Just as Donggua finished its somewhat guilty words, Xu Linglong's gentle and calm voice echoed once again within its spiritual sea, filling it entirely.
"Donggua, you know exactly what we have been through along the way."
"Heavenly Demons have already sacrificed themselves for this great cause. Remember your identity, remember everything you have endured over these years."
"Think of the noble blood flowing in your veins, the supreme mission you have borne since birth."
"Cast aside everything from before, and grip the sword in your hand."
"Kill Chu Xingchen in front of you. I will lend you a helping hand."
"Use your actions to answer for your most sincere loyalty. I am still waiting."
The lingering echoes of the demonic words wrapped around Donggua's ears. It tried its best to maintain a calm expression, for no other reason than this—Chu Xingchen's suspicious gaze was already scrutinizing it.
Although Chu Xingchen had revealed his own vulnerability to it and shown that his cultivation base had not yet recovered, perhaps the psychological shadow Chu Xingchen had cast upon Donggua in the past was too great, and Chu Xingchen's reputation was also immense.
Towards Chu Xingchen, Donggua always held a sense of fear in its heart.
Even if the current Chu Xingchen might truly be unable to defeat Donggua.
Chu Xingchen stepped forward and said in a gentle tone, "What's wrong, Donggua? Are you nervous seeing Xu Linglong's clone?"
"A... a little." Hearing the excuse Chu Xingchen offered, Donggua hurriedly nodded in agreement.
Chu Xingchen chuckled lightly, "You look a bit too nervous. Don't be so tense, just sit to the side and watch quietly."
Don't be tense?
Donggua really wanted to shove the voices in its mind to Chu Xingchen so he could listen carefully—the constant instructions and words telling it to draw its sword and kill Chu Xingchen right then and there.
If Donggua truly didn't want to listen to Xu Linglong, it would be one thing; it would simply slack off and do nothing.
However...
Donggua subconsciously wanted to follow this command, draw the bone sword hidden within its body, and directly pierce Chu Xingchen through with a single thrust.
Even knowing that it would absolutely not leave alive after doing so.
But it still wanted to do it.
Subconsciously hiding the information was its heartfelt answer.
They were clearly dirty and fragile humans like ants; what right did they have to arrogantly make it bow its head?
Donggua had merely accepted the helplessness of reality, but it had not accepted humans standing above demons.
It really wanted to live, but it didn't want to live a lowly life.
Otherwise, Donggua wouldn't have had to walk such a bumpy path to reach its current state.
As Donggua nodded in agreement, its gaze also looked towards the distant figure of Xu Linglong, who was merely a speck from afar.
Even though it couldn't see clearly, Donggua felt as if Xu Linglong was nodding, encouraging it to do it.
For... the glory of the past.
Chu Xingchen didn't seem to suspect Donggua. He sat down on a nearby chair, looking out at the distant battlefield, and said softly,
"This farce will end very soon. When that time comes, you won't need to worry about Xu Linglong anymore."
"You will live in peace and harmony, no longer needing to worry about the unknowns of tomorrow."
Hearing these words, Donggua also slowly walked to the side just behind Chu Xingchen.
"Thank you, Senior Chu..." Donggua's voice fluctuated slightly.
Donggua's hand also reached towards its waist. As it reached out to lightly touch the soft-bone sword hidden within its body at its waist, the moment its hand touched its skin, Donggua finally realized that its hand was trembling almost uncontrollably.
The Chu Xingchen in front of it was protected by the Innate Primordial Dao-Fixing Dual Qi Pearl. Based purely on cultivation realm, Donggua was completely incapable of breaking through it.
Donggua also wasn't sure what the helping hand Xu Linglong mentioned actually was.
Donggua was just thinking about obeying the command in its mind, feeling somewhat suffocated just looking at Chu Xingchen's back.
The Chu Xingchen who could deal with Xu Linglong, who could strike down Heavenly Demons, who could execute punishment on behalf of the heavens.
Would he really be killed by an existence like itself, whose cultivation realm was laughably weak?
Donggua didn't want its life to be so lowly that it would only draw a disdainful scoff from others, nothing more than a bedtime joke.
Xu Linglong's urging voice still lingered in its spiritual sea.
"I can't hold off Xie Lingyu anymore, seize the opportunity and strike now!"
Donggua tried its best to maintain a steady breath. The conflict and unease in its heart began to flow through its entire body along with its blood.
Even though it was at such a close distance, it didn't even have the courage to draw the bone sword.
Chu Xingchen seemed to notice that Donggua's breathing was off. He glanced sideways at Donggua again but didn't say anything more, though the suspicion in his eyes grew heavier.
As Donggua made eye contact, it knew that the true opportunity would only last for a fleeting moment.
This time, it truly was a matter of life and death.
For some reason, Donggua suddenly thought of Cui Hao again, that Cui Hao who deserved to die ten thousand times.
If it could really kill Chu Xingchen.
Then what kind of expression would Cui Hao have?
The original conflict, unease, and panic instantly cleared up under this line of thought.
If it could really kill Chu Xingchen, how agonizingly painful would it be for Cui Hao?
If it could really accomplish all this and live to see Cui Hao's grief-stricken expression, what a wonderful thing that would be.
Making Cui Hao feel the ultimate pain would definitely bring Donggua more satisfaction than simply killing him directly.
Yes.
Having such a reason was enough. There was no need to struggle so much anymore. Donggua suddenly realized that its hand was no longer trembling.
A smile appeared on Donggua's face: "Senior Chu, perhaps we can use Xu Linglong's clone to track down the location of her true body."
Hearing this, Chu Xingchen's eyes lit up:
"There's such a method? Why didn't you say so earlier?"
"It was only because I saw Xu Linglong today that I suddenly remembered. After all, as long as Xu Linglong isn't dead, my heart is always filled with fear and worry." After feeling that it was no longer afraid, Donggua found making excuses to be extremely smooth. It continued,
"Senior Chu, let me tell you what the secret behind this is..."
As Donggua spoke, it tried its best to lean its body toward Chu Xingchen, while keeping its gaze fixed on Chu Xingchen's thinly veiled expression of joy.
People are most prone to revealing flaws when they are carried away by success and joy.
The opportunity was right now.
Donggua smoothly drew the soft-bone longsword, simultaneously mobilizing all of its origin power at top speed and condensing it entirely within the blade.
There was no need to think so much. Just for the sake of getting revenge on Cui Hao, it was enough for it to gamble its life.
If Chu Xingchen really won, then Donggua would never be able to take revenge on Cui Hao.
The only opportunity was probably right now.
"Die!" Donggua let out a cold shout. The soft-bone longsword in its hand, carrying a might that nearly drained all of Donggua's origin power, smashed straight toward Chu Xingchen, whose expression was still caught in pleasant surprise.
Boom!
The soft-bone longsword, leading with the crimson red of its origin power, struck at Chu Xingchen first, but it was blocked by the protection of the Innate Primordial Dao-Fixing Dual Qi Pearl.
Like an iron wall, it brought Donggua's attack to a dead halt.
Chu Xingchen's expression changed from joy to furious rage:
"What are you doing?"
Donggua's expression was icy cold, pinning all its hopes on the assistance Xu Linglong had mentioned. But at this very moment, it didn't want to endure silently anymore. It had endured for a very long time. A voice laced with gritted teeth practically roared out from Donggua's throat:
"I want to kill you!"
"Kill Cui Hao! Kill all of you!"
"I am not a dog tamed by you!"
"I am noble!"
"Ambolora!"
Speaking in the demonic tongue, Donggua declared its glorious surname.
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!
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)
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?!
