The Demon Chief stubbornly remained hidden by the lakeside, his concealment growing ever more flawless.
Little did he know that on the opposite shore, there existed someone even more adept at lying low than him.
Whether in terms of duration of concealment or the complete erasure of his presence, this figure could truly be called a senior!
Deep within the reeds, several mounds of earth dotted the shoreline.
Varying in size, they had endured years of wind and rain, their surfaces hardened into compact masses, resembling miniature mountain peaks—undeniable marks of time’s passage.
Within the most inconspicuous of these mounds, the Destroyer of the World had lain hidden for several years.
Wild grass had sprouted atop his head, growing a full three zhang tall, even blooming with a few yellow flowers.
He had completely merged with the riverside environment; even if someone stood right beside him, they would struggle to notice his presence. At this moment, his gaze was fixed on a distant island, everything around him fading into insignificance.
Another clear and sunny day.
The Destroyer of the World murmured softly, a trace of restlessness flickering in his eyes.
"Why haven’t the great ones returned yet?"
"It seems this island is more troublesome than I imagined."
At this thought, he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of shame for his earlier agitation.
"Ah, my mental fortitude is still lacking."
"To think that after merely waiting here for a few years, I’ve already grown unsettled—utterly unacceptable! The great ones are likely still fighting tooth and nail for our cause, enduring hardships a thousand times worse than mine, facing challenges beyond imagination..."
"I can’t even contribute the slightest effort, merely waiting here with ease, yet I lack the patience even for that. How shameful! If the great ones were to learn of my fickle state of mind, how could I ever face them again?"
Steeling his thoughts, his gaze hardened with resolve.
"Right. Since I’ve already waited for years, I must not waver now—lest all my efforts go to waste. With such a weak mindset, how could I ever achieve greatness?"
Nodding to himself, his expression grew unshakably firm.
"Yes. I’ll wait till the end!"
After this silent pep talk, the Destroyer of the World completely suppressed his aura, his eyes locked onto the distant island.
In the blink of an eye, two days had passed.
At the heart of the Black Domain,
Outside a spatial rift, the ground was littered with the remains of demonic corpses.
There were large-eyed monstrosities of peculiar appearance, along with a group of muscular fiends freshly cut down, their bodies nearly filling the periphery of the rift—a truly spectacular sight.
The last of the barbaric tribes collapsed, terror flashing in its eyes as its massive frame toppled over.
"Not bad..."
Yi Feng sheathed his cleaver, a pleased grin spreading across his face.
These two batches of monsters, though hideous in appearance, had provided an absurd amount of experience. In total, fewer than three hundred of them had just leveled him up again.
The title of "elite experience piñatas" was well-deserved.
Never judge a book by its cover—this applied to demons as well.
Yi Feng hadn’t expected these bizarre-looking creatures to yield such unexpectedly rich rewards. Delight and satisfaction danced in his eyes, and he couldn’t help but feel a surge of anticipation.
"If a few more waves come, that’d be even better."
His light chuckle echoed as one of the dying muscle-bound monsters widened its eyes in horror.
"Devil...!"
With that final cry, it breathed its last.
Its lifeless eyes remained frozen in a mix of resentment and dread.
Yi Feng observed the scene with indifference, not even bothering to acknowledge it. Instead, he pitched a small tent nearby, settling in for the long haul—eating, sleeping, and even relieving himself on-site—determined not to let a single demon slip past.
Experience was secondary; his true mission was safeguarding the peace of Cloud Star.
---
Meanwhile, on Dark Shadow Island,
The suburban construction site buzzed with activity.
Laborers hauled bricks and built walls with feverish intensity, working harder than ever before.
Even under the scorching midday sun, not a single one paused to rest.
Sweat poured freely, and the atmosphere reeked of relentless competition.
Amid the overtime hustle, a figure suddenly shot into the sky, hovering midair as uproarious laughter rang out, accompanied by an overwhelming aura!
"Hahaha! I’ve broken through! I’ve finally, truly reached the Heavenly Tier!"
Xiong Fen roared with exhilaration, his beard and hair whipping wildly in the wind.
For years, he had been stuck at the peak of the Saint Realm, unable to advance further. Only through the aid of elixirs had he barely scraped the threshold of the Half-Step Heavenly Tier. Now, he had finally crossed into the true Heavenly Tier—his lifelong dream realized.
What seemed like a negligible gap was, in truth, a chasm as vast as heaven and earth.
This euphoric sensation was unlike anything Xiong Fen had ever experienced. His body brimmed with the power of the Great Dao, and his spirit overflowed with unshakable confidence—as if he could annihilate entire realms with a mere wave of his hand!
On the ground below,
Xiong Zhong, clad in a hard hat, watched with burning pride, his eyes shining with admiration.
At last,
Their father-son duo had risen above their struggles!
His father’s breakthrough within mere days proved their earlier suspicions correct—working on Dark Shadow Island was an unimaginable opportunity, a blessing they had never dared dream of.
Feeling the surging Dao power within himself, Xiong Zhong grew even more excited.
The majestic figure of his father, floating triumphantly in the sky, seemed like a glimpse of his own future—a future where he, too, would stand above all!
With such an inspiring role model before him, Xiong Zhong couldn’t contain his reverence.
"Congratulations on your breakthrough, Father! Your son is honored by your example and vows to follow in your footsteps!"
Xiong Fen’s spirits soared at these words, his paternal pride swelling.
As he descended, father and son shared a triumphant laugh, their excitement impossible to suppress.
"Good! Good!"
"Hahahaha—!"
Their laughter showed no signs of stopping as they reveled in their moment of glory.
Up on the scaffolding, the seasoned workers exchanged exasperated glances, clicking their tongues in amusement.
"Really?"
"Tch, Heavenly Tier? Big deal. Aunt Liu from the square-dancing group next door hit that ages ago. Who even brags about that level anymore, let alone makes such a scene?"
"Eh, newbies are always like this. A tiny bit of progress and they lose their minds."
"Yeah, they’ll probably relapse soon enough. Bet they’ll get locked up again in a few days..."
he colors of other people’s emotions. Light red meant anxiety. Gray meant exhaustion. Orange meant excitement. Yellow... meant repression. At the same time, he could gain unlimited control over one of those colors. Pale cyan: relaxation. Using this ability, he started offering “two-yuan hugs,” spending an afternoon exchanging emotional-color experiences with others. Then came his final female customer of the day— a girl whose emotional color was pure black... —— A week later, Xu Chuan had become skilled at using pale cyan—Relaxation—treating it like a bottle of menthol balm whenever he needed it. That was when he discovered he had unlocked another unlimited emotional color: Purple, the color of fear. So these emotional colors refresh every week? Fine, I take it back—I’ll never call you useless again... —— Much later, after Xu Chuan had accumulated countless emotional abilities, one night, he suddenly found himself inside someone else’s dream. There, he could use the emotional colors he possessed to paint. And in her dream, he painted her a shower of pink shooting stars, spreading across the depths of the night sky...
to panic—he has a system. As long as an investment target dies, he can claim a reward. And since he is immortal, the one thing he has plenty of is time. ... Countless years later. “Immortal Emperor of Longevity? I invested in him.” “Supreme Celestial Venerable? I invested in him.” “Undying Empress? I invested in her.” “...” “Heh. Once they’ve all died, even the Heavenly Dao will have to kneel and call me Dad.”
ine. During your journey, you save an abandoned baby girl and become her elder brother】 【You rely on each other, becoming each other's support】 【At the end of the simulation, you shield the now-grown girl with your life, sacrificing yourself to block numerous demonic cultivators. You die, and the light in the girl's eyes fades】 …… 【Second Simulation: You are transported to a world where steam and magic coexist】 【You immerse yourself in the study of magic, obsessed with its research. One day, while out, you encounter a half-blooded demon girl wandering the streets. You take her in as your student】 【You teach the demoness what it means to be human, show her the beauty of the world, and nurture her into a miracle that surpasses even the gods】 【At the end of the simulation, you die of old age in front of the nearly immortal demoness due to your mortal lifespan】 …… One simulation after another, one encounter after another. Xu Xi suddenly felt something was off: "Wait, you said you're coming to the real world to find me?"
his freshman year, Su Bai accidentally bound the "Indulgence Tycoon System." 【Sleeping in? Reward: +$1,000】 【Spent $288 at a street barbecue stall? Cashback: +$2,880】 【Dropped $14,396 on in-game skins? Special reward unlocked: A brand-new Porsche Panamera!】 Luxury cars, penthouses, corporate shares, financial empires… College life was all about living freely and doing whatever he pleased! … When the adorably naive academic genius faced family medical bills and financial struggles, Su Bai waved his hand dismissively: "Your future is on me." "Wuwu~ Big Brother is so good to me! I’ll become a scientist to repay you!" When the genius girl got bullied by a shady professor? Su Bai casually dropped a billion-dollar investment, forcing the university to grovel and beg for her return. A company’s funding chain collapsing? Su Bai smirked—cash was the one thing he’d never run out of. Years later, when people traced the rise of the AI prodigy beauty, who was the man behind her success? Not just that—Su Bai also became the tsundere campus belle’s unattainable dream, the contrast senior’s daily necessity, and the beautiful counselor’s emotional anchor…
