The group of black-clad men, upon hearing Gu Qingfeng's question, broke into a cold sweat, their survival instincts kicking in as they nodded frantically. "Yes, yes! Absolutely!"
"Kekeke..." Gu Qingfeng's eerie laughter echoed across the desolate mountain, sending chills down everyone's spines.
A single thought flashed through their minds: A demon! He’s definitely a demon!
Even those who had been protecting Gu Qingfeng earlier trembled in fear. There was no relief in being saved—only terror.
Terror that Gu Qingfeng might, on a whim, decide to kill them too.
"You see... if you’d just been more reasonable earlier, you wouldn’t have had to die. What a shame. You realized too late. Better luck next life."
The moment Gu Qingfeng finished speaking, his figure vanished from sight.
In an instant, over twenty afterimages flickered across the scene.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The sound of skulls exploding seemed to ring out simultaneously, as if a dozen bloody fireworks had silently bloomed.
Once it was done, Gu Qingfeng withdrew his soul pressure.
Over twenty corpses collapsed at once, blood pooling beneath them, staining the earth crimson.
Yet the remaining dozen guards stood frozen as if under a paralysis spell, staring in horror as Gu Qingfeng strode toward the palanquin—and climbed inside.
The guards exchanged uneasy glances, fear and confusion written on their faces.
The man they were supposed to escort had turned out to be an unfathomably powerful entity. How could they not be terrified?
That oppressive aura just now... it was even more terrifying than Qin Rusong’s. Who the hell is he?
Wasn’t it said that no one above the True Qi Realm could enter the Jade Dragon Secret Realm?
As they stood there in stunned silence, Gu Qingfeng’s voice drifted lazily from inside the palanquin:
"Go collect the valuables from the corpses."
It took them a moment to process the order, but then they scrambled to loot the bodies.
After the time it took to burn an incense stick, a guard approached, holding over twenty spatial rings, which he presented to Gu Qingfeng with trembling hands.
Gu Qingfeng took the rings and inspected them one by one—only to fly into a rage.
"Why is there so little?!"
Thud.
The guard immediately dropped to his knees, stammering in panic, "M-M-My Lord! It must be... these assassins feared casualties and didn’t want their identities traced through their belongings, so they didn’t bring much with them!"
Gu Qingfeng’s anger subsided slightly. "Fine. Get out. Resume the journey."
"Yes, my Lord!"
The guard nearly wept in relief, quickly shutting the palanquin door before signaling the procession to move again.
Meanwhile, Gu Qingfeng pulled out more dishes from his dimensional storage and resumed eating.
After all, he hadn’t finished his meal earlier.
No one was overly concerned about Qin Rusong, the Golden-Armored General. A powerhouse of his caliber could easily escape even if outmatched.
That was why he’d told them to go ahead—without burdens, he could flee whenever necessary.
As Gu Qingfeng ate, he poured himself a cup of wine—only to grimace in disgust after a single sip.
His stock of Purple Sun Wine was gone. All that remained was ordinary swill, utterly lacking in richness.
"Tch. Whatever. I’ll make do for now. Once I catch that Shadow Demon, I’ll make it buy me more."
BOOM!
A deafening explosion rocked the outside of the palanquin.
The earth trembled violently, as if a dragon had upheaved the land.
Gu Qingfeng’s palanquin was instantly overturned.
Inside, he stared blankly at the mess of spilled food, his wine cup trembling ever so slightly in his grip.
CRACK!
The cup shattered into dust in his clenched fist.
"WHO?! Who the hell is it this time?!"
With a furious roar, the palanquin exploded outward.
"Kekeke... Long time no see, heir of the Ageless Pill."
The speaker was none other than the Fire Crow Taoist.
And the dozen or so elite guards? Already reduced to charred corpses.
"YOU AGAIN?!" Gu Qingfeng’s fury reached new heights. Two meals ruined—by the same damn demon! Never since obtaining his System had he suffered such humiliation at the hands of a fiend!
"Kekeke... Qin Rusong is dead. Your guards are dead. Now, if you kneel and beg—"
BOOM!
An unfathomable soul pressure erupted from Gu Qingfeng.
The Fire Crow Taoist’s smirk froze, his mind reeling in shock. This pressure... impossible!
The next instant, a fist the size of a cooking pot came crashing toward his skull like a tidal wave.
The Fire Crow Taoist barely managed to resist the soul pressure enough to move—but his speed was crippled. Dodging was impossible. He could only block.
A sphere of flame, so deep red it bordered on black, formed in his palm, radiating blistering heat—like a miniature sun.
He thrust his palm forward.
The fireball detonated, engulfing everything in a blazing inferno.
Gu Qingfeng disappeared into the flames.
Ding!
[Host attacked by Fire Crow Taoist.]
[Fire Affinity +10,000... +10,000... +10,000...]
[Fire Affinity maxed. Congratulations, host—innate skill Flame Control has evolved into Fire Spirit Body.]
Gu Qingfeng barely registered the System’s notifications. He was beyond pissed.
The Fire Spirit Body activated instantly.
The flames that had once devoured him now recoiled as if bowing to their sovereign, peeling away from his body to gather around his fist—transforming it into a blazing weapon.
The fire condensed into near-solid form, radiating such intense heat that the air around it distorted.
The sight horrified the Fire Crow Taoist.
Impossible! He had never lost control of his flames before!
But there was no time to dwell on it.
Gu Qingfeng’s fiery fist smashed into the demon’s face.
CRUNCH!
The Fire Crow Taoist’s features caved in under the impact, his flesh sizzling and blackening from the heat.
WHOOSH!
He was sent flying—only for a pair of massive black wings to snap open mid-air, halting his momentum after several hundred meters.
The Fire Crow Taoist had shed his human form entirely.
His arms had become vast, obsidian wings spanning several zhang. His feet were now talons, his head that of a crow. Yet he still stood upright, his torso humanoid but covered in black feathers—each wreathed in dark flames.
The once crimson-black fire had turned utterly black.
His avian eyes locked onto Gu Qingfeng, gleaming with malice.
"A mere Gathering Qi Eighth Layer cultivator... yet your soul rivals the Transcendent Realm, your body matches a Dragon Transformation First Heaven, and now you steal control of my flames? Who are you?"
Gu Qingfeng cracked his knuckles.
"I’m your damn father."
A glint of murder flashed in Fire Crow Taoist’s eyes: “You insolent fool. Do you truly believe these meager tricks are enough to defeat me? Though your soul pressure can suppress a fraction of my power, I am a Great Demon of the Sixth Transformation of the Dragon! Even weakened, you are no match for me. Let’s see what you have to resist me!”
“Sixth Transformation of the Dragon? Heh. A dog like you better not flee later,” Gu Qingfeng sneered.
Fire Crow Taoist’s fury deepened. “Enough of your sharp tongue! Though you’ve reminded me—I can’t let you escape prematurely.”
With a sudden beat of his wings, countless black feathers shot out like arrows in all directions, scattering and faintly forming an array that sealed the surrounding space.
“Kekeke... This area is now under my domain. Unless you defeat me, there’s no escape.” Fire Crow Taoist chuckled darkly, eyeing Gu Qingfeng like a predator beholding trapped prey.
At this sight, Gu Qingfeng instantly understood how Qin Rusong had met his end—his retreat had been cut off, leaving him no path to flee.
Yet Fire Crow Taoist’s actions inadvertently gave him an idea.
Gu Qingfeng casually drew out the Heavenly-Top Grade Spirit Weapon—Fox’s Eye—and activated its power. In an instant, a black light barrier expanded from the artifact, enveloping the area.
From the outside, it looked as though an enormous black cauldron had been overturned upon the ground, sealing both Gu Qingfeng and Fire Crow Taoist within.
This was another function of Fox’s Eye—spatial imprisonment.
“Kekeke... This area is now under my domain. Unless you defeat me, there’s no escape.” Gu Qingfeng echoed mockingly, his gaze upon Fire Crow Taoist mirroring that of a hunter eyeing caged prey.
Fire Crow Taoist: “......”
u Chenyuan transmigrated into a female-oriented novel about a real and fake heiress, becoming the CEO elder brother of both. Unfortunately, the entire Lu family—including himself, the CEO—were mere cannon fodder in the story. Determined to save himself, Lu Chenyuan took action. The spoiled, attention-seeking fake heiress? Thrown into the harsh realities of the working class to learn humility. The love-struck real heiress? Pushed toward academic excellence, so lofty goals would blind her to trivial romances. As for the betrayed, vengeful arranged marriage wife… the plot hadn’t even begun yet. There was still time—if he couldn’t handle her, he could at least avoid her. "CEO Lu, are you avoiding me?" Mo Qingli fixed her gaze on Lu Chenyuan. For the first time, the shrewd and calculating Lu Chenyuan felt a flicker of unease.
ial death, also known as "shè sǐ" in Chinese, generally refers to... well, never mind, it's not important. My name is Ye Cheng, and I'm about to experience social death firsthand. ... 【Host, your mission is to confess your love to the young lady of the Dongfang family, the current student council president, in a way that will be unforgettable for everyone at the freshman ceremony!】 【Host, assist the girl with a sprained ankle in front of you to reach the infirmary, and fulfill the wicked thoughts in your heart!】 【Host, act on your desires and punish the arrogant young lady before you mercilessly!】 【Host, follow your instincts—abandon shameful surrender, begging, or groveling, and ruthlessly criticize the domineering, ill-mannered young lady in front of you!】 【Host...】 Ye Cheng: "Here, here, you take this host role—I quit!" Wait, why is the girl with a sprained ankle the daughter of a mafia boss? And what kind of punishment method is this for the arrogant young lady? Also, who the heck said anything about wicked thoughts in my heart? Come out here, let’s settle this one-on-one!!! ... The haughty student council president, the scheming mafia princess, the fragile yandere young lady, the airheaded maid-in-waiting, the mixed-blood loli/...
reezy rom-com) Good news: Jiang Liu is quite the ladies' man. Bad news: He’s lost his memory. Lying in a hospital bed, Jiang Liu listens to a parade of goddesses spouting "absurd claims," feeling like the world is one giant game of Werewolf. "Jiang Liu, I’m your first love." "Jiang Liu, you’re my boyfriend—she’s your ex." "Jiang Liu, we’re close friends who’ve shared a bed, remember?" "Jiang Liu, I want to have your baby." The now-lucid Jiang Liu is convinced this must be some elaborate scam... until someone drops the bombshell: "The day before you lost your memory, you confessed your feelings—and got into a relationship." Jiang Liu is utterly baffled. So... who the hell is his actual girlfriend?! ... Before recovering his memories, Jiang Liu must navigate this minefield of lies and sincerity, fighting to protect himself from these women’s schemes. But things spiral even further out of control as more people show up at his doorstep—each with increasingly unhinged antics. On the bright side, the memories he lost due to overwhelming trauma seem to be resurfacing. Great news, right? So why are they all panicking now?
m back to his original world. In the end, he realized he had overthought things. [Hey, why is Shen Manni, the female lead, acting strange? Shouldn't she be fawning over the male lead at this point?] [Zhou Qiaoqiao, are you sick? Weren't you supposed to break off your engagement today?] [Damn it! An Youyi, please do your job as an undercover agent and sell my information to the protagonist, you idiot!] ... At this moment, Xu Mo himself didn't know that these female leads had already heard his inner thoughts. Then they decided not to play by the rules. Xu Mo: Please respect my profession as the big villain!
