"Everyone, our opportunity..."
"Has arrived!"
A hidden underground chamber buried a hundred meters below.
Thirteen altars hovered above bases forged from mithril.
Liquid-drawn magical runes flowed across their surfaces.
Elemental torrents surged through star-iron channels, igniting every node.
This was utterly alien to the three power systems known to Great Xia.
A thousand devotees knelt motionless in the chamber, ceaselessly kowtowing toward the central altar where eternal sacred flames burned.
These were the so-called 'Manifestors' - those who sought complete fusion between Earth and the Source Realm.
Their leader raised his arms in exultation: "Great Xia has swallowed our bait from the Source Realm!"
"They'll undoubtedly launch an investigation immediately."
"We've prepared all necessary misleading evidence."
"They'll eventually trace it to conclude 'we're targeting Jiang Xia's martial examination to eliminate their Pathseekers.'"
"But our true purpose..."
"HAHAHAHA!"
His maniacal laughter dissolved into ecstatic oblivion.
Suddenly—
The altar flames erupted violently.
An ancient, indescribable presence suffocated him with overwhelming pressure.
Unfazed, the leader smashed his forehead against the jagged floor.
Eerie energy spread, veiling the entire chamber in a reality separate from Earth.
The congregation sensed the shift, descending into collective frenzy.
He...
Had turned His gaze upon them.
"O Watcher Behind the Eternal Veil!"
"We who wear scorching darkness as crowns and burning winds as scepters!"
"In this Age of Hidden Stars under the Dim Moon..."
"With charred bones as pens and ashes as ink..."
"Let the blasphemous flames consume our souls!"
"That the pallid holy fire may know—"
"Only You are the Deathless Sovereign..."
"Lord of Cinders!"
The sacred flames imploded, then exploded into a blazing throne.
A shadowy figure lounged upon it as worshippers' eyes transformed into dancing black flames.
He had arrived...
Though not in full form...
Due to improper rituals and insufficient numbers...
True manifestation remained impossible.
This was merely a projection responding to their call.
But...
Details mattered not.
Suffice to say—they'd received divine acknowledgment.
The Manifestors existed because their founder accidentally uncovered forbidden knowledge even Great Xia barely comprehended.
Countless worlds existed—hundreds of thousands, perhaps more.
When otherworldly barriers collided with Earth's, the Source Realm formed.
Thus they believed...
The Source Realm needn't be an invader or enemy.
They could willingly become vassals to this higher existence, reaping its benefits—
Perhaps immortality?
Or cat-eared maidens?
Yet when the first Manifestor shared this revelation with authorities, he met only ruthless rejection:
"We cannot stake Earth's future on another's mercy."
Ideologies clashed.
Perhaps the Manifestors were right.
Perhaps Great Xia held truth.
None could know until the final hour.
That first Manifestor wasn't completely naive.
He kept secrets—fragments about other worlds...
When a lifeform transcends mortality's limits—
Deathless, omniscient—
It becomes a 'god'.
Yet gods too know hierarchy.
The mightiest could twist time itself, making effects precede causes.
The Age of Chaos saw ten thousand deities warring.
From that bloodsoaked battlefield emerged one who scaled the peak of divinity's corpse-mountains—
A human.
At least, so he claimed.
Even after transcending mortality, he remained human.
"Humankind shines as countless stars."
"Had I not stood here, another would have."
"I merely happened to be first."
He established the autocratic Astral Epoch, becoming the 'Lord of Stars'—
The first deity who rejected divine nomenclature.
Henceforth, newborn gods abandoned "-god" titles for "-lord" honorifics—
Pitiful mimicry of their better.
Later, the Lord of Stars vanished mysteriously.
History's wheel accelerated into the current Dim Moon Epoch...
Thus Manifestors believe humanity inherently noble.
Those troublesome dimensional rifts vexing Great Xia?
Mere backwater realms unworthy of attention—
Worlds too primitive to spawn true deities!
By attaching themselves to a god-bearing world and invoking the Lord of Stars' legacy, they'd thrive gloriously!
The Lord of Cinders gazed impassively at his meager thousand devotees.
None dared meet His gaze.
"What do you seek?"
His voice spoke flawless human tongue—
Much to the deity's private annoyance.
Could anyone comprehend His frustration?
"'Not have' means 'have'?"
"'No good fruits for you' means 'good fruits for you'?"
Yet refusal to learn invited... visits from 'That Person'.
Ironically, Great Xia's people now wielded the 'universal language'—spared foreign language struggles.
...
Among these Manifestors lurked a mole from Great Xia's intelligence division.
During rituals, he'd fake devotion without genuine reverence.
Now he trembled violently on his knees, pallid and gasping—
A lower lifeform confronting supreme existence.
His worldview teetered at the brink.
Despite being an eighth-tier expert, he couldn't withstand even the projection's passive aura.
Were the true Lord of Cinders to manifest, even Great Xia's mightiest would be but a sturdier ant...
He attempted eavesdropping on the deity's dialogue with the leader—
Agony lanced through every cell at the mere thought.
Drip.
Blood fell from his chin.
No illusion—
Had he actually looked up, instant shredding would've followed.
His mind swam through mental sludge.
Only when a hand entered his vision did awareness return—
The ritual had ended.
The projection vanished.
"You alright?"
The leader stood before him.
"Fine," the mole lied hastily. "Just... overwhelmed by the Lord's presence. Wanted to behold His glory, but—"
The leader sneered: "Since when do ants measure the sky's height?"
"We've spent billions in resources just to secure a single chance for the Ashen Lord's projection to intervene. Do you understand?"
"This operation must not fail."
The eighth-rank mole stood up, wiping the fine beads of sweat that had inexplicably formed on his forehead. "Boss... why is this mission so shrouded in secrecy this time...?"
The leader's expression instantly turned icy. "Are you asking too many questions?"
"What needs to be shared will be shared."
"What you shouldn’t know, don’t pry into."
Only then did the eighth-rank mole realize his lapse in composure...
The impact of witnessing a 'deity's' projection had been overwhelming...
"Boss, I just... I really want to advance..."
The leader patted his shoulder. "Relax. We all want to advance."
Then he turned back to the altar, where sacred flames burned relentlessly.
The mole, risking exposure, relayed the intel—early preparation meant greater odds of success. "If the intel points to 'sabotaging Jiang Xia’s martial exam and eliminating his Pathseeker,' then it’s a decoy. Their real goal lies elsewhere."
"What we might actually face is the projection of a god... We may need to mobilize a significant force of high-tier power."
The leader watched the mole with a faint, unreadable smile.
Go ahead, pass it along.
Some people never change.
Always treating others like fools.
"Everyone! Our mission’s success rate just skyrocketed!"
"The Source Realm will descend—without fail!"
agon king storylines. At the start, I obtained the "Ultimate Lackey System" - the more I act as a lackey, the stronger I become. What else could I do? I chose to become the personal henchman of the ultimate villain, Su Muwan. I provoke all sorts of chosen ones, snatch away their opportunities, and commit every evil deed imaginable. You ask who's behind me? Hmph! You're not worthy of knowing my lady's name! ...... ....... I am Su Muwan, the eldest daughter of the Su family. Since childhood, I've possessed extraordinary talent in martial arts, which led to my arrogant and domineering personality in my past life. I was even foolish enough to repeatedly challenge those favored by heaven, ultimately resulting in a tragic death. In this life, I must behave and absolutely cannot walk the same path again!! However... SLAP!! "So you're the Dragon King, huh?!" When I saw my little lackey swagger over and viciously slap the Dragon King who was hiding his identity, I felt my heart sink. Su Muwan's suspended heart finally died as she watched Qin Luo, her utterly loyal lackey, standing before her. She fainted on the spot from shock. Heaven is determined to destroy me!! (Pure love 1v1, light-hearted, no angst, single female lead, villain, reincarnation, lackey)
reezy rom-com) Good news: Jiang Liu is quite the ladies' man. Bad news: He’s lost his memory. Lying in a hospital bed, Jiang Liu listens to a parade of goddesses spouting "absurd claims," feeling like the world is one giant game of Werewolf. "Jiang Liu, I’m your first love." "Jiang Liu, you’re my boyfriend—she’s your ex." "Jiang Liu, we’re close friends who’ve shared a bed, remember?" "Jiang Liu, I want to have your baby." The now-lucid Jiang Liu is convinced this must be some elaborate scam... until someone drops the bombshell: "The day before you lost your memory, you confessed your feelings—and got into a relationship." Jiang Liu is utterly baffled. So... who the hell is his actual girlfriend?! ... Before recovering his memories, Jiang Liu must navigate this minefield of lies and sincerity, fighting to protect himself from these women’s schemes. But things spiral even further out of control as more people show up at his doorstep—each with increasingly unhinged antics. On the bright side, the memories he lost due to overwhelming trauma seem to be resurfacing. Great news, right? So why are they all panicking now?
+【Epic Battles!】 "Your Highness, they say Linxi Temple is miraculous. Won’t you make a wish?" "A wish? It should be making wishes to me." "That may be so, but since you’re already here..." "..." "Fine. Then grant this princess a consort to play with." "He must be obedient, devoted, and utterly infatuated with my body—so much so that he’d kneel and kiss my feet." "Your Highness, that’s not a consort. That’s a dog." "Then add clever, witty, heroic, ambitious yet pragmatic..." "Hmm, that’s enough for now. I’ll add more later." After tossing out these words half in jest, Princess Anle departed the temple—only to catch a fleeting glimpse of the Bodhisattva statue smiling at her. Meanwhile, Yang An, fresh out of university, was having a very bad day. Good news: He’d transmigrated into another world with a cheat granting tenfold combat power. Bad news: He’d immediately fallen into the clutches of a certain villainess. Good news: Said villainess possessed peerless beauty and royal status. Bad news: She was absolutely monstrous!!! In the frozen wilderness, Yang An knelt beneath Qin Guo’er’s feet, drenched in sweat despite the cold. Desperately clutching her porcelain-perfect foot—the very one poised to crush his throat—he could only think: How do I survive this?! Need answers NOW!
Cheng's father told him he was getting remarried—to a wealthy woman. Cao Cheng realized his time had finally come: he was about to become a second-generation rich kid. Sure, it might be a watered-down version, but hey, at least he'd have status now, right? The wealthy woman also had four daughters!! Which meant, starting today, Cao Cheng gained four stunning older sisters?? But that wasn't even the whole story... "My name is Cao Cheng—'Cheng' as in 'honest, smooth-talking gentleman'!"
