Bathed in the magnificent golden light of the sun, Yunji City, half-encircled by three steep, towering peaks, looked like a masterpiece of art.
Standing halfway up the mountain, with its sturdy and thick arms, it protected the people of this region, becoming their safe harbor and faith under the iron hooves of the barbarians.
At the same time, this Yunji City was also Zhan Shubai's faith.
When he appeared at the foot of Yunji City in tattered clothes, all the fear and anxiety from his journey completely vanished.
Looking at Yunji City so close at hand, a gentle smile couldn't help but appear on Zhan Shubai's face.
This Yunji City, which he had nourished with his hard work and sweat for several years, had unknowingly become the greatest safe haven in his heart.
Now...
He had finally returned to this safe haven.
"Finally, finally... I'm here..."
Zhan Shubai wiped the muddy sweat from his face, a strong smile emerging on his handsome features.
However, the exhausting journey back had left him with almost no strength.
When he couldn't even lift his legs to walk, his expression turned from joy to anger, and he cursed viciously in his heart.
He freaking knew that Ren Tianye, that despicable villain, wanted to suppress him.
In order to snatch his position as His Majesty's third favorite, he actually sent assassins after him.
Damn it, fortunately his martial arts were extraordinary, allowing him to escape.
However, the fine steed he rode was whipped so hard to hurry along that it soon foamed at the mouth and broke down. This left him searching for a mount all along the way, but to no avail.
He had no choice but to use his own two feet to measure the land beneath him.
For several days and nights, traveling almost without sleep or rest, he finally returned to Yunji City.
"I am finally going to retrieve the Immortal Soul Epiphyllum that I will present to His Majesty. Once I offer this item, His Majesty will surely see my loyalty and understand my heart."
"Those rumors, and the nonsense from that villain Ren Tianye slandering me as a bean sprout, will naturally collapse on their own!"
Zhan Shubai's eyes were firm as he thought this.
He used his last ounce of strength to stride toward the foot of Yunji City. After finally getting close, he saw that the gates of Yunji City, which he had personally supervised the installation of, were tightly shut, giving off a stern and chilling atmosphere.
However, Zhan Shubai didn't mind.
Although he didn't build Yunji City, he had thickened and reinforced it brick by brick. His familiarity with the city gave him a strong sense of control.
He immediately shouted at the soldiers on the gate tower.
"Men, open the gates for this general!"
The shout wasn't loud, but it was enough to be heard clearly.
But his anticipated scene of the city gates opening wide to welcome him back did not happen. Instead...
The soldiers on the gate tower were all poised for action.
Some had even drawn the stiff bows from their backs.
Then...
They rebuked loudly.
"Yunji City is closed off. No one is allowed to enter or leave."
"You beggar, go beg somewhere else."
These words made Zhan Shubai furious.
What the hell?
A beggar? Are the soldiers of Yunji City blind? How dare they treat him as a beggar?
He was just exhausted from the journey back and a bit dirty, but could a beggar compare to his extraordinary and heroic posture?
"In a moment, I will definitely let these blind soldiers taste the power of my Supervisory Team."
Thinking this, Zhan Shubai's face was full of anger: "It's me, Zhan Shubai! Open the gate for this general!"
The city wall instantly descended into chaos.
"It's Zhan Shubai!"
"Whoa, it's Zhan Shubai!"
"Quick, quick, quick, don't let him get away."
"Go report to the lord, Zhan Shubai has returned."
...
This panicked scene made a somewhat smug look appear on Zhan Shubai's face.
As the king of this Yunji City, his soldiers should be terrified just hearing his name.
It was just...
He was slightly confused.
"Why did they say not to let me get away?"
Frowning, he looked up, only to suddenly realize that the soldiers standing guard with halberds on the wall looked very unfamiliar to him.
You must know, he had poured all his blood, sweat, and tears into Yunji City. For years, he worked day and night, personally visiting the construction sites and personally training the seven thousand soldiers of Yunji City. He might not be able to name all of them, but recognizing their faces was absolutely no problem.
But now, looking over them, he didn't recognize a single one.
They were so unfamiliar that it astonished him.
Until a sentence rang out.
"General Ren has already been notified. Make sure Zhan Shubai doesn't escape. If this guy brings troops to take our Yunji City, it will be trouble."
A bad premonition suddenly surged in Zhan Shubai's heart.
Their Yunji City?
When did this Yunji City become Ren Tianye's?
It was his, Zhan Shubai's!
It was given to him by His Majesty, entrusted to him to carefully nurture! Over the years, he had worked diligently and finally nurtured Yunji City into a magnificent fortress of the world, second not even to Shanhe City. Just as it was time to report back to His Majesty and exchange it for a return to His Majesty's side, how did it become Ren Tianye's?
What is the meaning of this?!
Zhan Shubai's heart grew increasingly panicked. He looked up abruptly, about to ask, but saw that the soldiers on the wall were all holding stiff bows.
The bows were drawn like full moons, sharp arrows resting on the bowstrings.
Like an inescapable net, they enveloped him.
Right now, he had no armor on his body and no weapon in his hand to block. Once these people fired their arrows, he would almost certainly die.
At this moment, Zhan Shubai finally understood.
Understood completely!
This Yunji City had already been taken over by Ren Tianye.
Overcome with rage, he couldn't help but curse loudly: "Ren Tianye, you shameless bastard! I worked so hard to build this Yunji City into an impenetrable fortress to present to His Majesty, and you... you..."
"Just to steal my position as His Majesty's third favorite, you actually took it by force! You, you are shameless!"
The more he cursed, the angrier he got, and the greater the panic in his heart grew. He lunged forward fiercely, shouting, "Open the gate for me!" and crashed into the city gates.
He slammed against it a few times, but the gate didn't budge an inch.
He also knew just how sturdy this gate, which he had personally supervised the construction of, was. He knew that relying on himself alone was completely hopeless.
He backed away to the foot of the wall and shouted frantically at the guards on top: "Open the gate for me! Open the gate for me..."
"I'm going to find Ren Tianye and demand justice!"
"He must return Yunji City to me."
"Yunji City is mine! It's what I am going to present to His Majesty! He, he cannot steal it!"
However, no matter how hysterically Zhan Shubai shouted, the soldiers on the wall did not respond in the slightest. They still kept their bowstrings drawn tight; at the first sign of trouble, arrows would rain down.
This silent response drove Zhan Shubai even more insane.
"Open the gate! Open the gate..."
"Open the gate for me..."
Catching a glimpse out of the corner of his eye, he spotted an acquaintance not far away on the wall. He immediately shouted at him: "You, this general remembers you. You are a member of this general's Supervisory Team."
"Go notify this general's Supervisory Team to come and open the gate for me, and follow me to find Ren Tianye."
That man was startled and immediately replied: "The Supervisory Team abused the soldiers, committed insubordination, and gathered crowds to cause trouble. They were wiped out by General Ren long ago. Where is there a Supervisory Team anymore?"
"Now, I am one of the city defense soldiers under General Ren."
"Stop your nonsense, or do not blame my arrows for showing no mercy."
Zhan Shubai's face turned pale.
What?
The Inspectorate... wiped out by Ren Tianye!
"Ahhh... Ren Tianye, you truly will stop at nothing to steal my place in His Majesty's heart! You even wiped out my Inspectorate!"
As he screamed, he spotted a man in the distance. As if grasping at a lifeline, he yelled, "Yang Huibing, you are my squad leader! Open the city gates for me! This Yunji City belongs to me, and no one can take it away!"
Yang Huibing immediately retorted, "Nonsense! I am a guard under General Ren. How would I know a beggar like you? Do not try to claim false ties!"
"Otherwise, the arrows in my hands are not to be trifled with."
Zhan Shubai nearly spat out a mouthful of blood.
An intense wave of despair surged into his heart at this moment. He finally understood—Ren Tianye had stolen his Yunji City, stolen the very gift he meant to present to His Majesty.
This was what he had painstakingly built over years of bitter suffering!
It was almost the only gift that could allow him to hold his head high before His Majesty.
Was it completely no longer his?
He instantly went nearly mad: "Ren Tianye, you shameless bastard! You beguiled His Majesty with sweet words, you stole my Yunji City, you stole my life's blood..."
"Why the hell don't you prepare your own gift? What kind of man steals mine?"
As he shouted, tears began to stream down his face.
His expression was filled with extreme grievance.
"Ren Tianye, you're shameless, you're so fucking shameless..."
Just then, the city gates creaked open. A cavalry unit of over a hundred men filed out. The man leading them was none other than Ren Tianye's guerrilla general, Sun Xiang.
Sun Xiang's eyes lit up the moment he saw Zhan Shubai.
"Throwing yourself into the net?"
"Good, good, good! Last time you injured my brothers. Today, I want to see just how much strength you have left!"
With a wave of his hand, the soldiers behind him immediately closed in, swarming toward Zhan Shubai with the eager intent to capture him alive.
Blades and spears had no eyes; the murderous intent was palpable.
Zhan Shubai's eyes were full of aggrieved tears, and his body was utterly exhausted from days of rushing about, yet his martial skills remained formidable.
Facing over a hundred men alone, he surprisingly did not fall at a disadvantage.
He even managed to snatch a soldier's weapon and fight back. With a few thrusts of the spear, he severely injured several cavalrymen.
He continued to brandish the long spear in his hands, fending off the endless stream of soldiers sent by Sun Xiang, but his mind was entirely focused on Yunji City.
He fought while cursing, and cursed while crying.
"Give me back my Yunji City!"
"Give me back my Yunji City!"
"Give me back my Yunji City! Ren Tianye, you dog, give me back my Yunji City..."
...
He fought until his strength was entirely spent and was finally subdued by the combined efforts of the soldiers.
Sun Xiang could not help but wipe the cold sweat from his face. This Zhan Shubai's martial arts were truly extraordinary! To be exhausted to such a degree and still possess such combat power!
He had managed to injure several of his soldiers in a row!
It was fucking absurd!
Judging by this level of strength, even looking across the entire border army, as far as he knew, only the Great General—born with divine strength and exceptional martial skills—could firmly suppress him.
"Damn it."
Feeling a lingering fear, Sun Xiang viciously kicked Zhan Shubai. "He sure can fucking fight!"
Yet, after taking the kick, Zhan Shubai seemed to feel nothing. His face was just covered in tear streaks, looking more devastated than if his own mother had died, as he kept muttering, "Give me back my Yunji City!"
"I beg you, give me back my Yunji City!"
"I cannot live without Yunji City!"
...
g Yu was preparing for retirement when her organization decided to eliminate her. She transmigrated to a zombie apocalypse world. However, a tiny unexpected situation occurred: She somehow transformed into an adorable little girl?!
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."
ive and Ruthless] Before his transmigration, Ye Xuan was playing a game called "Severing Emotions to Attain the Dao." The game's core wasn't about leveling up by fighting monsters, but about conquering various "bad women" with wicked personalities and cold, fickle natures. There was only one method to conquer them: stay unwaveringly by their side, then die at a critical moment, driving them to madness after losing the protagonist. The higher their level of regret, the higher the player's score. To dominate the server, Ye Xuan conquered all the bad women. In the early stages, he showered them with boundless tenderness, only to choose to sacrifice himself for them later, making them weep bitterly and drown in regret. Among them were: Xia Lengyue, the unfaithful immortal wife who chased after powerful men and discarded her husband like trash. Ye Qingcheng, the Demonic Venerable of the Joyous Union Sect, who appeared pure and innocent but was, in reality, promiscuous. Wu Lingxiao, the Empress of the Great Xia Dynasty, who lusted after men and loved maintaining a harem. Bai Qiangu of the Endless Demonic Sect: a bloodthirsty mass murderer. However, when the protagonist transmigrated into the game world, he made a horrifying discovery. Eight hundred years had already passed. The bad women he had conquered had now each become deities and revered ancestors. Faced with the endless stream of toxic women coming for him, Ye Xuan could only rely on his god-tier acting skills to carve a path of survival through this world of treacherous women.
