Because of that 'Nian Beast' emerging from the night, everything outside the ancestral hall seemed frozen—even the steam from boiling dumplings hung motionless in midair.
As it 'squeezed' past the doorframe, darkness flowed into the hall like ink.
In an instant, the Ying family's ancestral hall dimmed, so silent you could hear a pin drop. Everyone was struck dumb, as if overwhelmed by a primal fear from ancient times.
"So this is... that calamity beast?"
Li Mo felt a sudden understanding, yet it was laced with absurdity.
Legends spoke of the qilin as an auspicious omen.
Yet across the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, there had once been true dragons, phoenixes, golden crows, and other mystical races—but never a qilin lineage. Even within the Jade Phoenix Divine Records, which preserved the true spirits of countless races, there was no trace of the qilin.
Let alone this qilin-like 'Nian Beast.'
And that phrase—'You've returned'—was it directed at Little Ying Bing?
Suddenly, Li Mo shuddered.
It was Little Ying Bing.
The girl bit her lip hard, her usually calm eyes now turbulent, her body radiating an uncontrollable chill.
"!"
Li Mo's expression changed—was today the first time her bloodline would fully awaken?
The Nian Beast's gaze darkened further as it stared at her. An intangible shadow spread beneath its feet, turning the ground into a murky, rippling lake. From its depths, grotesque, monstrous creatures surged forth.
Each was the size of a calf, their appearances twisted and varied—yet all shared one trait.
They looked ravenous.
"Tomb Guardians?!" an elder of the Ying family cried out in terror—only to be pounced on mid-sentence.
The first splash of crimson stained the gray-white dreamscape.
"Run!"
"The calamity beast is here! Get out and warn the others!"
"Those trained in martial arts, hold these beasts back!"
Some fled, some resisted, some collapsed in terror where they stood.
Screams, roars, the sound of flesh tearing—chaos erupted instantly.
Meanwhile, the Nian Beast advanced leisurely, its inky eyes glinting with something like amusement.
Tomb Guardians?
Little Li Mo frowned deeper.
He'd heard of them—beasts placed in tombs by powerful figures to deter grave robbers. With no food in the crypts, the creatures would turn on each other.
What remained were unrecognizable, vicious things.
This was the Nian Beast's 'domain'!
But he had no time to dwell on it.
Little Ying Bing's body grew colder by the second.
The Nian Beast drew closer, its presence chilling to the bone, stirring dread from the depths of one's soul.
Normally, the self-proclaimed 'Hammer Tyrant' would've pulled out his weapon and struck first. But now, stripped of all strength, he was just an ordinary child.
"Follow us!"
Ying Xuliang scooped up his daughter, and with his wife, sprinted toward the ancestral statue.
Li Mo followed without hesitation.
He saw it.
Amid the darkened hall, only the exquisitely crafted statue emitted a faint glow.
Behind them, Tomb Guardians tore through slower-moving Ying clansmen, their shadows closing in.
"Grrr..."
Yet as soon as they entered the statue's radiance, black smoke hissed from their bodies like oil meeting flame.
They halted, wary.
The Nian Beast stepped forward from the pack, its massive eyes studying the statue.
Even its deep-seated hatred couldn't mask its wariness.
Indeed, after generations of worship by the Ying family, the statue had developed a trace of spirituality—let alone its already extraordinary craftsmanship.
"Still just a lifeless object in the end."
"Go!"
Before anyone could relax, the Nian Beast issued its command. The Tomb Guardians charged into the light, heedless of the black smoke billowing from their bodies—even as some melted into pools of blood.
Compared to the ancestral statue, they feared the Nian Beast far more.
The glow wavered.
Already, those at the edges screamed as Tomb Guardians dragged them down.
"Husband... what do we do?" Ying's mother trembled, her voice shaking.
"Don't panic. We must protect Bing'er first." Ying Xuliang forced calm into his tone, then seemed to remember something.
"Bing'er, Li Mo, come here!"
"Uncle Ying?"
Seeing Li Mo's composed expression, Ying Xuliang spoke quickly:
"The ancestral statue is hollow inside. Brother Li and I used to crawl in as children."
"Later, the elders moved it and sealed the opening."
"My wife and I will uncover it. You must take Bing'er inside. No matter what happens outside, do not come out—not even if you hear our voices. Only if your father arrives, understand?"
"You're a brave lad. If we're gone... protect her."
With that, the couple rushed to the statue's base, straining to shift it.
The statue was heavy. Neither had martial training, and they barely managed to nudge it slightly.
Clearly, adults couldn't fit inside.
"Uncle Ying..."
Li Mo clenched his fists. Now he knew how Little Ying Bing had survived that night.
Her parents had hidden her inside the ancestor's statue.
A wave of helplessness crashed over him.
Even in a dream, even if these events were long past—he desperately wished he could change them.
"Oi! Old bastard!"
Little Li Mo suddenly stepped forward, his clear voice cutting through the chaos.
Nian Beast: "?"
"I'll wreck your mum!"
Li Mo declared with conviction.
"???"
The Nian Beast was stunned into silence.
Even the bystanders froze.
Seriously? Taunting it now?
Absolute legend.
The Nian Beast narrowed its eyes. It had no intention of humoring this brat—everyone here would die sooner or later anyway.
"Filthy-mouthed little—"
"Stuck in a tomb with no light, no food—bet you've eaten your own crap."
"?"
"Other auspicious beasts are worshipped as gods. Yet here you are, reduced to eating crap. Aren't you ashamed enough to off yourself? Answer me."
"I'LL DEVOUR YOU ALIVE!"
Whether struck a nerve or not, the black Nian Beast seethed with rage, its murderous aura boiling. It seemed determined to make Li Mo its first meal.
Yet to its surprise—
The brat wasn't retreating into the light. Instead, he bolted toward a side window.
Exactly!
Li Mo's plan was to exploit the 'voids'—the erased parts of the dream!
He'd lure the Nian Beast into crashing against the 'invisible walls'—specifically, the ancestral hall's rear entrance, a restricted area Ying Bing had never entered.
No ancestral glow protected that space. He had to move fast...
"ROAR!"
A guttural snarl echoed. Then, a foul gust of wind—just as Li Mo neared the rear door, a massive shape blocked his path.
It had sealed the exit.
Li Mo skidded to a halt.
Foul drool dripped from the Nian Beast's jagged teeth, sizzling against the floor.
Its eyes burned not just with malice, but with ravenous greed.
The dark tide around it surged forth, threatening to engulf Li Mo's small figure.
Li Mo clenched his fists, still staring defiantly at his opponent.
Just a little more...
It's so cold... I haven't felt this cold in so long... This is just a dream, so why does the chill feel so real?
No.
Li Mo realized the cold was emanating from his shoulder, carrying a faint, familiar fragrance.
The sensation was even more recognizable—soft, warm jade...
He looked up and met the flawless, ethereal aura of the Frost Fairy, her jade-like face as cold as ice.
Not Little Ying Bing.
The Frost Fairy.
"Li Mo, thank you. I'm awake now."
........
] [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!" "......"
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!
ap a wealthy young lady? Or else I'll be eliminated by the system? Ye Feng, who awakened the Kidnapper System, originally wanted to live a peaceful life but never imagined he would become a kidnapper of young women. However, after some time, he discovered that all the girls the system ordered him to kidnap were far from ordinary. "Big brother Ye Feng~ You've kidnapped my heart, and now you're not allowed to leave me ever again~" "Ye Feng~ You kidnapped me back then, now it's my turn to capture you♡" "Little Feng, you're mine! You can only be mine!" "Ye Feng, none of them deserve you. Only I love you the most♡" ... This is madness, they've all gone mad! Wait, what? Why are all the girls I kidnapped yanderes?!
