After the two completed the exchange of treasures, they immediately began to move forward. However, they had barely taken two steps when they spotted a middle-aged scholar seated leisurely beneath a willow tree, a tea set arranged before him as he sipped his tea with ease.
It was none other than the Divine Martial Marquis.
No one knew when he had arrived or how long he had been there.
But judging by the state of the tea, it seemed it was no longer the first brew.
Gu Qingfeng and Ye Wuyou exchanged glances.
At that moment, Ye Wuyou suddenly spoke up, "Foster Father, as I observe the scenery here, I feel a sudden epiphany, as if I’ve stepped into a state of enlightenment. My cultivation realm feels on the verge of a breakthrough. This is the perfect moment for cultivation. Please allow me to return to Wuyou Mountain to meditate and strive for an early breakthrough."
Gu Qingfeng: "..."
He glanced at Ye Wuyou, who barely reached the height of his calf, and couldn’t help but wonder—how could such a small frame contain so much cunning?
Still, he didn’t refuse Ye Wuyou’s request. In the grand scheme of things, a child’s cultivation took precedence above all else.
Thus, he promptly took Ye Wuyou away.
Then, without hesitation, he strode toward the Divine Martial Marquis and asked, "What brings you to seek this Emperor today? Is it about the border gates?"
As he spoke, Gu Qingfeng summoned the Star Extreme Demonic Flame, a profound violet light blooming between them.
"Let me be frank—the Star Extreme Immortal King is family to this Emperor. Even if it were two border gates, or even a third, what of it?"
The Divine Martial Marquis paid no heed to the mention of the border gates. Instead, his gaze fixed intently on the Star Extreme Demonic Flame, his expression shifting for the first time—a flicker of nostalgia, a trace of wariness, and the faintest hint of killing intent.
Gu Qingfeng’s heart instantly sank. As a being of supreme malevolence and a demon of the mind, he was acutely sensitive to shifts in emotion. The Divine Martial Marquis’s complex emotions were immediately apparent to him.
Damn it!
There was clearly bad blood between the Divine Martial Marquis and the Star Extreme Immortal King!
Abruptly, the Divine Martial Marquis raised his head, his eyes—like a universe brimming with stars—locking onto Gu Qingfeng as he said calmly, "Did you know the Star Extreme Immortal King has long been dead?"
Dead!?
Gu Qingfeng froze in shock.
This Emperor’s family… is dead?!
The family this Emperor had yearned for day and night—gone!?
"Impossible!" Gu Qingfeng snapped, suddenly recalling something.
If the Star Extreme Immortal King were truly dead, how could he possess the Star Extreme Demonic Flame?
Back then, the system had explicitly stated that he was under attack by the Star Extreme Immortal King.
That could only mean one thing—the Star Extreme Immortal King was still alive!
"This Marquis also finds it hard to believe. He should still be alive, hiding somewhere to lick his wounds," the Divine Martial Marquis said indifferently.
"That is why this Marquis has come to confirm it with you."
Gu Qingfeng frowned slightly. The Divine Martial Marquis’s tone didn’t sit right with him—this didn’t sound like something a brother-in-law would say.
"You seem to hold a grudge against the Star Extreme Immortal King?"
The Divine Martial Marquis gave him a cool glance. "He killed my elder sister. What do you think?"
Gu Qingfeng was speechless.
What kind of mess was this?!
He had originally planned to seek refuge with his family in the Star Extreme Immortal Dynasty. But now, not only was his family’s whereabouts unknown, but their enemy had come knocking first.
Damn it!
This Emperor hasn’t enjoyed a single benefit from his so-called family, yet now he has to shoulder their vengeance?!
"To be honest, this Emperor isn’t particularly close to the Star Extreme Immortal King. We’ve never even met. So, you’ve got the wrong person."
The Divine Martial Marquis shook his head. "This Marquis knows you’ve never met the Star Extreme Immortal King. In fact, he likely has no idea of your existence as a clansman. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have brazenly slaughtered the border gates."
"Your Star Demon race is unique. You don’t reproduce naturally but are born from stellar cores with a certain probability."
"Every living star possesses a stellar core, yet the chance of a Star Demon being born is one in countless billions."
"Once a Star Demon is born, it drains the energy of the entire living star until nothing remains. Only then does the Star Demon fully emerge."
"In other words, the birth of every Star Demon is accompanied by the deaths of countless lives. That is why your kind is known for cruelty and bloodlust."
"Thus, this Marquis understands your actions in slaughtering the border gates. It aligns perfectly with your race’s nature."
"Your kind may slaughter as many as you please—but you should never have killed my sister!"
"Hey, hey, hey—" Gu Qingfeng cut in hastily as the Divine Martial Marquis seemed lost in memories, teetering on the edge of darkness. "It wasn’t this Emperor who killed your sister! The guilty party is the Star Extreme Immortal King—go after him!"
"This Marquis will naturally seek out the Star Extreme Immortal King. But for that, I need you," the Divine Martial Marquis said calmly, his gaze unwavering.
Gu Qingfeng’s heart skipped a beat as a phrase flashed through his mind—the dagger is drawn.
"This Emperor has never even met the Star Extreme Immortal King. How am I supposed to help you find him?"
"By offering your blood. This Marquis possesses an immortal art that traces bloodlines. Once your entire bloodline is sacrificed, no matter how deeply the Star Extreme Immortal King hides, he will be found!"
"That old fool probably never imagined he’d meet his end at the hands of his own kin. Hahaha..."
As he spoke, a cold smirk curled at the Divine Martial Marquis’s lips.
"Uh… just one more question," Gu Qingfeng interjected.
"Are you human… or demon?"
The Divine Martial Marquis frowned slightly, puzzled by the relevance of the question. But perhaps the memories stirred today had loosened his tongue.
He answered, "This Marquis is neither human nor demon. This Marquis is an immortal—a Great Luo Golden Immortal!"
When Gu Qingfeng heard "neither human," his heart nearly stopped. But the rest of the answer left him cursing inwardly.
Damn it!
In the next instant, Gu Qingfeng’s figure vanished into the void—the Great Void Escape Technique.
When facing an enemy of unknown strength, discretion was the better part of valor.
The Divine Martial Marquis watched Gu Qingfeng disappear without a flicker of emotion, merely observing his retreat.
"Futile struggle," he murmured.
Then, with a single step, he too vanished from sight.
......
By the Star River, Gu Qingfeng’s figure materialized once more.
In truth, the first time he had used the Great Void Escape Technique, his escape route had been toward the Star River. He knew full well that the only chance of evading a Great Luo Golden Immortal lay in the Star River’s power.
Thanks to that initial maneuver, his second escape brought him directly to the river’s edge.
Almost the moment Gu Qingfeng arrived, the Divine Martial Marquis emerged from the void behind him.
He cast a calm glance at the surging Star River and remarked indifferently, "You thought to escape using the Star River?"
"A pity, but even if you share kinship with the Star Extreme Immortal King, you are far too weak to withstand its currents."
"Perhaps downstream, you might survive its force—but the Star River grows stronger the further upstream you go. Here in the upper reaches, not even this Marquis can endure its power, let alone you."
"Surrender now, and this Marquis will grant you a swift end."
"Heh heh heh..." Gu Qingfeng stood at the edge of the Star River, looking down arrogantly at the composed Divine Martial Marquis as he said, "So you don't dare to enter this Star River either?"
+ Slow Paced + Main Character Thrives Together with His Disciples】 Transmigrated into a cultivation world, Chu Xingchen awakens a discipleship system that reveals the tags of his disciples! Starting from scratch, he builds the strongest sect. Disciple One: Li Yingling 【Gold Tag: Genius Cultivator】【Purple Tag: Extremely Lucky】【Blue Tag: Bewitchingly Beautiful】 Disciple Two: Li Hangtian 【Gold Tag: Reincarnated】【Purple Tag: Ruthless and Decisive】【Blue Tag: Loyal and Noble】 Disciple Three: ??? 【Orange Tag: Alluring Demoness】【???】【???】 Thus, in the cultivation world, an unremarkable little sect appears out of nowhere, but little do others know that each member of this sect is a powerhouse in their own right. The book is also known as: Cultivation? It's Exactly Like This!
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
close your eyes and open them again, only to find yourself transmigrated into the role of a villainous male supporting character. Readers familiar with urban wish-fulfillment novels know that it is only through the relentless antics of the villainous male supporting character that the plot between the male and female leads can progress. As the villainous male supporting character, Long Aotian not only has to bully the female lead, harass the second female lead, and flirt with the third female lead, but he also has to go all out to antagonize the male lead. In the end, when his body is discovered, he is still clutching half a moldy fried dough stick in his hand. Fully aware of the plot, Long Aotian is determined to change his fate, starting with the female lead! In the beginning, the female lead lacks confidence: "Big brother, I hope I didn't scare you?" In the middle, the female lead treads carefully: "Brother Long, please don't hit me, okay?" Later on, the female lead becomes coquettishly clingy: "Aotian, it's time to pay the 'public grain' tonight." Long Aotian's legs go weak, and he feels like crying: "I taught you to be thick-skinned, not shameless!"
] [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!"
