"Bridal Demon Art? The Heaven Pavilion's master... the Demon Emperor?" Jiang Che stroked his chin thoughtfully.
In truth, he didn’t even need Chen Hao to report anything to him. Between Chen Hao’s "Trap God System," Xu Mo’s forced-upgraded "Check-in System," and Xu Rong’s "Devouring System," all three subsystems were essentially Jiang Che’s undercover agents.
With these three surveillance tools, he could see everything they did—even when they went to the bathroom.
Of course... Jiang Che didn’t exactly have a habit of spying on men.
"It seems that Lin Fan was just a pawn, a piece placed in the mortal realm by this Demon Emperor using the system."
At first glance, the members of the Destiny Association’s Human Pavilion might seem like a bunch of useless weaklings, but the organization itself was actually terrifying.
This so-called Demon Emperor wanted to spread the Bridal Demon Art far and wide in the mortal realm through the "Live Cultivation System," but her real targets weren’t the ordinary cultivators.
After all, their talents were too mediocre to be of any use.
If not for Jiang Che, the Demon Emperor’s plan would have been flawless—nearly everyone in the mortal world, including Chu Yuan, Wang Teng, and others, would have ended up practicing the Bridal Demon Art.
Well, Chu Yuan, as the "Chosen One," might have escaped unscathed, but the others? No guarantees.
Too bad for the Demon Emperor—Jiang Che had beaten her to the punch.
Nearly 70% of the individuals on Earth with the qualifications to be considered "Chosen Ones" were concentrated in Dragon Country, effectively crippling the Demon Emperor’s scheme. The two sides were now locked in a feud.
"The Destiny Association... for now, only the Heaven Pavilion poses a threat to me. But its members can’t descend to the mortal realm yet... which gives me time to grow stronger."
Though he had confidence in his own status, the Destiny Association was an incredibly complex organization, and in a xianxia setting like this, who knew what kind of overpowered freaks might be lurking inside?
Better to stay cautious.
For now, he needed to focus on development—just in case.
The Jiang Clan of the Nine Heavens was indeed powerful, a true titan among the celestial realms, but the real thing he could rely on was still his system!
As for how to develop?
Jiang Che had already taken a hands-off approach—why bother earning points himself when he could just let his "workers" do it for him?
Recently, he had scouted a few more promising "Sons of Fortune" from the Cultivator Academy and bound them with subsystems.
While Sons of Fortune didn’t generate points as fast as Chosen Ones, they made up for it in sheer numbers!
A subsystem costing a million points to create could pay for itself in a month at most.
Jiang Che was living proof of what it meant to be a ruthless boss.
All he had to do was indulge in pleasure while others worked for him—oh, and even his leisure activities earned him points.
Exploiting even his own energy? Truly, the definition of a cutthroat employer.
Every day, his dozens of workers brought in over twenty million points.
"Ah~ There aren’t many high-tier Chosen Ones left on Earth. Where am I supposed to find more workers?"
Jiang Che rested his chin on his hand, feeling a bit frustrated.
Seemed like he’d have to start hunting for victims in the Nine Heavens.
"Young Master Jiang, what are you thinking about? Something about workers?"
Qiu Lin had appeared at Jiang Che’s side at some point, standing respectfully.
After his bloodline evolution, Qiu Lin had grown dragon horns, and his body was now covered in golden-red scales, giving him an air of true draconic majesty.
"Hm? When did you get here?" Jiang Che raised an eyebrow.
Qiu Lin immediately bowed. "Young Master, this subordinate has something to report."
"Speak."
Jiang Che yawned. He’d been indulging in abalone and seafood at the Dragon Palace—if not for his Great Sun Saint Body, his constitution probably wouldn’t have been able to handle it.
Qiu Lin bent even lower. "Young Master, word has come from the Nine Heavens Dragon Palace. They’ve ordered us to safeguard the Ancestral Dragon Pearl and await the arrival of the Dragon Princess..."
"Oh?" Jiang Che’s eyes lit up. Now this was something worth his attention.
What he needed right now was a mount. While Qiu Lin had undergone a bloodline transformation and would likely become a pure-blooded dragon after a few more upgrades, Jiang Che had no interest in riding a male dragon.
He was a man who aspired to be a true Dragon Rider—naturally, he wanted a female dragon. And this Dragon Princess, with her noble status and formidable power, was the perfect candidate.
Riding a dragon at home, riding a dragon outside—that was the life of a true Dragon Rider!
"Uh... Young Master, the Dragon Princess has already ascended to Martial God status. Even if she descends, it’ll likely be just an avatar. This subordinate suggests... you take the Ancestral Dragon Pearl in advance and use it to coerce her into submission!"
Having spent enough time with Jiang Che, Qiu Lin knew exactly what kind of person his master was. Poor Dragon Princess—even if she descended, she wouldn’t escape his clutches.
"The Ancestral Dragon Pearl, huh?"
Jiang Che glanced up at the dazzling orb suspended beneath the deep-sea dome. With the spiritual energy resurgence, the pearl had grown even more radiant, now emitting faint draconic energy that subtly influenced lower-tier dragonkin.
Many of Earth’s native sea creatures had already begun showing draconic traits—like whales with horns. But for someone like Qiu Lin, whose bloodline was already advanced, the effects were negligible.
"What a coincidence—I happen to have one right here."
With a flip of his hand, Jiang Che produced a miniature, perfectly smooth pearl resting in his palm.
The pearl was jade-white yet slightly translucent, and if one looked closely, they could see a tiny golden dragon, no larger than a finger, coiled inside.
Thud—
Before he even realized it, Qiu Lin had dropped to his knees, as if crushed by an overwhelming bloodline pressure.
The draconic energy radiating from the pearl was absolute domination to any lower-tier dragonkin.
"Young Master... what is this...?"
"A dragon pearl." Jiang Che smiled faintly. He didn’t mind showing off a little in front of Qiu Lin—after all, the man’s loyalty was maxed out at 100.
"A dragon pearl? Then... what about the one up there?" Qiu Lin looked up, stunned.
"That’s also a dragon pearl—just a fake one."
That’s right. When it came to treasures like the Ancestral Dragon Pearl, Jiang Che would never just leave it lying around.
In Jiang Che’s territory, geese lost their feathers, beasts left their hides, and beautiful women who passed by stayed to warm his bed.
He had long since swapped the real pearl for a replica, pocketing the genuine article for himself.
"A fake?" Qiu Lin stared at the pearl above, still emanating majestic draconic might, and gulped.
He wouldn’t doubt Jiang Che’s words.
"Still, this pearl isn’t much use to me. Might as well use it to bait that little Dragon Princess."
Jiang Che toyed with the pearl for a moment before storing it in his system space.
This dragon pearl definitely held some great secret of the dragon race. Its original owner had likely been at least a True Immortal-level ancient dragon. Who knew what kind of traps might be hidden inside? No need for Jiang Che to take that risk.
Besides, this thing can't even be recycled for points in the system, so might as well keep it to impress girls!
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.
lanned to earn money steadily and take life at a slower pace. But he never expected... his father's remarriage, and the stepmother bringing along a dependent, would completely disrupt his life's plans...
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.”
