"Yin Huacheng... is dead?"
The shocking news sent ripples through the crowd, leaving everyone stunned.
Yin Huacheng had been the strongest among the Qingyuan Sect's delegation this time. Few present could confidently claim to surpass him in cultivation.
Dead?!
"It's true. He was found just a li outside the estate. His body has already been brought back."
The ashen faces of the Fenyulin disciples said it all—Yin Huacheng hadn’t just died; his end had been gruesome.
In an instant, countless eyes turned toward the Qingyuan Sect members. Yet, to everyone’s surprise, most of them remained expressionless, showing none of the expected fury or grief. It was as if a stranger had died.
Only Li Mo wore a grave expression as he spoke:
"This is highly suspicious. We should go and see for ourselves."
.........
The storm raged on.
Tonight would be a sleepless one.
In the front hall of Dongli Manor, a bloodstained straw mat lay on the ground. If not for the claim that it held Yin Huacheng’s remains, no one would have guessed it was a human body.
"How brutal..."
"Who... who could have done this?"
"I can’t even tell what weapon was used. Definitely not a sword or saber."
"Tsk... A fifth-aperture Guanshen realm expert, killed in a single strike without even a chance to cry for help!"
Whispers spread like wildfire, faces pale with fear and uncertainty.
Yin Huacheng had been a powerhouse among Guanshen realm cultivators. Yet, he had been crushed like an insect.
"The elders have already been notified."
"Senior Brother Ouyang, what do you think?"
"Brother Tie, any thoughts?"
Luo Yu turned to the two men.
One was the second strongest disciple of the Qingyuan Sect and the chief disciple of Ruyi Peak. The other, Tie Qi, was not only the top disciple of Gangdou Sect but also a seasoned bounty hunter.
"The killer used neither internal energy nor soul force."
Ouyang, a young man with a perpetually weary expression, shook his head as he examined the corpse.
No soul force?
No internal energy?
So, Yin Huacheng had been beaten to death with sheer physical strength?
Tsk...
Gasps of shock filled the hall.
To crush a Guanshen realm expert with brute force—was that even humanly possible?
Too savage.
"The weapon used... was likely a hammer."
"And the killer needed only one strike."
"The perpetrator must be an assassin from the Drizzle Tower, trained in an extremely domineering body-refining technique."
Tie Qi’s expression darkened. Even he could deduce no more without witnessing the act firsthand.
"A hammer?"
"One strike?"
"Drizzle Tower?"
The crowd exchanged uneasy glances, some swallowing hard in fear.
Even Bai Jinghong’s usual arrogance had vanished, replaced by silent calculations. The more he thought, the paler his face became.
If he had been in Yin Huacheng’s place... his fate wouldn’t have been much different.
He knew Yin Huacheng had cultivated a body-refining technique—his physique had been slightly stronger than Bai Jinghong’s.
To think such a terrifying existence lurked in this remote corner of the Eastern Wastelands...
"It’s the Hammer King of the Northwest!"
A young girl’s voice suddenly rang out.
What?
All eyes turned to Luo Yao, who had spoken.
"That’s right, the Hammer King of the Northwest!"
"I’ve seen him fight before. He smashed Nightghost Liu Heng into pulp with a single swing."
"And judging by his voice, he’s not that old—probably just a big brother."
Luo Yao tilted her chin up, looking rather pleased with herself.
Luo Yu fell into deep thought. He had once dismissed the legend of the Hammer King, but now... he wasn’t so sure.
A heavy silence settled over the crowd.
A ruthless, hammer-wielding assassin from the Drizzle Tower was nearby—one who crushed his victims in a single, brutal strike.
Normally, they would have erupted in righteous fury, vowing to assist the Qingyuan Sect in hunting down the killer to save face.
But not a single person dared.
What if the murderer was still lurking close by?
"In broad daylight—under the heavens’ watchful gaze!"
An indignant voice suddenly cut through the tension.
The crowd blinked, glancing outside at the pitch-black night and howling storm.
"Audacious villain! How dare you strike down a disciple of our sect?"
"I, Li Mo, swear to oppose him to the death!"
The young man smashed a half-eaten melon to the ground, his voice brimming with righteous fury.
The other young talents flushed with shame. They had been too afraid to even breathe a word of defiance.
But look at him—so noble, so fearless, so willing to stand against evil!
Rumors of Li Mo’s unwavering justice and hatred for wickedness were clearly true!
"Brother Li, you’re a true man!"
"Li Mo speaks nothing but truth!"
Cheers and applause erupted, thumbs raised in admiration.
But the celebration died as quickly as it began.
Because... the storm outside seemed to have stilled?
No—the rain hadn’t stopped. Instead, every droplet hung frozen in midair, held in place by an overwhelming force.
The domain of an Inner Realm expert.
Yin Huaxuan strode in, his face expressionless, but his aura burned like an enraged lion.
Behind him followed the Inner Realm powerhouses of Purple Sun Prefecture’s major factions.
Just moments ago, they had scoured the area within a hundred miles, leaving no stone unturned—not even a fly was spared—yet they found not a single trace of the target.
If the person hadn’t grown wings and flown away, then there was only one other possibility.
"Come out."
"This old man already knows you're here."
The voice reverberated, deafening and awe-inspiring, leaving everyone momentarily dazed as the imposing tone pierced straight into their hearts.
Each person felt as if a thorn were lodged in their throat, their secrets laid bare and impossible to conceal.
Li Mo also sensed the gaze of a ferocious beast upon him.
Yet, he felt not the slightest unease.
Is this all? Far inferior to my master.
Yin Huaxuan’s eyes lingered on Li Mo for a brief moment.
He recalled that before leaving the sect, Yin Huacheng had some conflict with this boy?
But...
This lad was skilled with the sword, and merely at the Inner Breath realm...
"Elder Yin Hua, the culprit may not necessarily be here."
"Who knows what strange methods the assassins of the Fine Rain Tower might have used to escape?"
"My Burning Jade Grove will assist you in the investigation to the fullest."
The scholarly-robed middle-aged man spoke, finally breaking the oppressive atmosphere.
"That person might have come for the Blood Phoenix Secret Realm."
"Indeed. They will surely reveal themselves once the realm opens. If my disciples uncover any leads, we will share them without fail."
The other Inner Landscape experts also voiced their agreement.
"Luo Yao."
"You’ve seen that person before. Come and describe their distinguishing features to us."
After all, the incident had occurred within Burning Jade Grove’s territory.
Given the death of a true disciple of the Qingyuan Sect, they had no choice but to treat the matter with utmost seriousness.
That very night, the sect dispatched its finest, even mobilizing several Inner Landscape experts. The commotion was so great that Qinghe County was thrown into a state of alarm—even petty thefts ceased entirely.
Yet, despite the grand display, little progress was made.
Moreover, Qinghe County was no longer solely under their control. Some factions, though not rooted in Purple Sun Prefecture, were beyond their authority to investigate thoroughly.
This large-scale operation was doomed from the start to be all thunder and no rain.
And besides, the Blood Phoenix Secret Realm was about to open.
When that time came, who would count how many more than just a true disciple would perish?
The next day, at Red Maple Mountain, fifty miles outside Qinghe County.
The maple leaves here bloomed year-round, perpetually dyed in shades of crimson. Today, the scarlet hues seemed even more bewitching, as if they could stain the very clouds above.
Whether this had any connection to the Blood Phoenix that had fallen here remained unknown.
Now, the winds of change were stirring. Countless martial artists from all corners of the land had gathered.
The secret realm was about to open.
. As long as he maintains the villain image and follows the plot to the grand finale, he can obtain generous rewards and return to the real world. So Gu Chen'an entered the role and began to act as a scumbag villain, but who would have expected that the female leads could hear his inner thoughts. Miss Su from the Su family was shocked: "I originally thought Gu Chen'an was a scumbag, but I didn't expect he turned out to be a gentleman! What? You said I have to call off the engagement? I definitely won't, I'll piss you off!" Bai Yuan Tian was dumbfounded: "Young Master Gu is usually unreasonable and a complete brat, but he actually calls me little sweetie in his heart? What, Young Master Gu even said he likes me?" As the female leads' images collapsed more and more, the plot also collapsed with it. Gu Chen'an looked at all this chaos. "Ladies, don't aggro me, if you keep this up the male lead really will stab me, I still need to survive to the grand finale!"
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.
] [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!"
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
