Chapter 18: The Admin's Expiration Date
The night after the Goddess of Fate joined the ranks was nothing short of legendary. The Imperial Villa's spiritual arrays were vibrating under the sheer output of "dual" energy.
Inside the massive jade tub, the water was infused with dragon-blood and rare lotuses. Xu Yanluo was leaning against the edge, while Ye Ziyun and Hu Ruyan were competing to see who could scrub his shoulders better.
"You're being too rough, Fox!" Ziyun huffed, her wet robes clinging to her curves. "A Prince's skin is delicate."
"Delicate?! He just crushed three Enforcers!" Ruyan retorted, her nine tails splashing the water playfully. "He needs a firm hand! My hands!"
Yanluo let out a satisfied sigh, closing his eyes. But then, a cold, mechanical chime echoed in his brain—different from the usual snarky Ling.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: TRIAL PERIOD ENDING]
[Admin Authority: Retracting...]
[Source Code Access: Locking...]
Yanluo sat up abruptly, water splashing everywhere. 'Ling? What the hell is this?'
[Ling: Sorry, Master. The "Dev Console" was a temporary assignment granted to ensure your survival in the Lower Realms. Now that you've reached the Higher Heavens and gathered a... sufficient guard force, the Higher Logic is pulling the plug. You're being "downgraded" to a regular Player.]
'Regular Player? You're joking. I'm the Villain!'
[Ling: You keep the 'Primordial Chaos Physique' and all your current stats, but no more 'Deleting' people with a snap of your fingers. From now on, you have to actually fight. The Heavenly Will is tired of you skipping the levels.]
Yanluo leaned back, a dark smirk playing on his lips. "So, the game just got its 'Difficulty Patch,' huh? Fine. I was starting to get bored anyway."
The "Downgrade" Compensation
"Yanluo? Is something wrong?" Yao Qingxue asked, swimming closer. Her mature beauty was heightened by the steam, her eyes full of concern.
"The heavens just took back my 'cheat' code," Yanluo said, grabbing her waist and pulling her into his lap. "Apparently, they think I'm too overpowered. They want me to struggle a bit."
"Struggle?" Maid-Empress Yaoyin scoffed from the edge of the tub, where she was holding the towels. "With the amount of energy you've stolen from me and the Goddess, you could probably punch the heavens into a coma regardless of your 'codes.'"
"Exactly," Yanluo chuckled. He looked at his gathered harem—the Regent, the Fox, the Fairy, the Empress, and the Goddess. "System or no system, I own the board. And since I'm officially a 'regular player' now, I think I need to maximize my 'experience gains' before the sun comes up."
"Is that a decree?" the Goddess Tian Ling asked, her face flushing as she tried to maintain her divine dignity while standing in a bathtub.
"It's a mandatory quest," Yanluo whispered, pulling the Goddess and the Empress into the water with him.
The comedy of the "Fox vs. Fairy" splashing match quickly turned into a high-stakes session of "Chaos Integration." Without his Admin powers, Yanluo found that the dual cultivation felt... more intense. More raw.
The First "Real" Threat
The next morning, Yanluo stood on the balcony of his palace, feeling the air change. Without his 'Root Access,' he couldn't see the hidden stats of the world, but he could feel the killing intent.
[Ling: Warning! A 'Heavenly Mandate' has been issued. Since you are no longer 'Admin Protected,' the Hidden Sects of the Void are no longer afraid.]
Suddenly, the horizon turned blood-red. A massive, sword-shaped mountain began to descend from the clouds, carrying a pressure that made the ground beneath the villa crack.
"Xu Yanluo!" a voice like grinding stones echoed. "I am Jian Chen, the Sword God's Master! You took my disciple's fiancée and enslaved his spirit-guide. Without your 'Strange Sorcery,' you are nothing but a spoiled prince! Come out and face the Void-Slaying Formation!"
Yanluo didn't reach for a "Delete" button. Instead, he reached for the black-hilted sword resting against the wall—a weapon he hadn't needed to draw until now.
"No more Admin powers?" Yanluo muttered, a wild, hungry glint in his red eyes. "Good. I was wondering what it feels like to actually hear a 'True Hero' scream."
He turned to his harem, who were already arming themselves. "Ladies, stay back. I've been using 'Creative Mode' for too long. It's time to see if my 'Survival Mode' is just as terrifying."
He stepped off the balcony, not flying with a command, but launching himself with raw, explosive power toward the descending mountain.