The morning passed by in a blur as Lan Tian's eating show came to an end. The grand Hundred Flowers Banquet was in full swing, with smoke rising from cooking fires and the air thick with mouthwatering aromas.
The imperial kitchen was likely the busiest place in the royal city at the moment, as dish after dish was carried out and served to the banquet tables.
When the palace maid lifted the carriage curtain, Li Mo didn’t even notice.
Right now, he could neither see nor hear.
The renowned Liqun Sword Hero, the so-called "Little Overlord Who Brings Fortune to His Wife," sat with his eyes closed, his usually unyielding body—harder than even the finest mystical weapons—now limp as a fish on a chopping block.
Ying Bing, the "Ice Block," was whispering right into his ear, delivering an immersive, ASMR-like experience.
Who wouldn’t feel dizzy under such circumstances?
"Ice Block."
"Hmm?"
"Your foot… stop moving."
Earlier, Ying Bing had ambushed him from behind, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him into an embrace.
Wasn’t this basically a cross-arm lock? (Not really.)
Somehow, in the midst of it all, something inexplicable had happened. Perhaps out of habit, while Ying Bing was seriously subduing this childish man, she hadn’t even noticed that her pearl-white silk-clad feet had wandered somewhere they shouldn’t have.
Only when Li Mo spoke up did she snap back to reality.
"We’re outside…"
Ying Bing’s voice softened as her autumn-water-like eyes glanced away. With an expressionless face, she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, but when her fingertips brushed against the dampness there, her eyelashes trembled faintly.
Right. They were outside, separated from the lively Hundred Flowers Banquet by nothing more than the thin walls of the carriage.
What had she just been doing?
"Then we’ll settle this when we get back."
Li Mo exhaled heavily, his voice noticeably rougher.
"……"
This time, faced with the childish provocation, Ying Bing parted her lips but found no words.
If he was already this bold outside, what would happen once they returned?
It was his fault. Every time they played punishment games, she ended up seeing strange things, and just now, she had unconsciously followed along without realizing how inappropriate it was…
Well, what was done was done. Time to eat.
She picked up her bowl, ready to sample the imperial kitchen’s delicacies.
Huh?
"This is…"
Ying Bing froze, noticing a small slip of paper hidden beneath the bowl.
"There’s writing on it."
Li Mo took it from her, unfolded it, and frowned as he read the concise message:
[The Empress is acting strangely. The Celestial City has changed—it’s not as it was before. Be cautious. We are even now.]
"Who sent this?"
Li Mo blinked, scanning the surroundings.
But outside, the sea of people stretched endlessly. Finding the sender would be like searching for a needle in a haystack. Even with his Heaven’s Eye, the flood of information was overwhelming, making it impossible to pinpoint anything immediately.
"The sender likely means no harm."
Ying Bing pondered for a moment before lifting her gaze toward Celestial City.
She tried to recall the events of the Hidden Dragon Tournament in her past life, but after a while, she shook her head.
Back then, she had still been in Purple Sun Prefecture and only knew that Jiang Yu ruled over the Celestials.
Besides, compared to last time, many things had already changed. The butterfly that had once flapped its wings had now stirred a storm.
Take the other half of the Heavenly Phoenix Domain, for example.
"They only say the Celestial City has changed, but not what that change is…"
Most people would be helpless against such cryptic messages, but Li Mo was not most people.
He could just check Ying Bing’s recent encounters!
If nothing had happened to her recently…
Then whatever changes occurred in Celestial City didn’t matter. Let it change however it wanted.
[Name: Ying Bing]
[Age: 17]
[Bone Structure: Lunar Phoenix Body]
[Cultivation: Nine Apertures of Divine Observation]
[Fate: Red (Bears the Emperor’s Bone, with ice as her destiny and autumn waters as her spirit. Possesses the bearing of a Heavenly Phoenix.)]
[Evaluation: A life fraught with trials, yet always overcoming adversity. Though her wings are still tender, when the winds of change come, she will soar above the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, reigning supreme.]
[Recent Encounter: Entered Celestial City but was trapped there due to possessing half of the Heavenly Phoenix Domain. Only broke free four years later after reaching the Fifth Realm.]
"Four years?!"
Li Mo’s expression instantly turned grave.
In four years, their hypothetical "Little Ice Block" and "Little Brat" could already be running around causing trouble!
"What’s wrong?"
Ying Bing didn’t understand why he had such a strong reaction.
"Ice Block, what exactly is Celestial City like? And how does it relate to your Heavenly Phoenix Domain?"
Li Mo shifted into battle mode.
Since both were parts of the Heavenly Phoenix Domain, Ying Bing should have some understanding of Celestial City’s nature.
Clearly, going to Celestial City was unavoidable—once the Hundred Flowers Banquet ended, the Celestial Trials would begin as scheduled.
The only thing they could do was gather as much information as possible before entering.
Ying Bing lowered her head slightly and explained:
"The Heavenly Phoenix Domain is a pocket realm, but unlike any other. It feels more… real, almost like your miniature world, but far more complete. To be precise, it’s a reflection of the Imperial Capital within the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths."
"Celestial City is divided into three layers—Heaven, Earth, and Mortal. The inner city is Heaven, the middle is Earth, and the outer is Mortal. Each layer has its own calamities, and beyond the walls, demons and monsters prey on the humans inside…"
"Three layers of the city, dangers outside the walls…"
For some reason, Li Mo’s instincts tingled.
Ying Bing continued, "The longer one prolongs Celestial City’s survival, the higher the Heavenly Phoenix Domain’s evaluation. But… I don’t think that’s the whole truth."
She shared everything she knew, and Li Mo diligently took notes.
Based on her information, he summarized the key points.
Before he knew it, the Hundred Flowers Banquet was nearing its end, and he finally set down his brush.
"Upon entering the Heavenly Phoenix Domain, one forgets their past, retaining only their true nature—like a dream."
"The three cities—Heaven, Earth, and Mortal—are not hierarchical. They compete among themselves and rarely unite against external threats or disasters."
"Heaven City has the fewest inhabitants but the strongest power. Its people are born extraordinary, gifted with innate divine abilities."
"The Celestial Sword is bestowed upon the strongest among them. Historically, Heaven City’s people have almost always wielded it."
"However, the number of Celestials is fixed. Only when one dies can a new Celestial emerge from the other two cities, usually from Earth City."
"If we enter as Earthlings, then what role do the mortals play? Cannon fodder?"
As he pondered, the Hundred Flowers Banquet officially concluded, and the voice of a purple-robed eunuch rang out, summoning Li Mo to deliver the closing speech.
m back to his original world. In the end, he realized he had overthought things. [Hey, why is Shen Manni, the female lead, acting strange? Shouldn't she be fawning over the male lead at this point?] [Zhou Qiaoqiao, are you sick? Weren't you supposed to break off your engagement today?] [Damn it! An Youyi, please do your job as an undercover agent and sell my information to the protagonist, you idiot!] ... At this moment, Xu Mo himself didn't know that these female leads had already heard his inner thoughts. Then they decided not to play by the rules. Xu Mo: Please respect my profession as the big villain!
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.
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."
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!
