Where had the cold, emotionless Lin Qingyan gone—the one whose words never carried a hint of warmth?
Where had the Lin Qingyan who looked down on everyone and walked with an air of arrogance gone?
Where had the Lin Qingyan whose every word during an argument seemed sharp enough to cleave a person in two gone?
And who, exactly, was this woman with her arms around a man’s neck, whispering sickeningly sweet nothings while deliberately rubbing against his earlobe?
What Lord Jingzhe of the Celestial Master’s Residence? She was clearly a nine-tailed fox spirit wearing Lin Qingyan’s skin!
While Gu Xiaoli was ranting furiously in her heart, she had no choice but to admit that Lin Qingyan’s little display had genuinely stunned her.
When had Lin Qingyan learned tricks like that? She had never acted this way before!
Even someone as thick-skinned as Gu Chengyin found himself at a loss for words.
He knew Lin Qingyan was doing it on purpose, with at least half of her motive being to provoke Gu Xiaoli.
As for the other half… those were indeed her true feelings.
Ever since getting together with Lin Qingyan, he had discovered a hidden trait of this immortal maiden—one that almost no one else knew about.
She possessed an extraordinary fixation on being claimed.
Lin Qingyan enjoyed the feeling of being possessed by him. She liked having her body, her title, and everything else about herself marked with his seal.
And she never tired of proclaiming that bond to everyone around her.
But if Lin Qingyan continued making such declarations, Gu Xiaoli’s jealousy was bound to boil over.
So Gu Chengyin coughed lightly and steered the conversation toward another matter without drawing attention to what he was doing.
“Now that the misunderstanding has been cleared up, we should focus on the important business.”
“Don’t worry, Auntie. Xiaoli won’t cause any trouble, right, Xiaoli?”
At this point, even though Gu Xiaoli was still somewhat reluctant, she understood that the matter at hand was more important.
Lin Qingyan was the backbone of the Celestial Master’s Residence. Without her holding the fort, it would be impossible to keep those Golden Core cultivators from the various sects under control.
The longer they lingered here, the more likely something unexpected was to happen at the Celestial Master’s Residence.
If something went wrong because of her, Gu Chengyin would certainly be unhappy—and Gu Xiaoli herself would feel guilty too.
She might love acting sweet and spoiled, but when it came to matters of right and wrong, she had never been a cat who couldn’t tell the difference.
So, forced by the circumstances—
No, more accurately, out of consideration for the bigger picture—
Gu Xiaoli finally lowered her head to Lin Qingyan.
“Sister Qingyan, don’t worry. Xiaoli won’t cause any trouble.”
Coming from Gu Xiaoli, those words were tantamount to a declaration.
At least during the Taihe Battle, she would not make any more moves behind Lin Qingyan’s back.
Nor would she take advantage of Lin Qingyan’s presence at the Celestial Master’s Residence to secretly run off with Gu Chengyin.
Of course, this condition only applied if Gu Xiaoli did not take the initiative.
If Gu Chengyin insisted on eating her, then there was nothing she could do about it.
Lin Qingyan responded with a warm, smiling expression. She reached out, placed her hand on top of Gu Xiaoli’s head, and gently ruffled her hair.
Gu Xiaoli had willingly lowered her head, and Lin Qingyan was happy to go along with it.
After all, if the two of them truly came to blows, the one who would suffer the most would be Gu Chengyin, caught between them.
Once she had finished petting the cat’s head, Lin Qingyan rose from Gu Chengyin’s lap.
Her movements were calm and elegant. She even took the time to straighten her slightly disheveled collar and smooth out her long hair.
“As long as Chengcheng is safe, that’s all that matters.”
Lin Qingyan looked at Gu Chengyin, her gaze lingering over him for a moment as though checking whether anything was amiss.
Then she withdrew her eyes, and her tone returned to its brisk, businesslike manner.
“Zhao’er’s side cannot be delayed for too long. I’ll head back first.”
With that, Lin Qingyan turned around. Her skirt swayed gently as she prepared to leave.
But at that moment, a burst of hurried footsteps came from the direction of the front hall.
The footsteps were dense and disorderly, utterly lacking the composed decorum expected within the Crown Prince’s Palace.
Whoever it was had clearly been running—and running very fast.
Lin Qingyan stopped and turned around, her brows drawing together slightly as she looked toward the source of the sound.
A female official came rushing down the corridor.
Her hair was disheveled from the run, and sweat had soaked the loose strands against her forehead. The front of her robe heaved with every breath as her chest rose and fell violently.
She ran while looking around frantically, her anxious gaze sweeping rapidly across the courtyard.
Only when she spotted Lin Qingyan did a spark of hope suddenly ignite in her eyes.
Lin Qingyan’s expression instantly turned solemn.
She recognized the female official. She was one of the attendants who personally served Luo Zhao.
The woman was steady and reliable, and she rarely ever lost her composure.
For her to rush over in such a panic could only mean one thing.
Something had happened at the Celestial Master’s Residence.
“Something terrible has happened, Lord Jingzhe!”
The female official had no time to salute. She braced both hands against her knees, took two ragged breaths, and then shouted with all her strength:
“The Sun-Moon Sect’s representative has challenged Her Highness, demanding that Golden Core cultivators from the various sects be allowed to participate in the Taihe Battle!”
“If she refuses, they’ll have the sect’s disciples issue a death challenge to Junior Preceptor Gu!”
The instant those words were spoken, the air throughout the rear courtyard froze.
A streak of golden lightning flashed through Lin Qingyan’s eyes.
Fine, hair-thin arcs of golden electricity leaped around her body, carrying a fierce killing intent that made one’s scalp prickle.
The gaze that had been as gentle as water only moments ago froze into two blocks of ten-thousand-year-old black ice.
She had been gone for only a short while, and someone had already dared to challenge Luo Zhao.
And they were using Gu Chengyin’s life as a threat.
The Sun-Moon Sect?
Very well.
She would remember that name.
Gu Xiaoli’s expression changed as well.
The lingering jealousy and grievance vanished without a trace, replaced by a cold, world-weary hostility.
Her catlike pupils emerged automatically, narrowing into two thin slits. Demonic power surged around her like a tide, while her spiritual cat tail changed from soft and fluffy to taut as a whip.
She might not get along with Lin Qingyan, but when it came to Gu Chengyin and Luo Zhao, her position had always been the same as Lin Qingyan’s.
After hearing the news, Lin Qingyan did not immediately fly back to the Celestial Master’s Residence.
Instead, she withdrew the surging arcs of golden lightning around her and slowly turned around.
Both her movements and her emotions were remarkably restrained.
That was something she had learned after spending so much time with Gu Chengyin.
In the past, Lin Qingyan would have torn open the void and teleported back at once.
But she would not do that now, because there was one thing she had to do before returning.
She needed to ask Super Intelligence how Super Strength should be used.
Lin Qingyan turned her head and looked at Gu Chengyin.
That single glance contained an extraordinary amount: apology, worry, fury, and unmistakable dependence.
Lin Qingyan did not speak. Her eyes had already said everything.
Gu Chengyin had risen from the reclining chair. He looked as calm as someone stretching after waking from an afternoon nap—
not like someone who had just heard news capable of shaking the entire court of Great Luo.
He held Gu Xiaoli’s hand with one hand. Her little hand was icy cold, clearly because she was struggling to suppress the murderous intent surging within her.
His other hand hung naturally at his side as he walked steadily over to Lin Qingyan.
The corners of his lips lifted into a faint smile.
“Looks like Auntie will have to give me a ride.”
nd fell into a coma while saving his younger sister from an out-of-control car. He became a vegetable. No one knew that his consciousness had crossed into a world of cultivation. Over the course of sixty years, he began as the lowest kind of mine slave, struggling to survive amid mountains of corpses and seas of blood. By sheer chance, he eventually obtained the complete memories of a fallen Immortal King. Alchemy, medicine, formations, feng shui, physiognomy, artifact forging… Every great inheritance of the cultivation world was now his. But when he opened his eyes again, he discovered that ten full years had passed in the modern world. To pay for his treatment, his father had sold the family’s shop and house, leaving himself covered in lasting injuries and illness. His mother had cared for him day and night, and more than half of her hair had already turned white. His younger sister, who had been only fifteen back then, was now twenty-five. To help repay the family’s debts, she had been forced to lower her head and put on a smiling face in places of glittering lights and endless revelry. Only then did Chen Xuan understand that what he had lost was not merely ten years. He had lost the life his entire family was meant to have. The good news was that he had brought back the memories of an Immortal King’s entire lifetime. The bad news was that his soul had returned alone—his cultivation had not come with him. Spiritual energy was scarce, resources were depleted, and the modern world still had firearms, surveillance, capital, and laws. If he wanted to protect his family, break free from everyone’s control, and become truly invincible beneath the heavens, he would have to start all over again.
s + Rent Collection Wealth】 At the start, he inherited a rundown house in the urban village from his grandfather. The house had no tenants, but the moment he was diagnosed with a terminal illness, a self-proclaimed empress from the Tianxuan Continent arrived as his first tenant. Ye Chuan soon discovered that with every new tenant moving in, not only did he receive massive daily payments, but he also obtained unique items related to their backgrounds. 【Acquired Bai Qianshuang’s related item: Tiger Strength Pill—dramatically enhances physical power!】 【Acquired Bai Qianshuang’s related item: Deer Blood Pill—significantly boosts vitality!】 …… From that day on, all sorts of bizarre tenants began appearing in the house: the empress from Tianxuan Continent, an apocalyptic sorceress from the Magic Realm, a mysterious scientific girl who fell through a spacetime rift… Every single day, he received strange, powerful items and endless money. Then one day, he suddenly realized—he had become invincible. Enough, enough! Stop giving me more!
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?"
y came from. The chests contained supplies, currency, class-change scrolls, skills, talents… and even godhood! The laws of the world were completely rewritten. This became a world where everyone gambled with their fate! Some people, despite having nothing, opened a divine artifact and rose to the top, eventually ruling the world. Others went bankrupt, opened nothing but worthless junk, and leaped from skyscrapers in despair. Lin Ye arrived in this world from another reality, utterly bewildered. “What is going on? Why is everyone a gambling addict?!” “Opening chests? No way. I refuse to gamble. I’ll start with myself!” Until— On his first chest, he obtained a Mythic Talent: Void Incarnation! He could become completely intangible, pass through all things, and reduce everything to nothingness! … On his fiftieth chest, he obtained a Mythic Weapon: Blade of Karma! With a single slash, karma shattered, twisting the universe and overturning the myriad phenomena of creation! … On his ninety-ninth chest, he obtained a Mythic Divine Treasure: Primordial Purple Energy! It could split open the heavens and earth, create all things, and evolve countless worlds with a single thought! Lin Ye: “Now that I think about it… shouldn’t someone have told me that every chest is guaranteed to contain something Mythic?!”
