Silence. Still silence.
Tian Weizi gazed at Su Muwan and Qin Luo below the platform, who had just boldly declared, "All living beings are an all-you-can-eat buffet," and fell into a prolonged silence.
Was there something wrong with these two’s thought processes?
Having lived for who knows how long, he had witnessed countless cultivators debate the Dao—some spoke of "the Dao is merciless," others argued "all beings are equal," and even demonic cultivators roared "the strong prey on the weak."
But people like Su Muwan and Qin Luo, who openly talked about "devouring origin energy" and "living beings are just a buffet"...
This was a first.
What did it all mean?
Tian Weizi closed his eyes in contemplation, fingertips lightly brushing his sleeve as countless deductions unfolded in his mind.
"No…"
Suddenly, his eyes snapped open, a flash of realization within them.
Perhaps there was profound truth hidden beneath their seemingly absurd words!
"Following one’s true heart is good, opposing it is evil…"
Tian Weizi muttered to himself, as if grasping a crucial insight.
Su Muwan said, "Giving origin energy is good," while Qin Luo claimed, "Preventing Su Muwan from devouring origin energy is evil."
Wasn’t this the purest form of "the doctrine of the true heart"?
No hypocrisy, no pretense—desiring something, they stated it outright; loathing something, they rejected it outright.
This was genuine authenticity!
The more Tian Weizi pondered, the more convinced he became. His eyes gleamed with excitement, and he couldn’t help but clap in admiration.
"Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!"
The assembled immortals below: "???"
Why was the immortal master suddenly praising them? Weren’t these two clearly just fooling around?!
But Tian Weizi was already completely immersed in his epiphany, his gaze toward Qin Luo and Su Muwan now tinged with appreciation.
Slowly, he spoke, his voice resonating like heavenly decree:
"Demon Venerable Qin, Immortal Venerable Su, this humble Daoist has understood."
"You use 'devouring origin energy' as a metaphor for 'true heart,' and 'all-you-can-eat buffet' as a metaphor for 'all living beings'—what you’re truly elucidating is—"
"Good and evil in this world are determined by the heart!"
"Not bound by external forces, not constrained by rules—only by questioning one’s own heart!"
"This level of insight… approaches the Heavenly Dao itself!"
The more he spoke, the more fervent he became, as if he had finally uncovered the answer he had failed to grasp for so many years.
So the Heavenly Dao was merciless because it followed only its own laws.
But humans had emotions because they possessed true hearts!
These two had, in the crudest manner, revealed the deepest philosophy!
Tian Weizi took a deep breath and solemnly asked:
"You two… is this humble Daoist’s interpretation… correct?"
He eagerly awaited their confirmation.
He longed for them to admit that they were using "devouring people" as a metaphor for "true heart."
But…
Qin Luo and Su Muwan exchanged glances, blinking in confusion.
"What’s this old man babbling about?"
Qin Luo frowned. "We really just want the origin energy, you know?"
Su Muwan nodded. "Yeah, old man, why make it so complicated?"
Tian Weizi: "…"
He fell silent once more.
The immortals below also fell silent.
The entire Dao Inquiry Platform was deathly quiet, save for the faint rustling of immortal robes in the wind.
Tian Weizi suddenly felt that his grand epiphany just now…
Had been a joke.
But before he could even collect himself—
"Now!"
Qin Luo suddenly barked.
BOOM—!
Su Muwan erupted into action, her glacial energy surging like a tidal wave, instantly freezing three nearby Immortal Lords into ice sculptures!
Meanwhile, Qin Luo flicked his sleeve—shadows lashed out like chains, ensnaring two other Immortal Venerables before yanking hard—
Squelch!
Their origin energy was forcibly ripped out!
"AAAH—!"
Amid the screams, Qin Luo tossed the extracted energy to Su Muwan. "Here, milady—fresh and hot!"
Su Muwan opened her mouth and swallowed it whole. "Om nom."
The immortals: "!!!"
Wait—
They’re actually eating it?!
We thought you were joking!
Tian Weizi: "…"
For the third time, he was silent.
This time, he gave up thinking altogether.
Fine. Just end it all.
He slowly sat back down on his meditation cushion, watching the chaos below with an expressionless face.
Su Muwan chased after one fleeing Immortal Venerable, hurling a blast of glacial energy. "Trying to run?"
"No! I spent centuries cultivating—!"
Qin Luo pressed another Immortal Lord’s head down. "Be good. It’ll be over soon."
The immortals wailed, scrambling in every direction. "Help! Master Tian Weizi, save us!"
Tian Weizi: "…"
He looked up at the sky and suddenly felt…
So very tired.
Then—
BOOM!!
Waves of immense pressure surged from the distance, drawn by the commotion.
By now, Qin Luo and Su Muwan had nearly cleared the area.
And the latter’s accumulated origin energy had reached a terrifying level.
Hearing the disturbance, the two looked up.
Dozens of figures hovered in the sky, staring down in shock at the scene below.
Then came the furious roars:
"Immortal Venerable Su!! What in the heavens are you doing?!"
"Attacking the immortal realm alongside a demonic cultivator?! So the rumors are true—you’ve colluded with the demonic realm and betrayed us?!"
"Do you have any idea how many will die if you start an immortal-demon war?! Stop this madness and surrender to the Heavenly Court’s judgment!"
Among them, the strongest aura belonged to a figure who bellowed:
"Su Muwan! You’ve truly allied yourself with the demonic realm! Have you no loyalty to the immortals—"
"Tch. Annoying."
Splat.
Immortal King—dead.
"!!"
"Su Muwan!! You venomous witch!! You killed the Immortal King!"
"Treason! Immortal Venerable Su is rebelling against the Heavenly Court!"
In a corner, the Little White Cat trembled uncontrollably. "M-master… why are you doing this…?"
Deeper in the shadows, a group of figures clad in high-tech uniforms shivered.
"So this is the immortal-demon war dungeon… No wonder it’s rated insane…"
Accusations continued to pour in from all sides.
Su Muwan’s head throbbed from the noise.
"Hmph. Since when do I, Su Muwan, need others to dictate my actions?"
She’d had enough.
With an irritated wave of her hand—
BOOM!
A tsunami of glacial origin energy blotted out the sky.
Its momentum wasn’t just aimed at devouring the immortals’ origin energy—
It sought to consume the very essence of the world itself!
"Perish!"
Qin Luo watched the blinding spectacle and suddenly realized—
Huh?
Wait a minute…
Could it be…
That the reason future eras lost the power systems of the primordial and immortal-demon ages…
Was because Su Muwan ate them all in one go?
Meanwhile—
Tian Weizi grew increasingly disillusioned by the scene before him.
This was humanity’s nature—endless conflict, no matter where they were.
If this was how things were… perhaps complete annihilation was the answer.
With this thought, specks of starlight began to emanate from his body.
Having walked the mortal world long enough, understanding had dawned—it was time to return.
A thousand, ten thousand years—to him, they were but a fleeting moment.
This time, upon his return, he would fully become the merciless Heavenly Dao.
And humanity… would cease to exist.
Yet just as he began his ascent—
"Hey, old man! Trying to slip away?"
WHACK!!!
"Ghk—!"
His return was interrupted.
Stunned.
Tian Weizi stood frozen in place.
The searing pain on his face was his first experience of what mortals called "hurt."
Slowly, he raised a hand.
Touched his swollen cheek.
His pupils trembled violently.
This piercing agony made him realize one thing—
What…
I… got slapped?
Huh??!
I am the embodiment of the Heavenly Dao—who dares strike me?!
He jerked his head up just in time to see Qin Luo waving toward the other side. "Young Mistress, come quick! This old man seems stronger than the others."
Upon hearing this, Su Muwan's eyes lit up. In a flash, she appeared before Tian Weizi and reached out to seize his essence. "Hand it over!"
"Outrageous!!!"
Tian Weizi erupted in fury, his body erupting with starlight. "You dare—"
SMACK!!!
"Ugh—!"
Before he could finish, Qin Luo backhanded him across the face again.
Tian Weizi: "...??"
He turned his head, mouth agape. "You actually still—ugh!"
SMACK SMACK SMACK SMACK!!!!
Before he could utter another word, Qin Luo began relentlessly slapping him left and right, all while quipping, "Damn, old man, you’re pretty tough."
This was no joke.
If Qin Luo were to rank everyone’s face-thickness on a tier list, this guy would undoubtedly be SSS-tier.
Too damn thick!
Qin Luo marveled. Truly, ancient beings were built different.
Meanwhile, Tian Weizi was utterly bewildered.
Why? Why?! WHY?!
Why can’t I move?!
And why was this happening? This wasn’t how things were supposed to go!
For millennia, he had walked the mortal realm to understand humanity, witnessing all its joys and sorrows—all to determine whether humans deserved to exist.
He could have wiped them out with a thought, yet he chose to experience their world firsthand.
Such boundless compassion!
And yet... what did he get in return?
Beaten to a pulp by two humans?!
And he couldn’t even fight back?!
Why... why would you do this?!
"You... why are you doing this?!" Tian Weizi’s voice trembled, the starlight in his eyes flickering chaotically as if his entire worldview was crumbling.
Qin Luo gave him a strange look. "Because I felt like it. Do I need a reason?"
Su Muwan nodded in agreement. "Yeah, yeah. Old man, you talk too much."
With a flick of her finger, the Heavenly Dao’s power within Tian Weizi was forcibly extracted.
"Huh?"
Su Muwan blinked in confusion. "Luo Luo, this essence feels weird. It’s different from the others."
Qin Luo shrugged. "Who cares? As long as it makes us stronger."
Su Muwan: "Oh."
After absorbing it, she sensed a strange new power stirring within her.
But before she could fully grasp it, a blinding white light enveloped them.
Qin Luo froze. "Wait... is this some kind of story checkpoint? Are we getting teleported back?"
Su Muwan pouted. "No way, this is too fast. I wasn’t done feasting yet."
Whoosh!
The light flashed, and their figures vanished instantly.
Only...
"Why... why..."
Tian Weizi collapsed to the ground, his eyes hollow.
Only now did it dawn on him.
Why would an embodiment of the Heavenly Dao develop human emotions?
In the past, he’d encountered countless unruly creatures, yet none had ever made him feel... this.
Unless...
Someone here possessed power equal to his own?
Who... was it?
Suddenly—
SMACK!!
A sharp, crisp sound exploded in his mind.
That slap...
Tian Weizi shuddered violently.
That slap carried the power of the Heavenly Dao?!
How?!
Why? That power... it shouldn’t belong to anyone else!
What the hell is going on?!
Then—
Gurgle...!
Tendrils of shadowy energy seeped from the marks on Tian Weizi’s cheeks.
"!!!"
His pupils constricted.
"This... this power can corrupt me... No... this is bad..."
"My true form... is in... danger..."
His voice grew weaker.
Thanks to Qin Luo’s endlessly upgraded slaps, each strike now came with a built-in debuff.
Meaning every hit also injected traces of shadow energy.
And for beings like Tian Weizi... it was pure poison.
Within moments, his mind went blank.
He... didn’t want to think anymore...
A long silence passed.
Tian Weizi simply stared dazedly at the sky, muttering over and over:
"Humans... why... why..."
His voice faded until, finally, he began giggling like a madman.
"Hehehe... I see now... I see..."
"It wasn’t me... It wasn’t humans... The fault... lies with this world!!"
"All life... is an all-you-can-eat buffet... Eat... consume everything..."
As he spoke, thick, ink-black liquid oozed from his body.
Foul and putrid, reeking of decay.
It was... the stench of malice!
Su Muwan’s "all-you-can-eat" remark had planted a seed in him—
A desire to devour all existence.
And thus... malice was born.
As for the Heavenly Dao...
"Hehe..."
"Heehee..."
It had gone insane.
ap a wealthy young lady? Or else I'll be eliminated by the system? Ye Feng, who awakened the Kidnapper System, originally wanted to live a peaceful life but never imagined he would become a kidnapper of young women. However, after some time, he discovered that all the girls the system ordered him to kidnap were far from ordinary. "Big brother Ye Feng~ You've kidnapped my heart, and now you're not allowed to leave me ever again~" "Ye Feng~ You kidnapped me back then, now it's my turn to capture you♡" "Little Feng, you're mine! You can only be mine!" "Ye Feng, none of them deserve you. Only I love you the most♡" ... This is madness, they've all gone mad! Wait, what? Why are all the girls I kidnapped yanderes?!
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.
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."
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!
