"Look! They're coming out!!"
At the edge of an ancient and desolate Abyss, countless disciples from various clans trembled with wide eyes, exclaiming in shock.
From the depths of the Abyss, two figures emerged side by side.
One was a young disciple in white robes, with an ordinary appearance.
The other, however, was a woman clad in a phoenix-patterned robe that fluttered slightly, her head adorned with a purple-gold imperial crown!
Her skin was as smooth as water, her face peerless in beauty, and there was an air of authority in her brows—honed by years of ruling over others. Yet at this moment, her complexion was slightly pale, carrying an inexplicable fragility that stirred pity.
"The Female Emperor of the Demonic Path, Yue Qiuci!!"
"So she's not dead after all! Dammit, who is that young man…?"
"It's Chu Yang, the young master of Xuanjian Sect!!"
"Who would've thought these two were colluding?"
"Yue Qiuci is seriously injured! Everyone, this is our chance to uphold justice and eliminate evil—let's attack together and kill this Demonic Emperor!!"
A chorus of furious shouts erupted from the proud heirs of the clans, their faces twisted with fear and resentment.
The woman in the phoenix robe frowned slightly, then turned to the young man beside her. "Young Master Chu, you just go without worry. This great kindness—I, Qiuci… will never forget it for as long as I live."
Her eyes were clear and resolute.
Chu Yang took a deep breath, then lifted his feet and soared into the distant sky.
"Stop him! Don't let this traitor to the Righteous Path escape!"
The proud heirs grew agitated, their bodies surrounded by glowing spiritual light as they prepared to block Chu Yang's way.
But at that moment, Yue Qiuci suddenly stretched out a jade-like hand and pressed down toward the crowd.
"Boom!!"
A terrifying aura of the Demonic Path crashed down, shattering mountains and leveling ancient forests. The few sect disciples who had stepped forward first were instantly crushed into pools of blood, their remains scattered across the ground.
"Gulp!"
The crowd, once filled with resentment, froze in place, no longer daring to move an inch.
Yue Qiuci stepped forward, charging toward them.
Colluding with the Female Emperor of the Demonic Path was an unforgivable heinous crime. If these clan disciples escaped alive today, Chu Yang's fate would be unimaginably tragic.
So from the moment the two had walked out of the Abyss side by side, Yue Qiuci had never intended to let anyone leave.
"Hum!"
Demonic light blazed across heaven and earth, eroding all in its path.
Given Yue Qiuci's strength, the sect disciples before her were no different from lambs—helpless to resist, waiting to be slaughtered.
"Young Master, that's the one."
Meanwhile, on a distant mountain peak, a young man in black stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the chaotic scene below. His face was as handsome as jade, yet showed no hint of emotion.
Around sixteen or seventeen years old, he had a striking appearance, bright star-like eyes, and an air of noble purity that emanated from his very being.
His name was Ling Xiao—young master of the Wandao Demonic Sect, and also the direct heir of the ancient Ling Clan.
The Tianman World was divided into five regions: the Eastern, Western, Southern, and Northern Wastelands, plus the Holy State.
The Four Wastelands had thin spiritual energy, and the strongest warriors there barely reached the Illusion Breaking Realm.
But Ling Xiao's clan and sect were renowned supreme forces in the Holy State—powerful enough to crush any faction from the Four Wastelands.
More importantly, however, the current Ling Xiao was not the original owner of this body. He was a transmigrator—someone who had traveled from another world.
When the original Ling Xiao was breaking through the barrier between realms, Ling Xiao (the transmigrator) had accidentally arrived here. Like all transmigrators in stories, he had awakened a "cheat code"—a system.
But!!
The system Ling Xiao awakened was a Villain System—one that could plunder Destiny Value.
In other words, he had transmigrated into a novel as the common enemy of all "Destiny's Chosen Ones."
His starting point was nothing short of a hellish dungeon!!
In his previous life, Ling Xiao had been a third-rate novelist. Now, all he could rely on were the various gifts from the system and his knowledge of the novel's plot.
The scene before him was familiar to him—and the 500 points of Destiny Value on Chu Yang made Ling Xiao's heart burn with greed.
Behind him stood a thin figure also dressed in black, with a haggard face and a menacing, sinister aura.
"The Female Emperor of the Demonic Path?"
Ling Xiao's eyes were cold and clear, a faint smile playing at the corner of his lips.
Colluding with the Demonic Female Emperor, being imprisoned in some forbidden land… then rising to become invincible?
Perfect.
Yet contrary to Ling Xiao's expectations, he did not sense the aura he was looking for from this female emperor.
Clearly, the thing he sought was not in her possession.
"Young Master, shall we make a move and capture her?"
The old man in black robe's eyes flashed with coldness, his pupils glowing with a dark light.
A mere powerhouse from the Northern Wasteland was no different from an ant in his eyes—utterly worthless.
"Wait a little longer."
Ling Xiao shook his head, his gaze following Chu Yang as he fled into the distance, a thoughtful look in his eyes.
According to his guess, this Chosen One would soon face hardships—rejected by all the Righteous Path forces. That was when he would awaken new talents and soar to great heights overnight.
But!!
Now that Ling Xiao was here, that "great height" would most likely be the "Western Heaven" (i.e., the afterlife).
What slightly puzzled Ling Xiao, though, was: what crime would Chu Yang be accused of to get suppressed by his sect?
After all, with Yue Qiuci's strength, it would take little effort to kill all the sect disciples present.
If that happened, the "collusion with the Demonic Female Emperor" would become a secret forever.
Interesting. It seemed the plot here would have some twists.
As Ling Xiao pondered this, several more figures suddenly soared through the void in the distance.
Leading them was a stunning woman in cyan robes, her face as beautiful as a fairy's, her aura cold and aloof.
However, her cultivation only reached the Xuling Realm—hardly considered strong.
But!!
Just like Chu Yang, Ling Xiao saw a wisp of fate's divine light around her.
Four hundred points of Destiny Value—another Chosen One!
In the Tianman World, cultivators were divided into nine realms, in order: Body Refining, True Essence, Taihe, Xuling, Spirit Awakening, Soul Sea, Xuanqing, Illusion Breaking, Immortal Ascension.
The Xuling Realm, in particular, was a critical turning point in cultivation—many people remained trapped here for life, making no further progress.
"They're from Xuanjian Sect!!"
"Ye Qingchan!! It's Ye Qingchan, the daughter of Xuanjian Sect's Sect Master!!"
The moment the cyan-robed maiden descended from the sky, the sect disciples below instantly wore expressions of deep-seated hatred.
"What's happening here, everyone?"
Ye Qingchan frowned slightly, lifting her head to look at the figure in the fluttering phoenix robe in the distance. Her eyes trembled in shock.
The Female Emperor of the Demonic Path, Yue Qiuci!!
This woman's strength stood at the very peak of the Northern Wasteland. Not only these young disciples—even if all the sect masters joined forces, they might not be her match!
But!!
At this moment, Ye Qingchan could sense that the aura around Yue Qiuci was noticeably unsteady—she must have suffered serious injuries.
"Quit pretending! Chu Yang is colluding with the Demonic Female Emperor! I think your Xuanjian Sect wants to kill us all to dominate the Northern Wasteland!!"
"What?"
Ye Qingchan froze, a look of panic flashing across her eyes.
What she was thinking about was not why Chu Yang would collude with the Demonic Female Emperor—but that this was likely a conspiracy against Xuanjian Sect!!
Someone had deliberately set this up, making the Northern Wasteland's sects believe Xuanjian Sect was colluding with the Demonic Path—so they could justifiably destroy the sect!