Zhong Yi's Illusionary Realm.
At this moment, Zhong Yi found it hard to describe the excitement bubbling within him.
After unlocking the true gameplay of "Spiritual Plants vs. Zombies," it felt as though he had stepped into a whole new world.
Slicing fruits in the sky was merely one way to act.
The real core of the game lay in the spiritual field beneath his feet!
After clearing the first level, he obtained a new spiritual plant—a sunflower that could increase the rate of spiritual energy production.
Zhong Yi, being exceptionally sharp-witted, immediately grasped the strategy: first, plant sunflowers to ensure a steady supply of spiritual energy, then use that energy to cultivate more Peashooters for defense.
The second level was a breeze for him.
Then came the third, the fourth…
Each level left him utterly astonished.
The variety of spiritual plants he acquired grew, and so did the types of zombies—stronger and more formidable with each stage.
He couldn’t help but marvel at Lu Ze’s creativity and ingenuity.
Peashooters that fired peas like arrows, mutated Ice-shooters that slowed enemies with their frosty projectiles, and even Wall-nuts that could serve as shields…
Zhong Yi even began to wonder if these plants could actually be cultivated in a real spiritual herb garden.
As for the zombies, they were just as diverse.
The one that particularly gave him a headache was the pole-vaulting zombie, which could leap right over the Wall-nuts, costing him several precious spiritual plants.
Yet, the more challenging it became, the more engrossed he grew, constantly devising new strategies to outmaneuver the undead hordes.
Just as he was lost in the thrill of it, a voice suddenly echoed through his spiritual senses—Mu Yawen’s desperate cry: "Senior Brother Zhong, why is this illusionary realm so difficult?!"
At first, Zhong Yi ignored him.
But Mu Yawen kept bombarding him with messages.
Reluctantly, he withdrew from the illusionary realm. "What’s the problem?"
Mu Yawen wore a pained expression. "Senior Brother Zhong, why is this realm so hard? Every time, it tells me, 'The zombies ate your brains!'"
"...How exactly are you fighting the zombies?"
Zhong Yi’s lips twitched slightly, as if he had already guessed the absurd answer.
"I’m using my sword to slash them!"
Mu Yawen mimed swinging a sword.
"But the illusionary realm restricts my power, and my sword energy is too short..."
"You can still unleash sword energy?!"
Zhong Yi was stunned.
In a way, Mu Yawen was truly one of a kind.
"Of course! But the zombies were out of range, so I threw my sword down to smash them... Didn’t kill them, though, and since I’m stuck floating in the air... Eventually, the zombies broke through my defenses..."
Mu Yawen sighed as he recounted the ordeal.
Zhong Yi clenched his fists in frustration.
Did you even read the rules of the illusionary realm?!
Since Mu Yawen was still his sworn brother, Zhong Yi patiently explained how to plant spiritual plants, their functions, and the proper strategy...
"Oh! I get it now! I’ll go try it right away!"
Mu Yawen’s eyes lit up with realization.
Though he was a little disappointed he couldn’t fight the zombies directly, Zhong Yi’s vivid descriptions had piqued his interest.
Zhong Yi closed his eyes and returned to his own illusionary realm.
But before he could make much progress, Mu Yawen’s plea for help came again: "Senior Brother Zhong! Why are these spiritual plants so weak? They’re no match for the zombies!"
"How is that possible?"
Puzzled, Zhong Yi exited once more.
"Project the illusionary realm’s scene outside. Let me see what’s happening."
"Alright!"
Mu Yawen re-entered the realm and projected the scene for Zhong Yi to observe his gameplay.
Watching Mu Yawen’s imposing momentum as he swung his sword, cleanly slicing through all the fruits while precisely leaving a single pea pod intact, Zhong Yi couldn’t help but silently admire, "What a masterful swordsmanship."
The next moment, Mu Yawen hurled the pea pod straight to the front lines, where it engaged in close combat with the zombies.
"Look, Senior Brother Zhong! This spirit plant is too weak!"
"……"
Zhong Yi rubbed his forehead, feeling somewhat embarrassed.
"Junior Brother Mu, why… why not place the Peashooter further back?"
"A true man fears no death! Victory favors the bold when paths cross!"
"……"
Zhong Yi was momentarily at a loss for words.
He suspected his junior brother’s brain had been addled from too much body tempering…
"Thinking back, I was just as weak once. Perhaps dying a few times will help."
Mu Yawen suddenly had an epiphany, his fighting spirit instantly reignited.
"No, no, no… You need to place it in the back. It’s, uh… a spellcaster cultivator, specializing only in long-range attacks."
Zhong Yi did his best to explain.
"Tch, no wonder it’s so useless."
After much persuasion from Zhong Yi—along with mentioning the existence of the Wall-nut Taoist, a dedicated body temperer who could tank zombies with his bare flesh—Mu Yawen finally re-entered the illusion realm with a mix of skepticism and curiosity.
……
……
Though the concept of tower defense games was far too advanced for the people of this world, they were, after all, cultivators—not exactly slow-witted.
After numerous failures, the disciples gradually began to grasp the mysteries of this illusion realm.
The inner disciples’ telepathic communication channel was buzzing with activity.
"Why is this illusion so difficult? My Peashooters are completely insufficient! There’s not enough spiritual energy!"
"Fellow Daoist, don’t tell me you didn’t plant any Sunflowers?"
"That bucket-headed zombie is ridiculously tough! A single Peashooter’s firepower can only knock off his bucket!"
"How bizarre. What grudge does Junior Brother Lu Ze have against buckets…?"
"Don’t worry, Fellow Daoist. Once you unlock the Wall-nut, you can block the bucket-head zombie."
"Hahaha! I just unlocked the Snow Pea! This spirit plant is born with an innate ice spiritual root—its peas carry frost energy! The slowing effect is so satisfying!"
"Snow Pea? Brilliant, simply brilliant!"
"Wait… weren’t we here to practice swordsmanship?"
"Ahem, Fellow Daoist, you misunderstand! Look, have our swords ever stopped moving?"
"That’s a fair point!"
"If we’d had this illusion realm sooner, I could’ve swung my sword thirty thousand times a day without complaint!"
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
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.
transmigrates into the world as the sect master of the Heavenly Yan Sect, which is on the verge of being wiped out. He binds a system that grants him cultivation power based on the number of disciples he has: for each disciple, he automatically gains a year's worth of cultivation every single day! Take one disciple: every day he gains 1 year of cultivation power. While others struggle through a year of bitter training, he gets the same just by sleeping through a single night. Take ten disciples: every day he gains 10 years of cultivation power. Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul—he breezes through all bottlenecks without lifting a finger. Take one hundred disciples: every day he gains 100 years of cultivation power. Even a Soul Transformation Venerable before him can’t survive a single blow. Take ten thousand disciples: every day he gains 10,000 years of cultivation power! With a wave of his hand, he topples empires. With a single step, he crushes the sacred grounds of the universe. ... While others fight tooth and nail for secret techniques, Lin Yan casually hands out Nascent Soul-level cultivation manuals as beginner textbooks. While others strain to find talented recruits, Lin Yan opens his doors to anyone—so long as they’re human. In just three short years, the Heavenly Yan Sect went from a backwater sect made up of three crumbling huts to a sacred land that every cultivator under heaven would kill to enter. ... One day, otherworldly demon gods invade, with a million demon soldiers pressing down upon the realm. Lin Yan, yawning, rises from his lounge chair and glances at the system panel: [Current Disciples: 1.28 million] [Daily Cultivation Increase: 1.28 million years] He waves his hand casually, and the countless demon soldiers are reduced to ashes in an instant. “So noisy… interrupting my fishing.”
close your eyes and open them again, only to find yourself transmigrated into the role of a villainous male supporting character. Readers familiar with urban wish-fulfillment novels know that it is only through the relentless antics of the villainous male supporting character that the plot between the male and female leads can progress. As the villainous male supporting character, Long Aotian not only has to bully the female lead, harass the second female lead, and flirt with the third female lead, but he also has to go all out to antagonize the male lead. In the end, when his body is discovered, he is still clutching half a moldy fried dough stick in his hand. Fully aware of the plot, Long Aotian is determined to change his fate, starting with the female lead! In the beginning, the female lead lacks confidence: "Big brother, I hope I didn't scare you?" In the middle, the female lead treads carefully: "Brother Long, please don't hit me, okay?" Later on, the female lead becomes coquettishly clingy: "Aotian, it's time to pay the 'public grain' tonight." Long Aotian's legs go weak, and he feels like crying: "I taught you to be thick-skinned, not shameless!"
