With a slight shift of Gu Changyuan's thoughts, the spiritual items flew up again, landing precisely in front of the five spiritual chefs who were still in a state of shock.
His gaze once again turned to the Thousand-Faced Ghost Hand, his tone icy.
"In your next life, remember, there are some things you cannot touch."
As his voice faded, Gu Changyuan did not even make any extra movements.
In the deep pit, the Thousand-Faced Ghost Hand's body suddenly stiffened. His pupils instantly dilated, filled with extreme pain and unwillingness. Then, his entire person, along with his soul, was as if completely gripped and ground by an invisible giant hand.
With a soft poof sound.
A Mahayana realm great thief who had run rampant in Fengling City for hundreds of years and caused countless factions headaches, turned into dust right under everyone's watchful eyes. Not a single trace of residue or a wisp of remnant soul was left behind, completely dissipating between heaven and earth.
A true destruction of both body and soul.
Sensing that the Thousand-Faced Ghost Hand had no possibility of survival, Gu Changyuan spoke:
"The matter is settled. You may proceed with the rest of the procedures."
After saying that, he turned around and disappeared from his spot, leaving Chen Qianzhen to finish the aftermath.
...
Returning to the Su Family's Listening Bamboo Pavilion, Gu Changyuan finally let out a soft breath. The invisible, intimidating majesty radiating from him slowly retracted, and his entire body relaxed as he leaned against the comfortable back of his chair.
It had to be said that compared to his current social interactions—where he was constantly surrounded by awe-filled gazes, had to be mindful of his words and actions, and where even his breathing could make others nervous—
Gu Changyuan still missed the days when he interacted with his disciples.
At that time, although there was a distinction between elder and disciple, there was no need to be so constrained.
But now, his identity was unknown, and his strength was unfathomable. If he did not show his strength, those handling matters would inevitably have many doubts and would not help wholeheartedly.
However, once he displayed his power, awe naturally followed, and an invisible high wall called disparity was erected between people, making it difficult to have equal and natural communication again.
Coupled with the deep-seated vigilance and defensiveness developed over a thousand years in the Ruins of Chaos, it was impossible for him to completely lower his guard and show his true nature in front of these strangers in the Jiuxiao Realm.
In the evening, the Su Family specially invited the five spiritual chefs from the day again. Each carefully cooked a signature spiritual meal and delivered it to the Listening Bamboo Pavilion.
When the five learned that they were cooking for Senior Gu, they were all ecstatic and gave it their all. The finished dishes were even better than those in the daytime finals.
Gu Changyuan enjoyed it alone, finding it quite pleasant.
...
The next day, in the afternoon.
Gu Changyuan was still lying on the rocking chair in the courtyard of the Listening Bamboo Pavilion, resting with his eyes closed.
Suddenly, his brow twitched imperceptibly.
In the northwest direction of Fengling City, a large-scale and extremely violent, chaotic spiritual power fluctuation suddenly erupted, like a boulder thrown into a calm lake.
Inside the Su Family residence, Su Yunhao also noticed the anomaly immediately and promptly summoned a group of elders to discuss the matter, his expression solemn.
To trigger such a massive spiritual power fluctuation in Fengling City, something monumental must have happened.
Since he had nothing to do, there was no harm in going to watch the commotion.
Gu Changyuan's figure did not move, yet he had vanished from the rocking chair.
The next moment, Gu Changyuan appeared on the eaves of the highest restaurant in the northwest area of Fengling City, standing with his hands behind his back, looking down.
He saw an area in the southwest corner of Fengling City shrouded by an array barrier as black as ink.
Eerie dark red runes flowed on the surface of the barrier, completely isolating the inside from the outside world. Ordinary cultivators simply could not see what was happening inside.
But this posed no obstacle to Gu Changyuan.
His divine sense easily penetrated the barrier, seeing the scene inside crystal clear.
The once prosperous family residence had long been reduced to a sea of fire. Blazing flames devoured the houses and buildings, and thick smoke billowed straight into the sky.
The ground was covered with mangled corpses. Blood dyed the bluestone paths red, converging into winding streams of blood. The air was thick with the smell of blood and scorched flesh; it was a tragic and gruesome sight.
In the center of the scene, ten cultivators wearing uniform black-patterned Daoist robes stood in pools of blood, their auras powerful and oppressive.
The leader was a middle-aged man with a sinister face. His aura was steady and heavy, indicating a mid-stage Mahayana realm cultivation.
Standing on either side of him was an old man. Their auras were slightly weaker, but they were genuinely at the early-stage Mahayana realm.
The remaining seven people were all at the peak of the Body Integration realm. Each held a bloodstained weapon and coldly scanned their surroundings, as if clearing out any remaining survivors.
Through the system's real-time information detection, Gu Changyuan instantly knew the identities of both parties.
The massacred family below was the Wei Family of Fengling City, and the invading cultivators were all from the Tianxiao Sect in the Northern Region of the Southern Continent.
The Northern Region of the Southern Continent was close to the Central Continent, which had more abundant resources and numerous factions, so its overall strength was indeed greater than that of the Eastern Region of the Southern Continent.
The Tianxiao Sect was considered a ranked faction in the Northern Region of the Southern Continent, with strength surpassing that of the Su Family.
Perhaps because of this, they dared to be so arrogant as to directly sneak into Fengling City and exterminate the Wei Family.
In their view, even if the Su Family found out afterwards, they might not dare to completely tear up all face with the Tianxiao Sect over a destroyed middle-tier family.
Such dramas of sect rivalries, the strong preying on the weak, and frequent exterminations of entire families were merely commonplace occurrences in the vast and cruel cultivation world.
Having experienced a thousand years of slaughter, Gu Changyuan had seen bloodshed far more cruel than this, so his heart did not stir much. He originally had no intention of interfering in such a dispute that had nothing to do with him.
But right at this moment, the system's notification sound suddenly rang in his mind, and Gu Changyuan's eyes instantly lit up.
The system detected that there was still one survivor within the barrier: an eight-year-old Wei Family girl, whose talent was evaluated as Grade Ten!
He never expected that in Fengling City of the Eastern Region of the Southern Continent, amidst a tragic family extermination, he would actually encounter a peerless unpolished gem with Grade Ten talent. This truly surprised him.
Gu Changyuan's gaze instantly locked onto the center of the clearing within the barrier.

rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!

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.

his freshman year, Su Bai accidentally bound the "Indulgence Tycoon System." 【Sleeping in? Reward: +$1,000】 【Spent $288 at a street barbecue stall? Cashback: +$2,880】 【Dropped $14,396 on in-game skins? Special reward unlocked: A brand-new Porsche Panamera!】 Luxury cars, penthouses, corporate shares, financial empires… College life was all about living freely and doing whatever he pleased! … When the adorably naive academic genius faced family medical bills and financial struggles, Su Bai waved his hand dismissively: "Your future is on me." "Wuwu~ Big Brother is so good to me! I’ll become a scientist to repay you!" When the genius girl got bullied by a shady professor? Su Bai casually dropped a billion-dollar investment, forcing the university to grovel and beg for her return. A company’s funding chain collapsing? Su Bai smirked—cash was the one thing he’d never run out of. Years later, when people traced the rise of the AI prodigy beauty, who was the man behind her success? Not just that—Su Bai also became the tsundere campus belle’s unattainable dream, the contrast senior’s daily necessity, and the beautiful counselor’s emotional anchor…

to panic—he has a system. As long as an investment target dies, he can claim a reward. And since he is immortal, the one thing he has plenty of is time. ... Countless years later. “Immortal Emperor of Longevity? I invested in him.” “Supreme Celestial Venerable? I invested in him.” “Undying Empress? I invested in her.” “...” “Heh. Once they’ve all died, even the Heavenly Dao will have to kneel and call me Dad.”