The Hundred Thousand Mountains occupied a portion of East Jia State's territory, while the Divine Realm took another part.
Has East Jia State become a colony?
Though it sounds unpleasant, the reality is indeed so.
For a time, the Divine Realm couldn’t quite grasp the nature of the Hundred Thousand Mountains—whether they were friend or foe. Thus, they treated them as enemies, believing it was better to err on the side of caution to avoid any losses.
The news about the Hundred Thousand Mountains wasn’t particularly hidden within East Jia State. With some effort, the cultivators of the Divine Realm quickly gathered information, which could be summarized in just a few concise sentences.
The Hundred Thousand Mountains, originating from beyond the known realms, had taken over large swathes of East Jia State. Over the past thousand years, the outer regions of the Hundred Thousand Mountains had opened up, allowing cultivators below the Sage level to enter and seek opportunities. It had become a land of fortune for lower-level cultivators, bringing significant benefits to East Jia State.
Upon hearing this, the Divine Realm cultivators immediately saw the Hundred Thousand Mountains as a valuable asset. Even if they couldn’t claim it, they couldn’t allow East Jia State’s cultivators to obtain it so easily.
Thus, they began devising ways to muddy the waters of the Hundred Thousand Mountains, ensuring that no one could reap its benefits.
Their plan revolved around setting up a grand formation to isolate the entire Hundred Thousand Mountains. However, the specifics of how to arrange this formation required careful consideration—it had to be foolproof.
While the schemers of the Divine Realm were still brainstorming, an unwelcome guest arrived.
The Inner Demon leisurely emerged from the Hundred Thousand Mountains, his steps unhurried, as if he were there solely to admire the scenery.
By now, his temperament had grown increasingly similar to his original self. When the time was right, they would merge—a destined outcome.
The Inner Demon chuckled softly, his gaze flickering briefly to the left, where a startled bird flapped away in panic upon meeting his eyes.
“A petty trick,” the Inner Demon sneered, recognizing it as a minor surveillance technique used by East Jia State’s cultivators to monitor the outskirts of the Hundred Thousand Mountains.
With the will of the realm concealing his appearance, everyone saw him differently. His aura was also hidden, so he paid no mind to the surveillance and continued his journey outward.
He was in no rush at all. While crossing a river, he even took the time to row a boat, calmly appreciating the lush green mountains and waters around him. His crimson eyes held no trace of killing intent.
The verdant landscape was dotted with birds, most of which kept their eyes on him.
These were East Jia State’s spies.
The Inner Demon didn’t shy away from them. Instead, he would occasionally smile at the birds, displaying a surprising courtesy.
Meanwhile, the Great Emperors of East Jia State were in an uproar. First, the Great Emperors of the Divine Realm had descended upon the Immortal Realm, and now this ancient entity from the Hundred Thousand Mountains had emerged as well!
Was this truly an era of chaos? Why were all these ancient beings coming out of hiding?
Having just suffered a defeat at the hands of the Divine Realm’s Great Emperors, the East Jia State Great Emperors were further shaken by the Inner Demon’s appearance. They quickly sought out the Eighth Mountain to shift the burden, making their stance clear.
“This situation is beyond the capabilities of the three of us. Either summon the more powerful mountain lords from the other peaks or directly call upon the legendary Lord of the Nine Mountains. Otherwise, if anything happens to East Jia State, as long as it doesn’t affect our own sects, we won’t take responsibility.”
The elders of the Eighth Mountain could only sigh in resignation, advising the three Great Emperors to wait and see. Perhaps the ancient being from the Hundred Thousand Mountains was simply bored and out for a stroll, right?
The three Great Emperors could only hope that was the case.
Among them, the Wu Xi Great Emperor frowned slightly as he observed the Inner Demon’s figure. Though he didn’t recognize the appearance or sense any familiar aura, he couldn’t shake a strange feeling of familiarity, as if he had seen this being somewhere before.
He quickly dismissed this uneasy feeling, attributing it to the stress of the situation.
The scenery of East Jia State was truly beautiful, with evergreen landscapes throughout the seasons.
The Inner Demon followed the river downstream, letting the current carry him. He no longer needed to row, sitting at the front of the boat with his hands tucked into his sleeves, calm and unhurried, like an old man enjoying a leisurely boat ride.
Along the way, he encountered a boatman and even exchanged a few light-hearted words with him.
The boatman, who traveled far and wide transporting pills and magical artifacts, was quite talkative. Curious, he asked the Inner Demon,
“Fellow Daoist, where are you headed? Are you going to Gusu City downstream to watch the sword immortals duel, or perhaps to Cloud Mountain along the left tributary to see the martial artists compete? If not, you must be heading to Wang Bai’s place to discuss poetry, haha.”
“Neither,” the Inner Demon replied with a light chuckle, his gaze calm.
“Oh? Then there’s not much else around here worth traveling such a distance for. What brings you on this journey, Fellow Daoist?” the Nascent Soul-level boatman pressed.
“I’m not entirely sure…” The Inner Demon pulled his hands from his sleeves, stroking his chin as if pondering.
“But I suppose it’s mostly to kill someone.”
“Ah…” The boatman was momentarily stunned, not quite processing the response. Then, remembering that conflicts among cultivators were inevitable, he laughed it off and asked again,
“Might I ask who it is you’re planning to kill, that it’s worth traveling so far?”
The Inner Demon turned to look at him, his crimson eyes flashing with killing intent. His lips curled into a wide grin, revealing his true nature as he replied with a smile,
“A Great Emperor.”
The boatman’s face paled instantly. He abandoned the boat, transforming into a streak of light that shot into the sky, fleeing into the territory held by the Divine Realm’s Great Emperors.
He was, in fact, a Great Emperor of the Divine Realm!
The Inner Demon wasn’t in a hurry. He slowly stood up from the boat, straightened his sleeves, and looked up at the territory held by the Divine Realm’s Great Emperors, his smile radiant.
“The game of cat and mouse isn’t particularly fun, but raiding the mouse’s nest is quite entertaining.”
The boat suddenly accelerated, carried swiftly downstream by the river.
Flying down three thousand miles in an instant!
] [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!"
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
iemie, male, Race: Moon. Hobby: Collecting anomalies. At first, he thought he possessed two systems: the Crimson Rainbow Moon and the Clear Cold Frost Moon. One day, he discovered that he himself could also become a system for others, holding the chessboard of fate. The Eighth Epoch, also known as the Eternal Moon Epoch. Humans, witches, elves, bloodline descendants, specters, demons, and spirits together compose a new history. Walking the path on behalf of the moon, before he knew it, Chen Miemie's footsteps were followed by all manner of strange and wondrous anomalies. As time passed, many titles circulated about him—The King in Yellow, Lord of Anomalies, Heart of the Eternal Moon, and more. "Me? I'm just a traveler who enjoys collecting interesting creatures," Chen Miemie said.
agon king storylines. At the start, I obtained the "Ultimate Lackey System" - the more I act as a lackey, the stronger I become. What else could I do? I chose to become the personal henchman of the ultimate villain, Su Muwan. I provoke all sorts of chosen ones, snatch away their opportunities, and commit every evil deed imaginable. You ask who's behind me? Hmph! You're not worthy of knowing my lady's name! ...... ....... I am Su Muwan, the eldest daughter of the Su family. Since childhood, I've possessed extraordinary talent in martial arts, which led to my arrogant and domineering personality in my past life. I was even foolish enough to repeatedly challenge those favored by heaven, ultimately resulting in a tragic death. In this life, I must behave and absolutely cannot walk the same path again!! However... SLAP!! "So you're the Dragon King, huh?!" When I saw my little lackey swagger over and viciously slap the Dragon King who was hiding his identity, I felt my heart sink. Su Muwan's suspended heart finally died as she watched Qin Luo, her utterly loyal lackey, standing before her. She fainted on the spot from shock. Heaven is determined to destroy me!! (Pure love 1v1, light-hearted, no angst, single female lead, villain, reincarnation, lackey)
