After finishing dinner, everyone gradually headed to their rooms. The night sky above the mountain was calm, dotted with glittering stars, as if trying to protect the peace before the incoming storm.
Yue Li walked silently beside Xuan Long, her face flushed red. She didn't dare look at him, and as soon as they entered the room, she turned away, pretending to fix her hair just to hide her embarrassment. Xuan Long raised an eyebrow but said nothing. He understood her teasing nature… and her growing emotions.
In the adjacent room, Yue Mei and Xiou Xue were still awake, sitting cross-legged on the soft bed, their little hands hugging the pillows.
"Brother," Xiou Xue looked up with sparkling eyes, "story, story! I can't sleep without your story!"
"Story?" Yue Mei blinked in surprise, turning toward Xuan Long. "Brother tells stories?"
Xiou Xue giggled and nodded proudly. "Every night! His stories are the best!"
"I want to hear too!" Yue Mei clapped excitedly. "Brother, please tell me a story!"
Xuan Long smiled warmly, taking a seat at the edge of the bed.
"All right then," he said, scratching his chin. "Let's see… once upon a time, on a planet far away—called Earth—people didn't cultivate like we do. They were mortals who relied on tools and machines."
"Machines?" Xiou Xue tilted her head. "Are they like puppets?"
"Sort of," Xuan Long chuckled. "Now, there was a man who only cared about work and never showed love to his parents. One day, he was hit by a monster called Truck and died."
"What?!" Xiou Xue gasped. "That's so bad! He didn't even love his parents, and then he died?"
Yue Mei frowned. "So the story ends? He just dies?"
Xuan Long smirked. "No. That's just the beginning."
Both girls leaned in, wide-eyed.
"He was reincarnated into another world as a prince. This time, he loved his parents more than anything. He had a mother, father, two sisters, and one younger brother. He lived happily, finally understanding the value of family."
"But…" Xuan Long's tone darkened. "One day, greedy ministers turned traitor. They attacked the palace, killed his siblings in front of him, and mocked him before throwing him into the wild."
Yue Mei's eyes teared up. "Those ministers are evil!"
"If Brother Xuan Long were there," Xiou Xue declared, "he would've punched them all!"
Xuan Long blinked, caught off guard. "Me? I'm just telling the story."
The two girls, not caring, giggled and hugged each other. Slowly, their eyes closed as their small bodies curled under the warm covers, the story still echoing in their dreams.
The next morning, sunlight peeked through the windows. Xuan Long opened his eyes to find himself sandwiched between two warm little figures.
Xiou Xue, half-asleep, clung tightly to his right arm, murmuring, "Brother… run… I'll catch you…"
Yue Mei, hugging his other arm, licked her lips and mumbled, "Tummy… empty…"
Xuan Long shook his head, suppressing a chuckle.
He gently slid out of bed without waking them and entered the main hall. A shadow soldier greeted him with a bow.
"Master, we've returned. The pills have been sold in the black market—total earnings, 5,000 high-grade spiritual stones."
Xuan Long raised his brows in pleasant surprise. "Good work."
He immediately duplicated the stones using his Singular Replication skill, handing some to Yue Li for her formation work, and the rest to Lin Qian for refining.
Xuan Long nodded. "Perfect. Duplicate this batch. Send half to the shadow army to sell again, and keep the rest in reserve."
One of the shadow soldiers hesitated. "Master… some of the city vendors refuse to sell us herbs in large quantity. They say we are not a sect or known figure."
Xuan Long narrowed his eyes but didn't respond immediately. Instead, he walked to the cliff at the edge of the mountain, gazing toward the distant city. "It's time," he muttered. "The lower realm has rested long enough… soon, I'll begin my true conquest."
Meanwhile, in the Tiger Demonic Clan, demonic cultivators assembled in the skies like a dark plague. Their leader sat atop a black-scaled beast, laughing cruelly.
"Haha! After we destroyed the Fox Clan, those girls were the best I ever had… too bad they took their own lives."
The crowd of demonic cultivators howled with laughter.
"If this mountain has any women, we'll enjoy the same fun again!"
In the city, Zhou Liang received the news from his scout.
"The Tiger Clan is heading to the mountain."
Zhou Liang smiled coldly. "Perfect. Let's see how Xuan Long survives this."
With a sadistic grin, he entered a dark underground chamber. Dozens of chained demi-human prisoners knelt on the floor, trembling.
Zhou Liang drew out a long whip and struck one mercilessly. "Scream for me," he said with a twisted laugh.
"P-please! Spare—Aaaah!"
"Mercy, master—!"
He didn't stop.
He enjoyed it.
Five demi-humans died under his torture.
Covered in blood, Zhou Liang stood in the center of the chamber and sneered, "This… is what power feels like. No rules. No justice. Just strength. And soon, I'll break you all—one by one."