【Hidden Dragon Ranking, 85th Place: Zhong Zhenyue】
【Martial Arts: Observing the Divine Five Apertures. Trained since childhood in the Seven Killers Formation-Shattering Spear Technique, achieving mastery by the age of 22. All his martial skills excel in battlefield slaughter.】
【Achievements: Escaped from the sixth-tier calamity beast, the Malevolent Peacock. Fought the half-step sixth-tier calamity beast, the Purple-Scaled Bull, to a narrow defeat. With assistance, fled from the Heavenly Demoness. Comprehended a top-tier supreme martial art at the Yunzhou Martial Arts Summit. Exceptionally strong in direct combat. With diligent tempering of his mind, he may one day inherit his father, the Southern Suppressing King's mantle.】
【Title: Eight-Armed Young Flood Dragon】
"Young Marquis Zhong has risen two spots on the ranking. It seems he gained much from the Martial Arts Summit."
"I know about his escape from the Heavenly Demoness."
"Oh? Did one of the top five prodigies from the Hidden Dragon Ranking intervene?"
"You haven’t heard? Sword Immortal Li single-handedly slaughtered eight thousand Rain Pavilion assassins with a single stroke!"
"Eight thousand?!"
"Even fiction wouldn’t dare write something so outrageous."
"Lady Ying also stepped in. That demoness was beaten so badly by their combined assault—she could only flee in panic!"
"Did you all attend Lady Ying’s lecture at the Hengyun Sword City?"
"Yes. Truly, she’s as beautiful as a celestial being, unlike any mortal."
The shores of Yulong Lake buzzed with chatter.
Though Zhong Zhenyue was the one who made the ranking, the conversation had somehow veered off course.
......
Inside a tavern.
"Zhong Zhenyue managed to escape from an Inner Scenery expert..."
Little Li pondered.
Right now, if he went all out, channeling the power of the world, he could hold his own against an Inner Scenery expert—even without Senior Brother Xiaobao or that Battle Soul Talisman.
Of course, it depended on what divine manifestation the Inner Scenery expert had observed.
Upper-tier manifestations shouldn’t be a problem.
But he also had to consider that the World Seed couldn’t sustain its power for long...
"You and Little Bing'er repelled the sixth-ranked on the Hidden Dragon Ranking?"
Qian Bufan’s eyes widened.
"That’s what the ranking says. It shouldn’t be false..."
Xue Jing glanced at Li Mo, then at Ying Bing, his expression dazed.
"Old Xue, pull yourself together. We’re supposed to be the elders here."
"Old Qian, stop shaking. You’ve spilled boiling water all over your pants."
Yin Mianmian wasn’t an Inner Scenery expert—she only had eight apertures opened in her divine observation.
But every top-ten prodigy on the Hidden Dragon Ranking had a proven record of slaying Inner Scenery experts.
"Yin Mianmian sought the Sword Scar. Back then, she only had three apertures opened."
Ying Bing said softly.
If she faced Yin Mianmian now, and the latter still only had three apertures, Ying Bing was confident she could finish her off.
"That’s still impressive."
Xue Jing took a deep breath and turned to his disciple’s disciple.
"How did you two coordinate that day?"
"Huh?"
Li Mo glanced at his beautiful master and answered seriously:
"I used my master’s signature technique—devastatingly powerful. Once unleashed, it gave the ice block the opening to seize the advantage and exploit the enemy’s weakness."
Qian Bufan and Xue Jing were puzzled.
Shang Wu’s signature technique?
"Right, ice block?"
"...Mn. That’s how it happened."
"See? Told you."
Li Mo laughed heartily.
"Hmph, as expected of my disciple. I didn’t teach you for nothing."
Shang Wu raised her hand for a high-five with her precious disciple.
She was delighted—even though she had no idea which of her techniques Li Mo had actually used.
Ying Bing watched them, the corner of her lips curling helplessly.
Really...
Soon, new words emerged on the Dragon Gate.
【Hidden Dragon Ranking, 83rd Place: Xu Yi】
【Martial Arts: Observing the Divine Eight Apertures. Mastery of the One-Line Sword Technique, proficiency in the Phantom Splitting Movement Technique, and observation of the Hidden Specter’s divine manifestation.】
【Achievements: Champion of the Yunzhou Endless Trials. Assassinated Luo Wubing, a ninth-aperture expert known as the Roaring River Tiger. Successfully killed a wealthy Yunzhou merchant under the protection of two half-step Outer Scenery experts. His swordsmanship is peerless, but due to issues with his divine observation, he suffers from memory lapses and is utterly profit-driven.】
【Title: Mad Sword Butcher, Money-Hungry King of Hell】
"The Butcher from Rain Pavilion..."
Li Mo held out his teacup as the waiter poured a thin, precise stream from a long-spouted pot.
"Impressive."
Jiang Chulong clapped lightly.
"I’ve long heard Rain Pavilion is profit-obsessed, but to what extent?"
The elders of Hengyun Sword City had warned them.
After failing to secure the Strange Stone, Rain Pavilion wouldn’t let things slide.
Senior Brother Ouyang was proof enough.
Li Mo was also considering how to deal with them.
"I’ve heard a thing or two."
After Li Mo revealed the truth, Ouyang had gathered intel on Rain Pavilion:
"Take Xu Yi, for example."
"The merchant Zou Gong originally hired him to kill Luo Wubing."
"But after killing Luo Wubing, Xu Yi turned around and killed Zou Gong as well."
"Turns out, Luo Wubing tried to buy his own life, but Xu Yi refused. So Luo Wubing offered to pay for the killer’s life instead."
"In the end, both employer and target died, and Xu Yi collected payment from both sides."
Ouyang recounted with a grave expression.
"What kind of person does that?"
Li Mo frowned.
"That’s just terrible business ethics."
But then, the waiter suddenly chimed in:
"Rumors in the martial world are often far from the truth."
"Oh? You’ve heard another version?"
Li Mo watched the waiter’s pouring motion, his eyes narrowing.
The waiter retracted the teapot and smiled.
"Alternatively, Xu Yi’s divine observation went awry, causing mental instability."
"He often forgets his own identity—sometimes even mixing up his employers and targets."
"So after mistakenly killing his employer, he went after the target too."
The waiter spoke vividly, as if he’d witnessed it firsthand.
"Hah... That’s an interesting take."
Ouyang nodded in realization.
"Of course. Because I saw it myself."
The waiter extended the teapot again.
"Were you following Luo Wubing or Zou Gong?"
"Neither. I am Xu Yi."
The teapot’s sharp spout suddenly cut through the air.
The stream of water transformed into a blurred shadow, devoid of killing intent or malice.
The spout was aimed squarely at Li Mo’s shoulder.
Yet—
He thought his sneak attack would catch them off guard, but someone was faster.
His sword had barely left its sheath when a hand grabbed the back of his collar, lifting him like a kitten.
Just as she was about to finish him off, Li Mo called out:
"Master, wait!"
Little Li shot Ouyang a look.
Ouyang promptly lunged forward with a rope.
And so, the 83rd-ranked assassin of Rain Pavilion was swiftly tied up in a tortoise-shell bind.
The elders glared at him with hostility.
Shang Wu crossed her arms and scoffed:
"Trying to hide your killing intent from me? The divine manifestation you observed is somewhat intriguing..."
"Who sent you?"
Li Mo noticed the sword strike lacked lethal intent.
"Boss, why tie me up like this?"
Xu Yi now looked panicked, as if someone else had wielded the blade.
"He really is mentally unstable."
Li Mo saw no deceit in his fear.
A wisp of cool moonlight emerged, casting a serene glow over him.
It was clear to the naked eye—the waiter's trembling figure steadied, and a murderous glint surfaced in his eyes.
At this moment,
he was truly the Mad Butcher of Swords.
Interesting. Only under specific circumstances would his sanity return; the rest of the time, he was a completely different person.
No wonder I hadn’t sensed any killing intent from him earlier. It took activating my Heavenly Fate Divine Eye to confirm it.
"Speak. What’s going on?"
Li Mo pointed at Shang Wu beside him and sighed,
"If you don’t talk, I’ll hand you over to our master."
"I—"
Xu Yi was about to muster some defiance when he felt a gaze boring into him, predatory and ruthless.
The sheer bloodlust in it was enough to give him nightmares tonight.
"I’ll talk."
for mindless slaughter, this isn't for you.] My name is Ye Shu, and I'm a transmigrator. It seems I'm supposed to be the protagonist, but that feels pretty unlikely. This world has been invaded by a system. The antagonists on the other side have suddenly become pure, flawless saints. The female leads have been force-fed the so-called "original plot," making them think they've been reborn. Now, everyone thinks I'm scum. Including the old lady in my ring. And here I am, in the Monster Beast Mountain Range, braising pork. To put my situation in perspective— It's as if, the moment Xiao Yan stepped into the Monster Beast Mountain Range, the Soul Emperor already knew he would become the Flame Emperor, and Yao Lao had been turned to the enemy's side. I have nothing right now. Oh wait, that's not true. I do have a white-haired loli child-bride who's the Heavenly Dao, and her only skill is acting cute. So, tell me guys... what are my chances of making it to the end?
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."
e school belle recognized by the whole school, a genius girl from the kendo club. She also has a hidden identity, the youngest legendary demon hunter. Chen Shuo just transmigrated and found himself turned into a weak, helpless little vampire. He was caught by Su Xiyen and taken home at the very beginning. Since then, Chen Shuo's life creed only had two items. "First, classmate Su Xiyen is always right." "Second, if classmate Su Xiyen is wrong, please refer back to item one." Many years later, Chen Shuo, who had turned back into a human, led a pair of twins to appear in front of all the vampires to share the secret of how he turned back into a human. "It's simple, I tricked a female demon hunter into becoming my wife!"
rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!
