Every chess piece dreams of breaking free from the board—the feeling of being constrained at every turn is unbearable. Any cultivator who ascends to the pinnacle seeks unfettered freedom.
Gratitude is gratitude, after all—one who eats another’s food must bow their head, and one who takes another’s gifts must soften their stance. What is owed will naturally be repaid!
But to use gratitude as leverage, forcing someone to do what they refuse? Even if unspoken, resentment will fester in the heart.
Such was the case for Han Qianxue. Rising from obscurity, the chat group had been indispensable in her journey to becoming a Celestial Immortal. She acknowledged this debt. Had the group been willing to keep up appearances—to not blatantly expose its desire to control her—she would have remained unwaveringly loyal, ready to die for their cause without hesitation.
After all, "Repaying the lord’s golden platform favor, drawing the jade dragon to die for the king" was no empty phrase.
Alas, the chat group did not trust her. Every gift was merely a means to mold her into a puppet, to be manipulated at will!
And Han Qianxue, who had climbed from mortal roots to her current heights, was no docile lamb to be led by the nose!
Before, when resistance was impossible, she had no choice. But now, an administrator had emerged, daring to rebel...
Well, this treacherous ship carried great risks—but the rewards were even greater!
The chat group’s backing came from a mighty immortal of the higher realms, seeking to make her a puppet. Now this rebellious administrator was stirring the pot? Fine—let’s fight!
When two tigers clash, one is bound to be wounded. Having taken such a gamble, she would seize the greatest advantage possible!
She would be a partner in this scheme, not a powerless pawn!
Of course, her weight alone wasn’t enough—which was why she intended to drag the deeply acquainted second-ranked powerhouse into the fray.
"You setting conditions pleases me," Chen Yi said calmly, watching her. "But your desire to play both sides? That, I dislike."
Agreeing too readily would arouse her suspicion. This old fox, tempered by years of cultivation with an unshakable Dao heart, wasn’t so easily fooled.
Only by feigning refusal, applying pressure, and then relenting could he lull her into lowering her guard.
Once the chat group’s inspection passed without issue, she’d get what was coming to her!
Han Qianxue felt the crushing weight of his gaze but pressed on. "I need to leave myself a way out, don’t I?"
Chen Yi shook his head slightly. "Don’t think watching from the sidelines will keep you safe. Those who straddle the fence die the worst deaths."
Han Qianxue forced a smile. "Who knows how far your sinking ship will sail? Betting my life on it—the waves are too high. I’m afraid."
Chen Yi held her gaze, letting the pressure build until her primordial spirit teetered on the brink of collapse. Only then did he nod faintly. "Very well. I’ll grant you time to observe. I trust you’ll make the wise choice. Now—you know how to cooperate, don’t you?"
"I believe you won’t break your word," Han Qianxue replied with a slight nod. "First, withdraw from my consciousness. Otherwise, any abnormal state can’t be blamed on me."
Without another word, Chen Yi kicked off, sending tremors through her consciousness as he forcibly withdrew.
The next instant.
Deep within the lair of the Voidborn Abominations.
Chen Yi yanked hard, dumping Han Qianxue out from a concealed pocket dimension.
She lay serene, a swollen lump on her forehead, eyelids puffy as she stirred awake.
"Ugh... that hurts..."
Regaining control of her body, Han Qianxue winced at the throbbing pain in her skull. She channeled immortal energy to disperse the bruise while scanning her surroundings—only to stiffen in shock.
She was no longer on the Azure Cloud Continent. But how had she ended up in the Voidborn Abominations’ nest?
The undying broodmother was gone too. Had this guy wiped it out?
Impressive. No wonder he dared to rebel!
"Had enough time to wake up?" Chen Yi’s voice echoed from nowhere, his form entirely hidden beneath a concealing cloak. "Good. Then prepare your testimony."
Han Qianxue saw nothing—unsurprising, given that if she could, she wouldn’t have been ambushed in the first place.
Not that seeing him would’ve helped. Even with warning, she couldn’t have resisted. But the sheer lack of martial virtue! Not even a chance to struggle—just one punch, and her head still ached...
Shaking off the dizziness, she steadied her turbulent sea of consciousness. "I’m ready. Proceed."
The moment she spoke.
A needle-like apparatus materialized before her, emitting an eerie pulse that scanned her state.
[Confirmed: Disconnected group member—‘Noble Lady Han of the High Isle’]
[Disconnection cause: Mid-Zhōu-grade Bone Cocoon Parasite. Member ‘Noble Lady Han of the High Isle’ was instantly devoured, severing signal.]
[Parasite eliminated. Member status stable, no anomalies detected.]
[Cleared for reintegration into Group One’s jurisdiction.]
Han Qianxue: "..."
Since when was there a "Mid-Zhōu-grade Bone Cocoon Parasite"?
The audacity of this lie!
Chat Group System Administrator, your authority truly knows no bounds!
[Multiverse Travelers’ Mutual Aid Group—Group One—login verification in progress...]
[Inject a strand of divine sense for authentication...]
[No anomalies detected.]
[Next verification: Primordial Spirit resonance sensitivity.]
[Identify personally experienced scenes from among 1.296 billion image nodes. Time limit: 30 seconds...]
[Time’s up. Correct selections: 6. Incorrect: 102. Confirmed as ‘Noble Lady Han of the High Isle’s’ autonomous will.]
[Verification passed. Login permitted.]
"Tch. That many wrong?" Han Qianxue muttered, feigning frustration to prove she wasn’t scheming but genuinely attempting the test.
Chen Yi: "..."
Devious verification system!
Good thing he hadn’t directly puppeteered her. Had he controlled her responses, he’d have objectively matched every memory node—selecting all correctly within the time limit.
And that would’ve been the trap—proof she’d been compromised!
Caution truly paid off.
Now, having cleared the hurdle, Han Qianxue... did she really think she could stay neutral? Heh. Time to put her to work.
Without ceremony, Chen Yi seized control of her account interface.
"Eh? Why can’t I—? Wait! Why’s the interface moving on its own?! You—is this your doing?!"
Panic surged as she recalled the consciousness space—how he’d dismantled the chat group’s imprint and stuffed something inside before reassembling it.
What had he inserted?
Could it be... some kind of virus?!
Oh no!!!
Her chat group account was gone—along with everything she hadn’t withdrawn yet!!!
Watching Han Qianxue clutch her chest, seemingly heartbroken to the point of suffocation, Chen Yi smirked.
"Done here. I’ve kept my word—no coercion. You may return to the Azure Cloud Continent now. A surprise awaits."
With that, he vanished without a trace, as though he’d never been there at all.
Due to the effect of the Cloak of Concealment, Han Qianxue couldn't see Chen Yi at all. But when she heard him trying to leave after taking everything he wanted without consequences, she immediately panicked:
"No, don't go! I was wrong, I shouldn't have been greedy. I don't want any surprises anymore, just please give my account back. I'll do anything you say..."
"Senior... senior, are you still there?"
"Please say something? I'm scared... don't leave me alone like this..."
"Ahhh!!! You bastard! You complete bastard!!!"
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."
ive and Ruthless] Before his transmigration, Ye Xuan was playing a game called "Severing Emotions to Attain the Dao." The game's core wasn't about leveling up by fighting monsters, but about conquering various "bad women" with wicked personalities and cold, fickle natures. There was only one method to conquer them: stay unwaveringly by their side, then die at a critical moment, driving them to madness after losing the protagonist. The higher their level of regret, the higher the player's score. To dominate the server, Ye Xuan conquered all the bad women. In the early stages, he showered them with boundless tenderness, only to choose to sacrifice himself for them later, making them weep bitterly and drown in regret. Among them were: Xia Lengyue, the unfaithful immortal wife who chased after powerful men and discarded her husband like trash. Ye Qingcheng, the Demonic Venerable of the Joyous Union Sect, who appeared pure and innocent but was, in reality, promiscuous. Wu Lingxiao, the Empress of the Great Xia Dynasty, who lusted after men and loved maintaining a harem. Bai Qiangu of the Endless Demonic Sect: a bloodthirsty mass murderer. However, when the protagonist transmigrated into the game world, he made a horrifying discovery. Eight hundred years had already passed. The bad women he had conquered had now each become deities and revered ancestors. Faced with the endless stream of toxic women coming for him, Ye Xuan could only rely on his god-tier acting skills to carve a path of survival through this world of treacherous women.
nto another world, I bought a slave for the first time, never expecting the silver wolf girl to be so cute... Lin Feng: I know it's cold, but you don't have to sneak into my bed! Yuna: Just sharing body warmth, if you dare do anything naughty, I'll definitely...
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.”
