At the same time.
Mei Xue gazed heavily at the humanoid monster perched atop the flower bud.
What’s going on...
The aura of the Flower Deity?
Wasn’t Wang Yulan the one who possessed the Flower Deity’s aura? How did she end up like this?
Unless...
Mei Xue seemed to have thought of a possibility, her heart sinking even further.
Could this situation have been orchestrated by Gu Yan?
She glanced at Gu Yan, who had collapsed unconscious the moment the battle began. But would he go so far as to inflict severe injuries on himself?
Or... was Gu Yan feigning illness again?
Mei Xue recalled the battle against the Night King—damn it...
Was this another one of Gu Yan’s schemes?
Inside the overlapping space.
Gu Yan turned to Xiao Leng. "Are you done yet? Any longer, and these people will all die."
"These members of the Night Organization are Qingqiu’s subordinates."
Xiao Leng merely smiled faintly in response. "Don’t rush. Wait a little longer."
Her gaze lingered on Wang Yulan, now transformed into a monster—the bearer of the Flower Deity’s aura...
Had she completely fused with it?
Why? Had Gu Yan tampered with something?
Outside.
Shangguan Miaoyin received the reply, her heart sinking.
Tch, seriously? If Mei Xue’s spatial abilities couldn’t be used...
Then how were they supposed to escape this situation?
Wang Yulan’s consciousness gradually cleared. She could feel her current state—power, endless power, surging relentlessly from within her body.
Following her instincts, she lightly twitched her fingers.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Dense vines erupted from the ground, wrapping around every corpse in the vicinity.
In full view of everyone, the bodies were drained dry in an instant, reduced to nothing but husks.
!!!!
Everyone was stunned.
"That monster... is absorbing energy!"
"Are we all just food in its eyes?!"
Lin, witnessing this, laughed even more gleefully. She shouted at Wang Yulan, "Newcomer, kill them all!!"
Kill...
As if hearing something, Wang Yulan turned her head toward Lin.
The calmness in her gaze sent an inexplicable chill down Lin’s spine, but soon, Wang Yulan shifted her attention to Bai Jun and the others.
The moment her gaze landed on them, everyone detected a strange, sweet fragrance in the air.
Then, they realized—their bodies wouldn’t move.
"What... is this?"
"I can’t move my body."
[Murong Ci, what are your odds against her?]
Shangguan Miaoyin reached out to Murong Ci, the strongest member of the Night Organization aside from their master. His cultivation had reached the mid-stage of the Grandmaster realm.
However.
Murong Ci replied,
[Zero. I’m no match for her.]
What?
Shangguan Miaoyin was speechless. Were they really going to die here today?
This was ridiculous! If they died here, it’d be beyond humiliating!
Their master would be utterly disappointed in them!
The next second, something happened that sent chills down everyone’s spines.
Buzz—
Without warning, the humanoid monster atop the flower vanished.
When it reappeared, it was already amidst the crowd.
More precisely—
Right beside Gu Yan.
"Gu... Yan..."
The monster used vines to lift the "unconscious" Gu Yan, murmuring his name.
A flicker of emotion flashed in her eyes.
Gu Yan??
She said Gu Yan??
Bai Jun’s eyes widened. Shangguan Miaoyin also turned her head in shock.
At that moment, only one thought echoed in everyone’s minds—
She... knows Gu Yan??
How?
Yet, they remained immobilized by some unknown force.
Lin, unable to endure any longer, shouted, "Newcomer! Hurry up and kill them! Don’t disappoint His Majesty!"
The moment those words left her mouth—
"Silence!"
Wang Yulan whipped her head around, her eyes glowing with an eerie green light as overwhelming killing intent crashed down on Lin.
The latter’s face instantly twisted in horror.
Then, Wang Yulan turned back to Gu Yan. "Gu Yan... why are you here...?"
She reached out with a pale hand, gently touching his cheek.
Her eyes held a mix of sorrow and joy.
Could this... be fate?
She had become like this, yet Gu Yan had appeared before her.
If so, could she take him away and turn him into one of her own?
With that thought, Wang Yulan glanced at the other warriors nearby.
"I’m sorry," she said softly. "I’m taking Gu Yan with me."
"And to ensure none of you leak this information... so..."
As her voice trailed off—
"Huh?!"
"What?!"
Everyone realized their hands were moving against their will—slowly reaching for their own necks.
Bai Jun’s expression twisted in disbelief. "What kind of joke is this? What ability is this?!"
He struggled to resist, but his hands refused to obey.
Ning Qian, gripping her sword, found the blade inching toward her own throat.
"Tch..."
Shangguan Miaoyin and the others were no different.
[Mei Xue, Mei Xue, are you really unable to use your abilities? If this goes on, we’ll all die.]
[Yeah, Sister Mei Xue, this is too humiliating! Even if we can revive, dying like this is just embarrassing!]
[Eh... we can revive?]
[Shut up, newbie! This isn’t the time for your questions!]
[Ugh... s-sorry...]
Just as everyone was about to end their own lives—
BOOM!!
A devastating sword aura materialized out of nowhere.
Like the first ray of dawn piercing through the endless night, it tore through the darkness.
The sword aura was razor-sharp, carving a magnificent arc across the sky at the brink of despair.
With a deafening roar, it swept forward.
"ROAR!!"
Every demonic creature born from the shadows was obliterated, like autumn leaves swept away by a storm.
Even Grandmaster-level monsters shattered like glass, dissolving into black dust.
The colossal black sword aura didn’t stop there—it shot straight toward Lin, whose face twisted in shock.
"NO!!"
With a final scream, Lin vanished alongside the sword aura.
The fog-covered sky of the forbidden zone instantly brightened.
For a moment, time seemed to freeze.
Everyone held their breath, unable to process what had just happened.
What... what was that??
Who saved them??
The next second—
Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!
Countless spatial rifts opened beneath their feet.
"Now! Retreat!"
Mei Xue barked the order, instantly teleporting everyone away.
Even the "Gu Yan" in front of Wang Yulan was taken.
In an instant, the forbidden zone fell into complete silence.
......
......
Inside the overlapping space.
Gu Yan was dumbstruck. He swallowed hard, turning stiffly toward Xiao Leng beside him.
The opponent held a black dagger in their hand. Noticing Gu Yan's gaze, the corner of their lips curled slightly: "Consider this a warm-up."
What kind of over-the-top warm-up was this?!
And—
"Why did you kill Lin?!"
Gu Yan was stunned. Killing monsters was one thing, but how could they take out a teammate with a functioning brain?
Hearing this, Xiao Leng only smiled wider. She sheathed her dagger and slowly closed the distance between them, stepping so close that Gu Yan could almost catch the sweet, honey-like fragrance emanating from her.
Then, with her now-unveiled, starry-night eyes fixed on him, she flashed a faint smile and said,
"Because... you belong to me—and the other me—as our cauldron."
"No one else has the right to claim you."
"Not even in their fantasies."
!!!
Gu Yan's heart lurched. He averted his gaze and muttered, "Please don't say weird things while borrowing Qingqiu's body."
"Is that so? I think the other me would have done the same."
Gu Yan: "........"
wed him to see the innate talent, destiny, and future of those he invested in. The greater the destiny of his target, the richer the rewards he would reap. Then he discovered that the aloof girl next door, his childhood sweetheart, possessed the highest-grade crimson destiny—a future destined to reign supreme as the Empress of the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands. Lately, she seemed troubled, pondering how to unlock her sealed meridians and unleash her talents ahead of time... — — — My name is Ying Bing, one of the Nine Heavenly Sovereigns, titled the Phoenix Empress, reigning invincibly over the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands. I have been reborn and bound to a Peerless Genius System, where ranking first among my peers grants me rewards. [Would you like to activate the Punishment Mechanism?] [Upon activation, rewards will increase, but after the rankings are announced, you must carry out the "Punishment of the Defeated" on the top-ranked individual.] Ying Bing: "I can’t very well punish myself, can I?" — — — Years later. Ying Bing: "Can’t you let me win just once?" Li Mo: "First, call me 'husband' properly—I didn’t hear it clearly last time."
m back to his original world. In the end, he realized he had overthought things. [Hey, why is Shen Manni, the female lead, acting strange? Shouldn't she be fawning over the male lead at this point?] [Zhou Qiaoqiao, are you sick? Weren't you supposed to break off your engagement today?] [Damn it! An Youyi, please do your job as an undercover agent and sell my information to the protagonist, you idiot!] ... At this moment, Xu Mo himself didn't know that these female leads had already heard his inner thoughts. Then they decided not to play by the rules. Xu Mo: Please respect my profession as the big villain!
iving with nine beautiful women. [Ding! Welcome back to the Joyous Sect, Host…] Lin Yu: ??? I’m clearly in a shared rental, but you’re saying I’m in the Joyous Sect? Watering plants is now [Tending to Spiritual Flora]? Cooking becomes [Researching Elixirs]? Making the bed turns into [Setting Up Formations]? A gentle and innocent auntie, twin classmates, a mysterious hacker girl on leave, a severely socially anxious artist, an elementary school Chinese teacher, a community hospital nurse, a pet shop owner, an antique clock restorer… This system… is kinda interesting.
lities. One day, Qi Yuan was buying groceries when he unfortunately came face-to-face with a monster. Just when he thought he was going to die on the spot, he suddenly heard the monster's thoughts... "This aura, he's definitely not an ordinary master!" "So terrifying, so terrifying." "A fight with my back against the wall, I can't take it anymore." Qi Yuan: Ah, no one told me that my awakened ability isn't telepathy, but rather the stronger my enemies imagine me to be, the stronger I truly become. PS: Zhou Hai in the first chapter is not the protagonist.
