"Tsk, finally done."
Leaving the Martial Arts Building, Gu Yan rubbed his shoulders, which had been tense until now.
He had been holding back earlier in the building.
Was it just his imagination, or had there been a faint but persistent gaze fixed on him the entire time?
He was absolutely certain—it was Leng Bingning, Qingqiu’s elder sister, keeping tabs on him!
Seriously, since when were the sisters this close? Now she’s even watching over her sister’s husband?
Why not just have the three of us meet face to face, then?
Unless... there’s something unspeakable going on?
He glanced up at the sky, then checked the time.
Gu Yan sighed inwardly. How was it already past nine or ten again?
Since when was he this diligent?
Old Gao chuckled. "Being a martial artist is exhausting work. Any regrets yet, young master?"
"Regrets? Not a chance."
Gu Yan scoffed. He just didn’t like being watched in secret—that was all.
Well... it wasn’t exactly discomfort, more like a creeping sense of dread.
Like the feeling of Qingqiu staring at him with a gentle smile.
"Um... You look really tired. Do you need me to heal you?"
At that moment, You Xingxue’s characteristically timid voice reached Gu Yan’s ears.
He turned his head, his expression shifting subtly.
Oh? The whole Night Organization squad’s here, huh?
Aside from You Xingxue, there was Mei Xue, Shangguan Miaoyin, Bai Lian, Murong Ci...
Half the Night Organization had infiltrated.
Gu Yan shook his head. "No need. More importantly, where are you all headed?"
The moment he asked, You Xingxue’s face twisted with hesitation. "We... uh..."
Mei Xue remained expressionless but sent Gu Yan a mental message.
Meanwhile, Bai Lian grinned. "Brother Gu Yan, we’re going for a late-night snack. Wanna join?"
You Xingxue lowered her head, stammering incoherently.
The atmosphere grew slightly awkward.
Gu Yan had already learned the truth from Mei Xue, so he simply shook his head. "Ah, youth. So full of energy."
"Count me out. Nightlife isn’t my thing."
"Alright, let’s go, Old Gao."
"Yes, young master."
As Gu Yan left, Bai Lian’s smirk turned sharp. She glared at You Xingxue. "Hey, newbie! Why’d you have to butt in?"
"Don’t you know we’re going to meet our master?"
You Xingxue shrank back. "S-sorry..."
"Tch. Do it again, and I’ll shove your head up your ass, you pathetic rookie!"
"Sniff..."
You Xingxue fought back tears. Master, where are you? How much longer must I stay undercover...?
These people are impossible to deal with...
---
After leaving the martial arts division, Gu Yan gazed thoughtfully out the window. Thanks to Mei Xue, he now knew why the Night Organization squad was out so late.
So they were going to meet Qingqiu.
Meeting at this hour... Was there some other plan?
Something involving Leng Bingning?
Old Gao glanced at the rearview mirror. "Young master, heading home now?"
"No... That’d be a waste of free time."
Gu Yan snapped out of his thoughts, a faint smirk forming.
Gloop!
Black liquid coiled around him in an instant.
Gu Yan—Night King Edition—had returned!
Simultaneously, the viscous darkness spread outward, enveloping the car.
In moments, the vehicle seemed to merge with a living liquid entity, speeding through the night.
Its speed and form had completely transformed.
"To the Fifth Forbidden Zone, Old Gao."
"Take the straight path."
Straight path...
Old Gao gripped the wheel of the now-altered car and stared ahead at the skyscrapers.
Instead of swerving, he stepped on the gas and accelerated.
The moment the car touched the building—
Whoosh! Splash!
Like passing through a watery barrier, the car phased effortlessly through the structure.
This was the power of the "Claw Cells" when fused with inorganic matter!
Still, it wasn’t as convenient as Mei Xue’s spatial traversal.
I should really teach the Claw Cells how to do that too. What kind of Night King can’t freely move through the night?
Well... Gu Yan wasn’t the real Night King anyway.
---
Meanwhile...
Fifth Forbidden Zone.
Crimson light bathed the land, while dark shadows drifted across the sky.
Countless demonic creatures prostrated themselves in worship before a black tower.
Atop the tower stood a figure clad in a gown woven from starlight. Her ink-black hair fluttered in the breeze, shimmering faintly.
"Ten thousand years..."
Though her face remained obscured by shadow, the brilliance in her deep eyes betrayed her extraordinary presence.
"An entire ten thousand years..."
"Sealed away in the Nether Prison..."
"Yet now, the seal is broken—I am free!"
Her voice trembled with emotion—excitement, exhilaration, even tears.
Thank the heavens I never gave up.
In the great war of the past, the traitorous Four Sacred Beasts had led the human armies to crush the Nether Clan. Ninety-nine percent of their kin had been imprisoned in the Nether Prison.
The few Netherlings who escaped had scattered across the world, hiding in obscurity.
She could sense it—her descendants were struggling in this modern era, far from their former glory.
Humanity still ruled, while the Nether Clan had dwindled to near-extinction.
But she understood.
If even she had been trapped in the abyssal darkness of the Nether Prison, how could the others have fared better?
Yet...
One thing puzzled her beyond reason.
The seal on the Nether Prison had weakened...
That was the only reason she had broken free.
What could have caused it?
As she pondered—
Thud. Thud.
Heavy footsteps approached.
A deep, fervent voice echoed in her ears:
"Madame Lin! It is you!"
+ Slow Paced + Main Character Thrives Together with His Disciples】 Transmigrated into a cultivation world, Chu Xingchen awakens a discipleship system that reveals the tags of his disciples! Starting from scratch, he builds the strongest sect. Disciple One: Li Yingling 【Gold Tag: Genius Cultivator】【Purple Tag: Extremely Lucky】【Blue Tag: Bewitchingly Beautiful】 Disciple Two: Li Hangtian 【Gold Tag: Reincarnated】【Purple Tag: Ruthless and Decisive】【Blue Tag: Loyal and Noble】 Disciple Three: ??? 【Orange Tag: Alluring Demoness】【???】【???】 Thus, in the cultivation world, an unremarkable little sect appears out of nowhere, but little do others know that each member of this sect is a powerhouse in their own right. The book is also known as: Cultivation? It's Exactly Like This!
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!
and couldn't return to the real world. Finally, I gave up and decided to go with the flow, only to discover that writing a diary could make me stronger. Since no one could read it, Su Luo wrote freely, daring to pen anything and everything. Female Lead #1: "Not bad. This diary helped me steal all the protagonist's opportunities. I just want to get stronger." Female Lead #2: "I don’t care about reaching the peak of the cultivation world. Right now, I just want to enjoy the chaos." Female Lead #3: "What? Everyone around me is a spy? I’m the Joker Demon Lord?" ... It’s so strange. Why is the plot completely off track, yet the ending remains the same? Are you all just messing with me?!
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.
