Zhao Wanqing stepped into the heart of the village.
The bloodstains on the ground had long dried, but the pungent stench of blood still lingered in the air.
The charred remains of houses lay scattered in ruins.
As she walked, the traces of the sacrificial ritual's formation could be seen etched into the ground.
It was clear that these demonic cultivators had planned to sacrifice the entire village from the very beginning.
No corpses were visible along the way, except for the one hanging from the large tree at the village entrance.
It was obvious that all the bodies had been moved to the core of the formation.
Zhao Wanqing took a deep breath, suppressing the indescribable emotions in her heart. If there was any useful trace left by those demonic cultivators, it would most likely be at the formation's core.
Her eyes scanned the surroundings for clues, but her steps remained swift as she headed toward the village center.
That location would provide the simplest coverage of the entire village.
Everything unfolded just as Zhao Wanqing had predicted.
At the village center, piles of bones lay scattered across the ground—all that remained of the drained villagers.
But there was something Zhao Wanqing hadn't anticipated: not all the demonic cultivators had left.
Sitting casually atop the pile of bones was a figure clad in a simple black robe, a dark-red greatsword resting beside him, exuding an endless aura of blood.
"The Demon Suppression Bureau's efficiency is getting worse and worse," the black-robed man said in a hoarse voice, his tone filled with disdain. "And only two of you showed up. How do you expect to protect mortals like this?"
"Was this your doing?" Zhao Wanqing asked coldly, her hand already reaching for the short blade at her waist.
"If it wasn't me, then was it you, the little captain of the Demon Suppression Bureau?"
The black-robed man sneered, suddenly gripping the greatsword beside him.
Under the moonlight, a dark-red glint flashed.
In an instant, the black-robed man was at Zhao Wanqing's side, his greatsword radiating a dark-red glow.
Zhao Wanqing reacted swiftly, her short blade already drawn to parry the attack.
Clang!
The deafening sound of metal clashing echoed through the silent night.
Zhao Wanqing felt the overwhelming force of the strike, her injured arms nearly giving out. She summoned all her spiritual energy, barely managing to block the attack.
This black-robed man's cultivation was likely at the late Foundation Establishment stage!
But what troubled Zhao Wanqing even more was the blood energy emanating from the demonic cultivator.
It surged from the greatsword, rapidly climbing along the spiritual energy at the point of contact and attacking Zhao Wanqing.
This forced her to divert her focus, using her spiritual energy to fend off the encroaching blood energy.
If the blood energy managed to reach her body now, it would spell certain death.
However, the black-robed man was a demonic cultivator who had crawled through mountains of corpses and seas of blood. With a sudden motion, he lifted his foot and kicked Zhao Wanqing squarely in the abdomen.
With no room to dodge, Zhao Wanqing could only gather her spiritual energy to brace against the impact.
The kick landed, and Zhao Wanqing felt as though her internal organs had been violently displaced.
Her body could no longer hold its ground, and she was sent flying, crashing into the ground with such force that it left a small crater.
Forcing down the metallic taste in her throat, Zhao Wanqing quickly rolled to her feet and retreated.
At the same time, she gripped her short blade tightly, slashing out several blade auras to prevent the black-robed man from pressing his advantage.
But things did not go as she hoped. The black-robed man surged forward, using his greatsword to deflect the blade auras. Then, with a burst of blood-red spiritual energy, he aimed directly for Zhao Wanqing's head.
As if offering genuine advice, the black-robed man said,
"Don't become an official in your next life!"
Zhao Wanqing gritted her teeth and raised her short blade once more to block.
Seeing this, the black-robed man's heart leapt with joy. He unleashed a surge of blood energy from within, forcibly shifting the center of gravity of his greatsword downward.
This altered the trajectory of the blade, which was originally aimed at Zhao Wanqing's head, causing it to slash toward her waist instead.
Since mastering the control of blood energy, the black-robed man had used this move to end the lives of many Foundation Establishment cultivators!
Zhao Wanqing watched as the blade transformed into a streak of crimson light...
Clang!
Suddenly, a rusty iron sword intercepted the crimson light. At the same time, Zhao Wanqing felt the collar of her robe being yanked, pulling her out of the greatsword's attack range.
The iron sword shattered into pieces under the crimson light.
Li Xingtian looked at the broken sword... His senior sister really knew how to put him in a tough spot.
Zhao Wanqing glanced back and saw Li Xingtian standing there with a calm expression.
Out of concern for his employer, Li Xingtian asked, "Are you alright?"
"Thank... Watch out!"
Zhao Wanqing had been about to express her gratitude when she noticed the black-robed man charging again with his greatsword and quickly warned him.
Li Xingtian slightly raised his eyes, and the broken sword in his right hand suddenly emitted an indescribably profound aura.
Facing the blood-soaked, murderous greatsword, Li Xingtian showed no fear. He responded with what was left of his shattered sword, now little more than a hilt.
To Zhao Wanqing, it seemed as though Li Xingtian had simply extended the broken sword with a light, almost careless motion.
She widened her eyes, shocked by what appeared to be a suicidal move.
But what happened next left Zhao Wanqing stunned. It was the black-robed man who dodged the exchange.
The black-robed man abruptly lifted his greatsword and retreated dozens of meters in a frenzy, his voice fluctuating between fear and anger:
"...Kid... Are you from the Central Continent?"
That aura just now was unmistakably a divine ability!
Apart from the Central Continent, where else could someone afford to let their disciples cultivate divine abilities at the Foundation Establishment stage? The black-robed man couldn't believe there was another place with such resources!
That was a divine ability!
If it weren't for his demonic cultivation and the instincts he had honed, he would have suffered greatly from that seemingly ordinary sword strike.
Li Xingtian didn't answer. Instead, he condensed his spiritual energy, took a step forward with the broken sword, and slashed from dozens of meters away.
A dark-red light flashed as the broken sword moved.
Boom!
The dark-red light surged forward, obliterating everything in its path with overwhelming force.
Zhao Wanqing stared in shock as the thread-like dark-red light effortlessly destroyed everything in its wake...
This... This was definitely not a technique of the Foundation Establishment stage!
Dust and debris filled the air, but with a light wave of his sword, Li Xingtian dispersed it with sheer pressure.
The black-robed man was nowhere to be seen.
"He fled," Li Xingtian said, not bothering to give chase. He turned to Zhao Wanqing, who was slumped on the ground. "How are you holding up?"
"I'm fi..."
Zhao Wanqing was about to respond when the consequences of suppressing her internal injuries caught up with her. She spat out a mouthful of blood in a rather dramatic fashion...
Li Xingtian: "..."
"Let's retreat for now. There might be other demonic cultivators around, and I might not be able to protect you in your current state."
Zhao Wanqing knew her condition was far from ideal and agreed to Li Xingtian's suggestion.
"Let's head back to the Demon Suppression Bureau..." Zhao Wanqing began, only to vomit another mouthful of blood.
"...I'll help you up. Please try not to speak," Li Xingtian said seriously.
Zhao Wanqing took a deep breath and nodded slightly.
This was utterly embarrassing!
The sword strike Li Xingtian had used earlier was merely a warning, but its power came at a cost.
That single strike had drained half of Li Xingtian's spiritual energy.
To guard against potential ambushes by other demonic cultivators, Li Xingtian had no choice but to retreat with Zhao Wanqing at a slower pace, conserving his spiritual energy for any emergencies.
Perhaps they had truly been intimidated by Li Xingtian's display of power.
The journey back was uneventful, with no ambushes encountered.
As they approached Yuzhou City, Li Xingtian ignored Zhao Wanqing's suggestion to return to the Demon Suppression Bureau and instead took her to a courtyard house.
Facing the closed gate, Li Xingtian grabbed Zhao Wanqing by the collar and leaped over the wall.
Before Li Xingtian could report to his master, Chu Xingchen pushed open the door, his gaze immediately locking onto Zhao Wanqing, pale and covered in blood.
"What happened here?"
"Senior..." Zhao Wanqing began, only to vomit another mouthful of blood.
Chu Xingchen: "..."
Well, that explained it.
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."
m back to his original world. In the end, he realized he had overthought things. [Hey, why is Shen Manni, the female lead, acting strange? Shouldn't she be fawning over the male lead at this point?] [Zhou Qiaoqiao, are you sick? Weren't you supposed to break off your engagement today?] [Damn it! An Youyi, please do your job as an undercover agent and sell my information to the protagonist, you idiot!] ... At this moment, Xu Mo himself didn't know that these female leads had already heard his inner thoughts. Then they decided not to play by the rules. Xu Mo: Please respect my profession as the big villain!
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.
