You jolted out of your cultivation state, your body breaking out in cold sweat. This terrifying chill was over ten times more intense than the one you'd felt in the first simulation—danger was upon you, and it was far deadlier than anything you'd faced before.
You couldn't believe it. Right now, you were holed up in the villa arranged by the Li Clan, surrounded by layers of security. Outside, Sun Zhong—a Seventh-Rank Saint Ascension Realm powerhouse—stood guard over you. How could anyone possibly breach these defenses?
Unless… the threat this time was far beyond your wildest imagination.
And in the very next second, your worst fears were confirmed.
The sounds of clashing blades and roaring battle suddenly erupted in your ears—*so close, they seemed to be right next door*. Three waves of overwhelming pressure surged through the air, each one belonging to a Saint Ascension Realm cultivator.
One of those auras belonged to your protector, Sun Zhong. But the other two were completely unfamiliar—cold, ruthless, and brimming with killing intent.
「Sun Qian! The Zhao Clan's ancestor and a masked Saint Ascension Realm powerhouse have led a horde of powerful black-cloaked assassins to storm the villa!」
「Senior Sun Zhong is pinned down by them! Hurry—open the chamber door! I'll get you out of here!」
Liu Yue's panicked voice echoed from outside the cultivation chamber, urgent and desperate.
Your expression darkened instantly. You didn't trust anyone—not even her. You quickly slipped through a hidden peephole in the chamber wall, peering out to survey the chaos outside.
There she was—Liu Yue, her face twisted with anxiety, surrounded by the carnage of guards being slaughtered by black-cloaked killers. High above, the Zhao Clan's ancestor and a mysterious black-robed Saint Ascension Realm cultivator were locked in a brutal battle with Sun Zhong, their attacks shaking the very foundations of the villa.
And from the looks of it, the tide was turning against your protector.
Liu Yue was telling the truth!
「How is this possible?!」
「Where did another Saint Ascension Realm powerhouse come from in Magic City? And where did all these black-cloaked elites spring from?!」
「Could it be the mastermind striking again—laying a brand-new death trap just for me?!」
「That bastard just won't give up!」
Darkness flickered in Sun Qian's eyes as he pieced together the truth, watching the simulation unfold.
It had only been a few short days since the last assassination attempt, and already another wave of death was crashing down on him.
Clearly, the mastermind's obsession with his Supreme Imperial Bone ran deeper than he'd ever imagined.
His simulated self had thought he'd outmaneuvered the enemy, buying himself time to grow stronger—but he'd vastly underestimated how far the mastermind was willing to go to claim the bone.
But a new question nagged at him: he'd moved residences in Magic City every single day, making his location nearly impossible to track. How had the Zhao Clan's ancestor and those black-cloaked killers found him so easily?
You ignored Liu Yue's urgent pleas from outside the chamber, showing not an ounce of hesitation. You slammed your palm against a hidden panel on the wall, revealing a narrow, ultra-secret escape tunnel you'd had built for exactly this kind of doomsday scenario—a last-ditch route to save your own skin.
Right now, you cared about nothing but survival. You were already prepared to abandon Sun Zhong and Liu Yue to their fates.
As long as *you* lived, you could avenge them later. But if *you* died, everything would be over.
Selfish? Cowardly? Maybe. But in this dog-eat-dog world, putting your own life first was the only way to stay alive. You were no hero—just a survivor who refused to go down without a fight.
But just as you were about to dart into the tunnel, a bone-chilling wave of dread washed over you once more. At the same time, the last vestiges of the destiny energy you'd siphoned from Liu Yue vanished completely, like a candle snuffed out in the wind.
*Someone's in the tunnel!*
It was the final warning from the destiny energy.
You realized with a sinking heart that this was a trap, a perfect ambush—and you were the fool who'd walked right into the cage.
「FUCK!」
You couldn't help but curse loudly, your face twisting into a mask of ruthless resolve.
In the split second it took to think, you made your decision.
You ripped open the chamber door, yanking the stunned Liu Yue inside before she could even react.
Liu Yue was already tied to your chariot. If you died, the Liu Clan would be annihilated by the Sun Clan's wrath without a second thought. She had no reason to betray you.
「Sun Qian, we have to go! If we can just escape—」
Liu Yue's panicked words were cut off mid-sentence as you slammed your palm into the back of her neck, knocking her unconscious instantly.
You'd held back just enough strength—she'd wake up in a few hours… or maybe she'd never wake up at all. It didn't matter. She was a pawn now, nothing more.
You channeled the full power of the Thousand Shadow Devil Art, activating the Mimic Shadow Divine Ability for the very first time. You reached out, your hands wreathed in inky black devilish energy, and began to reshape Liu Yue's features.
The moment your devilish energy touched her skin, it was met with an invisible barrier that repelled it instantly. But the resistance vanished just as quickly, as if it had never been there at all. You shrugged it off as an illusion and pressed on.
In seconds, Liu Yue's delicate features melted away, re-forming into your own face—perfect in every detail. Then you turned the ability on yourself, your own appearance shifting until you looked exactly like Liu Yue. You swapped clothes with the unconscious girl, completing the disguise.
To survive, you were willing to let this Destiny's Heroine be your decoy—to die in your place and buy you a few precious moments to escape.
You propped the unconscious "Sun Qian" up on the cultivation mat, arranging her body to look like she was in the middle of a deep meditative trance. Then, disguised as Liu Yue, you slipped out of the chamber door once more, melting into the shadows of the chaotic battlefield.
Without the protection of destiny energy, you dared not take even a single risk. You suppressed your aura completely, moving silently along the edge of the fighting, your eyes fixed on the exit.
Thankfully, the black-cloaked assassins had their sights set solely on the "Sun Qian" in the chamber, paying no attention to the "helpless" Liu Yue slipping past them. Even the three Saint Ascension Realm powerhouses battling high above didn't spare you a single glance.
You breathed a quiet sigh of relief—but a new doubt gnawed at you. You could understand why the other major clans of Magic City hadn't intervened; they were too afraid of getting dragged into the crossfire. But where was the Li Clan? Why hadn't they sent reinforcements to aid you, their Sun Clan allies?
Just as you were about to slip past the last line of guards and escape the villa, the mysterious masked Saint Ascension Realm cultivator fighting above suddenly turned his head, his gaze locking onto you for a split second. A mountainous pressure slammed into you, nearly crushing your bones to dust.
But to your immense relief, he didn't seem to see through the Mimic Shadow Divine Ability's disguise. His gaze drifted away after a moment, returning to the battle with Sun Zhong. You let out the breath you'd been holding, your heart pounding in your chest.
BOOM!
A deafening explosion suddenly erupted from the cultivation chamber, shaking the entire villa and drawing everyone's attention.
The chamber door was blown off its hinges, flying through the air. And there, standing in the doorway, was Ye Fan—the Destiny's Child who'd been missing for days. A bloodstained dagger was clenched in his hand, buried to the hilt in the chest of the "Sun Qian" propped up on the mat.
「HAHAHAHA! Sun Qian, you bastard! How dare you defile my woman! Today is the day you DIE!」
The "Sun Qian" stabbed through the chest jolted awake from her unconscious state, her eyes fluttering open—eyes that were soft and feminine, filled with utter disbelief. She stared at the maniacally laughing Ye Fan before her, then her gaze shifted to the "Liu Yue" standing at the edge of the battlefield, her lips moving silently as if she wanted to say something.
Then her eyes glazed over, and she fell limply to the ground—dead, her last look one of unyielding resentment.
「YOUNG MASTER!」
Witnessing "Sun Qian's" death, Sun Zhong's eyes turned blood-red with rage. He let out a roar that shook the heavens, burning his own essence blood to boost his power. The Zhao Clan's ancestor and the masked Saint Ascension Realm cultivator paled, retreating hastily to avoid his berserk counterattack.
But in the next moment, the body of the "Sun Qian" Ye Fan had just killed began to twist and warp, its features melting away to reveal the face of Liu Yue.
Silence descended over the battlefield—then erupted into chaos.
「YUE'ER! NOOOOO!!!」
Ye Fan's triumphant laughter turned into a heart-wrenching scream of agony.
「DAMN IT! That's the real Sun Qian! Stop him—NOW!」
The masked Saint Ascension Realm cultivator reacted first, his voice ringing out like a clap of thunder as he pointed at the fleeing "Liu Yue" and ordered the black-cloaked assassins to give chase.
You cursed inwardly, knowing your disguise had been blown. The Mimic Shadow Divine Ability still had its limitations, after all. But it didn't matter—you were already at the edge of the battlefield, free to run.
You unleashed the full power of the Fourth Layer of the Thousand Shadow Devil Art without hesitation. Eight shadowy doppelgängers burst forth from your body, their forms flickering like ghosts as they darted in eight different directions. You merged into the shadows, your true body vanishing without a trace.
The black-cloaked assassins swarmed after the doppelgängers, slashing wildly at empty air, unable to so much as graze the hem of your clothes. They could only watch in frustration as you slipped away into the night.
「The Thousand Shadow Devil Art!!!」
A cry of shock and disbelief rang out across the battlefield.