The Mysterious Secret RealmThe moment Sun Qian's figure stepped inside, he instantly sensed a terrifying surge of spiritual energy—ten times denser than the outside world—gushing toward him.
In the blink of an eye, he felt his cultivation base at the Peak of the Mountain & River Realm stir, showing faint signs of a breakthrough.
「The concentration of spiritual energy here is truly extraordinary. Not to mention the distorted time flow, and the fact that it hides treasures like the Nine Steps to the Heavens. This place must have an extraordinary origin...」
A glint of excitement flashed in Sun Qian's eyes.
During his fifth villain simulation, he'd been on the verge of breaking through to the Sixth Realm—the Transcendent Realm—before his cultivation was crippled.
「But now's not the time to break through. First, I have business to attend to.」
After a brief moment to orient himself, Sun Qian turned into a blur of motion, streaking unimpeded toward the Ruins.
Along the way, any monstrous clans that dared to block his path were cut down with a single slash.
The souls and lifespan devoured by the Soul Devouring Demon Blade temporarily fused with his body, triggering the Undying Blade Spirit State.
But the stolen lifespan faded quickly, forcing him to keep hunting...
Otherwise, he'd have to start burning his own lifespan to sustain the state.
In the Undying Blade Spirit State, Sun Qian felt his vitality and mental strength amplify to terrifying levels—he was practically invincible, cutting down gods and demons alike in his path.
Mountain & River Realm!Transcendent Realm!Saint Realm!
No monster or beast that stood in his way could withstand a single strike from his blade.
Such terrifying combat power left Liu Yue, who was trailing behind him, utterly astounded.
「That bastard has been hiding his true strength this whole time!」
As she marveled in secret, Sun Qian had already reached the Ruins.
He didn't spare a single glance for the tracker behind him, striding straight into the mist-shrouded area without hesitation.
Liu Yue's body moved on instinct, eager to follow—but the second her foot crossed the threshold, she felt her cultivation base and spiritual energy begin to dissipate uncontrollably, returning to the heavens and earth.
The sudden change made her jolt backward in terror.
「What kind of cursed place is this?!」
She stared in disbelief at the mysterious figure walking into the Ruins' mist, his back fading from sight, her mind going completely blank.
How is this possible?!How did he know about this place?How could he step inside so easily?And that bizarre fluctuation in his realm and power...
At this moment, the shock this man gave her surpassed everything she'd felt before combined.
He was like a veil of mist—impossible to see through, with depths no one could fathom.
.....
Deep within the Ruins stood a mysterious stone statue.
A sheepskin scroll hovered above the fragmented sculpture, glowing faintly.
Sun Qian gripped the Soul Devouring Demon Blade tightly, advancing step by step while extending his spiritual sense to its maximum range, scanning every inch of his surroundings.
He strongly suspected that Ye Fan had snuck into the Ruins ahead of him during his fifth simulation, only to hide in the shadows, too afraid to show his face.
But no matter how thoroughly he searched, he found no trace of the Chosen One.
「That old man's remnant soul in Ye Fan's body is no ordinary being. Both the Nine Steps to the Heavens and the Soul Devouring Demon Blade—Ye Fan only got those opportunities because of his guidance.」
「With such a mysterious powerhouse backing him up, even if Ye Fan is a complete fool with a screw loose, he'd be hard-pressed to die.」
「It's not impossible for him to shield himself from my spiritual sense.」
「But right now, the advantage is mine. Even if he's hiding in the shadows, he wouldn't dare make a move.」
Sun Qian relaxed his furrowed brows slightly, shifting his gaze to the scroll before him.
Whoosh!
A pale, slender hand reached out and plucked the sheepskin scroll— which bore the Nine Steps to the Heavens and hovered above the broken statue—from the air.
The first chance encounter that kickstarted Ye Fan's journey as the Chosen One was now his.
*Ding! Host has seized the Chosen One Ye Fan's destined opportunity—the Nine Steps to the Heavens—altering the future timeline to a certain extent. Reward granted: Purple Talent Enhancement Scroll*
Purple Talent Enhancement Scroll: Randomly upgrades one of the host's existing talents to a Purple-tier talent, triggering an advanced transformation.
Talent Enhancement Scroll...
Sun Qian's eyes lit up. He stored the sheepskin scroll in his spatial ring, then focused on the newly acquired reward.
It was a scroll shimmering with purple light, covered in dense, mysterious runes.
Up until now, the only Purple-tier talent he possessed was the Talisman Dao Seed—and it had already provided him with immense help.
Now he was getting another Purple-tier talent?
Even if it was random instead of a choice, it didn't matter one bit.
Rip!
Sun Qian tore open the Purple Talent Enhancement Scroll, and a flood of purple light instantly enveloped his entire body.
*Ding! Commencing random talent selection... Selection complete. Target talent for upgrade: Silver Tongue (Green-tier)*
Silver Tongue (Green) → Silver Tongue (Purple)
Silver Tongue (Purple): The lies you tell won't just make humans believe you instinctively—even ghosts will buy them, hook, line, and sinker.
「Lies so convincing, even ghosts fall for them. Looks like the charm and manipulation effects have gotten a huge boost!」
Sun Qian raised an eyebrow, itching to test it out on someone—but there wasn't a single living soul, let alone a ghost, around.
Oh well. Guess I'll have to put that thought on hold for now.
「The Sun family's destruction is seven days away. But with the time dilation here—ten days inside the realm equals one day outside—I have dozens of days to spare. First, I'll break through to the Transcendent Realm.」
「Before heading to the imperial capital for real, I need to run one more simulation. Cause a little chaos.」
「Besides, I have just enough villain points left for one more run.」
A Peak Mountain & River Realm cultivator like himself needed 50,000 villain points for another simulation.
Right now, he just barely had enough to cover the cost.
If he broke through to the Sixth Realm—the Transcendent Realm—first, he wouldn't have enough.
「Villain Simulator. Initiate the sixth simulation.」
*Ding! 50,000 villain points have been deducted from the host's account in exchange for one additional villain life simulation.Ding! Commencing the sixth villain life simulation...Detected sufficient villain points in host's account. Would you like to spend 5,000 villain points for a 10-draw temporary talent gacha?*
「Yes!」
Even though his villain points were running low, talents were a non-negotiable investment.
Worth going all-in for.
*Ding! Commencing 10-draw gacha...Gacha complete. Host may select one temporary talent from the following ten options:*
1. Born into Wealth (Red-tier): Wealth flows like a river; riches and fortune chase you relentlessly.
2. Array Prodigy (Green-tier): Your understanding of formations has reached genius levels.
3. Unbreakable as a Mountain (Green-tier): Your physical body is as solid as a mountain, granting unparalleled bonuses to body-tempering techniques.
4. Sword & Blade Virtuoso (Red-tier): Your comprehension of swords and blades has reached unimaginable heights—a born prodigy, far surpassing ordinary cultivators.
5. Indestructible Kidneys (Blue-tier): You possess kidneys of unyielding steel. No one knows what this is good for... yet.
6. Slave Master (Red-tier): Targets you whip have a chance to swear allegiance, becoming your loyal slaves—though there's a risk of rebellion.
7. Bro, I'm One of Us (Green-tier): When you utter the phrase "Bro, I'm one of us," people around you will instinctively trust you as an ally. Success rate increases with fewer witnesses.
8. Romantic Magnet (Red-tier): You possess an innate charm that attracts members of the opposite sex—a born playboy. You might need those Indestructible Kidneys.....
9. Heaven's Blessing (Gold-tier): ....