Jiang Che chose to upgrade directly.
[Beep! Points have been cleared. The system is now merging. Farewell, host. Thank you for your patronage.]
After the system's voice rang out, there was no further sound—it fell into complete silence.
"Well, this looks a lot like telecom fraud," Jiang Che muttered. The system had simply taken the money and run, absconding with a hundred trillion points?
But Jiang Che understood perfectly well: the system had merely vanished. It was the final cornerstone to help him break through to transcendence.
His power might disappear, but his status would not!
Once the system vanished, his status as a transcendent was fully repaired.
What was status?
If Jiang Che died right now, because of his status, only this current version of him would perish. The real Jiang Che had never died. Even if the world crumbled, even if he became an ordinary person, no one could kill him.
If faced with a true emergency, Jiang Che could even activate his supreme authority to halt the system upgrade and reclaim his power. In short... Jiang Che's authority was supreme—the final say on the system belonged to him.
But suddenly, a faint, icy voice echoed in Jiang Che's ear.
"Master... what are you thinking about?"
Ji Qingyi's voice reached Jiang Che, sending a chill down his spine.
Damn it, he'd almost forgotten this rebellious little disciple was still here. Jiang Che felt a cold shiver run through him. If this traitorous apprentice found out he had lost all his power and become immortal, he dared not imagine what outrageous things she might do to him!
And yet... he felt an odd sense of anticipation. Bah, forget it—he, Young Master Jiang, was not a masochist!
"Nothing. Your master is going into seclusion for ten thousand years. I'm handing over all matters of the demon realm to you," Jiang Che said.
His words caused Ji Qingyi's gaze to flicker. Seclusion... did a transcendent even need to go into seclusion?
"Yes!" Ji Qingyi nodded slightly, then withdrew.
But the moment she turned around, her expression shifted from calm to twisted.
Was she mistaken? She sensed that her master now seemed more like an ordinary person than before?
Previously, although her master's aura was also that of a mortal, the unfathomable depth of a transcendent and that lofty, overwhelming presence had made it hard for her to even conceive of rebellion. But just now, she felt that terrifying, natural pressure had vanished.
If her master had truly become an ordinary person... a thin smile crept across Ji Qingyi's lips, her beautiful face taking on an extreme, morbid expression.
...
"Cough, cough. This damn stupid system."
Jiang Che returned to the demon palace, his mind in utter turmoil.
"Forget it. I won't bother cursing myself out."
He lay down on the soft couch.
If he thought about it a little, he'd realize that his status had reached its peak. The system was merely a chain binding him—and only he could place chains on a superman like himself.
Jiang Che understood that whether it was the system's previous hundred-trillion-point missions or this current task of returning to an ordinary life for ten thousand years, even if he complained out loud, deep down he didn't truly mind. In fact, now that he was mortal again, he even found himself slightly tempted by the idea of being imprisoned by his yandere disciple?
Bah. That thought was far too dangerous.
After all, Jiang Che had already tasted countless beauties—every stunning woman in his harem—and there was no wild game he hadn't played.
But being trapped in captivity by his gorgeous disciple? That was a game he had never tried. No matter how tough he acted, Jiang Che had to admit—it gave him a little thrill. And he was giving Ji Qingyi room to act on her own.
...
News of the Demon Lord's seclusion soon spread throughout the demon palace.
Most demon cultivators paid it no mind. Which cultivator hadn't gone into seclusion?
For beings like them at the immortal level, ten thousand years was nothing. For the Demon Lord, an existence at the supreme realm, secluding himself for ten thousand years was perfectly normal.
Besides, the current landscape of the Three Realms was firmly set. The demon realm was overwhelmingly powerful!
Swallowing Heaven Demon Emperor—who had merged with the Devouring Dao!
Annihilation Demon Emperor—who had merged with the Dao of Destruction!
And then there was Evil Emperor Ji Qingyi, whose methods were terrifyingly formidable. Though no one knew the current cultivation of the Demon Lord's other disciple, Mo Shangxie, he was certainly no slouch—at least at the demon lord level.
Even if the Demon Lord went into seclusion for a hundred thousand years, the demon realm would still prosper!
When Yao Yue learned of Jiang Che's plan to go into seclusion, she came to him on her own.
"Husband... you're going into seclusion? Yue'er will go with you."
Yao Yue took Jiang Che's sleeve and pulled him into her arms, enveloping him completely.
The sense of suffocation was real.
But seeing her, Jiang Che let out a helpless sigh.
"Yao Yue, you shouldn't stay in the demon palace anymore."
At his words, Yao Yue's body trembled slightly. "De... Demon Lord, are you trying to cast Yue'er out?"
Jiang Che shook his head. "Your husband has lost all his cultivation. I'm nothing more than an ordinary person now."
"What?!" Yao Yue's pupils dilated in disbelief.
"I need to maintain this state for ten thousand years, so I chose seclusion..."
"If Yiyi finds out..." Yao Yue covered her mouth. Of course, she knew exactly what kind of girl Ji Qingyi was. If Ji Qingyi ever discovered that Jiang Che had become an ordinary person, the consequences would be unimaginable!
"Husband... are you serious?"
"Yes." Jiang Che gently stroked Yao Yue's cheek, his expression calm.
He had never misjudged anyone. Yao Yue's affection for him was 100, and her loyalty was also 100.
Not like Ji Qingyi. Ji Qingyi's affection had reached 120—and her loyalty was negative infinity. A hundred was already the max! Yet she hit 120, with loyalty plummeting into oblivion. She might as well have stamped "yandere" on her forehead.
"Husband, let me take you away from the demon palace! Until the ten thousand years are up..." Yao Yue panicked. Evil Emperor Ji Qingyi was a ticking bomb. If her husband stayed here, she'd blow him to pieces.
"Don't worry. You've become a Demon Emperor yourself," Jiang Che said softly. He had equipped Yao Yue with a new Dao source, but she was still no match for Ji Qingyi.
"Take this token and find my eldest disciple, Mo Shangxie. She will protect you. As for my safety... don't concern yourself."
Jiang Che had already arranged everything. In all Three Realms, his only weak spot was one: Yao Yue.
With Ji Qingyi's petty nature, once she discovered he had become an ordinary man, she would absolutely go after Yao Yue first!
Though Jiang Che was now a mortal, he could reclaim his power whenever he wanted—it would just mean aborting the system mission.
Sending Yao Yue away and facing a blackened Ji Qingyi alone was the best choice.
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!
for mindless slaughter, this isn't for you.] My name is Ye Shu, and I'm a transmigrator. It seems I'm supposed to be the protagonist, but that feels pretty unlikely. This world has been invaded by a system. The antagonists on the other side have suddenly become pure, flawless saints. The female leads have been force-fed the so-called "original plot," making them think they've been reborn. Now, everyone thinks I'm scum. Including the old lady in my ring. And here I am, in the Monster Beast Mountain Range, braising pork. To put my situation in perspective— It's as if, the moment Xiao Yan stepped into the Monster Beast Mountain Range, the Soul Emperor already knew he would become the Flame Emperor, and Yao Lao had been turned to the enemy's side. I have nothing right now. Oh wait, that's not true. I do have a white-haired loli child-bride who's the Heavenly Dao, and her only skill is acting cute. So, tell me guys... what are my chances of making it to the end?
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."
