Looking at the newly issued system mission, Lu Ze couldn't help but frown.
Pills or secret realm rewards weren’t the most important things.
The real issue was that the demonic faction planned to ambush the righteous faction.
If this escalated and triggered another great war between the righteous and demonic factions, the world would once again be thrown into chaos.
Without peace, his grand gaming ambitions would surely be stifled.
Lu Ze absolutely couldn’t let the demonic faction succeed in their ambush.
According to Nangong Yuan, cultivators above the Nascent Soul realm couldn’t enter that secret realm.
Though Lu Ze was only at the Golden Core mid-stage, his cultivation techniques, immortal physique, and the skills he’d secretly learned from various masters made him invincible among peers of the same realm.
Even if a Nascent Soul cultivator showed up, he might still stand a chance.
As long as he went, the demonic faction wouldn’t be able to cause any trouble.
With that thought, he decisively changed his mind and agreed to take on the secret realm mission.
...
...
Three days later.
Lingxiao Sect’s Hall of Nurtured Spirits.
"Lu Ze, though you’ve attained enlightenment through illusions, the world is vast, and you must go out to gain experience."
Zhao Wendao patted Lu Ze’s shoulder earnestly before beckoning to Zhong Yi behind him.
"Zhong Yi."
"Here."
"Since this is Lu Ze’s first time venturing out, you and Mu Yawen will accompany him."
"Yes!"
Seeing that Zhao Wendao had assigned Zhong Yi and Mu Yawen as escorts, Lu Ze felt even more at ease.
Though Zhong Yi was a bit of a joke in the illusionary realm, in reality, he was a genuine Divine Transformation cultivator.
Ninety-nine percent of demonic cultivators were no match for him.
"Disobedient disciple, take these protective treasures."
Nangong Yuan pulled out a handful of defensive artifacts from his storage ring and shoved them into Lu Ze’s hands.
"The real world isn’t an illusion. If you encounter someone you can’t beat, run! Don’t be reckless!"
Lu Ze examined the quality of the artifacts and smirked. "Cheap artifacts from a cheap master."
"You little—!"
Nangong Yuan bristled, his beard practically quivering in anger.
"That’s a Heaven’s Law secret realm with cultivation restrictions! Artifacts above a certain grade won’t work there!"
Lu Ze chuckled. "Then this disciple thanks his cheap master!"
...
After preparations, Lu Ze set off for the secret realm under the guidance of Zhong Yi and Mu Yawen.
The Lingxiao Sect was located within the Great Zhou territory, not far from the western border. The journey would only take a day.
"Senior Brother Zhong, what’s this Heaven’s Law secret realm actually like?"
Lu Ze asked curiously along the way.
"It’s ever-changing—no two are alike. But inside, there’s always one treasure ground."
"That treasure ground usually has restrictions or traps. You’ll need to break them before claiming the sole secret treasure."
"From what I’ve heard, the disciples sent by other sects are all at the Golden Core late-stage. Junior Brother Lu, just treat this as an experience. There’s no rush for the treasure—you’ll have plenty of chances later."
A Golden Core-level secret realm was dangerous enough to be challenging but not overwhelmingly so.
Generally, the five great sects used them as training grounds for their core disciples.
For some reason, the Qingshan Sect wasn’t participating this time. The other four sects each sent one disciple.
In a way, whichever sect’s disciple secured the treasure would gain the most prestige.
So naturally, they all sent their most outstanding Golden Core late-stage disciples.
The fact that the Lingxiao Sect sent Lu Ze, who had just reached the Golden Core stage, showed Zhao Wendao’s obvious favoritism.
"By the way, why did Elder Zhao assign you and Senior Brother Mu to escort me?"
Lu Ze asked again.
"In the past, demonic factions have ambushed disciples from our five great sects. Maybe he’s worried you’ll run into trouble?"
Zhong Yi stroked his chin, then grinned dismissively.
"But honestly, those demonic cultivators only dare to pick on Qi Condensation or Foundation Establishment disciples. They wouldn’t dare mess with Golden Core cultivators."
"Besides, even if they did, how many of them could actually stand up to me? Hahaha—"
"Uh… why are you two looking at me like that…?"
Zhong Yi’s laughter trailed off awkwardly.
"Senior Brother Zhong, hold on—I’m sending a message to Master and Senior Brother Zhou…"
Even the honest Mu Yawen couldn’t help but pull out his communication jade slip.
Lu Ze also felt a pang of unease.
Zhong Yi’s "jinxing" tendencies in the illusionary realm were infamous. Hearing him speak so confidently in reality sent a chill down Lu Ze’s spine.
But he quickly reminded himself—this wasn’t the illusionary realm.
Zhong Yi’s "cursed prophecies" seemed limited to illusions.
Still, the system had already warned him: the demonic faction was lying in wait.
So this wasn’t Zhong Yi’s fault.
But after this, poor Senior Brother Zhong might really start questioning his so-called "Sacred Speech Spirit Root"...
...
...
Meanwhile.
Inside the secret realm at the western border of Great Zhou.
A group of black-robed demonic cultivators bustled about, preparing.
Hardened spikes and specially crafted stone steps were covered in densely carved runes.
Several experts in secret realm construction frantically inscribed arrays and formations.
"Will these traps really injure Golden Core cultivators?"
The demonic faction’s leader, Liu Dumu, asked cautiously once more.
"Rest assured, Branch Leader Liu! This is an exclusive trap manual I bought at a high price from a rogue cultivator’s market!"
His sharp-faced subordinate confidently pulled out an ancient-looking book.
"Think about it—when we first tested them, even you got hit, didn’t you?"
Hearing this, Liu Dumu relaxed slightly.
Not long ago, they’d received intelligence.
The five great sects would soon hold a core disciple trial in this secret realm.
Every participant was a rising star, a future prodigy!
Before this, their operations had only targeted Qi Condensation or Foundation Establishment disciples.
But with escorts becoming more common, they hadn’t attempted such an ambush in years.
Golden Core cultivators weren’t much in the righteous faction.
But in the demonic faction, where talent was scarce, even branch leaders were only at the Golden Core or Nascent Soul level.
Originally, they wouldn’t have dared.
But recently, they’d acquired a manual titled "Cultivator’s Descent: 100 Floors of Traps"—filled with insidious trap designs!
Combined with the secret realm’s movement-restricting formations near the treasure ground, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!
Their plan was simple.
Ambush the treasure ground, set up traps in advance.
Use the movement restrictions to their advantage, turning the entire area into a death trap!
The spikes, made of special materials and inscribed with runes, couldn’t be destroyed by Golden Core cultivators.
One wrong step, and they’d be dead or crippled!
Even if the disciples were all at the Golden Core late-stage, injured and trapped, they’d be helpless against the ensuing assault!
"Kekeke…"
Liu Dumu let out a sinister chuckle.
"How much will a Golden Core cultivator’s flesh and blood boost my cultivation…?"
"I can’t wait! I can’t wait!!"
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/...
] This is a dark fantasy-themed dating simulation game. The main gameplay involves containing various monster girls and investigating the truth of a world shrouded in mist alongside your companions. However, due to his love for the dark and bizarre atmosphere, Luo Wei ended up turning a dating game into a detective mystery game. Women? Women only slow down his quickdraw! To Luo Wei, the female leads in the game are more like tools to perfectly clear levels and squeeze out rewards. For Luo Wei, flirting with every girl he meets and then discarding them is standard procedure. Worried about characters losing affection points? No need. With his maxed-out charm stat, Luo Wei is practically a "human incubus." A little psychological manipulation and those points come right back. It's a bit scummy, but the paper cutout heroines in the game won't actually come at him with real cleavers. However... Luo Wei has transmigrated. He's accidentally entered the second playthrough of this game. His past actions have caused all the girls to transform into terrifying yanderes. Due to the game's setting, most of the heroines he once contained are "troubled girls." Obsessive, twisted, mentally unstable, all aggressive yanderes... The type who will kill you if they can't have you... Luo Wei wants to cry but has no tears left. "I really just want to survive..." In short, this is a story of battling wits and engaging in a love-hate relationship with yanderes.
d intelligence to keep the plot moving, and sometimes even the protagonists are forced into absurdly dumb decisions. Why does the A-list celebrity heroine in urban romance novels ditch the top-tier movie star and become a lovestruck fool for a pockmarked male lead? Why do the leads in historical tragedy novels keep dancing between love and death, only for the blind healer to end up suffering the most? And Gu Wei never expected that after finally landing a villain role to stir up trouble, she’d pick the wrong gender! No choice now—she’ll just have to crush the protagonists as a girl!
+【Epic Battles!】 "Your Highness, they say Linxi Temple is miraculous. Won’t you make a wish?" "A wish? It should be making wishes to me." "That may be so, but since you’re already here..." "..." "Fine. Then grant this princess a consort to play with." "He must be obedient, devoted, and utterly infatuated with my body—so much so that he’d kneel and kiss my feet." "Your Highness, that’s not a consort. That’s a dog." "Then add clever, witty, heroic, ambitious yet pragmatic..." "Hmm, that’s enough for now. I’ll add more later." After tossing out these words half in jest, Princess Anle departed the temple—only to catch a fleeting glimpse of the Bodhisattva statue smiling at her. Meanwhile, Yang An, fresh out of university, was having a very bad day. Good news: He’d transmigrated into another world with a cheat granting tenfold combat power. Bad news: He’d immediately fallen into the clutches of a certain villainess. Good news: Said villainess possessed peerless beauty and royal status. Bad news: She was absolutely monstrous!!! In the frozen wilderness, Yang An knelt beneath Qin Guo’er’s feet, drenched in sweat despite the cold. Desperately clutching her porcelain-perfect foot—the very one poised to crush his throat—he could only think: How do I survive this?! Need answers NOW!
