"Master! Has Second Junior Brother been inside for too long?"
Li Yingling glanced at Chu Xingchen, unable to hide his concern.
Ever since Li Xingtian sent the signal and infiltrated the mine, there had been no news from him.
"Wait a little longer," Chu Xingchen frowned slightly. Li Xingtian, who possessed a Thousand-Mile Teleportation Talisman, shouldn't be in trouble even if he couldn't win. Perhaps something unexpected happened, and Li Xingtian had teleported away.
Hearing this, Li Yingling sighed deeply but chose to follow his master's advice and wait a little longer.
However, ten minutes later.
A violent explosion echoed from within the mine, followed by a surge of sinister spiritual energy erupting from the depths.
This time, Li Yingling didn't need to speak.
Chu Xingchen had already predicted that the Golden Core elder guarding the spirit stone warehouse—a middle-aged man—would emerge. Regardless of what was happening inside, Chu Xingchen had to intercept the Golden Core elder first.
Without hesitation, Chu Xingchen drew a spirit sword from his spatial ring. Before charging forward, he handed a teleportation talisman to Li Yingling:
"Use this immediately if you're in danger, then find a place to hide and wait for me to find you."
"What is this?" Li Yingling looked down at the talisman covered in golden patterns in his hand.
"A random teleportation talisman. It activates when you infuse it with spiritual energy. Don't use it out of curiosity," Chu Xingchen said as he put on a mask. "Also, stay calm and keep yourself safe."
"What should I do now?"
"Follow Li Xingtian's plan and try to assist him, but prioritize your safety. If you encounter someone you can't defeat, run immediately. Li Xingtian also has this talisman, so don't worry about him."
With that, Li Yingling watched as Chu Xingchen's figure vanished in an instant, transforming into a streak of light as he shot forward.
Chu Xingchen didn't hold back, immediately unleashing his strongest technique—the divine ability Li Yingling had just begun to learn.
**Three Thousand Weak Waters Sword.**
Strands of sword energy transformed into water dragons, coiling around the blade.
Chu Xingchen aimed at the elder who was rushing back to the mine and swung his sword.
Even a beginner's divine ability was still a divine ability, and combined with Chu Xingchen's mastery of evasion techniques and the element of surprise, the attack was devastating.
The elder, anxious to return to the mine, knew that this was a critical moment for the Qingfeng Sect's plans.
He couldn't afford any mistakes now. He had already crushed an emergency jade talisman, and as long as he could hold out for a bit, reinforcements from the Qingfeng Sect would arrive.
But the formations and rituals inside the mine couldn't be compromised. His heart was filled with urgency.
Facing Chu Xingchen's sudden lethal strike, the elder realized too late that he had no time to defend.
He could only force his Golden Core to its limits, erecting a barrier with all his might.
But even that couldn't hold for a moment. The sword strike seemed to cut through space and time, and in an instant, the aura of death accompanied by boundless sword intent descended upon him.
The elder looked at the swordsman—his tattered clothes, the demonic mask covering his face, and the emotionless eyes peering through it.
Unable to dodge, the elder could only tilt his head to avoid a decapitating strike.
But he couldn't escape the sword piercing his heart. A torrent of spiritual energy mixed with overwhelming sword energy surged through his body, destroying everything in its path.
With a single strike, half of his body, including his heart, was reduced to a bloody mist.
However, the elder used this moment to break free from the attack range, staggering backward.
Chu Xingchen didn't pursue. Instead, he stopped and stared intently at the elder. A Golden Core cultivator, not a Nascent Soul, shouldn't survive having their heart destroyed.
Yet this elder seemed... unharmed. There was something sinister about him. Chu Xingchen decided to use his system to check the elder's traits.
**[Mo Chen]**
**[Cultivation: Golden Core Mid-Stage]**
**[Blue Trait: Postnatal Demon Body]**
**[White Trait: Thick-Skinned]**
**[White Trait: Clever]**
**[Black Trait: Inner Demon Possession]**
Postnatal Demon Body?
Chu Xingchen frowned slightly. It seemed there was more to the Qingfeng Sect than met the eye.
The elder stood firm, a hint of relief on his face. Black and red spiritual energy erupted from his body, rapidly devouring the nearby Qi Condensation miners who hadn't yet reacted.
He absorbed their blood and flesh, converting it into energy to quickly regenerate the half of his body that had been destroyed.
That earlier strike had shattered his Golden Core's protective barrier, and the sword technique used was clearly a divine ability.
A cultivator with a divine ability was on a completely different level than one without.
Especially since this person's cultivation was likely above his own. The only option now was to stall for time and wait for reinforcements from the sect!
Mo Chen quickly spoke up, "Fellow Daoist! There must be some misunderstanding! This is the Qingfeng Sect's mine."
Chu Xingchen's voice was calm and emotionless, "A mine of a demonic sect. It is my duty to uphold justice."
Hearing this, Mo Chen felt a slight relief. As long as he could keep the conversation going, he could buy some time. This fool, even if he was at the late Golden Core stage and had a divine ability, what did it matter?
The Nascent Soul ancestor from the sect would arrive soon.
Mo Chen quickly clasped his hands and said, "The Qingfeng Sect is a righteous cultivation sect certified by the Southern Danzhou Immortal Alliance. How can you call us a demonic sect?"
Seeing Mo Chen clasp his hands, Chu Xingchen felt a surge of joy. Damn, villains really do die from talking too much.
What kind of idiot would think he'd keep chatting?
If cutting the body didn't work, he'd go for the head.
"But you..."
Chu Xingchen opened his mouth as if to speak, but his sword didn't stop. His figure blurred as he closed the distance to Mo Chen in an instant. The sword energy coiled around the blade like flowing water.
Without hesitation, he swung the sword straight at Mo Chen's head.
But this strike, unexpectedly, missed.
Mo Chen released a cloud of dark red blood mist, enveloping the area.
The spiritual energy Chu Xingchen had locked onto suddenly vanished, or rather, it was now locked onto the blood mist itself.
Chu Xingchen quickly erected a spiritual barrier to block the blood mist, unsure of its nature.
He could no longer afford to conserve spiritual energy. The spirit sword in his hand erupted with radiant light, and threads of energy resembling flowing water surged from the blade into the blood mist, slicing through the connections within the mist.
"Fellow Daoist, are you the demonic cultivator here?! Attacking without warning?!"
Mo Chen's furious voice echoed from within the blood mist. If he hadn't been prepared, that strike might have truly taken his head.
"My heart is pure, what more is there to say?"
Chu Xingchen replied simply. The threads of spiritual energy burst forth like a flood, rapidly eroding the blood mist.
Mo Chen knew he couldn't maintain the blood mist any longer, or it would be a slow death. He quickly reformed his body.
Now, Mo Chen's blood-red eyes glared at Chu Xingchen. This brat was bullying him just because he didn't have a divine ability.
Chu Xingchen's expression remained calm. A flawless late Golden Core cultivator with a divine ability fighting a mid Golden Core cultivator—if he couldn't dominate this fight, he'd be a failure.
His spirit sword glowed once more, the flowing water energy condensing around the blade. He planned to finish this Golden Core cultivator in two moves.
But suddenly, a drastic change occurred. From the mine behind him, several bloodied figures were flung out, crashing through buildings and embedding themselves into the surrounding rock walls.
Chu Xingchen couldn't help but glance back, concerned.
After the bloodied figures were thrown out, Li Xingtian emerged from the mine, surrounded by a terrifying aura of demonic flames. Dark red, blood-soaked spiritual energy enveloped him, and his crimson eyes were filled with endless killing intent.
Some kind of sinister blood, carrying an eerie and malevolent aura, seemed to be under Li Xingtian's control, swirling around him along with the spiritual energy.
Had he fallen into demonic cultivation?
Why did he look so sinister?
Li Xingtian stepped out of the mine and, upon seeing his master, called out in a mad yet respectful tone,
"Master!"
Mo Chen was also dumbfounded as he looked at Li Xingtian.
He had never seen this person before, and the "master" he was calling couldn't be referring to him.
So it must be the masked man who claimed his heart was pure.
Wait, out of everyone here, your disciple is the most demonic-looking, and you're saying your heart is pure?
Mo Chen pointed at Li Xingtian in outrage and shouted,
"You guys are the demonic cultivators, aren't you?!"
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."
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.
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
lanned to earn money steadily and take life at a slower pace. But he never expected... his father's remarriage, and the stepmother bringing along a dependent, would completely disrupt his life's plans...
