"So, you came to see me for something?" Fang Zhiyi was currently staring absentmindedly at a distant mountain peak.
The sect leader gritted his teeth. "Qingxu—no, Zhiyi, we wanted to discuss with you... about the sect's current resources..."
Fang Zhiyi suddenly levitated, raising one hand as if grasping something before flipping it downward. In the next moment, the distant mountain peak was crushed as if pressed by a giant palm, shattering inch by inch! A massive cloud of dust erupted, and in mere moments, the once-majestic mountain vanished.
Fang Zhiyi landed. "That mountain was too annoying—always blocking my view. Anyway, what were you saying?"
The group behind him shook their heads in unison. "Nothing, nothing! We just wanted to check on you, Qingxu. Are you comfortable living here?"
"Are you all so free?" Fang Zhiyi frowned. "Wouldn’t it be better to spend your time cultivating? Right, Sect Leader?"
The sect leader’s face turned green as he nodded repeatedly. "Qingxu makes a fair point. Everyone, disperse! Quickly, quickly!"
Watching their panicked retreat, Fang Zhiyi scoffed in disdain.
A scream caught his attention.
With just a thought, he appeared outside Shen Xiaoxiao’s residence. Soon, other disciples who heard the commotion rushed over, swarming into her room before dragging someone out moments later.
Fang Zhiyi almost laughed. The male lead had actually come, though things were different now—Shen Xiaoxiao was no longer the lonely little girl she once was, and her senior brothers were far from useless.
The usual protocol was for the master to speak first, but Fang Zhiyi had nothing to say. He merely frowned. "He trespassed into your junior sister’s private quarters, and you’re waiting for my orders?"
Having studied under Fang Zhiyi long enough, the disciples instantly understood. Ling Feng was buried under a flurry of fists.
Jiang Leng, at least, had the composure of a head disciple. "Drag him outside to beat him. Don’t scare Junior Sister."
Fang Zhiyi nodded. This kid had some decency.
Fortunately, the gatekeepers soon arrived and took Ling Feng away—though only after the beating was done, since no one dared provoke Qingxu Peak.
And so, Ling Feng came and went in a hurry.
Shen Xiaoxiao didn’t even remember his face.
The entire Xuantian Sect remained under the shadow of Qingxu Peak. The only silver lining was that Fang Zhiyi, having squeezed them dry, no longer sent disciples to "spar" with them—except for the Alchemy Peak, which had signed a contract to provide Qingxu Peak with free pills.
The day of the sect tournament arrived. It was Xuantian Sect’s disciple recruitment ceremony and the stage to showcase the disciples’ progress over the years. Outer disciples aimed to enter the inner sect today, and the top performers would receive generous rewards.
This year, however, the prizes were meager—after all, even the sect leader and elders had been thoroughly exploited by Qingxu Zhenren, barely scraping together enough for rewards.
Many elders wore smiles, having waited for this day for so long. The tournament required all disciples to participate, allowing them to fight without restraint—deaths and injuries were exempt from consequences. Other sect leaders and elders would also attend. They were eager to see if Fang Zhiyi would dare exploit the occasion again!
The disciples who had suffered from their masters’ frustrations after losing "sparring" matches were even more fired up. Today was the day for revenge!
Shen Wanwan, long neglected, could no longer contain her hatred. Though not particularly strong, her foundation was solid—all she needed was to slap Shen Xiaoxiao twice on stage!
The scheming against Qingxu Peak had begun.
Looking at the match list Ren Xuan delivered, Fang Zhiyi narrowed his eyes and smiled.
"I heard your Xuantian Sect has produced a Transformation Soul cultivator?" the sect leader of Jihua Sect asked. The Xuantian Sect leader nodded, though his expression was odd.
"Congratulations! I heard it’s the one who once suffered a damaged foundation—Qingxu Zhenren, right?" another inquired.
"How enviable."
The sect leader smiled and nodded, thinking to himself: Enviable? How about you take him instead? He even considered negotiating with Fang Zhiyi to "travel" to other sects. Surely, he wouldn’t just torment Xuantian Sect alone?
"First match! Outer disciple Shen Wanwan versus outer disciple Shen Xiaoxiao!"
Jiang Leng frowned. "Master, someone clearly rigged this."
Fang Zhiyi shrugged. "Rigged? Look around—everyone here had a hand in it."
"But Junior Sister, she..." Jiang Leng’s face was full of worry.
Fang Zhiyi teased, "So now she’s your junior sister?"
"Master, please don’t bring up the past."
Fang Zhiyi said nothing, lazily reclining in the grand chair he had brought. So what if she was "useless"? Did that mean she couldn’t cultivate? He remembered Yue Anyao from another world—a triple-spirit root who still ascended.
All eyes were on the two junior sisters on stage, many filled with glee. Revenge would be theirs today!
"Hmph, I’ve finally waited for this day. Shen Xiaoxiao, you’re a joke. Don’t think having someone backing you makes you special." Shen Wanwan, as usual, started with the trash talk.
Shen Xiaoxiao steadied her mind, recalling her master’s teachings.
"A cultivator’s mindset must remain unshaken. Letting others’ words disturb you is a fatal flaw."
"Your mother was a maid who climbed into bed. You think you’re a young miss?"
"Whether you walk the path of immortals or demons is decided by your heart."
"When I return, I’ll have my father throw your mother out!"
"Most importantly, when you meet such people, settle the score immediately. Holding grudges hinders cultivation."
"Scared?" Shen Wanwan sneered as Shen Xiaoxiao remained silent, gathering spiritual energy in her hands.
"Master said cultivation of the heart means doing what you want—never letting yourself suffer injustice," Shen Xiaoxiao murmured softly.
"Huh?" Before Shen Wanwan could react, Shen Xiaoxiao’s aura surged as she lunged forward.
Shen Wanwan swung, but Shen Xiaoxiao dodged. In a blink, she was right in front of her. Shen Wanwan’s face twisted in shock—then—
Slap!
Slap!
Slap!
Three consecutive strikes landed on her cheeks.
Shen Wanwan, furious, tried to counter, but her wrist was seized, her spiritual energy forced back. She could feel it—this seemingly insignificant maid radiated a terrifying pressure.
A dozen more slaps followed, each infused with spiritual energy, leaving Shen Wanwan’s face swollen and red.
The audience was stunned.
"Sect Leader Miaoyuan, are your sect’s matches... always this unique?" someone asked.
The sect leader’s expression was awkward.
With one final, powerful slap, Shen Wanwan was sent flying off the stage.
The entire arena fell into silence.
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
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!
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.
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."
