"Come in."
A calm voice reached the ears of the dragon maiden.
The dragon maiden let out a long, relieved sigh, then slowly stepped into the hall.
The spacious room contained only Jiang Che, though... he was also holding a little orange cat in his arms.
The dragon maiden gave Jiang Che a once-over. He was indeed as rumored... exceptionally handsome. However, she couldn't understand why someone with such peerless talent and looks could be so... lustful???
She had seen many of the supreme geniuses from the Nine Heavens, but those who could become true prodigies... were they not all single-mindedly devoted to the Dao? They all had their own pride. Forget being lustful... some didn't even deign to seek a Dao companion, for how could mere romantic love compare to the Great Dao?
But soon, she understood the reason.
Perhaps it was because Jiang Che originated from the Lower Realm.
"Long Qianqiu, greets Young Master Jiang."
The dragon maiden gave a slight bow.
Jiang Che, with his legs crossed and stroking 'Huangdoufen' (Yellow Bean Flour) in his hands, looked up at the dragon maiden with keen interest.
Her face was veiled by a light purple gauze, yet even so, Jiang Che could glimpse her breathtaking beauty. A cascade of pale purple hair flowed down, and even her pupils held a faint purple glow.
Most striking were the pair of dragon horns on her head. They looked natural, not abrupt at all, and Jiang Che even felt an impulse to touch them.
"Lady Long, I've long heard of your esteemed name," Jiang Che said, lightly licking his thin lips.
Although the dragon maiden wore a veil, Jiang Che had actually already seen her... revealing photos.
When Jia Ling'er first descended to the Lower Realm, Jiang Che had found several albums of glamour photos in her storage ring, one of which featured this very dragon princess.
It had to be said, the dragon princess's figure was truly enchanting.
Long Qianqiu instinctively felt there was something off about the way Jiang Che was looking at her. She could never have imagined... that all those private, intimate photos from when she and Jia Ling'er were close girlfriends had been secretly taken by that little vixen.
And they had all been seen by Jiang Che.
"Young Master Jiang, you must know why I have descended to the Lower Realm this time!"
"Of course I know. You descended to become my wife, didn't you?"
???
Jiang Che's words left Long Qianqiu speechless. She looked at him in disbelief. This... this guy was way too blunt!
Could it be that all men in the Mortal Realm were like this? Like some primitive tribe... see someone you like and just carry her home?
"What's wrong? Was I mistaken? I've told your Dragon Palace people many times that if you want to befriend me... at the very least, someone of the Dragon Princess's stature is required. And now you've descended... if not to marry me, then for what?"
Hearing Jiang Che's words, Long Qianqiu was momentarily at a loss for words.
Because the Dragon Palace did indeed have the idea of currying favor with Jiang Che by sending him a bride. Even her own former personal maid had been sent down, a girl of quite lovely appearance, but Jiang Che hadn't taken a liking to her.
"Young Master Jiang, the purpose of my descent... is for the Ancestral Dragon Pearl! I know the Ancestral Dragon Pearl is in your possession... this item is crucial to the future of our Dragon Palace!"
[I must obtain the Dragon Pearl. The greatest secret of the Dragon Clan is sealed within it! If I gain all the legacy inside the pearl, what need do I have for the Dragon Palace or the Dragon Clan? I alone shall be the Dragon Clan!]
[As for that marriage contract, it's nothing but a laughable scrap of paper. I will tear it to pieces with my own hands!]
Oh ho! It seems 'Di Ting' (Listening to Truth) has heard something quite remarkable!
Jiang Che smiled as he looked at the dragon maiden. This woman... had quite the ambition!
She had probably learned some secret, discovered that the Dragon Pearl held a treasure, and was thus willing to go to any lengths to obtain it.
"Ancestral Dragon Pearl? I don't know what that is."
The dragon maiden's face remained calm. She understood now... she would likely have to sacrifice something to get the pearl from Jiang Che.
Neither of them were fools. Long Qianqiu knew very well what Jiang Che wanted, and Jiang Che knew what she wanted.
A transaction?
But she truly despised this kind of nauseating transactional method!
That loathsome marriage contract binding her had been decided even before she was born. Back then, the Dragon Palace had offended a mighty figure, and to ensure the clan's survival, they were forced to agree to a marriage contract with a certain Immortal Emperor. The Immortal Emperor's disciple... was her betrothed.
And now, to obtain the Dragon Pearl... must she walk the same path again? Why must she always be the one to be sacrificed?
"Young Master Jiang, you want me to marry you? Give me the Ancestral Dragon Pearl, and I will marry you!"
Long Qianqiu's words made Jiang Che raise an eyebrow slightly. This woman was lying!
Because her inner thoughts had been completely exposed to Jiang Che from the start. Even though Long Qianqiu's cultivation had reached the 6th Revolution Nirvana Stage, it was still no match for 'Di Ting'.
As a divine-grade skill, 'Di Ting's' level was equivalent to the Heavenly Dao itself!
It could fully hear the thoughts of even Great Emperor-level powerhouses. It could also hear those of first or second calamity Immortals without being detected. However, one had to be careful beyond the third calamity, as the status of third calamity Immortal Lords and fourth calamity Immortal Monarchs was not much weaker than the Heavenly Dao. As for fifth calamity Immortal Venerables and sixth calamity Immortal Emperors, they stood on equal footing with the Heavenly Dao.
"Marry me? That's not enough," Jiang Che slowly extended a finger and shook it. "After all, this is the Ancestral Dragon's Pearl. You understand its value well enough."
"Who knows what tricks you might have up your sleeve once you get the legacy? What if you sneak away? Wouldn't I suffer a huge loss then?"
Although Jiang Che's tone was light and smiling, Long Qianqiu felt a bone-chilling coldness.
This man was definitely not as simple as he appeared on the surface. His cunning and methods were terrifying. Could he even perceive the deepest thoughts in her heart?
She did indeed plan to escape. Once the Dragon Pearl was in her hands, she could activate the Dragon Clan legacy. The treasures contained within that pearl were enough for her to rise rapidly in a short time, reaching the Emperor Realm at breakneck speed, even knocking on the gates of Immortality!
The main reason the Nine Heavens Dragon Palace had gradually declined was a fracture in their bloodline legacy!
It could be said that the so-called pure-blooded dragons of the current Nine Heavens Dragon Clan were not truly ancient pure-bloods at all, and were unworthy of being called True Dragons!
All the secrets lay within this Ancestral Dragon Pearl. Back in the day, the True Dragon Ancestor of the Dragon Clan had mastered a Supreme Dao Origin, a Dao Origin exclusive to the Dragon Clan. But after that Dragon Ancestor perished, the Dao Origin vanished without a trace.
Yet, after traveling across myriad realms and finding many clues, all evidence pointed to one possibility!
It was highly likely that the Supreme Dao Origin was indeed hidden within the Dragon Pearl left behind by the True Dragon Ancestor. Whoever obtained it... could ascend to the pinnacle of the Nine Heavens.
If she obtained the Dao Origin and the Ancestral Dragon's legacy, she could completely disappear. What did the Dragon Palace, the Dragon Clan, or any past grievances matter then? Even if the Immortal Emperor from her marriage contract held the Dragon Palace accountable, so what?
As long as she lived, the Dragon Clan would exist!
"I won't leave, you have my word."
Long Qianqiu seemed to have made a difficult decision. Then, she walked straight towards Jiang Che, raising her delicate hand to remove the purple veil before her face, revealing a countenance of breathtaking beauty. Yet, a trace of sorrow lingered in her gaze.
In the end... must we still walk down this path?

't think I'm that capable, I'm just trying my best to stay alive. I've been kind all my life, never did anything bad, yet worldly suffering spared me not one bit. The human world is a nice place, but I won't come back in my next life. A kind young man, who wanted to just get by singing, but through repeated deceits and betrayals, has gone down an irredeemable path.

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?!

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.”

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...