Duan Lingyun stumbled, nearly falling to the ground.
She steadied herself and realized she was standing on a dilapidated wooden bridge. In the distance loomed a pitch-black mansion, its plaque too faded to read.
Where was this place?
And where were those two?
Duan Lingyun glanced around but found no trace of the two who had been with her earlier.
Logically, they should have been transported to the same location. Could they have already gone inside?
What was this eerie mansion?
Just looking at its shadowy facade made her uneasy.
Yet, she steeled herself and stepped forward—there was no path to retreat anyway.
As she drew closer, she saw that it was an oddly luxurious ancient residence, filled with strangely shaped rock formations and every door firmly locked.
Duan Lingyun strained her ears, but the place was deathly silent.
Were the two not here after all?
Just as she was about to leave, she heard something clatter to the ground—from behind one of the doors.
Sword drawn, she slashed through the lock and found Cheng Yuguang and Ye Mingtian sitting cross-legged inside. A fallen, extinguished candle lay on the floor, which eased her tension slightly.
Good.
But as she moved to approach them, a rustling sound sent chills down her spine. She whirled around to see a horde of skeletal figures clawing their way toward her.
Her face paled. She kicked the door shut and braced herself against it.
"You two, get over here and help!" she shouted.
Yet Ye Mingtian and Cheng Yuguang remained deaf to her cries, as if entranced.
What was going on?
Her eyes fell on an enshrined portrait—a handsome youth leaning against a tree with a sword in hand, likely the master of this mansion.
Then it hit her.
Damn it, they were receiving an inheritance at a time like this!
Gritting her teeth, Duan Lingyun wondered if this was where she would meet her end.
The skeletons reached the door, their bony fingers scraping against the wood, sending shivers through her.
She didn’t want to die. She wanted to live—her master was still waiting for her at Zhong Lingfeng.
If she didn’t return, her master would be frantic.
A skeletal claw pierced through the door, raking across her face.
A streak of blood marred her flawless cheek. Just as she prepared to fight, the portrait on the wall stirred.
A translucent spirit appeared beside her, his gaze tender yet firm.
He took her hand.
Duan Lingyun stiffened.
"Scram," she heard him growl.
The skeletons immediately retreated, almost as if fleeing in fear.
Meanwhile, Ye Mingtian and Cheng Yuguang, forcibly interrupted from their inheritance, showed signs of awakening—until the raven-haired youth waved a hand, knocking them unconscious again.
Only then did Duan Lingyun realize their clasped hands. She quickly pulled away, flustered.
"Who are you?" she asked warily.
"Gu Wei," the youth replied plainly.
"My spirit can’t hold on much longer. I’ll take you to retrieve something." With that, he vanished with her in tow.
Little Wei had no idea that by sheer coincidence, taking Duan Lingyun as her disciple would alter countless events in this world.
Meanwhile, Little Nailuo was at a loss for words.
She knew the script of this world—Gu Wei wasn’t supposed to gift this secret realm to Duan Lingyun for protection.
"Si, do you want to go see him?" Little Nailuo asked.
"No need. He’s just a wisp of consciousness—he won’t last long," Si replied after a pause.
Gu Wei would remember everything eventually. There was no need to dwell on this fleeting warmth.
Besides, after spending so much time with Little Wei, seeing that refined face again felt jarring.
The thought of that soul whimpering made it even more dissonant.
Fortunately, Gu Wei didn’t resort to whimpering in front of Duan Lingyun—that was beneath him.
Instead, he handed her the jade token that controlled the secret realm’s core.
"This is for you."
Duan Lingyun stared at it, comprehension dawning.
"Is this… the secret realm?" she asked.
But wasn’t this too easily obtained?
"Why are you giving this to me?"
Gu Wei only ruffled her hair lightly.
"Consider it a pocket dimension—filled with spirit herbs and beasts. It’s yours now. May it keep you safe."
As he gazed at the young woman before him, he couldn’t bring himself to speak of the past.
He didn’t want to burden Si.
Little Wei hadn’t even settled into her seat in the grand hall before the secret realm closed.
The disciples teleported back stood bewildered.
How had they been ejected in less than a day?
Helian Chi’s brow furrowed deeply.
The secret realm was gone?
This was a legacy left by their ancestors—vanished in a single day. How would he explain this to the sect’s past leaders?
Meanwhile, Duan Lingyun tucked the jade token into her robes.
The sect’s secret realm was now in her hands.
Should she return it?
But the one who gave it to her was surely its rightful owner. He wouldn’t want her to tell anyone, would he?
Did "anyone" include her master?
She had already hidden one thing from her master—should she hide this too?
Back in the hall, Little Wei studied Cheng Yuguang and Ye Mingtian intently.
This wasn’t right.
Their expressions were utterly blank. Could they not be the male leads?
Usually, she spawned near the protagonists.
If these two weren’t the leads… then was the female lead nearby?
The female lead…
Little Wei’s thoughts turned to her disciple.
A cold beauty, sparing with words, once a wealthy young lady—she did fit the archetype of a xianxia novel’s heroine.
But weren’t they usually empresses or something?
Wait—maybe a reincarnated empress.
After all, Duan Lingyun’s cultivation speed was unusually fast.
Little Wei fell deep into thought.
"Master," Duan Lingyun approached and called softly.
"Mm. Since you’re back, go rest for now," Little Wei said, eyeing Helian Chi’s troubled expression. The sect would be in an uproar over this.
"Master, there’s something I need to give you," Duan Lingyun suddenly said.
This site is about to undergo a major upgrade, adding more books and timely chapter updates.
ose... to cooperate with the protagonist! Shen Yuan: I have a system! Protagonist: What? System: Holy crap, you're just spilling it out like that? Shen Yuan: Let's team up, we'll split the system rewards! Protagonist: Fifty-fifty split? Shen Yuan: No way! Protagonist: What!? I'm the one getting beaten up, and I don't get half? Shen Yuan: Forty-sixty split, I get forty, you get sixty! Protagonist: Deal! Big brother, come on, hit me! As long as it doesn't kill me, beat me like you mean it! Shen Yuan: Don't worry... I will definitely protect all of you! No one but me can lay a finger on you! Guard our Heaven's Chosen Ones! I'm the only one allowed to bully them!
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.
rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!
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."
