Painting of the Nine Immortals - Chapter 198: A Request

Long time ago, the world was ruled by the Primordials — an ancient and powerful race who mastered magic and shaped the land with runes and magic. They built bastions that stood as monuments to their greatness, cities protected by powerful enchantments. But their thirst for even greater power led to disaster. They opened gates to another realm… and unleashed demons.What followed was swift and brutal. The Primordials fought back, but they lost. Their civilization crumbled, their names were erased, and only the magical bastions remained — sealed places protected by forgotten runes that even demons could not cross.Now, demons rule the night. Humanity lives in fear, hiding behind rune-marked walls, unaware of their true origins or how close the world stands to its final collapse.Into this broken world falls Alex — a stranger from another reality. Upon his arrival, he awakens a forbidden power within himself: nature magic and the ability to shapeshift. A gift… and a curse.Magic is forbidden. Hunted. Destroyed. If anyone discovers what he is, he could be executed on the spot. But only through his power does Alex stand a chance of surviving… and fighting back. As he journeys across this dark and ruined land, he begins to unravel secrets long buried, truths about the demons’ origin, and the real reason the world fell.This is a dark fantasy tale of blood, survival, ancient knowledge, and inner transformation. Alex must choose what he will become: a monster, a savior… or something in between.Hello and welcome to everyone who decided to read my first writing attempts!The story you are reading is created in my free time, so new chapters will be released approximately 3-4 times a week. I run my own business, which sometimes makes it difficult to find a moment to sit down and fully focus on writing.I'm a fan of brutal, bloody scenes – the kind that stay in your mind long after you've finished reading. I have a vivid imagination, and when I write, I see each of these fights clearly, as if they were happening right in front of me: torn bodies, blood spraying, guts... none of that sugar-coated fighting.I try to transfer these images from my head to the page with as much intensity as possible, so you can feel the same tension and thrill that I do while writing.I also want to build a sense of horror – especially when it comes to monsters. I'm not interested in easy enemies. These are meant to be creatures you feel before you see them. The kind that stir fear and force the characters into desperate decisions.I hope you'll enjoy these scenes too – brutal, emotional, and full of darkness.As for the plot, I already have a general outline in my head, so there’s a lot of writing ahead of me. In the future, the story may include R18 scenes, but before that, I want to build a solid world and well-developed characters.If you have any ideas or suggestions, feel free to reach out—I’d love to discuss them, and maybe we can add something interesting to the story!Enjoy the read!

Ye Xuan came from a normal but extremely wealthy family. Yet, one day, when he woke up, he realized that he had been transmigrated to a fantasy world.

He was prepared to train and embark on an adventure, but he quickly learned that he had actually become the young master of Thousand Realms, the biggest trade company.

His father even let him inherit more than trillions of spirit stones.

“Are you serious? I’m sick of being rich!” Ye Xuan complained.

Fortunately, he had awakened a system that would make him stronger by spending money.

With that, he used the Grade 9 Celestial Pill to feed his dogs.

He used the famous painting that contained the will of the Supreme Sword to start a fire.

He used the Five-elements Divine Talisman to clean his ass.

And yet, he still had much more to spend. He then decided to join a clan that no one had even heard of.

He spent thousands just to see the saintess of the clan smile.

He built a pill alchemy workshop and gave out high-grade celestial herbs for free, and yet, one of the disciples who had never made a single pill was actually talented and was able to create the high-grade celestial pills.

When he started a dueling competition, he bet a lot of his money on the weakest contestant.

However, that contestant had actually awoken the Ancient Holy Body during the fight and was able to fight 100 men on his own.

“You sure are my son. You are as talented as me when it comes to managing a business!” his father complimented.

“This man is so cool when he spends his money!” exclaimed the saintess.

Set in the Shadow Slave world...a time before Sunny was born...this story follows a simple soldier who must survive in a dystopian, apocalyptic landscape where magic and gun warfare collide.In a far-off Quadrant known as North America, a young soldier named Hope is 16 years old when he gets infected by the Nightmare Spell. He passed! But...he feels a bit scammed...?A flaw that makes him fade from people's memories...A cursed attribute that makes him remember everything endlessly in eternal wakefulness...It's as if the Spell is twisting his future and existence into an almost improbable one.All he has ever known his purpose to be was to serve as a simple soldier. Not too powerful. But not so weak either. And maybe, just maybe like some others, become an Awakened. Although he never dreamt of being one.Now that his whole life is compromised after his First Nightmare, his first objective is to survive on his own. But as he tries to escape his fate, his actions seem to lead him further from his goal.He struggles against obstacles that slowly grow bigger and out of proportion.Maybe the Dream Realm and the Real World aren't so different than one may think.Hope's journey involves uncovering secrets and gaining knowledge about his true nature and his new role in the world.Is he fit to be a hero?Could he redefine it?***Please read the READER DISCLAIMER in Volume 0.This is my spin-off novel of “Shadow Slave” by Guiltythree.But please don't expect the same writing style, setting, and characters, especially the main character.This story reveals more about how people/cities/governments operate after the Spell’s arrival. I always find it interesting how maybe one country handles it fairly, but how others handle it with desperation to the point that you question humanity.There will be easter eggs pointing to the original novel either intentional for the plot or unrelated to it, but all for fun.I am a new author so props to all who bear with me and helps me improve my writing. If it is not for you, please don't leave outright hate comments. Eat wassabi instead if you want pain. Critique and advice would be great too.

After waking up, a strange app was installed on Lin Bai’s phone.

The news on the app came from the future.

And as long as Lin Bai participated in the events and changed the future, he would be rewarded.

[World News: Pfizer US announces that it had developed the first-ever Corona Virus vaccine, stock prices shot up 500% in one day.]

[World News: Three days later, Elon Musk declares himself the godfather of DogeCoin on Twitter, forcefully manipulating DogeCoin prices.]

[Regional News: New developments on the old man car accident, son of old man offers 10million dollars for clues of the culprit.]

[Local News: Hard work won’t disappoint you, S City old lottery buyer who had been buying the same number for 30 years finally won 1st prize!]

[Local News: Daughter of the richest man in S city was kidnapped, violated, and murdered, the culprit is......]

Wait！

Lin Bai looked at the obituary photo in black-and-white on the latest message.

That person in the photo, isn’t that the school belle Yu Jinmo who’s chasing me?