The sound around her faded into nothingness, and her body began to tremble.
Mei Xue's pupils contracted sharply, as if struck by an invisible force, leaving her frozen in place.
Gu Yan's half-smile, half-sneer expression was like a sharp blade, effortlessly slicing through her last line of defense.
Her heart felt as though it had been ravaged by a violent storm—all her passion, excitement, and hope crumbled in an instant, replaced by a flood of helplessness and despair.
The man before her seemed like a lofty theater director, manipulating every scene and character, while she was nothing more than an insignificant pawn in his grand play.
"You... you knew all along...?"
"You knew Deng Feng was my brother... and yet you still..."
Mei Xue's voice trembled as she struggled to regain some semblance of composure, but her thoughts were already in chaos.
Her tone, however, only deepened the smirk on Gu Yan's lips.
He slowly rose to his feet and approached her, his piercing gaze locking onto hers.
"What's the matter? Did I do something wrong?"
"Neither of us could have predicted that Deng Feng would become the successor of the Black Tortoise Gate."
"Of the five tasks I asked you to complete, not one was meant to harm your brother."
"Even the fifth task—I only asked you to save everyone who still had a breath of life in them."
"But what did you do, Mei Xue...?"
Gu Yan's voice was low and mocking, each word striking her heart like a hammer.
Mei Xue's heart pounded like a drum, her soul seemingly enduring endless interrogations in those few seconds.
"I... I..."
"Was it me who failed to save my brother...?"
Mei Xue was utterly stunned, her heart consumed by despair—a despair as dark and all-consuming as a black hole.
Gu Yan stopped in front of her, looking down with even more amusement in his eyes.
"Yes, it was you."
"Your cleverness led to this outcome."
"You... abandoned your brother."
"In the end, the one who killed your brother was none other than yourself."
And with that, Gu Yan delivered the final blow to her soul.
"Swearing loyalty to the Night King, yet secretly wanting to protect your brother."
"Mei Xue... how am I supposed to explain this to Qingqiu...?"
At these words, Mei Xue's heart shuddered, and her eyes filled with boundless fear.
She looked at Gu Yan, her face pale as snow.
"You... know...?"
How...?
Why...?
How did Gu Yan know that her master's true identity was Leng Qingqiu—the Night King?!
Why?
How did he find out? When did he discover it?
In the next moment, Gu Yan provided the answer, his mocking gaze fixed on her.
"What, are you wondering how I knew Qingqiu is the Night King?"
"Haha... idiot~"
"Guess why your master gathered the world's geniuses? And why You Xingxue sent you to lead them?"
"Take another guess..."
"Did your master know that you and the successor of the Black Tortoise Gate are siblings?"
Thud! Thud! Thud!
In an instant, Mei Xue's legs gave out.
She collapsed to the floor with a thud.
Fear pressed down on her chest, making it hard to breathe.
She understood now. She understood everything.
There were no five tasks. There was no husband from the mortal world.
Someone like her master would never form even a superficial marriage with a mortal for the sake of a plan.
All of this... was just a task assigned to Gu Yan by her master.
This man... was a tool to test their loyalty.
Why had Gu Yan been able to call her by name the first time they met?
Why had she thought he was someone extraordinary?
It was all because Gu Yan had been sent by her master to test her loyalty.
Someone like her master must have known all along that her brother was Deng Feng and that he carried the Black Tortoise's energy.
The purpose was to have Gu Yan test whether she would choose her brother or the organization.
And in the end...
She had chosen her brother, completing the five tasks, but... her brother had died.
Now her master knew she was a traitor...
It was over... everything was over...
Mei Xue's eyes gradually lost their light.
How could she survive after being sentenced to death by her master?
Gu Yan looked down at her, his expression unreadable.
Well, the plan was going smoothly.
She probably understood her situation by now.
It was time to wrap things up...
"How pitiful, Miss Mei."
"What's the difference between you and a stray dog now?"
"You're quite different from the person I first met."
Gu Yan's mocking words stabbed into Mei Xue's heart, but she no longer had the strength to fight back.
Her brother was dead, and she would soon follow.
Everything was gone...
But in the next moment...
Gu Yan's words stunned her.
"Of course—I don't dislike you like this."
"After all... I'm not exactly loyal either."
Gu Yan raised his hand, and with a whoosh!
A black liquid surged out, floating in the air.
"Ahhh!!!"
A wail echoed from the center of the liquid.
Hearing this, Mei Xue froze, then quickly looked up.
Her eyes widened in shock.
The viscous black liquid gradually formed a face twisted in agony.
A familiar feeling washed over Mei Xue, and she cried out in excitement, "Deng Feng!!"
But as soon as she called out,
Whoosh!
Gu Yan retracted the liquid.
Mei Xue desperately grabbed Gu Yan's pant leg, kneeling on the ground as she looked up at him with tear-filled eyes, her voice trembling.
"Gu Yan... Gu Yan, is my brother still alive?"
Looking down at Mei Xue, who was caught between despair and hope, Gu Yan gave her a definitive answer.
"Of course, Miss Mei~"
"Your brother isn't dead. When I realized you weren't going to save him, I stepped in and sealed his soul here."
"I'm... actually quite a good person."
As he spoke, Gu Yan's expression softened with pity.
"I thought, if you found out your brother died because of you, it would be too painful."
"And I can't stand seeing girls cry, so I decided to save your brother and return him to you at the right time."
The more Mei Xue listened, the more her joy grew.
"Then... then..."
But as she spoke, she began to feel something was off.
Wait...
No... no!
Gu Yan was sent by her master to test her loyalty. Was this still part of the test?
But what if it wasn't? What if... what if Gu Yan also had rebellious intentions?
And what if neither of these possibilities was true?
Now that Mei Xue knew her brother was alive, she naturally wanted to survive and reunite with him.
But Gu Yan's words forced her to consider more possibilities.
What should she do?
What should she do?
After a few minutes of painful deliberation, Mei Xue took a deep breath and looked up at Gu Yan.
"What do I need to do to get my brother back?"
Mei Xue had made her decision. She would take the gamble.
If she didn't choose her brother, she might still die, as her master wouldn't tolerate a traitor.
But if she chose her brother, there was still a chance. She would bet that Gu Yan wasn't truly loyal to the Night King either!
Seeing Mei Xue's compliance, Gu Yan didn't beat around the bush.
A faint smile curved his lips.
"It's simple."
He extended a finger toward her.
Gurgle!
A thin tendril emerged from his fingertip.
"Open your mind and let me implant this tendril."
"Its purpose is to destroy your mind and life if you ever betray me."
Mei Xue stared at the writhing tendril extending from Gu Yan's finger, an inexplicable chill running down her spine.
But...
For her brother!
"Alright!"
Mei Xue nodded.
Little brother, wait for me. Your big sister will save you, no matter what!
world slacker. But a genius female disciple just had to get clingy, insisting that he take her as a disciple. Not only that, she was always making advances on him, thoroughly disrupting his peaceful slacker life...
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.”
for mindless slaughter, this isn't for you.] My name is Ye Shu, and I'm a transmigrator. It seems I'm supposed to be the protagonist, but that feels pretty unlikely. This world has been invaded by a system. The antagonists on the other side have suddenly become pure, flawless saints. The female leads have been force-fed the so-called "original plot," making them think they've been reborn. Now, everyone thinks I'm scum. Including the old lady in my ring. And here I am, in the Monster Beast Mountain Range, braising pork. To put my situation in perspective— It's as if, the moment Xiao Yan stepped into the Monster Beast Mountain Range, the Soul Emperor already knew he would become the Flame Emperor, and Yao Lao had been turned to the enemy's side. I have nothing right now. Oh wait, that's not true. I do have a white-haired loli child-bride who's the Heavenly Dao, and her only skill is acting cute. So, tell me guys... what are my chances of making it to the end?
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?"
