"Ah!"
"It's... a bit boring, isn't it?"
Chen Chang'an left the Sacred Qilin Heaven alone and headed for the Immaculate Sea. Without Da Huang and the other two by his side, the journey felt rather dull.
Fortunately, Chen Chang'an soon arrived at the Immaculate Sea.
Familiar with the way, he once again entered the mysterious space where the Tree God resided.
The Tree God seemed somewhat surprised by Chen Chang'an's swift return.
"You're back?"
"Could it be... your Life Source energy has improved?" the Tree God asked with a hint of astonishment.
"Indeed, my Life Law power has grown stronger."
"However, before I save you, there are some things I'd like to ask."
Ask?
The Tree God was puzzled, unsure what Chen Chang'an wanted to know. "Is there something troubling you?"
"During my travels, I heard a rumor."
"That no one has appeared in the Immaculate Sea for a long time."
"This is because a powerful expert at the Immortal Venerable realm once died here."
"What was the reason for that?" Chen Chang'an inquired.
Faced with this question, the Tree God seemed taken aback and explained, "Such an incident did occur."
"That person didn’t come to the Immaculate Sea merely to pass through. He sought to uncover the secrets hidden beneath these waters."
"He couldn’t find a way to enter this place, so he resorted to reckless attacks outside. To punish him, I took his life."
Hearing this, Chen Chang'an frowned slightly.
The barrier outside wasn’t something just anyone could breach. Could it be that the expert had been attacking the barrier itself?
But if the Tree God was trapped here, how had it managed to kill an Immortal Venerable?
"He attacked the barrier. Given my weakened state, it might have shattered under his relentless assault."
"What would happen if the barrier were destroyed?"
"It would have severe consequences for me. So, I had no choice but to kill him."
"This way, others might think twice before attempting the same."
"Truthfully, many have come to the Immaculate Sea seeking the secrets below."
"In the past, I could endure it. But now... I no longer have the strength."
"How did you kill him, then?"
This was what Chen Chang'an found most curious. If the Tree God was confined to this mysterious space, how had it taken a life?
"Ah!"
"I forcibly manifested an avatar. Though I succeeded in killing him, it cost me millions of years of my lifespan."
"That’s why I’ve reached the end of my life so quickly."
"Do you doubt me in some way?" the Tree God asked with a bitter smile.
Doubt?
Not exactly. It was just Chen Chang'an’s habit to be thorough.
With the Wisdom Law at his disposal, Chen Chang'an could discern many things clearly. The Tree God wasn’t an evil being, but caution never hurt.
"It’s nothing. Let me try saving you first."
"Very well."
Chen Chang'an placed his left hand on the Tree God’s trunk once more. The immense power of the Life Law caused the Tree God’s body to tremble violently.
Sensing this energy, the Tree God grew visibly excited.
"In just a few short years, your Life Source energy has grown so powerful?"
"How did you achieve this?"
"The Life Source energy you possess could instantly restore millions of years of my lifespan!"
Hearing this, Chen Chang'an was also surprised. He hadn’t realized his Life Law power had become so formidable.
In an instant, he had restored millions of years to the Tree God’s life?
Wait—
This wasn’t solely due to the Life Law. The Tree God itself possessed an immense lifespan, but its Life Source had been severely damaged, leading to its current state.
Chen Chang'an was merely repairing the damage. The reason the Tree God regained so much lifespan was due to its own inherent strength.
"Still not enough?"
Chen Chang'an had spent an entire day aiding the Tree God’s recovery, and even he was beginning to feel drained.
"Stop for now."
"My injuries are too severe. It’s unlikely they can be fully healed in such a short time."
"Still, I thank you. You’ve restored hundreds of millions of years to my lifespan."
Hundreds of millions of years—that should suffice.
Chen Chang'an withdrew his hand, relieved.
"My gratitude."
"As thanks, I shall bestow something upon you as well."
With that, Chen Chang'an watched as the Tree God’s body began to shrink, eventually taking on a human form.
A woman?
The Tree God was a woman?
But the voice earlier—
Only now did Chen Chang'an realize that the Tree God’s voice had been ethereal, making it impossible to discern gender. He had simply assumed it was male.
"You’re a woman?" Chen Chang'an asked, stunned.
"Did I ever say I was a man?"
"Did you not know that plants, too, have genders?"
Chen Chang'an had no retort. All things in existence had distinctions of male and female, though some lifeforms were simply beyond ordinary perception.
"But why did you disguise your voice?" Chen Chang'an pressed.
"Habit. Besides, does it matter whether I’m male or female?"
Matter?
It absolutely did—especially when the sight was so pleasing to the eye.
The Tree God’s appearance, while not as flawlessly exquisite as Hu Tianjiao’s, was undeniably that of a peerless beauty.
Her aura was refreshingly elegant, carrying a unique charm.
"What’s your name?" Chen Chang'an asked curiously.
Name?
The Tree God shook her head, indicating she had none.
"Ah, right. You mentioned giving me something. What is it?"
"You’ll see soon enough."
Soon enough?
In the next moment, countless roots and leaves suddenly materialized around Chen Chang'an, swiftly enveloping him completely, leaving no gaps.
"Why did you pull me in here?"
"What... are you planning to do?"
In such close quarters, the air itself seemed to grow charged with ambiguity.
Was the Tree God planning to offer herself as gratitude?
This... was far too sudden.
"Thank you."
"Y-You could’ve warned me! I wasn’t mentally prepared at all!"
"Prepared for what?"
"Huh? You just dive right in? Do you always do this?" Chen Chang'an asked, baffled.
"Your questions... are quite strange."
"This is the first time I’ve ever thanked someone like this. Why shouldn’t I act directly?"
"Then... go ahead!"
"I can take it!"
] [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!"
't think I'm that capable, I'm just trying my best to stay alive. I've been kind all my life, never did anything bad, yet worldly suffering spared me not one bit. The human world is a nice place, but I won't come back in my next life. A kind young man, who wanted to just get by singing, but through repeated deceits and betrayals, has gone down an irredeemable path.
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!
