"Arrested? Our Li family is a prominent and respected clan!"
"Hmph, I can't be bothered to argue with you. Seize them!"
"Don't anyone move! And what of my Zhao family?" Zhao Jinglei dropped his pretense. Panting heavily, he offered an apologetic smile to his companions and said word by word, "If you harm a single one of my sworn brothers and sisters, my Zhao family will pursue this to the ends of the earth!"
To his surprise, the other side laughed even harder.
"The Zhao family? The Zhao family harbors treasonous ambitions. They're now neighbors with the Li family in the imperial dungeons!"
"Impossible!" Zhao Jinglei was truly shocked.
Lin Wanqing had a sinking feeling in her heart. "I am the daughter of the Lin family!"
Ye Qingzhou also spoke up: "My master is an elder of the Drifting Leaf Sect!"
"My father is Xiao Lan, the one who 'Crossed the River with a Single Sword'!"
Immediately after, several others declared their family names and backgrounds, revealing their privileged origins, each name more illustrious than the last.
The cultivators surrounding them exchanged glances.
The youths also looked at each other, surprised to learn their sworn siblings all had such secrets! They felt a wave of emotion.
Unexpectedly, a greedy light shone in the eyes of the cultivators.
"Well, well, well. To think all the escaped fish have gathered in one net! Brothers! This is our chance to earn merit!"
The youths hadn't expected these men to be so brazen and unafraid.
Only a few of them realized something terrible must have happened to their families!
Facing the encirclement, with no heart for a fight, they could only scatter like birds and beasts, fleeing for their lives, a sense of foreboding growing in each of their hearts.
Having been confined to the wilderness for so long, how could they know that the Imperial City had descended into chaos? Following Fang Zhiyi's instructions, the Myriad Treasures Pavilion had been relentlessly boosting Prince Xuan's reputation. The common people, treated well, sang his praises one after another. Prince Xuan, unable to explain himself, had no choice but to accept it, which in turn aroused the Emperor Tianyan's suspicions.
Thus began this game of power. Noble families and sects may hold lofty status, but before imperial authority, they are mere cannon fodder.
Whether it was the Li family or the Zhao family, those who got too close to Prince Xuan deserved to die.
Emperor Tianyan was no fool. He didn't intervene directly but signaled the rivals of the Li and Zhao families. Other clans, receiving the signal, naturally wouldn't let the opportunity slip, clamping down on their enemies like wolves sinking their teeth into prey.
Prince Xuan's goal was never truly to win over these families. He had been maneuvered into this position by Fang Zhiyi and now found himself trapped, unable to withdraw. To maintain the act, he had to play his part vigorously. Thus, the sects and families connected to the main group of youths were swept into the conflict, branded with one accusation after another—oppressing the common people, harboring sinister designs—none escaped accusation.
When the Palace Guard came knocking, they had no chance to resist. Of course, some did resist, only to be slaughtered on the spot. If you had grievances, you could plead your case from inside the prison. Resisting arrest was tantamount to rebellion!
Prince Xuan only felt his situation growing more perilous, but the game had progressed to a point where he couldn't extricate himself.
Also a cultivator, Emperor Tianyan had lived too long, his paranoia growing with the years. He would absolutely not let him go. Now, he could only hope Fang Zhiyi had some other plan.
But... there had been no word from Fang Zhiyi for quite some time.
Yet, the Myriad Treasures Pavilion's public-facing businesses continued to operate, functioning perfectly normally... so normally it felt abnormal.
Meanwhile, atop Hidden Mountain, Fang Zhiyi looked at his reassembled followers, a slight curve forming at the corner of his mouth.
"The time has come, everyone."
Rumors of rebellion began to circulate from somewhere, thickening the already tense atmosphere.
Frankly, almost all officials disbelieved such gossip. Rebellion? With what?
Cultivators among the common folk were exceedingly rare. Anyone with any ability either came from a noble family, a sect, or even the royal house. Could those peasants possibly fight cultivators with firewood choppers?
Nevertheless, because of this, cultivators everywhere received orders to take action—essentially to flex their might and remind the common people of their place.
On the streets of Misty Rain City, a few Ninth-Rank cultivators were chatting.
"Such a pity we let those so-called 'Nine Youths of Qingyun' escape."
"I heard from Lord Yan that capturing Li family remnants guarantees a promotion of three ranks."
"Lord Liu also said the escaped fish from the Zhao and Lin families are worth a fortune in gold, with a chance to enter the Liu family's outer court."
"Should we go search for them again later?"
"Stupid old woman! Can't you watch where you're going?"
An old vegetable seller stood to the side, fearful of disturbing the three men. However, the trio was so engrossed in their conversation that one bumped into the old woman and immediately began to curse.
The old woman bowed repeatedly in apology.
The Ninth-Rank cultivator who had bumped into her looked at her with disgust. "Disgusting." He then actually raised his hand to strike her.
"Don't touch my grandma!" a child suddenly rushed over. The cultivator pressed his hand against the boy's head, a sneer appearing on his face. "The world truly has changed. Even this little peasant brat dares to raise a hand against me now."
The surrounding commoners dared not make a sound. Cultivators were like gods; if they killed someone, the people could only watch.
Even those whose eyes burned with anger dared not speak.
"Exactly. I think it's all because of that Myriad Treasures Pavilion, feeding these commoners too well—opening porridge kitchens one day, giving out clothes the next."
"Ahem, better not say such things carelessly," another pointed towards the sky.
The cultivator holding the boy's head wore a cruel smile. "In my opinion, it all boils down to our heavenly Emperor being too merciful."
As he spoke, he prepared to exert force with his hand.
But a loud bang made him pause.
Puzzled, the cultivator looked up and saw a person not far away holding a peculiarly shaped object, like some kind of fire poker.
"Hey, hey! You're bleeding..." His companion's voice trembled.
He looked down and saw the blood spreading on his chest. A wave of pain hit him. How? How could he, a cultivator, be injured by an ordinary person?
"You!" Another cultivator moved to attack, but another bang sounded as a second person holding a strange device appeared.
Watching his two companions fall, the last cultivator trembled in fear, unable to comprehend what kind of sorcery was being used.
"See, everyone? They are human too. They also bleed." A calm voice carried down the street, awakening the stunned ordinary folk.
They turned in unison towards the figure standing at a higher vantage point.
"I give you a chance. Take up arms and join me in... slaying the gods."
His words seemed to carry a certain magic.
As if to prove his point, another person raised their strange weapon, aiming at the last remaining cultivator.
"You lowly peasants! How dare you assault cultivators in the street! Aren't you afraid of—"
Bang!
The world fell silent.
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!
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
e, Immortal Body, Transmigration, System, Progression Fantasy, Academy Setting, Third-Person Perspective. Alternate Title: Transmigrating into a High Martial World and Reading Live Comments. Bad news: I transmigrated. This is a terrifying high-martial world, and my original, pathetically weak body fell into a coma and never woke up. Good news: I got a Popularity Points system upon arrival. I can see live comments and even create an unkillable alternate identity. Starting out, the alternate identity has all stats at 1. The system tells me that to grow stronger, I must participate in the plot, gain popularity points to allocate stats and grow stronger, and ultimately awaken my original body. And so, carrying my original body on my back, I officially entered Huaqing Academy, where the story's protagonist resides. From that moment on, Chen Guan kicked the original plot to pieces. Live Comments: [Doesn't anyone find this mysterious coffin guy creepy? He can summon indescribable grey misty hands.] [Is this guy a hero or a villain? What kind of onion became a spirit?] [By the way, does anyone know who's in the coffin? Shouldn't the debt for saving his life be repaid by now?] [According to unofficial histories, the person in the coffin was Chen Guan's first love. Their love was once passionate and earth-shattering, but they were separated by life and death due to worldly circumstances. What a star-crossed pair.] ... Years later, the world knew of a demon god born from a coffin, shrouded in grey mist, impossible to gaze upon directly. His foremost divine emissary often wielded a scythe, reaping lives like the god of death. As war approached, facing former friends and a boundless sea of enemies, Chen Guan merely raised his scythe. "Would you like to dance as well?"
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?!
