The world's origin was continuously draining away. The Xuanhuang Great World was like an ancient tree whose roots were being gnawed by invisible borers; it appeared lush and leafy on the outside, but was withering away on the inside day by day.
Such means were absolutely beyond the capabilities of an ordinary cultivator, or even a single faction. It required heaven-defying abilities to lay out a scheme spanning tens of thousands of years, quietly stealing the lifeforce of an entire realm.
Previously, he only felt that this great world was somewhat vast, a place where he could peacefully sign in.
"It seems I was too lazy in the past and never properly observed this great world."
Gu Changge thought to himself, "Only when the well runs dry does one realize the importance of the source. In the future, I must observe this heaven and earth with more care."
As his thoughts drifted, he couldn't help but think of his missing master, Daoist Zizhu.
Back then, when he obtained the Chaos Realm Crystal and shattered the void to leave, was it truly just luck, or had he also fallen into some kind of scheme?
Where was he now?
He gently shook his head, temporarily suppressing these chaotic thoughts. Empty speculation was useless; he would have to go out and take a look around in the future.
His gaze returned, landing on Ling Xi, who was cultivating with her eyes closed not far away.
At this moment, Ling Xi was surrounded by a dense mist of spiritual energy, her aura already stabilized at the Purple Mansion Realm.
The Heaven Swallowing Dao Art she cultivated was indeed exceptionally profound. With every breath she took, the surrounding spiritual energy of heaven and earth seemed to be drawn by an invisible force, transforming into tiny vortexes that were greedily absorbed into her body. Her refinement speed far exceeded that of cultivators at the same realm.
When that cultivation technique circulated, it faintly revealed a domineering intent of devouring the myriad DAOs and assimilating them for her own use.
"As expected of a reincarnated Great Emperor, this cultivation talent is truly astonishing."
Gu Changge nodded slightly, a trace of admiration in his eyes. "This Heaven Swallowing Dao Art also has its unique points. Plundering all things to temper oneself, it is unparalleled in its tyranny."
The Heaven Swallowing Dao Art was extremely efficient at plundering the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. What was even more rare was that while domineeringly devouring, the technique faintly revealed a pure intent of cleansing impurities and tempering the essence.
It quietly purified the turbid qi from the absorbed energy of all things, leaving only the purest origin power for her own use.
"Swallowing Heaven..." Gu Changge's heart stirred slightly, his divine sense meticulously perceiving that unique purification process.
"The ordinary Dao of Devouring forcefully absorbs all things. While the progress seems rapid, it actually easily accumulates complex turbid qi. It is like building a platform out of sand and soil; it is ultimately not a long-term plan. Sooner or later, it will erode the Dao foundation and obscure the spiritual altar."
"Yet this art can actually purify itself while devouring, discarding the dross and retaining the essence, allowing the foundation to remain relatively pure... As expected of an Emperor Scripture, it truly has its unique aspects, far beyond what ordinary plundering techniques can compare to."
A look of genuine admiration appeared in his eyes.
The concept and methods of this technique had already transcended the scope of ordinary plundering techniques, touching upon a higher level of energy conversion and purification.
"However..." Gu Changge's keen observation soon discovered an area for improvement. "This purification process still seems to have a slight loss. In terms of efficiency... perhaps it can be improved a bit more."
Using his profound understanding of the Great Dao's origin to deduce, he found that if the pathways for absorbing spiritual energy and the rhythm of refinement could be slightly adjusted, the energy dissipation during the purification process could be further reduced. This would make the connection between devouring and purifying more flawless and well-rounded, increasing the efficiency by at least thirty percent.
"Hmm, it is indeed very good, but it can be even better."
Gu Changge nodded slightly, a plan already forming in his mind.
He also gained a clearer idea of how to guide and cultivate this disciple who bore an Emperor's destiny.
He then withdrew his gaze and, feeling a bit bored, picked up some melon seeds from the side and started cracking them.
A long time later, Ling Xi finished cultivating. Looking at the pile of melon seed shells in front of Gu Changge's desk while he was still unhurriedly cracking them, she couldn't help but mutter in her heart.
"Master... is he this leisurely every day? If he isn't lying down sunbathing, he is standing around enjoying the scenery, and occasionally cracking melon seeds and eating melons. I have never seen him meditate and cultivate qi, absorbing the essence of the sun and moon like other cultivators."
Has he just given up?
She was full of doubts, but didn't dare to ask too much.
"However, the resources on Zizhu Peak are truly... too abundant."
Thinking of the pills and heavenly treasures she had received from her two senior brothers, as well as the extremely dense spiritual energy of heaven and earth in this place, Ling Xi felt a slight warmth in her heart.
Over the past few days, she had focused entirely on refining with all her might, and her cultivation recovery speed had far exceeded her expectations.
"At this rate, returning to the peak might not be out of reach..."
Right at this moment, the space at the entrance of the Prodigy Tower fluctuated slightly. Two slightly tired but sharp-eyed figures appeared; it was Xiao Ruobai and Fang Hanyu coming out of the trial tower.
Xiao Ruobai rotated his wrists as he spoke to Fang Hanyu beside him, "The projection of the Great Emperor Hundred Battles today was really intense! At the same realm, I had to bitterly fight him for over three hundred rounds before barely finding a flaw to defeat him.
As expected of a fierce figure from the ancient era who proved his Dao through battle, his grasp of combat timing is simply terrifying."
Fang Hanyu nodded slightly, wiping his Absolute Beginning Sword, his tone carrying a trace of agreement. "Indeed. I also tangled with the projection of the Ancient Sovereign Taiyin for a long time. Her Extreme Yin Laws were unpredictable, and the chill almost froze my divine soul. She was extremely difficult to deal with.
None of the ancient Great Emperors are weak. Even at the same realm, defeating them is by no means an easy task."
Ling Xi had just stood up, preparing to nod in greeting to her two senior brothers. Hearing this conversation, she instantly froze in place.
On her stunningly beautiful face, those cold eyes suddenly widened, filled with disbelief.
Great Emperor Hundred Battles? Ancient Sovereign Taiyin?
Defeated the projections of Great Emperors at the same realm?
Bitterly fought for three hundred rounds? Tangled for a long time?
Every single word exploded like thunder in the depths of her sea of consciousness.
In her previous life, she was Great Emperor Ling Xi, suppressing an entire era. She deeply understood what supreme combat power and realm the words Great Emperor represented. Within the same realm, a Great Emperor was synonymous with invincibility!
Every Great Emperor had stepped on the corpses of countless prodigies to prove their Dao in the midst of impossibility. Their combat awareness, Dao comprehension, and divine abilities had long reached the pinnacle of perfection, far beyond imagination.
How could they be defeated by someone at the same realm? And by two senior brothers who looked so young?
Furthermore... Great Emperor projections?
In this current era, where could one even find the traces of true Great Emperors to create projections?
Even in the Tianlan Great World where she lived in her previous life, reproducing the same-realm combat power of a complete Great Emperor was nearly impossible.
Could her two senior brothers... be bragging? This thought involuntarily popped into her mind.
She looked at Xiao Ruobai's slightly excited expression that didn't seem faked, and then at Fang Hanyu's calm yet serious demeanor. The sense of absurdity in her heart grew stronger.
She couldn't help but step forward, her voice carrying a slight tremble that she didn't even notice herself, as she tentatively asked, "Senior Brother Xiao, Senior Brother Fang... what you were just saying... Great Emperor projections? What... is going on?"
Hearing this, Xiao Ruobai turned to look at Ling Xi and grinned, revealing a hearty smile. "Oh, Junior Sister, you have finished cultivating? We were talking about the opponents in the Eternal Prodigy Tower.
I don't know where Master got that tower from, but it can summon same-realm projections of ancient and modern prodigies for combat training. We were just inside sparring with the projections of a few ancient Great Emperors."
Ling Xi: "!!!"
The Tower of Eternal Paragons? Summoning same-realm projections of Heaven's Chosen from across the ages? Sparring with a Great Emperor's projection at the same cultivation realm? And actually emerging victorious?!
uld barely embark on the path to immortality. Just as he was on the verge of death, his golden finger awakened. No matter whether it was poison, drained blood and vital energy, diminished lifespan, or any other physical debuff caused by paying a price—once midnight passed, everything would be refreshed. From then on, whenever someone asked what kind of person Chu Ran was, the answer was simple: Forbidden arts that other cultivators dared not learn? Chu Ran would learn them. Prices that even demonic cultivators dared not pay? Chu Ran would pay them. Lifespan that even righteous cultivators dared not burn? Chu Ran would burn it. All the blood essence in his body? Take it. Want both his hands and feet? He would cut them off and send them to you. You say he’s finished? He wasn’t built to sit idle. You think he’s gone mad? No—he was simply waiting for midnight. From that day onward, Chu Ran would respect neither Heaven nor Earth, bow to neither gods nor ghosts. He had only one wish: For midnight to arrive a little sooner.
he colors of other people’s emotions. Light red meant anxiety. Gray meant exhaustion. Orange meant excitement. Yellow... meant repression. At the same time, he could gain unlimited control over one of those colors. Pale cyan: relaxation. Using this ability, he started offering “two-yuan hugs,” spending an afternoon exchanging emotional-color experiences with others. Then came his final female customer of the day— a girl whose emotional color was pure black... —— A week later, Xu Chuan had become skilled at using pale cyan—Relaxation—treating it like a bottle of menthol balm whenever he needed it. That was when he discovered he had unlocked another unlimited emotional color: Purple, the color of fear. So these emotional colors refresh every week? Fine, I take it back—I’ll never call you useless again... —— Much later, after Xu Chuan had accumulated countless emotional abilities, one night, he suddenly found himself inside someone else’s dream. There, he could use the emotional colors he possessed to paint. And in her dream, he painted her a shower of pink shooting stars, spreading across the depths of the night sky...
ions, keeping it grounded and realistic】 After quitting his job, office worker Su Yang accidentally binds with the "Enjoy Life System." As the name suggests, simply by indulging in life's pleasures, he can earn random rewards from the system—no need to spend money on beautiful women or grovel before anyone. Just enjoy, and the money follows, making it all about effortless fun. The system comes with a scanning feature, allowing him to establish a favorability bond with women rated 85 points or above. Every 20-point increase in favorability unlocks additional rewards. After suffering through over twenty years of hardship, Su Yang trembles with excitement, his dull eyes suddenly gleaming with newfound hope. "Enjoy life? How hard could that be?"
end. Thus one must continue to cultivate, and become a saint or great emperor, in order to prolong one's life. Chen Xia, however, completely reversed this. Since his transmigration, he has gained immortality, and also a system that awards him with attribute points for every year he lives. Thus between the myriad worlds, the legend of an unparalleled senior appeared. "A gentleman takes revenge; it is never too late even after ten thousand years." "When you were at your peak I yielded, now in your old age I shall trample on you." - Chen Xia
