Night.
On the tiled eaves of the Succubus Parlor, a pitch-black crow perched quietly at the highest point.
Its feathers gleamed with rainwater. Tilting its head, its ruby-like eyes stared intently through the half-open wooden window at the young man in the hall who was crouching down to wipe away Lina's tears.
"It really is him."
The crow suddenly spoke. Its voice was soft and sweet like a little girl's, forming a bizarre contrast with its rough and raspy appearance—
The Formless Demon Lord, Satania.
Currently taking the form of a crow, she gently shook her wings. "How strange. To think that such an ordinary-looking human brat took a charge containing seventy percent of my power head-on last time without even breaking his skin... What exactly is this body made of?"
She recalled that battle in the Black Pine Forest. She clearly had the absolute advantage in speed, yet in the end, she didn't even dare to prolong the fight and could only flee in panic.
It was her first time encountering such a bizarre existence.
"The prophet clearly said that the Demon King was around here..."
"Damn it, why are there so many weird humans in this town?"
"Demon King, where on earth are you?" The crow flapped its wings. Just as she was thinking of changing locations, an extremely faint aura suddenly drifted over from the eastern side of the town.
"!!!"
All the black feathers on Satania's body instantly bristled up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, and she nearly fell off the eaves.
A tremor originating from the deepest part of her bloodline instantly swept through her entire body, and even her wings began to tremble uncontrollably.
That was not the aura of an ordinary powerhouse. It was a brand engraved into the soul of every demon—the unique, supreme pressure of the Demon King that belonged only to the ruler of the demon race!
"The King... It's the King's aura!"
Her voice trembled with unbelievable ecstasy as she abruptly raised her head, staring fixedly in the direction of Ye Chuan's house.
"How could it be?! Is the King really here?!"
But now was not the time to think about this. Satania did not dare to delay for even a moment. With a forceful flap of her wings, she turned into a streak of black lightning tearing through the night sky, flying swiftly toward the east side of the town.
Before leaving, she cast one last glance back at the Succubus Parlor:
"Interesting human brat... Once I find the King, I will come back and thoroughly investigate your background."
...
The mess inside the Succubus Parlor had mostly been cleaned up.
Ye Chuan helped the girls move the smashed tables and chairs to the backyard, left a message for the town guard to come over tomorrow to handle the aftermath of the Mad Lion, and repeatedly reminded Sophia to lock the doors and windows tightly at night, telling her to come find him at his house immediately if anything happened.
"It's a good thing I was nearby. I'm really glad nothing major happened." Ye Chuan shook his head as he walked home.
After this incident, the Succubus Parlor's business should be completely fine. After all, he had instantly killed a Tier 4 warrior. Once this reputation spread, anyone with strange ideas would likely not dare to cause trouble so easily.
This was the border region, after all. Aside from the forces on the Lord's side, there really weren't many powerful individuals around.
Ye Chuan's footsteps were brisk; after all, Angelina was still waiting for him at home.
Thinking of the way the little girl waited for him, the corners of Ye Chuan's mouth curled up unconsciously.
In the distance, the lights in the courtyard were on. The warm yellow light spilled out through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting a gentle patch of light on the stone-paved path.
"Angelina, I'm back," Ye Chuan pushed open the door and called out with a smile, habitually opening his arms, waiting for that small figure to throw herself into his embrace.
But the living room was dead silent, with no response.
There were no familiar footsteps, nor the warm touch of someone throwing themselves into his arms.
The smile on Ye Chuan's face faded slightly, and a strange feeling welled up in his heart.
"Did she fall asleep?"
He changed his shoes and walked into the living room, immediately spotting the food on the dining table—the potato and beef stew was still bubbling in the clay pot, emitting faint steam. Beside it were stir-fried seasonal vegetables and two golden-brown fried eggs, along with a bowl of tomato and egg soup. They were all covered with clean plates, clearly out of fear that they would get cold.
Two sets of bowls and chopsticks were neatly arranged on the table; his set was on the left, and Angelina's was on the right. A chair was pulled out slightly, looking as if someone had just gotten up and left.
"Angelina?"
"These dishes have only been cooling for a short while at most," he muttered to himself, the uneasiness in his heart growing heavier.
Angelina would never finish making a meal and leave without waiting for him. Furthermore, she was so afraid of the dark that she would never leave the house alone at night.
"Angelina?" he called out again, his voice louder than before, but there was still no response.
He quickly rushed up to the second floor and pushed open Angelina's bedroom door first.
Ye Chuan's heart sank. He turned and ran to the hot spring room on the basement floor. Pushing open the door, a wave of warm steam hit his face.
The water in the hot spring pool was still emitting faint steam. Her pink bath towel and goat milk soap were draped over the wooden rack by the pool. Her slippers were placed next to it, the tips pointing toward the pool, as if she had just been preparing to undress and bathe but was suddenly interrupted by something.
She hadn't taken anything with her.
Clothes, shoes, handkerchief, coin pouch... everything she would normally take when going out was still in the house.
She didn't leave on her own.
"This is..." Ye Chuan suddenly crouched down, as if he had noticed something.
Near the entryway, there was a noticeable drag crease in the carpet, as if someone had been dragged across it. A few strands of long, silvery-white hair were stuck to the edge of the crease—it was Angelina's hair.
There were also some purple specks of light.
"Angelina..."
Ye Chuan did not hesitate in the slightest. He turned and rushed out of the house, chasing after those faintly discernible purple specks of light.
The late-night town of Yisu was dead silent. Ye Chuan's figure sped rapidly across the empty streets. Those specks of light acted like guiding fireflies, extending all the way from his doorstep toward the northern part of the town.
Just outside the town entrance was a sparse forest.
The purple specks of light became denser here. The grass and leaves on the ground were trampled in all directions, and there were several fresh muddy footprints.
"..."
Right at this moment, a bizarre cluster of purple light suddenly lit up in the clearing not far ahead.
Ye Chuan abruptly stopped in his tracks and peeked out to look.
Under the moonlight, that small figure was quietly suspended in mid-air.
It was Angelina.
Her eyes were closed, her long eyelashes drooping down. There was no expression on her face, looking as if she were asleep.
Her body was enveloped in a faint purple halo. The halo flowed slowly like water ripples, wrapping her entirely within it.
A giant black crow stood off to the side, flapping its wings once.
But soon, purple light emanated from the crow's body as it transformed into a red-haired little girl with bull horns.
"Demon King, I have finally found you... The demon race has hope once again," the red-haired little girl murmured. "For the rest, I just need a little time..."
"Angelina!" Just at this moment, a voice rang out. The red-haired little girl seemed to sense something, only to see the edge of a sword thrusting straight toward her!

g Yu was preparing for retirement when her organization decided to eliminate her. She transmigrated to a zombie apocalypse world. However, a tiny unexpected situation occurred: She somehow transformed into an adorable little girl?!

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.

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.”

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."