The mountains stretched endlessly beyond the mountains.
The dark, oppressive sky seemed to crush the spirits of all present.
Heaven Mending Realm demons herded the young elites like wolves driving a flock of sheep, forcing them deeper into the heart of the Ten Thousand Mountains.
Were they heading toward the abyss?
The elites dared not think, yet couldn't help but ponder. They were exhausted from fleeing for their lives, yet even more anxious about what lay ahead.
They had no choice but to plunge into the unknown and darkness ahead.
If death awaited them soon, they would at least cling to life for a little while longer.
Gradually, the wind subsided, and the sky seemed to brighten.
A clear lake appeared ahead, with faint, glowing lights hovering above it, illuminating the entire lake with a soft radiance.
The elites stopped here, puzzled by their surroundings. They had undoubtedly reached the very depths of the Ten Thousand Mountains, yet no other demons appeared.
They turned back with a mixture of fear and confusion, only to find the Heaven Mending Realm demon that had been hunting them quietly standing behind them, as if waiting for something.
The wind often heralds something.
As it picked up speed, ripples spread across the lake, not large, but numerous.
The Heaven Mending Realm demon bowed low, as if kneeling before the entire lake.
What was happening?
The elites didn't know what to do. Their exhausted minds struggled to remain calm, and they began to retreat, distancing themselves from the lake.
*Drip.*
The sound of a droplet was faint, yet it clearly reached the ears of every cultivator.
A figure had appeared in the center of the lake, half of his body emerging from the water. His features flickered in the faint light, unclear.
He seemed to be closing his eyes, standing silently in the middle of the water, exuding an inexplicable aura of supreme sanctity, as if towering above the entire Ten Thousand Mountains.
He came from beneath the water, which symbolized boundless mystery.
The elites widened their eyes, their expressions filled with confusion as they wondered who this man was and why he was here.
Their numerous questions converged, and all eyes were fixed on the figure in the center of the lake.
Until he opened his eyes.
They were a pair of blood-red eyes. In an instant, the entire lake turned a crimson color.
The figure rose, supporting himself on the lake, slowly standing atop it. His tall, slender body was clad in a long, green robe. He spread his arms, a smile playing on his lips, and explained to the crowd,
"This is my Heart Lake."
The elites were astonished but dared not respond, remaining silent and listening.
The Heart Demon shook his sleeves and walked out of the water, his steps slow, as he continued to smile,
"To destroy a large organization, the best option is to first destroy its young blood. It's both easy and effective."
Upon hearing this, the elites trembled, realizing what the Heart Demon was referring to, and their tension increased.
The Heart Demon continued to smile, adding,
"Similarly, the best way to form an alliance with an organization or a faction is to connect with its young blood. It's efficient and effortless."
This statement eased the elites' minds a bit. Seeing that the Heart Demon did not continue speaking, the black-robed, straw-hatted cultivator, one of the elite six, couldn't help but ask,
“Honorable senior, are you looking to form an alliance with one of our sects?”
"Sect?" The Heart Demon raised an eyebrow, shaking his head with a light laugh, "I'm not here to form alliances with sects. What I want is a wisp of your collective fortunes."
The elites exchanged glances, no one daring to speak first. Eventually, the black-robed cultivator asked,
Could you please clarify how much of our fortune you require?
"This much." The Heart Demon pointed at him, and a golden wisp of fortune wrapped around his finger—the black-robed cultivator's fortune.
The black-robed cultivator visibly shuddered, staring at the Heart Demon with an expression of utter confusion, unable to comprehend such great power.
The Heart Demon shook his head, "Perhaps I'm getting old, or maybe influenced by something else, but my temper has improved. If this were the past, I wouldn't bother explaining. I'd simply absorb your fortunes in two quick moves and toss you all out."
Suddenly, a cold woman with three flying swords hanging at her waist took a step forward and questioned the Heart Demon,
"Do you truly not fear the Great Emperor from my sect coming to kill you?"
"Great Emperor?" The Heart Demon laughed genuinely, waving his hand, "I'll kill you first, and then we'll see if your sect's Great Emperor dares to come."
He raised his index finger and then brought it down.
The woman instantly felt an immense pressure, her body uncontrollably crashing to the ground. Blood spilled from the corner of her mouth, and her flying swords creaked, on the verge of twisting and breaking.
Her sleeve tore, revealing a crude portrait. The woman in the portrait was cold and proud, with brows like twin blades, her beautiful face expressionless.
The Heart Demon paused his descending finger and asked, "Who is the person in this portrait?"
The woman had already lost the strength to speak, lying on the ground, barely clinging to life.
The other elites dared not respond, and the scene fell into complete silence.
"It's... it's her idol, the Sect Master of Fuyao Immortal Sect, Xu Zhen, who once taught... taught Lan Xie some sword techniques."
A timid voice came from the crowd.
The Heart Demon turned to look, spotting a plump little girl. His brow furrowed.
This girl carried a familiar aura. After some thought, he realized it was the Wu Xi Great Emperor.
The Heart Demon shook his head, thinking, "What kind of situation is this? I've encountered two karmic threads in one outing. Fortunately, I didn't instantly kill that woman; otherwise, it would have been bad. If Xu Zhen told the main body, the main body would surely blame me."
Thankfully, all was well.
He turned back to the female sword cultivator, Lan Xie, and nodded,
"This time, your fortune was good. Your idol saved your life. Next time, if you dare to speak to me so boldly again, you'll have to have your idol come and speak to me personally."
In summary,
It all comes down to Xu Zhen.

Resolve] Gu Yang was once a true disciple of the Falling Cloud Sect, but after failing to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage, his cultivation regressed, his foundation was damaged, his lifespan was nearing its end, and he was about to be demoted to a menial servant. At his moment of despair, he awakened the [Daily Intelligence System]. By refreshing it daily, he could learn about countless hidden opportunities and secrets within the cultivation world! [Today's intelligence has been refreshed] [White Intelligence: One month ago, the Foundation Establishment spiritual item "Profound Ice Spirit Marrow" used by the host to attempt his breakthrough contained a trace of the poison "Bone-Corrobing Spirit-Dissolving Powder".] [Purple Intelligence: Tonight during the Yin hour (3-5 AM), a wisp of "Golden Crow Primordial Flame" will overflow... If this flame is devoured, it can recast the shattered cultivation foundation, fully restore cultivation, and awaken the one-in-ten-thousand—Primordial Supreme Yang Body. [Click to view coordinates]] [Golden Intelligence: Shen Qingyue, a Golden Core elder of the Falling Cloud Sect who possesses the Nine Yin Body, suffers from backlash of cold energy every full moon night, causing her strength to plummet and excruciating pain. Grand Elder Zhao Wuji has secretly bribed Shen Qingyue's personal maid, Hongxiu, and learned the rear gate array node of the protective formation "Clouds and Mist Veiling the Sun Array". Tomorrow late at night, he intends to take advantage of Shen Qingyue's flare-up of the cold poison, when she is weak and unable to resist, to use a secret technique to refine her into a cauldron and force her into a Daoist partnership. [Click to view coordinates]] The cultivation world is a jungle where the strong prey on the weak, and human hearts are as treacherous as ghosts? Sorry, but I can read the script! From then on, relying on his informational advantage, Gu Yang proceeded step by step with careful planning. Seizing opportunities, plundering fortunes. Selling intelligence. Playing rivals against each other. Step by step, he ultimately became the Immortal Emperor!

. As long as he maintains the villain image and follows the plot to the grand finale, he can obtain generous rewards and return to the real world. So Gu Chen'an entered the role and began to act as a scumbag villain, but who would have expected that the female leads could hear his inner thoughts. Miss Su from the Su family was shocked: "I originally thought Gu Chen'an was a scumbag, but I didn't expect he turned out to be a gentleman! What? You said I have to call off the engagement? I definitely won't, I'll piss you off!" Bai Yuan Tian was dumbfounded: "Young Master Gu is usually unreasonable and a complete brat, but he actually calls me little sweetie in his heart? What, Young Master Gu even said he likes me?" As the female leads' images collapsed more and more, the plot also collapsed with it. Gu Chen'an looked at all this chaos. "Ladies, don't aggro me, if you keep this up the male lead really will stab me, I still need to survive to the grand finale!"

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)

+【Epic Battles!】 "Your Highness, they say Linxi Temple is miraculous. Won’t you make a wish?" "A wish? It should be making wishes to me." "That may be so, but since you’re already here..." "..." "Fine. Then grant this princess a consort to play with." "He must be obedient, devoted, and utterly infatuated with my body—so much so that he’d kneel and kiss my feet." "Your Highness, that’s not a consort. That’s a dog." "Then add clever, witty, heroic, ambitious yet pragmatic..." "Hmm, that’s enough for now. I’ll add more later." After tossing out these words half in jest, Princess Anle departed the temple—only to catch a fleeting glimpse of the Bodhisattva statue smiling at her. Meanwhile, Yang An, fresh out of university, was having a very bad day. Good news: He’d transmigrated into another world with a cheat granting tenfold combat power. Bad news: He’d immediately fallen into the clutches of a certain villainess. Good news: Said villainess possessed peerless beauty and royal status. Bad news: She was absolutely monstrous!!! In the frozen wilderness, Yang An knelt beneath Qin Guo’er’s feet, drenched in sweat despite the cold. Desperately clutching her porcelain-perfect foot—the very one poised to crush his throat—he could only think: How do I survive this?! Need answers NOW!