The questioning voice of Li Mo, the young man known as "Little Li," echoed endlessly through the Crystal Palace, and the atmosphere seemed to plunge into an abrupt silence.
"Qin Yuzhi" remained silent for a few seconds before chuckling, "You're overthinking it. I am who I claim to be, Ancestral God. Just follow my instructions, and the truth will reveal itself."
"Even Qin Yuzhi herself couldn’t confirm whether she was still herself. You shouldn’t be so certain."
Ying Bing recalled the diary entries in the corridor and murmured, "Qin Yuzhi lost the battle for dominance against you. The real her, along with her physical body, was sealed inside the coffin."
"And you—you’ve been imprisoned by the Heavenly Phoenix Domain, unable to fully take control, haven’t you?"
"Yun Mengxian."
Ying Bing uttered these words almost instinctively.
After speaking, she froze, her expression blank.
How did she know this? Yet, it somehow felt... natural.
Li Mo, oblivious to her thoughts, mentally gave her a thumbs-up.
Truly worthy of being called the "Ice Block"—sharp as ever.
He pointed at "Qin Yuzhi" and declared sternly, "Audacious fiend! I saw through your disguise at a glance!"
"Ah, why won’t you believe me? If you hadn’t reminded me..."
"Qin Yuzhi" sighed faintly, then curled her lips.
"...I might have almost believed I really was Qin Yuzhi."
As she muttered to herself, her pupils—gray-white like swirling vortexes—locked onto Ying Bing.
"Fortunately... you... aren’t her yet either..."
The cryptic words hung in the air.
Her eerie voice caused the Heavenly Phoenix Domain, suspended above, to churn violently, its radiance surging like boiling water, becoming dangerously unstable.
Was "Qin Yuzhi"—or rather, Yun Mengxian, the Ancestral God—also probing them?
"Restrain!"
Tian Miao, skilled in dealing with soul-based threats, parted her lips and uttered a divine incantation.
She had used this technique before against the Nightmare Fiends, with devastating effect.
But this time, the moment the incantation touched the Heavenly Phoenix Domain, it dissolved into nothingness.
"Sleep... sleep..."
"Qin Yuzhi" hovered midair, her black hair whipping wildly.
Something within the Heavenly Phoenix Domain seemed desperate to break free, causing its light to flare uncontrollably.
Dreamlike, yet terrifyingly real.
"My eyelids... so heavy..."
"If I fall asleep now..."
Li Mo’s mind grew increasingly foggy. He thought of the Nightmare Fiends outside—were their souls trapped in eternal slumber, leaving only hollow husks behind?
He and Tian Miao were likely just collateral.
The Ice Block was the real target!
A faint golden glow enveloped Li Mo’s body as he activated his Indestructible Vajra technique.
But alas.
No matter how unyielding his body, it couldn’t resist the overwhelming drowsiness.
His vision blurred, and consciousness slipped away rapidly.
In his daze, he felt himself plummeting into an abyss—one that wasn’t bottomless but faintly illuminated.
Suddenly, everything was too bright.
The heat suggested midsummer, with skyscrapers reflecting the scorching sunlight.
Blurrily, Li Mo saw a steady stream of cars outside a school gate.
Standing before him was a vibrant young woman, around eighteen or nineteen.
Slender, with her hair in a cute bun, her face was fresh and pretty. She wore a hoodie and a short skirt, her legs pale as snow, and she hugged a stack of books while smiling at him.
Behind her, a bustling university campus stretched out.
Li Mo: "?"
Where the hell am I?
Is this still the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths?
Or...
Was that entire world just a bizarre daydream during a boring lecture?
"Li Mo, you’re a good person."
"......"
Little Li shuddered, goosebumps rising on his neck as if the words had struck something deep in his soul.
Memories flickered.
After all, who hadn’t had a crush in their youth?
This girl had once perfectly fit his youthful fantasies. From the moment he started university, this bright, cheerful senior had been a constant presence in his campus life.
Helping him find his dorm... getting a SIM card... joining the student council...
Until today, when a roommate accidentally spilled the truth.
"Li Mo, I said you’re a good person." The senior waved five fingers in front of his face.
"Uh, yeah, I am a gentleman."
Li Mo snapped back to reality and nodded.
Then he frowned.
Shouldn’t he be blushing, stammering denials? Why was he so casually calling himself a gentleman?
Not only did he feel no heartbeat acceleration, his mind was eerily calm.
Even a little... underwhelmed.
"Well, I... actually like good people."
"?"
This wasn’t how things were supposed to go.
A normal person might’ve been swept up in the moment, but Little Li only found the scene increasingly surreal.
Who gets a "good person" card and then gets asked out?
This wasn’t fantasy—it was sci-fi!!
Something’s wrong!
And...
"Senior, didn’t you like girls?"
Li Mo said seriously.
He remembered now—in his past life, his big-mouthed roommate had spread rumors about his crush. Later, the senior had gently told him:
She had a girlfriend.
"You should find someone too, junior."
Snap—
A crisp shattering sound came from nowhere.
Cracks spread through the dream.
As his consciousness cleared, Li Mo sighed inwardly. Being rejected like this in a dream—even Yun Mengxian wouldn’t have imagined it.
"......"
The scene dissolved, swiftly restoring the breathtaking Crystal Palace.
And "Qin Yuzhi," who had been hovering midair with overwhelming presence moments ago.
Now, her eyes flickered with disbelief.
"You woke up? No, you’re not..."
Before she could finish—
Beside Li Mo, Ying Bing’s eyes also snapped open, her cool gaze tinged with something unreadable.
A divine mark glowed between her brows, and phantom phoenix feathers flickered around her, making her already radiant beauty even more ethereal.
What had she dreamed of?
And why had she awakened so quickly?
Li Mo was curious, but now wasn’t the time to ask.
"You’re awake?"
"Mn. Li Mo, go open the coffin."
At her words—
"Qin Yuzhi’s" face paled instantly.
"Got it!"
Li Mo lunged forward, gripping the heavy coffin lid. It felt welded to the entire Crystal Palace, as immovable as a mountain.
"Strength!"
Tian Miao, now awake, uttered another incantation.
Li Mo felt his physical power surge.
The next moment, he channeled the World’s Might!
Creeeak—
The lid finally shifted—just a sliver.
Behind him, a rush of wind—
Ying Bing shot upward, streaking toward the Heavenly Phoenix Domain’s true form.
She wasn’t planning to release it.
She was going to... refine it!
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."
for mindless slaughter, this isn't for you.] My name is Ye Shu, and I'm a transmigrator. It seems I'm supposed to be the protagonist, but that feels pretty unlikely. This world has been invaded by a system. The antagonists on the other side have suddenly become pure, flawless saints. The female leads have been force-fed the so-called "original plot," making them think they've been reborn. Now, everyone thinks I'm scum. Including the old lady in my ring. And here I am, in the Monster Beast Mountain Range, braising pork. To put my situation in perspective— It's as if, the moment Xiao Yan stepped into the Monster Beast Mountain Range, the Soul Emperor already knew he would become the Flame Emperor, and Yao Lao had been turned to the enemy's side. I have nothing right now. Oh wait, that's not true. I do have a white-haired loli child-bride who's the Heavenly Dao, and her only skill is acting cute. So, tell me guys... what are my chances of making it to the end?
d intelligence to keep the plot moving, and sometimes even the protagonists are forced into absurdly dumb decisions. Why does the A-list celebrity heroine in urban romance novels ditch the top-tier movie star and become a lovestruck fool for a pockmarked male lead? Why do the leads in historical tragedy novels keep dancing between love and death, only for the blind healer to end up suffering the most? And Gu Wei never expected that after finally landing a villain role to stir up trouble, she’d pick the wrong gender! No choice now—she’ll just have to crush the protagonists as a girl!
rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!
