A deafening explosion echoed through the cavern as a powerful force collided with the stone gate, sending shockwaves rippling through the air!
Ye Chuan frowned, staring at the imposing gate before him, a flicker of irritation rising in his chest.
As a Crystal Realm expert, being stumped by what seemed like an ordinary stone gate was downright embarrassing.
Pathetic, really.
"Come on, I’m a Crystal Realm cultivator—how can a damn door stop me?!" With that, Ye Chuan unleashed his full aura, his spiritual energy surging like a tidal wave.
"I’m at the mid-stage of the Crystal Realm! Who dares block my path?!"
His voice rang out as spiritual power churned violently around him, his immortal sword blazing with radiant light.
Raising the sword high, a pillar of energy shot upward, illuminating the cavern in a dazzling glow. Then, with a roar, Ye Chuan slashed down:
"Curry Slash!"
A razor-sharp wave of sword energy erupted, slicing through the air with a piercing shriek. The sheer force shook the cavern, sending dust cascading from the ceiling and shrouding the space in dim haze.
As the light faded, the stone gate remained unscathed, standing firm as if mocking him silently.
Ye Chuan’s eye twitched at the sight. Clearing his throat, he muttered, "If only Qian Shuang were here, she’d smash this thing in two."
["Xiao Shuang, show it who’s boss!"
"Skip it!"]
He scanned the cavern, considering alternatives.
Maybe tunneling through the walls? The thought was dismissed immediately.
A Crystal Realm expert digging like a mole? Absolutely humiliating. Even if no one was watching.
Nah, nah.
"Hmm… huh?" Rummaging through his bag, his fingers brushed against something—a monocle materialized in his palm.
[Item: Magic Eyeglass
Effect: X-ray vision, capable of seeing through illusions.]
A drop from Lilith ages ago, something he’d barely glanced at. Now, it might just be useful.
Magic operated on rules different from cultivation. If his spiritual senses couldn’t penetrate the gate, maybe this could.
Sliding the monocle on, the world transformed instantly—everything became transparent, even gaining night vision.
"Oh? Surprisingly handy here." A flicker of surprise crossed his face as he turned back to the gate.
The ancient stone now appeared translucent. Though darkness loomed beyond, a glowing purple magic circle pulsed at its center, intricate runes swirling with arcane power.
"So that’s why my attacks did nothing—there’s a barrier spell embedded."
Adjusting the monocle, Ye Chuan smirked. Magic circles weren’t a problem for him.
Stepping forward, he pressed a palm against the icy surface. Instantly, chaotic energy surged from his body, seeping through the cracks like living tendrils to corrode the spell’s power.
The gate’s resistance weakened visibly, the magic circle dimming bit by bit.
"Bzzzt—" A sharp hum filled the cavern as the circle shattered into fragments, dissolving into nothingness.
With the barrier gone, Ye Chuan shoved the gate with renewed vigor.
Open!
Tatakae!
A deep rumble answered as the massive door slowly gave way, unleashing an ancient, mysterious aura heavy with time’s weight.
Success!
Sword in hand, Ye Chuan stepped inside cautiously, conjuring a fireball to light his way.
The space beyond was vast, littered with ruins of bizarre structures and skeletal remains of unknown creatures. The architecture was alien—nothing like the sects or mortal cities he knew. Instead, it bore a Western fantasy flair, steeped in enigma.
The bones, though—those were the real curiosity.
"What… are these things?" He eyed a skull towering over ten meters, brow furrowing.
Even with his limited exposure to exotic beasts, this was beyond strange.
Wasn’t this the Ghost Valley? He’d expected wraiths and specters, not… whatever this was.
Why were there so many monstrous remains behind this gate? What happened here?
Questions swirled as he ventured deeper.
The gloom receded, replaced by walls embedded with luminescent stones casting an eerie blue glow. The skeletons and ruins shimmered unnervingly, amplifying the unsettling atmosphere.
Ye Chuan’s steps slowed, grip tightening on his sword.
This place was leagues more dangerous than outside.
Physical damage was still a concern, after all.
Suddenly, his spiritual sense prickled. His gaze snapped forward—
A colossal throne, dozens of meters tall, loomed ahead. And seated upon it… a massive figure clad in armor.
"A giant?" Ye Chuan blinked. The sheer scale dwarfed him—his 1.8-meter frame might as well have been an ant.
The armored titan sat motionless, shrouded in shadow, exuding an imperious aura as if gazing down upon all who dared approach.
"Interesting… Is it dead?" Despite sensing no life, the illusion of being watched persisted.
"Whatever. Photos first." Ye Chuan whipped out his phone, snapping several shots of the armored giant.
He’d ask Lilith later. She might know.
This style of armor had zero connection to the cultivation world.
Expanding his spiritual sense, he searched for treasures—even if this felt like the wrong place, such a bizarre spot had to hide something valuable.
Just then… the giant’s fingers twitched.
Dust cascaded from its joints as a low, grinding creak echoed through the chamber.
Heavy.
Commanding.
ing gift was a patch of barren land, and disciples were all picked up along the way. He spent fifty years diligently building three "ramshackle little sects," thinking he could finally live a carefree life relying on his disciples. But right at the fifty-year mark, he was suddenly swept away by a spatial rift and exiled to the Chaos Desolation, the Disorderly Ruins. There was no spiritual energy there, only slaughter. Relying on the cultivation feedback from his disciples, Gu Changyuan hacked his way through a sea of blood for eleven hundred years. When the system finally fished him back out, he discovered the ramshackle little sects he'd built back then had developed a rather... unusual style. Hold on... I vanished for a thousand years, so how did my ramshackle little sects become holy lands?!
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!
lities. One day, Qi Yuan was buying groceries when he unfortunately came face-to-face with a monster. Just when he thought he was going to die on the spot, he suddenly heard the monster's thoughts... "This aura, he's definitely not an ordinary master!" "So terrifying, so terrifying." "A fight with my back against the wall, I can't take it anymore." Qi Yuan: Ah, no one told me that my awakened ability isn't telepathy, but rather the stronger my enemies imagine me to be, the stronger I truly become. PS: Zhou Hai in the first chapter is not the protagonist.
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.
