Ao Yu clenched his fists, his gaze terrifyingly cold.
"Damn it! He's doing this on purpose just to show off to me! Good! Very good! Qin Hao, you've successfully angered me. I won't hold back!"
He clenched his hands even tighter, his nails digging into his palms. But this little bit of physical pain was nothing compared to the humiliation in his heart.
"Just you wait! We are about to arrive at the Northern Wasteland Dragon Clan. That is my territory. Once we're on my turf, we'll see how I deal with you! You like provoking me, huh? I'll let you know the price of provoking me!"
Ao Yu secretly swore in his heart, his resolve to deal with Qin Hao growing even firmer.
The dragon carriage sped through the air, the ice plains of the Northern Wasteland spreading out beneath them. Qin Hao leaned against the wall of the carriage, holding Ji Ruxue's hand as he watched the scenery outside the window.
The dragon carriage crossed the final stretch of the ice plains, and the royal court of the Northern Wasteland Dragon Clan finally appeared at the end of their line of sight.
It was a city built deep within the ice plains. No, rather than a city, it was more like a fortress constructed from ice, snow, and dragon bones. Its walls towered into the clouds, completely translucent and white, shimmering with a cold silver light.
Ao Bing arranged for Qin Hao and Ji Ruxue to stay in a courtyard deep within the royal court. The courtyard was not large but very exquisite. Several unknown flowering trees were planted in the yard, blooming proudly amidst the ice and snow.
"You two rest well here. You can have Ao Yu show you around. Not just anyone can enter the royal court of our Northern Wasteland Dragon Clan."
"I am going to make some preparations and arrange a trial for you both. You two will compete properly to determine who gets the Primordial Dragon Emperor blood essence."
After speaking, Ao Bing left. Watching Ao Bing depart, Qin Hao glanced at Ao Yu, who was still standing there, and couldn't help but chuckle softly.
Qin Hao reached out, grabbing Ji Ruxue's small hand and walking toward the house. When they reached the door, Qin Hao stopped, turned his head to look at Ao Yu, and cast a light, indifferent glance that carried a hint of nonchalance:
"Your Highness Ao Yu, do you need something else? If not, go busy yourself with your own affairs. Xue'er and I want to enjoy some alone time together. It's rather inconvenient with you being here."
Ao Yu's mind buzzed. Alone time? Inconvenient? What were the two of them going to do? Was it what he was thinking?
Ji Ruxue glared at Qin Hao, her face flushed red. What on earth was this guy saying!
After saying that, Qin Hao ignored Ao Yu, pulled Ji Ruxue into the room, and closed the door.
Seeing this scene, Ao Yu slumped onto the ground with a thud:
"No—!!!"
As soon as the door was closed, Ji Ruxue immediately shook off Qin Hao's hand, turning to him with a serious expression.
"We are only fake Dao Companions for hire. I only cooperated with you just now to make Ao Yu give up. Don't misunderstand."
Hearing this, Qin Hao put on a hurt expression:
"Xue'er, how can your warm mouth say such cold words? Look at me! Am I just a tool in your eyes? Something to be thrown away after use? You're too cruel."
Looking into Qin Hao's affectionate eyes, Ji Ruxue felt flustered and confused. She lowered her head, her fox ears pressed tightly against her hair, not daring to meet Qin Hao's gaze.
"I didn't treat you as a tool. It's just that we are only fake Dao Companions to begin with. Helping me escape the arranged marriage was your duty, and I don't want to give you the wrong idea."
Ji Ruxue's feelings toward Qin Hao were quite complicated right now. What woman wouldn't be moved by a handsome and powerful man? Ji Ruxue admitted to herself that she did have some favorable feelings for Qin Hao.
However, tomorrow she and Qin Hao would become competitors. That was why she tried so hard to keep her distance from him. If they were too intimate, it would affect her in tomorrow's competition.
She carried the hopes of the Ten Thousand Demon Kingdom on her shoulders. She absolutely had to keep the treasure of the Ten Thousand Demon Kingdom within the Ten Thousand Demon Kingdom!
"Xue'er, don't be so heartless."
Ji Ruxue's body stiffened for a moment, and then she said in an icy tone, "Don't call me Xue'er."
Seeing Ji Ruxue acting like this, Qin Hao smiled. He leaned in close to her and asked softly:
"Are you putting on this attitude on purpose because you feel that you'll have to compete with me for the Primordial Dragon Emperor blood essence tomorrow?"
Ji Ruxue didn't speak, but she couldn't help muttering in her heart: Was I being that obvious? How did he know what I was thinking?
Seeing that Ji Ruxue remained silent, Qin Hao continued:
"Actually, it's not that difficult if you want to keep the Primordial Dragon Emperor blood essence in the Ten Thousand Demon Kingdom. I have a foolproof plan."
Hearing this, Ji Ruxue's eyes immediately lit up. She looked at Qin Hao with expectation and asked in a low voice:
"What foolproof plan do you have?"
Ji Ruxue felt suspicious in her heart. Could this be a trick by Qin Hao? After all, she was currently in a competitive relationship with him. That was the Primordial Dragon Emperor blood essence; would he really be kind enough to help her keep the Primordial Dragon Emperor blood essence in the Ten Thousand Demon Kingdom?
Qin Hao smiled lightly and pinned Ji Ruxue against the wall:
"The method is very simple. Just figure out a way to make me your real Dao Companion, and that'll do it, right? There is no 'yours' or 'mine' between Dao Companions. When the time comes, regardless of which of us gets the Primordial Dragon Emperor blood essence, won't it be the same as you getting it?"
"Since you got it, the Primordial Dragon Emperor blood essence will still remain in the Ten Thousand Demon Kingdom."
Ji Ruxue's fox ears, which had been pressed tightly against her hair, perked up with a swish. She jerked her head up, her golden eyes reflecting Qin Hao's half-smiling face.
"You... what did you say?" Ji Ruxue looked at Qin Hao in disbelief. What was this guy saying? He wanted to have his cake and eat it too? He wanted all the good things for himself?
Qin Hao looked at her shocked and panicked appearance, with her ears standing straight up, and the smile on his lips deepened. He didn't repeat what he just said; he merely stood there, watching her quietly.
Her mind felt like countless butterflies were flying around, buzzing and chaotic. What did he mean by 'figure out a way to make me your real Dao Companion'!
"You... you... you are shameless!" Her voice rose by eight octaves, and her fox ears stood even straighter. The pinkness at the tips of her ears exploded into a deep crimson in an instant, like ignited fireworks, crackling and burning all the way to the base of her ears.
Qin Hao shrugged helplessly. "Sigh, I gave you a chance but you couldn't take it. I guess there's nothing to discuss then. We'll just have to settle this with our skills tomorrow."
After saying that, Qin Hao sat down cross-legged and began to cultivate.
Watching Qin Hao cultivate, the image of Qin Hao in the Ten Thousand Demon Hall couldn't help but surface in Ji Ruxue's mind—his astonishing combat power, as well as the Primordial Dragon Emperor dharma idol that exuded endless coercion.
Facing such a Qin Hao, could she really outcompete him? Ji Ruxue had very little confidence in herself.
"What he said does make some sense. If we became real Dao Companions, wouldn't him getting it be the same as me getting it?"
ap a wealthy young lady? Or else I'll be eliminated by the system? Ye Feng, who awakened the Kidnapper System, originally wanted to live a peaceful life but never imagined he would become a kidnapper of young women. However, after some time, he discovered that all the girls the system ordered him to kidnap were far from ordinary. "Big brother Ye Feng~ You've kidnapped my heart, and now you're not allowed to leave me ever again~" "Ye Feng~ You kidnapped me back then, now it's my turn to capture you♡" "Little Feng, you're mine! You can only be mine!" "Ye Feng, none of them deserve you. Only I love you the most♡" ... This is madness, they've all gone mad! Wait, what? Why are all the girls I kidnapped yanderes?!
lity and could only live as an ordinary mortal. He only wished to live a peaceful life. Yet he didn't know— The dog he adopted, because it ate his food, became a legendary demon king. The kitchen knife he casually forged became a peerless divine weapon, causing numerous experts to fight desperately for it. The young disciple he took in became an immortal lord that led an era, due to cultivating the techniques Ye Feng taught him. Even the skeletons he looked down on the most were ominous demon kings that suppressed countless worlds. Many years later, looking at the void shattered with a punch, Ye Feng murmured to himself: It turns out the peerless kings were myself all along...
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!
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?!
