"Almost got caught."
Amidst flickering light, a figure appeared standing atop a rocky outcrop. Ye Chuan emerged within a mountain stream, having fled the recent battlefield. He let out a slow exhale.
"Time to switch back." Ye Chuan released his spiritual sense, and after confirming no one was nearby, he changed out of his black attire and back into Qingyun Sect robes.
Originally, he had been returning to the sect in Qingyun Sect attire when Ji Dan intercepted him.
Then, after switching to black clothes to join the commotion, he ended up getting beaten by that person disguised as Bai Qianshuang.
"I'm still too weak. When will I ever ascend and become an Immortal Emperor?" Ye Chuan adjusted his sleeves before pulling out his phone and opening the gacha page.
"Most of the techniques have already been pulled—just duplicates left now, and I can’t seem to get any legendary ones." He began fine-tuning his combat prowess.
The strength of the techniques he could draw was directly proportional to Bai Qianshuang’s favorability.
The higher the tenant’s favorability, the higher the quality of the related items.
To progress further, aside from leeching techniques from the sect, he’d have to work on deepening his bond with Bai Qianshuang.
"And then there’s this." Ye Chuan took out a storage pouch.
It belonged to Zi Ning'er—freshly plucked from her pocket, still warm from her body heat. When he opened it, he noticed a mark left inside, likely a restriction she had placed.
"Won’t stop me." Ye Chuan wasn’t worried about any seal. After opening the pouch, he probed it with his spiritual sense.
Huh?
Where’s the Black Tortoise essence blood?
He noticed only miscellaneous items, some spirit crystals, and clothes inside—nothing else.
"Did I grab the wrong one?" After thoroughly searching and confirming the absence of what he sought, realization slowly dawned on him. "What?"
Seriously? After all that effort, he got nothing?
But that couldn’t be—he had searched Zi Ning'er thoroughly, and she only had one storage pouch on her.
"Tch." Frustrated, Ye Chuan could only stash Zi Ning'er’s pouch away for now.
At least there were some spirit crystals inside. Not a total loss.
After tidying up, he set off toward Qingyun Sect.
---
Meanwhile, within Qingyun Sect, a group had gathered in the grand hall of Tianheng Peak.
"To think remnants of the Yuxu Demon Sect still exist—and in numbers exceeding a hundred. Hmph." A disdainful snort came from Qin Tianya, the sect master. "That demoness should’ve been executed immediately."
Who would’ve thought Qingyun Sect would nearly lose several core disciples and elders?
"Are you alright, Ning'er?" Qin Tianya asked.
"Just minor injuries, nothing serious." As she spoke, Zi Ning'er retrieved a storage pouch from her chest. "This contains the Black Tortoise essence blood."
The one that had been stolen wasn’t the pouch holding the essence blood—she had kept that one pressed against her chest. When Ye Chuan had searched her, he hadn’t directly grabbed that spot, only brushing past it.
That was why he hadn’t found it.
Inside the glass container, the essence blood radiated a dense vitality.
"Well done." Qin Tianya waved his hand, storing the essence blood away. "All disciples and elders who participated in this auction shall be generously rewarded."
"Many thanks, Sect Master!" The disciples and elders below cheered.
Qin Tianya tapped his fingers against the white jade table before him, deep in thought. After a moment, he spoke. "This sect shall activate the Heavenly Water Mirror."
The Heavenly Water Mirror?
The announcement instantly sparked excitement among many.
The mirror could peer into the past, replaying events that had occurred. It seemed this ambush had finally pushed Qin Tianya to use the secret treasure’s power.
"Sect Master, is this to investigate the thief from before?" Elder Ziyun inquired.
Having suffered injuries twice—once from the explosion of the scripture pavilion and again from the pill garden theft—Elder Ziyun bore a deep grudge against the culprit.
"No. It is to investigate the remnants of Yuxu Sect… If they regain momentum, they will undoubtedly threaten Qingyun Sect." Qin Tianya paused, as if recalling the shadowy figure.
"As for that strange shadow, we can investigate it as well."
Elder Ziyun’s face brightened at the mention of tracking the shadow. His previously weary expression regained some vigor.
"The Heavenly Water Mirror is currently recuperating in the secret realm. In three days, this sect shall activate it." Qin Tianya waved his hand. "Go and rest now."
"Yes."
With the meeting adjourned, Zi Ning'er helped Elder Ziyun out of the hall.
"Master, are you feeling better?" Zi Ning'er asked as she supported him.
"Ning'er, I’m fine." Ziyun shook his head. "You’ve worked hard during the auction. Return to your cave abode and rest."
Zi Ning'er nodded but then seemed to remember something. "Master… I heard you only gave Huang Haotian, your new disciple, a single Nine-Purity Core Formation Pill?"
Ziyun smiled meaningfully.
"Nine-Purity is correct, but I also supplemented it with a Six-Purity Core Formation Pill. Did Huang Haotian tell you this?"
"Yes."
"Heh." Ziyun narrowed his eyes. "Still, the boy is indeed a rare talent. Reaching the quasi-Core Formation realm before twenty—even surpassing your achievements back then."
The key point was that Ye Chuan was a rogue cultivator, meaning he had grown up with scarce resources—vastly different from sect disciples raised with ample support.
"Ning'er, I want you to become the leading figure of Flying Sword Peak in this generation." Ziyun said calmly. "A seedling like him cannot be allowed to fall into another peak’s hands."
Ziyun had taken in Ye Chuan to strengthen Flying Sword Peak—but not to the point where he would overshadow Zi Ning'er.
"Master, I believe I am no worse than Junior Brother Huang. I hope you will guide him well so that Flying Sword Peak may rise even higher." Zi Ning'er insisted.
"With his talent, he will surely reach the Nascent Soul realm and beyond."
"Enough. I’m tired." Ziyun waved his hand, cutting her off.
Zi Ning'er fell silent for a long moment before finally letting the matter drop.
"For the upcoming Qingyun Secret Realm expedition, I’d like to bring Junior Brother Huang along." Zi Ning'er said. "The sect master did promise us a reward."
Ziyun was taken aback before sighing. "Ning'er, why must you concern yourself with him?"
"Because if I don’t, it may become a demon in my heart." Zi Ning'er clenched her fists.
"I fear no one. I refuse to believe I am inferior to anyone."
Ziyun: "…"
At the mention of a "demon in her heart," Ziyun seemed surprised that his actions had affected her so deeply. Finally, he relented.
"If the sect master permits it, I won’t stop you."
"Good."
pression Bureau] Transported to a fantasy world overrun by demons and monsters, Gu Qingfeng becomes a jailer in the Demon Suppression Prison of the Great Yan Dynasty's Demon Suppression Bureau. From this point on, bizarre cases frequently occur in the Demon Suppression Prison, once known as hell on earth and infamous for its gloomy, terrifying atmosphere! Why do the demons and monsters in the prison wail miserably every night? Why has the corpse demon, capable of transforming into various beauties, donned black stockings and switched careers to become a foot massage therapist? Why has the eye demon, expert in soul-snatching and illusions, turned into a VR headset? Why is the fox spirit performing otaku dances? Are all these occurrences a twisted expression of demonic nature, or a descent into moral depravity? After peeling away layer upon layer of mystery, all clues ultimately point to a jailer named Gu Qingfeng. Gu Qingfeng: "Hehehe... My dear demons and monsters, whose card shall we flip today?"
lanned to earn money steadily and take life at a slower pace. But he never expected... his father's remarriage, and the stepmother bringing along a dependent, would completely disrupt his life's plans...
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!
ive and Ruthless] Before his transmigration, Ye Xuan was playing a game called "Severing Emotions to Attain the Dao." The game's core wasn't about leveling up by fighting monsters, but about conquering various "bad women" with wicked personalities and cold, fickle natures. There was only one method to conquer them: stay unwaveringly by their side, then die at a critical moment, driving them to madness after losing the protagonist. The higher their level of regret, the higher the player's score. To dominate the server, Ye Xuan conquered all the bad women. In the early stages, he showered them with boundless tenderness, only to choose to sacrifice himself for them later, making them weep bitterly and drown in regret. Among them were: Xia Lengyue, the unfaithful immortal wife who chased after powerful men and discarded her husband like trash. Ye Qingcheng, the Demonic Venerable of the Joyous Union Sect, who appeared pure and innocent but was, in reality, promiscuous. Wu Lingxiao, the Empress of the Great Xia Dynasty, who lusted after men and loved maintaining a harem. Bai Qiangu of the Endless Demonic Sect: a bloodthirsty mass murderer. However, when the protagonist transmigrated into the game world, he made a horrifying discovery. Eight hundred years had already passed. The bad women he had conquered had now each become deities and revered ancestors. Faced with the endless stream of toxic women coming for him, Ye Xuan could only rely on his god-tier acting skills to carve a path of survival through this world of treacherous women.
