Chen Tai—the Sixth Prince of the Qianyuan Empire. Exceptionally gifted and brilliant, he'd attained the Realm of Sainthood before the age of thirty, hailed as the greatest prodigy of the Qianyuan royal family.
He was on track to break through to the Heavenly Being Realm before turning fifty, standing shoulder to shoulder with the elder generation of Heavenly Being powerhouses.
His mother hailed from the Chu Clan, a prestigious Heavenly Being family,
and was the current Qianyuan Human Sovereign's most favored imperial concubine.
Blessed with prodigious talent and unmatched cultivation aptitude, Chen Tai had been the center of attention since childhood, doted on by the Human Sovereign himself. Countless people regarded him as the heir apparent to the imperial throne.
He was the very definition of a child of destiny.
In terms of family background, status, and innate talent, he stood head and shoulders above everyone else in the Qianyuan Empire.
Bits and pieces of information about Chen Tai flickered through Sun Qian's mind...
「If it really is him, then everything makes sense now.」
「With his status and the support of his maternal clan, it's not impossible for him to command a lapdog like Ghost Doctor Venerable and a monster like Blood Fiend.」
「Wait a minute!」
A sudden realization jolted Sun Qian awake. He'd spotted a critical detail.
「Sun Qian? Chen Qian!」
「Am I stuck with the doomed storyline of Li Chengqian, the deposed crown prince?! Exiled to Magic City right from the start, with hordes of people out for my blood!」
「Because even though I'm "flawed," I'm still the legitimate Qianyuan bloodline—and there are still people willing to bet on me, to back me up!」
「Holy shit!」
Fuck!
Overwhelmed by the shock of this revelation, Sun Qian slammed his palm down on the bed—only to slap Liu Yue, who'd been sound asleep next to him, wide awake.
Liu Yue: ???
You damn bastard! Why'd you hit my butt!
「Had a nightmare? It's okay, baby. Go back to sleep.」
Sun Qian tossed off a half-hearted comfort, shoving Liu Yue's raised head back onto the pillow. Activating his Nonstop Nonsense ability instinctively, he babbled her right back to sleep...
Having dealt with the soon-to-be-irate woman, Sun Qian turned his gaze back to the Villain Simulator...
Even though this simulation had ended with him being crippled, he'd somehow managed to escape the maelstrom of danger.
He had a hunch this simulation wasn't over yet—and that he might still uncover more valuable information.
When you regained consciousness once more, you found yourself lying in a courtyard that looked like a paradise on earth.
With your Supreme Imperial Bone torn out and your cultivation base crippled, you were now nothing more than a mortal—even weaker than an ordinary man.
The loss of your Supreme Imperial Bone had dealt you a devastating blow, draining nearly all your life force away.
If you hadn't cultivated the Green Emperor Longevity Scripture, which had vastly extended your lifespan, you would've died long ago.
「Wait a second. When Yang Hong gave me the Green Emperor Longevity Scripture—did he already foresee this day would come?」
A chilling thought crossed your mind. It seemed entirely possible that he had.
But in your current state, you'd be lucky to live out a few more decades as a regular mortal.
And now you were effectively under house arrest. All your daily needs—food, clothing, everything—were provided for without fail. They'd grant you almost anything you asked for... except freedom to leave this place.
Your uncle Yang Hong and that big yellow dog never showed their faces again, leaving you to wonder what they were up to.
「A few more decades... that's not so bad, I guess. Might as well use this simulation to live a quiet life for a change.」
Perhaps losing everything had humbled you. Your mind had grown peaceful, as if you'd finally let go of all your ambitions and grudges.
You began living alone in the small courtyard—reading books, tilling a small plot of land, and growing vegetables...
In the blink of an eye, ten years passed.
For a decade, you lived in solitude, enduring loneliness and isolation. Yet instead of going mad, your temperament had been tempered into something far more steadfast and composed, all the restlessness and impulsiveness burned away.
You spent your days poring over talisman manuals and daoist scriptures, and a faint aura of the Dao began to emanate from your very being...
Just as you'd grown accustomed to this quiet life, the long-absent big yellow dog finally appeared at your door—bringing an unexpected guest with him. 「Young Master! Look who I brought to see you!」
You stared in shock. For the guest the yellow dog had brought was none other than Su Mei—whom you'd parted ways with ten years ago.
Compared to the naive, innocent girl she'd been back then, the Su Mei standing before you now exuded a mature charm, like a flower in full bloom. And emanating from her body was the unmistakable aura of the Realm of Sainthood.
Clearly, this destined female protagonist had grown by leaps and bounds over the past decade.
「Brother Sun!」
Su Mei called out, her voice brimming with the same deep affection she'd held for you since the day you parted.
「Mei'er... long time no see.」 You felt a surge of emotion, the joy of reuniting with an old friend warming your heart.
Watching the two of you reunite, completely ignoring his presence, Uncle Dog realized he was playing the third wheel. He wisely slipped away, leaving you two alone.
You invited Su Mei inside, picked some fresh vegetables from your garden, and cooked up a hearty meal to welcome her.
Su Mei tried to help, her eyes filled with sympathy, but you waved her off, insisting that guests shouldn't lift a finger.
Soon, the table was filled with delicious, fragrant food. You sat down together, chatting as you ate—though most of the time, it was Su Mei doing the talking...
Su Mei told you that after parting ways with you ten years ago, Liu Yue had taken her to a small courtyard in the imperial capital, where she'd been kept under loose house arrest.
It was clear that the power backing Liu Yue didn't trust her at all.
But when she'd revealed her terrifying talent as an alchemist and her exceptional cultivation aptitude—becoming a Seventh-Rank Alchemist and reaching the Realm of Sainthood in just a few short years—their attitude had done a complete 180.
The people behind Liu Yue had suddenly become incredibly warm and eager to recruit her, offering her countless privileges... while still restricting her freedom to leave.
They'd promised to tell her everything—about her origins, about their organization—if she'd sign a contract and join their ranks. But Su Mei had flatly refused.
「Brother Sun, I've been begging to leave all these years, but they never let me go. It wasn't until a while ago that Senior Dog suddenly showed up in the imperial capital. Only then did those people reluctantly let me leave...」
「Then Senior Dog brought me here to find you.」
Su Mei explained how she'd managed to come see you—and it was obvious that Uncle Dog had been acting on your uncle Yang Hong's orders.
It was a pity that the mole you'd planted in Su Mei hadn't been able to uncover the true identity of Liu Yue's backing. But she had brought you one intriguing piece of information.
The power supporting Liu Yue... seemed to consist entirely of women.
You nodded slowly, then asked about the fate of the Sun Clan. Su Mei told you that the clan had been annihilated ten years ago, though a few remnants had managed to escape and were still in hiding.
But beyond that, Su Mei had brought you earth-shattering news.
Ten years ago, Sixth Prince Chen Tai had accidentally come into possession of a divine treasure—the Supreme Imperial Bone. His cultivation had skyrocketed afterward, breaking through to the Heavenly Being Realm in just a decade, making him invincible among his peers.
The news had sent shockwaves through the entire Qianyuan Empire.
But just ten days ago, a mysterious secret realm had suddenly appeared in Magic City. Sixth Prince Chen Tai had personally traveled to Magic City to explore it—only to be assassinated.
According to rumors, Chen Tai had been beheaded in broad daylight, and his Supreme Imperial Bone had been ripped out by the assassin...
And the one who'd wielded the blade was none other than Ye Fan.