At this moment, Wang Yulan’s heart felt as if it had been struck violently by an invisible hammer.
Why... why did it have to be like this...?
Wang Yulan stared at the lifeless body on the ground, her hands trembling faintly.
Truth be told, she had already come to regard Tao Ying as a friend—after all, it was Tao Ying who had led her into this world of martial artists, granting her the power to seek vengeance against Xiao Lin.
But why... why had Tao Ying died so easily right before her eyes?
Her shaking hands seemed to grasp at something, yet... all they could clutch was the despair slowly creeping in around her. Wang Yulan’s vision blurred with anguish, and self-blame surged like a tidal wave, drowning all reason within her.
[Am I a bearer of misfortune? Why must everyone around me suffer such a fate?]
Her innermost heart trembled, her breaths turning ragged—each inhale felt like it was devouring her sanity.
And yet...
For some inexplicable reason, the image of Gu Yan surfaced in Wang Yulan’s mind.
"Yulan-jie... Yulan-jie..."
His voice seemed to echo in her thoughts.
That’s right. I must take revenge on Xiao Lin!
And then... I’ll see Gu Yan one last time!
So... until then, I must—survive!
With that resolve, Wang Yulan’s will to live surged to the forefront.
Hummm!
A wave of vibrant energy pulsed from her body.
In an instant, the walls and floor of the chamber became coated in verdant strands of qi, coalescing into blossoms of radiant light that bloomed across the newly formed green expanse.
Wang Yulan’s figure was now wreathed in a faint aura—the Flower Deity’s Qi—her final trump card.
Gu Yan observed Wang Yulan’s sudden burst of power, particularly the ethereal Flower Deity’s silhouette behind her, and the corners of his lips curled slightly.
Perfect. Just as I anticipated.
Is this the standard fare for the original heroine’s supporting cast?
A routine power surge?
Gu Yan let out a soft chuckle. "The Flower Deity’s projection? For a mere side character, you’ve done surprisingly well."
"What’s this? Are you angry because I killed your friend?"
"But... hmm. Why do I sense that the hatred in your heart is directed at someone else entirely?"
Wang Yulan’s hair now resembled vines, adorned with emerald petals, while tear stains marked the corners of her eyes. His words only stoked her fury further.
"Shut up!"
"You’re no different from that person!"
With a sweep of her hand, she aimed at Gu Yan.
Hummm—hummm—hummm!!
Emerald vines surged from all directions, their thorny tendrils bristling with venomous spikes.
At the same time—
Thwip! Thwip!
Vines erupted from beneath Gu Yan’s feet, binding him instantly and rendering him immobile.
He glanced down, then smirked at Wang Yulan. "Oh? You’ve mastered the Flower Deity’s Qi already?"
His mocking tone—so dismissive of life—only fueled her rage.
"Enough talk! Die, you monster!"
BOOM!
The vines lunged toward Gu Yan like frenzied spears.
From Wang Yulan’s perspective, since Gu Yan was ensnared, there was no way he could evade her strongest attack.
The vines pierced his body relentlessly.
Squelch! Squelch!!
Blood and gore splattered in all directions.
Seizing the moment, Wang Yulan used the vines to drag Tao Ying’s corpse away, retreating to a safe distance.
She raised an arm to shield herself from the violent gusts stirred by the assault.
Smoke and dust swirled in the air.
Her voice wavered as she stared at the gruesome aftermath. "Did... did I succeed?"
The next instant—
"Amusing."
A voice, cold as death itself, whispered beside her ear.
!!!
"No—!"
Before she could react, an iron grip seized her throat, hoisting her into the air.
Gasping in pain, she forced her eyes open to see the shadowy figure now standing before her, its clawed hand crushing her windpipe.
"Bastard...!"
She clawed at its arm, struggling futilely to break free.
How...? Why?
When did it get here?
Wang Yulan’s gaze darted back to the smoke-filled spot—but there was nothing there.
"Why...?"
She stared in disbelief at the faceless silhouette before her. How did it escape my vines?
Gu Yan tightened his grip, his voice dripping with amusement. "What gave you the delusion that you could kill me?"
"Originally, I intended to simply take the Flower Deity’s Qi from you."
"But in light of your... spirited resistance—"
"I’ll grant you a choice."
Thud!
He tossed Wang Yulan aside like discarded trash.
Cough! Cough!!
Clutching her throat, she glared up at him with venom in her eyes. "What do you want?"
"Simple."
Gu Yan extended a clawed finger and flicked it toward Tao Ying’s body.
The corpse levitated slowly before Wang Yulan’s horrified gaze.
His next words struck her like a bolt of lightning.
"Accept my blessing and join the Netherborn."
"In return, I will resurrect your friend."
The offer lingered in the air.
Wang Yulan wondered if she had misheard.
Resurrection?
This monster... can bring back the dead?
That’s impossible... right?
"You... can bring her back?"
"You have that kind of power?"
She looked up at him, incredulous.
Gu Yan smirked. "To humans, resurrection must seem like a myth."
"But for the Netherborn, communing with souls is second nature."
"Tell me, little human..."
He pressed a claw to her chest, his voice a silken whisper.
"I can hear your heart whispering to me."
"There’s someone else you wish to revive, isn’t there?"
"Someone... precious to you."
"To ensure your loyalty, why don’t I...?"
Withdrawing his finger, he suddenly drove it into Tao Ying’s forehead.
Hummm!
A miracle unfolded.
A surge of otherworldly energy flooded Tao Ying’s lifeless form.
One second. Two. Three...
"Ghk—!!"
Tao Ying’s eyes flew open, her chest heaving violently.
She collapsed onto the ground with a thud, her voice trembling with terror. "Wh-what just happened...?"
Meanwhile—
Wang Yulan had stopped breathing altogether.
Alive...?
She’s alive?!
She stared at Tao Ying, who had clearly died before her eyes but now stood alive once more.
A single thought took root in her mind.
[Mom... could she be brought back like this too?]
Once the idea surfaced, it spread like a virus, consuming her thoughts until nothing else remained.
“Well, have you made your decision?”
The voice, a dissonant blend of countless tones, echoed once more in Wang Yulan’s ears.
With great effort, she raised her head and met the gaze of the spectral creature before her. “If... if I join you, can you bring someone back for me?”
“Of course. Though your friend here has already been revived,” it replied smoothly. “If you wish to resurrect another, then... that depends on your performance after joining us.”
Gu Yan’s lips curled into a faint smile as he extended a clawed hand, one elongated fingertip hovering before her.
Wang Yulan hesitated, her mind racing.
The means to revive her mother was right in front of her.
If she let this chance slip, she might never get another.
But the price... was becoming a monster herself.
Then again...
She fell into silence.
Seconds ticked by.
Finally, the desperate longing to see her mother again overwhelmed her.
She reached out and grasped the claw, pressing her forehead against it with unwavering resolve.
“Deal,” she declared.
ress Kneels to Admit Wrong] [Dealing with Love-Struck Fools] [Forced to the Throne] Ren Tianye transmigrated into a female-oriented novel world, only to find everyone in it was utterly insane. He risked his life to save a young girl from barbarians, but was accused of arriving too late and branded the real murderer. He held a knife to a military officer's neck, demanding the troop tally, but the officer only cared about questioning his wife: "Do you not love me anymore? All these years of affection and time together, they were all a mistake, a mistake!" After seizing Yunji City, the original defending general, to save face with the Empress, knelt on the ground: "You must give Yunji City back to me, or I'll hang myself at the city gate and let everyone know you're a villain!" The young lord of the Duke's mansion, to please a woman, directly ordered a merchant: "The menstrual pads you buy for her must be studded with diamonds. Loving her means giving her the best." Having become a great general, he was about to marry a merchant's daughter, who set a pre-nuptial rule: "I can divorce you anytime. When that happens, you must give me half of your troops and soldiers!" Even the Empress was a severe love-struck fool, who ordered the execution of 70,000 elite troops simply because they stood in the way of her romance. Ren Tianye was speechless. He was done. Let it all burn! This deranged female-oriented novel world! ...
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
ine. During your journey, you save an abandoned baby girl and become her elder brother】 【You rely on each other, becoming each other's support】 【At the end of the simulation, you shield the now-grown girl with your life, sacrificing yourself to block numerous demonic cultivators. You die, and the light in the girl's eyes fades】 …… 【Second Simulation: You are transported to a world where steam and magic coexist】 【You immerse yourself in the study of magic, obsessed with its research. One day, while out, you encounter a half-blooded demon girl wandering the streets. You take her in as your student】 【You teach the demoness what it means to be human, show her the beauty of the world, and nurture her into a miracle that surpasses even the gods】 【At the end of the simulation, you die of old age in front of the nearly immortal demoness due to your mortal lifespan】 …… One simulation after another, one encounter after another. Xu Xi suddenly felt something was off: "Wait, you said you're coming to the real world to find me?"
