The village guardian did not move. Its long tongue suddenly shot out, wrapped around the banner flag, and yanked it back. It took the banner in its hands and examined it closely, looking quite puzzled.
After studying it for a while without understanding, it looked up and met Fang Zhiyi's gaze.
"How dare you offend me? Now you're going to pay the price. Hehe, humans like you can only rely on these crooked tricks. And yet you dared to offend the Immortal Lord..."
Fang Zhiyi waved a hand. After sleeping for a day, he felt much better.
"Let me interrupt you. How do you have the nerve to call me a crooked trick?"
The village guardian froze.
Fang Zhiyi continued, "Even if I'm using crooked tricks, don't you think you're one too?"
"How dare you! How dare you insult the Great Immortal! Great Immortal, please see clearly—it wasn't us who sent him to offend you yesterday!" an old man shouted.
The village guardian didn't even glance at him. It just tilted its head. "Do you have any other tricks up your sleeve?"
Fang Zhiyi shook his head. "No."
"You have quite the nerve."
"Not bad."
"Your flesh must be even more delicious..." The village guardian couldn't help licking its lips, drool dripping down.
"Not necessarily," Fang Zhiyi laughed. "I just don't get it. Why does everything want to become an immortal? Madmen want to become immortals, a stinking Toad wants to become an immortal. Are you all obsessed or what?"
"Still wagging your tongue when death is at your door..." The village guardian had barely spoken when its tongue shot toward Fang Zhiyi.
But at that moment, a black shadow stood before the tongue.
The village guardian froze. The next second, it saw a vaguely familiar face—the trick demon it had fought last night? But the trick demon's face was numb, its body emitting black smoke.
It seemed to realize something and panicked, turning its head to look at the device in its hand. The tattered surface of the banner pulsed unnaturally, and then hordes of black souls poured out.
It tried to let go, but the banner stuck to its skin as if glued. At the same time, it felt something burrowing into its body from its palm, an icy, eerie chill surging through every part of it.
Fang Zhiyi stretched. "I was waiting for nightfall. What the hell were you all waiting for?"
"Why, why can you still control it even when it's in my hands..."
"Gotta have anti-theft measures, right? Ah, forget it—it'd be a waste to explain to you." Fang Zhiyi leaned back against the cage, hands behind his head, watching below as the villagers scattered, only to be pierced through the chest by streaks of black souls, twitching briefly before falling lifeless.
The village guardian was in agony. The banner seemed to have grown onto its hand, impossible to shake off. It could even feel something desperately pulling at its soul.
"You... you and I are both evil creatures! Let me go, and I'll ascend to immortality with you!" The village guardian could no longer maintain its human appearance. Its boyish face flattened into a broad, wide visage, its mouth splitting open to reveal sparse, jagged teeth—a disgusting sight.
Fang Zhiyi shook his head. "Becoming an immortal isn't important."
"Why not? What is important?" The Toad had reverted to its true form, countless black souls tearing at it.
"You not existing is very important to me."
"If that's the case, let's die together!" the Toad suddenly shouted, its body swelling rapidly. A fierce aura erupted, but unexpectedly, the scattered black souls, as if following some command, quickly converged into a massive black hand.
"I'll..."
Before it could finish, the hand came down in a slap, twisting the Toad's mouth askew.
"Tsk, tsk." Fang Zhiyi watched with interest as the black souls moved at his will. The Toad's suicidal move never carried through—the black hand simply crushed it to death. As its soul was dragged into the banner, the flag finally fell to the ground.
"Reporting, sir. I went to Elm Tree Village today to collect taxes, and I found... I found..."
"Speak!"
"All twenty-plus households in Elm Tree Village are dead. A horrific sight!"
"What?"
The officer glanced around, lowering his voice. "Sir, the manner of their deaths is somewhat similar to the Gao family's situation before..."
"The Gao family? Ah, I remember. Gao Mingzhi, right? For that matter, his uncle submitted several petitions begging for my help. Hmph."
"Sir, this matter... it might be the work of wandering sorcerers. Should we report it up the chain and request the Imperial Observatory's assistance? So many deaths."
The official stroked his beard, narrowing his eyes. "No. Cover it up. Say Elm Tree Village was attacked by mountain bandits, and the prefecture has already sent troops to suppress them." He paused. "Otherwise, someone might use it to slander my governance. Just a few nobodies dead—no need to make a fuss."
The officer bowed. "Understood!" He stepped back, then added, "Oh, sir, Zhou Lian, the young master of the Zhou family, is said to be heading our way."
"The Zhou family? As in the household of Grand Preceptor Zhou, the top official of the court? Pass the word—greet him well when he arrives."
"Yes."
"This Grand Preceptor Zhou wields immense power and still sends his younger kin to learn mystical arts. Could he be trying to become an immortal?" the official muttered to himself, then shook his head.
"Drink this bowl of medicine. Today, you can help your master succeed!" Xuan Jizi handed Xu Xiaoya a bowl of reddish liquid. Xu Xiaoya nearly gagged from the bloody stench.
Xuan Jizi narrowed his eyes. "What? Do you need your master to feed you?"
He had recently gathered plenty of materials and was fully confident in this alchemy session. Once he finished the final purification of this Nine Yin body, achieving immortality was just within reach.
Xu Xiaoya shut her eyes and drank the blood-like medicine. Doggy was dead too—now she was utterly hopeless, practically wishing for death.
Xuan Jizi nodded approvingly. "Very well. Come with me to the alchemy chamber." As he turned, his fingers made a few quick calculations. "Strange. Not an auspicious day for alchemy today?"
He glanced back at Xu Xiaoya, thought of his preparations, and suddenly burst into laughter. "Man proposes! Man proposes! That cursed heaven, if you won't let me do it, I'll do it anyway!"
He grabbed Xu Xiaoya by the wrist and virtually dragged her toward the back courtyard.
As they passed through, he barked, "All of you, shut up!"
The "failed products" locked in the cages fell silent, staring out through the cracks in the wall with wild eyes.
Just as he was about to move on, a voice reached his ears.
"Old Buzzard, where are you off to?"
Xuan Jizi looked up in surprise. He saw a garishly dressed figure sitting in the path, blocking the way. "Disciple! You're still alive? You truly have good fortune!" He raised Xu Xiaoya's hand joyfully. "Just in time! Your master is fully prepared today—we can achieve the Great Dao!"
with countless casualties. As a top-tier gamer, Liu Xuan volunteered to join the fight, intending to dominate with his skills, but instead he obtained the hidden class: [Pacifist]. Unable to attack. Unable to use active skills. Fortunately, with each level gained, he acquired a new passive skill. And so, armed with a body full of passives, Liu Xuan slaughtered his way through the battlefield of ten thousand races! [You attacked Liu Xuan] [You gained the debuffs: 'Poison', 'Fear', 'Burning', 'Bleeding', 'Freeze', 'Silence', etc.] [Your attack speed has been reduced by 99%] [Your armor and magic resistance have been reduced by 99%] Warriors of the Ten Thousand Races: How the hell am I supposed to fight this?!
nd fell into a coma while saving his younger sister from an out-of-control car. He became a vegetable. No one knew that his consciousness had crossed into a world of cultivation. Over the course of sixty years, he began as the lowest kind of mine slave, struggling to survive amid mountains of corpses and seas of blood. By sheer chance, he eventually obtained the complete memories of a fallen Immortal King. Alchemy, medicine, formations, feng shui, physiognomy, artifact forging… Every great inheritance of the cultivation world was now his. But when he opened his eyes again, he discovered that ten full years had passed in the modern world. To pay for his treatment, his father had sold the family’s shop and house, leaving himself covered in lasting injuries and illness. His mother had cared for him day and night, and more than half of her hair had already turned white. His younger sister, who had been only fifteen back then, was now twenty-five. To help repay the family’s debts, she had been forced to lower her head and put on a smiling face in places of glittering lights and endless revelry. Only then did Chen Xuan understand that what he had lost was not merely ten years. He had lost the life his entire family was meant to have. The good news was that he had brought back the memories of an Immortal King’s entire lifetime. The bad news was that his soul had returned alone—his cultivation had not come with him. Spiritual energy was scarce, resources were depleted, and the modern world still had firearms, surveillance, capital, and laws. If he wanted to protect his family, break free from everyone’s control, and become truly invincible beneath the heavens, he would have to start all over again.
or! A blessing for those who struggle with love, a guidebook for dating novices. Quickly match with your dream goddess! Complete walkthroughs earn rewards, and perfect walkthroughs unlock limited achievements!】 Shen Yi, an ordinary office worker, accidentally downloads a mini-game called Dating Simulator. The mini-game is simple: randomly search for dating targets, simulate dates, and receive rewards upon successful confession. Rewards include but are not limited to money, attributes, and skills. The higher the evaluation, the better the rewards, with perfect ratings unlocking mysterious achievements. Shen Yi plans to use this mysterious mini-game to continuously pursue targets and improve himself, making his life better and better. ...... However, after several successful walkthroughs, Shen Yi suddenly notices something strange - the targets he previously simulated dating seem to be searching for him in real life?
s the Eldest Princess, renowned for her cold and aloof detachment, became the most docile of lambs, obeying his every command without question. But when the final move was played on the chessboard, as Gu Chenghan seized everything and ascended on the verge of apotheosis, that very Princess suddenly embraced him from behind, her tone carrying a dependence never heard before: "Wait... you haven't yet... commanded me to love you forever." Gu Chenghan froze abruptly. She... hadn't been hypnotized?! ... [The Eldest Princess's Diary] [When my soul was extracted, becoming the sole spectator outside my own shell] [At first, there was overwhelming fury, until I saw] [How he used my sword to effortlessly shatter my inescapable doom] [How he wielded my authority to eradicate fatal conspiracies I had never even detected] [Like a deity, he rescued me from the deep mire I was trapped in] [If not for those annoying vixens, he and I would be a match made in heaven] [I think I am ill, gravely ill] [My deity should belong to me alone] ... "Hypnosis? Oh, it succeeded, my dear Master." "Only this time, it's my turn to hypnotize you."
