The moment the seventh palm of the Heaven-Sealing Earth-Covering Strike descended, the Abyss of Ten Thousand Tyrants felt as if it were pinned down by the hand of a god.
Boom!
The colossal palm suppressed the vortex of eerie miasma.
Phantasmal images of mountains and rivers pressed down layer upon layer.
Nine imperial golden dragons let out earth-shaking roars, their claws tearing through the black tide, their tails smashing vast swaths of corrupted rune lines.
At the same time, the Thunder Abyss Demon-Suppressing Tower trembled.
The seventh floor forged chains of black lightning.
The eighth floor saw a thunder phoenix spread its wings.
Black lightning and thunder feathers interwove, forming a net of heavenly punishment that descended toward the location of Ji Wushang and the Emperor Corpse.
Ji Wushang looked up.
The mouth split to his ears slowly stretched wider.
"Futile."
He spread his arms.
Dozens of eerie artifacts spun wildly around him.
A broken bronze ring released gray light.
A blood-stained bone lamp ignited white flames.
An eyeball-covered tattered banner opened billions of eyes.
Black blood seeping from a small coffin turned into tentacles that entangled the incoming lightning.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The colossal palm, the thunder phoenix, the black lightning, and the swirling eerie artifacts collided.
The walls of the abyss shattered inch by inch.
Massive ancient rock layers fell like dying stars.
The terrifying shockwave swept in every direction.
The people of Great Xia were forced back repeatedly.
Han Shanyue stomped the ground fiercely, his qi transforming into a mountain of steel, shielding those behind him.
Xue Wuhen formed hand seals with both hands, spreading a barrier of blood.
Yin Jiuyou spat blood and cursed at the same time.
"Damn it! If that had been just a bit stronger, I wouldn't even have had time to write my own last words!"
Ghost Granny's eyes were full of fear.
"The embryonic form of a Level Ten Aberration is already beginning to affect the laws of reality."
"It's already this terrifying before it even succeeds."
"If he truly completes his ascension..."
She didn't finish the sentence.
Because everyone understood the consequences.
It wouldn't just mean one more powerful enemy.
The entire Abyss of Ten Thousand Tyrants would become an eerie domain.
The borders of Great Xia would be devoured.
Countless living beings would become part of Ji Wushang's eerie domain.
The Demon Lord's expression was grim.
But his gaze never left Wang Hao.
He saw a black shadow slip back from the ruins, hugging the dragon-qi shadow behind Wang Hao, and vanish into Wang Hao's sleeve.
It was the New Emperor Sword.
On the sword's blade, a mass of devouring black light wrapped around a single drop of gray-white Emperor Corpse blood.
That drop of blood was heavy — impossibly heavy.
Even wrapped in black light, it bent the body of the New Emperor Sword slightly.
The sword muttered telepathically, its tone as tragic as a loyal old minister who just accomplished a great deed.
"Master!"
"Your little sword has returned!"
"Your little sword has fulfilled its mission!"
"Your little sword survived deadly perils in the ruins, endured countless hardships, suffered the immense torment of not being able to sneak a bite to eat, and finally brought you the Emperor Corpse blood!"
Wang Hao replied flatly.
"Skip the talk. The blood."
The New Emperor Sword felt wronged.
"Master, won't you even praise me?"
Wang Hao's face was deadpan.
"Keep blabbing, and I'll praise you with a 'you died a worthy death' right now."
The New Emperor Sword shut up instantly.
The black light shook slightly.
The drop of gray-white Emperor Corpse blood fell into Wang Hao's palm.
Almost at the same moment, the substitute-death curse talisman in his palm trembled faintly.
On the talisman's gray-black surface, ordinarily blank, the blurred silhouette of a human figure seemed to come alive, slowly lifting its head.
The Emperor Corpse blood didn't seep into the talisman paper.
Instead, it floated above the talisman, manifesting as an incredibly tiny, broken imperial silhouette.
The silhouette's face was indistinguishable.
Yet it emanated an ancient, majestic aura — dead, yet unbowed.
Wang Hao's eyes shifted.
It worked.
But not yet.
The substitute-death curse talisman had already locked onto the karmic imprint of the Emperor Corpse blood.
Next, he had to wait for the moment when the Emperor Corpse's death curse peaked.
That moment — right as Ji Wushang was about to devour the last portion of the Emperor Corpse, but before he had the chance to refine it.
At that instant, the karma of devouring would be stretched to the limit.
The lingering will of the Emperor Corpse would also be pushed to its peak.
Only then could the substitute-death curse talisman ride that karmic thread and forcibly wrench the Emperor Corpse's remains away.
Wang Hao clenched the talisman.
The New Emperor Sword trembled softly in his hand.
Not from fear.
From hunger-trembling — craving.
It stared at that drop of Emperor Corpse blood, its voice quivering.
"Master."
"It smells so good."
"Really, really good."
"Can your little sword have just one sniff?"
Wang Hao said coldly, "Do you have a nose?"
The New Emperor Sword choked.
"No."
"Then quit your nonsense."
"Master, your words are getting more and more hurtful to swords."
Wang Hao ignored it.
He looked up at Ji Wushang.
By now, Ji Wushang had devoured nearly half of the Emperor Corpse's upper body.
One arm of the Emperor Corpse had completely disappeared.
Most of the sternum had been gnawed away.
Everything below the waist was almost entirely consumed and refined by eerie qi.
Only the head, half the chest, and a few broken bones remained, still struggling within black chains of law.
But within these remains, the imperial will was growing stronger.
Perhaps because it had been consumed to the very end.
Perhaps because the final shred of dignity had been backed into a corner.
Inside those pitch-black eye sockets, a faint, barely-there glimmer began to emerge.
Not life.
It was fury.
It was hatred.
It was the dying Emperor's last defiance.
Wang Hao gazed into those eyes, murmuring inwardly.
"Don't worry."
"I'm no saint."
"But if Ji Wushang wants to swallow this prize alone — I won't allow it."
He suddenly took a step forward.
Boom!
The imperial dragon qi within him ignited once more.
This time, it burned even more fiercely.
Even the phantoms of the nine golden dragons flickered dimly.
Wang Hao's face paled for a moment.
The power left in the Transcendence-tier physical examination card was like lamp oil nearly spent.
He could feel his true cultivation being dragged back toward the second layer of Martial God realm.
Second layer of Martial God.
Out in the wider world, that would be enough to dominate a whole region.
But here — at the scene of a half-step Transcendence and a Level Ten Aberration's metamorphosis — even breathing seemed like a luxury at that level.
Yet Wang Hao kept moving forward.
In his left hand, he hid the talisman.
In his right hand, he held the sword.
The Thunder Abyss Demon-Suppressing Tower hovered behind him, its ancient patterns gradually lighting up.
"Ji Wushang."
"I have a question for you."
Ji Wushang was in the middle of devouring the Emperor Corpse. He sneered.
"You still have last words?"
Wang Hao said calmly, "Do you brush your teeth before you eat?"
Ji Wushang: "..."
The people of Great Xia: "..."
The New Emperor Sword suddenly got excited.
"Master!"
"That's a great question!"
"With those black teeth of his, he clearly never brushes!"
Wang Hao nodded.
"No wonder he stinks so bad."
Ji Wushang's gaze turned ice-cold.
"Wang Hao, you're asking for death!"
He opened his mouth and roared.
A wave of eerie sonic force turned into black runes that blasted toward Wang Hao.
Each rune resembled a split-mouthed abomination, carrying a power that devoured souls.
Wang Hao had been waiting for him to get distracted.
The thunder phoenix of the eighth floor of the Thunder Abyss Demon-Suppressing Tower lunged out once more.
Its cry was like divine judgment, tearing through the eerie soundwaves.
At the same time, Wang Hao raised his hand.
The Eighth Palm of the Heaven-Sealing Earth-Covering Strike!
An earth-shrouding giant palm pressed down.
At its center, the phantom of mountains and rivers nearly solidified into reality.
That blow — even a mid-level Martial God standing directly in its path could be crushed to pieces, body and soul.
But falling upon the vortex of eerie artifacts, it only succeeded in making the vortex rock violently.
Wang Hao wasn't disappointed.
His goal wasn't to break through.
It was to distract.
To force Ji Wushang to focus all his attention on the front.
The New Emperor Sword cooperated with perfect precision.
Its black light surged, and the blade's spirit manifested from the sword, hands on hips, screaming abuse.
"Ji Dog!"
"You eat my food, and you still dare glare at my master?"
"Do you think just because your mouth is big, you're tough?"
"What's the use of a big mouth?"
"Eating is fortune, eating recklessly is poison!"
"I curse you to severe indigestion, and I hope you have explosive diarrhea right in the middle of your Level Ten evolution!"
Wang Hao frowned.
"Revolting."
The New Emperor Sword immediately retracted its aura.
“Master, this little sword was just using a mental attack.”
Wang Hao said coldly, “It attacked Us.”
The New Emperor Sword: “…”
Ji Wushang’s face turned ugly beyond measure.
He had never seen such an absurd pair—a man and his sword.
Fighting for their lives on one hand.
Running their mouths on the other.
And while running their mouths, still scheming on the side.
The problem was, he knew full well that Wang Hao was stalling for time, yet he couldn’t stop.
The tenth-level manifestation of the Gu had already begun.
The Emperor Corpse had to be devoured.
If he halted now, the backlash would be even more terrifying.
And he didn’t believe Wang Hao had any real trick left to turn the tide.
The purple thunder dragon of the Thunder Abyss Demon-Suppressing Tower had already been spent.
The bearing power of the Transcendent Realm was nearly at its end.
That sword was being suppressed by dozens of Gu artifacts.
The people of Great Xia were nothing worth mentioning.
At most, Wang Hao could make things a little troublesome for him.
He could not change the outcome.
With that thought, Ji Wushang forced down the irritation in his heart.
He lowered his head and bit hard into the neck of the Emperor Corpse.
Crack!
Half the neck bone of the Emperor Corpse snapped.
Pale-gray death origin gushed forth.
Ji Wushang swallowed it in one gulp.
Rumble!
The Gu Eye opened a sliver more.
Above the abyss, an inverted black sky actually took shape.
Within that sky, countless twisted human silhouettes knelt in worship.
They had no faces.
Only split-open mouths.
They whispered in unison, as if welcoming a god of the strange and uncanny descending into the world.
Ghost Granny cried out in alarm: “It’s close!”
“He’s already devoured more than two-thirds of the Emperor Corpse!”
“The tenth-level rules are beginning to form their own Gu domain!”
Wang Hao said nothing.
He was merely counting silently in his heart.
Not yet.
Wait a little longer.
Ji Wushang opened his giant maw and bit off half of the Emperor Corpse’s chest.
The remnant body of the Emperor Corpse trembled violently.
Within its skull, that faint wisp of lingering will—like an ancient spark pushed to its limit—suddenly flared to life.
Wang Hao’s eyes narrowed slightly.
Almost there.
Ji Wushang laughed aloud.
“Wang Hao, do you see now?”
“This is an Emperor!”
“Even in death, he can only become nourishment for this venerable one!”
“So-called sovereign way, so-called countless people—they are all nothing but jokes!”
Wang Hao said flatly, “You certainly know a lot about jokes.”
“After all, you look quite festive yourself.”
Ji Wushang’s fury flared again.
But this time, he did not stop.
He had to finish eating.
He had to complete his transformation in front of Wang Hao.
He wanted Wang Hao to watch with his own eyes as all his struggles turned to futile effort.
Ji Wushang lowered his head, opened his giant maw, and bit down on the final remnants of the Emperor Corpse—the skull and half its torso.
At this moment, the Emperor Corpse still appeared to have half a body left.
But in truth, its origin was less than a quarter remaining.
Most of the Emperor’s bones, Emperor’s blood, and death rules had already been swallowed into Ji Wushang’s body, beginning the transformation into Gu.
What remained was the hardest part to devour.
The skull.
The lingering will.
The final unyielding spirit of an Emperor.
Between the black core on Ji Wushang’s forehead and the crystal core in his chest, that Gu Eye was almost fully formed.
Only the last wisp of Imperial will was needed to fill it.
At that moment, a fierce cold light erupted from the depths of Wang Hao’s eyes.
Now!
His left hand suddenly opened.
A Substitute-Death Gu Talisman appeared in his palm.
Pale-gray Emperor Corpse blood hovered above the talisman paper.
Wang Hao did not chant any arcane incantation.
Nor did he assume any solemn posture.
He simply spoke coldly.
“In the name of blood.”
“I die in your stead.”
“What you owe Us, you shall repay with your corpse.”
As the words fell.
The Emperor Corpse blood dripped onto the Substitute-Death Gu Talisman.
Hum!
The entire talisman suddenly blazed with light.
Not golden light.
Not thunderous light.
But a gray radiance like the whites of a dead man’s eyes.
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!
tions: attribute allocation, analysis, proficiency, and simulation. Specializing in mechanical alchemy, from crafting sorcerous battle armor to handcrafting mechanical maidens, his mechanical legion conquers endless realms... Relying on his wits, he begins with a student-teacher romance, wins over a female director, enslaves a female assassin and a underworld queen, becoming the husband of a Grand Duchess... He enslaves the Goddess of Magic from the divine realm, developing his power simultaneously in both the Wizard World and the Realm of Gods...
] This is a dark fantasy-themed dating simulation game. The main gameplay involves containing various monster girls and investigating the truth of a world shrouded in mist alongside your companions. However, due to his love for the dark and bizarre atmosphere, Luo Wei ended up turning a dating game into a detective mystery game. Women? Women only slow down his quickdraw! To Luo Wei, the female leads in the game are more like tools to perfectly clear levels and squeeze out rewards. For Luo Wei, flirting with every girl he meets and then discarding them is standard procedure. Worried about characters losing affection points? No need. With his maxed-out charm stat, Luo Wei is practically a "human incubus." A little psychological manipulation and those points come right back. It's a bit scummy, but the paper cutout heroines in the game won't actually come at him with real cleavers. However... Luo Wei has transmigrated. He's accidentally entered the second playthrough of this game. His past actions have caused all the girls to transform into terrifying yanderes. Due to the game's setting, most of the heroines he once contained are "troubled girls." Obsessive, twisted, mentally unstable, all aggressive yanderes... The type who will kill you if they can't have you... Luo Wei wants to cry but has no tears left. "I really just want to survive..." In short, this is a story of battling wits and engaging in a love-hate relationship with yanderes.
ing gift was a patch of barren land, and disciples were all picked up along the way. He spent fifty years diligently building three "ramshackle little sects," thinking he could finally live a carefree life relying on his disciples. But right at the fifty-year mark, he was suddenly swept away by a spatial rift and exiled to the Chaos Desolation, the Disorderly Ruins. There was no spiritual energy there, only slaughter. Relying on the cultivation feedback from his disciples, Gu Changyuan hacked his way through a sea of blood for eleven hundred years. When the system finally fished him back out, he discovered the ramshackle little sects he'd built back then had developed a rather... unusual style. Hold on... I vanished for a thousand years, so how did my ramshackle little sects become holy lands?!
