The next day.
Cloud Sky City was shrouded in a fine drizzle, painting the concrete streets in dark hues.
[An inheritor of the Devouring Spirit Demon Art—perhaps even a member of the Shadow Court!]
[Might be hiding in Cloud Sky City!!]
What kind of joke is this?!
Xu Tun walked down the streets of Cloud Sky City, his eyes shadowed with unease.
His mind replayed the news broadcast by the Martial Arts Alliance two or three days ago.
Have I been exposed?
Since when?
Sure, I’ve been practicing the Devouring Spirit Demon Art, but what the hell is this "Shadow Court"?
Just then.
Two enforcers in the white uniforms of the Martial Arts Alliance approached from ahead.
Xu Tun quickly pulled his hood tighter and lowered his head, pretending to be just another passerby. Beside him, a shop door swung open, the wind chimes ringing crisply in the rain—but the sound couldn’t drown out the conversation behind him.
"Master, have you heard? What exactly are we here for?"
A young enforcer whispered, keeping his voice low.
"Shh—"
The older enforcer glanced around warily. "Keep it down. Over here."
Xu Tun’s steps faltered slightly. Using the reflection in the shop’s display window, he caught sight of the two enforcers standing by a street corner noticeboard.
They held a stack of bulletins in their arms, seemingly replacing old notices with new ones.
As they worked, the older enforcer muttered, "The higher-ups say the inheritor of the Devouring Spirit Demon Art is likely hiding in Cloud Sky City."
"Rumors say they’re also a member of the Shadow Court."
"The Shadow Court?!"
The young enforcer sucked in a sharp breath. "Those monsters..."
Xu Tun’s heartbeat spiked.
Are they talking about me?
Or someone else? If there were another inheritor of the Devouring Spirit Demon Art in Cloud Sky City, I should’ve sensed them by now.
Pretending to tie his shoelaces, he crouched down, ears straining to catch every word.
At the same time, he stole a glance at the new notice the enforcers had just posted.
And with just one look, his blood ran cold.
Because the new notice was a wanted poster.
Though dampened by the rain, the image was still clear—a blurry figure.
Thud!!
Tap-tap-tap!
Xu Tun shot to his feet and hurried away, his pupils trembling.
What kind of sick joke is this?!
I’ve really been exposed?
And now I’m being linked to some nonsense about the Shadow Court?
What the hell?
Who’s framing me?
......
......
Moments later.
Xu Tun rushed back to a luxurious villa.
"Hah..."
He leaned against the closed door, exhaling deeply.
This was a property under the name of a wealthy young woman he’d once helped.
After he’d rid her of a malignant spirit, she’d generously gifted him the house.
Lately, the patrols by the Martial Arts Alliance enforcers in Cloud Sky City had grown more frequent.
He’d have to be even more careful when going out to buy meat for his devouring rituals.
Or... maybe I should just have Tao Tao buy it for me.
The thought had barely formed when a nervous voice called from inside.
"Xu... Xu Tun."
Hearing it, Xu Tun’s expression softened slightly. He looked up.
A refined young woman from a wealthy family stepped out from the living room.
It was Tao Tao, the eldest daughter of the Tao family.
He didn’t notice the tension in her demeanor as he walked toward her.
"Tao Tao, I won’t be going out for a while. I’ll make a list for you—"
The rest of his request died in his throat.
Xu Tun’s steps froze mid-stride, his pupils contracting violently.
Because behind Tao Tao, several figures emerged.
"Xu Tun... or should I say..."
"[Soul Devourer] of the Shadow Court?"
Qin Luo stepped forward in a black trench coat, a faint smirk playing on his lips. Behind him stood a squad clad in silver uniforms.
Even Xu Tun had seen the Silver Squad’s battles on Douyin.
They were the Martial Arts Alliance’s most advanced killing machines, forged with cutting-edge technology.
As those words hung in the air, Xu Tun’s face twisted into an expression of shock and fury. He instinctively took a step back, his gaze darting between Qin Luo and Tao Tao.
"You... you—"
Tao Tao kept her head lowered, fingers twisting the hem of her clothes. Her voice was barely audible.
"I’m sorry, Xu Tun..."
"I... I was too scared... because you kept eating raw meat..."
"Even though you said it was because of your cultivation method... but..."
Tears welled in her eyes as she suddenly shouted, "Isn’t that exactly how the Devouring Spirit Demon Art works, according to the Alliance?!"
"They’ve already issued a warrant for your arrest..."
"Xu Tun... please stop. Don’t help the Shadow Court anymore."
The moment she finished—
"Bullshit!!"
"You’re betraying me?!"
Xu Tun’s voice rose sharply, his eyes flashing with fury and disbelief.
In his past life, he’d been betrayed by Ling Long, the woman he trusted most.
And now, in this life, another woman had sold him out?
"I saved your life! And you—"
Before he could finish, Qin Luo chuckled and stepped forward.
"Saved her life?"
"Are you sure you didn’t just manipulate her mind with the Devouring Spirit Demon Art? Make her hallucinate about evil spirits?"
Xu Tun: ???
His breath hitched, his face turning ashen.
He wanted to scream that the Devouring Spirit Demon Art had no such ability!
But—
One look at Qin Luo’s stance told him everything.
No matter what he said, it wouldn’t matter.
In that case...
He took a deep breath—
BANG!
Without hesitation, he smashed through the window and fled.
My strength hasn’t fully returned yet—I have to run!!
I can’t let myself be captured, not when I still have to take revenge on Ling Long!
"Xu Tun!"
Tao Tao’s voice rang out, thick with disappointment.
Just as Instructor Qin said... has Xu Tun truly fallen into darkness?
Watching the scene unfold, Qin Luo’s lips curled slightly, his eyes glinting with something unreadable.
Run. There’s something even better waiting for you.
With that thought, he raised a hand and uttered coldly,
"Silver Squad. Don’t let the criminal escape."
"Roger!"
The moment the order was given, the Silver Squad members pulled their triggers in unison. Dozens of laser rounds streaked through the air, homing in on Xu Tun.
At the same time, several drones ascended, unleashing a web of crackling electricity that sealed off every possible escape route.
Faced with the onslaught, Xu Tun didn’t dare take the hits head-on. He weaved through the lasers like a specter, each dodge a hair’s breadth from disaster.
But even so, a few stray shots grazed him, blood seeping from the wounds.
"Damn it!"
Xu Tun sprinted through the streets, his teeth clenched in frustration, veins bulging on his forehead.
If only my strength had fully returned—I wouldn’t be reduced to this!
Just then, Qin Luo suddenly leaped into the air, his black coat fluttering like a meteor streaking across the sky.
Gathering a sphere of pure white energy in his right hand, he hurled it straight at Xu Tun!
"BOOM!"
The impact sent Xu Tun flying, his body crashing into the ground with enough force to carve out a crater.
Gritting his teeth, he struggled to push himself up, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
"Xu Tun. Give up."
Qin Luo descended slowly to the edge of the crater, looking down at him with an icy tone. "As a member of the Shadow Court, there’s no need for you to struggle any further."
"Bullshit! I’m not one of them!"
Xu Tun screamed hysterically, his eyes filled with humiliation and fury.
What the hell was going on?
Why did everyone he ran into insist he was part of the Shadow Court?
"Oh? Is that so?" Qin Luo raised an eyebrow, his voice mocking. "Then care to explain why your aura is identical to that of a Shadow Court member? The Martial Arts Alliance has the most advanced detection equipment, you know."
"And why do you know the Forbidden Devouring Art? Are all these just coincidences?"
"We’ve been watching you for days. Sneaking around, always just you and Tao Tao—yet every time you buy raw meat, it’s dozens of pounds at once. Clearly, you’re practicing the Forbidden Devouring Art."
"As the saying goes..." Qin Luo shook his head. "Today you use livestock, tomorrow it’ll be humans."
Xu Tun’s heart sank. Had all his actions been exposed?
Damn it—back in the Ancient Cang Realm, there weren’t this many surveillance devices.
Coughing up blood, he roared, "Ridiculous! The Forbidden Devouring Art isn’t exclusive to the Shadow Court! And since when does knowing it automatically make me one of those heretics?!"
As his words faded—
BZZZT!!!
A suffocating black mist erupted from the space behind Xu Tun.
At the same time, a sneering voice rang out.
[You’re such an idiot, Xu Tun. Getting caught like this.]
Xu Tun: ???
ions, keeping it grounded and realistic】 After quitting his job, office worker Su Yang accidentally binds with the "Enjoy Life System." As the name suggests, simply by indulging in life's pleasures, he can earn random rewards from the system—no need to spend money on beautiful women or grovel before anyone. Just enjoy, and the money follows, making it all about effortless fun. The system comes with a scanning feature, allowing him to establish a favorability bond with women rated 85 points or above. Every 20-point increase in favorability unlocks additional rewards. After suffering through over twenty years of hardship, Su Yang trembles with excitement, his dull eyes suddenly gleaming with newfound hope. "Enjoy life? How hard could that be?"
. 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!"
d intelligence to keep the plot moving, and sometimes even the protagonists are forced into absurdly dumb decisions. Why does the A-list celebrity heroine in urban romance novels ditch the top-tier movie star and become a lovestruck fool for a pockmarked male lead? Why do the leads in historical tragedy novels keep dancing between love and death, only for the blind healer to end up suffering the most? And Gu Wei never expected that after finally landing a villain role to stir up trouble, she’d pick the wrong gender! No choice now—she’ll just have to crush the protagonists as a girl!
+【Epic Battles!】 "Your Highness, they say Linxi Temple is miraculous. Won’t you make a wish?" "A wish? It should be making wishes to me." "That may be so, but since you’re already here..." "..." "Fine. Then grant this princess a consort to play with." "He must be obedient, devoted, and utterly infatuated with my body—so much so that he’d kneel and kiss my feet." "Your Highness, that’s not a consort. That’s a dog." "Then add clever, witty, heroic, ambitious yet pragmatic..." "Hmm, that’s enough for now. I’ll add more later." After tossing out these words half in jest, Princess Anle departed the temple—only to catch a fleeting glimpse of the Bodhisattva statue smiling at her. Meanwhile, Yang An, fresh out of university, was having a very bad day. Good news: He’d transmigrated into another world with a cheat granting tenfold combat power. Bad news: He’d immediately fallen into the clutches of a certain villainess. Good news: Said villainess possessed peerless beauty and royal status. Bad news: She was absolutely monstrous!!! In the frozen wilderness, Yang An knelt beneath Qin Guo’er’s feet, drenched in sweat despite the cold. Desperately clutching her porcelain-perfect foot—the very one poised to crush his throat—he could only think: How do I survive this?! Need answers NOW!
