Outside the furtively guarded bridal chamber stood two equally furtive figures.
"Huff... huff..."
Qin Yuzhi's eyes sparkled as she watched the two, her fists clenched and waving about, as if cheering someone on—though who exactly remained unclear.
For someone like her, the Sect Leader who had slumbered for millennia without even dreams to wander, this scene was pure, unfiltered sugar overload.
"But—"
"Shh! Not a sound!"
Shang Qinqing swiftly covered her mouth.
She had read enough romance novels to know the trope—just as the leads were about to kiss, someone would barge in and ruin the moment.
She refused to make such an amateur mistake. This was a professional shipper's creed!
Yet, as always, life had other plans.
The moon hanging high in the dreamscape suddenly blazed with radiant light, as if a pair of eyes from the heavens above were slowly opening.
'It' cast a silent, sovereign gaze upon the mortal realm.
Wherever that gaze fell, everything shattered into glistening fragments, illusions bursting like soap bubbles. The carefully crafted dreamscape crumbled at breakneck speed.
Like ink erased from rice paper, the world swiftly turned blank.
'Something is awakening.'
The thought struck both Shang Qinqing and Qin Yuzhi simultaneously.
"An intruder in Little Bing'er's dream?!"
Shang Qinqing's dreamy grin vanished, replaced by grave tension as she looked skyward.
Qin Yuzhi furrowed her thick brows. "Impossible. I govern the Dream Path. No one could infiltrate a dream without my notice, let alone wrest control from me. Unless..."
"Enough theorizing! Let’s take 'It' head-on!"
"Wait—this might not be an outsider..."
"My ship hasn’t sailed yet!"
"..."
After a heavy pause, Qin Yuzhi shook her head grimly. "I suspect this presence is rooted deep within Little Bing'er’s soul. Just like..."
She hesitated, then continued:
"...like Yun Mengxian, dormant within the depths of my soul."
Her words were succinct.
The one now gazing into the dream was that existence—the foremost of the Nine Heavens Immortals, the architect of Great Shang, the one who once remade the world.
The unparalleled, peerless sovereign of all time.
"Why would 'It' descend into the dream now?"
Shang Qinqing quietly retreated.
"Perhaps because Little Bing'er wove a dream of marriage—something 'It' would never do. Just like how I’d stop 'It' from reviving over a game of mahjong. Or maybe it’s something else entirely."
"But speculating about 'Its' motives is pointless. We need to leave. Now, while 'It' still permits it."
Qin Yuzhi took a deep breath.
When she turned, Shang Qinqing finally saw it—Qin Yuzhi’s face was scrunched up, the very picture of terror.
Shang Qinqing cast one last longing glance at the bridal chamber, pinching her own hand in frustration. If only she were invincible! Then she could ship to her heart’s content, in whatever configuration she pleased...
Meanwhile, Qin Yuzhi stole a fearful glance at the moon before quickly looking away.
Too terrifying. Too terrifying...
Were 'It' and Yun Mengxian even the same kind of "immortal"?
She used to think that, as fellow transcendents, the gap between them couldn’t be that vast.
Now she knew better.
The chasm between Yun Mengxian and 'It' was as wide as the one between herself and Yun Mengxian.
Even the Dream Path—her domain, her mastery—had slipped from her grasp, like a child abandoning a stepmother for its true parent.
...
With the dreamweavers gone, the dream spiraled off its intended course.
The moonlit palace, not yet real, collapsed inward, dissolving soundlessly from the edges.
Yet the dreamer remained oblivious.
That moon—cold, luminous, etched into the hearts of countless beings across the realms—had always been more dream than reality. Perhaps she had long blurred the line between the two.
Now she stood within reach, eyes shimmering, lips slightly pursed.
Li Mo once scoffed at legends of kings who ruined empires for love. Pathetic, he’d thought. Let me try—I’d never fail such a test.
But now, faced with Ying Bing...
He understood.
Especially when her usual icy aura cracked, revealing that hint of shyness. To hear her speak, he’d have set every beacon aflame if he were emperor.
"Annoying little brother."
"Not that."
"...Brother."
"..."
The two syllables hit Li Mo like a tidal wave. His steadfast resolve trembled—but held.
Normally, he wouldn’t press like this.
But he thought this was his dream, that Ying Bing was just a figment.
If he couldn’t stand firm here, in his own imagination, what hope did he have in reality?
Li Mo dug in, unyielding.
"I see..."
Ying Bing’s cheeks flushed like dyed silk as she acquiesced softly.
Li Mo’s heart raced—until the world around them bleached into a sketch, lines simplifying by the second.
A familiar pressure weighed on his soul, like the sudden darkness during the Hidden Dragon Tournament.
"The dream’s ending?"
Li Mo could no longer hear anything.
Yet he saw Ying Bing’s lips move, so close...
...
Morning.
Sunlight pierced the clouds and windows, illuminating the bed in the Cloud-Stepping Tower.
Ying Bing awoke with a strange hollowness, as if her soul had slipped away.
Then she opened her eyes—
—and found Li Mo beside her, face frozen in a comical "Wait, Ziwei! Don’t go!" expression.
Just one night apart, yet seeing him again felt like a gift, a reunion, a recovery of something precious.
"Ying Bing, wait!"
Li Mo jolted awake, meeting her gaze—already fixed on him.
"What’s wrong?" Ying Bing asked.
"Uh... just a dream."
He stared blankly at the ceiling, his soul still adrift in the dreamscape.
"What dream?"
"You didn’t dream at all?"
Ying Bing shook her head.
So much for sharing a dream... Li Mo smacked his lips, sheepishly wiping drool from her robes while noting the lingering complexity in her expression.
Hmm?
Was there a chance... Ying Bing was lying?
"Ying Bing, call me something. Two syllables."
"Li Mo."
"Not that."
She paused. As her eyes flickered downward, Li Mo suddenly flopped onto her lap, forcing her to meet his burning stare.
"...Brother?"
"Ghk—!"
Li Mo didn’t get the answer he wanted—but he did remember something he’d forgotten.
Morning wood was a universal truth.
And his was... exceptional.
Calling him "brother" at this moment—wasn't that just adding fuel to the fire?
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
shall grant"] ["Inscribing the glory of our race upon tombstones"] ["All that is threatened, I shall protect"] How his younger sister sees her brother: A brother who only makes eye contact once a day, mostly fading into the background as he tinkers with who-knows-what in his room all day. Their life paths should have remained largely separate. Until one day. Su Qi created an equipment card for his never-met "online girlfriend." His sister fell into silent contemplation upon receiving the "white stockings." [Card can be upgraded] [Upgrade by fulfilling any of the following conditions] [Condition ①: Consume one hundred higher-tier cards] [Condition ②: Complete one 'Heart-Pounding Adventure'] What constitutes a Heart-Pounding Adventure? [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Beginner Level): Equip the card and invite 'Su Qi' to admire it.] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Easy Level): Equip the card, invite 'Su Qi' to touch it, and analyze the equipment's texture.] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Entry Level): Equip the card and invite 'Su Qi' to...] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Challenge Level): Freely combine the words 'Brother' 'Out' 'Brother' 'Me' 'Please' into a complete sentence...] "Please help me analyze both teams' mistakes in this match, brother..." His sister exhaled in relief—surely... surely there couldn't be anything more difficult? [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Suicide Mission Level): Sneak a peek at the names of the galgames in 'Su Qi's' hidden E-drive folder]
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?
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
