Chu Xingchen glanced sideways at Qinghe, who had transformed back into a dragon and was charging toward Cangzhou.
This time, he hadn’t stayed behind out of arrogance, thinking his Karma Nascent Soul and peak Great Perfection Nascent Soul realm could handle an unknown Divine Transformation cultivator.
Though Qinghe had reached the Nascent Soul stage, his perception was clearly lacking.
This Divine Transformation cultivator was definitely not the real deal.
Back in the Central Continent, when Chu Xingchen had stood up for his disciple, he had encountered a genuine Divine Transformation expert.
Even though that old-timer was practically one foot in the grave, he still carried the unique aura of a true Divine Transformation cultivator—one that made Chu Xingchen slightly wary. Even with his Karma Nascent Soul fully unleashed, he had to tread carefully.
Thanks to that experience, and the fact that this thing had rushed over recklessly with its aura and spiritual power fully exposed, Chu Xingchen could immediately tell—it lacked that distinctive Divine Transformation essence.
As long as it wasn’t a true Divine Transformation cultivator, Chu Xingchen wasn’t afraid.
He concealed his aura and moved to ambush the source of that presence.
At any rate, he could use his system to probe the details later and adapt accordingly.
If things really went south, he’d just give Qinghe a heads-up.
Cangzhou wasn’t too far, and Qinghe had protective treasures on him anyway.
Chu Xingchen calmed his mind and waited.
Soon, he saw the source of the aura—a massive turtle, its form wreathed in a faintly crimson demonic energy.
[Target: Xu Yuan]
[Cultivation: Incomplete Divine Transformation (Early Stage)]
[Purple Trait: Exceptional Talent]
[Purple Trait: Longevity]
[Blue Trait: Thick-Skinned]
[Blue Trait: Loyalty]
[Blue Trait: Focused]
[Black Trait: Stubbornness]
[Black Trait: Damaged Foundation]
[Black Trait: Impulsiveness]
[Does not meet disciple recruitment conditions]
BOOM!
Qinghe only sensed a violent surge of spiritual energy erupt behind him.
A deafening explosion followed, shaking the wilderness.
Not daring to look back, Qinghe extended his divine sense instead.
Within his perception, a familiar Karma Nascent Soul avatar stood tall, wielding a flowing water spirit sword. The avatar swung the blade down fiercely at the giant turtle.
Two immense forces of spiritual energy clashed, their shockwaves flattening the surrounding wilderness and forests, while the epicenter of the battle became a massive crater.
Just from the residual energy, Qinghe could tell how intense the fight was.
And another thing—that Karma Nascent Soul confirmed it!
So it really was that scheming brat who’d ambushed him that day!
Strangely, Qinghe wasn’t even that angry anymore. If the kid had actually admitted it, that would’ve been more suspicious.
Besides, the brat had probably felt a little guilty—he’d occasionally bought Qinghe treats and even stepped in when Xie Lingyu got angry and wanted to beat him up.
Call it even.
What really annoyed Qinghe was Li Xingtian.
They’d spent days together, done plenty of things side by side.
Qinghe had even tried subtly probing him for answers, but Li Xingtian had kept a straight face and brushed off every question with ease.
Who would’ve thought that kid, with his honest-looking face, was actually a seasoned actor?
Then again, maybe it was his master’s fault! That scheming brat must’ve corrupted the once-honest Li Xingtian!
Li Xingtian had probably been a naive youngster before.
Back in his divine sense, the scheming brat wasn’t losing ground.
Though Qinghe hated to admit it, he knew Chu Xingchen was one of the craftiest humans around.
As a dragon, he couldn’t outthink him.
Right now, following his lead was the safest bet.
Qinghe withdrew his divine sense and continued racing toward Cangzhou.
Meanwhile, Xie Lingyu and Li Xingtian stood atop the great river of Cangzhou.
Their gazes were fixed on the majestic, lifelike Xuanwu colossus as it strode step by step into the river.
Chaos had erupted in Cangzhou.
Not only were there troublemakers and rogue cultivators causing havoc in the city, but many aquatic demon soldiers had also begun making their move.
When Xie Lingyu wanted to stabilize the city first, Li Xingtian stopped him—the situation inside was too tangled. Aside from the Demon Suppression Bureau, it was impossible to tell who was causing trouble and who was helping.
But the river demons were undeniably hostile.
Li Xingtian suggested they focus on stopping the demon soldiers from advancing, easing the pressure on the Demon Suppression Bureau.
Moreover, the sudden chaos in Cangzhou likely meant the moment his master had warned about had arrived.
This was the perfect chance to fight their way to the river and assess the situation.
Convinced by Li Xingtian’s reasoning, Xie Lingyu agreed.
Just as they reached the riverbank, they sensed the Xuanwu colossus, formed from primordial yellow energy.
Despite its size, the colossus moved swiftly.
In moments, it crossed the sky and stepped into the river.
Li Xingtian’s eyes narrowed.
"This Xuanwu isn’t complete. This must be the ritual. It came from the north—Chizhou’s direction. Master would’ve known, but the thief hasn’t arrived here yet. He must’ve run into Master."
He pulled out two compasses from his spatial ring and handed one to Xie Lingyu.
"This controls the array nodes. Master simplified it—just channel your divine sense into it. There aren’t many nodes here, but hopefully, it’ll buy him some time."
Xie Lingyu took the compass.
The Xuanwu stepped into the river, raised a foot, and stomped down with a roar!
BOOM!
The river split under the force, its waters flooding the banks as thick primordial yellow energy surged into the water veins.
Moments later, the Xuanwu seemed to find something and shifted position.
Its tail rose and slammed into the water.
This time, the river didn’t split—instead, the tail plunged deep, stirring violently as if searching.
Xie Lingyu’s eyes flashed. "It’s looking for the Tengshe. It’s trying to become a true Xuanwu…"
Just as Li Xingtian was about to nod in agreement—
The Xuanwu’s tail suddenly lifted, pulling up a wisp of pale golden fortune.
But the moment it emerged, chains of primordial yellow energy lashed out, trying to restrain it.
The Xuanwu Kingdom’s national fortune was already weak—the chains couldn’t hold.
With a furious roar, the Xuanwu wrenched the golden fortune free.
Yet, contrary to Xie Lingyu and Li Xingtian’s expectations, it didn’t transform into a Tengshe.
Instead…
It became a pale golden stele, devoid of inscriptions, which the Xuanwu promptly hoisted onto its back.
Li Xingtian’s pupils shrank.
This wasn’t a Xuanwu at all—it was Baxia!
The sixth son of the True Dragon!
The Xuanwu Kingdom… what lay hidden here wasn’t a Xuanwu.
It was Baxia!
Li Xingtian now deeply suspected that Emperor Taizu of Zhao had named the kingdom "Xuanwu" to mislead everyone.
Damn those unofficial histories—always spreading lies!
No sooner had Baxia shouldered the golden fortune than—
On the horizon, Qinghe finally arrived, its figure charging straight toward Baxia.
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
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."
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
