Li Yin wasn’t sure how her master had explained things to the other side. Perhaps those two insiders were even disciples from the Three Sects up top—
She preferred calling them insiders rather than furnaces. After all, the latter was hardly a flattering term.
One could glimpse Jade Ecstasy Palace’s style from Palace Lord Mi Shu’s own words.
In the game, Demon Domain’s Jade Ecstasy Palace and Dao Sect’s Joyous Union Sect both followed the Joyous Union Dao.
But Joyous Union Sect was the orthodox path of it, emphasizing mutual consent and a win-win for both parties. Jade Ecstasy Palace was different. It specialized in treating others as furnaces, with its main technique being forced extraction—
After branding with a slave mark, they would forcibly drain the spiritual energy from the other’s body and convert it directly for their own use.
That was Li Yin’s sanitized version. Some players on the forums bluntly called it rape. She often wanted to tell those big sisters their language was too crude.
Before transmigrating in, Jade Ecstasy Palace had already become a must-play for forced-love enthusiasts, frequently used to defile all sorts of high mountain flowers across the three realms. Players dubbed this strategy “love born from prolonged intimacy”…
Still pretty crude.
Players were like that—pure and shy in real life, chaotic and wicked in games, and completely uninhibited online.
However, before coming here, Li Yin had never drawn Jade Ecstasy Palace’s identity card. She’d only briefly experienced a Joyous Union Sect role in one save file.
If this were still the game and she learned her master had prepared two furnaces for her, Li Yin might have perked up, ready to study them closely.
But in reality…
Remembering the stance her master pushed in that message, Li Yin curled her toes in embarrassment. She still hadn’t decided what face to put on when facing those two insiders later.
She let out a quiet sigh, unsure when they would finally find her.
The female cultivator who’d struck up a conversation earlier didn’t leave after hearing her reply. She stayed squatting beside Li Yin, hugging her knees like someone who’d lost all hope.
Li Yin thought she looked rather withdrawn.
The two of them stuck out like a pair of mushrooms on White Jade Square, gradually drawing puzzled looks from passersby.
If this kept up, it might attract unwanted attention. Li Yin started thinking about how to relocate without hurting her new friend’s feelings again.
But at that moment, a streak of spiritual light cut across the sky, approaching from afar. All the gazes on them snapped away.
Everyone turned toward the figure slowly descending. The flashy arrival caught Li Yin’s eye too.
She peered over curiously, ears perked to catch the crowd’s gasps and murmurs.
“It’s Elder Shen…”
“Why is Elder Shen here? Another demonic cultivator sneaked in?”
“No way—with the Three Sects recruiting disciples, who’d dare sneak in? They’d be begging for death.”
“Maybe Elder Shen just wants to see how many new disciples Azure Profound took. Can you stop jumping to conclusions?”
“Scared me half to death…”
It really did scare her half to death.
Li Yin nearly jumped out of her skin at their words—she was one of those intruders, after all.
From the sound of it, this Elder Shen had real skill against demonic cultivators.
Li Yin clutched her clothes nervously, no longer peering openly but stealing cautious glances instead.
The arrival was far off, landing in the square’s center. She could only make out his tall, lean, and aloof back.
The man stirred up a gust of wind on landing, fluttering his robes for a brief, ethereal moment.
Then a group of disciples in sky-blue cloud-patterned dao robes came forward to greet him, and the contrast hit hard—
Compared to the other cultivators’ flowing garments, his outfit was far more refined, even overly substantial.
Like a young master from an aristocratic family, layered thickly inside and out, exposing only a glimpse of porcelain-white neck. His bearing lost some casual flair, gaining restraint and nobility instead.
The deep purple luxurious robes made his tall, jade-like frame stand out, adding an air of refined elegance.
While Li Yin pictured what face went with such perfect proportions, the man—mid-conversation with the disciples—suddenly swept his gaze around.
His profile slammed into her view: narrow black eyes sharp and brooding, straight lips sharpening the cold aloofness of his features.
But no amount of chill could suppress those striking looks—like red camellias dusted with winter snow. The cold enhanced the vivid allure.
Li Yin drew a soft breath. A face like that had to be romanceable in the game.
Her heart gave a little flutter.
Naturally, it was normal for a player tackling the game to feel a spark while doing so.
But Elder Shen seemed to have just glanced around casually before looking away.
Li Yin mulled over that brief glimpse.
The more she did, the more she frowned—that coldly beautiful face felt oddly familiar.
How strange.
“Do you know who he is?” The withdrawn female cultivator scooted closer to chat again.
Li Yin, still puzzling over the familiarity, hesitated. “Who?”
“He’s an elder from Azure Profound Sect. He volunteered to garrison Northern Delusion City, suppressing demonic cultivators and upholding justice.” The female cultivator perked up at some memory.
“Elder Shen utterly loathes demonic cultivators, but there’s a reason for it…”
Li Yin caught the whiff of gossip and brightened. “What reason?”
“Elder Shen hails from an aristocratic family—his blood-related older sister is even the Shen Family head. With that background, why risk his neck in Northern Delusion slaying demons? It’s all because he has a grudge against demonic cultivators.”
The female cultivator shot a distant glance at “Elder Shen” amid the crowd and whispered:
“His wife ran off with a demonic cultivator. The pain of a stolen spouse—it’s the kind of hatred that can’t be shared.”
Li Yin: “Wow.”
Explosive gossip, juicy and irresistible—she dug right in.
She let out an involuntary gasp of shock, then spotted the victim still in view and clamped down fast, covering with a light cough:
“Elder Shen’s had it rough, that’s for sure…”
“What happened after?” Li Yin whispered, unable to resist.
The female cultivator grinned and leaned in closer:
“That demon had some lucky breaks and rose to city lord of Demon Domain—now mortal enemies with Elder Shen. Shame their cultivations match up; he’s slipped away from Elder Shen’s grasp multiple times at the border.”
Li Yin pressed: “What about Elder Shen’s wife?”
“She seems to have perished—no women spotted by the demon’s side.” Xia Erruo rattled off Cultivation World scandals like a pro.
“Rumors say the demon Sui Yu has killer looks, and some claim he lured Elder Shen’s wife with that face…”
“I say, whoever Elder Shen truly cares for wouldn’t fall for surface charm. Who knows what went down back then? Just tragic for lovers everywhere…”
Listening to her, that familiar twinge hit Li Yin again.
Be it “Elder Shen”‘s looks or the name dropped in the tale, both sent a shiver of recognition through her.
Elder Shen from an aristocratic family, demon Sui Yu, elopement…
Just like her fourth round.
Color drained from Li Yin’s face, her stomach churning.
She’d bitten into poisoned gossip—proper food poisoning.
She remembered clearly: after three straight Bad Ends in the fourth round, she’d picked two targets in a huff.
One was the Shen family young master, tied to her identity card by clan marriage. The other: the beautiful, strong, tragic half-demon slave.
She’d proposed eloping with the latter, who refused soon after… and fell to the demonic path.
Coincidence?
Li Yin’s eyelid twitched as a darker thought crashed in.
“Anything else?” She steadied her trembling so the female cultivator wouldn’t notice.
“Any other sects with… captivating tales like that?”
The female cultivator beamed. “Plenty, of course.”
Damn—there really were! She’d only asked offhand!
Li Yin dug her nails into her palm to stifle a cry. She wanted to deny reality, but no time.
The female cultivator went on, inspired by the moment:
“Hidden Sword Mountain’s youngest, Sword Venerable Yun Jian, ranks among the Cultivation World’s most devoted lovers.”
“He harbors deep feelings for his late senior sister. They were childhood sweethearts, deeply in love—but she met disaster in a secret realm. By the time Sword Venerable Yun Jian arrived, she was beyond saving, torn apart by life and death.”
“That’s why Sword Venerable Yun Jian has remained a widower on Hidden Sword Mountain for years, rarely leaving…”
Hidden Sword Mountain’s Yun Jian, childhood sweethearts, senior-junior siblings, secret realm peril…
Matched her second round perfectly!
…Deep affections and mutual love? Debatable.
Key terms extracted, Li Yin’s vision spotted black.
She harbored a horrifying theory.
First: she’d transmigrated into the game.
Second: her timeline came after those route save file endings. Undeniable.
Back then, targets were lowly cultivators. Now? Elders, city lords, sword venerables—peak powerhouses in high seats.
Third… her world had fused at least two separate save files.
Save files should’ve been parallel, non-overlapping worlds.
Yet two had merged here…
Worst case: all save files combined.
Li Yin’s gaze went blank, mind foggy. She fought the urge to count fingers and tallied mentally.
Nine.
Nine glorious Bad Ends!
High mountain flower, childhood sweethearts, Dragon Clan Young Lord, beautiful-strong-tragic, young master, peacock spirit…
Nine—even naming dishes requires ellipses…
She barely recalled the later ones.
One thought pierced Li Yin’s mental chaos.
This was one hell of a high-end game.
From the immortal boat above, the square’s people looked like specks of insects. After briefing his master, Ji Lingyao lowered his gaze, quietly watching the milling figures.
“You suspect demonic cultivators sneaked in?”
Elder Shen spoke measuredly, his ink-dark eyes on his only disciple. “What’s your cultivation now?”
Ji Lingyao replied: “Soul Formation Stage.”
Shen Ting’an quirked one lip corner in icy, cutting mockery. “Azure Profound’s chief disciple at soul formation stage, unable to spot demonic cultivators. No better than trash.”
“This disciple erred.” Ji Lingyao bowed his head, thin sweat beading at his temple.
Not from master’s aura, but the slave mark searing his abdomen.
His spite triggered Jade Ecstasy Palace’s slave mark punishment. Agony ripped at his dantian—if he struck that unseen young lord, it’d claim his life.
The worse it got, the more Ji Lingyao itched to laugh.
Before his master, though, he stood meek and still.
Shen Ting’an snorted coldly, done rebuking. He lowered his lids, scanning the square below.
The scorn faded fast; his face went blank again, coldly surveying the masses.
He had no interest in irrelevancies, but hatred for demonic cultivators dragged him here anyway.
Especially lately—his mind wouldn’t settle, a vague premonition brewing.
He spotted something. Shen Ting’an’s lips curved in fresh cold sneer.
A demonic cultivator waltzing right to him? Time for proper hospitality.