"Bl... Black Curtain?!"
Seeing the "old acquaintance" reappear, Zhou Yue instinctively took two steps back.
The scene left Zhong Yi, who was watching the battle, utterly dumbfounded.
While everyone knew Zhou Yue's luck in the illusion realm was a bit... questionable, the worst outcome they'd imagined was something like—
Others getting equipment worth 100 spirit stones, while Zhou Yue got something worth 30.
Who could’ve guessed this guy would summon a "Black Curtain"?
The floating barrage comments erupted with chatter.
[Black Curtain? Wasn’t it removed?]
[Maybe it’s only removed in the normal world?]
[Wait! This was summoned by Zhou Yue—could it be his summoned entity?]
[Holy crap, if that’s the case, this might be the top-tier reward!]
[Zhou Yue’s luck finally turned around!]
……
Prompted by the barrage, Zhou Yue snapped back to reality.
"Right! Summoning you was my reward... so you’re on my side, yeah?"
Mustering his courage, Zhou Yue stretched out a hand in a friendly gesture.
The Black Curtain tilted its head, giving Zhou Yue a puzzled look.
Then, it extended its hand too.
"See? That’s more like it!"
Relieved, Zhou Yue stepped forward confidently.
"Come on, my bro!"
The next moment.
A dark purple sigil flared on the Black Curtain’s palm.
Countless obsidian spikes erupted from the ground, lancing toward Zhou Yue.
His smile froze.
"GODDAMMIT!!"
……
……
"Bed Wars" seemed to possess an inexhaustible allure.
Win or lose, players always craved another round.
In Lu Ze’s past life, even during the golden age of competitive gaming, the mechanics of "Bed Wars" never felt outdated.
Resources, mechanics, strategy, teamwork…
Brilliant design combined into a weapon that mercilessly devoured players’ time.
On top of that foundation, Lu Ze had added randomized events—
A move to accelerate the game’s pace.
The rewards from these events were absurdly generous, forcing players to fight for them and speeding up the match.
After all, in his past life, once players got skilled enough, it wasn’t uncommon for a lone wolf to drag out a match indefinitely, even after their bed was destroyed.
Lu Ze needed demonic energy, and the Heavenly Fragment needed death efficiency—this issue had to be resolved.
Judging by the players’ reactions, the randomized events had indeed ramped up both competition and fun.
But for Zhou Yue to trigger a one-in-a-million negative outcome…
Well, that was a new record.
……
Seeing the player count skyrocketing in the backend, Lu Ze relaxed and logged into the main server of "My World."
The Heavenly Fragment sat on a grassy plain, several "Bed Wars" screens floating in the air.
For once, it seemed at ease, clearly in a good mood.
"See? Convinced now?" Lu Ze greeted with a grin.
"Somewhat faster, yes. But still far from your claim of resolving karma within a century," the Heavenly Fragment replied, side-eyeing him with lingering skepticism.
"Besides… this pace might not hold."
"Relax. Once the five great sects join, the player base will grow tenfold, easy."
Lu Ze had absolute confidence in "Bed Wars."
The addictive power of competitive games for internet-addled youths was terrifying.
"Players?" The Heavenly Fragment frowned at the term.
"Yeah, players. If you treat the illusion realm as a game, those who enter are players, no?"
Lu Ze nodded.
Now, he didn’t even need to pretend.
Since entering the illusion realm boosted cultivation, and all he was doing was making games—what could anyone say?
The Heavenly Fragment accepted the term quickly, nodding silently.
"Actually, there’s something I wanted to ask."
It suddenly called out to Lu Ze.
"What’s up?"
Lu Ze turned, curious.
The Heavenly Fragment furrowed its brow.
Recalling the scenes that occasionally appeared in players’ worlds recently, it rubbed its chin in thought.
That blocky, thick-browed character was impossible to forget.
"Do all you cultivators… look the same?"
Lu Ze blinked. "Look like what?"
"Thick eyebrows, big eyes—kinda unlucky-looking."
"Oh, you mean Senior Brother Zhou…"
Lu Ze instantly understood.
Zhou Yue was a legend in his own right.
He somehow managed to trigger every low-probability event, to the point where Lu Ze sometimes doubted his own code.
"Maybe go a little easier on him next time. Don’t be too cruel…"
Lu Ze casually mentioned.
He remembered how, a few days ago, Zhou Yue had encountered the "Black Curtain" in the main world, only for the Heavenly Fragment to trap him in an obsidian cage.
The livestream audience of tens of thousands had watched Zhou Yue rage helplessly.
"Fine. Next time, I’ll make it quick."
The Heavenly Fragment agreed dismissively.
"Still… I feel like it’s not satisfying enough."
Lu Ze raised an eyebrow. "How so?"
"These cultivators—no, players—they’re not dying horribly enough."
"What, itching to join in yourself?"
"Tch. I’ve no interest in the games of ants."
The Heavenly Fragment scoffed.
Lu Ze nearly laughed.
No interest?
Then why do you keep sneaking into players’ worlds to torment Zhou Yue?
But he could guess—the Heavenly Fragment didn’t want to start with the same abilities as players. That would be beneath it.
Yet it still craved the sight of players suffering…
"So you want… someone to brutalize players on your behalf?"
Lu Ze suddenly understood, shaking his head in amusement.
Seriously.
Whether it’s the system or the Heavenly Fragment,
Why is everyone pushing me to bully noobs?
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!
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.
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."
