"Have you heard? The Fifth Prince's engagement banquet this time is being held with extraordinary extravagance."
"I've heard. The scale is so grand, one might mistake it for the Lord's own wedding."
"Indeed. Who would have thought the Lord would place such importance on the Fifth Prince's engagement banquet? Every notable family has sent representatives."
"Not just that—I heard even the two Supreme Elders of the Supreme Purity Sect have come in person with their entourage."
"Do you know why? Rumor has it the Fifth Prince is the heir to the throne, hence the grand treatment."
"The Liu Family is truly fortunate to have tied themselves to the Fifth Prince. The position of the Great Zhou Kingdom's foremost family will undoubtedly be theirs from now on."
"Indeed. To think that back in the day, the Liu Family was merely..."
"Shh! Do you have a death wish? How dare you speak such words?"
"Ahem, my apologies—just drunken rambling."
In a tavern in the capital, the chatter among the patrons revolved around the engagement banquet of the Fifth Prince and Liu Mengyan.
This event had become a grand occasion not just for the capital but for the entire Great Zhou Kingdom. The sheer scale of it left many bewildered.
"Are you afraid?" Chen Chang'an glanced at Chen Yunxuan with a faint smile.
"No." Chen Yunxuan shook his head, his demeanor calm and composed.
The experiences of the past days had wrought a profound change in Chen Yunxuan. He had grown more steady and collected, finally understanding why one must venture beyond the confines of home.
Had he remained cooped up in Swallow Return City, he would never have matured.
"Rest well tonight. Tomorrow is your stage."
"Yes, Ancestor."
After returning to his room, Chen Chang'an turned to Da Huang. "Da Huang, can you sense the aura of the fetal pearl?"
"You’ve seen the fetal pearl in the Chen Family before."
"Your connection to it is deeper—can’t you sense it?" Da Huang asked curiously.
"For some reason, back at the Chen Family, I couldn’t detect its aura unless the jade case was opened."
"After merging with that fetal pearl, I do feel a faint resonance, but it’s weak. Perhaps distance affects it."
"With your abilities, can you sense it? Just the aura of the fetal pearl?" Chen Chang'an pressed.
"Not a damn thing. That fetal pearl of yours emits no aura whatsoever. Even your master wouldn’t be able to detect it," Da Huang grumbled.
No aura at all?
How was that possible?
Every object carried its own unique presence—why did the fetal pearl lack one?
"When you were at the Chen Family, did you detect any trace of its aura?"
"Nope. You’re the anomaly—anything related to you defies logic."
"This thing? You’re on your own."
Hearing Da Huang’s words, Chen Chang'an sighed in resignation. He had hoped Da Huang could locate it.
If it was indeed in the capital, in the hands of the royal family, he could have had Da Huang steal it back.
Now, it seemed he would have to personally inquire with the royal family to track down the fetal pearl.
The night passed without incident.
The next day arrived—the day of the Fifth Prince and Liu Mengyan’s engagement.
The Lord of the Great Zhou Kingdom had arranged for the ceremony to be held within the royal palace itself.
"Congratulations, Liu Family Head!"
"Liu Family Head, our sincerest felicitations!"
"Hahaha, many thanks, many thanks to you all!"
The Liu Family Head was beaming with joy. The scale of this engagement banquet had far exceeded his expectations.
Such grandeur brought honor not just to the royal family but to the Liu Family as well.
"Family Head, our men have just returned from Swallow Return City. The Chen Family’s whereabouts are unknown."
"Could it be that the Fifth Prince’s uncle has already succeeded?" Liu Chengfeng whispered.
"Oh? Missing?" The Liu Family Head frowned slightly—this news was less than ideal.
He glanced toward the Lord of the Great Zhou Kingdom, considering whether to inquire but ultimately deciding against it.
"Ah, the Third Elder!"
As the Fifth Prince’s uncle, the Third Elder naturally attended the occasion.
The Liu Family Head discreetly approached him. "Might you be the Supreme Purity Sect’s Third Elder? I am Liu Mengyan’s father, the Liu Family Head."
The Third Elder turned to him with a faint smile. "Ah, it’s you. We’re practically family now—no need for formalities."
"What brings you to me?"
Then, as if struck by a thought, he added, "Is this about the Chen Family?"
"Indeed. My men just reported that the Chen Family has vanished. I was wondering if..."
"Hahaha! Then my men must have succeeded."
"Rest easy—a minor family like the Chens is hardly worth mentioning."
Hearing this, the Liu Family Head finally relaxed. If the Third Elder said so, then the Chen Family must have been eradicated.
With a long exhale, he returned to his seat, his smile now even brighter.
"The hour has arrived!"
At the eunuch’s announcement, the Fifth Prince gazed tenderly at Liu Mengyan.
Liu Mengyan, equally radiant with happiness, met his eyes. Hand in hand, they stepped onto the ceremonial platform.
"What a perfect pair—a match made in heaven!"
"Indeed, the Fifth Prince is noble and dignified, while the Liu Family’s young mistress is as beautiful as a celestial maiden."
"A union blessed by the heavens themselves!"
"To witness such an occasion is truly our fortune!"
The guests, ever eager to flatter, chimed in with praises, each louder than the last, as if competing to be heard.
"Mengyan, believe me—I will make you the happiest woman in the world."
"Everything you desire, I will give you."
"Including my life," the Fifth Prince vowed with deep affection.
"I believe you."
"In all the world, no one has ever treated me as well as you."
Though Liu Mengyan held genuine affection for the Fifth Prince, she was no fool lost in romance.
She knew exactly what to say and when to say it to win his favor.
Those three words—"no one but you"—sent the Fifth Prince’s heart soaring, filling him with the urge to lay the world’s treasures at her feet.
"Your Highness, perhaps we should proceed with the formalities first?"
The eunuch’s reminder came with a poorly concealed giggle, though his amusement was clearly at the couple’s sweet exchange.
The Fifth Prince took no offense.
"Right, the formalities."
"Mengyan, from this day forth, you are my betrothed."
"No one will ever take you from me."
"You belong to me alone," the Fifth Prince declared with possessive fervor.
"Don’t worry. I will always be yours," Liu Mengyan murmured, her eyes locked onto his.
Thunderous applause erupted—whether from genuine emotion or mere courtesy, the guests clapped enthusiastically, driving the atmosphere to its peak.
"In that case!"
"How could our Chen Clan possibly let the two of you down?"
"This grand gift was specially prepared just for you!"
iaobai: "Councilor Dad, front me some funds. I want to hire ten thousand professional miners for a project!" [Five-Star Mission Issued: Capture the leader of the Blood Heaven Pirate Gang, who is on the run in the Radiant Star Sector. It is said the gang has over a hundred members. Proceed with caution.] Lu Xiaobai: "Councilor Dad, lend me the family's hundred-thousand-strong Lu Army!" [Seven-Star Mission Issued: Subdue a juvenile Void Dragon Beast.] Lu Xiaobai: "Councilor Dad, I'm taking your tamed Void Dragon Beast King out for a family reunion!" I said, System, don't you have any slightly more challenging missions? You're just not up to par! [Nine-Star Mission Issued: Become the Human Councilor.] Lu Xiaobai: "Dad, there's a small matter I'd like to discuss with you..."
pression Bureau] Transported to a fantasy world overrun by demons and monsters, Gu Qingfeng becomes a jailer in the Demon Suppression Prison of the Great Yan Dynasty's Demon Suppression Bureau. From this point on, bizarre cases frequently occur in the Demon Suppression Prison, once known as hell on earth and infamous for its gloomy, terrifying atmosphere! Why do the demons and monsters in the prison wail miserably every night? Why has the corpse demon, capable of transforming into various beauties, donned black stockings and switched careers to become a foot massage therapist? Why has the eye demon, expert in soul-snatching and illusions, turned into a VR headset? Why is the fox spirit performing otaku dances? Are all these occurrences a twisted expression of demonic nature, or a descent into moral depravity? After peeling away layer upon layer of mystery, all clues ultimately point to a jailer named Gu Qingfeng. Gu Qingfeng: "Hehehe... My dear demons and monsters, whose card shall we flip today?"
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!
