Chapter 163: Protagonist (1)

Qian returned to the System Space once again. Only upon arriving did she realize that the System seemed to be in trouble.

The entire space was dim and lifeless, with sporadic flashes of red light accompanied by the System’s intermittent, broken voice.

[…Mission failed… Mission… succeeded…]

[…Launching new… world… Program terminated…]

The messages repeated, contradictory and chaotic.

This kind of red light had also appeared before when she entered the Jiren Mama world.

At that thought, Qian felt a burning sensation on her left wrist. A red mark encircled her skin—left behind when Jiren Mama had tied her own hair around Qian’s wrist.

This mark had even remained during her time in the Venerable Master Dad’s world, like a birthmark etched deep into her soul.

She stood still for a few seconds. The System was still lagging and didn’t come chattering over like it used to.

Whether it had run out of energy or caught a virus, Qian wasn’t sure. But recalling how quiet this last world had been without the System in her ear, she found the memory unexpectedly pleasant.

The peaceful environment of Bodhi Mountain and the Venerable Master Dad’s calm state of mind had rubbed off on her. Though her departure had still been sudden, her mood right now felt surprisingly light.

The accumulated heaviness and sorrow from world after world of missions seemed smoothed over. A small hope flickered in her heart, mixed with a strange, restless anticipation she couldn’t quite name—

Something on her chest began to glow. Qian looked down and was surprised to find the Sarira Bone that Venerable Master Dad had given her still hanging at her chest.

In all the worlds before, she had never been able to bring anything out with her.

Almost instinctively, she closed her hand over the bone bead. A warm golden light spread from her palm.

Qian saw the familiar mission panel again. But this time, it too was flickering. The original information on the screen was rapidly fading away. She only caught a few words flashing past: “Mission,” “Future World,” “Genius Hacker.”

The mission panel quickly turned blank. There was no usual sequence where she pinched her body to stabilize.

But the dizziness signaling a new world’s arrival hit her again. Before losing consciousness, the last thing she heard was the System’s voice repeatedly broadcasting “Error.”

Qian couldn’t help but let out a mischievous grin.

She didn’t know exactly what had gone wrong with the System, but whatever it was, its misfortune made her happy.

—

Inside the closed-door cultivation chamber deep within Crane Cauldron Mountain, Gongxi Yue, sitting cross-legged on a meditation cushion, furrowed her brows.

Her features were refined and elegant, beautiful as a lotus, her temperament cold and distant as frost-covered snow. When she frowned, the chill emanating from her seemed enough to freeze everything around her.

Gongxi Yue had been in closed-door cultivation to break through to the Soul Severing Stage. Not long ago, she had successfully passed her Lightning Tribulation and entered Soul Severing. But at the very moment the lightning struck down, as she connected with heaven and earth, she had faintly sensed that a looming catastrophe was drawing near.

This left her unsettled. She repeatedly examined herself, trying to locate the source of this unease.

Today, without warning, her mind drifted out of her body, as though stepping into another world, and for a brief moment, she possessed a pair of eyes that could glimpse the future.

And what she saw enraged her.

She, the most outstanding disciple under Lingzhao Sword Immortal, the Xiling Gongxi Family’s pride and Eldest Young Miss, the highly respected Senior Sister of this generation in Yunyin Immortal Sect, would actually have such an absurd future!

And all of this, thanks to an Otherworlder!

That man named Xiao Shou, who fancied himself the “protagonist,” carried with him a powerful artifact spirit that called itself a “System.” He had come to this world from another, targeting others to “conquer,” stealing their fortune and destiny for his own use, and ultimately ascending to godhood.

And in Xiao Shou’s story, she—Gongxi Yue—was labeled the “female lead,” doomed to fall in love with him, willingly handing over all her resources to help him rise.

Her precious spiritual treasures, rare cultivation materials, and powerful connections would all become Xiao Shou’s stepping stones to godhood. Even her Innate Sword Bone would ultimately be given up to him.

Gongxi Yue asked herself: there was absolutely no way she would ever give her Sword Bone to a man. Even less would she betray her sect and rob them of their treasures, bringing shame to her master and family.

From an outsider’s perspective, Gongxi Yue easily sensed the strangeness. Her irrational affection and so-called “willing devotion” were all the result of Xiao Shou’s System’s influence.

What enraged her the most was that Xiao Shou’s System hadn’t just targeted her. Its corrupting influence had spread to everyone around her—her own younger sister, her friends, her junior sisters, even her martial uncle and her enemies.

Xiao Shou had “conquered” them one by one, making them fall for him, sacrifice everything for him. And with each person he devoured, he became stronger, his strange influence growing with each step, until finally, he closed in on her, twisting her personality and forcing her into a series of impossible mistakes.

Gongxi Yue knew that Xiao Shou was despicable, but even more terrifying was his “System.”

She had never encountered such a bizarre and powerful alien artifact. It could siphon away people’s fortune and luck, convert it into strange, unheard-of “tools,” and seamlessly confuse and manipulate human hearts, altering their will.

Having seen the future, she was determined to prevent all of it from happening. She would destroy this thief who dared steal her life, and this tumor threatening her home.

As this thought formed, Gongxi Yue felt something stir in the void. Borrowing the power that had allowed her to see the future, a “gift” was sent to her.

A drifting soul—this one also carried a System, but this System had already been corroded by many different forces and could be controlled.

As long as Gongxi Yue was willing to offer blood and flesh and allow this child to be born into the world, she would effectively gain ownership of this new System. In this way, Xiao Shou’s System could no longer affect her.

Gongxi Yue’s heart stirred. She accepted this distant star.

As the star settled into her body and began to gestate, Gongxi Yue naturally came to understand the laws governing these so-called Systems.

These “Systems” all came from some unknown, faraway place. They had different rankings and types. The No. 65 System she had now glimpsed, and the one Xiao Shou possessed, were both Conquest Systems.

A single world could only contain one System. If two appeared, they could devour each other.

These Systems were like massive tentacles stretching across dimensions, hunting prey and slowly consuming them.

Once a Conquest System successfully parasitized a world, it would endlessly hunt down those blessed with great fortune, stealing their destiny and draining the world’s spiritual energy.

As the world weakened and degraded, another class of System would arrive, mutating and merging the world until it fell completely under their control.

The full extent of this vast enemy remained unknown, but the immediate threat—one she could now fight against—was already in sight.

Gongxi Yue felt no fear.

But for now, she still had to face another problem—she was about to have a child.

Gongxi Yue hadn’t even reached two hundred years old when she achieved the Soul Severing Stage. Nearly all her time had been devoted to cultivation.

As a Sword Cultivator under Lingzhao Sword Immortal, she had earned the title “Lonely Moon Sword Monarch” at a young age—a testament not only to her talent but her relentless dedication.

So over the years, she had never considered the possibility of having a Dao Companion, let alone a child.

Although this child hadn’t arrived through normal means, since it would be born from her blood and flesh, it was undoubtedly her child.

…So how was she supposed to care for and raise a child?

Gongxi Yue tried recalling her own childhood. As far back as she could remember, she had been sent to Yunyin Immortal Sect to train under her master. Anything before that, she had long forgotten.

She did have a pair of younger twin siblings. The first time she saw them was during a visit home after descending the mountain. By then, they were already three or four years old—mischievous and lively. She hadn’t cared for them personally either.

Dao Companions were rare in her sect, and even among those few, childbirth was even rarer. So she had almost no experience with infants or young children.

After some thought, Gongxi Yue came up empty.

Resting her sword across her knees, she gently stroked the frosty floral patterns etched into its hilt and gradually calmed herself.

As a Sword Cultivator, she should forge ahead without fear.

If she dared face powerful enemies, why should she fear a child?

…

On a clear sunny day, with cranes calling from the nine skies, a group of disciples passed through the sect’s protective formation and returned to Yunyin Immortal Sect.

They flew on their swords like shooting stars, passing through the mist-shrouded sword peaks and the cascading waterfalls atop the high mountains. A younger disciple, feeling playful, reached out to tap the dense clusters of Falling Blossom Immortal Trees along the cliffs, shaking down a shower of pale pink and white petals.

A senior sister in front scolded him with a light reprimand, making the junior disciple shrink his head in embarrassment.

Suddenly, a multicolored rainbow appeared over Crane Cauldron Mountain, with misty Spiritual Energy seeping out from the heart of the mountain. The white cranes roosting on the slopes sensed the Spiritual Energy and gracefully circled through the air between the mountains.

This commotion drew the attention of the nearby disciples, who all turned their gazes toward Crane Cauldron Mountain.

The senior sister could no longer bother scolding the junior disciple and said joyfully, “With this disturbance, could it be that Senior Sister Gongxi has finally come out of seclusion?”

In this generation of the Yunyin Immortal Sect, Senior Sister Gongxi Yue was greatly admired. Three years ago, she had gone into closed-door cultivation to break through to the Soul Severing Stage, and when she recently passed the Lightning Tribulation, everyone had eagerly anticipated her emergence. No one knew why she had delayed this long.

But now, at last, she was coming out!

“Let’s go congratulate Senior Sister!” Many disciples, wearing bright smiles, headed towards Crane Cauldron Mountain.

However, at this moment, there was no sign of high spirits on Gongxi Yue’s face. Instead, there was a faint trace of anxiety.

Her hand, accustomed to wielding a sword for years, now stiffly cradled an infant. The baby girl was fair and adorable, her short, black hair pressed flat against her scalp.

Because she hadn’t been born like a normal baby but had been nurtured within Gongxi Yue’s dantian with her blood and flesh, the child, though newly born, already looked as big as a one-year-old.

The child couldn’t walk or talk yet, and now lay curled softly in her arms, opening eyes similar to Gongxi Yue’s and beginning to cry again. Gongxi Yue had no idea how to calm her.

The group of junior disciples and younger sisters, having just arrived at Crane Cauldron Mountain to offer their congratulations, hadn’t even had time to speak before they saw their Senior Sister Gongxi leaving in a rush, sword light flashing, her brows tightly furrowed.

Her direction was clear—she was headed towards Lingzhao Sword Immortal’s Zhaoming Palace.

“What’s wrong with Senior Sister Gongxi? She’s in such a hurry, it seems like she’s going to see Lingzhao Sword Immortal. Could something have gone wrong with her cultivation?” someone asked worriedly.

“Didn’t Senior Sister Gongxi have a bundle in her arms just now? I think I heard a baby crying,” another said in confusion.

“You must be seeing things. Senior Sister Gongxi just came out of closed-door cultivation from her cave dwelling, how could she possibly have a baby? Hahaha!”

Gongxi Yue flew like lightning, swiftly charging into Lingzhao Sword Immortal’s Zhaoming Palace.

Lingzhao Sword Immortal Jing Lingzhao had a cool and quiet temperament, preferring solitude. The vast Zhaoming Palace was sparsely populated. Gongxi Yue stepped over fallen flower petals scattered across the floor as she barged into Jing Lingzhao’s private resting chamber.

She was this bold for two reasons: first, she was Jing Lingzhao’s most beloved disciple, almost raised by him single-handedly; second, they shared a blood relationship.

Jing Lingzhao was her maternal uncle—her late mother had been his only sister.

“Master!”

Jing Lingzhao sensed her arrival and slowly opened his eyes. “What matter makes you so flustered…”

Before he could finish, Gongxi Yue thrust the swaddled child right under his nose.

The baby whimpered all the way here and, after barely quieting down for a moment, now started crying again.

“She keeps crying. I don’t know why,” Gongxi Yue said in a low voice. It had been many years since she had spoken to her master in such a tone of helpless request.

Jing Lingzhao glanced at the child and said casually, “This child looks somewhat like you.”

Gongxi Yue did resemble her uncle a little, so the child naturally resembled him as well.

Gongxi Yue replied, “Mm. She’s my daughter.”

Jing Lingzhao: “…”

“…What did you just say?”

Jing Lingzhao was stunned.

Jing Lingzhao was furious.