Clap clap~ Clap clap~
At this moment.
As the sound of applause echoed.
A familiar voice appeared in the private room: "Well done."
!!
Hearing this voice, You Xingxue's heart skipped a beat. She looked up toward the source of the sound.
At some point, a figure dressed in pure black night attire, exuding an unsettling aura of malice, was standing in the corner of the room, applauding.
"Who are you? That voice just now..."
"Was all of this... your doing?"
You Xingxue's voice was soft, hesitant as she asked.
She realized that this abnormal phenomenon before her didn't seem particularly hard for her to accept.
Gu Yan stopped clapping and slowly walked toward You Xingxue, stopping only when he was right in front of her.
Gu Yan looked at her, curled up on the sofa, seeking a sense of safety.
It was as if the sickly smile she had shown earlier had never existed.
Gu Yan couldn't help but speak softly, "You could say it was me, but you could also say it wasn't."
You Xingxue was confused. She couldn't make out the face of the person before her, as if it were shrouded by some mysterious force.
She knew very well that the person before her was dangerous, a murderer who had killed so many people.
He might even be some kind of evil entity, like those described in novels.
The writhing black liquid on the floor was proof enough.
But... why...
Thump! Thump!
You Xingxue clutched her chest. Her heart was beating so fast.
The person before her gave her a feeling she had never experienced before.
The unknown, power, and...
You Xingxue looked up at Gu Yan. Although she couldn't see his face...
"Can I... follow you?"
A faint, sickly blush spread across You Xingxue's cheeks, and her gaze toward Gu Yan became hazy.
Hearing this, Gu Yan extended his hand. Gurgle~!
A sharp claw enveloped his index finger and pressed against You Xingxue's forehead. "Accept this power, and you will open the door to a new world."
You Xingxue's lips curled into a faint smile, her eyes looking at Gu Yan with an almost deranged intensity. "Yes!"
Half an hour later.
Countless police cars arrived and sealed off the Rose Love venue.
Chen Guoping was already overwhelmed by his daughter Chen Ying's resignation.
Suddenly, a tip-off call came through.
The caller had used AI to disguise their voice, and the phone number was no longer in service when called back.
The caller reported that Rose Love was involved in illegal activities.
By using a code phrase, one could be led to a special private room for illicit services.
Since such activities were strictly prohibited in Dragon Country, Chen Guoping took it very seriously and rushed to the scene.
"Chief Chen, we found evidence of illegal drug transactions and usage."
"When we entered the room, they were in the middle of a drug deal."
"They also had hidden firearms. The owner of Rose Love has confessed to everything."
Listening to the report from his subordinates, Chen Guoping's frown finally eased. At last, some good news.
But then.
"Chief! You need to see this!"
A panicked voice rang out, causing everyone's expressions to change.
Chen Guoping led his team over.
What they saw was a scene they could never have imagined.
In the private room before them.
There were five headless corpses.
They were all strung up and hung on the wall.
Beneath them, blood had formed a sentence.
["The night will ultimately extinguish all sin."]
"Chief... Chief..."
"What does this mean?"
"The night will ultimately extinguish all sin..."
Chen Guoping's pupils contracted, a chilling sensation spreading through his body.
Even his breathing grew heavier.
The night! It's the night!!!
The "Night" from five years ago! It's back!
Even the words were the same as five years ago!
Ever since the former leader of the King of Hell Palace died, the higher-ups in the Martial Arts Department had been speculating whether "Night" had returned.
Whether it was the work of the "Night" organization.
He had held onto a sliver of hope.
But now!
That hope was shattered! Night had truly returned!!
He clenched his fists, staring intently at the scene before him. No, this was no longer something they could handle.
Night had truly returned.
They had to transfer this case to the Martial Arts Department as soon as possible!
..........
........
On the rooftop of a tall building.
Gu Yan stood at the edge, looking out into the distance. He opened his palm, and with a hum!
"Chirp! Chirp!"
The Three-Life Demon Claw slowly emerged from his palm, emitting a sound of delight.
If one looked closely, they would notice that the dragon aura around it had grown stronger.
Indeed, the Three-Life Demon Claw had absorbed three more strands of dragon aura.
From You Xingxue's eyes.
This had further strengthened the claw's core power, allowing it to split off its own cells and grant others the ability to awaken as [Martial Artists].
In other words, it could artificially create [Natural Martial Artists].
There was no denying that dragon aura was something both the righteous and the wicked factions in the original story sought after.
Its effects were truly formidable.
However, You Xingxue was a late-game antagonist in the original story, and her luck index far surpassed that of Long Zaitian.
Thus, completely controlling her would require an amount of pure affection points that Gu Yan couldn't afford.
But he wasn't worried about whether You Xingxue would betray him. After all, in the original story, she had been deeply grateful and respectful to the Night King, who had recruited her.
Even if she did betray him, it wouldn't matter.
He had already prepared a backup plan.
The Three-Life Demon Claw, or "Clawie," had spread its cell structure throughout You Xingxue's body.
This was a double-edged sword.
The benefit was that these cells, infused with faint dragon aura, could continuously nourish her body, turning an ordinary person into a martial arts prodigy. Moreover, if she were injured, Clawie's cells would quickly repair the damage.
Even severed limbs could be restored over time.
The downside, however, was that if Gu Yan wished, he could manipulate [Clawie's cells] to destroy her entire body.
It was a method of control, though not as complete as using pure affection points.
Thinking this, Gu Yan glanced at Mei Xue, who had been summoned to act as a tool.
He said calmly, "The fourth task I'm assigning you is to guide her in her training. If possible, let her observe your cultivation process."
Mei Xue, holding the unconscious You Xingxue in her arms, had many questions for Gu Yan.
But she simply nodded. "Understood. But..."
She looked at Gu Yan seriously. "The next task will be the fifth. Once I complete it, you must tell me where my brother is!"
Gu Yan nodded. "Naturally. I always keep my word."
"Good."
Mei Xue said no more, taking You Xingxue and disappearing into the shadows.
With all preparations in place, Gu Yan wasn't concerned about others informing Leng Qingqiu about You Xingxue. In fact, that was part of his plan.
In the original story, Leng Qingqiu, though cold and ruthless, held one thing in the highest regard and showed the most leniency toward it.
And that was... talent!
You Xingxue was one of the individuals in the original story whose talent Leng Qingqiu had recognized and recruited.
Her abilities were terrifying, and with the nourishment of three dragon auras, You Xingxue became one of the most formidable antagonists in the story.
Gu Yan's goal was to establish You Xingxue's foundation within the true [Night] organization.
The other was... to let Leng Qingqiu know that there was another "Night" in this world!
Gu Yan retracted Clawie and took a deep breath.
Everything was going smoothly. Now, all that was left was to wait for his organization to take shape.
He had asked his father for a group of loyal followers and had them establish the organization.
By his calculations, it was about time.
At that moment, Old Gao, who had been watching from behind, couldn't help but speak up. "Young master... there's something I feel I should mention."
"Go ahead, Old Gao."
Gu Yan knew Old Gao had many questions.
"...The edge of the rooftop is dangerous. Even an innate martial artist would be crippled if they fell."
Gu Yan: "........"
Enough, really, enough.
Don't ruin the mood I'm in right now, okay?