You died, and the simulation ended.
Pfft!
Sun Qian couldn't hold back a laugh.
Clearly, he'd been amused by that so-called Chosen One's antics.
No wonder Ye Fan had been running amok across the land for twenty years in the Villain Simulator—he'd been chasing him to get his revenge.
Even that mastermind Chen Tai had unknowingly taken the fall for him, getting stabbed in the process.
And when Ye Fan finally tracked him down? He'd gotten shot by Yang Hong's arrow, his fate left hanging in the balance.
「Ye Fan's something else, man. Who knows what goes on in that head of his? He always manages to surprise me.」
「You think the story's over when we hit the finale? Nah, there's always a wild plot twist waiting.」
「Kinda makes him endearing, honestly. If I'd known this would happen, I would've gone easier on him back then.」
Looking back at all five villain simulations, it seemed Ye Fan—the Chosen One—had been thoroughly screwed over every single time. Yet not once had he ever posed a real threat to Sun Qian's life.
On the contrary, he'd even saved Sun Qian's bacon a few times when it mattered most.
Still, while Ye Fan never seemed to land a real hit on him, he was absolutely ruthless when it came to everyone else.
He'd even killed Chen Tai—the mastermind pulling the strings—once. Total god-tier play right there.
「Compared to how miserably I died in the previous simulations, this one was actually pretty perfect. Sure, I lost my cultivation and had my Supreme Imperial Bone dug out, but at least I died of old age in my bed. Plus, I walked away with a ton of loot.」
「Now... everything finally makes sense.」
Sun Qian's eyes glinted with a terrifying, unspoken pressure.
The fifth simulation was over, and the final tally began.
The cold, mechanical voice of the Villain Simulator echoed out of nowhere.
BOOM!
Once again, the familiar River of Time descended from the heavens, shrouding Sun Qian in its glow.
Every fragment of the fifth simulation flickered across the river's surface like scattered mirrors.
Ye Fan, driven mad by rage, pinned to the mountainside by a single arrow, screaming his lungs out.
Liu Yue, holding a squalling infant in his arms, staring dazedly at a crumpled photograph.
Su Mei, her belly swollen with child, standing at the doorway like a stone monument, waiting for a figure that would never return home.
And a young man's corpse, lying motionless before a tombstone, a bloodstained blade clutched tightly in his hand.
.....
Sun Qian stared at the fragments of memory before him, his expression a jumble of emotions, as if he'd just grasped some profound truth.
Whoosh!
The waters of the River of Time began to swirl and converge.
An ethereal figure materialized—a young man with a pale face, calm eyes, and the bearing of a mountain that had weathered a thousand storms. In his hand, he held a bloodstained blade wreathed in sinister black qi.
From this blade-wielding figure, eight brilliant beams of light burst forth—more than ever before—coalescing into corresponding Dao Fruits.
「The haul from this simulation is looking pretty stacked.」
Sun Qian raised an eyebrow, muttering to himself.
In all his previous simulations, he'd only ever gotten six Dao Fruits at the final tally.
But this time? Eight whole Dao Fruits.
And three of them were glowing with a faint golden light.
Final Tally Commenced. Host may select 4 rewards from the 8 options below.1. Azure Emperor's Longevity Scripture - Level 5 (Peak Mountain & River Realm)2. Nine Steps to the Heavens (Celestial Talisman)3. Permanently fuse the Green Talent "Gift of Silver Tongue" into your innate abilities4. Rank 6 Talisman Master (Complete Talisman Encyclopedia)5. Black Tortoise Shield (Celestial Artifact)6. Celestial Relic (Left by the Ghost Physician Venerable)7. Celestial Sword Talisman (One-Time Use)8. Soul Devouring Demon Blade (Semi-Immortal Artifact)
Whoosh!
「Semi-Immortal Artifact?!」
Sun Qian's eyes widened, his gaze locking onto the sinister bloodstained blade clutched in the young man's ethereal hand.
He'd never imagined that the evil-looking blade Ye Fan had been carrying around was actually a Semi-Immortal Artifact.
This thing was way overpowered for its level.
No wonder Ye Fan had been able to kill Chen Tai with a single slash—he'd been wielding a Semi-Immortal Artifact this whole time.
Losing the Nine Steps to the Heavens, only to get a Semi-Immortal Artifact in return? The perks of being the Chosen One made him green with envy.
「Damn it. Only the Chosen One gets this kind of luck. He never runs out of opportunities—like a sheep with an endless supply of wool to shear.」
「Good thing I grabbed this Semi-Immortal Artifact at the last second of the simulation. Otherwise, I would've lost out big time.」
Huff!
Sun Qian let out a long breath, then made his choice without the slightest hesitation.
「I pick rewards 1, 3, 4, and 8.」
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The four Dao Fruits—two faint gold, one deep purple, one deep green—representing the Azure Emperor's Longevity Scripture, Soul Devouring Demon Blade, Rank 6 Talisman Mastery, and Gift of Silver Tongue, shot down from the River of Time.
The Dao Fruits dissolved into streaks of light, merging into Sun Qian's body in an instant.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Sun Qian felt his cultivation base skyrocket, breaking through to the Peak of the Mountain & River Realm in the blink of an eye.
A domineering surge of the Azure Emperor's Vitality Qi—capable of siphoning the life force of others to nourish himself and extend his lifespan—flooded every meridian in his body, devouring all other forms of spiritual energy and reforging his physique from the inside out.
In the span of a heartbeat, his lifespan doubled, soaring to a thousand years.
His skin became smooth and flawless, as if he'd undergone a complete transformation.
Even his regenerative abilities mutated, becoming more than ten times stronger than before.
The Azure Emperor's Longevity Scripture—a cultivation technique on par with that of an Earthbound Immortal—was far more powerful and tyrannical than any other technique he'd ever encountered.
At this moment, the spiritual energy coursing through his veins was at least ten times denser than that of any other cultivator at the same realm.
At the same time, all the talisman-making knowledge he'd gained from the Villain Simulator merged with his soul in an instant. Countless Rank 5 and Rank 6 talismans were etched into his very being.
Rank 6 Talisman Mastery—Achieved.
The integration of the Green Talent Gift of Silver Tongue was as seamless as a drop of water merging into a river, without the slightest ripple.
Crack!
The last faint golden Dao Fruit suddenly shattered.
A sinister bloodstained blade, covered in countless tadpole-like runes, materialized in his hand. A wave of overwhelming killing intent surged straight into his mind.
「KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL!」
A pure, evil, and seductive voice echoed in his head, threatening to ensnare his mind and turn him into a mindless killing puppet.
A crimson glow spread from the blade, threatening to engulf Sun Qian's eyes.
In that moment, Sun Qian finally understood why Ye Fan had ended up so deranged, so split-personality.
Crack!
His Supreme Imperial Bone suddenly let out a crisp sound—as if a slumbering giant had just opened its eyes.
Let me see what all the fuss is about.
Whoosh!
The crimson glow vanished, and the killing intent dissipated without a trace.
The Soul Devouring Demon Blade in his hand went completely quiet, as docile as a lamb in an instant.
Damn. There's a bigger bully in here.
Soul Devouring Demon Blade (Semi-Immortal Artifact): Forged from the blood of immortals and gods, this sinister blade possesses the power to devour souls and seize lifespan. Upon slaying a target, it can consume the victim's soul and steal a portion of their remaining lifespan, temporarily adding it to the wielder's own. By burning this stolen lifespan, the wielder can enter the Undying Blade Spirit State, drastically boosting their regenerative abilities and combat power.(Note: This demon blade is inherently evil and will unconsciously corrupt its wielder. Devouring too many souls and lifespan fragments will cause the wielder to suffer from soul fragmentation, be forced into a state of demonic possession, lose all self-control, and ultimately self-destruct once all stolen lifespan is burned away.)