Members of the Zhang Family cleaned up at an astonishing speed, but none dared to claim anything for themselves. They piled up the spoils obediently, forming towering mounds of loot.
The second ancestor of the Zhang Family hurried over to Chen Xia, ingratiatingly smiling, "This is the spoils we've cleaned up. Please take a look."
"Why should I bother counting these? I've already said they're yours, so go ahead and distribute them yourselves." Chen Xia waved his hand casually, showing disdain for the shabby items.
"As you command." The second ancestor of the Zhang Family quickly bowed and then returned to address the crowd.
"Our family head said these are rewards for us, everyone gets a share. Now, let's move the items back to the family and distribute them slowly!"
The thousands of members of the Zhang Family were excited and charged towards the spoils, carrying them back to their family.
Meanwhile, Chen Xia gestured for Zhang Feiyu to come over. Without waiting for Zhang Feiyu to speak, he lightly tapped his forehead with his finger, sending a refined small sword essence into his mind lake.
Zhang Feiyu's complexion turned rosy, feeling that his stagnant meridians had suddenly become much clearer, and even his spiritual energy began to tremble along with it.
Chen Xia stood with his hands behind his back, calmly stating, "You've defied the heavens and haven't been treated for a long time, leaving behind serious hidden illnesses. It's impossible to instantly recover, so I'm placing a flying sword essence into your mind lake as your secondary nascent soul, which can help you circulate spiritual energy and rebuild your foundation."
"Of course, this is troublesome and may take thousands of years. During this time, I will also think of other ways."
Zhang Feiyu's hands trembled, never expecting that as a useless person, he would have a chance to turn things around. Overwhelmed with excitement, he bowed to Chen Xia. "Thank you, Patriarch Chen, Feiyu is willing to go through fire and water for Patriarch Chen."
"Very well, you may rise." Chen Xia replied softly, his figure gradually receding.
At that moment, the sun was still hanging low in the sky, resembling dusk.
In the battle of the Zhang Family, over ten thousand cultivators perished, with not a single one returning alive to deliver a message.
All sects could see that something was amiss with this massacre. How could the nearly dying Zhang Family have killed tens of thousands of cultivators? Even if they had invited a cultivator at the Fifth Heaven of the Ascension Realm, it would be impossible to leave no survivors.
Was there a prearranged killing formation?
The sects behind the ten thousand cultivators were unwilling to accept this outcome and came to investigate, but they sensed no traces of a formation, only a faint sword intent, as if it had only existed for a moment.
This puzzled them even more, unable to understand why. Underneath their suspicions, they dared not act rashly or approach the Zhang Family.
Rumors began to spread outside, claiming that a cultivator at the Tenth Heaven of the Ascension Realm had emerged and slaughtered over ten thousand cultivators, absorbing their essence and blood.
This talk incited anger from other cultivators at the Tenth Heaven of the Ascension Realm.
"Don't speak without understanding. Do you know what it means to be at the Tenth Heaven of the Ascension Realm? It's a position held by powerful figures even in the upper echelons of the realm. How could they appear here?"
While the words were spoken, the reasoning behind it made sense.
But besides this, it seemed impossible to explain the fact that all ten thousand cultivators had perished.
All the doubts pointed towards the shattered Zhang Family, making people wonder if there truly was a top-tier powerhouse seated within the Zhang Family.
No one dared to investigate, so they could only remain at a standstill.
The Zhang Family was bustling with excitement, adorned with lanterns and decorations, creating a lively atmosphere.
Members of the Zhang Family were finally able to leave the main hall and move into the houses above the mountain gate. Lanterns hung high above, firecrackers echoed, and the celebration was in full swing.
Chen Xia sat in the main seat of the hall, idly playing with his fingers.
Zhang Feiyu stood by the window, watching the fireworks with delight, then turned to call out to Chen Xia.
"Chen Zuzu, would you like to come and see too?"
"Forget it, I'm past that age," Chen Xia shook his head, feeling that such festivities were for children. Having lived for over ten thousand years, he had seen it all and was no longer easily impressed.
"Oh, okay then. I just saw a firework spinning in the sky and wanted you to see it too," Zhang Feiyu's tone sounded a bit disappointed.
"Where is it?" Chen Xia stood beside him, tilting his head to look.
Could any man truly resist fireworks spinning in the sky?
Certainly not Chen Xia.
The Zhang Family's celebration lasted for seven days in total, then gradually calmed down, proceeding under the steady leadership of Zhang Family's second ancestor.
Chen Xia didn't understand, nor did he intend to intervene. He simply sat in the main seat of the hall, listening to reports from Zhang Family's second ancestor.
Two months later, another visitor arrived.
They appeared directly outside the main hall and were surrounded by Zhang Family cultivators.
"Who goes there?!" a Zhang Family cultivator demanded sternly, holding a magical weapon.
"I've come to see Chen Xia. We're old friends. Please inform him that Wang Yangzi is here," said the tall figure of Wang Yangzi at the door, smiling with packages in both hands, giving off the air of a gift bearer.
The gatekeeper Zhang Family cultivator certainly didn't know Wang Yangzi's status. Even if he did, he wouldn't necessarily think of the man before him as a quasi-saint. However, seeing his harmless appearance and claim of knowing the family head, he quickly went to inform.
"Family Head, there's a visitor outside. He says he's Wang Yangzi and wishes to visit you," the cultivator reported, kneeling.
Chen Xia, who had been dozing off with closed eyes, his spiritual awareness immersed in his inner world, and with Wang Yangzi concealing his own spiritual awareness, hadn't noticed him. He opened his eyes in confusion and said, "Let him in."
Zhang Family's second ancestor frowned even deeper upon hearing the name Wang Yangzi, clenching his fists, unwilling to believe.
Could this really be the quasi-saint?
Or perhaps it was just a case of mistaken identity?
Chen Xia shook his head, "It's nothing. That day, my temper wasn't great either. We both just ended up hurting each other."
Wang Yangzi fell silent for a moment, then stepped forward briskly, placing the packages from his hands beside Chen Xia and scratching his head.
"What did you bring?" Chen Xia asked first.
"Nothing much, just some pills," Wang Yangzi chuckled lightly, then sighed.
"After the Great Death Zone, I've been waiting for you to return, but I never expected it would be over three thousand years."
"What can we do? Just staying alive is already fortunate," sighed Chen Xia.
"Indeed, it's a stroke of luck for both of us," Wang Yangzi nodded in agreement.
In the midst of the former Great Death Zone, survival truly depended on luck; anyone could perish, but not everyone could endure.
The Great Sage, the quasi-emperor.
The vast Emperor, the Ancestor of Dao.
Chen Xia.
Surprisingly, among them, the weakest was the Great Sage.
The number of cultivators involved, the magnitude of the battles, surpassed the combined strength of the entire realm several times over.
Wang Yangzi, having experienced the battle in the Great Death Zone, felt only one thing deep within:
Panic.
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.
ts me of treason?" "Correct. The host must return to the capital and gradually build up influence." "Wait—I have half a million soldiers, and you want me to go back to the capital to 'build influence'?" "Host, you are currently the Northern Garrison General, loyal to the Great Xia Dynasty." "Of course I am loyal to Great Xia! Absolutely loyal!" "But you keep referring to yourself as 'We'..." "Never mind the details! Summon all the regional commanders and military officers! We suspect treacherous officials are manipulating the court! They shall march with Us to the capital and purge the corrupt!" "......"
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
