Gu Qingfeng was unaware that his three Heavenly Demon friends had reached an agreement and were preparing to travel countless miles to visit him.
Had he known, he would have been overjoyed and welcomed them with open arms.
Today, Gu Qingfeng was accompanying Shang Xinyan on a leisurely stroll within his Palm World. He was a devoted family man, returning home every few days to check in.
This frequent presence often gave Shang Xinyan the illusion that Gu Qingfeng had never left the Qing Realm at all.
Cultivators, after all, had a rather loose sense of time—secluded meditation could last months or even a year, passing in the blink of an eye.
By now, Shang Xinyan had reached the early stage of the Celestial Origin Divine Pill realm, a remarkable pace given her innate talent—the Nine Yin Sacred Body.
Coupled with the abundant resources Gu Qingfeng regularly supplied, her cultivation soared like a rocket.
As the two enjoyed their outing, Gu Qingfeng suddenly sensed something and brightened with delight. After a brief farewell to Shang Xinyan, he headed to Little Corpse Charm’s secluded cultivation chamber.
Indeed, Little Corpse Charm had emerged from her closed-door training.
Previously, to advance to the Divine Soul realm, Little Corpse Charm had devoured numerous Divine Soul and even Divine Pill realm demons. The immense energy had triggered mysterious transformations, forcing her into seclusion for over a year. Now, she had finally reemerged.
Whoosh!
Gu Qingfeng’s figure materialized from the void, appearing in Little Corpse Charm’s secluded chamber.
There stood a woman of ethereal beauty, as if untouched by the mortal world.
Clad in a white gown embroidered with butterfly motifs, her hair was loosely tied with a delicate hairpin. Though her face bore no makeup, her breathtaking features were undeniable—slender fingers, skin like flawless jade tinged with pink, and eyes as deep as water, exuding an air of aloofness.
Yet, the moment she caught sight of Gu Qingfeng, the icy demeanor shattered. A bewitching smile bloomed on her lips, radiant as fireworks.
"Master~ I missed you so much," she cooed in a honeyed voice.
Before the words even settled, she flung herself into his embrace, nuzzling against him like an affectionate little creature.
"Is this your true form?" Gu Qingfeng asked.
"Mhm, do you like it, Master?"
"Not bad—the contrast is quite striking. By the way, why did your seclusion take so long this time? Have you fully transformed?"
Little Corpse Charm puffed up with pride. "Master, I’ve not only reached the Divine Soul realm and completed my transformation, but I’ve also awakened a hidden bloodline! All thanks to the powerful blood you provided—without it, I might never have activated it."
"A hidden bloodline? Which one?"
"The legendary Corpse Emperor bloodline!"
"Oh, the Corpse Emperor bloodline..." Gu Qingfeng paused, then his expression shifted dramatically. "Corpse Emperor bloodline?! So you’ve gone from Little Corpse Charm to Little Corpse Emperor?"
Little Corpse Charm pouted. "The Corpse Emperor bloodline is incredibly powerful, Master! Why that look?"
"It’s not about power—never mind. I’d better verify this firsthand."
......
A month passed in the blink of an eye.
Gu Qingfeng spent the entire month within the Palm World—Little Corpse Charm’s shapeshifting abilities ensured endless novelty.
Every time he considered leaving, she transformed into another peerless beauty, ensnaring him in her allure.
Thus, a full month slipped by without him stepping outside.
By the end, Gu Qingfeng felt as though he’d witnessed every conceivable beauty in the world, each more enchanting than the last.
When he finally returned to the Cangming Realm, an unprecedented serenity settled over him. His heart was as still as an ancient well, his Dao heart flawless, akin to a sage’s.
Even cultivation, which he’d once found tedious, now held a newfound fascination.
Now an Ordinary Heavenly Being, he only needed to refine his cultivation to perfection before undergoing tribulation to ascend to the First Tribulation Heavenly Being realm. For him, tribulation was as effortless as eating or drinking—once his cultivation peaked, ascension was assured.
One day, as Gu Qingfeng immersed himself in cultivation, the Green Wood Domain thrived in peace under the rule of the Demon... Sword Sect.
But suddenly—
BOOM!
A deafening, earth-shaking roar resounded.
Instantly, the entire Green Wood Domain trembled—no, not just the Green Wood Domain, but all ten thousand domains of the Cangming Realm quaked in unison.
The disturbance had spread across the entire realm!
From the Imperial Court’s immortal sects to ancient forbidden lands, even the most hidden and mysterious corners of the world—all felt the tremor.
In that moment, countless experts were struck with awe. Hidden masters lurking in the shadows opened their eyes, divine light gleaming as they gazed into the void.
"A celestial disturbance..." murmured a mighty figure in shock. "The Age of Strife has begun!"
Across the Cangming Realm, beams of divine light shot into the sky as countless experts emerged—Heavenly Venerables, even Quasi-Emperors, stepped into the open.
Their fingers flew through intricate calculations, eyes alight with shifting laws as they sought to decipher the heavens’ will.
The world they perceived had transformed entirely.
Where once the heavens had been tranquil and the Dao concealed, now the laws of the universe shimmered into visibility. The aura of the Heavenly Dao expanded, carrying with it an intoxicating sense of ascension.
Cultivation hinged on comprehending the Great Dao, yet the Dao was elusive—grasping it was no simple feat.
But at intervals, the laws of heaven and earth would manifest, showering the world with boundless Dao resonance. This era was known as the Age of Strife.
An era of prosperity for cultivators—and the birth of Heavenly Emperors.
Only during the Age of Strife would the Path to Emperorhood open. Without it, no matter how peerless one’s talent, attaining the Emperor realm was impossible.

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."

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?!

] [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!"

. As long as he maintains the villain image and follows the plot to the grand finale, he can obtain generous rewards and return to the real world. So Gu Chen'an entered the role and began to act as a scumbag villain, but who would have expected that the female leads could hear his inner thoughts. Miss Su from the Su family was shocked: "I originally thought Gu Chen'an was a scumbag, but I didn't expect he turned out to be a gentleman! What? You said I have to call off the engagement? I definitely won't, I'll piss you off!" Bai Yuan Tian was dumbfounded: "Young Master Gu is usually unreasonable and a complete brat, but he actually calls me little sweetie in his heart? What, Young Master Gu even said he likes me?" As the female leads' images collapsed more and more, the plot also collapsed with it. Gu Chen'an looked at all this chaos. "Ladies, don't aggro me, if you keep this up the male lead really will stab me, I still need to survive to the grand finale!"