Oh?
Su Qi took another glance at the young girl and the middle-aged man with the briefcase.
Was it really them?
Truly, appearances can be deceiving…
Su Qi didn’t even sense any energy fluctuations from them…
That could only mean one thing…
These two were even stronger than Yun Ting?
Probably at the peak of the ninth tier?
Perhaps the two strongest individuals in Jiangxia, aside from Guardian Jiang?
Makes sense. If a few stray Descendants slipped into the Source Realm unnoticed, that was one thing.
But if such a large group of Descendants could perform a sacrificial ritual in the middle of the city without any reaction, Jiangxia would’ve long become their playground.
...
"All five of you, let’s begin… the game."
The bald man urged, nearly slipping up.
He stood before a sinister wooden door: "Please follow me in taking the oath…"
"I voluntarily become a sinner, to cleanse the sins upon me."
Liu Yuan, feeling the 'escape room' had a nice sense of ceremony, excitedly repeated the words.
Su Qi and Yun Huang exchanged a glance before reciting it as well.
The bespectacled middle-aged man clutching the briefcase trembled slightly as he spoke.
Meanwhile, the young girl beside him recited it clearly, a playful smirk on her lips.
Once the oath was complete, the bald man finally pushed open the eerie wooden door.
No choice…
Whoever made the rule that sacrificial offerings must consent willingly, without coercion, for a deity to accept them…
What kind of nonsense was that?
Luckily, these five were foolish and cooperative enough…
Otherwise, things would’ve gotten messy.
"Creak—"
The door hinges let out a grating sound as a chilly breeze rushed out, carrying dust and an indescribable, faintly sweet yet metallic scent.
Inside was pitch black, like the gaping maw of a beast ready to devour its prey.
"All five of you, step inside. May you… enjoy the game."
The bald man stepped aside, gesturing with a "please." His expression looked especially eerie in the dim light.
Liu Yuan instinctively gripped Su Qi’s arm, muttering, "This actually feels a little scary…"
Su Qi patted her head and strode in first. "Relax, it’s just entertainment."
Yun Huang followed closely behind.
The young girl and the middle-aged man entered as well.
Just as the bald man was about to shut the door, a hand suddenly blocked it.
He turned to see who it was, hesitating before asking, "Big bro?"
The burly man’s condition seemed… off.
Flickering flames danced in his eyes…
"We’re going in too."
The bald man was baffled. "Us?"
"Bro, are you seriously offering yourself as a sacrifice?"
"What’s inside is—"
The burly man smirked. "I’ve already received the Lord of Sin’s blessing…"
"I want to witness firsthand… the joy of my Lord as He receives His offerings…"
"I—"
Before the bald man could protest, the burly man yanked him inside. "Hesitation leads to failure."
"You’re my only little brother left."
"Gotta drag you along for the ride."
The wooden door slammed shut behind them, sealing off all light and sound from the outside.
Darkness swallowed everything whole.
...
The moment the middle-aged man stepped inside, his temples throbbed violently.
A bone-chilling sense of dread surged over him like a tidal wave.
This was the 'welcome ceremony' unique to high-tier Source Realms.
Like a warning sign, reminding every intruder: You’ve stepped where you don’t belong.
Discreetly, he pulled a pill from his pocket.
The young girl mirrored his actions, popping a pill into her mouth as well.
The pill dissolved instantly, leaving a bitter medicinal taste on her tongue.
Clearly, both were cultivators.
The girl noticed Liu Yuan curiously watching her movements.
She rolled her eyes. "Stay close if you don’t want to die. I’ll try to keep you safe."
Liu Yuan nodded. This big sister was really getting into character. "My brother will protect me."
The girl sighed inwardly, sneering.
"Two little burdens and one big burden…"
Even she could lose her life here if she wasn’t careful…
If the intel was correct…
What awaited them was likely 'a territory belonging to one of that deity’s subordinates.'
As for strength…
It shouldn’t be too high.
The chances of a deity responding to a Descendant’s sacrificial ritual were usually slim.
At most, some low-tier underlings with 'similar tastes' might show up.
But even then…
This wasn’t something a fourth-tier or sixth-tier 'kid' should be involved in.
...
The girl’s name was Su Muxue.
She surveyed her surroundings.
Deep, endless darkness.
Not empty—void.
It felt like floating in an abyss without boundaries, without up or down.
As time passed, she could feel her senses being stripped away one by one.
No sound, no sight, not even the sensation of air moving…
Time itself seemed frozen here.
She tried moving her fingers.
Her body still responded, but her fingertips brushed against nothingness.
In this silence, her heartbeat echoed deafeningly.
Even as a ninth-tier cultivator…
She could only feel a helpless, suffocating despair.
How…?
She’d handled similar situations before…
But never once…
Had she felt this powerless.
"This isn’t just some ordinary subordinate of the Lord of Ashes!"
Su Muxue: ???
The moment she spoke, her cognition seemed altered…
She couldn’t utter the words 'Lord of Sin.'
Panic began to spread.
Just as Su Muxue’s vigilance reached its peak—
"Brother… hasn’t the game started yet?"
"I’ve been waiting so long…"
It was Liu Yuan.
Su Muxue’s expression darkened. "Are you seriously joking around at a time like—"
Her words cut off abruptly.
Almost the instant Liu Yuan spoke, the 'silence' around them shattered.
Not from sound, but something more fundamental collapsing.
The once-void 'ground' beneath them solidified, cold and unyielding.
The inky darkness receded like a tide, pulling away into the distance.
Light—not from any source, but diffusing from the void itself—softly illuminated the surroundings.
No longer emptiness.
The scenery rapidly took shape before them.
A desolate, ruined village.
Houses of piled stone and earth lay in crumbling ruins, as if gnawed by time.
The ground was cracked yellow earth, with withered weeds stubbornly pushing through the fissures.
A few gnarled, skeletal trees dotted the village’s edge, their twisted branches clawing at the sky like the arms of the desperate.
A broken stone tablet lay fallen on the ground.
[Prison of Sinners]
Then, to Su Muxue’s disbelief, a skeletal arm burst from the earth.
It chiseled away the words on the tablet with brute force.
Then carved three new characters in their place.
[Ashen Village]
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'!"
esick Sect? Well, at least it's considered a respectable orthodox sect. Wait a minute— What kind of vibe are you all giving off? Shouldn’t this be a love-struck, romance-obsessed sect? Why does everyone here sound more like demonic cultivators? "Master, today he’s getting married. This disciple wishes to descend the mountain and crash the wedding, then toy with him to death right in front of his wife..." "Elder, I only got into your sect through connections, so why won’t you teach me anything?" "Because I also became an elder through connections." Thankfully, Su Ji was just an outer sect labor disciple. Surely, nothing too crazy would— "Junior Brother, you’ve broken through to Qi Refining. Once you sever your useless spiritual root, you can officially become an outer sect disciple." "The Great Dao is merciless. Don’t let a worthless spiritual root waste your essence and spirit, hindering your cultivation." Is this really the Lovesick Sect? ... Three years later, Su Ji sat in the seat of the Lovesick Sect’s sect master, sighing with emotion. His rise to this position all started when his junior sister adamantly insisted on preserving his "spiritual root." "Mmm... Senior Brother, what’s our relationship now?" "Stop talking. Keep going." "By the way, that newly promoted top-tier sect—didn’t they come to buy our Love Beans?" "One top-grade spirit stone per Love Bean—is that really so expensive?" "I suspect they’ve eaten too many Love Beans." "Now they’re lovesick." Well, this really is the Lovesick Sect after all.
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?
villain is the number one simp for the book's leading female protagonist, Shen Wan'er. As expected, he later becomes a tool for the main character to show off and slap faces, ultimately meeting a tragic end with his family ruined and his life in shambles. Fortunately, he awakens the [Universal Pure Love System], which allows him to earn points by performing acts of pure love. To change his fate, Gu Yan makes a decisive choice to seek warmth and companionship with the book's biggest villain—Cold Qingqiu. ........... My name is Leng Qingqiu. To find the murderer who killed my parents years ago, I deliberately blinded myself so that everyone would lower their guard around me. Just as I was secretly accumulating power and capital according to my initial plan, a man walked into my world. "Lengleng, Qingqing, Qiuqiu, which nickname do you prefer?" I don't like any of them. You'd better leave quickly! "Why aren't you saying anything? How about I call you my baby wife?" Leng Qingqiu thinks to herself, this man is truly annoying! (Stubborn pure love warrior + single female lead + true pure love + 1v1)
