This was the final month that the Hanging Temple remained in the southern borderlands, and today marked the day of departure.
During this time, Li Mo and Ying Bing had visited the grotto-heavens of every clan together, spreading the radiance of the Jade Phoenix Deity to each, fulfilling their initial promise.
The early winter sunlight, even when cast by three suns, brought little warmth to the room.
"Princess Little Jiang has made quite some progress lately."
Li Mo opened his eyes.
Over this month, he had mastered sixty out of the seventy-two transformations, leaving twelve remaining. Moreover, he discovered that the transformations from the seventy-two changes could be projected into his miniature world.
Of course, those projections still weren’t living beings.
Thus, Princess Little Jiang gained many sparring partners and silent companions, from whom she derived numerous sword techniques. She obediently presented them to her master for guidance.
The Heavenly Venerable Li Mo remarked that her sword path no longer needed external adjustments—she need only follow her own heart.
This was Ying Bing’s recent evaluation of Li Mo’s swordsmanship.
"My martial insights have also surpassed a thousand years."
"Lately, there haven’t been any martial techniques I urgently need to master."
Li Mo gazed out the window at the frolicking water tribes and took stock of his recent gains from investments in his system space.
Only three golden mountains remained—still far from his peak wealth.
But he was still Li Mo, the man of boundless riches.
The feedback from the demon clans consisted mostly of rare treasures—enormous pearls... sinking gold sandalwood... cold mist jadeite... If converted into currency, their exact value was unknown, but it would surely be enough to give the wealthiest man in Yunzhou a heart attack.
There were also plenty of top-grade heavenly materials, earthly treasures, and rare elixirs.
"Ying Bing should be nearly done refining the Jade Phoenix Deity..."
Just as this thought crossed his mind—
[Congratulations, Host. You have successfully invested in ‘Ying Bing,’ aiding her in refining the Jade Phoenix Deity.]
[Investment Reward]: "Gilded Creation Seal."
"Ying Bing has fully refined the Jade Phoenix Deity?!"
A small, exquisitely patterned seal covered in mysterious tadpole-like inscriptions appeared in Li Mo’s palm, stirring his excitement.
With the Gilded Creation Seal...
Could he now upgrade the "Monkey Seeks the Dao" painting?
Almost instinctively, he retrieved the divine contemplation painting and took a deep breath.
Plop—
The Creation Seal touched the painting, but unlike before, nothing happened.
"Huh?"
Li Mo refused to believe it and stamped the seal again.
Plop—
Still, no reaction.
"How strange."
Li Mo was utterly baffled.
The "Monkey Seeks the Dao" painting couldn’t possibly be flawed—he had painted it himself, and it had been upgraded by the Creation Seal before. Moreover, he had contemplated it for so long.
I’ve even seen Brother Monkey in it—there’s no way it’s the problem.
The Creation Seal from the system?
That was even less likely to be faulty.
So what was the issue?
"Could it be... that the inability to upgrade is because of me?"
After much pondering, he found no answer.
So he stowed away the Creation Seal and stepped toward the window, bathed in the early winter morning light.
There, Ying Bing sat quietly by the waterside, sipping tea. Her profile was flawless, her moon-white skin appearing even paler under the wan sunlight, as if her presence embodied the first snowfall of winter.
Li Mo picked up a teacup and took a sip.
"Ying Bing, if one starts by contemplating an inferior form, can it later be elevated to a superior form?"
"Naturally, it can."
Ying Bing glanced at him, studying the young man before adding softly,
"If one’s talent is extraordinary, an inferior form may not suffice. Once such a person perfects the inferior form, they may elevate it to a median form."
"This is exceedingly difficult. Even with immense talent, it might take a lifetime. But it has been done before."
The Sect Master of Qingyuan?
Li Mo recalled the sect master who transformed a sparrow into a mighty roc.
He fell into deep thought.
Perhaps the Creation Seal refused to further evolve the painting because he hadn’t yet perfected the "Monkey Seeks the Dao" painting?
Or was he still missing some prerequisite?
It seemed he would have to first complete the seventy-two transformations, master the somersault cloud, and then try again...
The road will appear when the mountain is reached. What’s mine will come to me in time—no need to rush.
If he grew impatient now, what about those who started with inferior forms and spent their entire lives just reaching a median form?
Chiding himself not to be greedy, Li Mo grinned and said,
"Ying Bing, guess what form I want to evolve it into?"
"What?"
"The ultimate form!"
"Then I’ll wait for you to become the first person to evolve a divine form of the Great Dao."
Watching the young man spout nonsense with a straight face, Ying Bing rested her chin on her hand, her eyes faintly exasperated.
This childishness again...
Huh?
Li Mo paused at her words.
So Ying Bing meant that no one had ever elevated an ultimate form into a divine form of the Great Dao on their own?
Did that mean divine forms of the Great Dao were all naturally born from heaven and earth?
Just then, movement came from the grotto-heaven’s entrance.
The demon kings and great demons preparing to return to their homelands arrived with their clansmen to bid farewell.
"Thank you, Heavenly Flood Dragon, thank you, Qingluan Goddess."
"If the southern borderlands ever need our help, don’t hesitate to call upon the Giant Whale Tribe."
"Please accept these sea ginseng roots..."
They came bearing gifts.
......
Meanwhile, in the southern borderlands—
Serpentine Valley.
This place was perpetually shrouded in poisonous miasma. Even a brief inhalation could be fatal to those at the Contemplation Realm.
In the stone hall above, a few candle flames pierced the darkness as dozens of masked priests in bronze ascended the steps. Had Li Mo been present, he would have recognized one of them—the priest he had encountered before.
At this moment, Han Zhen, clad in blood-red robes, sat beneath a bronze tree in the hall, one arm missing.
"Has the power of the masses been collected?"
Han Zhen narrowed his eyes and inhaled deeply.
The mist-like energy swirling atop the cloud-patterned jade artifacts in the priests’ hands seemed to come alive, converging around him. Whether it was an illusion or not, his complexion appeared slightly rosier.
"Good. More than usual—how was this achieved?"
"Because the chosen ones all went to the Hanging Temple," a priest holding a jade artifact replied.
"Hmm. By my calculations, they should be returning soon."
Han Zhen exhaled sharply, expelling the resentment in his chest.
Having lost the Blood Phoenix Essence, he had long set his sights on the Jade Phoenix Deity—originally an artifact sent to the heavens by Great Shang and entrusted to the Hanging Temple.
If not for Huaikong’s obstinacy and Shang Qinqing’s alignment with that bald monk, he wouldn’t have needed to send Zhi Duoluo and the others to retrieve it.
Tap—
A crow with blood-red eyes soared through the miasma and into the stone hall, transforming into a gaunt, pale middle-aged man.
"Why have you returned alone?"
This fourth-tier demon king had been sent by Han Zhen to rendezvous with Zhi Duoluo’s group.
A demon king was equivalent to a human at the Law Body Realm—more than enough for the task.
"Zhi Duoluo is dead."
"And the others?"
"The same."
"Impossible!"
Han Zhen shot to his feet.
He could believe Zhi Duoluo had fled with the Jade Phoenix Deity, but for all the chosen ones on the Hidden Dragon Ranking—empowered by the masses’ energy and armed with his own methods—to perish in the struggle for the artifact?
Unthinkable.
"Where is the Jade Phoenix Divine Artifact?" Han Zhen glanced at the shattered bronze divine tree, his tone turning icy as if he had confirmed something.
"It was jointly obtained by Wu Mo of the Mingjiao Clan and Luan Bing of the Qingluan Clan," the middle-aged man transformed from a black crow whispered.
Mo?!
Bing?!!!
Those two names struck his ears like a thunderclap on a clear day.
"What do they look like?!" Han Zhen's voice even sharpened with urgency.
"..."
The crow-man plucked two of his own feathers, which ignited without fire and burned into black ash.
The ashes scattered on the ground, sketching out the appearances of the two.
Han Zhen froze.
.....
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ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
ng to die together with you." Lin Xuan is dead, his body thrown into the river by his scumbag lover and her accomplice. She, the president of the Su Group, is decisive, ruthless, and ice-cold. For three days and three nights, she had his body fished out of the river, and without hesitation, she kissed the bloated corpse of Lin Xuan. She laid down beside him in a cold coffin, their fingers intertwined, a smile lingering on her lips as she closed her eyes. The noble and cold-hearted woman, only bending for one man—Lin Xuan. Lin Xuan, with his golden finger, is reborn and returns to the day of his wedding to the treacherous woman. Su Qiang comes to steal the bride. Lin Xuan's eyes light up, eager to pledge his loyalty on the spot, but instead, her kiss transfers a glass of drugged wine into his mouth, causing him to pass out... 【Male Protagonist with Single Female Lead】【Yandere Tycoon】【Action-Packed】【True vs. Fake Heir】
ive and Ruthless] Before his transmigration, Ye Xuan was playing a game called "Severing Emotions to Attain the Dao." The game's core wasn't about leveling up by fighting monsters, but about conquering various "bad women" with wicked personalities and cold, fickle natures. There was only one method to conquer them: stay unwaveringly by their side, then die at a critical moment, driving them to madness after losing the protagonist. The higher their level of regret, the higher the player's score. To dominate the server, Ye Xuan conquered all the bad women. In the early stages, he showered them with boundless tenderness, only to choose to sacrifice himself for them later, making them weep bitterly and drown in regret. Among them were: Xia Lengyue, the unfaithful immortal wife who chased after powerful men and discarded her husband like trash. Ye Qingcheng, the Demonic Venerable of the Joyous Union Sect, who appeared pure and innocent but was, in reality, promiscuous. Wu Lingxiao, the Empress of the Great Xia Dynasty, who lusted after men and loved maintaining a harem. Bai Qiangu of the Endless Demonic Sect: a bloodthirsty mass murderer. However, when the protagonist transmigrated into the game world, he made a horrifying discovery. Eight hundred years had already passed. The bad women he had conquered had now each become deities and revered ancestors. Faced with the endless stream of toxic women coming for him, Ye Xuan could only rely on his god-tier acting skills to carve a path of survival through this world of treacherous women.
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."
