The light from the entrance of the secret realm faded behind them as Qin Hao and Chen Qingning stepped into a dim space.
A pungent, foul stench permeated the air, resembling the body odor of countless wild beasts mixed and fermented for thousands of years. The ground was dark red, yielding a sticky sensation beneath their feet, as if they were stepping on the flesh and blood of some creature.
"So disgusting," Chen Qingning complained, covering her nose. It was too smelly, just like falling into a cesspit.
Qin Hao didn't speak. He merely surveyed their surroundings with a vigilant expression, sensing countless auras lurking nearby.
Suddenly, the darkness was illuminated. It wasn't light, but countless eyes of every imaginable color. The owners of these eyes were demonic beasts of various shapes and sizes.
The weaker ones were at the Soul Formation Realm, while the stronger ones had reached the Tribulation Crossing Realm.
Chen Qingning subconsciously took a step back, bumping into Qin Hao's chest. The demonic beasts before them blotted out the sky and covered the earth, stretching as far as the eye could see. This wasn't a secret realm; it was clearly a demonic beast lair.
"Qin Hao, there are so many demonic beasts. Just at a glance, there are at least tens of thousands, and there are even more inside. Why don't we leave first?"
The sheer number was overwhelming, and there was no shortage of Tribulation Crossing Realm beasts among them. Frankly speaking, with Chen Qingning's cultivation at the Nascent Soul Realm, she couldn't even deal with the weakest Soul Formation Realm beast.
Chen Qingning knew that Qin Hao possessed a Mahayana Realm cultivation base. However, facing so many demonic beasts, including so many at the Tribulation Crossing Realm, she didn't believe Qin Hao could lead her deep into the secret realm. Without exaggeration, this many beasts could simply exhaust Qin Hao to death.
Qin Hao remained silent, merely reaching out to pull Chen Qingning behind him.
"Qin Hao, what are you doing? Don't try to be a hero!"
Chen Qingning held onto Qin Hao's hand, her eyes filled with worry. She really wanted to obtain fortuitous encounters, but she dreaded seeing Qin Hao get hurt even more.
Qin Hao chuckled softly, reaching out to rub Chen Qingning's head. "Being a hero? I never do things beyond my capabilities. They're just some demonic beasts, a trivial matter."
"No, there are quite a few Tribulation Crossing Realm beasts here, and their numbers are massive. Even if they just try to wear you down, they can exhaust you to death."
"Exhaust me to death? Qingning, have you ever witnessed my full strength? Today, I will let you see just how powerful the Dao Companion you chose really is."
Just as the two were speaking, the closest batch of demonic beasts made their move. As if hearing a signal, they simultaneously let out an earth-shattering roar and lunged toward Qin Hao and Chen Qingning.
Thousands of demonic beasts charged at once. The ground trembled, the air rumbled, and the bloody wind rushing at their faces was almost suffocating.
Chen Qingning's heart leaped to her throat, her hands tightly gripping the hem of Qin Hao's clothes.
Qin Hao did not retreat, nor did he dodge. He didn't even raise his hand. He simply narrowed his eyes slightly and then snapped them open.
The Dual Pupils opened, his irises splitting in two. Within them, the sun, moon, and stars seemed to revolve, while mountains, rivers, and the great earth rose and fell.
An invisible oppressive might expanded from Qin Hao's body, rippling out in all directions. The demonic beasts charging at the very front, at the moment Qin Hao's Dual Pupils opened, acted as if their heads had been smashed by an invisible giant hammer. Their charge came to an abrupt halt, their limbs stiffening as their bodies trembled uncontrollably.
A dark light flashed within the Dual Pupils, and the beasts frozen in place instantly exploded on the spot.
The number of demonic beasts was simply too great. Just as the front batch exploded into clouds of blood mist, the beasts behind them were already lunging forward, trampling over the corpses of their companions.
It was as if they didn't know the meaning of fear, or perhaps some deeper existence was driving them forward, leaving them no courage to retreat, only to advance.
"You actually aren't fleeing? Interesting. You have all been surrounded by me alone!"
"Heavenly Phoenix Divine Body, activate!"
A scorching aura erupted from Qin Hao. Chen Qingning felt as though a sun was rising from within his body, like a volcano erupting from his chest.
Golden Nirvana Divine Fire soared from Qin Hao. The flames condensed behind him, transforming into a massive Heavenly Phoenix. Its spread wings blotted out the sky and sun. Every single golden feather was a burning sharp sword, exuding a suffocating pressure.
This wasn't over. Qin Hao then channeled the power of the Immemorial Dragon Emperor bloodline within his body. In the next second, the phantom of a giant dragon, with a body longer than a mountain range and scales more dazzling than the stars, condensed behind him.
As the dragon's eyes opened and closed, lightning seemed to brew within them. When its dragon claws reached out, it felt as though they could instantly tear through the void.
The Heavenly Phoenix and the Dragon Emperor stood on the left and right, guarding Qin Hao and Chen Qingning like two patron deities.
Glancing at Chen Qingning, who was standing there in a daze, Qin Hao reached out and held her small hand.
"What are you spacing out for? Let's go, I'll take you inside."
"Oh." Hearing Qin Hao's voice, Chen Qingning finally recovered from her shock. She looked at his profile, her mind continuously replaying the scene from just moments ago.
So many demonic beasts, visually at least hundreds if not thousands, and Qin Hao had killed them with a single look. Those beasts didn't even have time to react, and one had to know there were great demons at the Tribulation Crossing Realm among them.
Chen Qingning allowed Qin Hao to lead her by the hand as they walked deeper into the secret realm. Along the way, demonic beasts continuously lunged at them.
Whenever a beast drew near, the phantoms of the Heavenly Phoenix and the Dragon Emperor would take action.
The Heavenly Phoenix flapped its wings, shooting countless golden feathers like a torrential rain into the demonic beast horde. Every feather contained the Nirvana Divine Fire. The moment they touched a beast, they would ignite it. Soul Formation Realm beasts died upon contact, and even Tribulation Crossing Realm beasts couldn't last for three breaths before being reduced to ashes in the golden flames.
The Dragon Emperor opened its massive maw, spewing forth a blast of dragon breath. The demonic beasts didn't even have time to scream before they were reduced to nothingness. They didn't even leave behind a blood mist; anything tainted by the dragon breath simply vanished into thin air.
"Is... is this Qin Hao's true strength? This is way too powerful!"
Chen Qingning muttered to herself, her eyes wide open. She had always thought Qin Hao was strong, and she had heard that many peerless geniuses possessed the ability to fight above their cultivation realms, but she never expected Qin Hao to be this powerful.
Facing so many demonic beasts, where the weakest were at the Soul Formation Realm and the strongest at the Tribulation Crossing Realm, Qin Hao alone had completely crushed the beast horde.
It was exactly as Qin Hao had said: these demonic beasts had been surrounded by him alone.
In front of Qin Hao, these demonic beasts didn't even have the power to fight back. No, it wasn't that they lacked the power to fight back; they didn't even have the chance to get close to him.
The phantoms of the Heavenly Phoenix and the Dragon Emperor acted as two insurmountable barriers, blocking all the beasts a hundred meters away. Any demonic beast that dared to step into this range would be instantly obliterated.
Seeing Chen Qingning staring blankly at him, Qin Hao chuckled softly. "How is it? My strength didn't disappoint you, did it?"
and couldn't return to the real world. Finally, I gave up and decided to go with the flow, only to discover that writing a diary could make me stronger. Since no one could read it, Su Luo wrote freely, daring to pen anything and everything. Female Lead #1: "Not bad. This diary helped me steal all the protagonist's opportunities. I just want to get stronger." Female Lead #2: "I don’t care about reaching the peak of the cultivation world. Right now, I just want to enjoy the chaos." Female Lead #3: "What? Everyone around me is a spy? I’m the Joker Demon Lord?" ... It’s so strange. Why is the plot completely off track, yet the ending remains the same? Are you all just messing with me?!
for mindless slaughter, this isn't for you.] My name is Ye Shu, and I'm a transmigrator. It seems I'm supposed to be the protagonist, but that feels pretty unlikely. This world has been invaded by a system. The antagonists on the other side have suddenly become pure, flawless saints. The female leads have been force-fed the so-called "original plot," making them think they've been reborn. Now, everyone thinks I'm scum. Including the old lady in my ring. And here I am, in the Monster Beast Mountain Range, braising pork. To put my situation in perspective— It's as if, the moment Xiao Yan stepped into the Monster Beast Mountain Range, the Soul Emperor already knew he would become the Flame Emperor, and Yao Lao had been turned to the enemy's side. I have nothing right now. Oh wait, that's not true. I do have a white-haired loli child-bride who's the Heavenly Dao, and her only skill is acting cute. So, tell me guys... what are my chances of making it to the end?
transmigrates into the world as the sect master of the Heavenly Yan Sect, which is on the verge of being wiped out. He binds a system that grants him cultivation power based on the number of disciples he has: for each disciple, he automatically gains a year's worth of cultivation every single day! Take one disciple: every day he gains 1 year of cultivation power. While others struggle through a year of bitter training, he gets the same just by sleeping through a single night. Take ten disciples: every day he gains 10 years of cultivation power. Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul—he breezes through all bottlenecks without lifting a finger. Take one hundred disciples: every day he gains 100 years of cultivation power. Even a Soul Transformation Venerable before him can’t survive a single blow. Take ten thousand disciples: every day he gains 10,000 years of cultivation power! With a wave of his hand, he topples empires. With a single step, he crushes the sacred grounds of the universe. ... While others fight tooth and nail for secret techniques, Lin Yan casually hands out Nascent Soul-level cultivation manuals as beginner textbooks. While others strain to find talented recruits, Lin Yan opens his doors to anyone—so long as they’re human. In just three short years, the Heavenly Yan Sect went from a backwater sect made up of three crumbling huts to a sacred land that every cultivator under heaven would kill to enter. ... One day, otherworldly demon gods invade, with a million demon soldiers pressing down upon the realm. Lin Yan, yawning, rises from his lounge chair and glances at the system panel: [Current Disciples: 1.28 million] [Daily Cultivation Increase: 1.28 million years] He waves his hand casually, and the countless demon soldiers are reduced to ashes in an instant. “So noisy… interrupting my fishing.”
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."
