue just told us that your cultivation, Junior Brother Celestial Master, has been temporarily sealed. We senior brothers thought that today would be a perfect opportunity to come and exchange some pointers.
Look at how high-sounding these words were.
They just wanted to beat him up, yet they had to call it exchanging pointers.
The little bit of forced calmness on Zhang Gonglian's face completely stiffened. His gaze swept slowly from left to right, looking at the faces of every senior brother.
Do all of you senior brothers share this thought?
No one answered, but the subtle smiles on everyone's faces explained everything.
They had waited for this day for a very long time.
Amidst this suffocating silence, Lin Mo suddenly stepped forward, standing in front of Zhang Gonglian.
His clear voice broke the silence in the courtyard.
No problem, it's a rare opportunity. Once you pass this village, you won't find this shop again.
Lin Mo looked around, wearing a smile of someone who didn't mind making a scene bigger. However, just having the elders here isn't enough. If we're going to fight, let's do it right. Call all the disciples of the Dragon Tiger Daoist Sanctum, set up an arena directly in the martial arts training ground, and let everyone come and observe the Celestial Master's elegance!
All the elders turned their eyes to this young man who suddenly interrupted.
A flash of annoyance crossed the eyes of some, but ultimately no one spoke up to scold him.
He was an honored guest entrusted by their master. No matter how dissatisfied they were, they had to give him some face.
At this time, the informant, Gongyue, also squeezed out from the back of the crowd, looking troubled:
Layman Lin, having all the disciples of the sanctum come, wouldn't that make the Junior Brother Celestial Master too...
Gongyue couldn't bring himself to say the words lose face.
Lin Mo's tone was calm but unquestionable, If one hears the Dao in the morning, one can die content in the evening. How much is face really worth? If you want to help him, just do it.
After speaking, Lin Mo turned his head to look at Zhang Gonglian behind him, whose face was already ashen.
How about it? Do you, the Celestial Master, have any objections?
Zhang Gonglian's lips moved, and he let out a sigh full of grief and indignation: Can I protest?
No. Lin Mo's answer was crisp and clean. Right now, you don't have the qualifications.
He suddenly leaned a little closer and, using a voice only the two of them could hear, smiled and said:
I advise you right now to hurry up and try to break the seal I placed on you. Otherwise, when you get on the arena later with so many people watching, you'll at least be able to mobilize a little spiritual energy to protect your face, so you won't look too ugly after being beaten.
In Zhang Gonglian's eyes, this smile was a hundred times more sinister than the combined sneers of all his senior brothers in the courtyard.
He had already secretly made up his mind. No matter what, after this time, he must cultivate diligently. No matter what, he had to seal Lin Mo up and beat him to a pulp.
At the very least, he had to avenge today's grievance.
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.”
lanned to earn money steadily and take life at a slower pace. But he never expected... his father's remarriage, and the stepmother bringing along a dependent, would completely disrupt his life's plans...
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.
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
