Martial Arts Alliance Headquarters.
Grand Conference Hall.
Buzz—!
As the attendees filed in, the nine thousand star-illuminating stones embedded in the dome ceiling lit up simultaneously, bathing the Alliance's assembly hall in a brilliance akin to daylight.
Seated on the circular jade tiers were the seventy-two sect leaders of the Xuantian Realm, their robes shimmering with spiritual light that cast shifting, iridescent shadows upon the dark golden floor.
Some sat with eyes closed in meditation, while others idly tapped the smart desks placed before them.
This time, the Alliance had summoned all seventy-two upper-tier sect leaders of the Xuantian Realm—each of whom commanded countless subordinate branches beneath them.
Yet, one question lingered in everyone’s mind: Why had the Alliance called them here?
[Beep~ Please enjoy some tea~]
Translucent humanoid figures seeped from the walls, morphing into chibi shark forms that floated beside each sect leader.
Balancing trays on their heads, they offered steaming cups of premium tea.
So...
Why sharks?
Feng Yutian, the leader of the Taichu Sacred Land, was naturally present.
Silently accepting the tea, he took a sip, savoring the fragrant leaves as they blossomed across his palate.
His eyes brightened. "Excellent tea."
No sooner had he spoken than—
"Brother Feng~~"
A woman in crimson robes cooed as she leaned toward him. "Fancy seeing you at this Alliance meeting! And what a coincidence—I’m seated right next to you~"
Feng Yutian responded with a cold snort. Spiritual energy erupted around him, forming an invisible barrier that shoved the woman back forcefully.
Stumbling, she barely caught herself from falling. Shooting him a wounded look, she pouted, "Brother Feng, how cruel! I was just showing concern, and this is how you treat me?"
A chuckle sounded nearby. "Hong Ji, after all these years, you still refuse to give up?"
"If your sect members knew their esteemed leader of the Hehuan Sect was pining chastely over a man, they’d probably—"
Before the speaker could finish, Hong Ji’s flirtatious demeanor vanished. She whirled around, snarling, "Shut your mouth, Mo Yuan, you old fossil! One more word, and I’ll drain every drop of your essence!"
"Fine, fine, I’ll stop."
Mo Yuan, leader of the Taixuan Demon Sect, shook his head with a wry smile. Glancing at Feng Yutian seated beside Hong Ji, he mused, "The three of us together like this… it takes me back to when we first embarked on the path of cultivation."
Indeed.
Who would have guessed?
Feng Yutian of the Taichu Sacred Land, Mo Yuan of the Taixuan Demon Sect, and Hong Ji of the Hehuan Sect—these three had once fought side by side, comrades who had faced life and death together.
Alas, differing ideals had eventually driven them apart.
Feng Yutian nodded, a trace of nostalgia in his voice. "How time flies. Our era has long passed."
Now, as spiritual energy resurged, so too had emerged advanced technologies beyond their comprehension.
His expression sobered as he turned to Mo Yuan. "Earlier, your sect was infiltrated by a practitioner of the Devouring Spirit Demonic Art. Did you manage to identify any distinguishing traits?"
Mo Yuan’s face darkened. "A single individual overpowered me and several elders, wielding our sect’s most advanced techniques with terrifying mastery."
He hesitated. "And… I can’t shake the feeling they’re connected to that newly emerged faction—the Shadow Garden."
Feng Yutian’s gaze grew heavy.
An enemy lurking in the shadows, formidable and unseen—it was a blade perpetually suspended above their heads.
Hong Ji, however, remained fixated on Feng Yutian. "Brother Feng, why dwell on such grim matters? Aren’t we here for this Alliance meeting?"
Her voice turned coy. "You’re close with Qin Luo from the Alliance, aren’t you? Any hints about today’s agenda?"
Feng Yutian shook his head. "No details. Only that it concerns the survival of our world, and attendance was mandatory."
Hong Ji scoffed. "Survival of the world? How dramatic. Just a bunch of ants inflating their importance."
Her eyes swept the room, lips curling. "I wonder what that young Alliance representative plans to announce."
Yet...
One hour passed.
The sect leaders sipped tea calmly, assuming the Alliance was merely delayed.
Two hours passed.
They continued drinking, though impatience began to crease their brows.
Three hours later...
Still, no host had appeared.
"What kind of joke is this?!"
The leader of the Blazing Heaven Sect shot to his feet, seizing the chibi shark attendant that had refilled his cup dozens of times. "Has the Alliance forgotten us?! Where’s the announcement?!"
They had waited for hours with no explanation.
Feng Yutian frowned, considering whether to message Qin Luo for clarification.
Mo Yuan muttered under his breath, "What in the world is going on...?"
No matter the circumstances, this delay was beyond excessive.
Hong Ji was growing drowsy from waiting. She sidled up to Feng Yutian and teased, "Brother Feng, isn’t this perfect? We can stay a little longer..."
Before she could finish, her lingering, seductive tone was abruptly cut off as the starlight gems embedded in the dome flickered out all at once.
!!!!
The atmosphere froze.
Every sect leader’s expression darkened in unison.
The next moment—
Gurgle...
Thick, ink-like shadows seeped from the cracks between the floor tiles, swallowing every source of light in an instant.
"It’s a trap!"
The Beast Mountain Sect Leader tried to rise, but shadowy hands materialized from the darkness, forcing him back into his seat.
"Enough with the theatrics!"
The already irritable Blazing Flame Sect Leader summoned violet flames in his palm—only for them to twist into eerie blue ghostfire within seconds.
Horror dawned on him as he realized his innate life-flame was being corrupted by the darkness, the flickering flames now filled with countless screaming human faces.
Mo Yuan’s heart pounded violently. This malice... it could only be...
He snapped his head up just as a swirling vortex of shadows coalesced at the center of the hall, a black-and-gold throne slowly emerging, borne aloft by skeletal hands.
"The hour has come."
Qin Luo’s voice, reverberating with abyssal echoes, spilled from the shadowy figure seated upon the throne. With every word he spoke, viscous darkness dripped onto the floor, hissing and etching screaming ghostly visages into the stone.
The Mark of the Wailing Specter?!
The sect leaders recoiled in shock.
Since when did the Shadow Garden’s Wailing Specters infiltrate the Alliance headquarters?!
But realization struck swiftly.
Because...
The figure on the throne finally revealed himself fully, clad in a flowing black coat that seemed to ripple like liquid shadow.
It was...
"Qin Luo?!"
Every eye locked onto him in disbelief.
Why did Qin Luo’s aura mirror that of the Shadow Garden?
Could it be...?!
At last, someone pieced it together.
One sect leader bellowed, "We’ve been deceived! This is the Alliance’s scheme!"
"The Shadow Garden and the Alliance are in league!"
"He summoned us here to—"
SMACK!
"Enough chatter."
Before the man could finish, Qin Luo lazily raised his right hand. A crisp slap rang out, and the speaking sect leader was knocked unconscious by a shadowy palm.
Then, Qin Luo swept his gaze across the room, his eyes flickering with ghostly blue flames. "First, let me welcome you all to this meeting."
"Forgive my tardiness."
"After all..."
As he spoke—
RIIIP—
The space behind him tore open like fabric, revealing long, jagged rifts.
One by one, familiar figures stepped into view—every absent minor sect leader who had failed to attend.
"These are—?!"
Feng Yutian’s pupils constricted.
Qin Luo’s calm voice carried through the hall, "It took some time to deal with these weaker sect leaders... discreetly, of course."
"Now, allow me to reintroduce myself."
He snapped his fingers, and a half-masked visage of the Wailing Specter materialized over his face.
"Shadow Garden’s [Wailing Specter]... and leader of the Martial Arts Alliance."
"At your service."
Silence.
So... this had all been a meticulously orchestrated deception?
end. Thus one must continue to cultivate, and become a saint or great emperor, in order to prolong one's life. Chen Xia, however, completely reversed this. Since his transmigration, he has gained immortality, and also a system that awards him with attribute points for every year he lives. Thus between the myriad worlds, the legend of an unparalleled senior appeared. "A gentleman takes revenge; it is never too late even after ten thousand years." "When you were at your peak I yielded, now in your old age I shall trample on you." - Chen Xia
ose... to cooperate with the protagonist! Shen Yuan: I have a system! Protagonist: What? System: Holy crap, you're just spilling it out like that? Shen Yuan: Let's team up, we'll split the system rewards! Protagonist: Fifty-fifty split? Shen Yuan: No way! Protagonist: What!? I'm the one getting beaten up, and I don't get half? Shen Yuan: Forty-sixty split, I get forty, you get sixty! Protagonist: Deal! Big brother, come on, hit me! As long as it doesn't kill me, beat me like you mean it! Shen Yuan: Don't worry... I will definitely protect all of you! No one but me can lay a finger on you! Guard our Heaven's Chosen Ones! I'm the only one allowed to bully them!
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
invincible power, Gu Changge transmigrates into a fantasy world, bound to a sign-in system that grants him cultivation rewards and various peerless treasures daily. While others struggle desperately to break through their cultivation realms, he has long since reached the pinnacle of the Great Dao, becoming a reclusive Emperor whose true strength even he himself cannot fathom. Originally planning to lie low and retire peacefully on Purple Bamboo Peak, the system suddenly issues a new task — take on disciples. With no other choice, Gu Changge casually picks up a few disciples: The eldest disciple, born with a War God Constitution, is thrown a copy of "War God Stratagems" by him, and ends up conquering the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, becoming a peerless War God who sweeps across the cosmos. The second disciple, possessing a Chaos Sword Body, can break all techniques with a single sword, his swordsmanship unmatched throughout history. He points his sword at the heavens: "My master said, the sword and the man stand together. If the sword perishes... my master will give me another one." The third disciple, a reborn Empress who returns to her throne, her elegance and grace overshadowing all beings. And without anyone noticing, his own sect, the Qingxuan Sect, has become the number one sect on the continent. Looking at these unbelievably formidable disciples, Gu Changge, holding the "Primordial Purple Qi" he just signed in for, falls into deep thought: — Wasn't this supposed to be a peaceful retirement? How did I become the ultimate master?!
