In the midst of the thick fog, a bonfire burned brightly.
Large pieces of split firewood were thrown into the bonfire, making the flames sway and sending up a large cluster of sparks.
The sparks rose with the heat of the bonfire and met the fog shrouding the woods. They quickly extinguished, cooled, and disappeared.
In contrast, the vigorous bonfire dispelled all the cold and fog from the Qingxuan Sect's camp, leaving only the firelight illuminating the ground.
The Qingxuan Sect's disciples sat around the bonfire with their backs to it and facing out of the camp.
While the bonfire warmed the spines of the Qingxuan disciples, the firelight shone through the gaps between them and fell on the ground, extending outward until being swallowed by darkness.
"All disciples, listen up!"
The Qingxuan Sect Master stood at the side of the bonfire with a stern, extremely cold voice: "Be vigilant and don't relax!"
"No one is to leave before dawn. Stay right here!"
"Yes!"
Amidst the shouts, alarmed bird cries could be heard from the distance as they left their nests noisily.
"Dad, what exactly happened?"
Ling'er, the young girl who was still yawning, looked to her father puzzledly. Ziyin quickly whispered, "Junior sister, don't make trouble."
"But I'm just..."
Ling'er was about to speak up when she noticed her father's icy stare. She immediately closed her mouth and retreated a step to hide behind Ziyin.
Ling'er looked around with resentment that she didn't dare express.
Although petulant, she also understood how to read the situation.
She knew her father was in a bad mood, so she furled her banner and surrendered. She sat cross-legged on the icy ground, hugging her Northern Spirit Dog, Thirteen, to keep warm.
Though it was early spring, the ground hadn't stirred with vital energy yet and winter's chill still lingered on the earth.
As the saying goes, the spring cold cuts bitterly!
Ling'er had only been sitting on the ground for a moment before she started fidgeting restlessly.
The ground was too cold and hard, with little stones poking. Only sitting by the bonfire was comfortable.
"Geez, why make everyone stay up instead of sleeping tonight!"
Ling'er rested her chin on Thirteen's head. She hugged the little dog tightly while Ziyin sighed.
By now, he and the Sect Master were among the few who knew the night watch disciples had completely disappeared without a trace—dead or alive.
As for why the news was suppressed...
It was to avoid panic and unrest which would impair the disciples' usual judgment and calm execution.
For their sake, suppressing the news was necessary.
"Endure it for a bit longer, junior sister!"
Ziyin took off his cloak he had fetched earlier and draped it over the girl.
"It'll be over once day breaks."
"Alright...."
Ling'er sighed and closed her eyes, hugging the dog in her arms.
What? Can't sleep?
She was the Sect Master's daughter. What's wrong with sleeping?
Not only could she sleep, she could sleep hugging the priceless Northern Spirit Dog like a hot stove—smelly but cozy!
Just as Ling'er dozed off, Duke who was squatting at the tent entrance clicked his tongue.
He had intended to feed the dog earlier but when he entered, he found the dog missing. Before Duke could search for it, the entire Qingxuan Sect had mobilized.
"Still too slow!"
Duke whispered to himself with another sigh. He had done a lot of unnecessary things tonight.
He should've been more direct and decisive—knocked the girl out cold under the night's cover and taken away the dog.
"It's because I was too greedy, making things overly complicated!"
The cat summed up his actions to himself while reminding himself to avoid such mistakes in the future.
He didn't fear making mistakes but repeating them out of ignorance without summarizing and drawing lessons—that would be a grave mistake indeed.
Isn't growth about succeeding, failing, summarizing, and learning over and over again?
"Looks like I'll have to find another chance to take the dog."
"Wonder where the Qingxuan people will move after tonight..."
As Duke watched the Qingxuan members, he suddenly propped himself up with his front limbs and stood, gazing heavily upwards with a twitching nose, smelling the air.
"This smell..." Duke kept inhaling deeply to identify the abnormal scent diffusing in the air.
Just then, an evil wind howled out from the woods, blowing fog toward the camp.
As the evil wind hit, swaying the bonfire, alternating light and darkness swept over the camp under the flickering flames.
The unsteady firelight disrupted many Qingxuan disciples' vision.
Light and darkness exchanged continuously, replacing each other and hindering sight.
"Which unruly bandit dares behave so evilly!!"
As the Sect Master shouted, thunder rumbling in his mouth, his free right hand swung his sleeve, filling it with wind. His expansive sleeve billowed.
The moment his entire sleeve inflated, his right arm stabbed out swiftly, stirring up a powerful palm force gale inside the camp.
In a flash, the fog carried in by the evil wind was scattered by the Sect Master's strike.
The fog visibly experienced immense pressure as the turbulent airflow tore it apart along the ground while more was shredded by the palm force.
"Tsk, this palm skill... has been tempered by at least ten years of True Essence realm cultivation!"
Duke clicked his tongue and was secretly glad he hadn't attacked recklessly, barely restraining himself.
Otherwise, if this guy discovered him...
Bundling offer! Buy one Spirit Cat, get one Spirit Dog free!
"However..." Duke carefully smelled the air again. The scent from before had grown richer after the evil wind.
"This smell is..."
The cat's eyelid twitched as he covered his little nose.
"Pew, it's fox stench!"
At the same time, Thirteen, held in Ling'er's arms, also struggled violently, starting to howl incessantly.
"Awoo!!"
"Awoooo awooo!!"
"Awoo... arooo.... woof.... awooo awooo!!"
...
The series of howls attracted everyone's attention.
After striking out a palm, the Sect Master looked to his daughter.
"Ling'er, quiet that spirit dog."
"I can't control him, dad!"
Ling'er hugged Thirteen's neck but he remained fierce and wild. The power bursting from his small body nearly overwhelmed even the martial artist Ling'er.
"Master, this spirit dog must have noticed something wrong!"
Gazing at the rabidly barking Thirteen, Ziyin suddenly spoke.
"The spirit dog gave warning?"
The Sect Master knitted his brows. This was not an auspicious sign!
The barks carried far in the silent night. At the same time, a pair of eyes in the woods narrowed.
"Damn, what a dirty-mouthed dog!"
orn and Humiliation】【Forced Love】 In his past life, Lin Ran was betrayed and murdered by his girlfriend and family, while the yandere female aristocrat, who had treated him as a mere plaything, avenged him by doing in his enemies. Upon seeing the yandere female aristocrat lying in the same coffin, ready to die with him, Lin Ran realized how profoundly mistaken he had been. Reborn, he abandoned the fickle campus beauty and wholeheartedly embraced the yandere female aristocrat's arms. "Ran! If I dig out your eyes and turn them into a specimen, you'll only be able to look at me!" Lin Ran: "Darling, kiss me!" "Ran! If I break your legs, you won't run away anymore, right?" Lin Ran: "Love, hold me tight!" "Ran! If..." Lin Ran: "Hush now! Love me more!" Luo Yao: ... Seeing his scumbag dad: "Take him out!" Seeing his stepmother: "Get rid of her!" Seeing his brother: "Eliminate him!" Seeing his white moonlight: "Send that to Southeast Asia!"
+【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!
ine. During your journey, you save an abandoned baby girl and become her elder brother】 【You rely on each other, becoming each other's support】 【At the end of the simulation, you shield the now-grown girl with your life, sacrificing yourself to block numerous demonic cultivators. You die, and the light in the girl's eyes fades】 …… 【Second Simulation: You are transported to a world where steam and magic coexist】 【You immerse yourself in the study of magic, obsessed with its research. One day, while out, you encounter a half-blooded demon girl wandering the streets. You take her in as your student】 【You teach the demoness what it means to be human, show her the beauty of the world, and nurture her into a miracle that surpasses even the gods】 【At the end of the simulation, you die of old age in front of the nearly immortal demoness due to your mortal lifespan】 …… One simulation after another, one encounter after another. Xu Xi suddenly felt something was off: "Wait, you said you're coming to the real world to find me?"
Explosive Plot Song Gua crossed over into another world, bringing along a whole crew of his doppelgangers—all of them mischief-makers. This was a world where everyone could choose a class. Song Gua became a "Bondweaver," capable of borrowing power, while his doppelgangers took on a wide variety of classes, covering just about everything. The number of doppelgangers grew day by day, each one a talented individual with a charming way of speaking. Under Song Gua's brilliant leadership, they would "greet" each other daily and engage in friendly "sparring," pulling off one major scheme after another on Earth. Sometimes they were bandits—stealing bosses, plundering mines, snatching resources. Sometimes they were saviors—descending like divine warriors to face world bosses threatening to massacre cities. Sometimes they even went undercover, infiltrating various major factions to stir up trouble from within, keeping their enemies constantly on edge. To prevent their doppelganger abilities from being exposed, Song Gua made them wear masks with mahjong tile patterns and don Taoist robes in various colors. "Remember, in front of outsiders, call me 'The Dice.'" "Got it! Boss!" "Not 'Boss'—it's 'The Dice.' Think about the vibe, pay attention to the vibe." "Yes! Boss!" "For crying out loud..." From then on, whenever they appeared, they would have their own theme song playing: ~Hey~ paying respects at the mountain stronghold at night~ whose arm is draped over whose shoulder~ gather your courage and follow along...
