Pah!
Shameless!
How dare you call yourself a god?
Just because you're tall and big, you think you're a god?
A bit too narcissistic, don't you think?
"Are you the Tree God?"
"So, in the Primordial Immortal Realm, all trees must obey you?"
"Then why are you hiding deep under the sea?"
"Gods... don’t dare to show themselves?"
Hearing Chen Chang'an's slightly mocking tone, the Tree God didn’t seem bothered.
"I... was born at the dawn of the Primordial Immortal Realm."
"I came into existence alongside it."
"Do you still think it’s wrong for me to call myself the Tree God?" the Tree God asked with a smile.
A being that existed alongside the Primordial Immortal Realm?
"You’re not going to tell me you’re the one who nurtured all life in the Primordial Immortal Realm, are you?" Chen Chang'an asked, amused.
"Yes, and no."
"Aside from the three races—humans, demons, and fiends."
"However, even these three races initially grew by absorbing my energy before they flourished to their current state."
That impressive?
Chen Chang'an gave the Tree God a skeptical look. "Then how did the three races come to be?"
"Did they just pop out of thin air?"
At this, the Tree God fell silent for a moment before replying, "The demon race appeared first, followed by the fiend race."
"As for humans, they were the last to emerge, yet they developed the fastest and most rapidly."
"As for how they came to be... during that time, I was in a deep slumber and don’t know the details."
"As for why I’m here—this has always been my home."
"What you see now is where I truly belong."
"I’ve existed here for... an immeasurable amount of time."
An immeasurable amount of time?
As a being that coexisted with the Primordial Immortal Realm, shouldn’t it have the power to leave this place?
Why does it feel like it’s bound here?
"Are you imprisoned here?" Chen Chang'an asked.
Imprisoned?
"You could say that."
"If I can’t leave, then it’s no different from imprisonment," the Tree God replied calmly.
"You’re so powerful—can’t you take human form?" Chen Chang'an pressed.
Demons could assume human form after reaching a certain level of cultivation. Even a little earthworm like Xiao Qiuyin was born with that ability.
Given how long the Tree God had lived—far longer than the demon race—how could it lack such a skill?
Faced with Chen Chang'an’s doubt, the Tree God sighed. "I nurtured the Primordial Immortal Realm, but in doing so, I suffered greatly."
"Though now, neither humans nor demons draw energy from me anymore..."
"The damage was done long ago. My foundation was ruined, and I... am nearing the end of my life."
The end of its life?
Hearing this, Chen Chang'an frowned. If the Tree God wasn’t lying, it was vital to the Primordial Immortal Realm.
If it died, what would happen?
"If you die, what will become of the Primordial Immortal Realm?" Chen Chang'an asked, his brow furrowed.
"If I perish, the Primordial Immortal Realm will be affected—but to what extent, I cannot say."
"How can I save you?"
Save it?
The Tree God seemed surprised by Chen Chang'an’s offer. Why would he want to save it?
Since its creation, the world had only ever taken from it—never given anything in return, never offered help.
And now, this stranger, after hearing just a few words, wanted to save it?
"You can’t save me."
"I’ve lost my Life Origin Energy."
"Your power... isn’t enough."
Life Origin Energy?
What was that?
Did his own Life Law count as Origin Energy?
Thinking this, Chen Chang'an placed his left hand on the Tree God’s trunk and channeled his Life Law energy into it.
The Tree God trembled faintly, clearly startled by the strength of Chen Chang'an’s power.
"To think... at just the peak of the Celestial Immortal Realm, you’ve already grasped Life Origin Energy."
"However... I sense that your Life Origin Energy is incomplete."
"As you are now, you cannot save me."
The Tree God’s voice held no sorrow or joy, but it was softer than before—perhaps in gratitude.
Hearing this, Chen Chang'an stopped transferring energy.
It seemed that unless he found the missing fragments of the Life Law, saving the Tree God was impossible.
"How much time do you have left?" Chen Chang'an asked.
"Ten years."
Ten years?
That little?
Chen Chang'an had assumed that, as a godlike tree, even if it was dying, it would still have tens or even hundreds of thousands of years left.
Yet it had only a decade.
"Fine. Within ten years, I’ll return."
"By then, I’ll save you," Chen Chang'an said with a smile.
As he spoke, he suddenly felt the Tree God’s gaze upon him, as if deep in thought.
"Why?"
"What do you want from me?" the Tree God asked, puzzled.
Want something?
Chen Chang'an hadn’t actually considered that.
"There are people in the Primordial Immortal Realm I care about."
"I don’t know what your death would bring."
"But even if there’s only a one-in-a-billion chance it could harm those I love, I won’t take that risk."
"Rather than saying I’m saving you, it’s more accurate to say I’m saving you for their sake."
Hearing this, the Tree God laughed.
"I see. You’re a good man."
"If you save me, I won’t let your efforts go unrewarded."
"I will repay you," the Tree God said solemnly.
"Mm. People often say that."
"I really am a great guy."
"Oh, one more question."
"Why does being in the Pristine Sea feel so comfortable? And what’s with that strange energy here?"
"Also, why are there no living creatures in such a pleasant place?" Chen Chang'an asked curiously.
"It’s because of my presence that no life dares to exist in the Pristine Sea."
"The energy you feel also comes from me. It purifies the heart and cleanses the soul."
"Only those with good intentions find it soothing. The wicked... would only suffer here."
"Different people, different experiences."
Huh?
A good-hearted person?
Him?
That... seemed a bit too far-fetched.
transmigrates into the world as the sect master of the Heavenly Yan Sect, which is on the verge of being wiped out. He binds a system that grants him cultivation power based on the number of disciples he has: for each disciple, he automatically gains a year's worth of cultivation every single day! Take one disciple: every day he gains 1 year of cultivation power. While others struggle through a year of bitter training, he gets the same just by sleeping through a single night. Take ten disciples: every day he gains 10 years of cultivation power. Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul—he breezes through all bottlenecks without lifting a finger. Take one hundred disciples: every day he gains 100 years of cultivation power. Even a Soul Transformation Venerable before him can’t survive a single blow. Take ten thousand disciples: every day he gains 10,000 years of cultivation power! With a wave of his hand, he topples empires. With a single step, he crushes the sacred grounds of the universe. ... While others fight tooth and nail for secret techniques, Lin Yan casually hands out Nascent Soul-level cultivation manuals as beginner textbooks. While others strain to find talented recruits, Lin Yan opens his doors to anyone—so long as they’re human. In just three short years, the Heavenly Yan Sect went from a backwater sect made up of three crumbling huts to a sacred land that every cultivator under heaven would kill to enter. ... One day, otherworldly demon gods invade, with a million demon soldiers pressing down upon the realm. Lin Yan, yawning, rises from his lounge chair and glances at the system panel: [Current Disciples: 1.28 million] [Daily Cultivation Increase: 1.28 million years] He waves his hand casually, and the countless demon soldiers are reduced to ashes in an instant. “So noisy… interrupting my fishing.”
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."
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.
Cheng's father told him he was getting remarried—to a wealthy woman. Cao Cheng realized his time had finally come: he was about to become a second-generation rich kid. Sure, it might be a watered-down version, but hey, at least he'd have status now, right? The wealthy woman also had four daughters!! Which meant, starting today, Cao Cheng gained four stunning older sisters?? But that wasn't even the whole story... "My name is Cao Cheng—'Cheng' as in 'honest, smooth-talking gentleman'!"
