"The inheritance has concluded. Cease your reckless destruction of the Sword Tower's space. You may leave now."
The artifact spirit's icy voice rang out.
As soon as it finished speaking, a golden light enveloped Gu Qingfeng's body. By the time the radiance faded from his vision, he had already reappeared outside the Sword Tower.
There, Gu Qingfeng and Dugu Wei found themselves staring at each other in silence.
"Seriously, why are you all here again?" Gu Qingfeng sighed.
"Gu... Gu Junior Brother, did you defeat the Heavenly Emperor again?" Dugu Wei asked, his voice trembling slightly.
"Don’t make such a fuss. You’ve already seen this once before—it’s just routine. No need to overreact. Go about your business."
With that, Gu Qingfeng patted Dugu Wei on the shoulder and strode away, leaving behind a crowd frozen in shock.
After taking a few steps, he suddenly remembered something and paused. Without turning back, he said, "Oh, right—Old Wei, I happen to have some free time these days. Have all the Heaven’s Fourth experts in the sect come to me for their tribulation."
Dugu Wei: "..."
......
Over the next few days, Gu Qingfeng was visited by an endless stream of Sword Sect elders seeking his help in overcoming their tribulations.
Many of the sect’s elders were stuck at the Heavenly Human Realm, having long given up on further breakthroughs. Instead of pursuing cultivation, they had taken up administrative roles, wielding authority and managing sect affairs.
Most were advanced in age—simply put, they lacked the potential to advance further.
The majority of these elders were either ordinary Heavenly Humans or at the Heaven’s First or Second stages, their potential exhausted at that level. Knowing they couldn’t survive the next Heavenly Tribulation, they halted their cultivation, stalling for time to delay the inevitable.
Heaven’s Fourth experts were rare—only seven in total, all elderly men on the verge of their twilight years. Unlike the others, many had suffered injuries in their youth that damaged their foundations, or had relied too heavily on pills, leaving their cultivation unstable. By the time they reached Heaven’s Fourth, they dared not attempt another tribulation.
Upholding the tradition of respecting the elderly, Gu Qingfeng didn’t overcharge them for helping them overcome their Inner Demon Tribulations, allowing them to retain some dignity.
Well, aside from stripping them of everything except their robes.
Aside from the elders, two of the sect’s Peak Masters were also at Heaven’s Fourth. Gu Qingfeng did his best to assist them as well.
As a result, the Sword Sect’s overall strength surged once more, gaining nine new Five-Tribulation Heavenly Humans overnight.
Of course, among these nine, only the two Peak Masters had the potential to advance to the Heavenly Monarch Realm. The elders were simply too old—whether they’d break through or meet their end first was anyone’s guess.
As the saying goes, good deeds bring good rewards. Gu Qingfeng’s generosity paid off.
His Indestructible Demon Soul, after devouring nine inner demons, had grown to an unimaginable level.
The most direct manifestation of this was his newfound ability to artificially induce an Inner Demon Tribulation.
By splitting off a fragment of his soul, he could send it into a cultivator’s body like an inner demon, wreaking havoc just like a real tribulation.
This technique was nothing short of a killing move. Among the five Heavenly Tribulations, the Inner Demon Tribulation was the most formidable. One could only imagine the devastation of forcing an opponent to endure it mid-battle. Those with weak Dao Hearts would be instantly consumed and enslaved by the demon, while even the strong would suffer severe impairment in combat.
However, the technique’s effectiveness diminished against Heaven’s Fifth experts and above, as they had already survived their Inner Demon Tribulations. While it wouldn’t kill them easily, it could still disrupt them significantly.
Gu Qingfeng named this deadly move: Inner Demon Tribulation.
After resolving the tribulation issues of the sect’s Four-Tribulation experts, Gu Qingfeng was summoned by Dugu Wei to the main hall.
Upon arriving, he found the hall already filled with people.
Aside from the seven Peak Masters and Dugu Wei, there were five men and one woman present.
Each of them carried an air of extraordinary brilliance, their eyes gleaming with confidence—practically wearing the label "heaven’s chosen" on their faces.
Among them were two familiar faces: Nangong Xue and Sword Maniac.
The moment Gu Qingfeng entered, all six turned their gazes toward him, their expressions ranging from curiosity to shock—and in one case, hostility.
Gu Qingfeng, highly sensitive to emotions, immediately traced the source of the animosity. It came from a young man clad in violet robes, his demeanor serene as the moon, his aura transcendent as if bathed in divine light.
Upon sensing that the man was only at Heaven’s Third, Gu Qingfeng lost interest. Pathetic.
"Junior Brother Gu, you’ve arrived," Dugu Wei greeted.
"Mn. I’m here, Old Wei," Gu Qingfeng replied with a nod.
The others in the hall stiffened slightly at the casual address.
Dugu Wei coughed awkwardly before continuing, "These are the Holy Sons and Holy Daughters of the Seven Peaks—the masters of the Seven Swords. The reason we’ve gathered today is to rehearse the Seven Swords Immortal-Slaying Formation.
"The current state of the Sword Sect is no secret to you all. Fortunately, Junior Brother Gu has recovered the long-lost Reverse Scale Sword, allowing the formation’s glory to return to the sect!
"Now is the time for you to contribute to the Sword Sect’s cause."
"As you command, Sect Master! We pledge our lives to the task!"
"Good." Dugu Wei nodded in satisfaction, reassured by the sight of such promising talents.
"Junior Brother Gu, allow me to introduce you to the Seven Swords’ masters. There are likely some you haven’t met yet."
He began with the violet-robed man who had eyed Gu Qingfeng with hostility.
"This is the Holy Son of Ten Thousand Blades Peak—Chu Jingchen. He has been in seclusion until recently and has now emerged as a Three-Tribulation Heavenly Human."
Hearing the name, Gu Qingfeng’s mind stirred. He had heard it before—during a certain night when Ling Fei’er spoke of it after their... cultivation session.
Ling Fei’er had warned him that Chu Jingchen had left seclusion and that he should be cautious, as trouble might follow.
Chu Jingchen had been the sect’s top genius before Gu Qingfeng’s arrival—the only disciple possessing a Sacred Body and one of Ling Fei’er’s many suitors.
According to Ling Fei’er, before Gu Qingfeng joined the sect, the human-demon faction had planned to use Chu Jingchen as their operative, given his high likelihood of accessing the Emperor Demon Sword.
At the time, Ling Fei’er had been visibly nervous, hastily clarifying that she and Chu Jingchen had no real relationship—just a few encounters where she had used her charm techniques to plant a seed of obsession in his heart. They had never even held hands.
Gu Qingfeng had teased her then: "If you didn’t even let him touch your hand, why did you strip naked the moment you tried to charm me?"
Ling Fei’er had flushed with indignation. "How was I supposed to know a man could be better at seduction than me?!"
Putting the pieces together, Gu Qingfeng understood the root of Chu Jingchen’s hostility—the bitterness of a spurned admirer watching his goddess fall for another.
Dugu Wei then gestured to Gu Qingfeng. "Jingchen, this is your Senior Uncle Gu—also known as the Sword Sect’s Imperial Scion."
Chu Jingchen concealed his resentment flawlessly, his tone neither submissive nor arrogant.
"Greetings, Imperial Scion."
"So this is the rumored second genius of the Sword Sect, Junior Chu. Come on, call me ‘Uncle Master.’" Gu Qingfeng examined Chu Jingchen with a faint, mocking smile.
Chu Jingchen’s expression darkened slightly, a shadow of displeasure flickering imperceptibly in his eyes.
Gu Qingfeng’s single sentence had struck three painful blows.
Being called the "second genius" was the first.
"Junior Chu" was the second.
And "call me ‘Uncle Master’" was the third.
end. Thus one must continue to cultivate, and become a saint or great emperor, in order to prolong one's life. Chen Xia, however, completely reversed this. Since his transmigration, he has gained immortality, and also a system that awards him with attribute points for every year he lives. Thus between the myriad worlds, the legend of an unparalleled senior appeared. "A gentleman takes revenge; it is never too late even after ten thousand years." "When you were at your peak I yielded, now in your old age I shall trample on you." - Chen Xia
ap a wealthy young lady? Or else I'll be eliminated by the system? Ye Feng, who awakened the Kidnapper System, originally wanted to live a peaceful life but never imagined he would become a kidnapper of young women. However, after some time, he discovered that all the girls the system ordered him to kidnap were far from ordinary. "Big brother Ye Feng~ You've kidnapped my heart, and now you're not allowed to leave me ever again~" "Ye Feng~ You kidnapped me back then, now it's my turn to capture you♡" "Little Feng, you're mine! You can only be mine!" "Ye Feng, none of them deserve you. Only I love you the most♡" ... This is madness, they've all gone mad! Wait, what? Why are all the girls I kidnapped yanderes?!
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."
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.
