Gu Qingfeng narrowed his eyes slightly. Travel to the Middle Reaches of the Star River?
His Eternal Night Lamp Technique was not yet fully mastered, and his magical power had not yet undergone complete qualitative transformation. What if he went to the Middle Reaches and got bullied?
Of course, it wasn’t fear—it was just that he hadn’t had enough of the Lower Reaches yet. He hadn’t fully experienced its cultural scenery.
At this moment, Fairy Miaohua spoke again: "If we’re talking about breaking seals, the Middle Reaches of the Star River have two major factions that excel at it. The first is the Seven Mysteries Immortal Sect. The Seven Mysteries Immortal Sect possesses seven different types of profound techniques, each exceptionally mysterious. Among them is a method specifically designed to counter restrictions and seals, which is quite renowned.
The second is Carefree Mountain—the faction Ghost Yin previously belonged to. Carefree Mountain is a sanctuary for assassins, employing any means necessary to achieve their goals. Thus, they are skilled in all manner of underhanded tactics: curses, poisoning, traps, ambushes, defiling magical treasures, and so on.
To break the seal on the sword, one could also use Carefree Mountain’s methods to corrupt it."
"A group of assassins, yet they call themselves Carefree Mountain?"
"Ye Wuyou, the master of Carefree Mountain, once said: 'When a person loses their head, they naturally lose their worries. Carefree Mountain’s purpose is to help people rid themselves of sorrow—may the world be free of care.'"
After hearing this, Gu Qingfeng curled his lips disdainfully. What a pretentiously elegant boast.
Might as well call it No-Shit Mountain, since dead people don’t need to defecate. No-Shit Mountain’s purpose is to eliminate excrement—may the world be free of shit.
"Besides, the cultivation resources in the Middle Reaches far surpass those of the Lower Reaches. There’s no shortage of rare treasures, so finding something to counter the seal shouldn’t be difficult."
"How long would it take to get to the Middle Reaches from here?" Gu Qingfeng asked.
"At least a year. It took me nearly a year to travel from the Middle Reaches to here."
"What?!" Gu Qingfeng erupted in fury. "So you’re saying my closest kin and friends will have to remain imprisoned for another year?"
Seeing Gu Qingfeng’s rage, Fairy Miaohua instinctively trembled, her face paling in terror. "Master, this is the fastest method..."
"Audacious! How dare you talk back, Little Corpse Charm!"
"Master, I’m here~" Little Corpse Charm replied in a sweet, coquettish voice.
"Drag her away and continue the training!"
"Hehe, yes, Master~" Little Corpse Charm cheerfully led Fairy Miaohua off.
"No! You can’t do this to me! I answered your questions—you’re going back on your word!" Fairy Miaohua struggled.
"Nonsense! How dare you slander this Emperor! Little Corpse Charm, double the training!"
After the two left, Gu Qingfeng fell into contemplation. Over this period, he had gained a rough understanding of the general situation in the Lower and Middle Reaches.
The highest cultivation realm in the Lower Reaches was the True Immortal stage—there were no Earth Immortals, because Earth Immortals qualified for permanent residence in the Middle Reaches. With access to superior cultivation grounds, hardly anyone chose to remain in the Lower Reaches.
Thus, the strongest in the Lower Reaches were True Immortals.
Among the Lower Reaches’ factions, if an Earth Immortal emerged, it was akin to one person attaining enlightenment and uplifting their entire sect. The entire faction could follow the Earth Immortal into the Middle Reaches and become a Middle Reaches power.
Of course, this required passing an evaluation by the Star Extreme Immortal Dynasty’s officials. Only those deemed qualified could ascend.
Call it an evaluation, but it was really just bribery—the more gifts given, the more people one could bring along.
The same logic applied to the Middle Reaches. If the Lower Reaches only had Loose Immortals and True Immortals, the Middle Reaches added Earth Immortals and Heaven Immortals.
Heaven Immortals were the strongest in the Middle Reaches. Once one reached the Mystic Immortal stage, they could ascend to the Upper Reaches.
Gu Qingfeng estimated that his current strength could rival a Heaven Immortal, since Earth Immortals couldn’t even withstand a single blow from him. But the exact extent was unclear—he had yet to encounter a Heaven Immortal.
Precisely because of this, he felt it wasn’t secure enough. What good was being able to fight one or two Heaven Immortals? What if a whole group came for him?
Thus, he planned to enter the Middle Reaches only after mastering the Eternal Night Lamp Technique. Once his trillion-year worth of magical power underwent qualitative transformation with the aid of the Star Extreme Demonic Flame, his strength would skyrocket. By then, what would a Heaven Immortal even be?
But since the journey from the Lower to the Middle Reaches would take a year even for an immortal’s speed, he might as well cultivate along the way—no time wasted.
With this in mind, Gu Qingfeng remained in his palm-world for several more days, training Shangguan Qing and the others until they were sufficiently prepared before setting off.
......
A year later.
Gu Qingfeng, accompanied by the three women, finally arrived at the Boundary Pass. Crossing it would grant them entry into the Middle Reaches.
Standing here felt like standing at the edge of the world.
Faintly visible in the distance was a colossal dam spanning the boundary between the two realms, isolating the entire cosmos. The desolate, earthen dam was littered with the remains of immortals, their corpses sprawled across it—as if they had desperately tried but failed to cross.
Fallen stars lay at the dam’s edge, their massive forms reduced to ruins amidst the bleak silence.
This dam was the Boundary Pass!
For anyone seeking to enter the Middle Reaches, there were only two paths: cross the Boundary Pass or traverse the Middle Reaches of the Star River.
The latter was pure fantasy—no one who entered the Star River ever returned alive.
Thus, the only viable route was the Boundary Pass.
Gu Qingfeng studied the pass, and even with his vast experience, he couldn’t help but be awed by its grandeur. His gaze lingered on the immortal corpses atop the dam, puzzled.
At this moment, Fairy Miaohua, standing beside him, explained: "These are smugglers. There are always Loose Immortals or True Immortals who attempt to scale the Boundary Pass and sneak into the Middle Reaches.
They’re usually those who know they can’t survive the Heavenly Tribulation—doomed to perish in the Lower Reaches—so they gamble everything for a chance at survival in the Middle Reaches. However, the Boundary Pass has stood since ancient times, and no smuggler has ever succeeded. Even if one did, their fate would be... grim."
"What are the conditions for crossing the Boundary Pass?" Gu Qingfeng asked.
"An Earth Immortal," Fairy Miaohua answered. "There must be an Earth Immortal leading or vouching for the group."
"That’s right, Master. Wan’er only crossed because she had the Feather Transformation Immortal Dynasty’s token," Shangguan Wan’er chimed in, eager to assert her presence.
Gu Qingfeng nodded. "Simple enough, then. Miaohua, you’ll lead us into the Middle Reaches."
"Yes, Master," Fairy Miaohua replied respectfully.
A year of training had clearly paid off.
At least on the surface, everyone was harmonious and friendly.
Gu Qingfeng hadn’t been idle during this year, either. He had finally completed the Eternal Night Lamp Technique, and with the Star Extreme Demonic Flame’s aid, the quality of his magical power had increased a hundredfold!
Unfortunately, as the quality rose, the quantity plummeted—from a trillion years’ worth to a mere hundred billion. But his strength had only grown.
Moreover, with the enhancement of his magical power, his Feather Transformation Immortal Art ascended another level, and his physical prowess surged dramatically.
Additionally, he had mastered the Minor Void Escape Technique and the Immovable Vajra Body, securing both combat and escape capabilities.
The only minor hiccup was that the Immovable Vajra Body, when manifested by Gu Qingfeng, seemed to take on a different aesthetic. Instead of radiant Buddha-light, it exuded demonic radiance. Rather than a dignified, eight-armed Bodhisattva, it resembled a ferocious, eight-armed Demon God.
To match the vibe, Gu Qingfeng renamed it the Immovable Demon King Body.
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?!
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.
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."
or! A blessing for those who struggle with love, a guidebook for dating novices. Quickly match with your dream goddess! Complete walkthroughs earn rewards, and perfect walkthroughs unlock limited achievements!】 Shen Yi, an ordinary office worker, accidentally downloads a mini-game called Dating Simulator. The mini-game is simple: randomly search for dating targets, simulate dates, and receive rewards upon successful confession. Rewards include but are not limited to money, attributes, and skills. The higher the evaluation, the better the rewards, with perfect ratings unlocking mysterious achievements. Shen Yi plans to use this mysterious mini-game to continuously pursue targets and improve himself, making his life better and better. ...... However, after several successful walkthroughs, Shen Yi suddenly notices something strange - the targets he previously simulated dating seem to be searching for him in real life?
