As the smoke cleared, a gentle breeze blew across the bottomless, glass-like crater, producing a spine-chilling whimpering sound.
Old Man Ren snatched up a storage ring, grinning from ear to ear. Rolling his eyes thoughtfully, he immediately sidled up to Wang Wudi, who had just picked up a Heaven-tier High-grade weapon. The old man's face wrinkled into a smile like a blooming daisy, looking as obsequious as humanly possible.
Old Man Wang! No, Big Brother Wang! I thought carefully about it just now, and your marriage proposal is simply a match made in heaven! Old Man Ren grabbed Wang Wudi's sleeve, pitching like a madman. My great-granddaughter is an absolute beauty, capable of making fish sink and geese fall from the sky! Plus, she has a big rear, perfect for bearing children! With just one word from you, I'll pack her up and send her to your great-grandson's dragon bed tonight! I won't even ask for a bride price; how about I throw in ten spirit jade mines as a dowry?!
Are you kidding me! With a ruthless, incredibly scheming emperor like Wang Hao, who could summon a heavenly tribulation with the power of the Martial God Realm, the Great Zhou royal family couldn't be destroyed even if they tried! If he missed this chance, it would be gone forever.
Wang Wudi cast a sidelong glance at Old Man Ren. With a face full of disgust, he yanked his sleeve back, casually snatched a flying sword Old Man Ren had just looted, stuffed it into his own robes, and rolled his eyes.
Get lost, get lost! Who was it just saying they didn't want their great-granddaughter to be a widow? I'm very busy right now and have no time for you! Hurry up and go search that pit. What if there are fragments of dharma treasures left over from the lightning strikes? Every grain to the granary, understand?!
Wang Wudi completely ignored the pitch, leading a group of old men like scavengers, sticking their rears in the air as they searched for loot along the edge of the scorched crater.
Watching this group of Great Zhou's foundation who lacked any demeanor of supreme experts, Wang Hao rubbed his temples in resignation. His profound gaze slowly swept across the terraced spectator seats of the gladiatorial arena around them.
At this moment on the stands, a hundred thousand wealthy and noble spectators lay sprawled out in a chaotic mess. Even a leaked sliver of the pressure from a Martial God Realm lightning tribulation was not something this crowd, mostly composed of noble young masters, wealthy merchants, and spies from various factions who were merely in the middle three realms of martial arts, could withstand. They were all currently rolling their eyes, foaming at the mouth, and completely unconscious.
A gentle breeze blew past, brushing against the bulging storage bags at the waists of these big bosses and young masters. The crisp clinking of gold coins was more melodious to Wang Hao's ears than immortal music.
Tsk, tsk, tsk... Wang Hao stroked his chin, his eyes flashing with the unique green gleam of a capitalist spotting a lucrative opportunity. Such a massive field of lush, green leeks. If I just let them lie on the ground and catch a cold, how could I, the Emperor of Great Zhou who loves his people like his own children, ever forgive myself?
Yu Huatian! Wang Hao shouted coldly without turning his head.
Your subject is here!
A gust of cold wind flashed by, and the West Factory Director, Yu Huatian, knelt on one knee behind Wang Hao like a ghost. Even though he usually killed people like swatting flies, facing this emperor who had just carpet-bombed the area with lightning dragons and blasted fifty mighty experts to ash, his voice still carried an uncontrollable tremble.
Wang Hao pointed at the corpses covering the hills and plains, a compassionate yet cold sneer curling at the corner of his mouth. Look at this, these are all the pillars of my Great Zhou, our honored guests watching the match. To think they all accidentally fainted while attending my grand ceremony. Immediately mobilize the West Factory's Brocade Guards and the Imperial Guards. Carry all one hundred thousand of them, without missing a single one, into the West City Royal Hospital run by the Imperial Academy of Medicine!
Yu Huatian was stunned. Your Majesty, carry all of them in? I'm afraid the Imperial Academy won't have enough room.
If there's no room, they can sleep in the corridors! Sleep in sheds! Pitch tents! Wang Hao scolded, exasperated at his failure to meet expectations. Why doesn't your West Factory know how to be flexible? Once they're in, use the best medicine on them! Thousand-year ginseng, ten-thousand-year snow lotus, as long as it won't kill them, pour it all down their throats! Tell those old imperial physicians at the Academy that everyone must be prescribed a Royal Supreme All-Encompassing Tonic Treatment, plus a Lightning Tribulation Aftermath Mental Consolation Fee, a Soul Concussion Repair Fee, and a Royal VIP Nursing Service Fee!
Hearing this, Yu Huatian's scalp went numb. He understood his Majesty's tactics all too well. This wasn't treating illnesses and saving lives; this was clearly an attempt to strip these people down to their underwear!
Your Majesty... Yu Huatian swallowed hard and asked cautiously, What if they wake up, think it's too expensive, and refuse to pay?
Refuse to pay? Wang Hao sneered, his eyes instantly turning incredibly dangerous. Getting treated in my Royal Hospital requires signing a Voluntary Resuscitation Consent Form. Whether they are awake or not, grab their hands and press their fingerprints on it first! That consent form is protected by the laws of Great Zhou! Anyone who dares to default on their debt is attempting to subvert the Great Zhou government! Send the men straight to the mines and the women to the garment factories! Tell the families behind them to bring ten times the ransom to claim their people!
I... Your subject obeys the decree! Your Majesty is wise and benevolent, your subject is in awe! Breaking out in a cold sweat, Yu Huatian immediately turned around to summon his Brocade Guards, and they frantically began hauling away these one hundred thousand thriving leeks like dragging dead pigs.
Having dealt with this batch of major clients, Wang Hao shifted his gaze, landing on the edge of the arena not far from the main platform.
There, the Holy Maiden of the Ice and Snow Shrine, Shen Xue, and the Holy Maiden of the Phantom Sea Immortal Sect, Yun Meng, lay unconscious in a pile of rubble without any regard for their image. These two peerless beauties, normally aloof and revered as fairies by countless young prodigies and heroes, were now in tattered clothes, their snow-white skin stained with dust. That pitiful, fragile appearance was enough to make any man's blood boil.
Looking at these two pieces of prime fat meat, one hundred and eight business plans for squeezing them dry of their surplus value flashed through Wang Hao's mind in an instant.
Wei Zhongxian.
This old servant is here! What are Your Majesty's orders? The East Factory Director, Wei Zhongxian, immediately rolled over like a ball. His old face wrinkled into a smile like a blooming old chrysanthemum, flattering to the extreme.
Wang Hao pointed at the two holy maidens on the ground with his chin. Take these two back and take good care of them for me. Use the best pills to keep them alive. Make absolutely sure they don't die or run away; they are my next cash cows.
At this point, Wang Hao narrowed his eyes, his scheming soul beginning to burn brightly. Also, tomorrow morning, publish the Great Zhou Beauty Ranking on the front page headline of the Great Zhou Times. Put these two little wenches, Shen Xue and Yun Meng, tied for first place! Put Ye Hongling in third, and Anu in fourth. The headline will read: Shocking! Twin Beauties Tie for First in the World, Even the Great Zhou Emperor Approves!
Wei Zhongxian paused for a moment. Your Majesty, once this beauty ranking is released, all those prodigies and monsters in the world who admire the two holy maidens will probably go mad with anger.
I want them to go mad! Wang Hao snorted coldly, his eyes flashing with the cunning of an old scoundrel. Add a line at the end of the newspaper: Anyone who disagrees with this ranking can come to the Kyoto Royal Gladiatorial Arena to register and challenge the beauty ranking. The registration fee starts at one hundred thousand taels of silver. I am going to use these two women as bait!
The more Wang Hao thought about it, the more flawless his wealth-amassing plan to challenge the Great Zhou Beauty Ranking seemed. His deep eyes stared fixedly at the unconscious Shen Xue and Yun Meng. His gaze was filled with an extreme, fanatical desire for money. It felt as if he could not wait to immediately chew these two women up, swallow them into his stomach, and turn them into gold coins!
However, when this scene fell into the eyes of Wei Zhongxian next to him, its meaning changed completely.
Wei Zhongxian followed Wang Hao's wolfish, ready-to-devour gaze, looking at the two supreme holy maidens on the ground with their disheveled clothes and curvy figures, and then looked back at his own young, vigorous, and hot-blooded Emperor.
A category-ten mental hurricane instantly swept through the old eunuch's mind.
Gasp! His Majesty's look, is this not the exact same look the late Emperor had when he went on incognito inspection tours and saw the top courtesan of the Cuixiang Pavilion?! I cannot be wrong! What beauty ranking, what plan, those are all just excuses to deceive the public! His Majesty has taken a fancy to these two women and wants to force himself on them and take them as concubines!
Wei Zhongxian frantically added drama in his own mind: That is right, His Majesty is in the prime of his youth, and these two holy maidens look like heavenly fairies. Our Great Zhou royal family has always had the fine tradition of snatching women back to the palace. His Majesty asked me to take them back to the palace to take good care of them, and even mentioned ranking them tied for first place. Is this not hinting to this old servant that I should place them side by side on the dragon bed?!
Oh my! I, Wei Zhongxian, am a true genius! This is an excellent opportunity for this old servant to surpass Yu Huatian in His Majesty's heart! I must fully utilize my subjective initiative to share His Majesty's burdens!
Having figured out the holy will, Wei Zhongxian's old face immediately bloomed into an extremely wretched smile that all men would understand. Well, he was a eunuch, but that could not stop him from imagining. He frantically winked at Wang Hao and repeatedly agreed, "This old servant obeys the decree! This old servant completely understands His Majesty's intentions! Please rest assured, Your Majesty. This old servant guarantees to handle this matter beautifully, absolutely ensuring they are squeaky clean and waiting side by side for Your Majesty's inspection!"
Looking at Wei Zhongxian's twitching old face and inexplicably wretched smile, Wang Hao frowned slightly.
What is this old eunuch going crazy about now? What does he understand? I asked you to run a newspaper to scam money, what are you winking for? Did sand get in your eye?
Wang Hao was puzzled, but he had more important things to do at the moment and was too lazy to pay attention to this neurotic old eunuch. He waved his hand and said, "If you understand, then hurry up and do it. If you mess it up, I will peel your skin off!"
"This old servant will never fail his mission!" Wei Zhongxian eagerly directed his subordinates, carefully loading the two holy maidens onto an extremely secretive carriage, heading straight for the Emperor's bedchambers in the imperial palace.
Meanwhile, Wang Hao turned and walked towards the group of old monsters who were frantically pinching each other over an uneven division of spoils. A much larger plan for confiscating properties and exterminating clans, one sufficient to shake the entire Divine State's Great Wasteland, was quietly taking shape in the mind of this black-bellied tyrant.
At the edge of the arena, Wang Wudi, Old Man Ren, and over twenty other old monsters were gathered together, cursing profusely.
"You old scoundrel! I saw this broken sword first! Let go of it!"
"Bullshit! Does it have your name written on it? Whoever grabs it owns it! If you do not let go, I will stab you with a Thousand Years of Death!"
These super bigshots, who could normally cause an earthquake in the Eastern Wasteland just by stomping their feet, were now like street thugs fighting over two green onions in a vegetable market. The fifty mighty figures from earlier had been struck by lightning until not even ashes remained. They could only strip some clothes and magical treasures from those two pitiful Tianji Pavilion assassins. The loot was simply too little, completely unable to satisfy their already stretched appetites.
m back to his original world. In the end, he realized he had overthought things. [Hey, why is Shen Manni, the female lead, acting strange? Shouldn't she be fawning over the male lead at this point?] [Zhou Qiaoqiao, are you sick? Weren't you supposed to break off your engagement today?] [Damn it! An Youyi, please do your job as an undercover agent and sell my information to the protagonist, you idiot!] ... At this moment, Xu Mo himself didn't know that these female leads had already heard his inner thoughts. Then they decided not to play by the rules. Xu Mo: Please respect my profession as the big villain!
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."
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.
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!
