He gently set down his teacup. The base of the cup met the stone table with a crisp "clack." The sound was not loud, but it made both Xuanyangzi's and Lao Huang's hearts skip a beat.
"Soul searching?"
Gu Changge repeated these two words. His tone was so flat that it lacked even the slightest ripple, yet it made Xuanyangzi feel an invisible pressure.
"It seems I have been too polite."
He cast his gaze toward the endless night sky outside the courtyard, piercing through layers of space to see the sacred land shrouded in glazed light, and said slowly, "This Glazed Sacred Land... it seems there is no longer any need for it to exist."
His voice was not loud, but it exploded like a clap of thunder in the ears of Xuanyangzi and Lao Huang!
Although Xuanyangzi was also furious, hearing Gu Changge so directly pronounce the "death sentence" on a behemoth that had stood in the Eastern Region for countless years still made him gasp.
Lao Huang was so frightened that he nearly choked on the meat in his mouth. His bull eyes widened into perfect circles as he screamed in his heart, "Mother of mercy! The Lord is going to... going to wipe out their entire sect?!"
Gu Changge withdrew his gaze and looked at Xuanyangzi. His eyes returned to their previous calmness, but the deep-seated coldness within them had not dissipated.
"Senior Brother, do as you suggested. Let the Netherworld Palace play with them for a bit. If they still can't learn to behave after that..."
Gu Changge picked up his teacup, gently blew on the nonexistent floating leaves on the water's surface, and said lightly, "Then I wouldn't mind personally helping them... learn their lesson."
Looking at Gu Changge's demeanor, Xuanyangzi knew full well that although his junior brother usually seemed easygoing, once his bottom line was touched, his methods would strike with the force of a thunderbolt.
He nodded heavily. "Rest assured, Junior Brother, I know what to do! I will definitely make the Glazed Sacred Land suffer double losses this time and feel some real pain! If they still don't know what's good for them..."
A fierce light also flashed in Xuanyangzi's eyes. "Hmph! Our Azure Profound Sect has maintained an army for a thousand days; it's time to take them out for some practice!"
Listening from the side, Lao Huang felt his heart leap with fear. He quickly lowered his head, pretending to intently gnaw on a bone that had no meat left, while his mind churned like a stormy sea.
"Good heavens... I need to keep my eyes peeled in the future. I absolutely cannot offend the Lord or anyone he values... This Glazed Sacred Land is really going to suffer a terrible fate!"
After finishing his meal, Gu Changge put down his teacup, seemingly remembering something.
He casually took out the remaining essence of Quasi-Emperor dragon meat from his storage space, along with a quaint wine jar. The clay seal on the jar's mouth was branded with profound runes, exuding an intoxicating and mellow aroma of wine.
"Speaking of which, it's been a while since I visited the patriarchs in the secret realm," Gu Changge said casually.
"Since I happened to get some good wine and meat today, I should bring some to the patriarchs so they can change up their diet. They shouldn't always be gnawing on those tasteless pills and spirit stones."
Hearing this, Xuanyangzi's eyes lit up. "Right, right, right! Junior Brother is absolutely right! The patriarchs guard the forbidden grounds and have made great contributions. It is only right to show them some filial piety! Come, come, come, I'll go with you, Junior Brother!"
The two of them shifted slightly, and in the next moment, they had passed through layers of spatial restrictions and arrived at the Azure Cloud Secret Realm.
When Gu Changge and Xuanyangzi stepped onto the Dao Enlightenment Terrace at the core of the secret realm, they found only three figures sitting cross-legged there. Holy radiance flowed around them, and their auras were as profound as the sea.
The auras of the three patriarchs were incredibly deep, impressively having broken through to the Saint King Realm.
Previously, Gu Changge had improved the physiques of the patriarchs, tailor-made Great Emperor-level cultivation techniques for them, and had them refine Great Emperor essence blood. Coupled with the excellent cultivation environment of the secret realm's Dao Enlightenment Terrace, all these fortunes finally culminated in a natural breakthrough.
"Is it Changge and Little Yangzi? How do you have the time to visit us old bones today?"
The Second Patriarch, who was the first to awaken from his meditative state, spoke with a smile. He had a lean face and a relatively composed temperament. The other two patriarchs also opened their eyes one after another.
The Second Patriarch sniffed hard, his gaze immediately locking onto the wine and meat in Gu Changge's hands. A burst of pleasant surprise lit up his eyes as he straightforwardly exclaimed, "Oh, you brought gifts? This vitality... extraordinary, truly extraordinary!"
The Fourth and Fifth Patriarchs didn't speak, but their Adam's apples rolled involuntarily. They stared eagerly at the wine and meat, looking completely impatient.
Gu Changge stepped forward. "Greetings to the patriarchs. I had some free time today and procured some nice food and good wine, so I came especially to offer them to you for a change of taste."
Hearing this, the smiles on the patriarchs' faces grew even wider. The Fourth and Fifth Patriarchs even quietly shuffled closer, clearly very appreciative of the gesture.
Gu Changge placed the wine and meat on the stone table, but his gaze subconsciously swept across the area. Pausing slightly, he asked in a seemingly casual tone, "Hmm? Why don't I see the First and Third Patriarchs? Are they in secluded cultivation?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere at the scene instantly went quiet.
The smile on the Second Patriarch's face stiffened slightly, and even someone as composed as him didn't know how to respond.
The Fourth and Fifth Patriarchs exchanged a highly synchronized glance, both seeing the word "crap" in each other's eyes.
Xuanyangzi's expression instantly became extremely unnatural. He coughed violently, embarrassment and a trace of guilt appearing on his face. Rubbing his hands together, he said, "Well... Junior Brother... cough cough... the First Patriarch and Third Patriarch... they aren't in secluded cultivation..."
"Oh?" Gu Changge raised an eyebrow and looked at Xuanyangzi.
Xuanyangzi let out two dry laughs. "This... well... these past few days... didn't I receive news from that kid Canglan about the Glazed Sacred Land and the Netherworld Palace...
I couldn't hold back and mumbled a few words to the patriarchs... saying that those bastards from the Glazed Sacred Land actually secretly contacted assassins from the Netherworld Palace to assassinate Ruobai, Hanyu, and the others..."
He stole a glance at Gu Changge, his voice dropping even lower. "As a result... as a result, the two patriarchs exploded the moment they heard it!"
"The First Patriarch has the most explosive temper. He just straight up left home, and there was absolutely no stopping him! He didn't even say where he was going..."
"The Third Patriarch was even more extreme!"
Xuanyangzi swallowed hard. "He said the Glazed Sacred Land dares to send assassins to bully our disciples? Good, good, good! I'll go squat right at the entrance of their Sacred Land!
I'll count every single one of their younger generation; for every one that comes out, I'll catch one!"
Xuanyangzi's voice grew lower and lower. "Sigh, it's also my fault for having a big mouth... I couldn't hold back and let slip that their quasi-holy son Xue Wuhen was previously suppressed by that kid Fatty Wang into a cesspit to marinate..."
"As a result, the moment the Third Patriarch heard that, his eyes lit up. 'That's a good method! I like it! That's exactly what I'll do!'"
"And then... the two patriarchs just... disappeared..."
Seeing this, the Second Patriarch sighed helplessly and took over the conversation. "Yes, Changge. You know the tempers of the eldest and the third. One is more explosive than the other. When they heard this, they blew up on the spot. Even if us old bones combined our strength, we couldn't stop them..."
The Fourth and Fifth Patriarchs also clumsily nodded hard, their faces full of the innocence of "we really tried to stop them."
In their hearts, however, the patriarchs were secretly muttering: We wanted to go too! If it weren't for the fact that the sect still needed people to hold down the fort for fear of our home being raided, we would have run off with them long ago! It's all because the eldest and the third ran too fast!
Gu Changge: "..."
s + Rent Collection Wealth】 At the start, he inherited a rundown house in the urban village from his grandfather. The house had no tenants, but the moment he was diagnosed with a terminal illness, a self-proclaimed empress from the Tianxuan Continent arrived as his first tenant. Ye Chuan soon discovered that with every new tenant moving in, not only did he receive massive daily payments, but he also obtained unique items related to their backgrounds. 【Acquired Bai Qianshuang’s related item: Tiger Strength Pill—dramatically enhances physical power!】 【Acquired Bai Qianshuang’s related item: Deer Blood Pill—significantly boosts vitality!】 …… From that day on, all sorts of bizarre tenants began appearing in the house: the empress from Tianxuan Continent, an apocalyptic sorceress from the Magic Realm, a mysterious scientific girl who fell through a spacetime rift… Every single day, he received strange, powerful items and endless money. Then one day, he suddenly realized—he had become invincible. Enough, enough! Stop giving me more!
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
ts me of treason?" "Correct. The host must return to the capital and gradually build up influence." "Wait—I have half a million soldiers, and you want me to go back to the capital to 'build influence'?" "Host, you are currently the Northern Garrison General, loyal to the Great Xia Dynasty." "Of course I am loyal to Great Xia! Absolutely loyal!" "But you keep referring to yourself as 'We'..." "Never mind the details! Summon all the regional commanders and military officers! We suspect treacherous officials are manipulating the court! They shall march with Us to the capital and purge the corrupt!" "......"
nd fell into a coma while saving his younger sister from an out-of-control car. He became a vegetable. No one knew that his consciousness had crossed into a world of cultivation. Over the course of sixty years, he began as the lowest kind of mine slave, struggling to survive amid mountains of corpses and seas of blood. By sheer chance, he eventually obtained the complete memories of a fallen Immortal King. Alchemy, medicine, formations, feng shui, physiognomy, artifact forging… Every great inheritance of the cultivation world was now his. But when he opened his eyes again, he discovered that ten full years had passed in the modern world. To pay for his treatment, his father had sold the family’s shop and house, leaving himself covered in lasting injuries and illness. His mother had cared for him day and night, and more than half of her hair had already turned white. His younger sister, who had been only fifteen back then, was now twenty-five. To help repay the family’s debts, she had been forced to lower her head and put on a smiling face in places of glittering lights and endless revelry. Only then did Chen Xuan understand that what he had lost was not merely ten years. He had lost the life his entire family was meant to have. The good news was that he had brought back the memories of an Immortal King’s entire lifetime. The bad news was that his soul had returned alone—his cultivation had not come with him. Spiritual energy was scarce, resources were depleted, and the modern world still had firearms, surveillance, capital, and laws. If he wanted to protect his family, break free from everyone’s control, and become truly invincible beneath the heavens, he would have to start all over again.
