Wang Qingcang finally realized what was happening. He fell to his knees, his body shaking violently with fear. He gasped, "Princess... Princess, I swear on my life, I will never tell anyone!"
"Elder Wang," Feng Yueyao said calmly, "you have lived long enough to know that only the dead can keep a secret."
"Princess! I... I have been loyal to the sect all these years! I never had any other intentions!" Wang Qingcang's voice was trembling.
"I know," Feng Yueyao nodded. "But you must understand, since Ye Lingyun became my disciple, his life is much more important than yours."
Faced with this sudden disaster, Wang Qingcang felt cold with despair. For the past few days, he had been worried about others coming to punish him, but he never expected this Princess would be the one to arrive first.
Knowing he had no way to survive today, he lowered his head to the floor and begged, "Princess, for the sake of my loyalty all these years, please take care of my family."
"Don't worry. As long as you didn't tell them things they shouldn't know, I won't bother killing them."
"Thank... thank you for your mercy." Using his last bit of strength, Wang Qingcang finished his words. A flame of the Phoenix ignited in his palm, and he slammed it into his own heart without hesitation.
Thud.
A muffled sound followed as blood splattered on the stone floor. Wang Qingcang's body jerked once and then stopped moving forever.
Feng Yueyao flicked her finger, sending a small spark of energy onto the body. In an instant, the flames grew, and within seconds, the body turned to ash, scattered by the night wind.
By the time Ye Lingyun returned to his courtyard, it was already dark. He pushed open the gate; it was quiet, and Feng Yueyao had not returned yet. He ran to his bedroom and climbed onto the bed.
He immediately asked the system in his mind, "System! Can I start the Samsara Reality Simulator now?"
[Yes, Host! You can choose when to start, pause, or end the simulation. However, please note two things: First, if you are killed in the simulation, your cultivation in the real world will drop to the lowest level (Body Tempering Level 1). Second, after each simulation, there is a 30-day cooldown.]
"If I enter the simulation, will my physical body go there too?" Ye Lingyun asked, frowning.
[No need to worry. Only your soul enters that world. Your physical body will stay here in a deep sleep, and it will automatically practice basic techniques to stay stable.]
"Good. Start the simulation!"
[Please confirm payment of 1,000,000 points.] [Yes] / [No]
Ye Lingyun took a deep breath and pressed [Yes].
[Selecting character...] [Success! Loading world... 10%... 50%... 99%...]
Buzz.....
A strong wave of dizziness hit him. When he opened his eyes again, he was sitting in a secret room. The system's voice rang in his ears.
[Your identity in this simulation: Ye Lingyun, the Inner disciple of the Xiaoyao Sect. You were framed, your spiritual veins were destroyed, and your cultivation dropped from Golden Core to Foundation Establishment. You are currently being hunted by enemies and have escaped into this secret cave.]
Ye Lingyun was stunned. This was a classic "trash start"—powerless and hunted. Others might give up, but he loved a challenge!
He smiled coldly and opened the System Shop. He spent 10,000 points to buy a Golden Core Demon Core.
In his past life, he knew a forbidden art called the Heaven-Devouring Demon Technique. It was incredibly powerful. As long as he had enough energy, he could repair his body even if his veins were broken.
He held the red demon core in his hand. Black energy rose from his palm, wrapping around it.
Sizzle...
Power exploded inside him. His blocked veins began to itch and repair themselves rapidly. In moments, his power surged, breaking past the limits and returning straight to the Golden Core Realm!
He stood up, brushed off the dust, and said, "Time to go out and deal with those hunters."
Outside a cave in the Black Demon Mountains, a muscular man stood waiting.
"Boss, Ye Lingyun was hurt so badly, he's probably dead by now," a bald man said impatiently. "We've been waiting for three days. Is it really worth it?"
"Useless idiot!" Yang Suo glared at him. "Do you know who hired us? That person is a big figure I have to respect. If we don't find a body, we might lose our own heads! I want him dead or alive, understood?"
The bald man shivered and nodded.
Yang Suo smiled cruelly. "Waiting like this is boring.Wait didn't we capture some ordinary humans from the mountain? Good. Use them to go in first and clear the way!"
The bald man's eyes lit up. "Big brother, you are so smart! I will bring them here right now. Using them to test for traps is a great idea!"
Yang Suo and Wang Qi were part of a mercenary group. In the Black Demon Mountains, their group was one of the top five strongest. Both men were at the Golden Core Realm. They were very cruel and did whatever they wanted. In this area, everyone was afraid of them.
Usually, they were hired by rich families to kill enemies or steal treasures. They also spent a lot of time robbing and killing people on their own. But this time, the person who hired them was different. This employer was so powerful and scary that the two men didn't even dare to say their name.
Dozens of people were pushed forward by Wang Qi and his men. Their clothes were in rags, and their limbs were so thin they looked like skeletons. It was clear they hadn't eaten for days.
"Hmph! You trash, get in there!"
Wang Qi kicked an old man in the back. The man stumbled toward the edge of the dark mine, almost falling in. He looked back at Wang Qi with terror, too scared to even beg for mercy.
In the middle of the crowd was a young girl named Luo Wu. She looked small and weak, covered in mud and dried blood. Her messy hair hid her face, but her eyes were clear. But she wasn't panicking like the others and her eyes were cold and numb.
Three years ago, her family was wiped out. She had survived, only to be caught by these criminals. She had seen too much death, but she refused to die here.
"I haven't taken my revenge yet," she thought. "I cannot die in this hole."