“Isolate the Heavenly Dao? But all illusions are governed by the Heavenly Dao… How could one isolate it?”
A flicker of confusion crossed White Crane’s face as he asked instinctively.
Even though Heart Demon was a rare realm-union master second to none in this world, going head-on against the Heavenly Dao was something White Crane would never join in, fearing death.
“The starting point is in the illusion… but the ending doesn’t have to be.”
Heart Demon spoke slowly.
The first challenge, despite sealing off nearly all types of illusions and holding an absolute advantage, the Illusion Alliance still lost.
Continuing to clash head-on in the illusion realm was clearly unwise.
So he decisively abandoned the illusion realm and chose to change direction.
“How do we do it, then?”
White Crane remained puzzled.
“Simple.”
Heart Demon stood up, walked to the balcony of the floating pavilion, and gazed down at Leisure Cloud Lake from a height.
“Turn the illusion realm into a secret realm…”
“Shift the judging criteria from illusions to reality.”
“That way, he loses his greatest trump card!”
…
…
The next day.
At Leisure Cloud Lake, which had been bustling the day before, nearly half the people were gone.
Lu Ze’s “Slaughter Immortal Tower” was too shocking for many; their last glimmer of hope was shattered, and they chose to withdraw from the exchange meet.
Those who remained were mostly ambitious cultivators or those dead set on joining the Illusion Alliance.
Before noon, the cultivators who had gathered early huddled in small groups, whispering among themselves.
Most were still discussing how utterly astonishing Lu Ze’s move yesterday had been.
After all, the legend of a Nascent Soul realm cultivator crippling a Divine Transformation true disciple with a single slap was even more striking than “Slaughter Immortal Tower” demolishing 148 other illusions.
Some said Lu Ze didn’t abide by decorum and struck with zero starting motion; others claimed Han Xian was too careless and didn’t even set up a defense; still others swore the illusion reward granted by the Heavenly Dao was some kind of ancient technique for leaping realms…
The Green Mountain Sect was furious about the incident, but could do nothing.
The truth was, it was Zhang Yuxian who had made a splash by announcing the bet between the two.
Terms like “no magical treasures” and “life or death upon fate” were Han Xian’s own words.
Even if Han Xian was crippled and his soul damaged, the Green Mountain Sect had to swallow their pride publicly.
Now, under the spread of rumor among cultivators, the tale of a Divine Transformation cultivator from the Green Mountain Sect being crippled in soul by a Nascent Soul slap grew wider and wider, becoming a laughingstock discussed idly at tea breaks.
“Brother Lu… has arrived!”
The stir among the crowd halted abruptly, and they gave way to Lu Ze of their own accord.
After all, Old Demon Lu’s reputation was well known.
Though everyone had originally only feared being targeted in illusions, after Lu Ze shattered Han Xian’s dream of becoming a realm master with a single slap, the cultivators now held a reverence for Lu Ze even in reality.
“Oh? Everyone’s being so polite today?”
Lu Ze raised an eyebrow. He had planned to randomly snag a few unlucky sods and shut them up, but now he abandoned the idea.
“Of course—yesterday’s move of yours, Brother Lu, was so fast even I barely saw it… No wonder Sister Li said your talent is not inferior to hers.”
Zhong Yi exclaimed in admiration.
“So it was you who said that…”
Lu Ze gave Zhong Yi a look of gentle resentment, then waved his hand dismissively.
“That Female Demon—I can’t beat her, can’t beat her.”
Yesterday, Li Moran, who had somehow gotten word, immediately challenged Lu Ze to a spar once they returned.
Though Lu Ze didn’t fear Divine Transformation cultivators, that only applied to mediocrities like Han Xian.
With a prodigy like Li Moran, he’d inevitably get a thorough beating.
“Ha, you’re being too modest, Brother Lu… Ah, noon has arrived.”
Zhong Yi composed himself.
Mists surged over Leisure Cloud Lake again, but this time, no enormous dais appeared.
Rakshasa flew in the air, accompanied by a round, middle-aged man.
“Strange—no illusion tower or dais this time…”
Frowning in confusion, Zhong Yi muttered to himself:
“They can’t not be a realm this time, right?”
Just as he was wondering, Rakshasa pointed at the plump middle-aged man beside him and introduced:
“Fellow cultivators, allow me to introduce this… the owner of the largest trade consortium in the Great Qian Dynasty, the Soaring Cloud Consortium—Boss Qian.”
“Boss Qian is the sponsor for this exchange meet of my Illusion Alliance. So, the second challenge will be decided by him.”
With that, Rakshasa stepped back, and Qian Wancai narrowed his smiling eyes, cleared his throat, and said:
“I’m just a common man, only a little talented in business dealings. Now, I’ve been asked to set a challenge for all of you immortal masters—Qian is truly honored!”
“As for the path of illusions, I can’t judge that… But Elder Rakshasa tells me that illusions and secret realms are similar, the only difference being that illusions lack physical substance.”
“I have nothing else to ask, only one task for you immortal masters—”
“Not long ago, my Soaring Cloud Consortium acquired the second-largest auction house in the Great Qian Dynasty, and our warehouses are piled high with treasures—too many to count.”
“Since all you immortal masters are so capable, could you help me sell off those accumulated treasures as quickly as possible, please?”
“But, well…”
Qian Wancai’s eyes shifted nervously.
“What my consortium needs is cold, hard cash, so I hope you fellows will achieve it via the method of secret realms.”
Once Qian Wancai finished, Rakshasa smiled and stepped forward, waving his hand grandly.
Gigantic golden characters shimmered above Leisure Cloud Lake:
Challenge: Auction
Requirement 1: Complete in the form of a secret realm.
Requirement 2: The secret realm is to be opened only to subjects of the Great Qian Dynasty.
Time Limit: 7 days
Scoring: The greater the profit from the secret realm auction, the higher the score.
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.
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!
] This is a dark fantasy-themed dating simulation game. The main gameplay involves containing various monster girls and investigating the truth of a world shrouded in mist alongside your companions. However, due to his love for the dark and bizarre atmosphere, Luo Wei ended up turning a dating game into a detective mystery game. Women? Women only slow down his quickdraw! To Luo Wei, the female leads in the game are more like tools to perfectly clear levels and squeeze out rewards. For Luo Wei, flirting with every girl he meets and then discarding them is standard procedure. Worried about characters losing affection points? No need. With his maxed-out charm stat, Luo Wei is practically a "human incubus." A little psychological manipulation and those points come right back. It's a bit scummy, but the paper cutout heroines in the game won't actually come at him with real cleavers. However... Luo Wei has transmigrated. He's accidentally entered the second playthrough of this game. His past actions have caused all the girls to transform into terrifying yanderes. Due to the game's setting, most of the heroines he once contained are "troubled girls." Obsessive, twisted, mentally unstable, all aggressive yanderes... The type who will kill you if they can't have you... Luo Wei wants to cry but has no tears left. "I really just want to survive..." In short, this is a story of battling wits and engaging in a love-hate relationship with yanderes.
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?!
