In her previous life—
Ye Danxia had plenty of high-quality resources. She quickly stabilized Yang Yun's injuries, then brought him to see Zhao Wuji.
Zhao Wuji, impressed by Yang Yun's astonishing talent and Ye Danxia's endorsement, accepted him as a disciple without hesitation.
But in this life...
Yun Jin smiled faintly.
Let's see how this Demon Sovereign recovers now.
She'd make sure his path was anything but smooth.
She had no intention of meeting Yang Yun at the moment and slipped away without a sound.
He might be badly wounded now, but he was still the male lead. His fate was buoyed by the momentum of destiny.
To anyone else, it might seem possible to kill him with a single sword strike, but under the shelter of luck, he would never die so easily. He might even trigger some unexpected twist.
The best way to deal with someone like him was the same method she used on Ye Danxia—chipping away at his fate, bit by bit, with a soft blade.
Only when his luck reached zero would it be time to truly end him.
Just as Yun Jin left, a system notification echoed in her mind.
[Main Quest Activated: Protagonist and Heroine Have Met.]
Yun Jin raised an eyebrow.
Main quest?
[Based on Host's Resolve, Main Quests Generated as Follows:
—Strip Protagonist and Heroine of Their Luck.
—Establish a Holy Land-Level Sect.
—Ascend to Immortality in One Leap.]
Three major quests, all at once.
Yun Jin opened the first one.
[Quest 1: Strip the male and female leads of their luck.
Current Luck: Male Lead – 98, Female Lead – 70 (Max: 100).
Phase 1 Reward: Emotional Value Bonus.
Phase 1 Requirement: Reduce both the male and female lead's luck to below 90.]
Her lips curled.
At full value, the protagonists should've started with 100 points each. Yet despite her relentless targeting, Ye Danxia still clung to 70. Impressive.
As for Yang Yun, though she'd rarely crossed paths with him, his fortune had dipped slightly—likely due to his connection with Ye Danxia. But in the original storyline, he'd been the pinnacle of martial prowess, so the heroine's influence on him was limited.
Still, if I can drag his fortune down, that's a reward in my pocket.
Emotional Value was scarce these days, and this quest aligned perfectly with her goals. She'd take it.
Next, she opened the second quest:
[Quest 2: Establish a Holy Land-tier sect.
Current Bound Sect: Tianxing Sect
Sect Rank: Mid-tier
Progress: 60% (Reach 100% to qualify for High-tier advancement. Advancement grants Emotional Value bonus.)]
Yun Jin narrowed her eyes.
A sect's ranking wasn't decided solely by name. It had to be evaluated from all angles: disciples, resources, territory, influence. Meeting the criteria wasn't enough—they also had to participate in an Ascension Conference, competing with other sects vying for promotion. Only the winner would receive an official sect medallion issued by the ruling Holy Land.
For Tianxing Sect, that ruling body was the Qingxiao Sect, which controlled this region. The medallion had to be issued by Qingxiao Pavilion.
So they would not only need to meet the criteria, they had to outperform all other candidates... and make sure Qingxiao didn't pull any tricks.
The difficulty was high, but so what?
What goal had ever been easy for her?
Still, this reward would take some time to earn.
She turned to the third quest.
[Quest 3: Ascend in One Strike.
Current Cultivation: Golden Core (Mid-stage)
Ascension Progress: 9% (Reach 10% to earn a phase reward.)]
A cold realization settled in.
She'd reached Golden Core Mid-Stage, yet her progress bar barely touched 9%. In the grand scheme of immortality, she was still a fledgling. The Golden Core realm was merely the first step on the path.
Once I hit Golden Core Peak, I should cross the 10% threshold.
This was the most achievable short-term goal.
The system's minor update was a boon. These three quests already mirrored her ambitions—now she had a progress tracker, clear objectives, and Emotional Value rewards. A net win.
By the time she finished reviewing the quests, Yun Jin had slipped back into Tianjian Peak under cover of night. The moment she arrived, Huan Huan tensed.
"Huan Huan? What's wrong?" Yun Jin asked.
The Phantom Fox Cat's ears twitched. "Master, you instructed me to monitor Tianjian Peak, so I've kept my Eavesdropping Art active."
"Did you catch something unusual?"
Huan Huan hesitated. "Master, my cultivation is still low. Normally, I can't eavesdrop on your senior brothers and sisters. Their cultivation is too high. My spell gets automatically blocked."
Yun Jin nodded.
She had only been able to hear the male and female leads earlier because the male lead was gravely injured, and the female lead... well, she was still at the Qi Refining stage.
But against stronger cultivators, Huan Huan's spell was useless.
If not for that limitation, this little beast's ability would be far too broken.
"She sounded… trapped in a nightmare?" Huan Huan ventured.
Yun Jin's blood ran cold.
Second Senior Sister, plagued by nightmares?
No. It wasn't that simple.
If Huan Huan could hear her from afar, despite the cultivation gap, that meant her condition was severely unstable—so unstable it had started eroding her spiritual defenses.
Yun Jin suddenly remembered what Master Qing Yun had said.
Master Qing Yun had warned her.
"Your second senior sister's soul is unstable. A tribulation approaches—one of heart demons. If she cannot overcome it, deviation awaits."
He'd stressed that heart demons were battles one fought alone. No outsider could intervene.
Yet Yun Jin's feet carried her to Si Wanning's door before she could think.
In her mind, Huan Huan relayed what it was hearing with its illusion-linked hearing spell.
Senior Sister was deep in a nightmare, her voice occasionally breaking into agonized screams.
"System. Scan Senior Sister's status," Yun Jin commanded.
The response was immediate—and chilling.
[Si Wanning: Undergoing Soul Fragment Fusion.
Risk of Annihilation During Fusion.
DO NOT INTERVENE. DO NOT INTERVENE. DO NOT INTERVENE.]
The words blazed crimson, each repetition a hammer to Yun Jin's chest.
Her face paled, but one detail stood out:
Master Qing Yun had cited "soul instability." The system called it "soul fragment fusion."
What does that mean?
Was some malevolent spirit exploiting her sister's vulnerability to possess her?
And why did the system so vehemently forbid interference?
Si Wanning's agonized screams tore through the silence. Yun Jin's nails dug into her palms, her forehead slick with cold sweat.
She'd rushed here—only to stand helpless at the threshold.
Second Senior Sister… Hang on.