Of course.
All of this was merely speculation derived from Yi Feng's conversation.
Concrete conclusions would require further verification.
Coincidentally,
the ripples of battle echoed from nearby.
Humans are naturally drawn to spectacles.
The two walked to an open area and saw two figures clashing in the skies as they fought.
In a world of immortal cultivation, such battles were all too common.
"Boom!"
One of them swung his sword downward.
The sky was instantly torn open, revealing a massive spatial rift.
Violent energy surges filled the heavens, and wind blades scattered everywhere.
Yet, his opponent dodged the strike, leaving it to land empty.
The missed slash struck the ground, cleaving a small mountain range in half with devastating force, while a nearby river was severed mid-flow.
Truly earth-shaking!
The two were clearly locked in a fierce battle, entangled in mid-air as they fought and flew, vanishing from sight in mere moments.
Piaomiao Hong remained utterly unfazed.
Though the battle appeared dazzling and awe-inspiring, the combatants' strength was, in truth, mediocre.
After reaching the Dao Mirror realm, the fluctuations of battle became restrained, with not a shred of excess energy leaking out.
This was especially true for realms beyond Harmony with the Dao, where killing was executed seamlessly, and clashes were contests of one's Dao itself.
Thus, such flashy yet ultimately ineffective attacks were typically the work of lower-level cultivators.
Probably around the seventh or eighth Heavenly Tribulation realm.
To Piaomiao Hong, it held no interest whatsoever.
However,
Yi Feng stood there, mouth agape in admiration.
"Such a dazzling attack… those peerless experts…"
"Ah, what a shame! They're gone. I should’ve rushed right between them earlier."
Yi Feng was deeply frustrated.
Frustrated that he hadn’t acted decisively enough to charge forward.
Had he done so, such an overpowering attack would surely have ended him.
The corner of Piaomiao Hong’s mouth twitched.
At that moment, she became certain of her earlier conjecture.
This man before her was absurdly powerful, yet he had no clear grasp of his own—or others’—strength.
"You may leave now."
Yi Feng waved his hand.
His mood was gloomy.
Another month wasted, all for nothing.
With the Hong Sect disbanded, keeping this woman around served no purpose.
Still, the thought rankled—how could the Hong Sect dissolve so carelessly? A proper sect, just gone like that.
Piaomiao Hong nodded.
She, too, felt a mix of ruefulness and self-mockery.
She had believed herself locked in a battle of wits with Yi Feng, only to realize he was nothing like she imagined.
The outcome was truly beyond expectations.
But just as she prepared to leave, a bold idea struck her.
"Perhaps… we could strike a deal," she said, turning back.
"What kind of deal?" Yi Feng asked.
"I might have a way to help you die."
After a brief pause, she spoke seriously.
Finding someone of Yi Feng’s caliber to defeat and kill him was likely impossible. But with Yi Feng himself eager to die, there were surely many avenues to explore.
Moreover, given her connections, she had the means to locate perilous places that could pose a genuine threat to him.
"Oh, really?"
Yi Feng’s eyes lit up. The proposal intrigued him.
After all, his understanding of this world was limited. Just two years ago, he’d been nothing more than a martial arts school owner in Pingjiang City.
This woman before him, though weak, had at least been part of the Hong Sect—her knowledge surely surpassed his.
"However, you should understand—this may take time," Piaomiao Hong cautioned.
She had no way of gauging Yi Feng’s true strength. His wish might be fulfilled swiftly… or it could take years.
"Mm, I get it."
Yi Feng nodded.
After so many failed attempts, he knew better than to rush things.
Piaomiao Hong then added solemnly, "I’ll employ every means to fulfill your wish. But in return, should I require your assistance during this process, I hope you’ll lend your strength."
"A fair trade."
Yi Feng agreed without hesitation.
Seeing his immediate acceptance, Piaomiao Hong’s brows relaxed imperceptibly.
With the struggle for the Sage’s throne underway, having an unpredictable powerhouse like Yi Feng as an ally would be invaluable.
As for the rest, she didn’t pry.
She didn’t ask why Yi Feng sought death.
His naivety aside, some boundaries were not to be crossed…
Piaomiao Hong understood this well.
"So, what’s next?" Yi Feng asked.
After a pause, Piaomiao Hong produced a map.
"I’ll mark a location for you. It’s extremely dangerous—perhaps enough to grant your wish."
She marked a spot carefully before handing it over.
"You sure about this?"
Recalling the Terror Forest, Yi Feng voiced his skepticism.
Piaomiao Hong caught his meaning and clarified, "In terms of danger, the Terror Forest doesn’t compare to this place."
"Though… whether it fulfills your wish remains uncertain."
"Got it."
Yi Feng took the map, studying the marked location before nodding.
Regardless of her claims, he would investigate. Success or not, at least he had a new goal.
"But if I die there outright, wouldn’t you be at a loss?"
Yi Feng could tell this weakling woman sought to leverage his strength through their agreement. Not that he minded—it was a straightforward exchange, not exploitation.
"If you truly succeed, consider it a gesture of goodwill."
She smiled faintly.
Her stance was clear.
She wasn’t waiting for Yi Feng’s help before aiding him. Instead, she offered her sincerity upfront.
This sincerity did earn Yi Feng’s favor.
"Don’t worry. With your sincerity, I won’t forget you after I die."
Yi Feng chuckled casually.
Piaomiao Hong glanced at him subtly.
So it was confirmed.
He didn’t seek true death, but rather a form of feigned demise—perhaps to cultivate some technique or artifact?
Regardless, this bond was now forged.
Piaomiao Hong felt a quiet sense of fortune.

【Prologue: The Beginning of It All – Use holy water to heal the saintess tainted by demonic energy, then converse with her.】 Shen Nian stared at his older sister sipping yogurt, lost in thought. So you’re telling me my sister is the saintess, and yogurt is the holy water? 【Main Quest 1: Brave Youth, Become an Adventurer! Reward: Rookie Adventurer Title.】 【Side Quest 1: Find the Adorable Kitty! Reward: 1000 Gold Coins.】 Shen Nian: "Wait, I’m a high school senior here—did some guy who got isekai’d accidentally bind his system to me?" Hold on, completing quests gives gold rewards? Titles even boost stats? Is this for real? (A lighthearted, absurd campus comedy—not a revenge power fantasy.)

young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."

] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"

transmigrates into the world as the sect master of the Heavenly Yan Sect, which is on the verge of being wiped out. He binds a system that grants him cultivation power based on the number of disciples he has: for each disciple, he automatically gains a year's worth of cultivation every single day! Take one disciple: every day he gains 1 year of cultivation power. While others struggle through a year of bitter training, he gets the same just by sleeping through a single night. Take ten disciples: every day he gains 10 years of cultivation power. Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul—he breezes through all bottlenecks without lifting a finger. Take one hundred disciples: every day he gains 100 years of cultivation power. Even a Soul Transformation Venerable before him can’t survive a single blow. Take ten thousand disciples: every day he gains 10,000 years of cultivation power! With a wave of his hand, he topples empires. With a single step, he crushes the sacred grounds of the universe. ... While others fight tooth and nail for secret techniques, Lin Yan casually hands out Nascent Soul-level cultivation manuals as beginner textbooks. While others strain to find talented recruits, Lin Yan opens his doors to anyone—so long as they’re human. In just three short years, the Heavenly Yan Sect went from a backwater sect made up of three crumbling huts to a sacred land that every cultivator under heaven would kill to enter. ... One day, otherworldly demon gods invade, with a million demon soldiers pressing down upon the realm. Lin Yan, yawning, rises from his lounge chair and glances at the system panel: [Current Disciples: 1.28 million] [Daily Cultivation Increase: 1.28 million years] He waves his hand casually, and the countless demon soldiers are reduced to ashes in an instant. “So noisy… interrupting my fishing.”