The Bai Family.
Bai Qionglan angrily grabbed Meteorite's arm, trying with all her might to pull her away from Leng Ling'er's side. "Hey! Stop clinging to my Ling'er-jie like this!"
All her initial fear of Meteorite had vanished, replaced only by the fierce rivalry between factions!
"Ahh... Dragon King-sama... Dragon King-sama..."
Meteorite, her face flushed, continued rubbing against Leng Ling'er, who looked utterly helpless.
"Brother-in-law, what should we do now?"
Leng Ling'er turned her gaze toward Gu Yan.
Truthfully, she didn’t mind girls getting close to her.
But... this woman was a villain, the big bad who had attacked their Qionglan!
Hmm... What to do? I don’t know either...
Watching the woman who kept hugging Leng Ling'er's arm and rubbing against her, Gu Yan understood everything.
From their earlier conversation, he learned that her name was Meteorite.
Originally a martial artist from centuries ago, she had joined the Dragon King Palace only to have her soul sealed away by the former Dragon King, turning her into a 'Dragon Slave.'
Centuries had passed, leaving her mind unstable, even somewhat deranged.
Moreover, after the old Dragon King's death, Gu Yan had converted the other Dragon Slaves into Shadow People—but Meteorite had been overlooked.
She had been sent out earlier to interrogate Bai Qionglan about the jade pendant's whereabouts.
This oversight meant...
During the transition between the former and current Dragon King, she alone had been left out.
And now, with the destruction of the stone statue, the seal on her soul had broken.
In the end...
Gu Yan observed Meteorite's bizarre behavior.
This was the result.
Gu Yan cleared his throat and said to Leng Ling'er, "Putting everything else aside, you are now the Dragon King."
"Since you need to train, and she’s a grandmaster, sticking with her will ensure your safety and guide you properly."
Leng Ling'er: ???
What? This woman is a grandmaster?!
Leng Ling'er was stunned. Before this, the woman had been rambling about being a grandmaster and offering to train her. But she, being so clever, had naturally dismissed it.
Yet... according to Gu Yan, it was actually true?!
Leng Ling'er immediately brightened up.
Bai Qionglan, sensing something amiss, quickly tried to intervene. "Ling'er-jie—"
"Ah, Qionglan, we’re all good sisters here!"
Leng Ling'er cut her off, smiling as she took both Meteorite and Bai Qionglan's hands.
"You're both my dear friends!"
"Let’s train together!"
Meteorite, her face flushed with excitement: "Dragon King-sama!"
Bai Qionglan, on the verge of tears: "How could this happen?!"
Another rival had appeared!
Seeing that things had settled, Gu Yan stood up to leave. "Alright, I’ll leave you to it."
It was rare for the little brat to be so passionate about something.
Though he wasn’t sure about her talent.
Hmm... Probably around Xiao Lin's level?
Their luck should be about the same.
"Okay~ Take care, brother-in-law~"
After leaving the Bai Family, Gu Yan returned to his car.
The matters concerning the Dragon King Palace and the Beacon of Hope could be set aside for now.
But Gu Yan couldn’t relax yet.
For the sake of his future plans, he had to make the most of every moment.
It had been a while since he last visited the Fifth Forbidden Zone. He hadn’t forgotten his identity as the 'Nether Monarch.'
But before that...
Gu Yan decided to head home first and wait for someone’s arrival tonight.
Perhaps it was his sixth sense, but he had a feeling... Leng Qingqiu would come looking for him again.
......
Nighttime.
The Gu Residence.
Pale moonlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows.
Gu Yan sat on his familiar single-seater sofa, a small side table beside him laden with sweets and milk tea.
The next moment—
A fair, delicate hand picked up a cream puff.
Its owner then casually took a seat on the sofa, her cool voice reaching Gu Yan’s ears. "You knew I was coming."
Munch munch munch~
The sound of chewing filled the air.
Gu Yan chuckled lightly, glancing at the expressionless Leng Qingqiu as she ate the puff. "Just a man’s intuition."
"Hmph. Intuition (munch munch)."
Leng Qingqiu scoffed, then picked up the milk tea and took a sip. Between bites, she said, "If you sensed I was coming, you should know why."
Gu Yan watched Leng Qingqiu—who, just like her counterpart, had a sweet tooth—and sighed helplessly. "Yeah."
"I’ve only used the dagger twice, but one of my emotions has already faded."
"Though it’s not obvious now... I really have been affected by the Power of Night."
Hearing this, Leng Qingqiu raised an eyebrow, a mocking smile curling her lips. "I warned you. You brought this on yourself."
"Hey now, ‘brought it on yourself’ is a bit harsh. I was just being cautious."
Gu Yan shrugged.
"Hmph."
"What’s with the ‘hmph’? Did you come just to laugh at me? I’ve used some methods to suppress the Power of Night’s corruption for now."
"But it’s not a permanent solution. Do you have any ideas, Leng Qingqiu?"
"Like using that cursed tome?"
Gu Yan looked at her, certain she had an answer.
Leng Qingqiu stared back impassively. "Who are you to me? Why should I help you?"
"Then give back the milk tea and sweets."
Leng Qingqiu’s eye twitched, her expression turning even colder. "........."
Gu Yan coughed lightly. "Kidding, just kidding. If you can’t help, then never mind."
"I’ll just reduce how often I use the dagger."
Seeing Gu Yan’s resigned attitude, Leng Qingqiu finished her milk tea and sighed. "I can’t stop the Power of Night from corrupting those who aren’t chosen."
"Not even Xiao Xie can, because it’s an unbreakable rule."
"If there’s one way..."
Here, Leng Qingqiu looked at Gu Yan seriously.
Gu Yan straightened, listening intently.
Only... one way?
What could it be? Don’t tell me it’s becoming a grandmaster again?
"Then it would be..."
Leng Qingqiu spoke slowly, emphasizing each word. "Stop using the dagger."
"........."
Listening to her was like hearing nothing at all.
Gu Yan’s lips twitched. He covered his face in exasperation. "If I could stop, I wouldn’t be so troubled!"
The future was unpredictable, and Gu Yan was certain he’d need the dagger again.
Leng Qingqiu fell silent, quietly finishing her sweets.
Gu Yan now understood—unless he became a grandmaster and mastered the Power of Pure Love, there was no other way.
In that case...
"Fine, I get it."
"I’ll avoid using it as much as possible. Also, I’m heading to the Forbidden Zone in a couple of days."
At this, Leng Qingqiu glanced at him. "First, it’s not ‘as much as possible’—it’s ‘never again.’ Every time you use the dagger, the Power of Night’s corruption doubles from its current state."
"Next time, it won't just be one emotion you lose."
"Secondly."
"What were you doing in the forbidden zone?"
As she spoke, Leng Ling'er inexplicably glanced at the black ring on Gu Yan's finger. "Feeding your little pet some demonic creatures?"
Seeing that she had recognized Claws, Gu Yan no longer hid it.
Gurgle!
The Claws ring began to morph, gradually transforming into three sharp talons radiating golden dragon energy, coiled around Gu Yan's finger.
Gu Yan explained, "That's right. The Tri-Life Demon Claws can harness all the abilities of those it devours."
"For the next phase of the plan, I need to let it feast a bit more."
[Screech!]
Claws let out a chirp in agreement.
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.”
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.
't think I'm that capable, I'm just trying my best to stay alive. I've been kind all my life, never did anything bad, yet worldly suffering spared me not one bit. The human world is a nice place, but I won't come back in my next life. A kind young man, who wanted to just get by singing, but through repeated deceits and betrayals, has gone down an irredeemable path.
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?"
