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?!
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
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.”
his freshman year, Su Bai accidentally bound the "Indulgence Tycoon System." 【Sleeping in? Reward: +$1,000】 【Spent $288 at a street barbecue stall? Cashback: +$2,880】 【Dropped $14,396 on in-game skins? Special reward unlocked: A brand-new Porsche Panamera!】 Luxury cars, penthouses, corporate shares, financial empires… College life was all about living freely and doing whatever he pleased! … When the adorably naive academic genius faced family medical bills and financial struggles, Su Bai waved his hand dismissively: "Your future is on me." "Wuwu~ Big Brother is so good to me! I’ll become a scientist to repay you!" When the genius girl got bullied by a shady professor? Su Bai casually dropped a billion-dollar investment, forcing the university to grovel and beg for her return. A company’s funding chain collapsing? Su Bai smirked—cash was the one thing he’d never run out of. Years later, when people traced the rise of the AI prodigy beauty, who was the man behind her success? Not just that—Su Bai also became the tsundere campus belle’s unattainable dream, the contrast senior’s daily necessity, and the beautiful counselor’s emotional anchor…
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.
