Qingmu City.
The dawn sky was on the verge of breaking, and the first light of day peeked through the gaps in the clouds, illuminating this newly - built magnificent city.
The huge city gate stood wide open, allowing the endless stream of carriages and horses to flow in and out.
Qingmu City was a dividing line in the southern border and the first major human city outside the core area of the demon race.
Reaching here meant one had entered the sphere of influence of Nanguan.
Above the city gate, which was bustling with people, hung a huge head of a calamity beast, the head of a fourth - grade demon king personally beheaded by the Southern Suppressing King. Even after many years, it still looked lifelike.
Inside the city, the bungalows in the style of Great Yu and the corner towers commonly seen in the southern border were interspersed. On the streets, some people wore long gowns and skirts, while others dressed more boldly.
The cultural customs of the two regions blended together in this city, oddly yet harmoniously.
Inside a carriage in the traffic flow.
"Finally back in the human - dominated area," Li Mo said with a relaxed and cheerful look behind the carriage curtain, as if he had put down a heavy burden.
Qingmu City was not a prosperous place. It couldn't even compare to Ziyang Prefecture City, let alone Yunzhou.
But it gave him a sense of bustling humanity that he found extremely familiar.
"Glacier girl, do you want some?"
"What?"
Ying Bing, who was sipping tea, looked up and followed his gaze.
There was an old man sitting in front of a cart on the street, dipping a bamboo stick into the sugar syrup in the pot and drawing on a stone slab. As he drew, he vividly told stories, attracting a large group of children around him.
Sugar paintings?
Isn't this something only kids eat...
"Yes, I do."
"Okay, then I'll draw one for you too."
Li Mo's smile immediately became brighter.
He talked to the old sugar - painting vendor for a while. When he took out a gold bean, the old man's cloudy eyes instantly cleared up, and he said, "I can tell you're an expert."
Sugar painting wasn't that difficult. As long as you drew quickly before the sugar syrup solidified.
In a short while, a sugar figurine that looked like a chubby - faced doll emerged. With Li Mo's painting skills, it was incredibly lifelike.
"Wow, big brother draws so well!"
"Is this a self - portrait of you?"
"Grandpa Qi always draws the same rabbits and tigers. We're so bored with them."
The children surrounded Li Mo, shouting for him to make more different sugar figurines.
The old vendor's grandson, a chubby and lively boy who was the leader of the local kids, stood with his hands on his hips defiantly and said, "My grandpa is the best. If you're so good, draw more kinds."
Li Mo handed the sugar - made chubby - faced doll into the carriage and raised his eyebrows.
Here it comes. As soon as he entered the human city, he encountered such a classic situation.
The disdain from the so - called "villain"!
Well, there was no need to say what to do next.
Fortunately, Senior Brother Ouyang didn't come with them. The things he drew weren't suitable for kids.
Li Mo curled the corner of his mouth and said, "Today, let me show you what a real painting saint is!"
So.
Two quarters of an hour later.
"Wow, this big snake looks so fierce. What kind of monster is it?"
"Humph, haven't you seen it? This is a Mingjiao."
"What about this one?"
"This is a Shrimp - headed Man."
"Wow, big brother, you draw so realistically. Have you seen all these?"
"Not only seen."
Li Mo stood with his hands on his hips and proudly said, "I've even been one! Have you heard of the talent selection?"
The winter sun seemed to warm up a bit.
The children all had various sugar paintings in their hands, eating while listening to the stories. Even the chubby - faced boy was convinced and voluntarily recognized Li Mo as the new leader.
A new kid - leader on this street was born!
Ying Bing crossed her slender legs. Her fair and cold face was like a goddess in the snow, but she gently took a bite of the sugar - made chubby - faced doll.
It was sweet.
The scene of the young man showing off his skills among the kids was reflected in her eyes.
It made her eyes shine like the winter sun.
After saying goodbye to these little kids, the carriage slowly moved on.
As they were looking for an inn, they saw a large crowd gathered in the distance, three or four layers deep. The carriage couldn't even get through.
"The Nine Heavens and Ten Earths Hidden Dragon Ranking is out again. It's a pity there's no Dragon Gate here."
"It's good enough to have something to look at. Well... There aren't many changes in the Heaven Ranking and the Earth Ranking. That's normal... How about the Hidden Dragon Ranking?"
"Here it comes!"
An officer walked through the crowd and posted the last Hidden Dragon Ranking on the bulletin board.
The Heaven Ranking and the Earth Ranking rarely changed throughout the year, and even the Human Ranking didn't change much.
Therefore, the most talked - about one was naturally the Hidden Dragon Ranking.
For a moment, many commoners were stunned, and the sound of discussion rose.
"The changes are so great this time!"
"Lord Zhong, the young marquis guarding our city, has jumped to the sixty - fifth place! With him and General Qu leading the troops in our Qingmu City, we can rest assured."
"If Lord Zhong is on the battlefield, his strength will be even stronger. He can fight beyond his rank. This ranking still seems a bit low."
"Wait."
The commoners whispered to each other, showing great respect for Zhong Zhenyue. After all, with his status, he could have stayed safely in Nanguan, but after returning from Yunzhou, he voluntarily requested to come to Qingmu City.
"Zhong Zhenyue is also in Qingmu City?"
Li Mo in the crowd heard the familiar name.
Not long after.
All the Hidden Dragon Rankings were posted. When it came to near the top ten, the crowd suddenly fell silent.
"Fierce Husband Fighting Spirit, eleventh? Ying Bing... tenth?!"
After a long while, someone exclaimed in surprise, as if opening the floodgates. The crowd erupted in an uproar.
"They're only at the Observation Divine Realm. Even experts at the fifth - grade Outer Scenery Realm wouldn't dare to venture deep into the southern border casually. How on earth did they do it? What is the Heavenly Divine Jade?"
"Tsk tsk, the two of them killed four sixth - grade calamity beasts together. It's extremely difficult for someone at the same realm to fight against two opponents, let alone calamity beasts."
"If this achievement is true, their rankings are understandable."
These two young talents were still quite young.
Moreover, this was only their second time on the Hidden Dragon Ranking, and their first - time rankings were already quite astonishing. No one expected them to rise even higher.
But this achievement was real. Xiangliu, Feiyi, Dafeng, and Fanjiaoe were all extremely powerful calamity - beast tribes. In their heyday, they had left many legends in the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths.
Fighting against multiple opponents with few, they managed to kill every single one of them without letting any escape.
"By the way, have you noticed?"
"What?"
"Li Mo and Ying Bing always appear on the ranking together, and their rankings rise together. They're so closely linked."
"Is there no room for anyone else between them?"
"You're amazing, Sword Phoenix of the Moon. You're in the top ten," Li Mo said with a smile, looking back.
"...... You're not bad either, Fierce Husband Fighting Spirit."
"..."
Li Mo's smile disappeared.
Wasn't he supposed to be the Peerless Heavenly Jiao?
He had made such a big name in the southern border, but they just changed his nickname. Damn it!
Li Mo decided to leave this place that made him sad and find a restaurant to stay in first.
Ying Bing lowered her eyes and couldn't help but narrow her eyes in thought.
The Hidden Dragon Ranking was out.
Would the calamity beasts become even more aggressive?
Meanwhile.
Inside a restaurant named 'Jiawei'.
"Your Highness, the rankings have been sent to you."
In the private room on the second floor, Zhong Zhenyue rubbed his hands. Without even glancing at the other rankings, he directly picked up the Hidden Dragon Ranking.
He used to be extremely confident in himself.
However, ever since he met Li Mo and Ying Bing, his confidence had been shattered.
So, he learned from his humiliation and took the initiative to come to Qingmu City for training!
"Hopefully, the gap between me and them will be a bit smaller this time..."
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)
end. Thus one must continue to cultivate, and become a saint or great emperor, in order to prolong one's life. Chen Xia, however, completely reversed this. Since his transmigration, he has gained immortality, and also a system that awards him with attribute points for every year he lives. Thus between the myriad worlds, the legend of an unparalleled senior appeared. "A gentleman takes revenge; it is never too late even after ten thousand years." "When you were at your peak I yielded, now in your old age I shall trample on you." - Chen Xia
