"The elevator's out too."
As for jumping—the straightforward option—he didn't even consider it this time. Leaping from this height to elbow-drop concrete? That would take a special kind of desperation.
Thud.
The third heartbeat.
Yin Chen's Frostbone Wolf lay sprawled on the ground, its limbs trembling, its head tilted toward the crack beneath its paws. It let out a sharp, drawn-out howl, completely abandoning its usual aloof composure.
From within the tower's structural frame came screeching sounds of metal snapping—several points at once, one after another, spreading from underfoot all the way to the roof. The entire tower was disintegrating inch by inch within its own skeleton.
"The seal is at about thirty to forty percent strength. At this rate, it won't hold for more than ten minutes."
An Changqing held his sword horizontally before him, starlight coating the entire blade.
"And after ten minutes?"
Yin Tianzheng didn't answer. Chen Guan answered for him.
"It comes straight out."
Thud. Thud. Thud.
The heartbeat quickened, intervals shrinking from a few seconds to two or three, one pounding after another. Something that had been imprisoned for who knew how long had finally pried open a crack and was fiercely forcing its way out.
Black mist began seeping through the tower's cracked seams.
One wisp, two wisps, three wisps.
Slowly, it emerged from the gaps in the metal plates, crawling across the ground and spreading outward. The temperature dropped another notch.
When the black mist passed by Hong Yuan's feet, she stepped back and looked down at the trace it left on the metal surface.
Long black corrosion marks. The metal had been dissolved into a thin layer.
Chen Guan stood in the center of the platform, watching the black mist coil around his feet, circle once, then wrap back up—as if trying to identify the scent on him.
The black dot in his palm was burning hot.
Baal's voice surfaced again, this time without the usual joking opener.
"Kid, this mess—how are you planning to clean it up?"
Even Baal couldn't force a laugh now.
He knew his comrade's strength too well. Revival was not good news for him either.
Chen Guan didn't reply. He had another reckless idea forming.
He looked up at the collapsing metal plates beneath his feet. The black mist was gushing from every crack at an accelerating pace.
Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.
The heartbeat grew denser.
The black mist spread faster than anyone had anticipated.
Long Ao threw a punch. The air blast scattered a patch of the mist before him, but within two seconds, the dispersed part regrouped, even thicker than before.
"Can't break it apart."
Long Ao pulled back his fist and retreated two steps. Physical attacks were useless, it seemed.
Hong Yuan held her axe in front of her, watching the black mist crawl past the tips of her shoes. The metal beneath her feet had visibly thinned.
"Old Yin, how much longer can that seal of yours actually hold?"
Even Hong Yuan had shed all pretense of politeness.
Yin Tianzheng knelt on the ground, unable to rise. Both hands braced against the fractured surface, his fingers bleeding into the black mist—a stark contrast.
"Seven minutes. Maybe less."
"There's another way."
Chen Guan's voice wasn't loud, but the wind carried it to everyone's ears, silencing them all.
"Since we can't suppress it—"
He raised his head. His eyes were terrifyingly clear.
"—then don't. Open the seal. I'll devour it."
Silence hung for about two seconds.
"Have you lost your mind?"
Long Ao was the first to speak, his voice louder than he'd intended.
Hong Yuan's mouth opened, then closed, then opened again.
"Hold on. You were just hit so hard you got a nosebleed from that thing, and now you're saying you want to eat it?"
An Changqing stepped over to Chen Guan in two strides and grabbed him by the shoulder, his grip tight.
"Chen Guan, you touched it for just a few seconds, and you already suffered irreversible changes."
He kept his voice outwardly calm, but the suppressed tension in it betrayed his real emotions.
"If you dive headfirst into this, it won't just be a matter of getting hurt. You'll become another version of it."
Chen Guan didn't shake off his hand. He just tilted his head slightly.
"Let go. Trust me."
An Changqing didn't let go.
"Give me one reason."
Chen Guan held his gaze for a moment, seeing the persistence in his eyes.
"Let go, and I'll tell you."
An Changqing's fingers loosened, but he didn't step back. He stood half a stride away from Chen Guan.
Chen Guan raised his right hand and showed them—letting everyone see the black dot in his palm.
"This thing was left behind when I linked with it earlier. It hasn't disappeared, and it hasn't spread."
"Know why?"
No one answered.
"Because my body accepted it."
Long Ao frowned deeply.
"Accepted?"
"Yes. Accepted."
Chen Guan lowered his hand and looked at Yin Tianzheng. "Sir, when you sealed this thing, did you ever wonder why every seal eventually fails?"
Yin Tianzheng's gaze darkened.
He didn't speak, but his silence was answer enough.
"Because sealing only delays the explosion."
Chen Guan continued. "If we keep blocking it, it'll still wake up in ten years. Same in a hundred years."
Yin Tianzheng finally spoke. "I know all that. But refining the remnants of a demon god—that's not something a human can do."
"Humans really can't."
Chen Guan glanced at the iron coffin beside him.
"But I can."
"I used a mortal body to borrow the power of a god. That means I can do more."
As he said this, the hint of darkness swimming in his eyes briefly came alive.
Baal's voice echoed in his mind.
"I can't support you on this one either. Letting a shard of divine essence attract its attention is one thing. Throwing yourself in as a furnace is another. Understand the difference, kid."
Chen Guan replied mentally.
"Since when did you start worrying about me?"
"I'm not worried. It's just that if you die, where would I find such an interesting contractee?"
An interesting human—it would be far too boring to let his story end too soon.
Besides, Chen Guan still carried too many things Baal was curious about.
Chen Guan ignored him.
An Changqing stepped back half a pace, holding his sword horizontally across his chest, thumb pressed against the guard. His expression was more serious than Chen Guan had ever seen.
"Even if your constitution is special, devouring a demon god's remnant takes more than just a vessel. It requires enough mental strength to suppress its instinct. Do you have it?"
"Not enough."
Chen Guan's answer was blunt.
An Changqing's brow furrowed even tighter.
"But I don't need to suppress it. I'll let it devour me, then—inside its stomach—I'll digest it from within."
Chen Guan had studied demonology carefully. In the demon world, kindred spirits consumed one another.
For a demon god like Baal to reach his level, he'd devoured countless of his own kind.
Facing an unconscious remnant, Chen Guan believed his odds were decent.
He could tap into the power of the divine essence from his own body. And besides that, he also carried the power of that nameless demon within him.
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.
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!
rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!
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?!
