Zhao Zheng spoke for a long time about his ideas, which shook Qin Ran to the core. In fact, it could be summed up in one sentence... He wanted to change the sect's cultivation of immortals to the dynasty's cultivation of immortals.
He wanted to gather the spiritual energy of the Land of Immortal Legacy and redistribute it through the dynasty. This was just like a great government gathering the country's resources and distributing them according to certain rules.
If spiritual energy was a kind of resource, and if the dynasty was strong enough, it could indeed be done.
An idealist deserves admiration. A capable idealist is terrifying. And a capable idealist with extremely high motivation could make the whole world tremble.
It took Qin Ran a long time to recover. He realized that he had finished the tea in his cup... He looked up at Zhao Zheng and felt only terror.
"Your Majesty!" He spoke respectfully, "It is indeed feasible to use formations to gather spiritual energy... Your combat plan is also flawless. Unifying the six countries before the sects react, then building formation bases in the land of the six countries, and finally activating the great formation to plunder spiritual energy and have it under your control. By reaching this point, those cultivation sects would naturally fall under your control as well.
"But...why did you tell me? I'm just a minor Golden Core cultivator, unable to help or hinder you."
"No," Zhao Zheng shook his head. "Brother Qin, you are very capable. You have knowledge and foresight, able to see through my layout and plans. You are adept at pill refining, formation building, and teaching. Your cultivation is high, yet such knowledge of pill refining and formation building is rare. You are very talented. Why not join me and realize this great dream together?"
So...
Qin Ran thought, was this an olive branch? Or a plot to entrap him?
"What if I refuse?" he asked.
Zhao Zheng glanced across at him. Sitting there was the Xuanqin High Priest.
"I do not fear death," said Qin Ran.
...He was just a clone.
The High Priest smiled and asked, "Is it because you are just a clone?"
Qin Ran's heart skipped a beat as he looked at the High Priest.
This master at the Divine Transformation realm had not uttered a word earlier when Zhao Zheng spoke to him, as if he did not exist. Now that he spoke, his tone and demeanor felt familiar to Qin Ran. "Try sensing your original body," the High Priest said.
Alarmed, Qin Ran hastily tried to connect with his original body... Indeed, there was no response.
"Although exquisite, your clone has a Primordial Spirit as its core," the High Priest said. "I don't know how you obtained this technique, but as someone at the Divine Transformation realm, I understand Primordial Spirits and clones better than you.
"You thought being a clone made you unafraid of death. But I can sever your connection to your original body and even kill your original body through you."
Qin Ran recalled how a cultivator in black had greeted his clone with a bow, killing it instantly and nearly affecting his original body.
Now he felt true fear.
Taking a deep breath to suppress his fear, he looked at the High Priest, then Zhao Zheng, and suddenly understood: "A clone? You're not Zhao Zheng?!"
"No, I am Zhao Zheng," Zhao Zheng smiled and explained to Qin Ran, "It took me five hundred years to find this way of building a cultivation dynasty. Hence, two hundred years ago, I returned to the Land of Immortal Legacy and established Xuanqin... For two hundred years, I comprehended this completely - how to build a cultivation dynasty. Only then did I begin planning with a clone."
So the Xuanqin Emperor and the Xuanqin High Priest were the same person.
Having learned such a shocking secret, Qin Ran fully understood now that he only had two options today - join them or die. He knew too much for Zhao Zheng to let him live.
Resigned to his death, Qin Ran completely relaxed. Tapping his fingers lightly on the tea table, he said, "Before I die, I have three questions left."
"Go ahead," Zhao Zheng nodded.
"First..." Qin Ran asked, "Why don't you start from Xuanqin? Transform Xuanqin into a cultivation dynasty first, gain sufficient strength, then steadily expand outward?"
Zhao Zheng replied, "The spiritual energy of just Xuanqin would be insufficient for the dynasty to contend against even a large sect. It would also expose me too early, allowing other major sects in the Land of Immortal Legacy to ally against me. But the Land of Immortal Legacy is relatively remote and independent. If I can integrate the whole place at the right moment, I will obtain a dynasty of supreme power, able to handle external enemies then."
"A dynasty of supreme power, could it also have masters at the Realm of Ascension?"
"Dynasty, empire, celestial dynasty. And at the celestial dynasty stage, it would be comparable to the South Ridge Immortal Sect."
Qin Ran understood. He nodded and asked again, "Second, you know I have some grasp of formations. So I understand the manpower and resources required for such a grand formation are immeasurable. It cannot be completed in a short period... During this time, how will you guard against the sects?"
"I have arrangements for that..." Zhao Zheng replied, clearly unwilling to elaborate.
Seeing that, Qin Ran moved on, "Third, although I'm just a clone, I know myself very well. When I cannot defend Wuyi City, when I die accidentally, when all is irredeemable, I will do something extreme."
As he spoke, he took out a porcelain bottle from his cosmos pouch and placed it on the table. "This pill is called the Death Pill. If I throw one of these into the moat of Mo City, come morning you'll see a city full of corpses. So you may win, but your armies in North Chu will die; your people in Xuanqin will be killed by the Death Pills I've secretly left behind. What will you do then?"
Zhao Zheng's expression changed slightly. "How many of such pills do you have?"
"As many as I want - I refined them myself," Qin Ran said candidly.
After long silence, Zhao Zheng finally said, "You don't want to die or serve me, so name your terms."
"I'm very awed by your plans, very respectful of your character. I didn't think there could still be someone like you in this dog-eat-dog world." Qin Ran said,
"I really want to join you, but thinking of the endless challenges that would follow this grand endeavor makes me feel tired. I'm just a shut-in, such pioneering work can only be done by people like you.
"So I don't want to hinder your plans. Equality for all, immortality for all, all living freely like dragons - that is what I want to see. No wonder the Cloud Heaven Sect supports you, you really are remarkable.
"But I also cannot let you destroy North Chu..."
"So I have to shamefully use this Death Pill to negotiate terms with you. Please spare North Chu. I will have North Chu help you build the necessary formations within its borders. How about that?"
...Qin Ran's clone disappeared from his perception after that. Three days later, his original body in Wuyi City received a message from the clone:
"Xuanqin is withdrawing its troops!"
nce】【Lighthearted Comedy】【Ultimate Gentleman's Novel】【Viewer Discretion Advised for Under 16】 The mightiest human hero, Sharen Morian, is resurrected after a thousand years by his wife—the Demon King. This is not your typical hero-vs-demon-king tale.
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!
] 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.
] [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!"
