The Demon Lord's eyes grew colder and colder.
"Don't you dare touch that place."
Wang Hao grinned.
"Senior," he said.
"I've already destroyed two of your anchors.
"Is it a bit too late to ask me if I dare now?"
The Demon Lord took a step forward.
Suddenly, the world darkened.
He braved the attacks of all the Martial Gods and forcibly charged towards Wang Hao.
The Taiyin Old Matriarch shouted sharply, "Stop him!"
The powerful warrior of the Blood Prison Demon Sect, with blood all over his face, laughed maniacally.
"Wang Hao!" he roared.
"If I die today, you owe me a life!"
The blood - red heart in his chest suddenly burst out a layer of blood - light.
The sea of blood turned into chains and wrapped around the Demon Lord's waist.
The White Bone Old Monster also rushed forward. His broken bone body scattered and turned into a white - bone cage, which forcefully trapped the Demon Lord's legs.
The Martial God of the Myriad Souls Sect sacrificed his last tenth of evil souls, which turned into a shrill scream of ten thousand souls, attacking the Demon Lord's divine soul.
The powerhouses from the Holy Land also pressed forward with all their might.
The Yellow Springs Chains.
The Taiyin Cold Ring.
The Broken Swords from the Sword Ruins.
The Shattered Halls of the Golden Palace.
The Blood Lotus Divine Blade.
All the powers fell upon the Demon Lord.
The Demon Lord let out a roar.
The might of a half - immortal demon exploded.
Boom!
The blood - sea chains shattered.
The powerful warrior of the Blood Prison Demon Sect's chest exploded, and he was sent flying. A terrifying crack appeared on his blood - red heart.
Thirty percent of the White Bone Old Monster's bone body was shattered, and the bone fire was almost extinguished.
The Martial God of the Myriad Souls Sect bled from his seven orifices, and his Myriad Souls Flag broke on the spot.
The Taiyin Old Matriarch spat out blood.
The Yellow Springs Ancestor's divine soul trembled.
The powerful warrior from the Sword Ruins was left with only the hilt of the broken sword in his hand.
They paid a heavy price.
But they managed to hold the Demon Lord back for three breaths.
Three breaths.
It was enough for Wang Hao to reach the edge of the Human - Skin Lake.
The ashen - gray lake water churned.
Countless human - skin faces looked at Wang Hao.
They opened their mouths simultaneously.
There was no sound, but an indescribable resentment rushed into Wang Hao's mind.
The pain of skinning.
The suffering of soul - refining.
Being traded, being replaced, being devoured, being forgotten...
Billions of residual thoughts surged like a tide, trying to tear Wang Hao's divine soul to pieces.
Wang Hao's vision went black.
He seemed to see countless people kneeling by the lake.
They had their skins peeled off.
They were replaced with others' skins.
They were used as materials, as part of contracts, as the price behind the prosperity of Black Sky City.
In an instant, the killing intent in his heart soared.
An emperor could be cold - hearted, but he couldn't allow his world to become a slaughterhouse.
"They're all dead," Wang Hao murmured.
"And they're still being used as anchor points.
"You guys are quite unlucky."
He lifted the remaining page of the Heavenly Mandate Tax Register.
The gray - gold light shone towards the Human - Skin Lake.
The remaining page trembled violently.
Words slowly emerged on it.
"Residual source of the Human - Skin Lake in the ancestral nest of Black Sky City.
"Illegally refined.
"Full of heinous sins.
"Should be sealed up."
Wang Hao smiled.
"Rarely," he said.
"This time it's not 'to be sealed up' but 'should be sealed up'."
He raised his hand.
The last broken - immortal anchor talisman glowed.
But just as he was about to drop the talisman, a huge face suddenly emerged from the center of the Human - Skin Lake.
That face was none other than the Demon Lord!
The residual thought of the Demon Lord sneered.
"Wang Hao..."
"Do you think breaking the anchor is that easy?
"Although I've been devoured, I won't let you succeed so easily!"
Wang Hao squinted his eyes.
"Senior Demon Lord," he said.
"You're just a face now, and you're still so dedicated?"
The residual thought of the Demon Lord said venomously, "I want to see the Demon Lord die.
"And I want you to die too!"
The ashen - gray lake water soared into the sky and turned into a giant human - skin hand, reaching for Wang Hao.
Wang Hao snorted.
"I knew it," he said.
"There's no real affection among villains."
Instead of retreating, he advanced.
The eighth palm!
The eighth palm of the Prisoning Heaven and Covering Earth Palm crashed down.
The golden giant palm collided with the human - skin giant hand.
Most of the giant human-skin hand exploded.
However, the remaining power still struck Wang Hao's shoulder.
He let out a muffled groan, and his shoulder bone cracked.
The New Emperor Sword was enraged.
" How dare you attack my master? "
" Although I often want to do so myself, you're not allowed! "
The silver light soared.
The New Emperor Sword slashed into the Demon Lord's remaining face.
The power of devouring and evolution was activated.
The Demon Lord's remaining face let out a shrill scream.
"Ah!"
" What the hell is this? "
The New Emperor Sword shouted excitedly,
" I'm the VIP version of the fishing bait! "
Wang Hao: "..."
This sword really held a grudge.
As the Demon Lord's residual soul was being torn at by the New Emperor Sword, there was a brief opening on the surface of the lake.
Wang Hao seized the opportunity and combined nine palm strikes into one!
The ninth palm of the Prisoning Heaven and Covering Earth Palm!
Boom!
The golden imperial palm suppressed the human-skin lake.
Beneath the lake surface, the last anchor point emerged.
It was a grayish-white bone-skin pillar.
It was entwined by countless human skins, with its top connected to the Dark Immortal Gate and its bottom plunging deep into the ancestral nest.
Wang Hao took a step forward.
He firmly pressed the Immortal- severing Anchor Talisman onto it.
" I, in the name of the Emperor of Great Xia, hereby declare, "
" All the illegal human - skin assets of Heitian City are seized! "
The Immortal - severing Anchor Talisman fell.
The world suddenly fell silent.
In that instant, it was as if all sounds had been sucked away.
The human - skin lake stopped churning.
The Dark Immortal Gate stopped rumbling.
Even the Demon Lord's third inhalation and exhalation froze at this moment.
The next instant.
Boom!
The remaining source of the human - skin lake exploded.
It was no ordinary explosion.
It was the collapse of the accumulated sins in the ancestral nest over eight hundred years after the lid was forcibly lifted.
Countless grayish - white human skins flew up from the lake.
They no longer worshiped the Demon Lord.
Instead, they let out crazy screams and counter - attacked the projection of the Dark Immortal Gate.
The residual souls of those who had been skinned, had their souls refined, been traded, and devoured finally found their real enemies after the Immortal - severing Anchor Talisman cut off their shackles.
The Demon Lord!
The Demon Lord!
Heitian City!
They were like a grayish - white tide, frantically biting at the projection of the Dark Immortal Gate.
The Demon Lord's face changed drastically.
The third anchor was broken!
Three inhalations and exhalations.
Three failures!
The half - immortal Dao fruit was completely out of balance at this moment.
The remaining fire of the Ten - Thousand Contract Platform backlashed.
The demonic pillar of the earth vein backlashed.
The remaining source of the human - skin lake backlashed.
The three forces that were supposed to stabilize the Dao fruit all turned into poisonous blades, stabbing into the Demon Lord's body at this moment.
The wound on the Demon Lord's chest exploded.
Black half - immortal blood spurted out like a waterfall.
The gap in the Dark Immortal Gate behind him suddenly widened, and cracks spread across the entire immortal gate like a spider's web.
Countless strange laughs rang out between heaven and earth.
There were the residual souls of the Demon Lord.
There were the resentful fires of the contracts left by Old Man Heitian.
There were the screams of countless souls in the human - skin lake.
" Demon Lord... "
" You finally get your comeuppance... "
" Give me back my face... "
" Give me back my life... "
" Give me back my Dao fruit... "
The Demon Lord let out a roar to the sky.
The power of the half - immortal erupted out of control.
Rumble!
The ancestral nest collapsed.
The earth sank.
The sky was torn open with one black crack after another.
The three - thousand - li ruins of Heitian City were like being repeatedly crushed by an invisible hand at this moment.
All the martial gods retreated.
Even though they were mentally prepared, they were still shaken to the core by the aftershocks of the backlashed half - immortal Dao fruit, with their qi and blood churning.
The hair of Taiyin Old Matriarch fluttered wildly, and her face was covered in frost.
Half of Yellow Springs Ancestor's body was illusory, and his soul was severely injured.
The strongman from the Sword Ruins only held the hilt of his sword but still stood upright.
The strongman from the Blood Prison Demon Sect had his chest broken, and his blood - red heart was covered in cracks.
White Bone Old Monster was left with only half of his skeleton, and the bone fire flickered like a dying candle in the wind.
The martial god from the Ten - Thousand Souls Sect almost fell from his realm, and his Ten - Thousand Souls Flag was broken into two pieces.
The price they paid was extremely heavy.
But at this moment, there was a glint in their eyes.
Because the Demon Lord was finally suffering a backlash.
One incense stick's time!
Wang Hao hadn't lied to them.
The backlash of the Demon Lord's Half - Immortal Dao Fruit truly lasted for one incense stick's time!
This one incense stick's time was a chance for murder.
It was also their only opportunity to turn the tables.
Wang Hao stood at the edge of the exploded Corpse - Skin Lake. His dragon robe was corroded by the ashen - gray lake water, leaving large holes in it.
His shoulder was bleeding.
The old wound on his chest flared up again.
But his eyes shone with a terrifying light.
The system's voice rang out again.
[Third anchor point: The residual source of the Corpse - Skin Lake in the ancestral nest has been severed.]
[All three attempts of the Demon Lord's internal breathing have failed.]
[The Half - Immortal Dao Fruit has entered the backlash state.]
[Duration: One incense stick's time.]
[The host has completed the key blockage.]
[Reward obtained: One Half - Immortal Blood Tax Order.]
[Reward obtained: One copy of the incomplete asset map of Heitian City.]
[Reward obtained: The recovery speed of the willpower of the common people is increased.]
Wang Hao's heart skipped a beat.
Half - Immortal Blood Tax Order?
Incomplete asset map of Heitian City?
Just by the names, they seemed very suitable for him.
He didn't have time to examine them carefully and first put the items into his bosom.
Because the Demon Lord had already fixed his gaze on him.
That look.
It was more terrifying than any of the previous ones.
There was no aloof indifference.
No coldness of a half - immortal looking down on ants.
There was only killing intent.
Killing intent pure to the extreme.
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!
] [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!" "......"
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)
