Chizhou, amidst howling winds and torrential rain!
Chu Xingchen gazed at the turbulent river surface, with Qinghe standing beside him.
Li Yingling remained within Chizhou city, while Xie Lingyu and Li Xingtian were separately assigned to Cangzhou city.
Their cultivation had only reached the Golden Core realm, making them somewhat vulnerable on a battlefield where the minimum strength was the Nascent Soul realm.
Xie Lingyu carried a protective artifact from the Tianyan Sect. In case Cangzhou became the primary battleground, Xie Lingyu could at least ensure Li Xingtian’s safety.
With Li Yingling stationed in the city, Chu Xingchen and Qinghe could swiftly reinforce if anything went wrong.
Thus, only Chu Xingchen and Qinghe were formally joining the battle.
This was the most prudent arrangement.
Additionally, due to Qinghe’s unusually lazy efforts, the number of array bases laid along Cangzhou’s waterways fell far short of those in Chizhou.
Therefore, betting solely on Chizhou was the optimal choice, while Cangzhou served merely as a delaying tactic.
Sometimes, luck played a part as well.
Qinghe, a water-aligned flood dragon, narrowed its eyes in contentment under the stormy skies. Yet, it couldn’t help but voice its doubts:
"You said they’d need to manipulate the nation’s fortune to steal the treasure, but we don’t even know how big the commotion will be. What if it’s so subtle that we’re caught off guard?"
Chu Xingchen nodded lightly. "Then you’d better prepare to serve as Grandma Bai’s mount when we return to the Tianyan Sect."
Qinghe stiffened at the mention, a shiver running down its spine at the thought of the ruthless Grandma Bai forcing it into servitude.
After all, when Grandma Bai lost her temper…
Its gaze flickered nervously toward Chu Xingchen, seeking reassurance, only to find the young man looking utterly unperturbed.
Qinghe quickly realized—this scheming brat wouldn’t have worked so hard only to leave things to chance at the last moment.
He must have some trick up his sleeve.
"Don’t try to scare Qinghe! Do you think Qinghe is stupid?" It crossed its arms, scowling. "If you’ve got something up your sleeve, spit it out!"
Chu Xingchen raised an eyebrow, mildly impressed. So, the flood dragon wasn’t as dim-witted as he’d assumed.
With a faint smirk, he stopped playing coy and retrieved an object from his spatial ring—the founding jade seal of the Xuanwu Kingdom’s Emperor.
"With this," he explained, "the Emperor of Xuanwu Kingdom lent it to us temporarily. Infusing it with spiritual sense allows us to perceive the nation’s fortune."
"If the fortune plummets, we’ll know the thieves are making their move. And I suspect this jade seal might even sense that treasure."
Given their shared connection to fortune, this wasn’t mere speculation.
Qinghe’s eyes gleamed with fascination as it reached for the radiant jade seal, only for Chu Xingchen to pull it back.
"Can’t Qinghe even take a look? So stingy!" it huffed.
Chu Xingchen eyed it skeptically. "Just a look? Don’t try to keep it. We have to return this."
Qinghe bristled. "The Tianyan Sect has everything! What’s so special about a mortal kingdom’s jade seal? Qinghe’s just curious!"
After a moment’s hesitation, Chu Xingchen relented and handed it over.
With Xie Lingyu around—and Bai Xuanling as a last resort—he wasn’t too worried about Qinghe refusing to give it back.
Qinghe’s annoyance vanished as it eagerly accepted the seal. The moment it touched its palm, a warm, welcoming energy radiated from it.
A true founding jade seal, acknowledged by heaven and earth—it even carried traces of dragon qi!
Delighted, Qinghe stroked the seal before shooting Chu Xingchen a sidelong glance.
Though the brat claimed it was borrowed from the Emperor, hadn’t Grandma Bai also spun tales about "rescuing" Qinghe?
These two schemers were cut from the same cloth.
For all Qinghe knew, this jade seal might’ve been swiped by the brat himself.
But it kept that thought to itself—after all, it wasn’t strong enough to challenge him yet.
Feeling an inexplicable kinship with the seal, Qinghe recalled Chu Xingchen’s words about sensing the nation’s fortune through spiritual sense.
Curiosity piqued, it extended its consciousness into the jade seal.
Within, an entirely new world unfolded.
Qinghe’s spiritual vision revealed a vivid map of the Xuanwu Kingdom’s territories, most shrouded in a steady, golden-yellow aura.
Only Bingzhou and Chizhou were tainted—Bingzhou and its bordering regions drowned in inky darkness, while Chizhou was half-consumed.
The golden aura felt comforting, almost affectionate, like petting a cat.
The black clouds, however, filled Qinghe with visceral disgust.
Unable to resist, it nudged the darkness over Bingzhou with its spiritual sense—just a light tap, a petty strike for itself and the golden qi.
Moreover, this aura was merely a reflection of the current state of the Xuanwu Kingdom, nothing more than a reference point.
Qinghe had just finished colliding with her divine sense when she observed the dark clouds for a while, finding nothing unusual.
Just as she was about to withdraw her divine sense, she suddenly noticed the dark clouds over Bingzhou thickening violently, surging madly toward the primordial energy of the Xuanwu Kingdom.
And the speed of their devouring was terrifyingly fast!
Qinghe was dumbstruck at the sight.
Holy hell! These dark clouds are untouchable—why didn’t that brat warn me?!
This is bad! A catastrophe is coming!
Qinghe hastily retracted her divine sense and turned her gaze toward Chu Xingchen, who was observing the water’s surface. Her voice trembled with urgency as she cried out:
“We’re doomed! You black-hearted brat! Qinghe has made a huge mistake!”
Chu Xingchen gave her a strange look. Had this dragon lost her mind?
How could she mess up just standing here? And what kind of nickname was “black-hearted brat”?!
Qinghe suddenly found the imperial jade seal in her hands utterly unappealing. She shoved it into Chu Xingchen’s grasp in a panic, exclaiming:
“Quick, take a look! Something’s wrong inside!”
Before Chu Xingchen could even steady his grip on the jade seal, it began to tremble violently.
In no time, fine cracks started spreading across its surface.
Qinghe felt her vision darken at the sight of the cracks.
We’re finished! This is a calamity of heaven-shaking proportions!
If Grandma Bai lets me pull her cart when we return, it’ll only be out of sheer nostalgia for our past bond!
s the Eldest Princess, renowned for her cold and aloof detachment, became the most docile of lambs, obeying his every command without question. But when the final move was played on the chessboard, as Gu Chenghan seized everything and ascended on the verge of apotheosis, that very Princess suddenly embraced him from behind, her tone carrying a dependence never heard before: "Wait... you haven't yet... commanded me to love you forever." Gu Chenghan froze abruptly. She... hadn't been hypnotized?! ... [The Eldest Princess's Diary] [When my soul was extracted, becoming the sole spectator outside my own shell] [At first, there was overwhelming fury, until I saw] [How he used my sword to effortlessly shatter my inescapable doom] [How he wielded my authority to eradicate fatal conspiracies I had never even detected] [Like a deity, he rescued me from the deep mire I was trapped in] [If not for those annoying vixens, he and I would be a match made in heaven] [I think I am ill, gravely ill] [My deity should belong to me alone] ... "Hypnosis? Oh, it succeeded, my dear Master." "Only this time, it's my turn to hypnotize you."
u Chenyuan transmigrated into a female-oriented novel about a real and fake heiress, becoming the CEO elder brother of both. Unfortunately, the entire Lu family—including himself, the CEO—were mere cannon fodder in the story. Determined to save himself, Lu Chenyuan took action. The spoiled, attention-seeking fake heiress? Thrown into the harsh realities of the working class to learn humility. The love-struck real heiress? Pushed toward academic excellence, so lofty goals would blind her to trivial romances. As for the betrayed, vengeful arranged marriage wife… the plot hadn’t even begun yet. There was still time—if he couldn’t handle her, he could at least avoid her. "CEO Lu, are you avoiding me?" Mo Qingli fixed her gaze on Lu Chenyuan. For the first time, the shrewd and calculating Lu Chenyuan felt a flicker of unease.
orn and Humiliation】【Forced Love】 In his past life, Lin Ran was betrayed and murdered by his girlfriend and family, while the yandere female aristocrat, who had treated him as a mere plaything, avenged him by doing in his enemies. Upon seeing the yandere female aristocrat lying in the same coffin, ready to die with him, Lin Ran realized how profoundly mistaken he had been. Reborn, he abandoned the fickle campus beauty and wholeheartedly embraced the yandere female aristocrat's arms. "Ran! If I dig out your eyes and turn them into a specimen, you'll only be able to look at me!" Lin Ran: "Darling, kiss me!" "Ran! If I break your legs, you won't run away anymore, right?" Lin Ran: "Love, hold me tight!" "Ran! If..." Lin Ran: "Hush now! Love me more!" Luo Yao: ... Seeing his scumbag dad: "Take him out!" Seeing his stepmother: "Get rid of her!" Seeing his brother: "Eliminate him!" Seeing his white moonlight: "Send that to Southeast Asia!"
o a martial world and obtained a system that allowed him to draw one entry per year. Unfortunately, all he drew were useless white-tier entries. The probability for high-quality entries was extremely low, with the highest-tier mythic entry having a mere 0.001% chance! To increase the probability, he had to improve his martial realm, but he lacked the innate talent for cultivation. At the age of eighteen, Chen Yi fell into the hands of a gang and was forced into hard labor. Just as his life seemed destined for a bleak end, on his 18th entry draw, he actually pulled a mythic entry—Simulator! In the simulation, he could also draw one entry every year that passed, and upon ending the simulation, he would inherit all entries and his martial realm! In his first simulation, Chen Yi struggled desperately just to survive, knowing that living one more year meant one more entry draw! Finally, with hair turned white, he drew the entry he had longed for—Low-Grade Innate Talent! "Hahaha! Don't bully the old and poor! Time to cultivate and inherit my cultivation base!" ... From then on, Chen Yi continuously simulated and drew entries, his martial realm soaring higher and higher! Epic, legendary, and even mythic entries were gathered into his collection one after another! "What demon race or devil race? What dark turmoil? I don't know anything about that. They just charged at me screaming 'How can you possibly ascend to immortality?!' and got stuck to my fists, unable to be shaken off. Blind spots, speed bumps... go talk to my simulator. We're all struggling to survive out here. I'm trying so hard, so how are they still alive?"
