After I stopped trying, a rich woman trained me into a demon emperor.

A thousand miles away, in Jiangcheng.

Inside the pharmacy of the Xiao family manor, the strong aroma of medicine almost solidified.

Zhou Ran was sorting through the rare medicinal herbs seized from the Song family's den of iniquity.

He is no longer the same as before, but the stinging feeling of being secretly watched still lingers.

My heart skipped a beat.

The chill shot up my spine straight to the top of my head, as if I had been targeted by an ancient beast and become its prey.

"Um?"

Zhou Ran put down the century-old blood ginseng in his hand, his brows furrowing into a deep frown.

Having cultivated to such a level, especially after practicing the Primordial Demonic Art, his perception of killing intent had become instinctive.

This is a sign that "the cicadas sense the autumn wind before it blows."

Someone wants to kill me.

Moreover, it is a very bad omen.

"Zhou Ran, how should we store this ice crystal?"

Lin Qingxue's voice rang out from the side, as clear and crisp as ever.

She changed into a simple white loungewear outfit, but her ethereal, untouched beauty remained undiminished.

After the dual cultivation, her skin became even more radiant, glowing with a faint luster.

Zhou Ran was about to turn around.

"what!"

Lin Qingxue cried out in pain, and the icy crystal from the cold pool in her hand fell to the ground.

She covered her eyes with her hands, her body went limp, and she fell backward.

"Clear the snow!"

Zhou Ran flashed and appeared behind her, stretching out his long arm to firmly embrace her soft waist.

"What's wrong?"

Zhou Ran helped her up, and when he saw her eyes clearly, her pupils contracted.

Her eyes turned silvery white, indistinguishable between pupils and sclera, radiating a sacred yet eerie light.

The Eye of Truth has gone out of control!

"I...I saw it..."

"What did you see?" Zhou Ran asked in a deep voice, his tone calm and reassuring.

"Dark clouds..."

"A...a black cloud with a skull face..."

Lin Qingxue breathed heavily, her eyes gazing blankly out the window.

To the average person, the sky there is clear and blue.

But in her view, the whole world had transformed into a terrifying sight.

"It came from the north...and it was incredibly fast..."

"It opened its mouth, about to swallow...swallow the entire Jiangcheng..."

Two lines of bloody tears slid down her cheeks.

"My eyes... hurt so much..."

Zhou Ran's heart sank.

Lin Qingxue's spiritual eyes can see through illusions and foretell good or bad fortune.

The "skull-shaped black cloud" she saw was by no means a meteorological spectacle, but rather an extremely concentrated baleful aura and killing intent!

North, towards the capital.

The Song family has finally made their move.

Zhou Ran pointed his fingers like a sword and touched Lin Qingxue's brow, forcibly severing her spiritual vision with demonic energy.

"Just take a nap, and you'll be fine when you wake up."

The silver light in Lin Qingxue's eyes slowly faded, and she finally couldn't hold on any longer, falling into a deep sleep in his arms.

Zhou Ran picked her up by the waist and gently carried her back to the bedroom.

When he stepped out of the room again, the warmth on his face had vanished, leaving only a chilling murderous intent.

Since you're in such a hurry to come and die.

Then I wouldn't mind turning the entire Jiangcheng into your graveyard.

He took out his phone and dialed Master Qin's number.

"Qin San, Jiangcheng is under martial law tonight."

"Tell Fatty Wang to go to the basement and dig out the array flags I buried."

Tell him that we have distinguished guests visiting tonight.

……

Night fell quietly.

A sudden downpour enveloped the entire city of Jiangcheng.

Electricity crackled and thunder roared, foreshadowing a bloody and violent night.

Inside the Xiao family manor, the lights were on, and all the security personnel were in their positions, creating a tense atmosphere.

The master bedroom is on the second floor.

Xiao Hongli was awakened by the thunder outside the window. Her mouth was dry, so she got up to pour herself a glass of water.

A pale white flash of lightning ripped through the night, illuminating the room as bright as day.

Xiao Hongli's hand, which was holding the water glass, suddenly froze in mid-air.

Her eyes widened in terror as she stared at the huge floor-to-ceiling window in the bedroom.

Outside the window, where rain should have been sliding down the glass, a face was pressed tightly against it.

A face that doesn't belong to a living person at all!

Pale, swollen, with facial features distorted into a bizarre arc.

Those empty eyes, peering through the glass towards her bed, grinned a chilling, sinister smile.

"ah--!!!"

A scream pierced the rainy night.

Before the screams had even subsided, the bedroom door shattered, sending splinters flying everywhere!

Zhou Ran's figure brought with it a gust of black wind as he rushed in.

"Red Glass!"

He pulled the trembling Xiao Hongli behind him, his gaze flashing like lightning as he looked out the window.

"window……

There's a ghost in the window...

Xiao Hongli had completely lost her aura as an icy, domineering female CEO; she was clinging to Zhou Ran, her face deathly pale.

Zhou Ran turned his head.

Outside the window, the rain poured down, and there was nothing but darkness.

But he could smell a faint, lingering aura of yin energy.

Zhou Ran released Xiao Hongli and walked straight to the window.

He stretched out his finger and gently wiped it across the smooth glass.

"Sizzle—"

With a soft sound, like boiling oil being poured into ice, wisps of smoke rose from his fingertips.

As he moved, an invisible, distorted mark slowly materialized under the stimulation of demonic energy.

It was a skull totem drawn with resentment and death energy, its empty eye sockets staring intently into the room.

"Ghostly Curse Seal".

Zhou Ran narrowed his eyes, a cold smile curving his lips.

"A trivial skill."

"You dare to show off your limited skills in front of me?"

He ignited a dark purple demonic fire at his fingertips and gently touched the mark.

"break!"

The skull totem let out a silent, piercing shriek before being instantly consumed by the demonic fire and reduced to ashes.

The curse seal shattered, and a hoarse thought tried to penetrate Zhou Ran's mind.

"Could it be a challenge?"

With a thought, several large characters appeared in my mind.

"Tonight at midnight, on the top floor of the unfinished Emperor's Mansion in Jiangcheng."

"Zhou Ran... what was that just now...?"

Xiao Hongli wrapped herself tightly in the blanket, staring at him in shock.

Zhou Ran suppressed his overwhelming killing intent and turned around. His face was no longer hostile, but only reassuringly calm.

"Nothing's wrong. You've probably been too tired lately, and your eyes are blurry."

No sooner had he finished speaking than hurried footsteps came from outside the door.

Chen Ya was wearing a silk nightgown, her long hair slightly disheveled, and she looked like she had been startled awake.

Chen Ya doesn't understand cultivation, but she has seen countless people in the business world.

She could see through Zhou Ran's calm exterior to the extreme anger he was suppressing.

That's a sign that a ferocious beast has been unleashed, about to wreak havoc.

Zhou Ran could fool Xiao Hongli, but he couldn't fool her.

"Xiao Ran".

Chen Ya walked quickly to Zhou Ran without asking who the enemy was or whether the trip was dangerous.

She simply reached out and silently smoothed out the wrinkles in Zhou Ran's collar.

"I will take good care of my family."

Chen Ya's voice was as gentle as ever, yet it carried an undeniable air of dominance.

"Go ahead and do it tonight."

"Even if you blow up half of Jiangcheng, I will take full responsibility for all the compensation, public relations, and reconstruction."