Mr. CEO's Substitute Bride - Chapter 171 - 167, Mind like a wild monkey and heart like a runaway horse

The dead cannot speak.

It means the living can create any story they want.

Inheritance, honor and wealth can be taken away by lies.

However, what happens when a person, who was presumed to be dead, returns alive?

Can't a man maintain his dignity while preparing for the end of the world? Is that too much to ask?

The Tower was all I knew... all any of us knew, and just like that, it was gone. Monsters the likes of which I'd never seen ravaged the land of my ancestors. They burst through the outer walls and stormed the city. No one could have been ready for that. But now... Now I have a second chance.

After the collapse of the known world, I woke up to find myself on the First Floor of the Tower. I was young and healthy, 18 again, and sitting in the same classroom that marked the worst days of my life. Confused and excited, I accepted this gift, deciding to use my vast knowledge of the future to climb the Tower in preparation for the end of the world.

Maybe I'll help some folks along the way? Who knows. Survival comes first.

The clock is ticking, and I'm left with only a century to build a Deck powerful enough to survive the end. Things to do... What's first? I need Essence, and I need power. I'll have to climb the Tower to acquire both of these. Some of the zealots will try to stop me, need to look out for those. What if-

“Hey, kid! Hand over the pouch or-”

Stab

Sorry, where was I? Ah... there's a spot of blood on my suit. What a lousy morning.

In this world of blood and fantasy, century-old Rowan Wilder has to not only survive, but thrive as he powers his way to the top of the Tower. The Demonic Plague that has twisted the creatures on the upper Floors is the least of his worries. Cane in hand and Summons by his side, he'll have to tear his way through the monsters, as well as the humans who want to stop his ascent. Of course, he can maintain a sense of decorum while he faces these trials, right?

[Ding! Sorceress Beauty Merlin from Camelot has added you to a chat group full of beautiful maidens!][Ding! You've claimed the title of Supreme Demon Lord!][Ding! Fairy Queen Ophelia tagged you in a post!][Ding! Medusa sent you some of her spicy videos, shut your blinds before watching!][Ding! Your dog has been transformed into the Ancient Black Dragon Veligrpyh!]James Kang, once the youngest heir to the multi-trillion-dollar Hart Global Corporation, has everything anyone could dream of: money, luxury, and freedom. But his life is hollow—friends are fake, family distant, and his days are a blur of shallow extravagance.One late, lonely night, James gets a notification:[Congratulations! You have been added to the Ancient Multiverse Chatroom!]Thinking it's some cringy online role-playing game, he decides to entertain himself and plays along, proclaiming himself the “Supreme Demon Lord.”The group, filled with titles like:[Princess of the Azure Seas][Dragon Emperor of Ashvale][Goblin Slayer Supreme][High Priestess of the Sun][Fafnir, the Pet Wyvern]And they seemed hilariously invested in their roles.What starts as a joke takes a bizarre turn.The more James participates, the more he notices strange phenomena: glowing runes on his skin, magic artifacts materializing from nowhere, an elder dragon in his garage, and a sudden mastery of dark magic.Things escalate when a private group chat, run by a perverted female King Arthur, invites him to [The Table of Beauties], a circle of god-tier roleplayers… or so he thinks.Soon, James learns the truth.The chat is an interdimensional nexus connecting real worlds where magic, legends, and gods exist. His casual banter and fake roleplay have turned him into a living, breathing Demon Lord, complete with a castle in Hell, loyal monster armies, and reality-warping powers.To make matters even crazier, his “friends” start visiting Earth, and they’re nothing like he imagined!

[Time Travel + Online Shopping Mall + Sweet Petting + Sudden Wealth + Strong Female Lead + Abusive Scum Male Lead]

An Zhi Xia was born and immediately had her identity swapped out. She was harmed by the fake rich miss and her foster parents until no bones remained.

After drifting for a hundred years as a ghost, she watched with her own eyes as the fake rich miss assumed her identity to marry into a prestigious family, achieving success in both career and love. The fake rich miss also angered An Zhi Xia’s birth parents to death, and left her four brothers either dead or disabled.

Upon returning to the 1970s when she was harmed, the hundred-year-old ghost An Zhi Xia decisively counterattacked. She acknowledged her birth parents, drove away the fake rich miss, and sent her foster parents to prison.

Did you think she wanted familial love?

No, she only wanted the villains to pay the price.

But things often go beyond one’s expectations. An Zhi Xia’s big brother doted on her, second brother cherished her, third brother loved her, fourth brother protected her. As for her mother, she was always worried about the fake rich miss, but that no longer mattered. Her grandparents still made the decisions at home and could not be swayed.

In this life, An Zhi Xia wanted to live for herself, make money, and pursue her career. Yet she was secretly being watched by someone.

Pei Jing had a irritable personality but was handsome. After an accident where he was taken advantage of by an ugly woman, he thought he would hate her gritting his teeth. But instead, he unexpectedly fell deeply in love with her, doting on and cherishing her for life.