Those words struck Chu Jinghong’s most sensitive, most fragile, and most deeply buried wound like a bolt of thunder.
Her gaze turned utterly cold in an instant.
Killing intent.
Unconcealed killing intent erupted from her.
The entire sleeping palace began to tremble violently. One after another, imperial immortal runes spread from beneath her feet, carrying a pressure that could suppress and annihilate all living things as they surged toward Lin Jiutian.
“Did you come here looking to die?”
The pressure forced blood from the corner of Lin Jiutian’s mouth, but he did not retreat. Instead, he let out a low laugh.
“I didn’t come here to die.”
“I came to seek cooperation.”
The hand Chu Jinghong had already raised paused slightly.
She narrowed her eyes and studied the old wretch before her, who had one foot nearly in the grave. Her phoenix-like eyes were filled with scrutiny and wariness.
“Cooperation?”
She spoke coldly. “Is that you—or all of you?”
Lin Jiutian replied indifferently, “Naturally, I can speak for the Nine Heavens Sacred Land.”
At those words, Chu Jinghong finally froze for a moment.
She had assumed that Lin Jiutian’s appearance today was a personal matter: a former imperial consort nearing the end of his life, unwilling to see her still longing for another man, who had come specifically to disgust and provoke her.
But if he truly spoke on behalf of the Nine Heavens Sacred Land…
Then this was no longer merely a matter of personal grievances.
The anger in Chu Jinghong’s eyes gradually receded, replaced by the calm calculation of an emperor.
She was silent for a moment before asking, “What is your objective?”
Upon hearing this, Lin Jiutian felt an inexplicable sorrow well up inside him.
You see?
This was Chu Jinghong.
Even though she had wanted to kill him with a single palm just moments ago, the moment she sensed an opportunity for profit, she could immediately regain her composure, negotiate terms, calculate gains and losses, and weigh the pros and cons.
She had never been a woman who would lose herself completely to love.
Even her madness was always wrapped in a shell of lucidity.
That was precisely what made her so terrifying.
Suppressing the complicated emotions churning in his heart, Lin Jiutian said coldly, “Naturally, it is to establish our might.”
“The Age of Great Strife is about to begin. The Mandate of Heaven has already begun to converge, and a Celestial Emperor will soon emerge in the human world.”
“At a time like this, whoever can display absolute strength before the eyes of the world will be able to seize more fortune and momentum.”
“What the Nine Heavens Sacred Land wants is to become number one in Central Province—or even number one throughout the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands.”
“And the Sword God Palace…”
At this point, a chill flashed through Lin Jiutian’s eyes.
“It is far too much of an eyesore.”
Chu Jinghong listened in silence, her face showing little emotion.
Yet her mind was already racing.
She naturally knew about the Age of Great Strife, the convergence of the Mandate of Heaven, and the coming of a Celestial Emperor to the human world.
In fact, it was not only the Nine Heavens Sacred Land. Many of the ancient powers that truly stood at the pinnacle of this world had already begun making their moves. They all understood that the era ahead would no longer consist of minor conflicts between sects. It would be a true struggle amid chaos, one that would determine the shape of the world for the next several hundred thousand years.
In an era such as this, a victory that drew the attention of the entire world—especially the destruction of the Sword God Palace under the watchful eyes of countless powers across the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands—would indeed be enough to gather terrifying momentum and fortune for a faction.
At this thought, Chu Jinghong’s eyes gradually deepened.
“So you are fighting for fortune?”
Lin Jiutian sneered. “What else?”
“Chu Jinghong, you don’t really think the Nine Heavens Sacred Land is bored enough to help your former husband steal someone back for you, do you?”
Chu Jinghong ignored the sarcasm in his voice.
She simply continued thinking.
Lin Jiutian looked at her, his voice growing colder. “If the Sword God Palace falls and Ye Jiuhuang is defeated, the prestige of the Nine Heavens Sacred Land will instantly surpass all others.”
“As for Ye Xuan…”
He raised his eyes and gave Chu Jinghong a meaningful look.
“He will be yours.”
Chu Jinghong’s heart trembled slightly.
At that moment, she naturally understood that Lin Jiutian’s words were far too untrustworthy to accept wholesale.
How could the Nine Heavens Sacred Land possibly be so generous?
They wanted to destroy the Sword God Palace, use Ye Jiuhuang to establish their might, and then casually hand over Ye Xuan—a man who had stirred up countless karmic ties and storms—to her?
There was no such thing as a bargain that good in this world.
But the problem was…
She had no better choice at present.
She truly had no confidence in dealing with Ye Jiuhuang alone.
Nor did she have any confidence that the Great Jin Immortal Dynasty could go head-to-head with the Sword God Palace by itself.
But if the Nine Heavens Sacred Land stood at the front and bore the brunt of the attack…
Then things would be different.
Chu Jinghong remained silent for a long time, countless thoughts flashing through her eyes.
At last, she slowly spoke. “Can you contend with the Sword Sovereign?”
Lin Jiutian laughed, his smile filled with a strange sort of confidence.
“Of course.”
Chu Jinghong did not agree immediately.
Her fingers lightly tapped the table beside her, once, then again. The sound was soft, yet it seemed to strike against some invisible chessboard.
If she cooperated with them, what would she gain?
What would she lose?
The Nine Heavens Sacred Land would destroy the Sword God Palace while she reaped the benefits and took back Ye Xuan. Naturally, that would be ideal.
But the problem was that if the Nine Heavens Sacred Land won too decisively, wouldn’t the Great Jin Immortal Dynasty—the number one immortal dynasty in Central Province—be suppressed by it instead?
Moreover, an alliance of this level could not possibly come without a price.
After thinking for a long while, Chu Jinghong finally raised her head. The icy sharpness of an emperor had returned to her phoenix-like eyes.
“Fine.”
“You want the Sword God Palace.”
“I only want my husband.”
She paused, and the corners of her red lips curved into a faint yet razor-sharp smile.
“However, I want thirty percent of the spoils from the destruction of the Sword God Palace as well.”
Lin Jiutian looked at her and suddenly burst out laughing.
His laughter was filled with scorn, as well as a sorrow that was difficult to describe.
“Thirty thousand years.”
“You’re still exactly the same.”
Chu Jinghong’s brows drew together. “What do you mean?”
Lin Jiutian stepped toward her, one step at a time. His withered, aged face was filled with undisguised mockery.
“No wonder Ye Xuan wanted to leave you.”
“You’re still as concerned with profit as ever.”
Those words pierced Chu Jinghong’s heart like a thorn.
She hated being called “concerned with profit above all else.”
Because she knew that, in Ye Xuan’s eyes, this had been the most hurtful part of her.
She could sacrifice everything for the sake of the Great Jin Immortal Dynasty.
Including him.
That was the original sin she could never completely wash away, no matter how deeply she regretted it or how desperately she wanted to win him back.
Chu Jinghong’s expression suddenly darkened, and the fury in her eyes nearly solidified into something tangible.
“Lin Jiutian.”
“Say that again.”
Lin Jiutian, however, seemed to have thrown caution completely to the wind. He did not retreat in the slightest.
“Was I wrong?”
“Chu Jinghong, you keep claiming that you love Ye Xuan most, but the person you have always loved most is yourself.”
“Otherwise, back then, you would never have chosen to sacrifice Ye Xuan’s dignity for the sake of the Great Jin Immortal Dynasty.”
“The reason you’re acting like this now isn’t because your feelings run so deep. It’s because you’ve finally realized that the man you once casually set aside, the man you naturally assumed would belong to you forever, truly no longer belongs to you.”
“What you can’t accept losing isn’t just love.”
“It’s control.”
“You can’t stand the thought of him slipping beyond your control. You can’t stand the thought of him loving someone else. You can’t stand the thought that one day, Ye Xuan might look at you as though you were a stranger.”
“As for the love you claim to feel—how much of it is guilt, how much is possessiveness, and how much is obsession? You know the answer better than anyone!”
y came from. The chests contained supplies, currency, class-change scrolls, skills, talents… and even godhood! The laws of the world were completely rewritten. This became a world where everyone gambled with their fate! Some people, despite having nothing, opened a divine artifact and rose to the top, eventually ruling the world. Others went bankrupt, opened nothing but worthless junk, and leaped from skyscrapers in despair. Lin Ye arrived in this world from another reality, utterly bewildered. “What is going on? Why is everyone a gambling addict?!” “Opening chests? No way. I refuse to gamble. I’ll start with myself!” Until— On his first chest, he obtained a Mythic Talent: Void Incarnation! He could become completely intangible, pass through all things, and reduce everything to nothingness! … On his fiftieth chest, he obtained a Mythic Weapon: Blade of Karma! With a single slash, karma shattered, twisting the universe and overturning the myriad phenomena of creation! … On his ninety-ninth chest, he obtained a Mythic Divine Treasure: Primordial Purple Energy! It could split open the heavens and earth, create all things, and evolve countless worlds with a single thought! Lin Ye: “Now that I think about it… shouldn’t someone have told me that every chest is guaranteed to contain something Mythic?!”
nd fell into a coma while saving his younger sister from an out-of-control car. He became a vegetable. No one knew that his consciousness had crossed into a world of cultivation. Over the course of sixty years, he began as the lowest kind of mine slave, struggling to survive amid mountains of corpses and seas of blood. By sheer chance, he eventually obtained the complete memories of a fallen Immortal King. Alchemy, medicine, formations, feng shui, physiognomy, artifact forging… Every great inheritance of the cultivation world was now his. But when he opened his eyes again, he discovered that ten full years had passed in the modern world. To pay for his treatment, his father had sold the family’s shop and house, leaving himself covered in lasting injuries and illness. His mother had cared for him day and night, and more than half of her hair had already turned white. His younger sister, who had been only fifteen back then, was now twenty-five. To help repay the family’s debts, she had been forced to lower her head and put on a smiling face in places of glittering lights and endless revelry. Only then did Chen Xuan understand that what he had lost was not merely ten years. He had lost the life his entire family was meant to have. The good news was that he had brought back the memories of an Immortal King’s entire lifetime. The bad news was that his soul had returned alone—his cultivation had not come with him. Spiritual energy was scarce, resources were depleted, and the modern world still had firearms, surveillance, capital, and laws. If he wanted to protect his family, break free from everyone’s control, and become truly invincible beneath the heavens, he would have to start all over again.
s the Eldest Princess, renowned for her cold and aloof detachment, became the most docile of lambs, obeying his every command without question. But when the final move was played on the chessboard, as Gu Chenghan seized everything and ascended on the verge of apotheosis, that very Princess suddenly embraced him from behind, her tone carrying a dependence never heard before: "Wait... you haven't yet... commanded me to love you forever." Gu Chenghan froze abruptly. She... hadn't been hypnotized?! ... [The Eldest Princess's Diary] [When my soul was extracted, becoming the sole spectator outside my own shell] [At first, there was overwhelming fury, until I saw] [How he used my sword to effortlessly shatter my inescapable doom] [How he wielded my authority to eradicate fatal conspiracies I had never even detected] [Like a deity, he rescued me from the deep mire I was trapped in] [If not for those annoying vixens, he and I would be a match made in heaven] [I think I am ill, gravely ill] [My deity should belong to me alone] ... "Hypnosis? Oh, it succeeded, my dear Master." "Only this time, it's my turn to hypnotize you."
agon king storylines. At the start, I obtained the "Ultimate Lackey System" - the more I act as a lackey, the stronger I become. What else could I do? I chose to become the personal henchman of the ultimate villain, Su Muwan. I provoke all sorts of chosen ones, snatch away their opportunities, and commit every evil deed imaginable. You ask who's behind me? Hmph! You're not worthy of knowing my lady's name! ...... ....... I am Su Muwan, the eldest daughter of the Su family. Since childhood, I've possessed extraordinary talent in martial arts, which led to my arrogant and domineering personality in my past life. I was even foolish enough to repeatedly challenge those favored by heaven, ultimately resulting in a tragic death. In this life, I must behave and absolutely cannot walk the same path again!! However... SLAP!! "So you're the Dragon King, huh?!" When I saw my little lackey swagger over and viciously slap the Dragon King who was hiding his identity, I felt my heart sink. Su Muwan's suspended heart finally died as she watched Qin Luo, her utterly loyal lackey, standing before her. She fainted on the spot from shock. Heaven is determined to destroy me!! (Pure love 1v1, light-hearted, no angst, single female lead, villain, reincarnation, lackey)
