Before the half-beastkin leading the way could even react, Jian Dan was already trapped from head to toe in a Spirit-Binding Net. The rabbit-eared half-beastkin was so terrified that he didn't dare to intervene. He leapt three zhang into the air and fled the alley in a panic.
Two men in black robes and veiled faces emerged from their concealed hiding spots. They saw Jian Dan standing there without struggling or calling for help.
"She's got some guts. The more you struggle, the tighter the net gets. If you don't want to suffer, don't do anything stupid. It would be a shame if that pretty face of yours got scarred."
As one of them spoke, he raised his hand and clasped a silver bracelet around Jian Dan's wrist. In that instant, she felt all her spiritual power withdraw into her dantian, completely sealed off. The other man quickly gathered up the Spirit-Binding Net and casually stripped the storage ring from Jian Dan's finger.
"Save the chatter. This is the last one. We've got the numbers we need. Let's finish the handoff and not waste time."
The second man urged impatiently.
"I get it. But tell me, what kind of major job did Wei Datong take this time? Why so many cultivators?"
"We're being paid in spirit stones. That's all that matters."
Both were Nascent Soul cultivators, apparently in the business of trafficking fellow cultivators. Jian Dan had already noticed that the two worked in perfect sync, and since she wasn't confident she could take them both down in an instant, she had held back.
She had considered using a divine sense attack, but that would come at a steep cost to herself. It wasn't worth it yet. So she decided to observe for now. Hearing their casual conversation, Jian Dan realized she had become a commodity. With her head lowered, she allowed the silver bracelet to pull her along out of the alley.
Once outside, the two Nascent Soul cultivators had already changed their appearances. Without delay, they boarded a flying vessel, dragging Jian Dan with them. There wasn't a soul on the deck. The first man opened the cabin door and gestured for Jian Dan to go in. The door slammed shut behind her with a bang, and a trapping formation was swiftly activated.
Jian Dan took a glance around. Including herself, there were twenty cultivators crammed into the cabin. Some were righteous cultivators, some demon cultivators, and even a single beast cultivator. Most were in the Golden Core realm.
Among them sat a familiar face.
As the saying goes, the road is long and full of familiar crossings. In a corner sat Yan Su Zhēnjūn, eyes closed in meditation. When he sensed her gaze, he didn't bother to look. This must have been the last captive brought in.
The flying vessel gave a soft lurch, then began its ascent. Most of the cultivators inside were clearly drugged into unconsciousness. The few who remained clear-headed and quiet, like Jian Dan, simply sat cross-legged in silence.
Anyone who walked the path of cultivation was rarely a soft target. The calmness of this entire group felt unnatural.
Jian Dan chose to follow the crowd, neither speaking nor acting. She only kept a watchful eye on Yan Su Zhēnjūn, who had clearly suppressed his true strength. Outwardly, he appeared to be at the late Golden Core stage.
The Nascent Soul cultivator steering the vessel spoke to his companion.
"Tell me, why did this go so smoothly? I've got a bad feeling about this."
"Don't worry, big brother. This is our last run. Once we get the spirit stones, we'll find a quiet place to cultivate. Even if we can't break through to Divine Transformation, we'll leave enough spirit stones behind for our descendants to make something of themselves."
"Alright."
Jian Dan heard the exchange clearly. Confident in their cultivation, the two hadn't bothered with a soundproof barrier. The flying vessel departed from Huancheng City and flew for an entire day before stopping over Devil Abyss.
"You sure about this place?" the second man asked.
"Wei Datong said to meet here. Stay on board and keep watch. I'll check the site first."
At the moment the vessel touched down, Jian Dan opened her eyes. A frown tugged at her brow. That same unsettling feeling had returned.
Yan Su Zhēnjūn's eyes flashed cold for a moment. His thumb and index finger rubbed together lightly on his knee before he closed his eyes again.
A short while later, the Nascent Soul cultivator returned. Trailing behind him was a rotund man with a broad grin. Fat cultivators were a rare sight in the cultivation world.
"Haha! Sorry to keep you waiting. Bring them and follow me."
"No need. This place gives me a bad feeling. If you hadn't insisted on doing the inspection here, we wouldn't have bothered coming. Let's finish this and be done."
The other Nascent Soul cultivator wasn't keen on entering.
The fat man, undaunted by their cultivation level, maintained his easy smile as he replied.
"Zhēnjūn, I just want to be cautious. It's not easy watching over so many people. I'm just a Golden Core cultivator, after all. I wouldn't dare go deep into Devil Abyss. The location I'm using is just a cave near the entrance. The name alone is enough to scare people off. This is just a drop-off point."
As he spoke, he handed each of them a mid-grade storage pouch.
"You've worked with me before, so you know how I operate. I find suitable cauldrons for powerful cultivators—ones with good appearance and decent cultivation. This batch is for the young master of Huahai City. You know the one. He's preparing to attempt his Nascent Soul breakthrough."
The two Nascent Soul cultivators exchanged a glance. They had heard the same rumor. After weighing the pouches in their hands and deciding the spirit stones were worth it, they returned to the flying vessel.
Soon after, they led the twenty captives, all linked by silver bracelets, and followed Wei Datong into the outer edge of Devil Abyss.
As expected, they didn't go far. After about two li, the group stopped beneath a sheer cliff. Wei Datong stepped through the cliffside first. It was clear a formation had been set up to mask the entrance.
The others followed in sequence.
Just as the last person stepped inside, a deafening crash echoed through the cavern. A massive boulder dropped over the entrance, sealing them in.
===
Wei Yunxi transmigrated into the novel she was reading—great, right? Wrong. She's now the tragic female supporting character who exists solely to prop up the flawless heroine, her half-sister Wei Yuqing. The original Yunxi handed over treasures, resources, and even her own cultivation, only to die horribly in the end. Nope. Not happening this time.
Yunxi has a new motto: If it's mine, I'm keeping it. No more playing ATM for the heroine. Especially since Yuqing is the Heavenly Dao's Darling—blessed with insane luck. Try to steal her opportunities? The universe just hands her a better one. Oppose her? Heavenly lightning says bonk.
But Yunxi isn't completely helpless.
First, she snatches the mahogany plaque—her golden finger—right from under Yuqing's nose. Boom! Instant cheat code: a cross-dimensional chat group filled with overpowered allies from the apocalypse, interstellar world, and even the divine realm. Now, Yunxi can trade resources, scheme, and finally fight back.
Too bad the heroine (and the male lead?) won't stop clinging to her. What part of "I'm not your personal loot box" do they not understand?
"Stealing Luck from the Heavenly Dao's Favorite"
===
"They called her the 'Vicious Female Supporting Character'—so she decided to live up to the title."
After her brutal death, Song Wanníng realized she was nothing but a disposable villainess in a twisted fate.
Her childhood sweetheart? Now the female lead's devoted lover.
Her beloved disciple? The male lead who personally crushed her bones and ashes.
And the sect that raised her? Complicit in her family's massacre.
Reborn with the knowledge of her past life, the Three Lives Mirror warns her: "To survive, you must whitewash your image and beg for the protagonists' favor."
Song Wanníng smiles.
Whitewash?
Why play the pitiful victim when she can burn the entire script?
-The Medicine King Sect's inheritance is reserved for the female lead? She shatters the guardian spirit and loots every last treasure.
-The divine beast rejects her for the male lead? She skins it alive and drains its blood—no blessings for traitors.
-The sect sides with her enemies? Then let them all fall from grace, exiled from the cultivation world!
They called her insane, ruthless, a demon in human skin—but so what? If kindness earned her only a blade in the back, then she'd embrace the madness instead.
But power comes at a price. To defy fate, she willingly embraces demonic cultivation, fusing it with her righteous Dao in a dangerous, delicate balance. The Heavenly Dao favors the protagonists with blatant, unfair luck, but Song Wanníng?
She doesn't need luck. She has wrath.
And this time, she'll make sure everyone burns with her.
"The Villainess Refuses to Repent"
===
Both of these novels share a similar theme—they revolve around characters who are forced to face a Darling of Heaven.
But unlike the usual side character vs protagonist setup, their pain, their helplessness, and their bitterness are portrayed in a raw and striking way. The protagonist's plot armor isn't just there to move the story forward—it actually makes us feel the depth of the supporting character's despair.
This is especially true in Song Wanníng's story. Her past life, along with all the betrayal and pain she endured, is woven into every corner of the plot.
Compared to Wei Yunxi, Song Wanníng is clearly the more extreme character.
Yes, Wei Yunxi has her share of hardships, but alongside her future knowledge, she still possesses a kind of golden finger.
Song Wanníng, on the other hand, has nothing—just her memories. And because of all the torture and betrayal she experienced in her past life, her mentality is far more twisted than Yunxi's.
There's another key difference too:
Song Wanníng is an authentic cultivator who was given a second chance at life.
Wei Yunxi, despite everything, originally came from the modern world—whether through rebirth or transmigration. That means her mindset, especially her sense of morality, is more rigid and righteous, like most people from a modern setting.
Even if she kills, just like any cultivator in that world, there's still a line she's reluctant to cross.Her internal restraints and modern values set her apart from the cultivators who were born and raised in that world. (Though, I'm not sure whether she eventually steps into the gray—or even black—area by the end of her story.)