Even amidst the infinite mysteries of the Heavenly Phoenix Domain, His presence remained unmistakably vivid.
Ying Bing now felt as if the lunar energy within her was erupting for the first time. The boundless, frigid cold seemed to surge from the depths of her soul, spreading through her entire body, rendering her unable to move even a finger. It was as though she were trapped in an icy abyss, endlessly falling deeper...
And she had become a mere bystander to herself, powerless to act.
"You've come."
Was it the wind that carried that voice?
It was identical to the one she had heard in the underground palace.
So.
The one calling to her within the Yunmeng Palace was never the Yunmeng Ancestral God...
It was Him!
The moment this thought arose, Ying Bing felt her consciousness plunge into chaos.
Buzz—
Buzz—
As if the heart of the heavens was beating, the call suddenly became deafening, as though whispering something to her. The murmurs seemed unlike any human language—perhaps mortals weren’t even qualified to comprehend their meaning.
"He... wants to seize my consciousness?"
"Even if it means mutual destruction..."
Ying Bing clung to her fading awareness. Facing a being as vast as the heavens, she was but an insignificant ant.
Yet she refused to do nothing.
Time seemed to lose all meaning.
Then, her vision abruptly cleared. In the void, she saw the familiar Moon Palace—but the woman seated within was not her.
The Nine-Colored Primordial Phoenix.
Her face was indistinct, but her aura—serene yet profound, compassionate and sorrowful—was irreplaceable.
"You... want to replace me?"
Ying Bing instinctively reached out but couldn’t grasp her sword.
"The present me does not, but the future me... perhaps." The gentle woman's voice flowed like a murmuring stream.
Ying Bing’s voice turned icy. "Who are you?"
"My name... my name..."
The gentle woman paused, as if lost in memory. The void around them trembled violently, mirroring the turbulence of her thoughts.
After a long silence, her voice returned:
"I am Ying Huang."
"This is a fragment of my consciousness, left behind in the Heavenly Phoenix Domain while I divined the future of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths."
Ying Huang’s gaze softened.
Using the Heavenly Phoenix Domain to divine the future of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths?
In her past life, Ying Bing had controlled half of the Heavenly Phoenix Domain from the Celestial City Realm. Only now did she learn of its origins.
The Nine-Colored Primordial Phoenix—Ying Huang.
After leading the Nine Immortals to save the world, she feared the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths might collapse again for other reasons, so she tirelessly divined its future...
What unfathomable power had she gained after returning from the Celestial Realm?
Ying Bing fell silent.
Unless she ascended the path of immortality, such a feat would be impossible.
Ying Huang brewed a cup of tea and gently pushed it toward her:
"Do you know of the chess game at Rotten Ke Mountain?"
"Yes."
Ying Bing nodded.
"That game’s layout reflects my divination of the future of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, expressed through chess—but it is incomplete."
"If you can see me, you possess the qualifications to break the game."
"Then I ask you to retrieve the other half of the Heavenly Phoenix Domain."
The gentle woman who called herself Ying Huang spoke earnestly.
"..."
Ying Bing pondered silently, like a jade sculpture amidst frost and snow.
In her past life, with only half the Heavenly Phoenix Domain, her inner realm had already been peerless—let alone with the complete artifact.
But she didn’t know what this ancestor of the Ying family, savior of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, truly intended.
Friend or foe?
Or something else entirely?
Ying Huang sighed faintly:
"I cannot answer your doubts, for I am incomplete as well."
"Then why me? Just because... I am of Ying blood?"
Ying Bing was certain this was their first meeting.
"You and I... are the same," Ying Huang said.
"How?"
Ying Huang lowered her eyes, as though the center of this world:
"My heart says so, but I do not know the reason."
"I will retrieve the other half of the Heavenly Phoenix Domain."
After a moment of silence, Ying Bing added firmly: "But I refuse to become you—or anyone else. I... will only be myself."
"Otherwise, I would rather perish."
Her tone was like shattering ice.
The ice block was deadly serious.
"Then you must surpass the future me—surpass yourself."
The gentle Ying Huang seemed to smile faintly:
"Those who learn from me, live."
"Those who imitate me... die."
The instant these words were spoken, all color faded from the world. Everything receded rapidly, and reality descended.
Ying Bing slowly opened her eyes.
Everything remained unchanged. The steam from the hotpot downstairs still rose, blurring the outlines of the Qingyuan Sect.
Were it not for the incomplete Heavenly Phoenix Domain now wholly hers, the encounter might have been nothing but a dream...
She walked to the bronze mirror by her bed. Her reflection was coldly beautiful, like an exiled immortal—yet tinged with a sickly pallor.
Perhaps the exchange had drained her spirit.
"Surpass Him, surpass myself..."
"I will!"
Ying Bing rubbed the head of the plush doll at her waist and whispered to herself.
As if sensing her resolve, the system’s text reappeared:
[Host, initiate a new ranking...]
Before it could finish, Ying Bing’s answer was immediate.
Yes.
[If only the host were always this eager...]
[Initiating current ranking of peerless talents.]
[Scope: Imperial Capital.]
[Penalty for defeat: Plant forty-nine strawberries for the victor.]
"Imperial Capital..."
Ying Bing had anticipated this, yet she still pondered.
By the timeline, the next ranking would coincide with the gathering of hidden dragons and talents in the Imperial Capital.
To claim the top spot, she would have to outshine all geniuses of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths.
And.
She couldn’t afford any distractions.
"Perhaps there are other ways to prevent the awakening of other consciousnesses within me..."
"I’ll ask Qin Yuzhi later."
......
After dinner, Li Mo returned to his room.
Now wasn’t the time for dual cultivation—but for...
The prize draw!
Little Li rubbed his hands, barely containing his excitement.
Upon leaving Rotten Ke Mountain, a flood of investment feedback notifications had chimed—from the escaped factions, wandering warriors...
And, of course!
The ice block’s!
"As usual, start with the ordinary fates."
Li Mo began collecting his rewards with ceremonial flair.
+【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!
g Yu was preparing for retirement when her organization decided to eliminate her. She transmigrated to a zombie apocalypse world. However, a tiny unexpected situation occurred: She somehow transformed into an adorable little girl?!
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?
u Chenyuan transmigrated into a female-oriented novel about a real and fake heiress, becoming the CEO elder brother of both. Unfortunately, the entire Lu family—including himself, the CEO—were mere cannon fodder in the story. Determined to save himself, Lu Chenyuan took action. The spoiled, attention-seeking fake heiress? Thrown into the harsh realities of the working class to learn humility. The love-struck real heiress? Pushed toward academic excellence, so lofty goals would blind her to trivial romances. As for the betrayed, vengeful arranged marriage wife… the plot hadn’t even begun yet. There was still time—if he couldn’t handle her, he could at least avoid her. "CEO Lu, are you avoiding me?" Mo Qingli fixed her gaze on Lu Chenyuan. For the first time, the shrewd and calculating Lu Chenyuan felt a flicker of unease.
