The Tiger Demon's gaze swept across the interior of the temple, taking in the panicked expressions of five human children. However, four of them had their eyes fixed on a little girl who looked exceptionally appetizing.
Ever since the Great Tribulation, the human race had prospered throughout the world. Every human born carried a trace of True Source, the amount simply depending on their innate talent.
However, for those humans who never embarked on the immortal path, their True Essence would become tainted and muddled by consuming mortal grains, eventually dissipating altogether.
Therefore, when it came to nourishment... naturally, the younger, the better.
Young boys and girls who had not yet lost their vital essence were the absolute best.
Normally, doing evil was forbidden, but since these meals had delivered themselves to its doorstep... it couldn't just let them go to waste, right?
A smile crept onto the Tiger Demon's face, and drool unconsciously trickled from its mouth. It leaned forward, feeling an indescribable thrill in its heart as it watched the human children's faces grow increasingly terrified.
Chen Baiqing glanced at the Foundation Establishment tiger monster before them, then cast a subtle look at Cui Hao.
Receiving the silent command, Cui Hao took a step forward. Looking directly at the Tiger Demon, he asked,
"Are you hungry? Do you want to eat us?"
The Tiger Demon looked at the little child who had mustered the courage to question it and grinned broadly.
"Your Lord Tiger protects the surrounding lands. You are only alive today because of Lord Tiger's protection! Now that Lord Tiger is hungry, it's not that Lord Tiger wants to eat you, but rather that you should willingly offer yourselves for Lord Tiger to devour!"
With that said, the Tiger Demon unleashed its Foundation Establishment pressure, forcing the five children to their knees, trembling on the ground without daring to make even a whimper. A murky blend of yellow and red swirled within its tiger eyes as it reached a claw toward the child who had spoken.
It disliked noisy prey; they were likely to soil the ground in fear at any moment.
Moreover, it needed to eat quickly. The other children probably wouldn't survive much more fright either.
"Wait!" Cui Hao interrupted.
Hearing this, the Tiger Demon halted its paw. It glared fiercely at him, curious to hear what this child would say at death's door.
Would he beg to be spared, or offer up the others to be eaten first?
Cui Hao rolled his wrists as if warming up, then smiled and asked,
"You make a fair point. But being hungry doesn't mean you have to eat us. I have something much tastier and far more filling. Care for a taste?"
The Tiger Demon sneered at his words. Without further hesitation, it lunged its claw toward Cui Hao and declared,
"You are the most appetizing one of all. Lord Tiger will just eat you."
"Lord Tiger has worked so hard, how could I not offer you something good?" Cui Hao smirked, raising a fist to directly meet the incoming claw.
The Tiger Demon scoffed at the sight of a mere toddler swinging a tiny fist its way.
It had watched its fair share of human plays; was this child trying to play the hero?
The thought flashed through the Tiger Demon's mind, and it decided to chew a few extra times, just to give this reckless brat a longer taste of despair.
The next moment.
A highly asymmetrical clash of fists unfolded.
The Tiger Demon's gaze instantly dissolved into pure terror. It watched with its own eyes as its arm snapped into several pieces the very moment it collided with that tiny hand.
It happened so fast that it did not even register the pain.
Is this a dream?
That was the first thought that surfaced in the Tiger Demon's mind.
The Tiger Demon stared at Cui Hao in shock and panic. As Cui Hao reached out with his small hand, the beast frantically scrambled backward.
Yet that tiny hand, which appeared to be moving incredibly slowly, seized the scruff of its neck in the blink of an eye.
An overwhelming force that it was utterly powerless to resist slammed the Tiger Demon straight into the dirt floor of the temple.
At that moment, an agonizing pain erupted in its chest and shuddered through its entire body. A metallic taste rose in its throat, and it spewed out a mouthful of tiger blood.
The Tiger Demon turned its trembling head to look at Cui Hao, only to see the boy's calm expression. It then heard Cui Hao speak.
"In such a hurry? The tasty meal is being served to you right now."
"No..."
The Tiger Demon immediately tried to speak, but another punch from Cui Hao forced its mouth shut.
It lost count of how many punches it endured, how high it was launched into the air, or how deep it was cratered into the ground.
It only knew that every single bone in its tiger body had been thoroughly shattered, and the pool of blood covering the ground was entirely its own.
Then, it was hoisted into the air by a tyrannical surge of spiritual energy.
The Tiger Demon hurriedly pleaded for mercy.
"Spare... spare my life."
It struggled to open its blood-crusted eyes. Only then did it finally get a clear look at the true appearances of the five individuals inside the temple.
These were no children. They were all high-level cultivators clad in luxurious armor, possessing cultivation bases so profound that a mere glance was enough to make it tremble in fear!
Cui Hao stood before the Tiger Demon with a playful smirk.
"Did you enjoy eating that beating?"
"...Yes... it was quite enjoyable."
"Are you full?"
"Yes... I'm full."
"Don't be polite with me. You still have to protect my safety, remember? How can you protect me if you aren't full?"
"I am truly full."
The Tiger Demon's voice sounded as if it were on the verge of tears.
Hearing this answer, Cui Hao nodded slightly, his voice turning icy cold.
"Now that your grandpa has fed you a good beating, it's my turn to be hungry. What do you have to feed your grandpa? Your paws, or your head?"
The Tiger Demon felt as if it had been struck by lightning. It hurriedly begged,
"Lord... please don't..."
Cui Hao stared directly into the Tiger Demon's eyes with a chilling gaze. He said coldly,
"I truly wonder just how many evil spirits and vicious beasts like you the Yunmeng Marsh harbors. Opening your maw to devour humans... Who knows how many innocent lives have fallen into that mouth of yours."
Hearing this, the Tiger Demon did not dare to say another word, its expression filled with sheer panic.
"Look at you, so terrified of death." Cui Hao reached out and patted the Tiger Demon's trembling body. "Although you are riddled with sins, if you are willing to turn over a new leaf and embrace righteousness, I might just be willing to spare your life."
The Tiger Demon glanced at him sideways, still not daring to utter a sound.
Cui Hao cut straight to the chase.
"How much do you know about the situation inside the Yunmeng Marsh?"
The Tiger Demon replied in a timid tone,
"Lord, I am merely a rogue demon scraping by in this outer temple. How could I possibly know anything about the inner workings of the Yunmeng Marsh?"
"Looking at you, I can tell you truly aren't very smart." Cui Hao's tone softened slightly. "You must understand that useless things often die the fastest. I will only remind you this once."
The Tiger Demon nodded frantically upon hearing this.
"Lord, although I am not familiar with the inner regions, I have heard plenty of rumors. Whatever you wish to know, please, just ask."
Seeing this, Lu Lingyi cupped his hands toward Chen Baiqing.
"Leader, you can leave the rest of the dirty work to me."
Chen Baiqing nodded in agreement.
"Alright. Interrogate it thoroughly."
Lu Lingyi cupped his hands again. With a casual tap, he sealed the Tiger Demon's mouth shut, then used a surge of spiritual energy to drag the beast out of the temple.
Interrogations inevitably required certain methods. To verify the truth and ensure no lies were being told, the Xuanqing Heavenly Sect naturally possessed specific spells. However, these techniques were rather unsightly, and certainly wouldn't leave one feeling physically or mentally pleasant.
Lu Lingyi knew the rules well enough to take this outside.
Watching them leave, Chen Baiqing turned slightly. She raised a hand and, with a single punch, blasted the Tiger Demon's idol inside the temple to dust.
Did such a creature deserve the offerings of incense?
A wisp of murky yellow power of faith dissipated into the air.
Cui Hao stared at the fading power of faith and spoke coldly,
"Even this lowly Foundation Establishment demon clearly knows how to harvest and store the power of faith."
Chen Baiqing's expression remained perfectly calm.
"Once we enter the Yunmeng Marsh, everything will become clear. For now, just focus on doing what we can."
Hearing this, Cui Hao could only nod in subdued silence.
agon king storylines. At the start, I obtained the "Ultimate Lackey System" - the more I act as a lackey, the stronger I become. What else could I do? I chose to become the personal henchman of the ultimate villain, Su Muwan. I provoke all sorts of chosen ones, snatch away their opportunities, and commit every evil deed imaginable. You ask who's behind me? Hmph! You're not worthy of knowing my lady's name! ...... ....... I am Su Muwan, the eldest daughter of the Su family. Since childhood, I've possessed extraordinary talent in martial arts, which led to my arrogant and domineering personality in my past life. I was even foolish enough to repeatedly challenge those favored by heaven, ultimately resulting in a tragic death. In this life, I must behave and absolutely cannot walk the same path again!! However... SLAP!! "So you're the Dragon King, huh?!" When I saw my little lackey swagger over and viciously slap the Dragon King who was hiding his identity, I felt my heart sink. Su Muwan's suspended heart finally died as she watched Qin Luo, her utterly loyal lackey, standing before her. She fainted on the spot from shock. Heaven is determined to destroy me!! (Pure love 1v1, light-hearted, no angst, single female lead, villain, reincarnation, lackey)
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."
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?!
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.
