Seventy!
Eighty!
Ninety!
As the Celestial Pride Ranking continuously updated, reaching the moment Chen Chang'an had surged to the ninetieth floor, the surroundings fell into complete silence.
Everyone stood motionless, their eyes fixed unwaveringly on the Celestial Pride Ranking, awaiting the birth of a legend.
Compared to the progress before the fiftieth floor, Chen Chang'an's speed had only increased after passing it, leaving many in cold sweat.
Ninety-one, ninety-two, ninety-three…
By the time Chen Chang'an cleared the ninety-eighth floor, it seemed as though everyone had forgotten to breathe.
Fast!
Too fast!
Who said it would take a full day? Half a day was more than enough!
Inside the Celestial Pride Tower, Chen Chang'an finally arrived at the ninety-ninth floor. Here, the opponent he would face was no longer within the realm of Celestial Immortals.
However, this was something Chen Chang'an had anticipated. After all, on the ninety-eighth floor, he had faced ten half-step Immortal Kings.
The ninety-ninth floor would undoubtedly feature a true Immortal King.
"Chen Chang'an!"
"You’ve finally arrived!"
Hmm?
The middle-aged man opposite him spoke, catching Chen Chang'an off guard. All previous enemies had attacked without a word.
"Are you… real?" Chen Chang'an frowned.
"Indeed!"
"I am the City Lord of Celestial Pride City and also the master of the Celestial Pride Tower."
"My name is Lu Xiaoyun."
Chen Chang'an had already guessed that the City Lord and the Tower Master were the same person.
But he hadn’t expected Lu Xiaoyun to appear here. Did this mean that clearing the ninety-ninth floor of the Profound Heaven Domain required defeating him?
Yet, the aura Lu Xiaoyun exuded was far from that of an ordinary Immortal King.
More importantly, his words—"You’ve finally arrived!"
Had he been waiting for him?
Could it be… again?
"Do you know Chen Tian?" Chen Chang'an asked, his brow furrowing.
"Indeed. If not for him, I wouldn’t have come to the Profound Heaven Domain to serve as the new City Lord of Celestial Pride City."
"I’ve been waiting for you… for nearly a million years."
So it was him!
"Let’s cut to the chase, then."
"What was his purpose in having you wait for me here?" Chen Chang'an asked.
"Straight to the point, as expected."
"He wanted me to safeguard something for you here."
With that, Lu Xiaoyun produced an object Chen Chang'an had half-expected.
A fragment of Law!
Chen Chang'an had always assumed it might be with the Meng family. Never had he imagined it would be inside the Celestial Pride Tower.
Did this mean he had to reach the ninety-ninth floor to receive it?
Otherwise, Lu Xiaoyun could have easily sought him out during his time in Celestial Pride City and handed it over.
"Why did I have to reach the ninety-ninth floor first?"
"And what if someone else had made it here before me?" Chen Chang'an asked.
"Impossible!"
"While many believe the Celestial Pride Tower in the Profound Heaven Domain is relatively weaker, that’s only true before the fiftieth floor. Beyond that, the difficulty increases, but not to an insurmountable degree."
"In the Profound Heaven Domain, no one under thirty thousand years of age could even clear the sixtieth floor, let alone the ninety-ninth."
"Besides, if it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have appeared on the ninety-ninth floor."
"Most importantly, this can only be given to you if you participate in the Celestial Pride Ranking."
The last sentence held the most valuable clue. Chen Tian’s arrangement was clearly meant to ensure Chen Chang'an continued competing in the ranking.
Knowing Chen Tian, there had to be another purpose behind this.
"Even if I hadn’t come, you could’ve given it to me first and then had me participate. Wouldn’t that have worked?"
"No. Chen Tian once said that you’re rebellious by nature. If given the item in advance, you’d likely do the opposite."
"So, it was better to let you participate willingly and then hand it over."
"Now that you’ve joined the Celestial Pride Ranking, your curiosity will drive you forward."
"Chen Tian mentioned that your greatest flaw is… your nosiness."
Chen Chang'an had to admit—it was a terrible habit, but he couldn’t resist his insatiable curiosity.
Now, Chen Tian had dangled another clue, luring him deeper into the competition without revealing the consequences.
And knowing himself, Chen Chang'an would undoubtedly take the bait.
"Damn it, that bastard outsmarted me again."
"How is he even smarter than me?" Chen Chang'an grumbled in frustration, though there was little he could do.
After all, he had no idea where Chen Tian was—and even if he did, he probably wouldn’t stand a chance against him.
"Can I have the item now?" Chen Chang'an asked.
"Of course."
Lu Xiaoyun tossed it over without hesitation. His straightforwardness made Chen Chang'an even more curious.
"Do you know what this is?" Chen Chang'an asked.
"Not entirely, but it must be something extraordinary."
Not entirely?
An Immortal King didn’t know about Laws?
"Do you know of the power of Laws?"
The power of Laws?
At those words, Lu Xiaoyun’s expression shifted noticeably. He nodded solemnly.
"Of course."
"The power of Laws is immense. Unfortunately, comprehending it is no easy feat."
"At the very least… I haven’t even touched its edges."
"Are you saying this fragment in your hand… is Law?"
Chen Chang'an smirked. "What if I said yes? Would you try to take it?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"I wouldn’t dare."
Lu Xiaoyun’s answer was simple and direct—fear.
"Chen Tian has already left the Ancient Immortal Domain. What’s stopping you?"
"You don’t understand. Chen Tian’s strength, his connections—they’re beyond my reach."
"Besides, I genuinely admire him. If he entrusted me with a task, I’d see it through even at the cost of my life."
"Even if what you hold is the power of Laws, since it was left for you by Chen Tian, I wouldn’t dream of stealing it."
"Had I lacked such integrity, Chen Tian would never have entrusted this to me."
Hearing this, Chen Chang'an nodded with a faint smile. If he were in Chen Tian’s place, he wouldn’t have chosen an unreliable person either.
"Then I thank you for waiting all these years."
"Did Chen Tian say anything else?" Chen Chang'an asked.
"No. He only instructed me to wait here for someone named Chen Chang'an. He said you were the only one who could reach the ninety-ninth floor."
Chen Chang'an let out a helpless chuckle. Sometimes, it felt like Chen Tian had stolen his life’s script.
"By the way… do I still need to fight on the ninety-ninth floor?"
"No."
"Oh… What’s your cultivation level?"
"Fifth-level Immortal King. Why?"
"No reason. I just want to… fight you!"
] [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!"
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!
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."
