Gu Yan first allowed Zhaozhao to absorb the remaining dragon aura before calmly turning his gaze toward Leng Bingning.
He opened his palm, and a pure stream of the Power of Night, infused with the energy of the forbidden lands, manifested in his hand.
"To unleash the complete Power of Night, losing emotions is only natural."
"Still, it’s no big deal. I simply no longer feel sorrow, anger, joy, or any other emotions."
"It won’t hinder the plan in any way."
Gu Yan’s tone was indifferent, as if he were describing something trivial.
In the grand scheme of things, losing his emotions was an inevitable step.
It was only a matter of time. So, rather than delaying it, he might as well sever them now to obtain the full Power of Night.
At that moment—
Whoosh!
The Evil Codex flew out before Gu Yan’s eyes, letting out a sinister chuckle as it circled Leng Bingning. "Little girl, don’t get in this guy’s way."
"For the sake of the plan, he’s paid a price you can’t even imagine!"
Another price?
Leng Bingning frowned. She already knew about the Evil Codex, and the fact that Gu Yan saw her as family had deeply moved her.
But moved or not, Gu Yan’s current state—pushing himself to such extremes for the plan—was becoming alarming.
She flew closer to him, waving a hand in front of his face—then froze.
Her voice trembled with disbelief. "Your eyes... You’ve gone blind?!"
Indeed, unlike before, Gu Yan’s pupils had lost their luster. But this wasn’t ordinary blindness.
His irises were now pitch-black, streaked with chaotic, swirling lines.
What was happening?
"Blindness is just a minor sacrifice. As long as the plan succeeds, it’s all worth it."
"Actually, I feel better than ever."
Gu Yan withdrew the Power of Night. With his blindness had come another ability—
Sharper perception.
Now, he could see something he never could before—the [Threads of Life].
A single flick of his dagger could sever them, erasing anything from existence.
He finally understood the world Leng Qingqiu experienced after losing her sight.
To describe it—
Amidst the darkness, all living things appeared before him as [Essence of Life].
Each being’s essence was unique, the simplest distinction being their color.
Leng Bingning’s, for instance, was azure with streaks of gold.
And above each essence floated a distinct [Thread of Life].
To see it was to kill it.
As long as he could perceive that thread, Gu Yan believed even a so-called [god]—
Could be slain by his hand.
So this was the power of the Night King? Such overwhelming might!
But it still wasn’t enough. He couldn’t yet see the Thread of Life belonging to a [god].
Leng Bingning stood speechless, staring at Gu Yan in horror. He had mutilated himself—all for his goals.
She couldn’t hold back her questioning. "Plans, plans—Gu Yan, what exactly is your plan?"
"Wasn’t it enough to kill the Leng Family’s enemies so you and Leng Qingqiu could live happily?"
"The ancient martial world’s foes are already dead. Only the mundane world’s remain."
"With your previous methods, shouldn’t that be enough? What more do you want?"
She could no longer comprehend Gu Yan’s thoughts.
The Power of Night was formidable, but also deeply unsettling.
Gu Yan knew she had many questions. Calmly, he replied, "The true enemies aren’t just these."
"Right now, I’m still not strong enough."
"I can’t truly oppose them yet. So... mastering the complete Power of Night is my priority."
He turned to Leng Bingning. "Trust me."
Though his face was expressionless and his tone devoid of emotion, she still sensed his silent plea.
The Evil Codex chimed in, "That’s right, little girl! This guy’s thought everything through!"
"Even I don’t wanna follow him to the grave, but... this might be my last shot. So I’ve gotta gamble with him!"
Hearing this, Leng Bingning’s expression gradually stilled. She took a deep breath and sighed.
"Enemies, last chances... I don’t get any of it."
"But fine, I’ll cooperate."
She pointed at Gu Yan, her voice firm. "Just promise me one thing—you’d better make Qingqiu happy!"
In response, Gu Yan placed a hand over his heart. "I will."
Leng Bingning gave a wry smile. "That monotone voice isn’t convincing at all."
"Whatever. You don’t have emotions now anyway. I’ll play along."
"So, what’s next?"
Gu Yan couldn’t explain that he had genuinely meant his reply.
Instead, he pointed upward, then toward the ancient martial world, before dropping a bombshell.
"I’m going to clear out the ancient martial world and turn it into a forbidden forest for demons."
"Prepare the Ice Heart Sect’s evacuation to the alliance."
"After this, no one enters or leaves."
"The entire former ancient martial world will become our new stronghold."
Leng Bingning: "?! Have you lost your mind?!"
Her voice was laced with horror.
Wait—
The ancient martial world was vast. Transforming it into a demonic forest?!
Do you have any idea how insane that sounds?!
Are you planning to destroy the entire world along with it?!
"On the contrary, I’ve never been more clear-headed."
Gu Yan shook his head, his tone unchanging.

] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"

grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)

rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!

u Chenyuan transmigrated into a female-oriented novel about a real and fake heiress, becoming the CEO elder brother of both. Unfortunately, the entire Lu family—including himself, the CEO—were mere cannon fodder in the story. Determined to save himself, Lu Chenyuan took action. The spoiled, attention-seeking fake heiress? Thrown into the harsh realities of the working class to learn humility. The love-struck real heiress? Pushed toward academic excellence, so lofty goals would blind her to trivial romances. As for the betrayed, vengeful arranged marriage wife… the plot hadn’t even begun yet. There was still time—if he couldn’t handle her, he could at least avoid her. "CEO Lu, are you avoiding me?" Mo Qingli fixed her gaze on Lu Chenyuan. For the first time, the shrewd and calculating Lu Chenyuan felt a flicker of unease.