You snapped back to your senses, your mind clearing instantly as you realized danger was closing in fast. Boom! A roar of rage, followed by the sounds of crashing and smashing, erupted from downstairs in the hotel. After two and a half hours of chaos, he'd finally arrived…
It was as if he knew your exact location—he charged straight for the top-floor Imperial Suite, cutting a path through the building like it was empty air, no one daring to stand in his way. You sensed something was terribly wrong. Why hadn't the protector the Sun Clan assigned you stepped in to stop him?!
Before you'd come to Magic City, the Sun Clan had stationed a Seventh-Rank Saint Ascension Realm powerhouse in the shadows to guard your safety. With a powerhouse like that watching your back, you'd been untouchable in this city. You immediately called out to your protector—but received no response.
Either your protector was already dead, or someone had him pinned down. Someone was trying to kill you!
Ye Fan, the so-called Destined Protagonist, was nothing but a pawn!
The mastermind pulling the strings wanted to use his hand to kill you. And Liu Yue's appearance from the start had been a trap. But the mastermind would never have guessed that because of Liu Yue, you'd broken the curse, awakened your Supreme Imperial Bone, and blasted your way up to the Third-Rank Profound Connection Realm.
You could feel Ye Fan's aura surging closer by the second—he was just on the other side of the wall. His cultivation base had already reached the Fourth-Rank Divine Ability Realm, and he'd clearly condensed some kind of formidable divine power. With your Supreme Imperial Bone active, you weren't afraid of him one bit. But you were deathly wary of the mastermind who'd lured your protector away. Without a second thought, you activated your Greased Lightning talent and bolted for the exit.
At the last second, a twinge of conscience hit you. You slapped the unconscious Liu Yue awake, leaving her staring at you in dazed confusion…
Boosted by the Greased Lightning talent, you skulked through the night like a rat, leaping off the hotel roof and gliding away into the darkness, vanishing without a trace in the blink of an eye. Ye Fan immediately changed course, chasing after you—but he couldn't even catch a whiff of your trail. He screamed in frustration, swearing up a storm: 「AAAAH, Sun Qian! How dare you lay a hand on my woman! I, Ye Fan, swear on my life—I WILL KILL YOU!」
You ignored the clown's tantrum behind you, running for your life, because that bone-chilling sense of dread was still clinging to you like a shadow. You didn't hesitate for a second—you dove into a nearby pool and hid.
Your Supreme Imperial Bone seemed to have the ability to mask your aura. With your presence concealed and the boost from the Destined Fate Energy you'd siphoned, that terrifying cold finally began to fade.
Just then, a pair of car headlights cut through the darkness. A Maybach pulled up, heading straight for you. You breathed a sigh of relief—it was your driver. Your driver, who was also the Seventh-Rank Saint Ascension Realm protector the Sun Clan had assigned you.
Overjoyed, you jumped out of the pool without hesitation and climbed into the car. You were about to demand an explanation for his earlier absence when a wave of ice-cold terror washed over you, screaming a warning in your bones. You realized something was wrong—but it was already too late.
The "driver's" head suddenly twisted two and a half times around his neck. Blood gushed from his seven orifices as he stared at you with a twisted, feral grin: 「Got you.」
RIIIP! A black, clawed hand suddenly shot out from the backseat, piercing straight through your chest and yanking your Supreme Imperial Bone right out of your body. Your eyes widened in utter disbelief—then the hand twisted, tearing your head clean off your shoulders.
In your final moments, you thought you heard the sound of gnawing—like some kind of monster was devouring your corpse.
You are dead. Simulation ended.
Final Settlement: Host may select 3 out of the following 5 rewards.1. Ancient Dragon Elephant Scripture (Level 3 - Profound Connection Realm)2. Awaken Forbidden Physique: Supreme Imperial Bone3. Permanently unlock Blue Talent "Greased Lightning" as an Innate Talent4. One Green Hat (Courtesy of Ye Fan)5. Partial Destined Fate Energy of Heroine Liu Yue (Lasts 3 days)
A line of blood-red, eerie text flickered to life in front of Sun Qian's eyes.
His gaze turned icy cold, his fists clenching so tight that his knuckles turned white.
This was a death trap specifically tailored for him! If everything played out like the simulation, he'd be dead before dawn!
「What a cunning mastermind… able to disguise himself so perfectly as the driver. He tricked the me in the simulation into lowering my guard and walking right into his trap. If it weren't for that, I might not have died at all.」
「This is a trap within a trap, every step calculated to the last detail. Liu Yue, the so-called Destined Heroine, and Ye Fan, the Destined Protagonist—both are just pawns in the mastermind's game. All of it, just to dig out my Supreme Imperial Bone.」
「Which means the mastermind has been plotting this for a long time. Ever since I came to Magic City… No—wait. It must have started back when I was still in the imperial capital of the Qianyuan Empire.」
「But the imperial capital is swarming with powerhouses—Heavenly Human Realm experts are a dime a dozen, and there's even an Earth Immortal in residence. That's why the mastermind didn't dare to make a move there. Instead, he manipulated events to force me to leave, driving me straight into this den of wolves in Magic City.」
「That little bastard Gu Ao was in on it. I thought it was strange at the time—he was practically begging for a fight. Normally, with my easygoing temperament, I never would have lost my temper and smashed his head twice for no reason. Which means he's either a co-conspirator… or just another one of the mastermind's pawns.」
Cold light flickered in Sun Qian's eyes, but he didn't let his anger cloud his judgment—if anything, he was thinking more clearly than ever.
It had been half a month since that incident in the imperial capital. He'd gotten into a fight with Gu Ao, that spoiled brat from the Gu Clan, over a woman at some entertainment venue. He'd even resorted to some underhanded tactics to win the fight. Which was why the Sun Clan had packed him off to Magic City to lie low until the heat died down.
The Gu Clan was one of the top-tier families in the empire, with their own Heavenly Human Realm ancestor to boot.
「So could the mastermind be the Gu Clan? Otherwise, how else could they have manipulated Gu Ao so easily? Damn it—there's still not enough information to be certain.」
「But even from just the simulation, it's clear that the Supreme Imperial Bone is enough to drive anyone mad… even Heavenly Human Realm powerhouses.」
Sun Qian let out a long, slow breath, his eyes drifting to the middle-aged driver, Sun Zhong, sitting in the front seat. A wave of relief washed over him.
For now, at least, he was safe.
Sun Zhong was a born-and-bred servant of the Sun Clan, loyal to the core. His cultivation base had long since reached the Seventh-Rank Saint Ascension Realm—a force to be reckoned with. He would throw his life away without a second thought to protect Sun Qian.
In the first simulation, the mastermind had gone to all the trouble of setting up a trap just to lure Sun Zhong away. Which meant he was deathly afraid of Sun Zhong's strength.
Otherwise, why bother with the charade? He could have just grabbed Sun Qian and dug out his bone directly.
Which meant… he still had the upper hand.
This game was far from over.
His eyes locked onto the final settlement rewards on the screen. Without a moment's hesitation, he made his choice.
「For the simulation rewards… I'll take options one, two, and three.」