Lin Yang observed the changes in Xu Mu at this moment, but after only a brief hesitation, he launched another attack.
"All flash and no substance! Die!"
Boom!
Their weapons clashed once more.
The qi of both fighters collided violently, causing the ground beneath them to splinter apart.
The surrounding trees toppled as the earth cracked beneath them.
Lin Yang couldn’t believe it—even after using a forbidden elixir to temporarily boost his strength, he still couldn’t overpower Xu Mu?
As he stared at the crimson lines spreading across Xu Mu’s body, a flicker of fear crept into his heart.
[Destiny Power -50]
"Damn it! I refuse to believe this!"
Lin Yang charged at Xu Mu again with relentless fury.
Xu Mu’s mind was also consumed by rage. At this moment, he thought of nothing but killing Lin Yang.
The red threads radiating from his body made him resemble a shooting star.
The two clashed head-on, each strike shaking the air and earth.
As time passed, Lin Yang’s attacks gradually weakened.
Boom!
Even with his weapon raised in defense, Lin Yang was sent flying by Xu Mu’s strike.
"Gah!"
Lin Yang spat out a mouthful of blood.
[Destiny Power -30]
Swish!
Xu Mu lunged again, aiming for Lin Yang’s neck.
But just then, a nearby tree, already leaning precariously, suddenly collapsed between them.
[Destiny Power -50]
Boom!
Xu Mu swung his phantom blade, shattering the tree instantly.
But Lin Yang seized the chance to escape.
Without a word, Xu Mu pursued.
[Destiny Power -10]
[Destiny Power -20]
...
The effects of Lin Yang’s elixir were fading, and against Xu Mu, who was now bloodthirsty, he stood no chance.
The side effects of the elixir also left him dizzy and disoriented, unable to even fight back.
"Die! Just die already!"
Xu Mu slashed at Lin Yang’s back, sending him flying once more as blood sprayed.
[Alert! Rival’s Destiny Power has returned to normal levels.]
Xu Mu took a deep breath and charged forward. "Lin Yang!"
Lin Yang desperately tried to defend himself, but he was no match.
Even though his power had normalized, his Destiny Power continued to dwindle.
Blood trailed behind Lin Yang as he retreated, and suddenly, he found himself at the edge of a thick mist.
Without hesitation, he plunged into it.
Xu Mu, gripping his black sword, followed.
He expanded his senses but couldn’t detect Lin Yang.
Moving sideways through the mist, he emerged on the other side, scanning the area—still no trace of Lin Yang.
"Damn it!"
Xu Mu swung his sword, slicing a nearby boulder in half.
He then turned and sprinted back to the battlefield, where he found Dai Xingluo lying in a pool of blood.
Sheathing his sword, Xu Mu immediately checked her pulse.
Relieved to find her still alive, he took out silver needles to stop the bleeding.
Scooping her up, he dashed into the forest.
The area had been devastated by his battle with Lin Yang.
People would surely come to investigate, so he needed a quiet place to treat Dai Xingluo’s injuries.
Meanwhile, atop a distant tree, Qin Ju stood on a high branch, one hand resting against the trunk.
Gazing at the ravaged battlefield, a faint smirk curled his lips.
...
The Stone Flower’s purpose was healing, but Dai Xingluo’s injuries were too severe.
To enhance its effects, Xu Mu needed Blue Sunflowers.
He had obtained four in total, originally planning to use them all for Qi Sea Pills.
But Dai Xingluo complicated things.
Xu Mu still couldn’t understand why a villainess like her would risk her life to save him.
He had intended to distance himself from her, but now, how could he?
Could a woman like her really be swayed by words?
And if not, what would happen when she crossed paths with Ye Tong?
Xu Mu was torn.
But these thoughts were premature.
Xu Mu lived by a simple principle—treat others as they treated him.
Dai Xingluo hadn’t helped much, but she had risked her life for him.
How could he abandon her now?
Taking out one Blue Sunflower, he began refining it over a fire.
Though only a novice alchemist, he wasn’t incapable of crafting higher-grade pills.
His goal was simple—as long as the pill was more effective than consuming the raw herbs, it was enough.
Soon, the pill was complete.
He fed it to Dai Xingluo, then gave her a sip of water.
Time passed, and the first light of dawn appeared on the horizon.
Dai Xingluo weakly opened her eyes, scanning her surroundings in alarm. As she tried to sit up, she noticed Xu Mu beside her.
"Awake?" Xu Mu asked flatly.
"I thought I was dead..."
Dai Xingluo gasped as she realized her cultivation had skyrocketed.
A year ago, she had barely reached the early stage of Gang Qi—yet now, she was nearing its peak.
"Brother, what did you do to me?" she asked in disbelief.
"Gave you a pill. Don’t ask questions—just be glad you’re alive."
Xu Mu extinguished the fire and glanced at her. "Serves you right. With your pathetic skills, you still tried to interfere in my fight?"
"I didn’t think—I just saw him knock you back and wanted to help."
Dai Xingluo smiled weakly. "But I ended up benefiting from it, thanks to your pill."
She tried to sit up again but winced in pain, collapsing back down.
"Don’t move. Your ribs are broken. I can’t fix that—you need a hospital."
Xu Mu scooped her up in a princess carry.
Even a woman like Dai Xingluo blushed at the gesture.
"Don’t misunderstand. Carrying you is the only option with broken ribs."
Xu Mu headed for the exit.
"Wait—my bag is over there," Dai Xingluo pointed.
"Troublesome."
Grumbling, Xu Mu retrieved her bag, slung it over his shoulder, and carried her out.
Outside the ruins, Xu Mu took a deep breath. The fresh air was a relief.
As they descended, his senses detected others ascending the mountain.
He paid them no mind.
Unbeknownst to him, he had just missed someone—a man in a sports cap and sunglasses.
It was none other than the live-in son-in-law, Fang Chu.
...
At the foot of the mountain, Xu Mu checked his phone.
Dozens of missed calls and messages flooded the screen—from Xu Shou, Ye Tong, Ye Yu, and Meng Wanyue.
Even Li Yun had called once.
Clearly, Xu Shou had reached out to her after failing to contact Xu Mu.
But Xu Mu didn’t respond.
Xu Ningbing had already left the ruins—she must have informed the others.
He called an ambulance for Dai Xingluo first.
After settling her hospital fees, he finally dialed Xu Ningbing.
She arrived swiftly, relief washing over her when she saw Xu Mu unharmed.
...
10:00 AM.
A guest arrived at the Feng Family—none other than Fan Shiyu.
However, Fan Shiyu had once again put on the pockmarked human skin mask.

transmigrates into the world as the sect master of the Heavenly Yan Sect, which is on the verge of being wiped out. He binds a system that grants him cultivation power based on the number of disciples he has: for each disciple, he automatically gains a year's worth of cultivation every single day! Take one disciple: every day he gains 1 year of cultivation power. While others struggle through a year of bitter training, he gets the same just by sleeping through a single night. Take ten disciples: every day he gains 10 years of cultivation power. Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul—he breezes through all bottlenecks without lifting a finger. Take one hundred disciples: every day he gains 100 years of cultivation power. Even a Soul Transformation Venerable before him can’t survive a single blow. Take ten thousand disciples: every day he gains 10,000 years of cultivation power! With a wave of his hand, he topples empires. With a single step, he crushes the sacred grounds of the universe. ... While others fight tooth and nail for secret techniques, Lin Yan casually hands out Nascent Soul-level cultivation manuals as beginner textbooks. While others strain to find talented recruits, Lin Yan opens his doors to anyone—so long as they’re human. In just three short years, the Heavenly Yan Sect went from a backwater sect made up of three crumbling huts to a sacred land that every cultivator under heaven would kill to enter. ... One day, otherworldly demon gods invade, with a million demon soldiers pressing down upon the realm. Lin Yan, yawning, rises from his lounge chair and glances at the system panel: [Current Disciples: 1.28 million] [Daily Cultivation Increase: 1.28 million years] He waves his hand casually, and the countless demon soldiers are reduced to ashes in an instant. “So noisy… interrupting my fishing.”

pression Bureau] Transported to a fantasy world overrun by demons and monsters, Gu Qingfeng becomes a jailer in the Demon Suppression Prison of the Great Yan Dynasty's Demon Suppression Bureau. From this point on, bizarre cases frequently occur in the Demon Suppression Prison, once known as hell on earth and infamous for its gloomy, terrifying atmosphere! Why do the demons and monsters in the prison wail miserably every night? Why has the corpse demon, capable of transforming into various beauties, donned black stockings and switched careers to become a foot massage therapist? Why has the eye demon, expert in soul-snatching and illusions, turned into a VR headset? Why is the fox spirit performing otaku dances? Are all these occurrences a twisted expression of demonic nature, or a descent into moral depravity? After peeling away layer upon layer of mystery, all clues ultimately point to a jailer named Gu Qingfeng. Gu Qingfeng: "Hehehe... My dear demons and monsters, whose card shall we flip today?"

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.

m back to his original world. In the end, he realized he had overthought things. [Hey, why is Shen Manni, the female lead, acting strange? Shouldn't she be fawning over the male lead at this point?] [Zhou Qiaoqiao, are you sick? Weren't you supposed to break off your engagement today?] [Damn it! An Youyi, please do your job as an undercover agent and sell my information to the protagonist, you idiot!] ... At this moment, Xu Mo himself didn't know that these female leads had already heard his inner thoughts. Then they decided not to play by the rules. Xu Mo: Please respect my profession as the big villain!