“Holy shit! What the hell is going on here???”
When Chu Yuan returned to the secret realm, his scalp tingled with dread.
The once-stable realm had nearly collapsed, leaving only a grotesque, towering tree that blotted out the sky. Thorn-covered withered branches sealed the entrance of the cave, where endless streams of dark energy surged out—only to be absorbed by the vines. Dozens of desiccated corpses hung from the branches, their life force completely drained.
“Squeak squeak squeak!!!”
A swarm of Transcendent Realm demonic bats burst from the cave, only to be instantly swatted apart by a branch and sucked dry.
Lin Mu had become utterly addicted to this all-you-can-eat buffet. Absorbing demonic energy was way faster than slowly evolving the old-fashioned way!
He even found himself eagerly anticipating the arrival of the demonic army, hoping for a quick power boost.
Though engrossed in his feast, Lin Mu soon noticed Chu Yuan’s sudden appearance.
Without hesitation, he lashed out with a branch!
The attack carried the might of a Martial God, but Chu Yuan was no pushover.
“Damn it, a sneak attack?!” Chu Yuan vanished instantly, using his movement technique to evade.
“A Martial God? Hehehe… Perfect. I’m still hungry—time for a snack!” Lin Mu cackled as countless branch-like tentacles extended, writhing like an ancient demonic tree awakening.
“What the—?! Where’s the ‘unyielding ally’ I was promised? Did you freaking eat him?!”
Wiping cold sweat, Chu Yuan charged forward anyway.
Fifteen minutes later, the battle ended.
Mutual devastation!
“What?! You were sent by the Young Master?!” Lin Mu was stunned. Why the hell didn’t you say so sooner?!
Chu Yuan was downright toxic—his techniques countered demonic energy, nearly killing him! But then it made sense. The Young Master must’ve sent him as insurance, worried Lin Mu might fall to demonic corruption.
“So… we’re on the same side? Could’ve mentioned that earlier! I thought you were a demon!” Chu Yuan panted, exhausted.
[Ding! Host, you’ve been scammed…]
——
Midnight arrived once more, and Jiang Che resumed his efforts.
“Pfft—” Jiang Che suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood!
“Waaah! Jiang Che, stop! No more heart’s blood… Just let me turn to stone completely… Don’t torture yourself anymore!”
Jia Ling’er’s face was streaked with tears, her usual pride long gone. Clearly, the once-haughty little princess had given her heart to Jiang Che.
“It’s fine… Just a drop of heart’s blood. I can handle it.”
With trembling hands, Jiang Che extracted a single crimson drop and let it fall onto Jia Ling’er’s body.
Instantly, her petrified skin reverted to its usual softness.
“Wuuuuhhh~~~” The girl threw herself into Jiang Che’s arms, tears cascading like pearls onto the ground.
“Why are you so stupid? How much does this hurt?!”
Though Jiang Che had schemed his way into her heart, Jia Ling’er’s love for him was undeniable.
From the shadows, the Jialan Empress watched their tender moment, seething as she turned away.
She knew Jiang Che’s true nature—this despicable human had not only defiled Ling’er but now dared to covet her as well.
Yet, she begrudgingly admitted his methods were effective. Despite the agony of midnight heart-shattering pain, he still saved Ling’er from petrification. At least he took responsibility.
But she still hated him. If not for him, none of this misery would exist—Ling’er would never have been petrified!
——
“Oh, right, Ling’er… I brought you a treasure.”
Jiang Che smiled, pulling out a smooth, jade-white pearl from his pocket. It looked utterly ordinary.
But its plain appearance only made it more extraordinary!
Jia Ling’er’s eyes widened, her bloodline trembling violently—no, shuddering in awe!
To others, the pearl might seem insignificant, but to the Jialan Clan, descendants of the ancient Merfolk Immortals, it was everything.
Gazing at it, they felt as if they were staring into the heavens themselves.
“This is—?!”
Even the Jialan Empress couldn’t hold back. She materialized before Jiang Che in an instant, her eyes locked onto the pearl.
“What is this?!”
Despite her vast knowledge of the clan’s secrets, she had never seen such an artifact. Yet her bloodline screamed that this tiny pearl held unimaginable significance!
“Where did you get this?!” She nearly snatched it but restrained herself at the last moment.
“Wait—you must’ve found our Merfolk ancestral ruins! This treasure came from there, didn’t it?!”
Her chest heaved with rapid breaths, nearly blinding Jiang Che with the sight.
“Hey hey hey, Your Majesty, back off! This is for Ling’er!”
Jiang Che pulled Jia Ling’er close, placing the pearl in her delicate hands.
“Ling’er, this is called ‘Mermaid’s Tear,’ also known as ‘Stone’s Lament.’ It can drastically purify your Merfolk bloodline. It’s incredibly rare. I want to use it to elevate your royal blood—once upgraded, the bloodline curse might no longer affect you.”
Jia Ling’er stared at the pearl, her heart melting into a puddle.
“Jiang Che… this…”
“Just swallow it. As my woman, your bloodline is my responsibility. With me here, you’ll be safe.”
Jiang Che shot a glance at the ignored Jialan Empress, then popped the pearl into his own mouth. Holding Jia Ling’er’s slender waist, he leaned in, transferring the pearl to her lips in a lingering kiss.
Jialan Empress: “!!!”
Absolutely scandalized!
Fury warred with anticipation as she watched her daughter intently.
Soon, the Mermaid’s Tear took effect.
Jia Ling’er’s body began to transform. Phantom visions of immortals flickered around her, and her royal blood boiled like never before.
The pearl dissolved into pure celestial energy, forcibly refining her bloodline—replacing every drop of royal blood with immortal essence.
In a way, Jia Ling’er was no longer the Jialan Empress’s descendant. Her bloodline had surpassed royalty, reverting entirely to its primordial, divine state.
A true-blooded mermaid!

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.

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.”

. As long as he maintains the villain image and follows the plot to the grand finale, he can obtain generous rewards and return to the real world. So Gu Chen'an entered the role and began to act as a scumbag villain, but who would have expected that the female leads could hear his inner thoughts. Miss Su from the Su family was shocked: "I originally thought Gu Chen'an was a scumbag, but I didn't expect he turned out to be a gentleman! What? You said I have to call off the engagement? I definitely won't, I'll piss you off!" Bai Yuan Tian was dumbfounded: "Young Master Gu is usually unreasonable and a complete brat, but he actually calls me little sweetie in his heart? What, Young Master Gu even said he likes me?" As the female leads' images collapsed more and more, the plot also collapsed with it. Gu Chen'an looked at all this chaos. "Ladies, don't aggro me, if you keep this up the male lead really will stab me, I still need to survive to the grand finale!"

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!