Chen Chang'an's words threw Nie Pengju and Ye Liuyun into a state of panic.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, how could they possibly save face now?
Run?
Back at the Gu Family, few had witnessed their humiliation, so fleeing had been an option. But now, with so many eyes on them, escaping would mean utter disgrace.
They were trapped—unable to advance or retreat, caught between a rock and a hard place.
"Who is this man? The sect master of the Wuji Sect actually addresses him as 'sir'?"
"And that powerhouse from the Gu Family—he actually calls him 'Little Gu'?"
"That Gu Family expert is no weakling among Great Emperor realm cultivators. His strength is second only to the Gu Family's ancestral patriarch, who stands at the peak of the Great Emperor realm. Damn, this man's identity is terrifying!"
"Have any of you heard of him before? I certainly haven’t."
"N-no… never seen him in my life."
"Wait, I think I have. His name is… yes, Chen Chang'an. I remember now—Chen Chang'an."
"Chen Chang'an?"
This was the first time the name "Chen Chang'an" had reached so many ears, the first time he had truly entered the awareness of the Central Heaven Domain's inhabitants.
"Deputy Palace Master Hua Wulei of the Luo Shen Palace greets the Palace Master."
At that moment, Hua Wulei arrived with the disciples of the Luo Shen Palace. While the disciples might struggle to compete in the Human Ranking, they could still participate in the Earth Ranking.
"Palace Master?"
"What the hell? How is this possible?"
"Isn’t the Luo Shen Palace exclusively for women? How is Chen Chang'an their Palace Master?"
This scene left everyone dumbfounded—even those who knew Chen Chang'an were stunned. No one had expected him to hold such a position.
Shortly after, members of the Qingyun Sect arrived to pay their respects.
"Hahaha! Master, your disciple has arrived!"
A booming laugh echoed as the Heavenly Sword Emperor, the ancestral patriarch of the Heavenly Sword Sect from Famous Sword State, appeared before the crowd.
"The Heavenly Sword Emperor?"
"What the—? The Heavenly Sword Emperor has a master? Since when?"
"This is insane! Absolutely insane!"
"Just who is this Chen Chang'an? Is he defying the heavens?"
The Heavenly Sword Emperor addressing Chen Chang'an as "Master" shattered everyone's expectations. This was the Heavenly Sword Emperor—the only Sword Emperor in the entire Tai Xuan Realm!
Chen Chang'an glanced at the Heavenly Sword Emperor and smiled. "Seems you’ve made some progress recently?"
"All thanks to Master’s guidance. My Sword Domain has finally taken shape," the Heavenly Sword Emperor replied excitedly.
"Good. Keep at it, and you might not be far from the peak of the Great Emperor realm."
"Yes, Master."
More and more familiar faces arrived—something Chen Chang'an hadn’t anticipated. Yet, many others were absent, likely uninterested in competing for the Earth Ranking.
Despite the distractions, Chen Chang'an hadn’t forgotten about Nie Pengju and Ye Liuyun.
"Well, you two?"
"Shall we begin?" Chen Chang'an said with a faint smile.
"W-wait! Let’s talk this over, alright? We were ignorant back then. Can we just let this go?"
"We owe you a favor. We’ll repay you properly in the future," Nie Pengju said nervously.
"Who gave you the right to decide for me?" Ye Liuyun shot Nie Pengju a disdainful look before turning to Chen Chang'an.
"Fine, no need to repeat yourself. I know what you’re going to say—just echoing his words, right?"
Chen Chang'an sighed. These two seemed like bitter rivals, but their relationship wasn’t as hostile as outsiders assumed.
"Exactly! My affairs are mine to decide. I don’t need him speaking for me," Ye Liuyun nodded.
"It’s not impossible."
"You two owe me a favor."
"When and how I call it in will be my decision—no objections."
"Either agree, or we proceed with the bet right now. Your choice," Chen Chang'an said calmly.
Nie Pengju and Ye Liuyun exchanged glances. This wasn’t a promise to make lightly.
It meant Chen Chang'an would have the right to command them once, without refusal.
"Relax. I won’t ask you to act against your own families."
Seeing their hesitation, Chen Chang'an added with a smile.
The two visibly relaxed. Their greatest fear had been Chen Chang'an ordering them to harm their own kin.
After all, a Great Emperor’s vow was not to be broken lightly—doing so could damage their cultivation or even invite divine retribution.
This was precisely why Great Emperors rarely made bets or promises.
Back then, these two had agreed to the wager only because they were certain of victory, never imagining they’d lose to someone they’d underestimated.
Fortunately, they’d found a loophole—as long as the bet remained unresolved, they weren’t technically in violation.
"Fine, I accept."
"Me too."
"Whenever you need me in the future, I won’t refuse."
"Same here."
"Damn it, speak for yourself! Stop piggybacking on my words!"
"I’ll do as I please. None of your damn business!"
Chen Chang'an ignored their bickering. Meanwhile, those unfamiliar with him—or who had never even heard of him—were buzzing with speculation.
Not only was he the Heavenly Sword Emperor’s master and the Luo Shen Palace’s Palace Master, but among the three great families, the Gu Family treated him with respect, while the other two seemed almost… afraid?
Even among the three great sects, the Wuji Sect and the Qingyun Sect regarded him with deference.
This spectacle was beyond what most could fathom.
Just what kind of person could command such reverence?
"So… he’s already reached such heights?"
In the distance, Changsun Xixue watched with a complicated expression.
After being repelled by Mu Yunyao, she had returned to the Changsun Family and questioned her ancestral patriarch, Changsun Wuwo.
Yet upon hearing her description, Changsun Wuwo had trembled in fear, offering only one piece of advice before falling silent:
"Xixue, some obsessions aren’t worth holding onto. This man… you cannot provoke him. No—no one in the entire Tai Xuan Realm can."
Those words had plunged her into despair.
Now, finally seeing Chen Chang'an again, she lacked the courage to approach.
Though the Changsun Family ranked among the top five powers, trailing only the three great families, she still felt unworthy to face him.
Perhaps he had long forgotten the past—maybe this was all just her own stubborn fixation.
"Look! Isn’t that Gu Xian'er and Gu Fengyao?"
"They're here!"
【Prologue: The Beginning of It All – Use holy water to heal the saintess tainted by demonic energy, then converse with her.】 Shen Nian stared at his older sister sipping yogurt, lost in thought. So you’re telling me my sister is the saintess, and yogurt is the holy water? 【Main Quest 1: Brave Youth, Become an Adventurer! Reward: Rookie Adventurer Title.】 【Side Quest 1: Find the Adorable Kitty! Reward: 1000 Gold Coins.】 Shen Nian: "Wait, I’m a high school senior here—did some guy who got isekai’d accidentally bind his system to me?" Hold on, completing quests gives gold rewards? Titles even boost stats? Is this for real? (A lighthearted, absurd campus comedy—not a revenge power fantasy.)
d intelligence to keep the plot moving, and sometimes even the protagonists are forced into absurdly dumb decisions. Why does the A-list celebrity heroine in urban romance novels ditch the top-tier movie star and become a lovestruck fool for a pockmarked male lead? Why do the leads in historical tragedy novels keep dancing between love and death, only for the blind healer to end up suffering the most? And Gu Wei never expected that after finally landing a villain role to stir up trouble, she’d pick the wrong gender! No choice now—she’ll just have to crush the protagonists as a girl!
e school belle recognized by the whole school, a genius girl from the kendo club. She also has a hidden identity, the youngest legendary demon hunter. Chen Shuo just transmigrated and found himself turned into a weak, helpless little vampire. He was caught by Su Xiyen and taken home at the very beginning. Since then, Chen Shuo's life creed only had two items. "First, classmate Su Xiyen is always right." "Second, if classmate Su Xiyen is wrong, please refer back to item one." Many years later, Chen Shuo, who had turned back into a human, led a pair of twins to appear in front of all the vampires to share the secret of how he turned back into a human. "It's simple, I tricked a female demon hunter into becoming my wife!"
ial death, also known as "shè sǐ" in Chinese, generally refers to... well, never mind, it's not important. My name is Ye Cheng, and I'm about to experience social death firsthand. ... 【Host, your mission is to confess your love to the young lady of the Dongfang family, the current student council president, in a way that will be unforgettable for everyone at the freshman ceremony!】 【Host, assist the girl with a sprained ankle in front of you to reach the infirmary, and fulfill the wicked thoughts in your heart!】 【Host, act on your desires and punish the arrogant young lady before you mercilessly!】 【Host, follow your instincts—abandon shameful surrender, begging, or groveling, and ruthlessly criticize the domineering, ill-mannered young lady in front of you!】 【Host...】 Ye Cheng: "Here, here, you take this host role—I quit!" Wait, why is the girl with a sprained ankle the daughter of a mafia boss? And what kind of punishment method is this for the arrogant young lady? Also, who the heck said anything about wicked thoughts in my heart? Come out here, let’s settle this one-on-one!!! ... The haughty student council president, the scheming mafia princess, the fragile yandere young lady, the airheaded maid-in-waiting, the mixed-blood loli/...
