In the vast expanse of high-latitude starry skies.
The Bone Colossus sat upon a bronze throne.
Suddenly, two eerie green flames flickered violently within its hollow eye sockets.
"This aura…"
A hoarse voice, like the whispers of countless lost souls, echoed through the void.
Slowly, it raised its head, its gaze piercing through endless time and space to land upon a distant corner.
There—the battlefield of the Great Thousand Worlds!
"So... so this is it…"
The Bone Shepherd's voice trembled, its skeletal frame creaking as if in agitation or fury.
"Heaven's Dao… I see now!"
Its bony fingers clenched abruptly, shattering the surrounding stars into dust!
"You dare drag that existence into your scheme?!"
"You dare… do this?!"
"Reapers... so that's it... that's it!!"
The Bone Shepherd's wrath threatened to incinerate the cosmos as it finally understood—
The true purpose of that damned Heaven's Dao!
The Reapers, minor worlds, the Great Thousand War, the struggle for faith, the tide of abominations… all of it was part of Heaven's Dao's accursed script!
And it—believing it had found the right path by slaying Reapers—had been utterly, disastrously wrong!
From beginning to end, it had been dancing to Heaven's Dao's tune!
But…
"Heh… hehehe…"
The Bone Shepherd suddenly chuckled, its laughter dripping with icy malice.
"That existence…"
"You actually dared to involve that existence in your script."
"I… will never forgive this!"
With those words, it slowly raised a skeletal finger and gently tapped the air.
Hum—!
A pale beam of light separated from its fingertip, streaking through the void toward the most radiant of the Great Thousand Worlds!
......
......
Time flowed steadily onward.
Deep within a shadowy cavern on the Great Thousand battlefield.
The damp walls were covered in clusters of squirming insect eggs, their viscous fluids dripping to the ground with a corrosive hiss.
The members of the Black Crow Squad held their breath, advancing with utmost caution.
"Captain, this place… feels way too creepy," one member gulped, his voice shaking.
"Shut it."
Night Owl shot him a cold glare, his masked eyes sharp as blades. "The mission target is just ahead. Don’t cause trouble."
The others fell silent and pressed forward.
At the cavern’s end, the space abruptly widened—
A massive cocoon hung at the center, its surface covered in dark chitin, something writhing faintly within.
"That’s it…"
Night Owl took a deep breath and pulled out a crystal shimmering with an eerie blue light from his chest.
[Worldbreaker Key]
A mission item issued by Heaven’s Dao Space, designed specifically to break the seal on the Insect Queen.
"All units, prepare to release the target!"
Night Owl barked the order, and the Black Crow Squad members swiftly took defensive positions.
Weapons trained on the cocoon, ready for any sudden threats.
He raised the Worldbreaker Key high—its glow intensifying until it erupted into a beam, striking the cocoon!
Crack—!
A fissure split the cocoon’s surface, spewing forth a torrent of black fluid!
"SCREEE—!"
A piercing shriek tore through the cavern as the cocoon convulsed violently, its chitin shell fracturing!
"It’s coming!"
Night Owl’s pupils constricted as he roared, "Full alert!"
But the next moment—
BOOM—!
The cocoon exploded—yet instead of the expected form of the Insect Queen…
What emerged was a grotesque fusion of pale bones and a spider’s body!!
The skeletal spider slowly rose, emerald flames flickering in its hollow eye sockets.
It glanced down at its bony limbs, its voice a rasping echo from the abyss:
"The Insect Queen…"
"Heh. To think a branch of your kind still lingers in this world."
"If only…"
The Bone Spider paused mid-sentence as its gaze fell upon the Black Crow Squad.
Night Owl froze under that hollow stare, the Worldbreaker Key slipping from his fingers and clattering to the ground.
What… what is this?!
An overwhelming pressure crushed down on them all.
They swallowed hard, their bodies locked in terror, unable to move.
"Oh?"
The Bone Spider’s eyes swept over the squad, its mouth twisting into a ghastly grin.
"The stench of Heaven’s Dao."
"You… are connected to it?"
Night Owl opened his mouth to speak—but in the next instant.
Squelch!!
The Bone Spider clenched its bony fist—
Night Owl’s body twisted grotesquely, flesh and bones crushed by an invisible force, reduced to a mist of blood that splattered across his comrades!
"ARGHHHHHH!!!!"
"CAPTAIN!!!"
The Black Crow Squad lost their minds. Their S-rank captain… gone, just like that?!
The Bone Spider prepared to continue its slaughter but hesitated upon seeing Cold Crow and Blood Crow.
Yet, mercy was not in the cards.
Instead—its fury only grew.
"HEAVEN’S DAO!!!"
The Bone Spider roared in frenzy. "YOU DARE!! YOU DARE TAINT THAT EXISTENCE WITH YOUR FILTHY POWER?!"
"That existence is our King! The one who leads us!"
"YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS!!!"
POP! POP! POP!
One after another, bodies burst apart.
"NOOOO!!! RETURN!! LET ME RETURN NOW!!"
A surviving member turned and fled in sheer panic.
His eyes were glued to his system panel.
[System Notification: Mission successful. Returning to Heaven’s Dao Space.]
[3...2...1... Initiating return!]
Yes! Thank god!
Since they’d technically completed the mission by breaking the seal, escape was possible!
But then—
BZZZT!!!
Glitched code flooded his mission interface, followed by a glaring red warning.
[WARNING!! Unknown interference detected!! Return suspended!]
The man’s face twisted in horror.
"I’m done for…"
Splat!
His final thought before oblivion.
Meanwhile, the Bone Spider stepped out of the cavern, its gaze lifting to the golden leaderboard in the sky—lingering on the words "Netherfrost Divine Realm"—before dissolving into black mist.
My King…
We will meet again soon.
......
......
In the rest area of the battlefield camp.
[Two members with 100% loyalty have perished!]
"?"
Qin Luo set down a tray of freshly baked cream puffs on the coffee table.
Frowning, he studied the system notification.
Two fully loyal members dead?
He performed a quick divination—then his eyes sharpened.
"What’s wrong?"
Su Muwan, munching on potato chips, tilted her head in question.
After a pause, Qin Luo spoke quietly:
"The two we planted in Heaven’s Dao Space—the ones in the Black Crow Squad—are dead."
Su Muwan blinked. "They’re dead? Were they exposed?"
Qin Luo took a deep breath, his expression grave. "Not exactly."
The fact that even the captain of the Black Crow Squad had fallen was precisely why he saw trouble ahead.
At the tail end of the Great War, an incident like this...
Qin Luo couldn't shake a growing sense of foreboding.
ial death, also known as "shè sǐ" in Chinese, generally refers to... well, never mind, it's not important. My name is Ye Cheng, and I'm about to experience social death firsthand. ... 【Host, your mission is to confess your love to the young lady of the Dongfang family, the current student council president, in a way that will be unforgettable for everyone at the freshman ceremony!】 【Host, assist the girl with a sprained ankle in front of you to reach the infirmary, and fulfill the wicked thoughts in your heart!】 【Host, act on your desires and punish the arrogant young lady before you mercilessly!】 【Host, follow your instincts—abandon shameful surrender, begging, or groveling, and ruthlessly criticize the domineering, ill-mannered young lady in front of you!】 【Host...】 Ye Cheng: "Here, here, you take this host role—I quit!" Wait, why is the girl with a sprained ankle the daughter of a mafia boss? And what kind of punishment method is this for the arrogant young lady? Also, who the heck said anything about wicked thoughts in my heart? Come out here, let’s settle this one-on-one!!! ... The haughty student council president, the scheming mafia princess, the fragile yandere young lady, the airheaded maid-in-waiting, the mixed-blood loli/...
nto another world, I bought a slave for the first time, never expecting the silver wolf girl to be so cute... Lin Feng: I know it's cold, but you don't have to sneak into my bed! Yuna: Just sharing body warmth, if you dare do anything naughty, I'll definitely...
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.
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?
