"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!"
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?"
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
ing gift was a patch of barren land, and disciples were all picked up along the way. He spent fifty years diligently building three "ramshackle little sects," thinking he could finally live a carefree life relying on his disciples. But right at the fifty-year mark, he was suddenly swept away by a spatial rift and exiled to the Chaos Desolation, the Disorderly Ruins. There was no spiritual energy there, only slaughter. Relying on the cultivation feedback from his disciples, Gu Changyuan hacked his way through a sea of blood for eleven hundred years. When the system finally fished him back out, he discovered the ramshackle little sects he'd built back then had developed a rather... unusual style. Hold on... I vanished for a thousand years, so how did my ramshackle little sects become holy lands?!
ap a wealthy young lady? Or else I'll be eliminated by the system? Ye Feng, who awakened the Kidnapper System, originally wanted to live a peaceful life but never imagined he would become a kidnapper of young women. However, after some time, he discovered that all the girls the system ordered him to kidnap were far from ordinary. "Big brother Ye Feng~ You've kidnapped my heart, and now you're not allowed to leave me ever again~" "Ye Feng~ You kidnapped me back then, now it's my turn to capture you♡" "Little Feng, you're mine! You can only be mine!" "Ye Feng, none of them deserve you. Only I love you the most♡" ... This is madness, they've all gone mad! Wait, what? Why are all the girls I kidnapped yanderes?!
