Things didn’t seem to be going well.
Su Luo thought pushing the Demon Lord out might not be a bad idea.
But then again, the Demon Lord couldn’t die just yet.
Su Luo stepped forward, shielding the Demon Lord: "I’m afraid she won’t be staying."
"If I insist otherwise?"
"Then there’s nothing to be done."
Su Luo drew Xia Ying, ready for battle.
The Demon Lord, gripping the Heavenly Demon Sword, doubted Su Luo could handle Nangong Xiyun.
"I’ll join you."
"No need," Su Luo refused. "I won’t be able to protect you if we fight."
"Are you underestimating me?" Though Jiang Ningshu hadn’t fully recovered to her second stage, her strength was still formidable.
"No, but your peak hasn’t returned yet. Today, you’ll listen to me, right?"
"...Yes."
"Then stay back—no, go to the spot I showed you. I’ll hold her off."
Jiang Ningshu hesitated but obeyed. She had promised to follow his lead today.
Nangong Xiyun slashed out a sword beam to block Jiang Ningshu’s retreat.
Su Luo intercepted it effortlessly.
"I’ll be your opponent."
Su Luo hadn’t planned to fight Nangong Xiyun so soon. In the past, every challenge he issued ended in defeat—utter, crushing losses. Even at his peak, he’d never managed to push her to her limits.
But now, armed with new skills, he at least wouldn’t be humiliated. Winning, however? That would require reaching the Great Ascension Realm.
Su Luo struck first, channeling Nangong Xiyun’s power—though he couldn’t wield it too fiercely, his body still couldn’t withstand such overwhelming force.
"Void-Splitting Strike: Zero!"
Space split violently, a jagged rift tearing through the fabric of reality.
Nangong Xiyun’s blade sealed the fissure shut with a single stroke.
Their swords clashed in rapid succession, faster and faster until the blades became invisible.
"Hey… are you angry?" Su Luo asked.
"No."
Liar. Her fury practically radiated off her. Su Luo could feel it in her strikes. "Why? Did I do something?"
"No." Nangong Xiyun pressed her assault.
Su Luo didn’t let his guard down.
At first, his familiarity with her techniques gave him a slight edge.
But Nangong Xiyun adapted swiftly, effortlessly recalibrating. Her improvisation was flawless.
The stalemate was an illusion. Su Luo knew prolonged combat only spelled his defeat.
In a split-second gamble, Su Luo let Nangong Xiyun’s blade slash his waist—while his own sword struck hers.
Earlier, he’d rolled the dice. A nine.
His sword slammed into her like a bat hitting a ball, launching her backward.
Meanwhile, he clutched his side, gritting his teeth. Even with half the damage negated, the pain was sharp.
Nangong Xiyun rose, unharmed. A single strike wouldn’t fell her—she was no pushover.
She closed the distance again. From the start, she’d treated Su Luo as a top-tier opponent.
"You continue to surprise me," she said coldly, careful not to betray too much emotion. If Su Luo realized she was A’Yun, things would get complicated.
"Pretend you didn’t see it," Su Luo replied.
Being on her radar was trouble, though he knew his words were pointless.
They clashed again.
Suddenly, Su Luo’s eyes glowed violet, energy bursting forth.
If physical attacks failed, he’d strike her mind.
He sought to unleash the inner demon Nangong Xiyun had sealed away. He knew it was futile—even if it surfaced, she’d suppress it again. But buying time was enough.
Diving deep into her psyche, Su Luo froze.
Where was the demon?
The sealed darkness that once tormented her—gone.
Huh? Is that… a portrait of me?
Before he could focus, he was ejected.
"You—what did you see?!" Nangong Xiyun’s voice wavered, tense and hurried.
But Su Luo had his own question: "Where’s your inner demon?!"
"We reconciled. That’s why I reached the Great Ascension."
"…What?"
Su Luo’s confusion was palpable. That wasn’t how it happened in the original timeline—her demon was supposed to be destroyed later. Reconciliation made no sense.
Nangong Xiyun relaxed. He hadn’t seen it.
"Wait, I think I noticed—"
"You saw nothing." She swung her sword again.
"I wasn’t hallucinating. Why was there a painting of me?"
"Because you’re a formidable opponent. I take you seriously." Her tone was deadpan.
"…Really?"
Su Luo almost believed her. The Nangong Xiyun he knew—when not playing a role—never lied.
"Really."
She had already locked her mental world. No more intrusions.
Regardless, Su Luo couldn’t afford distractions. He focused solely on survival.
Their blades, once a storm of motion, gradually slowed.
Yet this wasn’t fatigue—it was a higher level of swordsmanship.
Every strike carried profound intricacies, their power mounting.
Each collision shook the earth, the battlefield long reduced to ruin.
In this deadly dance, a single misstep meant defeat—for Su Luo, at least. Nangong Xiyun, a Great Ascension cultivator, wouldn’t fall so easily.
[The Jester’s Delight]
Nangong Xiyun: "Ahahahaha—!"
She stiffened. Why was she laughing? Su Luo’s doing, no doubt.
His tricks were endless—and she couldn’t counter this one.
Laughing mid-battle wasn’t her style. Being watched by Su Luo made it worse. Her icy demeanor was crumbling.
Good. That was the point.
Since he couldn’t win fairly, he’d exploit every advantage.
I’ll defeat you just once, Nangong Xiyun—no matter what it takes!
…Wait. Wasn’t I supposed to stall and escape?
Why am I getting fired up?
No matter. Fight first, think later.
Su Luo disengaged. "Enough. Let’s end this with one strike."
The dice landed on five.
[Charging…]
Nangong Xiyun nodded. Originally, she’d come to reconnect with Su Luo in her true identity, to mend their rapport. Yet here they were.
But retreat wasn’t an option now. And this battle had taught her much.
Nangong Xiyun lifted his sword, his demeanor utterly calm, yet beneath that serenity lay an unfathomable power gathering momentum.
Su Luo inhaled deeply, then exhaled slowly, as strands of spiritual energy began coiling around her, growing denser by the second.
In an instant, an immense surge of spiritual energy coalesced around Su Luo’s body before being channeled entirely into Xia Ying—this strike was pure offense, with no thought of defense.
Xia Ying trembled with excitement. After being sealed away for so long, it was finally free to unleash its full potential.
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!
world slacker. But a genius female disciple just had to get clingy, insisting that he take her as a disciple. Not only that, she was always making advances on him, thoroughly disrupting his peaceful slacker life...
ave】 Shen Qingling was a man with peerless looks, a cunning mind, and the ability to play both the aloof noble and the innocent sweetheart—a master of seduction who could outplay any player. But after an untimely death, he found himself bound to a system and transmigrated into the tragic "true young master" of a melodramatic novel. In the original story, his childhood sweetheart treated him as a backup plan, his fiancée swore to break off their engagement for the sake of the "fake young master," and his own sister saw him as the family's disgrace. He was nothing more than a rat everyone wanted to stomp on. System 077: "Your mission is to change the original fate and conquer the goddesses." Shen Qingling: "Thanks for the invite. If seduction had tiers, I’d be max level." His childhood sweetheart knelt, begging for forgiveness: "Qingling, I was wrong. Please give me another chance." His ex-fiancée refused to marry anyone else: "Shen Qingling, I was blind before. In this life, I’ll marry no one but you." A yandere CEO went mad for love: "Shen Qingling, you can only like me. I’ll stop at nothing to make you mine!" His green-tea sister clung to him daily: "Brother, look at me, won’t you? I’m more obedient than them—I love you the most~" At first, they scorned and trampled on him. Later, they burned themselves like moths to a flame, all for his sake. His looks were his weapon, his sweet words the bait—heroines obsessed over him, villains turned to madness for him. Shen Qingling became a true male siren, igniting battlefield after battlefield of women fighting for his affection. Years later, when System 077—now one of the elites—was asked how to become as outstanding as it, it lazily exhaled a smoke ring and replied: "Just know how to cheer ‘666’ at the right time."
his freshman year, Su Bai accidentally bound the "Indulgence Tycoon System." 【Sleeping in? Reward: +$1,000】 【Spent $288 at a street barbecue stall? Cashback: +$2,880】 【Dropped $14,396 on in-game skins? Special reward unlocked: A brand-new Porsche Panamera!】 Luxury cars, penthouses, corporate shares, financial empires… College life was all about living freely and doing whatever he pleased! … When the adorably naive academic genius faced family medical bills and financial struggles, Su Bai waved his hand dismissively: "Your future is on me." "Wuwu~ Big Brother is so good to me! I’ll become a scientist to repay you!" When the genius girl got bullied by a shady professor? Su Bai casually dropped a billion-dollar investment, forcing the university to grovel and beg for her return. A company’s funding chain collapsing? Su Bai smirked—cash was the one thing he’d never run out of. Years later, when people traced the rise of the AI prodigy beauty, who was the man behind her success? Not just that—Su Bai also became the tsundere campus belle’s unattainable dream, the contrast senior’s daily necessity, and the beautiful counselor’s emotional anchor…
