Witnessing Ding Mingcang being reduced to a mist of blood, the remnant spirit of the Heavenly Dao slowly dissipated its ferocious, colossal face.
The crowd standing below exchanged bewildered glances, their eyes filled with disbelief.
The scene before them was simply too shocking!
"This Heavenly Dao spirit… seems different from what I imagined," Zhao Wendao murmured after a long pause.
"Having developed its own sentience, it may no longer be a pure embodiment of the Heavenly Dao… yet its power undeniably carries traces of the Heavenly Dao’s will," the Sect Master analyzed, narrowing his eyes.
"No wonder one can enhance their cultivation and even comprehend Dao techniques within the illusion realm. If such a formidable existence serves as the core of the formation, it makes perfect sense…"
"Though this one’s temper seems a bit… er… no, I mean—"
Zhao Wendao abruptly cut himself off, instinctively covering his mouth as he glanced around nervously.
He suddenly recalled that Ding Mingcang had been reduced to bloody mist for speaking ill of the entity.
"This one’s temper is indeed fierce, but as long as you don’t provoke it, it won’t intervene… Elder Zhao, rest assured," Lu Ze chimed in cheerfully, defusing the tension.
"Ahem, can you even call that a temper? That’s… that’s the dignity of a supreme being! That old fool Ding Mingcang brought it upon himself. Even if the Heavenly Dao hadn’t acted, I would have!"
Zhao Wendao’s face flushed red as he hurriedly defended the remnant spirit.
After all, he owed his recent breakthrough in Dao techniques to its grace. Gratitude, not resentment, filled his heart.
"Ding Mingcang… got what he deserved. His death was no loss," the Sect Master nodded in agreement.
The fact that a Lingxiao Sect elder had been publicly obliterated with a single slap didn’t faze him in the slightest.
"Zhao Wendao, relay my decree at once—"
"Yes!"
Zhao Wendao formed a seal with two fingers, conjuring a massive sound-transmission array above the Lingxiao Sect.
The Sect Master’s voice, authoritative and stern, echoed across the sect:
"The criminal Ding Mingcang, guilty of deceiving the Sect Master, slaughtering disciples, and defying the Heavenly Dao…"
"Has been sentenced to death!"
"Executed at noon this day!"
The proclamation resounded throughout the Lingxiao Sect.
"In this matter, I too bear fault. Trusting Ding Mingcang’s lies nearly cost our sect a monumental opportunity…"
After the announcement, the Sect Master turned to Lu Ze with a wry smile.
"I owe you recompense, though I’m unsure how to make amends… Very well. For millennia, our sect has never appointed a Holy Son. Given your unique circumstances, I shall—"
"Reporting to the Sect Master, this disciple has no interest in becoming a Holy Son. Studying artifact forging under Elder Nangong suits me just fine," Lu Ze interjected swiftly.
Holy Son?
No thanks.
With his system, he had no need for the sect’s resources in cultivation or techniques—nor any desire to toil for the sect’s benefit.
Under Nangong Yuan’s guidance, however, he could gain invaluable insights into crafting illusion realms.
Unfazed by the interruption, the Sect Master agreed without hesitation:
"If that is your wish… so be it."
"I recall Elder Nangong’s three true disciple slots are already filled. Given his exemplary teaching, he deserves recognition."
"With the position of Second Elder now vacant, Nangong Yuan shall be promoted to Second Elder, and Li Fire Peak shall rank as the Lingxiao Sect’s Second Peak. You shall become Li Fire Peak’s fourth-generation true disciple. Does this suit you?"
Lu Ze nodded thoughtfully. "Hmm, that’s my master’s reward. What about mine?"
"Er…"
The Sect Master froze.
Zhao Wendao and Zhong Yi nearby also stiffened.
Even the usually ice-faced Li Moran nearly cracked a smile.
This was so quintessentially Lu Ze.
"Ahem, your reward naturally remains… Fine, why don’t you name it?" the Sect Master offered.
After a moment’s consideration, Lu Ze replied, "Then have the Lingxiao Sect’s finest materials crafted into an illusion tower for me."
Neither techniques nor artifacts seemed lacking to him.
A top-tier facility would be far more useful—speeding up large-scale illusion crafting while maximizing quality.
He’d once asked Nangong Yuan about the cost of such a device.
The elder had bluntly told him Li Fire Peak’s entire treasury might barely cover it, dismissing the idea as pure fantasy.
"Agreed. Additionally, I shall personally bestow upon you three protective artifacts to prevent incidents like today’s," the Sect Master pledged without hesitation.
"This disciple thanks the Sect Master."
"Oh, one more request."
"Please speak, Sect Master."
"It’s… well… Could you deliver a copy of the illusion tower and spirit crystals to the sect’s forbidden grounds? This old man would like to try it too…"
……
……
In the end, the crisis was resolved without further mishap.
Ding Mingcang’s death sent shockwaves through the sect.
After all, the entire Lingxiao Sect had witnessed their former Second Elder being annihilated in an instant—an unprecedented event among the Five Great Sects.
Soon, the full story would spread, as would news of Zhao Wendao and Li Moran’s breakthroughs within the illusion realm.
Once word got out that illusions could aid cultivation,
Not only would player numbers skyrocket—
Even those elders who once scorned illusions would clamor for a chance to enter.
Because,
Who wouldn’t crave a sliver of fortune touched by the Heavenly Dao’s laws?
Returning to the Spirit Jade Pavilion, Lu Ze hurried into the main world of My World.
There, the Heavenly Dao remnant spirit lounged above his Demon Castle, casually fishing as if nothing had happened.
"Thank you for saving me today."
Lu Ze clasped his hands in salute.
"Humph. A mere ant dared to insult me… Death was inevitable."
"As for you? Consider it incidental."
The remnant spirit didn’t even glance up, its tone as haughty as ever—though its voice now carried a faint, ethereal quality.
"I heard that slap took a heavy toll on you?"
Lu Ze asked with concern.
According to Nangong Yuan, after the seal was broken, one of the already-fractured runic rings surrounding the remnant spirit had dimmed further.
After millennia of erosion, the spirit’s power diminished with every use.
Serving as a "server" at least allowed replenishment through cultivators’ spiritual energy.
But annihilating Ding Mingcang had been a pure expenditure of its dwindling reserves.
This was a thigh Lu Ze needed to cling to at all costs.
Losing his "server" over a fool like Ding Mingcang would be catastrophic.
"It matters not."
The remnant spirit waved it off.
"So long as your plan succeeds, recovery will come swiftly."
Since becoming a server spanning the immortal realm, the karma of cultivators dying within illusions had forged a genuine connection with it.
Though progress was slow, the spirit could feel its eroded Dao essence and laws gradually repairing.
If Lu Ze could increase the "efficiency" of cultivator deaths, today’s expenditure would be trivial.
Moreover, the spiritual energy channeled by cultivators slightly overflowed—
This surplus was stored by the remnant spirit for self-restoration.
In truth,
Should Lu Ze abandon the server project now, the Heavenly Dao remnant spirit would be the first to object.
"So… when will this Heavenly Dao witness your so-called efficiency?"
The remnant spirit of the Heavenly Dao coldly reminded him.
"Don't forget, this Heavenly Dao only gives you one month!"
"You mean that matter..."
Lu Ze smiled faintly.
"One week at most, and you’ll see the results."

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?!

] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"

【Prologue: The Beginning of It All – Use holy water to heal the saintess tainted by demonic energy, then converse with her.】 Shen Nian stared at his older sister sipping yogurt, lost in thought. So you’re telling me my sister is the saintess, and yogurt is the holy water? 【Main Quest 1: Brave Youth, Become an Adventurer! Reward: Rookie Adventurer Title.】 【Side Quest 1: Find the Adorable Kitty! Reward: 1000 Gold Coins.】 Shen Nian: "Wait, I’m a high school senior here—did some guy who got isekai’d accidentally bind his system to me?" Hold on, completing quests gives gold rewards? Titles even boost stats? Is this for real? (A lighthearted, absurd campus comedy—not a revenge power fantasy.)

ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!