The successive collapse of two sect leaders sent the higher-ups of various major factions into a frenzy. They hastily gathered their subordinates to gather intelligence, plunging the scene into chaos. Even the ongoing assault on the Sword Sect came to a halt.
Wang Yan, the first to vomit blood, watched as Duan Changsheng fainted outright. For some reason, he couldn’t help but feel slightly better—as if seeing someone else suffer worse than him was more comforting than a thousand reassurances from his subordinates.
Especially upon hearing that Duan Changsheng’s daughter had been captured to serve as a dual cultivation furnace, Wang Yan couldn’t help but feel a twinge of relief. At least I only have a son. Who knows what Gu Qingfeng would’ve done otherwise...
Wait. A son?
Didn’t Gu Qingfeng already kill my son?!
The realization hit him like a hammer, and Wang Yan spiraled back into despair.
Soon, the major factions received intelligence on Gu Qingfeng’s movements.
After annihilating the Hell Sect and Peerless Mansion, Gu Qingfeng had immediately set off for Thunderbolt Island—clearly intent on wiping out every last faction’s stronghold.
Panic set in. There was no time left for schadenfreude. If they didn’t withdraw their forces now, even if they conquered the Sword Sect, they’d return to find their homes in ruins, following the same fate as the Hell Sect and Peerless Mansion.
The reports confirmed that Gu Qingfeng had mastered three sacred physiques. Though his cultivation realm was low, his combat power rivaled that of a Heavenly Monarch. With their forces stretched thin, how could their weakened sects possibly withstand the rampage of a Heavenly Monarch?
Discussions of retreat began among the factions.
---
Inside the Sword Sect, Dugu Wei and the others suddenly noticed the enemy’s assault had stopped. The relentless siege that had lasted for days had come to an abrupt halt.
Chaos was evident among the enemy’s leadership.
Those privy to the inside story immediately connected the dots—Gu Qingfeng’s raids on their strongholds must have taken effect.
"This is great! It must be Junior Brother Gu’s doing!"
"With Junior Brother Gu diverting their attention outside, our Sword Sect finally has a chance to catch its breath!"
"The enemy outnumbers us. Our disciples have been taking shifts to power the mountain-protecting formation for days—they’re exhausted. This pause couldn’t have come at a better time."
"Sect Leader, do you think these factions will eventually retreat? No one wants their own sect annihilated. They’ll have to pull back to defend their homes."
Dugu Wei pondered for a moment before a trace of joy flickered in his eyes. "They will retreat. These faction leaders aren’t fools. Junior Brother Gu has already destroyed the strongest among them—the Hell Sect. They know what little defenses they have left won’t stop him."
"From what I can see, this must be Junior Brother Gu’s plan—to force their withdrawal by destroying their strongholds, thereby resolving the Sword Sect’s crisis."
"Junior Brother Gu truly lives up to his title as the Sword Sect’s Imperial Scion. Courageous, resourceful, and devoted to the sect!" Meng Yan praised aloud.
But inwardly, he cursed. Damn it. If Gu Qingfeng really resolves this crisis, how will we force that old fossil, the Grand Elder, to make a move? I must inform the Sword Demon immediately.
"Indeed," the others nodded in agreement.
Little did they know, Gu Qingfeng’s only concern was making a fortune.
This was the story of how a man single-mindedly focused on looting sect treasuries accidentally became a hero by saving the Sword Sect.
---
In a hidden corner of the Sword Sect, Meng Yan used a secret technique to contact the Sword Demon and relayed the situation.
The Sword Demon fell silent.
Meng Yan pressed urgently, "Sword Demon, Gu Qingfeng has the demon seed you planted in him. Why not activate it now and take control of him? If he keeps disrupting the plan, how will we force the Grand Elder to act?"
After a long pause, the Sword Demon replied, "It seems we have no choice. I cannot allow Gu Qingfeng to ruin everything."
With that, the spectral figure of the Sword Demon began weaving hand seals, sending an imperceptible ripple across thousands of miles.
At the same time, Gu Qingfeng—who was in the middle of cultivating with the Peerless Holy Maiden—suddenly sensed the demon seed sealed within him stirring.
As a devout cultivator, nothing infuriated him more than being interrupted during cultivation.
With a mere thought, his Indestructible Demon Soul activated, instantly devouring the demon seed.
Then, he calmly resumed his cultivation.
In the past, Gu Qingfeng had kept the demon seed as a means to manipulate the Sword Demon into helping him obtain the Emperor Demon Sword. But now?
Hah! With his newfound strength, his arrogance knew no bounds. What does a mere Sword Demon matter? If I want something, I’ll take it myself!
Had he known earlier that the Hell Sect possessed treasures like the Ten Billion Soul Banner, he would’ve stormed their gates long ago. Why bother playing nice with that insignificant Sword Demon?
Now, brimming with confidence, he planned to finish looting the remaining sects before returning to the Sword Sect to claim the Emperor Demon Sword. If Dugu Wei dared accuse him of demonic corruption again, he’d show the man what real demonic power looked like.
---
Pfft!
The spectral Sword Demon suddenly spat a mouthful of blood.
Meng Yan’s face paled. "Sword Demon, you—"
"The demon seed inside Gu Qingfeng is dead," the Sword Demon said grimly.
"What?! How is that possible? That was a seed specially crafted by you! How could it fail against him?"
The Sword Demon shook his head. "If my guess is correct, Gu Qingfeng is a man of great providence—like the young Heavenly Emperors of legend. Such individuals are favored by the heavens and cannot be easily manipulated."
"His unnatural feats, mastering three sacred physiques at such a young age—all of it points to this. In this era, it seems destiny has chosen him to ascend as Emperor."
Meng Yan was stunned. "A man of great providence?! Heaven has no eyes—how could a scoundrel like Gu Qingfeng be chosen as a Child of Destiny? Sword Demon, what do we do now?"
"Do not panic. The game is not yet decided. As long as I wield the Emperor Demon Sword, even a Child of Destiny can be slain. But time is against us now. We must take drastic measures."
"We cannot afford to let Gu Qingfeng grow stronger. If he cannot be controlled, we must turn to others. Wang Yan and Duan Changsheng’s minds are in shambles because of Gu Qingfeng—this is the perfect opportunity to plant demon seeds in them."
---
"Everyone, Gu Qingfeng is massacring our sects as we speak, yet the Sword Sect’s mountain-protecting formation remains unbroken. We cannot afford to waste any more time here."
"Exactly. What’s the point of destroying the Sword Sect if we return to find our own sects in ruins? I propose we withdraw immediately."
"Agreed."
"Agreed."
The leaders of the various factions were deep in discussion when a cold voice cut through.
"I disagree!"
All eyes turned to see Wang Yan and Duan Changsheng approaching side by side. Their expressions were icy, devoid of their earlier grief and fury—as if they had completely recovered.
One of the leaders sneered. "Fellow Daoists Wang and Duan, your sects are already destroyed. You have nothing left to lose, so of course you’d oppose retreat. But the rest of us still have legacies to protect—we can’t afford to be as carefree as you."
+【Epic Battles!】 "Your Highness, they say Linxi Temple is miraculous. Won’t you make a wish?" "A wish? It should be making wishes to me." "That may be so, but since you’re already here..." "..." "Fine. Then grant this princess a consort to play with." "He must be obedient, devoted, and utterly infatuated with my body—so much so that he’d kneel and kiss my feet." "Your Highness, that’s not a consort. That’s a dog." "Then add clever, witty, heroic, ambitious yet pragmatic..." "Hmm, that’s enough for now. I’ll add more later." After tossing out these words half in jest, Princess Anle departed the temple—only to catch a fleeting glimpse of the Bodhisattva statue smiling at her. Meanwhile, Yang An, fresh out of university, was having a very bad day. Good news: He’d transmigrated into another world with a cheat granting tenfold combat power. Bad news: He’d immediately fallen into the clutches of a certain villainess. Good news: Said villainess possessed peerless beauty and royal status. Bad news: She was absolutely monstrous!!! In the frozen wilderness, Yang An knelt beneath Qin Guo’er’s feet, drenched in sweat despite the cold. Desperately clutching her porcelain-perfect foot—the very one poised to crush his throat—he could only think: How do I survive this?! Need answers NOW!
e school belle recognized by the whole school, a genius girl from the kendo club. She also has a hidden identity, the youngest legendary demon hunter. Chen Shuo just transmigrated and found himself turned into a weak, helpless little vampire. He was caught by Su Xiyen and taken home at the very beginning. Since then, Chen Shuo's life creed only had two items. "First, classmate Su Xiyen is always right." "Second, if classmate Su Xiyen is wrong, please refer back to item one." Many years later, Chen Shuo, who had turned back into a human, led a pair of twins to appear in front of all the vampires to share the secret of how he turned back into a human. "It's simple, I tricked a female demon hunter into becoming my wife!"
d intelligence to keep the plot moving, and sometimes even the protagonists are forced into absurdly dumb decisions. Why does the A-list celebrity heroine in urban romance novels ditch the top-tier movie star and become a lovestruck fool for a pockmarked male lead? Why do the leads in historical tragedy novels keep dancing between love and death, only for the blind healer to end up suffering the most? And Gu Wei never expected that after finally landing a villain role to stir up trouble, she’d pick the wrong gender! No choice now—she’ll just have to crush the protagonists as a girl!
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/...
