At the same time.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The commotion from the battle had drawn the attention of the Elders from the Taichu Holy Land, who now flew over from afar.
Qin Luo sensed something and seemed to recall an idea in his mind.
"Young Mistress."
"Hmm?"
"I’ve figured out a way to return."
Su Muwan froze for a second—then—
Whoosh!
The Elders of the Taichu Holy Land descended.
"What happened here?"
"Gasp! That demoness beside the Holy Son! Doesn’t she look exactly like the Frostfiend?!"
"Impossible! The Sect Master is supposed to be suppressing that fiend!"
"Could it be...?"
"The fiend has broken free!"
"Demoness! Release our Holy Son at once!"
A barrage of accusations flew their way.
Su Muwan rolled her eyes so hard she might’ve strained them.
These people were beyond hopeless.
Instead of responding, Qin Luo simply wrapped an arm around Su Muwan’s shoulder in full view of everyone.
Then—
BOOM!!!
A surge of shadowy energy erupted from his body, causing everyone’s pupils to shrink in shock.
This—! Such overwhelming demonic energy!!
Qin Luo, still holding Su Muwan, slowly levitated into the air. His gaze swept over the crowd as he spoke calmly, "Since you’ve all discovered the truth, I’ll drop the act."
"Su Muwan, the so-called ‘demoness’ in your eyes..."
"...is my Dao Companion."
BOOM—!!
In an instant, everyone’s minds went blank.
Mu Xueyi collapsed to her knees with a thud.
Her lips trembled, her face pale, as she stared in disbelief at Qin Luo holding Su Muwan mid-air.
How... could this be?!
"Demoness!! You’ve bewitched our Holy Son!!"
"Disaster! The demoness has corrupted our sect’s treasure!!"
"Qin Luo, the Holy Son, has fallen to the demoness’ corruption!!"
Su Muwan: ??? What kind of nonsense are they spouting?
The next moment—
As if some condition for their return had been triggered—
A radiant white light enveloped Qin Luo and Su Muwan.
In the blink of an eye, the two vanished into the sky.
The demoness had taken Qin Luo and fled!
Mu Xueyi finally snapped. Clenching her fists—
BANG!
She smashed them into the ground, tears streaming as she sobbed, "Waaah!!"
"What’s the use of all this cultivation power?!"
"My senior brother has become another’s plaything!"
"And I—I couldn’t do anything to stop it!"
"Pure love? What good is pure love?!"
"If I’d confessed sooner, if I hadn’t clung to my pride, he never would’ve been seduced by that demoness!"
"This is all my fault... for letting her take him away."
"That’s right..."
Before the Elders, Mu Xueyi picked up the Demon-Slaying Sword from the ground and pressed it against her throat, declaring with finality:
"Su Muwan! I hate you!!"
"If I can’t defeat you... I’ll make sure to disgust you to death!!"
"If there’s a next life... I’ll become that ‘Su Bailian’ you always talked about!!"
"I’ll steal everything you hold dear!!"
Splat!!
Mu Xueyi reincarnated.
That day, the Taichu Holy Land lost two of its greatest treasures.
Oh, and the Sect Master was gone too.
......
......
9:00 AM.
"Mmm..."
Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the curtains, casting a soft glow over the bed.
Su Muwan slowly opened her eyes, greeted by the achingly familiar ceiling above her.
Tears welled up instantly, spilling down her cheeks as she choked out, "Finally... we’re back."
Uwaaaah!!
Can you believe it, folks?!
Finally back from that godforsaken ancient era with no phones, no internet, and no potato chips!!
Hallelujah! Time to indulge in all the entertainment I’ve missed for nearly a month!
"Young Mistress, you’re awake?"
Qin Luo’s voice came from beside her, laced with amusement.
Su Muwan turned her head to see Qin Luo sitting by the bed, holding out a glass of water with a gentle smile. His expression was as calm and warm as ever.
She nodded, accepting the glass while rubbing her eyes and sitting up. After blinking a few times to confirm she was truly back in the real world, she let out a long sigh of relief.
"Luo Luo, how did we get back?" she murmured, puzzled. "How did you figure out the return condition?"
"Simple," Qin Luo replied with a chuckle, brushing a stray lock of hair from her forehead. "Remember the first two times we entered the dream?"
"Once, when you were a child and Jiang Xueqi tried to steal your doll—we fulfilled the return condition after I protected it for you."
"The other time, you became a calamity in the Profound Heaven Realm—we returned after wiping out the pursuers."
"Both instances had one thing in common."
He pinched Su Muwan’s clueless, chubby cheek playfully.
"We advanced the plot."
"This time, by openly declaring our relationship, we triggered the next phase of the story."
"So we returned."
Su Muwan nodded slowly. "Oh! Got it."
"Wait, how much time passed in the real world? Did people notice we were gone?"
Qin Luo raised an eyebrow. "Oh, just one night."
"???"
Su Muwan’s eyes widened. "What?! One night?! That’s impossible! We were there for days!"
"Young Mistress, you still don’t fully grasp the mechanics of this crossing," Qin Luo said, amused.
"Ten years in the Fate Dream Cauldron equals one day in reality."
"Different timeflow rates are a pretty common trope, you know."
"Hey! Don’t say it so casually like it’s no big deal!" Su Muwan grumbled.
"Then how should I say it, Young Mistress... Here, wipe your face."
"Hmph, figure it out yourself... Mmmph—!"
......
......
Meanwhile.
Taichu Holy Land.
Beast Spirit Mountain, back hills.
Su Bailian stared blankly at the ice-blue sword embedded in the rock before her.
[After ten thousand years, Mu Xueyi, I’ve finally found your reincarnation... Draw me forth, and inherit the memories and cultivation of your past life... Hey! Where are you going?!]
"Tch! Who has time for fighting? Sounds like a hassle. Right, Boqi?"
"Woof!"
Su Bailian rolled her eyes and walked off without a second glance.
Just taking Boqi for a post-meal stroll, and she runs into this nonsense?
Expecting her to fight?
Please, did they think she was some battle junkie like Su Muwan?
[Hey! HEY!]
The Demon-Slaying Sword was utterly baffled.
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!
th】 【No prior gaming knowledge required】【The First Cultivation + Game Design Novel on the Platform】 In a world where the righteous path dominates and crushes the demonic sects, Lu Ze unlocks the "Son of the Demon Path" system. Killing righteous cultivators now grants him power-ups. Wait—deaths in illusions count too? As a former game designer, Lu Ze decides to give the cultivators of this world a little—no, a massive—shock... Sect Elders: "What is this 'Escape from the Demon Sect' game? Why have all our disciples abandoned cultivation to play it??" Elite Disciples: "You're saying... mastering 'Demon Slayer' can help us counter demonic schemes?" Reclusive Masters: "Why did I leave seclusion? Ask that backstabbing rat who ambushed me in 'Eternal Strife' yesterday!" Rogue Cultivators & Civilians: "'Immortal Abyss Action' is addictive! You can even earn spirit stones by loot-running..." Sect Prodigy: "My Dao heart is unshakable... except for that cursed black hammer." Royal Scions: "Can skins have stat boosts? I’ll pay 10,000 spirit stones for one!!" Sect Leader: "WHO IS CORRUPTING MY DISCIPLES?!!!"
s + Rent Collection Wealth】 At the start, he inherited a rundown house in the urban village from his grandfather. The house had no tenants, but the moment he was diagnosed with a terminal illness, a self-proclaimed empress from the Tianxuan Continent arrived as his first tenant. Ye Chuan soon discovered that with every new tenant moving in, not only did he receive massive daily payments, but he also obtained unique items related to their backgrounds. 【Acquired Bai Qianshuang’s related item: Tiger Strength Pill—dramatically enhances physical power!】 【Acquired Bai Qianshuang’s related item: Deer Blood Pill—significantly boosts vitality!】 …… From that day on, all sorts of bizarre tenants began appearing in the house: the empress from Tianxuan Continent, an apocalyptic sorceress from the Magic Realm, a mysterious scientific girl who fell through a spacetime rift… Every single day, he received strange, powerful items and endless money. Then one day, he suddenly realized—he had become invincible. Enough, enough! Stop giving me more!
ine. During your journey, you save an abandoned baby girl and become her elder brother】 【You rely on each other, becoming each other's support】 【At the end of the simulation, you shield the now-grown girl with your life, sacrificing yourself to block numerous demonic cultivators. You die, and the light in the girl's eyes fades】 …… 【Second Simulation: You are transported to a world where steam and magic coexist】 【You immerse yourself in the study of magic, obsessed with its research. One day, while out, you encounter a half-blooded demon girl wandering the streets. You take her in as your student】 【You teach the demoness what it means to be human, show her the beauty of the world, and nurture her into a miracle that surpasses even the gods】 【At the end of the simulation, you die of old age in front of the nearly immortal demoness due to your mortal lifespan】 …… One simulation after another, one encounter after another. Xu Xi suddenly felt something was off: "Wait, you said you're coming to the real world to find me?"
