"Alright, stop standing there. You're free to move around now."
Qin Hao pushed open the door and stretched lazily, coming face to face with Ao Lie, who had been punished to stand in the courtyard all night. The Dragon Clan prodigy currently had an ashen face, and the eyes he fixed on Qin Hao were brimming with fury.
Receiving Qin Hao's order, he was finally freed from the restraints of the contract brand. Now able to move freely, the first thing he wanted to do was charge at Qin Hao and give him a severe beating.
"Stop!"
Seeing this, Ao Bing immediately shouted a reprimand, and Ao Lie was firmly bound by an irresistible force.
"Uncle!"
Ao Bing shook his head gently and said helplessly,
"You are over three thousand years old, while Xiao Hao is only in his twenties. You have cultivated for nearly three thousand years longer than him, yet you cannot even defeat him. If you only know how to lose your temper, how can you ever achieve great things? Stay by his side and temper yourself well for a hundred years. A century from now, I will personally take action to remove the contract brand from your body."
Since Ao Bing had spoken, Ao Lie, despite his reluctance, could only agree sullenly, "Understood!"
Next, Ao Bing utilized the Law of Space, bringing the group to the Trial Grounds.
Actually, Ao Bing's initial plan did not include this trial phase at all. His thought was simply that whoever between Qin Hao and Ji Ruxue could withstand the oppressive aura of the Immemorial Dragon Emperor's essence blood, approach it, and refine it, would become its owner.
The trial was only added at Qin Wuya's request.
"The essence blood is inside. Whether you can obtain it or not will depend on your own fortune. Xiao Yu, you go along with them too."
After giving his instructions, Ao Bing gently pushed out a palm. Qin Hao and the others were enveloped by a gentle force and swept into the Trial Grounds.
After they entered, Qin Wuya appeared by Ao Bing's side.
"Haha, back in the day, I also had my eyes on this Dragon Emperor's essence blood, but you refused to give it to me no matter what I said. After all this going around in circles, hasn't the ownership of this essence blood ultimately fallen to my family?"
Ao Bing shook his head. "Do you think I want to give away a sacred relic of the Dragon Clan? I simply have no other choice. Speaking of which, when will the Era of Emperor's Fall prophesied by the Venerable descend? Do you have any idea?"
Hearing Ao Bing's words, Qin Wuya, who always wore a cynical and playful expression, revealed a serious look for the first time. "I have a premonition that it is coming soon. It could be as short as a few months, or as long as a few centuries. Are you afraid?"
Ao Bing laughed heartily. "Afraid? The word fear does not exist in my dictionary. It's just a pity for these younger generations. They haven't even had the time to properly see this world before having to face such a great catastrophe."
Qin Wuya pursed his lips and remained silent for a good while before speaking, "That is why we, the remnants of the old era, must buy time for them. Recently, I've made several trips to the Immortal Ancient Battlefield and have already made preparations in advance."
"I have closed the passages in the Immortal Ancient Battlefield that connect to the Middle Three Heavens and the Lower Three Heavens. Once the war begins, only our Upper Three Heavens will be involved. The cultivators of the Middle and Lower Three Heavens are still too weak; even if the battle breaks out, they wouldn't be of much help."
"We cultivators of the Upper Three Heavens have enjoyed the absolute best resources of the Three Realms and Nine Heavens since birth. Now that the Three Realms and Nine Heavens are in peril, it is only right that we bear the brunt of it."
Ao Bing looked at Qin Wuya with a face full of surprise. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. I truly cannot believe these words are coming out of your mouth. I thought your Qin family's specialty was being scoundrels. I couldn't tell that at a crucial moment, you're actually quite the righteous gentleman."
Qin Wuya ignored Ao Bing's teasing and merely stared intently at the Trial Grounds.
"Our luck is still quite good. This era has produced two incomprehensible monsters. If we cultivate them well, there is still hope of winning this war."
"Only hope? Hey, boss, you now grasp the complete Great Dao and hold a Supreme Dao Artifact in your hands, yet you are this pessimistic? Before you mastered the complete Great Dao and obtained the Supreme Dao Artifact, you already held the title of the number one Immortal Emperor of the current age. How is it that the stronger you get, the less confident you become?"
Hearing this, Qin Wuya only smiled bitterly. "Because the stronger I become, the more I can sense the formidable strength of our opponent and our own powerlessness. Alright, let's say no more. Let's see how Xiao Hao is doing over there."
......
The moment Qin Hao, Ji Ruxue, and Ao Yu entered the Trial Grounds, they felt an overwhelming dragon aura. This dragon aura was like an invisible mountain range, squeezing them from all directions. It pressed down on every inch of their skin and every single bone, as if trying to crush them into fine powder.
"Thud—"
Ji Ruxue was the first to give out. Her knees smashed heavily into the ground, and she propped herself up with her hands, her entire body trembling violently.
"Damn it, under this oppressive aura, I can't move at all!" Ao Yu gritted his teeth, his voice trembling. As a member of the Dragon Clan, his performance was slightly better than Ji Ruxue's, but not by much.
Qin Hao also furrowed his brows tightly. This dragon aura pressed down on him as well, heavy as if he were carrying a small mountain on his back. He felt that every step required ten times more effort than usual, and the circulation of spiritual energy within his body had become much more sluggish.
"Is this the oppressive aura of the Immemorial Dragon Emperor? So, every time I activate the Immemorial Dragon Emperor's Dharma Avatar, this is the kind of powerful aura that others have to face!"
Qin Hao was actually still able to move, albeit with great difficulty. He took a step forward, and this single step nearly crushed him into kneeling on the ground.
"What! Just taking one step forward doubled the oppressive aura! Then just how terrifying must the aura right next to the Immemorial Dragon Emperor's essence blood be?"
Qin Hao gasped in shock. He finally understood why this Immemorial Dragon Emperor's essence blood had been sitting here for so many years, across so many eras, without anyone taking it away. Without cheating, who could possibly take it?
Qin Hao took a deep breath and opened his right palm. A pig-killing knife appeared in his hand.
The knife was as pitch-black as ink, with a faint, blood-red glowing pattern extending from the hilt all the way to the tip. It looked like flowing blood, yet also like solidified time, exuding a chilling aura that made one's soul tremble.
This was precisely Qin Hao's Supreme Dao Artifact—the Divine Saber of Time. Ever since obtaining this blade, Qin Hao had never had the chance to test its power. Today was a good opportunity.
"So what if it's the essence blood of the Immemorial Dragon Emperor? I have a Supreme Dao Artifact. Let's see whether your mighty dragon aura prevails, or if my Supreme Dao Artifact will cut through all obstacles."
Qin Hao gave the knife a gentle flick. A vast, ancient, and boundlessly domineering saber intent soared into the sky from the blade. This saber intent clashed head-on with the Immemorial Dragon Emperor's oppressive aura permeating the space of the Trial Grounds.
"Boom—!!!"
An invisible collision exploded in the air, sending visible ripples spreading out in all directions. The dragon aura surrounding Qin Hao was forcefully cleaved apart as if by a sharp edge, forming a vacuum circle about ten feet in diameter around him.
Behind Qin Hao, Ji Ruxue and Ao Yu were so shocked their eyes almost popped out. Was this a joke? That suffocating dragon aura from just a moment ago actually gave way before the knife in Qin Hao's hand?
Just what kind of knife was this???
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!
Cheng's father told him he was getting remarried—to a wealthy woman. Cao Cheng realized his time had finally come: he was about to become a second-generation rich kid. Sure, it might be a watered-down version, but hey, at least he'd have status now, right? The wealthy woman also had four daughters!! Which meant, starting today, Cao Cheng gained four stunning older sisters?? But that wasn't even the whole story... "My name is Cao Cheng—'Cheng' as in 'honest, smooth-talking gentleman'!"
iemie, male, Race: Moon. Hobby: Collecting anomalies. At first, he thought he possessed two systems: the Crimson Rainbow Moon and the Clear Cold Frost Moon. One day, he discovered that he himself could also become a system for others, holding the chessboard of fate. The Eighth Epoch, also known as the Eternal Moon Epoch. Humans, witches, elves, bloodline descendants, specters, demons, and spirits together compose a new history. Walking the path on behalf of the moon, before he knew it, Chen Miemie's footsteps were followed by all manner of strange and wondrous anomalies. As time passed, many titles circulated about him—The King in Yellow, Lord of Anomalies, Heart of the Eternal Moon, and more. "Me? I'm just a traveler who enjoys collecting interesting creatures," Chen Miemie said.
ts me of treason?" "Correct. The host must return to the capital and gradually build up influence." "Wait—I have half a million soldiers, and you want me to go back to the capital to 'build influence'?" "Host, you are currently the Northern Garrison General, loyal to the Great Xia Dynasty." "Of course I am loyal to Great Xia! Absolutely loyal!" "But you keep referring to yourself as 'We'..." "Never mind the details! Summon all the regional commanders and military officers! We suspect treacherous officials are manipulating the court! They shall march with Us to the capital and purge the corrupt!" "......"
