There's something fishy going on here!
This was Chen Chang'an's first thought.
It was understandable for the imperial family to oppose this, given the Empress's status. Doing so would mean directly offending the Heavenly Sword Pavilion and provoking a Celestial Emperor.
Yet, neither the Empress nor the Heavenly Sword Pavilion had reacted at all—this was rather puzzling.
"Old man, you seem to know quite a bit."
"Then tell me, do you think this wedding will actually happen?" Chen Chang'an asked with a smile.
"Ah, I’ve only heard rumors."
"Whether it happens or not isn’t for me to decide."
"Still, there are only three days left."
"At this point, it doesn’t seem like anything unexpected will happen," the old man chuckled.
Chen Chang'an glanced at him, then smiled without pressing further.
Right now, it was unclear whether only the Princess of Qi Manor had defected to the demonic race or if the entire Qi Manor had turned traitor.
"Old man, you can have all this food."
"Order more if you’re still hungry—eat well."
"I have matters to attend to, so I’ll take my leave."
Seeing Chen Chang'an about to leave, the old man was taken aback and quickly said, "T-this is too much!"
"Don’t worry about it—it’s just a meal."
"Then… thank you."
"No need for thanks."
After eating and drinking his fill, the old man prepared to leave, only to be stopped by the inn’s waiter.
"Sir, you haven’t paid yet."
"Huh? Pay for what?"
"What? Are you trying to dine and dash?"
"But… I didn’t order any of this! That man earlier—"
"You mean the one who left first? Wasn’t he your friend? He said you’d pay."
"What?!"
"I—"
He thought he’d gotten a free meal, but instead, he’d been tricked?
"He seemed honest, but he’s actually cunning and deceitful."
"Ah, even after all these years, I still misjudged someone," the old man sighed.
Meanwhile, when Chen Chang'an returned to the inn, he found Chen Qingqing had also come back.
"That fast?" Chen Chang'an asked in surprise.
"They’ve arrived in the Immortal Capital, so of course I followed," Chen Qingqing replied.
"They’re already here?"
"It seems they were well-prepared."
"How many are there?" Chen Chang'an asked.
"A lot."
"Over a hundred thousand."
"Not all of them can be demons, so most must be humans."
"They’ve likely already pledged allegiance to the demonic race," Chen Qingqing analyzed.
A hundred thousand?
That number surprised even Chen Chang'an. After all, the demonic race wouldn’t accept just anyone.
These people’s strength couldn’t be weak—at the very least, they’d have to be Golden Immortals or even Celestial Immortals to qualify.
The Heavenly Abyss Domain was vast, with many powerful figures, but to recruit so many… it seemed the demonic race had been scheming here for years, not just a year or two.
"Even the Nine Great Immortal Clans have been infiltrated. It must be even easier for the demonic race to penetrate other factions."
"By now, many forces in the Heavenly Abyss Domain have likely already been compromised."
"Their goal this time is to take control of the Yongyang Celestial Dynasty. The best way would be to drag the imperial family into it—turning them into demons as well."
"But last night, those two were talking about…"
From Chen Chang'an’s perspective, the best approach would be to make the imperial family defect to the demonic race.
First, it wouldn’t attract much attention. Second, it wouldn’t require open conflict, allowing them to quietly seize control of the entire Heavenly Abyss Domain.
Yet, the conversation last night clearly indicated they wanted the Princess of Qi Manor to take over the Yongyang Celestial Dynasty.
"Forget it!"
"Keep things simple."
"Just kill them all—that’ll solve everything," Chen Chang'an said with a faint smile.
"Big Brother, your methods are truly brilliant."
"You’re absolutely right. Kill them all, and no matter what schemes they have, they’ll be useless once they’re dead," Da Huang said admiringly.
"Then should we act now?" Little Qiuqiu asked curiously.
Act now?
"Wait until the wedding day."
"Let them all gather first, then kill them."
"It’ll also help us see who reacts suspiciously when things go wrong."
"We’ll root out any hidden traitors too."
"That’s the plan."
Three days wasn’t long for Chen Chang'an.
When the time came, Chen Chang'an and his group headed straight for the Yongyang Celestial Dynasty’s imperial palace.
"Halt!"
"Do you have an invitation?"
"No."
"But my name is Chen Chang'an."
Huh?
Chen Chang'an?
The guard was stunned for a moment before quickly realizing.
"You’re the Chen Chang'an, ranked first on the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard?" the guard asked excitedly.
"That’s right."
"I was passing through and heard about the imperial wedding. Thought I’d drop by for the fun."
"No invitation, no entry?" Chen Chang'an asked with a smile.
"Well…"
"Sir Chen, please wait here for a moment."
"I’ll go report this."
"Fine."
The name Chen Chang'an carried great weight in the Ancient Immortal Domain. As the undisputed top prodigy, no one dared to slight him.
Meanwhile, the other guests who heard Chen Chang'an was here were equally shocked.
"That’s Chen Chang'an?"
"I never imagined the legendary Chen Chang'an would appear here."
"The Yongyang Celestial Dynasty must have quite the reputation."
"What does that have to do with them? They didn’t invite him—otherwise, why wouldn’t he have an invitation?"
"But isn’t it even more impressive that Chen Chang'an came uninvited?"
"Well, the Yongyang Celestial Dynasty does have a Celestial Emperor-level expert. Chen Chang'an may be a prodigy, but he hasn’t fully matured yet. Showing them respect makes sense."
"Not necessarily. Even if Chen Chang'an isn’t at his peak, I’ve heard he has good relations with the Nine Great Immortal Clans. No matter how powerful the Yongyang Celestial Dynasty is, it can’t compare to them, can it?"
The crowd buzzed with discussion, but no one dared approach him. After all, who knew what kind of temper Chen Chang'an had? If he was the arrogant type, trying to talk to him would only invite humiliation.
"Sir Chen."
"Please come in."
The guard who had gone to report returned, eagerly ushering Chen Chang'an into the palace.
Inside, the palace was packed with guests, bustling with excitement.
"So you’re Chen Chang'an, ranked first on the Heavenly Pride Leaderboard?"
"I am Prince Yun of the Yongyang Celestial Dynasty."
A prince?
So, a member of the imperial family?
"Let me ask—when does the wedding start?"
"Has the Qi Manor arrived yet?" Chen Chang'an asked.
Hmm?
His question made Prince Yun frown. What did this mean? Was he here for Qi Manor?
Could it be… a bride snatching?
"Is this about stealing the bride?"
"Need any help?"
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.
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!
g Yu was preparing for retirement when her organization decided to eliminate her. She transmigrated to a zombie apocalypse world. However, a tiny unexpected situation occurred: She somehow transformed into an adorable little girl?!
