Gu Qingfeng's heart stirred as he set down his teacup and gazed toward the empty space in the grand hall.
In the next instant, a figure clad in golden armor appeared abruptly in the hall as if teleporting.
It was none other than the Golden Armor General who had previously guarded the Jade Dragon Secret Realm.
The moment the Golden Armor General saw Gu Qingfeng, his face lit up with joy.
"Gu Qingfeng! It really is you! How did you return? Where is the one who abducted you?"
"This prince was rescued by a mysterious figure along the way. After saving me, the stranger vanished without a trace, so I made my own way back."
Hearing the words "this prince," the Golden Armor General's eyebrow twitched.
Damn, he hasn't even been crowned a prince yet, and he's already referring to himself as one.
"What was the identity of this mysterious person? Any distinguishing features?"
"Since he's called a mysterious person, how would this prince know his identity? The man wore black robes—nothing notable about him."
At the mention of black robes, the Golden Armor General's eyebrow twitched again. His first thought was of Demon Pu, the one who had struck him with a palm strike before.
"Fine, none of that matters now. You must come with me to see the Emperor immediately. His Majesty has been in a furious rage these past few days—he’s issued a strict order that you be brought to him the moment you’re found."
Gu Qingfeng stood up, equally eager. "Then let’s go!"
As the two prepared to depart, the Golden Armor General suddenly asked, "Did you truly obtain the Ageless Pill and the Divine Refinement Method?"
"The legacy contained no Ageless Pill—only the Divine Refinement Method," Gu Qingfeng replied carelessly.
He had no intention of revealing that he possessed the Ageless Pill. How else could he swindle rare medicinal ingredients out of the Emperor?
If they wanted the Ageless Pill, the old Emperor would have to gather mountains of precious herbs for him to "refine" it.
"What?! No Ageless Pill? Then have you mastered the Divine Refinement Method?"
"Of course I have. Enough talk—let’s move." Gu Qingfeng waved impatiently.
"Very well." The Golden Armor General paid no mind to Gu Qingfeng’s insolence—after all, he still hoped to taste the Ageless Pill someday.
And so, the two set off.
As Gu Qingfeng embarked on his journey to claim his princely title, the entire Great Yan Dynasty began to stir in the shadows due to his sudden reappearance.
Countless messages were exchanged in secret, with every major faction deploying their own spies.
The emergence of the Ageless Pill’s inheritor was no small matter. The most powerful figures in the Great Yan Dynasty received the news almost instantly.
......
Crown Prince’s Mansion.
The Crown Prince, now past fifty, listened to his subordinate’s report with a darkened expression.
"Your Highness, the inheritor of the Ageless Pill has suddenly reappeared. What are your orders regarding this matter...?"
The Crown Prince fell silent for a moment before speaking in a low voice. "Who is escorting him to the capital?"
"General Qin, Your Highness."
The Crown Prince’s eyes narrowed dangerously. "Qin Rusong—sixth-level Dragon Transformation Realm!
I’ve heard he was recently injured by a peak Dragon Transformation Realm demon while guarding the Jade Dragon Secret Realm. Is this true?"
"Indeed, Your Highness. Are you planning to intercept them along the way? But even wounded, Qin Rusong is still a sixth-level Dragon Transformation expert—few among our ranks can contend with him."
"Contact the Ten Thousand Demon Kingdom. Have them send reinforcements."
The subordinate’s face paled instantly. "Your Highness, reconsider! Allying with demons is like riding a tiger—it’s far too dangerous! We must devise another strategy, take our time to—"
"Silence!" The Crown Prince suddenly roared, his face twisted with fury. "Take our time?! That’s all you ever say!
I’ve been Crown Prince for decades! Do you have any idea how I’ve suffered these past years? Every day, I tread on thin ice—cultivating myself while constantly guarding against my brothers stabbing me in the back. Not a single moment of respite, for fear of losing my position!
I waited and waited, enduring until His Majesty’s lifespan finally neared its end. And now, just as my time should come, this inheritor of the Ageless Pill appears out of nowhere!
Damn it all! Every last one of them!
And you dare tell me to take my time?! Should I wait another few decades?!
I command you—take my personal seal and contact the Ten Thousand Demon Kingdom immediately! Have them dispatch Dragon Transformation Realm demons to intercept the Ageless Pill inheritor. Whatever terms they demand, accept them all!"
Seeing the Crown Prince’s unhinged state, the subordinate knew further objections would be fatal.
"As you command, Your Highness. But... once the interception succeeds, how should we handle the Ageless Pill inheritor? Kill him or keep him alive?"
The Crown Prince’s expression flickered with conflict.
As the sole inheritor of the Pill King’s legacy—the only one capable of refining the Ageless Pill—killing such a talent would be a waste.
Even if only for his own sake, should he ascend the throne, he would want to extend his life.
Better to imprison the man and force him to refine Ageless Pills exclusively for his use.
But capturing him alive under the watch of a sixth-level Dragon Transformation expert would be no easy task. Worse still, if word leaked that he had colluded with demons, everything would be lost.
After a moment of deliberation, a ruthless glint flashed in the Crown Prince’s eyes. "Prioritize taking him alive. If it proves impossible... eliminate him on the spot."
The subordinate’s expression shifted. "Your Highness, he’s the inheritor of the Ageless Pill! If we deploy more forces, we might still capture him alive. Killing him would be such a waste..."
Truthfully, the subordinate had his own selfish motives. As the Crown Prince’s most trusted aide, if the latter controlled the Ageless Pill’s inheritor, he might one day receive a pill for himself.
The Crown Prince saw right through him and sneered. "A waste, you say?"
"Tell me—what matters more: the throne or the Ageless Pill?"
"T-That is..." The subordinate stammered, unable to answer. In truth, he thought both were important.
The Crown Prince chuckled coldly. "If I never become Emperor, never ascend as the Son of Heaven, what use is living a thousand years? Longevity is meaningless without power! If a beggar lived for millennia, should I abandon my throne to beg for immortality?"
The subordinate gasped. "Your Highness, it’s not the same! You are the Crown Prince—how can you compare yourself to a beggar?"
"Hmph! A Crown Prince who never becomes Emperor is worse than a beggar! At least the beggar dies free and unbothered! If I don’t fight, my dear brothers will. And if I lose, do you think they’ll spare me?
Just as I would show them no mercy, neither will they.
So for the throne—even the Ageless Pill must be sacrificed if necessary!"
The subordinate stood stunned, rendered speechless by the Crown Prince’s words.
After a long silence, he finally bowed. "Understood, Your Highness. I will contact the Ten Thousand Demon Kingdom at once."
"Good. And remember—leave no traces. If this is ever investigated, all evidence must point to the Ten Thousand Demon Kingdom. This must appear as their own doing."
【Prologue: The Beginning of It All – Use holy water to heal the saintess tainted by demonic energy, then converse with her.】 Shen Nian stared at his older sister sipping yogurt, lost in thought. So you’re telling me my sister is the saintess, and yogurt is the holy water? 【Main Quest 1: Brave Youth, Become an Adventurer! Reward: Rookie Adventurer Title.】 【Side Quest 1: Find the Adorable Kitty! Reward: 1000 Gold Coins.】 Shen Nian: "Wait, I’m a high school senior here—did some guy who got isekai’d accidentally bind his system to me?" Hold on, completing quests gives gold rewards? Titles even boost stats? Is this for real? (A lighthearted, absurd campus comedy—not a revenge power fantasy.)
] [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!"
close your eyes and open them again, only to find yourself transmigrated into the role of a villainous male supporting character. Readers familiar with urban wish-fulfillment novels know that it is only through the relentless antics of the villainous male supporting character that the plot between the male and female leads can progress. As the villainous male supporting character, Long Aotian not only has to bully the female lead, harass the second female lead, and flirt with the third female lead, but he also has to go all out to antagonize the male lead. In the end, when his body is discovered, he is still clutching half a moldy fried dough stick in his hand. Fully aware of the plot, Long Aotian is determined to change his fate, starting with the female lead! In the beginning, the female lead lacks confidence: "Big brother, I hope I didn't scare you?" In the middle, the female lead treads carefully: "Brother Long, please don't hit me, okay?" Later on, the female lead becomes coquettishly clingy: "Aotian, it's time to pay the 'public grain' tonight." Long Aotian's legs go weak, and he feels like crying: "I taught you to be thick-skinned, not shameless!"
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.”
