Bai Xuanling, seeing that she couldn't manipulate the Primordial Chaos Yin-Yang Pearl, was content to stand idly by with a clear conscience.
Under Chu Xingchen's control, the two streams of Primordial Qi slowly drifted out from the Chaos Pearl and began to coil around his body.
Chu Xingchen's expression was solemn as he let out a heavy breath.
The white clear qi ascended and vanished the next moment without a trace.
Bai Xuanling's spiritual sense had been tracking the two qi all along. Such a profound magical treasure was not only a chance to broaden her horizons but might also offer some enlightenment.
However, the moment the clear qi rose, even with her spiritual sense locked onto it, she completely lost track of it the instant it dissipated, as if it had vanished into thin air.
Similarly, once the turbid qi sank into the earth, she could no longer sense it either.
Bai Xuanling scrutinized Chu Xingchen up and down, yet found him unchanged at this moment, merely holding the gilded pearl from which the clear and turbid qi had disappeared.
"Stealthy enough, I'll give it that. Even standing right here, I couldn't detect where the two qi went," Bai Xuanling remarked, looking at Chu Xingchen, whose expression remained serious and focused. "But as for this thing's power, I've only heard it's formidable, never witnessed its true capability."
Chu Xingchen's brow furrowed slightly, his gaze shifting sideways towards Bai Xuanling.
In the next instant, Bai Xuanling suddenly felt the world itself rejecting her.
This was no illusion, but... something actually happening.
The spiritual energy here was no longer as freely manipulable as before; it had become like thick sludge, and her own body felt a hundred times heavier.
There was also an indescribable sensation.
Chu Xingchen's eyes returned to their original position.
Only then did Bai Xuanling feel relief, her gaze turning extremely grave.
For a Tribulation Transcension cultivator to experience suppression of this level... one could only say she had still underestimated the ultimate treasure the Profound Azure Heaven Sect kept in reserve.
If one fought a duel with this treasure activated, even a deity would stand no chance.
Chu Xingchen seemed to read Bai Xuanling's thoughts, letting out another heavy sigh. "This thing isn't that easy to use. Once activated, it takes tremendous effort to control. Most of my spiritual sense is tied to the treasure. However..."
His eyes fell on Bai Xuanling, yet it seemed he wasn't really looking at her.
In Chu Xingchen's vision, a red qi billowed up from Bai Xuanling, dense and massive enough to blot out the sky.
Further away, every object emitted its own unique qi, varying in size and intensity.
And if Chu Xingchen willed it, he could manipulate these qi.
However, mobilizing them consumed a significant amount of spiritual power and mental focus.
This treasure... seemed to be rule-based.
No wonder it was so difficult to control.
After all, anything involving rules bordered on invincibility.
But the cost of using it was too great.
Nearly all of Chu Xingchen's spiritual sense was occupied by the treasure, and his spiritual power consumption was immense.
If he became too distracted, the two qi would revert, forcing him to restart the activation process from scratch.
Each activation took about three minutes.
Three minutes—in a fight between cultivators, let alone mortals, that was enough time to slice someone into eight pieces.
With a stern face, Chu Xingchen spoke slowly, "Place a chair here. I need to sit."
Seeing that Chu Xingchen didn't even dare to turn his head casually, Bai Xuanling understood the immense mental strain and retrieved her usual lounge chair from her spatial ring, along with a complete tea table set.
These items didn't take up much space in the ring, or rather, for someone like Bai Xuanling, many things were no longer essential to carry.
Moving slowly, Chu Xingchen lay down directly on the recliner and closed his eyes to rest his mind.
He began manipulating the earth's veins and connections, deploying a large formation he had memorized repeatedly, newly learned from the Profound Azure Heaven Sect.
Since the demon clan planned an ambush here, both Yu Zhou City and this location must have been thoroughly infiltrated.
A large-scale formation could never be set up silently under their noses by normal means.
Only by utilizing the Primordial Chaos Yin-Yang Pearl to control the earth's veins and using the qi of all things as conduits could a grand formation be laid—stealthy and undetectable until activated.
At least, it would remain undiscovered until triggered.
Bai Xuanling also took a seat, retracting her spiritual sense to scan only within a hundred-mile radius.
This was a somewhat bold gamble.
They were betting that the demon horde wouldn't charge in recklessly without confirming all preparations, but would instead ensure everything was ready before launching their assault.
This window of time was precisely what Chu Xingchen needed to deploy his methods.
Bai Xuanling sat quietly in her chair, her long sword already placed on the table beside her.
She picked up the jade teapot and began brewing tea for herself.
For now, her greatest role was that of a deterrent.
Time flowed, the sun set, and the moon rose.
Under the bright, clear moonlight, the deep pool reflected an serene glow.
Bai Xuanling brewed pot after pot of tea, her gaze calm as she watched the spirit fish in the deep pool.
When bored, she would casually toss in some fish food.
Fortunately, these were spirit fish; sustained by spiritual energy, they wouldn't starve.
Otherwise, upon returning this time, the deep pool would have become a pond of dead fish.
Bai Xuanling's gaze shifted again to Chu Xingchen, who sat with closed eyes and a furrowed brow.
A sense of contentment arose within her.
Chu Xingchen didn't have to come. Whether it was an ambush or a misjudgment, not coming meant no risk. Even if Yu Prefecture City were razed to the ground, it wouldn't harm Chu Xingchen in the slightest.
Yet he came anyway.
The world is full of clever people, but only those who, guided by their heart, choose to be the fool are the most interesting.
At the very least, the Bai Xuanling of old would have come for the same reason.
A faint smile appeared on Bai Xuanling's face as he raised his cup to the moon.
A toast to this moment of peace.
Xu Linglong's figure was concealed within the night. Her gaze was calm as she looked toward the layers of rotating formations, asking softly:
"After they arrived here, they haven't moved since?"
Bai Bo, standing at Xu Linglong's side, gave a slight nod:
"That's correct. However, the people who followed them here are clearing out the surrounding demonic cultivators. It's likely Chu Xingchen came only to be a hands-off manager and to conceal his tracks, which is why he hasn't acted recklessly."
"If we strike now, we can catch them off guard and simultaneously crush their followers."
"Even if they react quickly, even if Bai Xuanling fights with his life on the line, he still couldn't possibly protect Chu Xingchen."
Xu Linglong's eyes still held a trace of doubt.
Beside Bai Bo,
a young man of upright appearance, tall and wearing black robes, spoke up softly:
"At this point, with the intelligence we've gathered, what are you hesitating for? If you don't plan to act, we might as well disperse sooner rather than later."
Xu Linglong's gaze shifted to the speaker, Zhong Su:
"Chu Xingchen is exceptionally cunning. How do you know he doesn't have additional methods, or that he isn't waiting for us to take the bait?"
Zhong Su glanced at her:
"The more methods Chu Xingchen has, the sooner we should act. Are you waiting for him to deploy all his tricks?"
Xu Linglong replied firmly, "My meaning is that we must be fully prepared."
Zhong Su retorted just as quickly, "You've been preparing for a long time. I've also wasted a lot of time here."
Bai Bo raised a hand to interrupt Xu Linglong, who was about to speak again, and asked:
"Linglong, do you still have methods and preparations you haven't yet employed?"
Xu Linglong did not answer directly.
At this moment, her heart felt unusually agitated, her emotions in turmoil.
She couldn't tell if it was excitement or a sense that something was amiss.
After a moment, Xu Linglong narrowed her eyes:
"Prepare to move!"
ing gift was a patch of barren land, and disciples were all picked up along the way. He spent fifty years diligently building three "ramshackle little sects," thinking he could finally live a carefree life relying on his disciples. But right at the fifty-year mark, he was suddenly swept away by a spatial rift and exiled to the Chaos Desolation, the Disorderly Ruins. There was no spiritual energy there, only slaughter. Relying on the cultivation feedback from his disciples, Gu Changyuan hacked his way through a sea of blood for eleven hundred years. When the system finally fished him back out, he discovered the ramshackle little sects he'd built back then had developed a rather... unusual style. Hold on... I vanished for a thousand years, so how did my ramshackle little sects become holy lands?!
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!
villain is the number one simp for the book's leading female protagonist, Shen Wan'er. As expected, he later becomes a tool for the main character to show off and slap faces, ultimately meeting a tragic end with his family ruined and his life in shambles. Fortunately, he awakens the [Universal Pure Love System], which allows him to earn points by performing acts of pure love. To change his fate, Gu Yan makes a decisive choice to seek warmth and companionship with the book's biggest villain—Cold Qingqiu. ........... My name is Leng Qingqiu. To find the murderer who killed my parents years ago, I deliberately blinded myself so that everyone would lower their guard around me. Just as I was secretly accumulating power and capital according to my initial plan, a man walked into my world. "Lengleng, Qingqing, Qiuqiu, which nickname do you prefer?" I don't like any of them. You'd better leave quickly! "Why aren't you saying anything? How about I call you my baby wife?" Leng Qingqiu thinks to herself, this man is truly annoying! (Stubborn pure love warrior + single female lead + true pure love + 1v1)
] [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!"
