The next day.
Gu Ling'er indeed came knocking.
However, this time, she wasn’t alone—she was accompanied by a middle-aged general.
Gu Ling'er’s expression was far from friendly, clearly still holding a grudge over yesterday’s beating. But for the sake of her father, the emperor, she had no choice but to endure the humiliation for now.
"This is the immortal you wanted, the one about to undergo a tribulation," she said.
Gu Qingfeng glanced at the middle-aged general, who was evidently a high-ranking officer of the Seven Stars Ancient Nation.
"An Earth Immortal? A bit weak, but it’ll do," Gu Qingfeng remarked.
The general’s face darkened at the comment, but he held his tongue. After all, this was the man who had beaten Yuwen Xiong into submission—someone far beyond his own capabilities.
"Let’s go," Gu Qingfeng said, leading Gu Ling'er and the general out.
But as they walked, the two grew increasingly uneasy.
"Gu Qingfeng," Gu Ling'er asked, "aren’t we supposed to be heading to a secluded place for the tribulation? Why are we going toward the city center instead?"
Gu Qingfeng frowned without turning back. "Stop asking pointless questions. Just follow."
Gu Ling'er clenched her fists in frustration. No one had ever dared to speak to her like this. But for her father’s sake, she swallowed her anger.
Soon, the trio arrived at the busiest street in the city center, bustling with countless pedestrians and lined with shops, a scene of lively chaos.
Gu Qingfeng turned to the general. "Begin your tribulation."
The general froze in disbelief. "Here?!"
Gu Ling'er immediately protested, "Are you insane? There are so many people around! What if the tribulation harms them?"
Unfazed by their objections, Gu Qingfeng replied calmly, "First, these people aren’t fools. They all have cultivation and will flee the moment they sense the tribulation. Second, with me here, the tribulation won’t harm a soul. Believe it or not, it’s up to you. If you disagree, feel free to leave."
Gu Qingfeng had no intention of changing locations. His goal was to attract as many onlookers as possible—to build his reputation.
First, he could earn wealth by helping others overcome tribulations, using it to rescue his family.
Second, it would maximize his chances of drawing the attention of the Seven Stars Nation’s ruler, Gu Ruochen.
Seeing his unwavering stance, Gu Ling'er and the general exchanged silent words through spiritual transmission.
"Your Highness, this man is eccentric and untrustworthy. His methods are too reckless," the general warned.
"For Father’s sake, we must try," Gu Ling'er insisted. "Uncle Li, even without his help, your strength should be enough to survive this tribulation. If he’s just a fraud, you won’t fail. As for the bystanders, I’ll set up a barrier to minimize collateral damage."
"Then... as you command, Your Highness."
With that, the general ceased suppressing his cultivation. A radiant immortal light erupted from his body, unleashing the unmistakable aura of an Earth Immortal.
The sudden surge of power instantly drew the attention of the entire street.
In the Seven Stars Immortal City, flight and combat were strictly forbidden in public. Few dared to openly release their aura like this.
The crowd turned their heads, expecting some spectacle—only to find the general standing alone, his energy flaring.
"What’s going on? First Yuwen Xiong violated the no-flight law, and now someone’s breaking the no-combat rule?"
"Isn’t that General Li?"
"What? Is General Li breaking the law knowingly? Or is he trying to arrest someone?"
BOOM!
As the murmurs spread, a deafening thunderclap tore through the sky.
In an instant, dark clouds gathered, lightning flashed, and the air grew heavy, as if the heavens themselves were collapsing.
The crowd looked up in horror.
"Is... is that a tribulation?!"
"General Li is undergoing a tribulation?!"
"And he chose to do it in the middle of the city?!"
"Quick, get back! Don’t get struck by lightning!"
Lower-level immortals scrambled away, terrified of being caught in the tribulation’s range. Those with higher cultivation watched from a distance, puzzled by General Li’s actions.
Meanwhile, Gu Ling'er swiftly set up a formation to contain the tribulation’s destructive force and protect the surroundings.
The sudden tribulation also alerted the city guards, who rushed over in streaks of light.
"Who dares to undergo a tribulation here—General Li?! And... Your Highness?!"
Gu Ling'er stepped forward, stopping the approaching soldiers.
"Master Gu, it’s time," General Li called out, his voice tense.
Gu Qingfeng nodded indifferently. "Begin."
Seeing that Gu Qingfeng made no move to assist, General Li’s heart sank. He steeled himself to face the tribulation alone—fortunately, he had trained in a body-refining technique, giving him some confidence even in this rushed situation.
CRACK—!
The sky turned blindingly white as a monstrous bolt of lightning, thick as a python, coiled within the thunderclouds.
General Li tensed, golden light erupting from his body, encasing him in a radiant glow.
Just then, a massive hand materialized above him.
The sudden appearance startled General Li. He turned to see Gu Qingfeng, his expression serene as he reached toward the tribulation as if it were nothing more than a breeze.
"Master Gu, what are you doing?!" General Li cried in alarm. "Are you here to help me or kill me? Interfering directly will double the tribulation’s power!"
"I am helping you," Gu Qingfeng replied coolly.
General Li felt his soul nearly leave his body. He never imagined Gu Qingfeng’s "help" would involve such madness.
Normally, assisting someone in a tribulation involved formations, elixirs, or other indirect methods—never direct interference. Doing so violated the laws of the Great Dao, amplifying the tribulation’s lethality.
Now, General Li was truly panicked. His body-refining technique might have been enough for the original tribulation, but with its power doubled, survival seemed unlikely.
The onlookers erupted into chaos.
"Isn’t that the man who beat Yuwen Xiong senseless last time?"
"What’s he doing? Is he really daring to mess with a heavenly tribulation?!"
"Does he have a grudge against General Li?"
"A grudge? If he wanted revenge, why not just fight him? Why provoke the heavens?"
Gu Ling'er, her face pale with worry, shouted, "Gu Qingfeng, what are you thinking? This will only make the tribulation worse! How is this helping?!"
Gu Qingfeng turned slightly, meeting her frantic gaze with unshaken calm.
"Just watch," he said.
to panic—he has a system. As long as an investment target dies, he can claim a reward. And since he is immortal, the one thing he has plenty of is time. ... Countless years later. “Immortal Emperor of Longevity? I invested in him.” “Supreme Celestial Venerable? I invested in him.” “Undying Empress? I invested in her.” “...” “Heh. Once they’ve all died, even the Heavenly Dao will have to kneel and call me Dad.”
nd fell into a coma while saving his younger sister from an out-of-control car. He became a vegetable. No one knew that his consciousness had crossed into a world of cultivation. Over the course of sixty years, he began as the lowest kind of mine slave, struggling to survive amid mountains of corpses and seas of blood. By sheer chance, he eventually obtained the complete memories of a fallen Immortal King. Alchemy, medicine, formations, feng shui, physiognomy, artifact forging… Every great inheritance of the cultivation world was now his. But when he opened his eyes again, he discovered that ten full years had passed in the modern world. To pay for his treatment, his father had sold the family’s shop and house, leaving himself covered in lasting injuries and illness. His mother had cared for him day and night, and more than half of her hair had already turned white. His younger sister, who had been only fifteen back then, was now twenty-five. To help repay the family’s debts, she had been forced to lower her head and put on a smiling face in places of glittering lights and endless revelry. Only then did Chen Xuan understand that what he had lost was not merely ten years. He had lost the life his entire family was meant to have. The good news was that he had brought back the memories of an Immortal King’s entire lifetime. The bad news was that his soul had returned alone—his cultivation had not come with him. Spiritual energy was scarce, resources were depleted, and the modern world still had firearms, surveillance, capital, and laws. If he wanted to protect his family, break free from everyone’s control, and become truly invincible beneath the heavens, he would have to start all over again.
rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!
s the Eldest Princess, renowned for her cold and aloof detachment, became the most docile of lambs, obeying his every command without question. But when the final move was played on the chessboard, as Gu Chenghan seized everything and ascended on the verge of apotheosis, that very Princess suddenly embraced him from behind, her tone carrying a dependence never heard before: "Wait... you haven't yet... commanded me to love you forever." Gu Chenghan froze abruptly. She... hadn't been hypnotized?! ... [The Eldest Princess's Diary] [When my soul was extracted, becoming the sole spectator outside my own shell] [At first, there was overwhelming fury, until I saw] [How he used my sword to effortlessly shatter my inescapable doom] [How he wielded my authority to eradicate fatal conspiracies I had never even detected] [Like a deity, he rescued me from the deep mire I was trapped in] [If not for those annoying vixens, he and I would be a match made in heaven] [I think I am ill, gravely ill] [My deity should belong to me alone] ... "Hypnosis? Oh, it succeeded, my dear Master." "Only this time, it's my turn to hypnotize you."
