Two demon kings, one fox.
A few exchanged words instantly aligned their intentions.
But as demon kings, their discussion naturally disregarded the lesser demons around them.
After all, when it came to matters of the demon kingdom, these low-ranking demons only needed to follow orders.
Hu Qi held immense prestige among the lesser demons, even though many had never seen him or heard him speak directly.
Even the speeches attributed to him had been altered so many times that the versions circulating among the demons had more variations than the Water Heart Scripture—so much so that even Hu Qi himself would pause in disbelief upon hearing them.
The words sounded vaguely familiar, but had he really said them?
Regardless, in their hearts, Hu Qi now represented the dignity and future of the demon race.
No matter how distorted the speeches became—even if only two original words remained, buried under layers of crude emotional outbursts like "fucking"—the core message never changed:
The demon race could no longer allow itself to be slaughtered at will.
The owl demon was one such believer. It had never met Hu Qi, and the speeches it heard were a chaotic mess, half of which consisted of rants against its own squad leader—a detestable water buffalo demon no better than a human.
Yet, even this garbled version of Hu Qi's speech was something the owl begged others to repeat over and over.
Though each retelling featured different insults for the water buffalo demon.
At first, the owl found it strange, but after enduring its squad leader long enough, it became the one retelling Hu Qi's "speech" to new recruits.
And its version contained even more personal grievances—two lines cursing the water buffalo for every one line of the original message.
Yet, in the quiet of night, as the owl kept watch under the stars, it sometimes wondered: What had the unaltered version actually said?
It also pondered: What did the legendary Kunshan Demon King look like? What kind of demon was he?
But it never imagined that the chance to meet Kunshan would come through humans.
Life as a demon was truly surreal.
This was the owl's first time seeing Hu Qi in person.
The real Hu Qi was nothing like the rumors—no fangs stretching past his head, no towering frame half the size of a mountain.
He was simply a tiger demon, more robust, burly, and striking than most.
Yet this unembellished Hu Qi felt more real and fitting to the owl.
The feathers on the owl's neck bristled slightly as its gaze shifted to Cui Hao standing before it.
If only the Great Wu Demon King were present, it might have played dumb like the water buffalo and let things slide.
After all, aside from his cultivation level, Great Wu hardly qualified as a true demon king.
But now, Kunshan himself was here.
These humans wouldn’t have ventured so deep without confidence—likely, the golden-core cultivator capable of splitting mountains with a single strike was among these three.
Truthfully, the owl's animal instincts screamed at it to flee.
It wanted to warn Kunshan, but before a single word could escape, its heart pounded violently, feathers standing on end.
Its beak felt weighted down, as if crushed beneath a mountain.
It was terrified of death—just like Great Wu.
"My King! These three humans are here to kill us!"
The owl didn’t know how the words tore free—only that its head burned, and suddenly its own voice rang in its ears.
Yet the moment the words left its beak, the fear vanished, replaced by an overwhelming sense of liberation.
Perhaps this was the meaning of its existence.
Cui Hao and Lin Luoyu immediately snapped their attention to the owl, Lin Luoyu even reaching for her sword to cut it down first.
Li Yingling remained calm. She hadn’t expected the owl to stay silent.
This was just one play among many, a contingency she’d prepared for.
But she hadn’t anticipated that merely seeing Kunshan would be enough to embolden the owl.
Without hesitation, Li Yingling summoned her spiritual treasure.
Great Wu and Hu Qi turned toward her, their eyes widening as they took in the serpent demon gripping the glowing artifact, her aura now fully unleashed—golden-core cultivation, unmistakably human.
Li Yingling narrowed her eyes. The spiritual treasure pulsed with light, its sword intent radiating outward, spiritual energy coiling around her like flowing water.
She’d never fought a true battle, only bullied weaker foes like mindless corpses and beasts.
With no real benchmark for her own strength, facing two golden-core demons put her at a disadvantage in her mind.
Her debut would be a brutal trial—one where she’d need to gauge how many techniques it took to cripple one of them.
She decided to counterattack first, testing just how formidable other golden-core cultivators were.
Was her master’s boast—that his disciples were invincible among their peers—truly so exaggerated?
Hu Qi and Great Wu surged with demonic energy, their expressions darkening as they assessed Li Yingling.
This human’s aura was terrifying.
In the next breath, Li Yingling’s spiritual treasure seemed ready to fly from her grasp.
The old fox, quickest to react, barked out:
"You foolish little demon, spouting nonsense to deceive us! I see no humans here!"
His words drew the tense gazes of both humans and demons.
Then, under their watchful eyes, the fox drew a dagger from his robes and strode forward—defying Li Yingling’s golden-core pressure and his own fear.
He dragged the owl into the open and plunged the blade into its belly, again and again.
The owl didn’t resist. Perhaps the fox’s foundation-establishment cultivation overpowered it. Or perhaps it was simply stunned.
With a dull thud, its body collapsed to the ground.
Blood soaked its once-pristine feathers.
It didn’t look at the fox.
Its round, unblinking eyes remained fixed on its hope—Kunshan.
But the Kunshan it saw wore no expression at all, his face as indifferent as Great Wu’s beside him.
A weak sound escaped its beak:
"Hoo... hoo..."
The fox straightened, turning to Li Yingling with a hasty bow.
"Had we known the Little Dragon Demon King was visiting, we would have prepared a proper welcome!"
"Since you’re here, why not join us inside? I’m certain we can reach an arrangement to your satisfaction."
The owl’s vision blurred.
Voices buzzed around it, but the words no longer reached its ears.
Through fading awareness, it saw Great Wu and Kunshan step over its body without a glance, heading toward the camp.
Hoo...
It could no longer cry out to warn Kunshan.
Footsteps approached. With the last of its strength, it forced its eyes open—but instead of Kunshan, it saw the serpent’s cold, scaled face.
Li Yingling stood over it, a pill pinched between her fingers, her gaze unreadable.
Two breaths passed.
Li Yingling did not discard the elixir but instead tucked it back into her storage ring. Without hesitation, she turned and strode back toward the camp.
Gulp...
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
end. Thus one must continue to cultivate, and become a saint or great emperor, in order to prolong one's life. Chen Xia, however, completely reversed this. Since his transmigration, he has gained immortality, and also a system that awards him with attribute points for every year he lives. Thus between the myriad worlds, the legend of an unparalleled senior appeared. "A gentleman takes revenge; it is never too late even after ten thousand years." "When you were at your peak I yielded, now in your old age I shall trample on you." - Chen Xia
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?!
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."
