Dongfang Yue's delicate body trembled imperceptibly upon hearing Lu Cheng's words… but she still obeyed his command.
"As you command, Master."
Her voice was soft, yet it clearly reached the ears of every surviving Tianming Pavilion member present.
Master?
This word, like a thunderclap, exploded in their already numb and confused minds!
They stared in horror at the mysterious and powerful "Moon Master," the woman whose status had recently skyrocketed!
Now, she was performing the most humble servant's bow to a strange young man.
Who… was this man?!
He appeared silently, as if he had always been nearby, looking down on them, these pathetic fools who called themselves "Tianming," putting on one clumsy farce after another.
They belatedly realized that no matter who it was… they might have been nothing more than pawns on this man's chessboard all along!
Lu Cheng's gaze lingered on Dongfang Yue for a moment.
"These dregs still have some use."
He flicked his finger, and a wisp of golden light entered Dongfang Yue's brow; it was an upgrade to her system.
It was also the first time Lu Cheng had displayed this ability of his in front of her.
"This is your reward."
"Go integrate them, make them your—and my—most loyal dogs."
"I need the Tianming Pavilion's signboard to continue existing, to filter out interesting little guys for me, understand?"
"Don't always think about opposing me, Yue'er."
Dongfang Yue felt the upgrade of the system in her mind, as well as the subtle influence of the Love-Binding Gu. She could no longer utter a single word of refusal… This was… her Master's grace!
"Yue'er… understands!"
She nodded, bowing slightly… Lu Cheng said no more, turned, and, taking Ji Ling, walked leisurely into the night, disappearing in the blink of an eye, as if he had never appeared.
It wasn't until the suffocating pressure completely vanished that the surviving Tianming Pavilion members dared to breathe deeply, their bodies already drenched in cold sweat.
They looked at each other, relieved to be alive, with only confusion and despair in their eyes.
Dongfang Yue slowly straightened up, and her gaze also changed.
If before, to these members, she was mysterious, powerful, and unfathomable.
Then at this moment, she was cold, majestic, like a goddess holding the power of life and death!
The domineering aura originating from Lu Cheng also spread from her, enveloping the entire scene!
"Thud!"
The member closest to her, unable to bear the pressure, buckled at the knees and directly knelt down.
This seemed to be a signal.
The remaining members, including the "Fuzi" who had always considered himself an elite and a leader, all felt a shiver from the depths of their souls in the face of this power.
It was an absolute, unresisting suppression of hierarchy!
"The Watcher, Wei Guoan, who stole National Luck and betrayed Tianming, is dead."
"God Chef, who fell into the demonic path and brought about his own destruction, has been eliminated."
Dongfang Yue's voice was cold, devoid of any emotion, announcing the deaths of the two.
Then, her gaze fell upon the unconscious Ren Shitou.
"Combat Obsessed, followed his true nature, cleansing the filth with martial arts."
"But, all he needs is a sharp sword."
She slowly paced, walking in front of everyone, looking down at them from above.
"From today onwards, the Tianming Pavilion will be under my command."
"You have two choices."
"One, kneel down and pledge your loyalty to me, and to the supreme being behind me."
"Two, die."
The "Fuzi" opened his mouth, as if to say something, but upon meeting Dongfang Yue's eyes, he wisely closed it.
He knew, he felt, that Jueying behind him also cast a malevolent gaze at him… That was the Gu worm, the Puppet Gu, that Dongfang Yue had planted!
He might not even win a one-on-one fight, let alone a one-on-two?
And so, facing Dongfang Yue's power, the Fuzi, trembling, was the first to kneel down.
"…We, your subordinates, pledge allegiance to the Moon Master as… the new Pavilion Master!"
With the first, came the second, the third… Soon, all the survivors knelt at Dongfang Yue's feet.
Watching this scene, Dongfang Yue's face showed no trace of triumph, only an icy calm.
She raised her head, looking in the direction Lu Cheng had disappeared, and silently thought in her heart.
"Will he be satisfied… with this?"
…Magic City, Lu Family Manor.
Lu Cheng leaned comfortably on the sofa, while Ji Yao knelt beside him, her fair, slender jade hands gently massaging his temples, her movements soft and focused.
"Master, the data has been recovered."
Ji Yao reported softly, her voice like the most precise instrument, yet with a hint of attachment to Lu Cheng.
Lu Cheng closed his eyes, enjoying the tranquility.
"Master, if you leave the Tianming Pavilion to Dongfang Yue, aren't you afraid she…"
"She wouldn't dare, and she can't."
Lu Cheng opened his eyes, a hint of all-knowing indifference flashing within them.
"What I gave her is both a chain and a poison."
"Power can allow her to suppress the remnants of the Tianming Pavilion in a short time, but the source of that power still lies with me."
"With just a thought, she, along with that power, will turn to dust."
"What's more…"
Lu Cheng's lips curved into a playful smile.
"Her heart can no longer harbor other thoughts."
Ji Yao nodded, half understanding, and asked no further questions.
Her Master's plans were always beyond her complete prediction and learning.
She only needed to execute, and then, a brief moment of possessing her Master's tenderness, was enough.
Lu Cheng no longer paid attention to the outside world's clamor, sinking his mind inward.
The real main event was about to begin now.
In the depths of his consciousness, the [System Furnace] was operating at an unprecedented speed.
Two completely different system origins were being decomposed, refined, and analyzed within it.
One was Wei Guoan's [National Destiny Guardian System].
It appeared a brilliant gold, with phantom images of mountains, rivers, and all the people of the nation seemingly rising and falling within it, grand and profound.
The other was Chi Baobao's [Gourmet Cell System].
It appeared a strange dark purple, carrying a greedy craving for energy.
These two forces, under the domineering crushing of the [System Furnace], were forcibly stripped of all their outer shells, revealing their most core rules.
"Buzz—!"
The golden and dark purple lights were forcibly kneaded together!
If the previous refining was merely simple "devouring" and "digesting."
Then this time, it was an "alchemy" performed using two completely different high-level rules as raw materials!
[Ding! Core rules detected: Macro Aggregation and Conceptual Devouring!]
[Ding! Fusion successful! Core module has undergone qualitative change!]
[The System Furnace is evolving…]
A series of system prompts, like the sounds of the Great Dao, exploded in Lu Cheng's sea of consciousness!
He could clearly "see" that ancient furnace disintegrating inch by inch, and then reassembling into a more profound, more magnificent form!
It was no longer a "furnace," but a "foundation"!
A foundation that seemed capable of supporting a world, establishing a realm… a foundation!
[Congratulations, Host! Your [System Furnace] has successfully evolved, adding the core [Divine Realm Foundation]!]
[Divine Realm Foundation: The source of all your power. All rules you plunder, analyze, and create will become the cornerstones of the Divine Realm. Current cornerstones: Villain's Destiny, Chaos Dragon Body, National Luck Plunder…]
[National Luck Plunder (New Function): You can bypass planar barriers, directly observe and plunder the National Luck of other countries and civilizations.]
Feeling the brand new information in his mind, Lu Cheng slowly exhaled a turbid breath.
An unprecedented sense of power and control filled his limbs and bones.
If before, he was merely a top-tier "plunderer," relying on information asymmetry and system advantages to harvest "Tianming Zhe (Fated Ones)" one by one.
Now, he no longer needed to simply harvest leeks.
He could directly… harvest farms!
Lu Cheng's thoughts stirred.
A huge world map slowly unfolded before his eyes.
On the map, each country and region emitted different colors and intensities of light.
Dragon Country's light was the most brilliant, a profound gold, like a blazing sun, occupying the East.
And to the east of Dragon Country.
There was an island that emitted a peculiar light, a mix of cherry blossom pink and blade-like blood red.
Although that light was far less vast than Dragon Country's, it appeared exceptionally condensed, sharp, and even carried a hint of eerie beauty.
The [Divine Realm Foundation] interface automatically displayed the analysis information.
[Target: Eastern Ying National Luck]
[Core Concepts: Amaterasu (Mythology), Chrysanthemum (Obedience), Katana (Yakuza)]
[Special Tianming Zhe (Fated Ones):??]
[Plunder Value Assessment: Extremely High.]