Chapter 207
Seven days passed in the blink of an eye. The tension between the two, bound by their duel agreement, hung thickly over the Hehuan Sect, creating an uneasy atmosphere beneath the surface.
Only Shen Ying remained calm and carefree. Most days, she was either offering warmth and kindness to her junior disciples or delving into the sect’s supreme cultivation techniques.
Otherwise, she would be rummaging through the treasure vault, swapping out all sorts of strange and impractical magical weapons.
When the day of the duel finally arrived, she almost didn’t realize it—nearly forgetting the whole affair.
Ji Liantan came over, urging her to come watch. Shen Ying, recalling the tragic scenario of a mistaken killing, tentatively suggested, “Maybe I shouldn’t go?”
“You two are so blinded by rage, what if you accidentally hurt me?” she added.
Ji Liantan shot her a sharp glare. “No way. He insulted you first. I want you to see with your own eyes how he dies.”
There was a subtle, unspoken thought behind those words. Even now, Shen Ying harbored no ill will toward Ye Qingchen. Ji Liantan feared that she might actually develop genuine feelings for that scoundrel.
So he had to prove once and for all who was the strongest, severing any such thoughts from her heart.
No matter how Shen Ying tried to refuse, she was inevitably dragged along.
She sighed helplessly—such shallow avoidance was useless, but she wasn’t disappointed either.
The two arrived at the agreed location, a remote mountain stream on the outskirts of the Hehuan Sect.
There was a lake there, and when they arrived, Ye Qingchen was already standing in the middle of the water.
He wore a crimson robe, and his aura was markedly different from before.
All his usual pretenses of restraint and detachment were torn away, revealing his passionate and wild nature.
Ji Liantan sneered at this sight. “You’re quite clever, knowing you’ll be stained with blood soon, so you put on red to hide it.”
Ye Qingchen retorted without hesitation, “Since my junior sister wants to see me in red, how could I refuse?”
Then he glanced at Shen Ying. “Junior sister, do you still like it?”
Shen Ying quickly nodded. “Yes, yes, Brother Ye looks so vibrant in such a fiery color—truly a different charm.”
No sooner had she spoken than Ji Liantan’s dagger-like gaze pierced her.
She shut her mouth and took a step back.
Turning to them both, she said, “Though you’re both blinded by anger now, I still have to remind you: swords and blades have no eyes. Strike only to the point, no more. If either of you gets hurt, I’ll be heartbroken.”
Ji Liantan and Ye Qingchen looked at her in disbelief, as if sensing she had some unspoken thoughts now laid bare.
But both were focused solely on fighting to the death, so they didn’t dwell on it.
Since she willingly stepped back, it was fitting—they didn’t want to risk hurting her.
Ye Qingchen looked at his younger brother and said, “Let’s begin. Don’t drag this out. If Father arrives in time and saves your life, then this trip will have been for nothing.”
Ji Liantan sneered, “You don’t need to worry about Mother arriving to save you.”
Suddenly, a ripple spread across the lake’s surface, and the two vanished from sight.
Though such water ripples were easily stirred, their control was evidently masterful—despite the commotion, the lake remained perfectly still.
When they clashed, both felt a heavy weight settle in their hearts.
They had faced each other several times before in brief skirmishes. Whether due to inconvenient timing or unsuitable settings, neither had ever fought at full strength.
Yet both believed they had roughly gauged each other’s true abilities.
At this moment, as Fang Yi engaged in combat, he suddenly realized that his previous assessments had been overly optimistic.
Neither of them could now guarantee a sure victory over the other.
Their expressions grew increasingly serious, and their hearts filled with heightened vigilance, unwilling to show even the slightest carelessness.
Ji Liantan made a move to force back the killing intent, then unleashed the Flowing Cloud Brush, sweeping it across the space before him.
Where Ye Qingchen had just stepped back, the once harmless lake instantly transformed into a churning sea of blood.
Countless bone spikes erupted in an instant, stretching hundreds of meters, yet their ferocity remained undiminished.
Seeing this, Ye Qingchen dared not confront the mysterious bone spikes head-on. Instead, he raised his hand and made a gesture, summoning a painting scroll into his grasp.
He unfurled the scroll toward the perilous blood sea before him. The once raging, murderous waves immediately folded into the drifting scroll, shrinking away until the scene returned to a tranquil, beautiful landscape.
Ji Liantan sneered, “So your mother had already given you this scroll. She’s always been generous to you.”
Ye Qingchen snorted coldly but said nothing.
In an instant, the two clashed again.
Seeing that their cunning spells and supreme immortal weapons were evenly matched, the battle soon reverted to its most primal form—raw, brutal hand-to-hand combat.
Before long, both were bleeding, their injuries evident. Watching from the sidelines, Shen Ying felt a chill run down her spine.
She quickly donned the protective talisman Lian Ying had given her. This was no joke—if either of the two’s weapons shifted even slightly, a moment’s inattention could cost her dearly.
As if to prove her wisdom, the moment she put on the talisman, her consciousness suddenly slowed.
It was as if her body no longer belonged to her. Regarding the lethal duel between the two, an overwhelming and urgent impulse to intervene surged through her mind.
It was a reckless, irrational emotion.
Though Shen Ying had never experienced anything like this before, she immediately guessed what was happening.
She sneered, “Well, well! So you’ve been waiting for me here.”
Her reaction was clearly an amplified version of the original host’s emotions taking control.
Throughout her many missions, Shen Ying had experienced some degree of empathy, but its influence on her was minimal; ultimately, her own values prevailed.
For example, regarding the original host’s parents, in the first world she could never show the same filial devotion as the host, but in the third world, they got along closely.
In short, this influence was highly flexible, but ultimately could not override her own will.
This time, however, it was different—she suddenly lost control of her body. Were it not for the strength of her own soul, she might have already rushed forward to stop the fight with her own body.
Meanwhile, the two sides were locked in a stalemate, standing still without moving.
Yet even so, Shen Ying remained calm, asking the system, “How much longer until the acquisition of the game shares is finalized?”
The system, seeing her so composed despite the situation, was also terrified.
This was the game activating dual laws of time and space, splitting this world into two timelines from the very beginning: one following Shen Ying’s actions as the player,
and the other faithfully adhering to the original story. Now, at the moment of the duel, the two timelines would merge.
The heroine’s soul from the original storyline would enter this timeline, wrest control from Shen Ying,
complete the predetermined ending, and kill Shen Ying’s body from within.
Because she was a divine soul from the cultivation world, inherently born from this very body, she should have had the upper hand in the struggle for control.
Yet, unexpectedly, Shen Ying refused to yield, standing her ground fiercely. But no matter how formidable she was, this was where it ended.
The system replied to her, “Fifteen minutes remaining.”
Shen Ying smiled lightly. “So, in fifteen minutes, I’ll be your boss?”
“Looking forward to working with you then.”
System: “You’d better think about whether you can even survive.”
Shen Ying: “Indeed, I didn’t expect you to pull this trick. If it were the usual methods, I probably would’ve sunk without a trace.”
After all, this time the game’s choice was quite clever—exploiting loopholes in the rules, taking internal control to ensure she completed the storyline.
Meanwhile, the battle between Ji Liantan and Ye Qingchen had reached a critical, deadly moment.
Ye Qingchen wielded a long sword, while Ji Liantan’s flying ribbon was as sharp as a blade, both clashing head-on.
“No!” Shen Ying shouted, then leapt forward, placing herself between them.
Both combatants were caught off guard, their eyes bloodshot with fury, but it was already too late.
The muffled sound of weapons piercing flesh exploded like thunder in their ears.
For a long moment, their expressions were blank, then overwhelmed with helpless sorrow.
Ji Liantan struck Ye Qingchen with a palm, forcing him back and snatching Shen Ying away. Ye Qingchen took the blow without retreating.
He stared in disbelief at the body growing cold in Ji Liantan’s arms, feeling the scene utterly surreal.
Ye Qingchen had considered many possible outcomes for today’s battle: both he and Ji Liantan might die, the Demon Lord might arrive just in time to intervene, or they could end up severely wounded.
But he never imagined that Shen Ying would be the one to die.
She was so smart, so adept at seeking advantage and avoiding danger, always in control of everything.
How could she die? How could she foolishly throw herself into harm’s way?
Never before had Ye Qingchen felt reality so illusory as at this moment.
If he felt this way, Ji Liantan’s heart was even more shattered.
He had never imagined that his junior sister would one day leave him. Now, all that enveloped him was endless terror and emptiness.
The system began its countdown—
14:57, 14:58, 14:59
[15 minutes]
It was over.
The system was filled with mixed emotions. This host had caused it so much trouble, yet when she was only one step away from victory and was killed by the game’s machinations, it wasn’t exactly happy either.
But facts were facts.
Just as the system prepared to withdraw, an announcement came through the game’s internal mechanism.
[Player Shen Ying has successfully purchased game shares and is now the largest shareholder of the game.]
The system snapped back to attention.
Impossible. Shen Ying was already dead. The moment the host died, no matter what state her points were in, they would be reclaimed by the game.
How could the transaction still proceed?
Thinking this, the system saw the scene before its eyes shatter piece by piece, like a cracked mirror breaking apart.
It saw Shen Ying in Ji Liantan’s arms disappear.
When it thought this was another trick Shen Ying used to evade death, the image started to break again.
This time, the person in front of Ji Liantan even changed, turning into Ye Peak Master, who was supposed to be in seclusion at the Xuanji Sect.
Ji Liantan’s expression shifted upon seeing her.
But it wasn’t over yet—the entire space began to split again, like two facing mirrors.
Ye Qingchen appeared on the other side, directly opposite the Demon Lord Ji Yu.
Then, the two mirror surfaces merged, gradually blending into a single world on one plane.
Far outside the mirror, Shen Ying finally strolled in at a leisurely pace.
She feigned a look of lingering fear: "Good thing I didn’t come in, or I’d really have to explain myself to you all."
At the sight of her, Ji Liantan suddenly went wild, rushing over without a second thought for the mother she hadn’t seen in years.
She threw herself into Shen Ying’s arms, her body trembling slightly.
Meanwhile, Shen Ying’s gaze was fixed on the Demon Lord and Ye Peak Master.
She said, “Master, you should believe me now, right? If you don’t separate these two, once they start fighting, someone’s bound to get seriously hurt.”
“Don’t be foolishly optimistic thinking they’ll hold back for family’s sake. When these two get bloodshot eyes, there’s nothing they won’t do.”
The Demon Lord and Ye Peak Master both wore dark, complicated expressions.
The Demon Lord had obtained the Ancestor Jade Pendant from Shen Ying, intending to interrogate him, but inside he found a secret message from Shen Ying.
It said that the two sons had long harbored deep resentment, and a deadly battle was imminent.
If neither son was to come to harm, they had better seek out Ye Peak Master and plan ahead together.
The system used the high-lethality environment of the cultivation world to try and eliminate Shen Ying, but Shen Ying naturally could use the high degree of freedom here to fight back.
The Demon Lord found Ye Peak Master and had her break through her seclusion early to set this trap.
It’s no exaggeration to say Shen Ying had an uncanny understanding of the game, as the game continued folding parallel timelines to counter her.
She, in turn, folded the time and space during the duel to confuse and disrupt their senses.
Of course, she couldn’t do this herself, but Ye Peak Master and the Demon Lord could.
Each took on one son, folding their perceptions into a single space so that both fighters felt their opponent was immovable.
In reality, the person opposite was their own parent, watching over them—there was no chance of a mishap.
As for Shen Ying, who was cowardly and clinging to life, she only dared project a shadow of herself into the fray.
Even if she was momentarily controlled, what harm could it do?
The Demon Lord and Ye Peak Master looked at their two sons with complex expressions, never expecting their relationship to have reached this point.
What followed was a tangled web of family grudges and emotions that still needed to be unraveled.
But both parents knew one thing clearly: they had to physically separate the two sons first.
This also made things easier for Shen Ying, who had masters on both sides and could act as a messenger—making it easier to secretly observe Ye Qingchen.
After escaping a deadly trap, the atmosphere in this world actually lightened, and future matters could be handled more calmly.
At that moment, the system’s complicated voice echoed in Shen Ying’s mind: [Congratulations, host.]
Shen Ying smiled: “You’re welcome. Let the game’s higher-ups clean up and get out of my company.”
[End of text]