The only difference was that the characters who had originally existed only as images on a screen had now become real people, without the slightest incongruity.
Other than that, the surroundings were different too. The trees, the flowing water, even the weeds—everything felt utterly real, as if he really had stepped into the world of Liaozhai.
To test whether the immersive experience mode was truly as the introduction described, Ning Caichen read the entire Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio from beginning to end.
When he returned to reality, he was delighted to discover that not a moment had passed in the real world. The latest message in the Chat Group was still his reply: [Sunrise in the East, Invincible].
"No matter how many times I look at this Chat Group, its existence still feels utterly incredible! And now it's even mastered the power of time. It looks like the future will be bright for all of us in the group."
"But the immersion in this experience mode is just too strong! If I didn't remember having the Chat Group, and know I'm different from the Ning Caichen in the memory copy, I might not have been able to tell reality from fiction!"
Thinking this, Ning Caichen got some water and splashed his face. Once he had cleared his head, he resolutely opened The Myth.
To pull himself out of the role of "Ning Caichen" in the memory copy, he decided to fight fire with fire and use one memory copy to counter another.
After Ning Caichen had finished all the memory copies and shifted his consciousness back to the Chat Group, he was astonished to find it in a complete uproar.
I Want to be Zhao Gao: "Damn you, Yi Xiaochuan!"
Sunrise in the East, Invincible: "That reaction? Looks like you've finished watching The Myth! So, how does it feel to learn that your 'good friend' got you castrated, treated the sister you took in like a toy, and nearly got her killed?"
I Want to be Zhao Gao: "I won't let anything that happened in the memory copy happen to me!"
Poison Girl of Chuyun: "So you're planning to kill him outright?"
I Want to be Zhao Gao: "No. That would let him off too easily!"
I Want to be Zhao Gao: "He knew exactly what kind of person Liu Bang was, yet he introduced me to that street thug. That got me reduced to a government slave, and in the end I was castrated!"
I Want to be Zhao Gao: "He knew I was guarding the Night Pearl, yet he still came to steal it!"
I Want to be Zhao Gao: "Yi Xiaochuan was educated. He even studied Qin law under Xiang Liang. I refuse to believe he didn't know what charge I'd face if the Night Pearl went missing! It was a capital offense! He was so obsessed with Yushu that he never once considered what would happen to me!"
I Want to be Zhao Gao: "And after I did so much for him, he still accused me of being ruthless and said I shouldn't have sent people to their deaths?"
I Want to be Zhao Gao: "Hah! I, Gao Yao, am clearly not worthy of a good brother like that!"
Ever since he'd finished watching The Myth, Gao Yao felt clearer-headed than ever.
Yi Xiaochuan had cheated on his sister back in the modern era—and not just once.
Then, after arriving in the Qin dynasty, he hadn't changed his ways.
Not only had he gone around seducing wealthy women, he would later get involved with Yushu, the princess from beyond the frontier.
Why should he feel any loyalty toward a scumbag like that?
What's more, that scumbag would one day turn him into a thing neither man nor woman, then go on to harm his sworn sister.
Sunrise in the East, Invincible: "So what are you planning to do?"
I Want to be Zhao Gao: "Hmph. I'll make sure he can never be a man again. I'll turn everyone against him, ruin his reputation, and make sure he dies miserably!"
He wanted Yi Xiaochuan, that womanizing scumbag, to never touch another woman again—and to become enemies with all the women he loved!
He wanted Yi Xiaochuan, that bootlicker who devoted himself to Liu Bang, the future Emperor Gaozu of Han, to be relentlessly persecuted by the very man he groveled before!
He wanted Yi Xiaochuan, that hypocrite, disgraced and forever nailed to history's pillar of shame!
Poison Girl of Chuyun: "I support your decision! A scumbag like that would get off too easily if you killed him outright. It would be unfair to everyone he's hurt!"
Poison Girl of Chuyun: "And if you need anything, just ask. I may not be very strong, but I can still help out with things like poison!"
After catching up on Battle Through the Heavens and learning what her future held, Xiao Yi Xian still had some attachment to becoming an Alchemist, but she was no longer so opposed to using poison.
After all, she had the Woeful Poison Body. Anyone with that special constitution was destined to deal with poison. People with this constitution didn't need years of cultivating Dou Qi to grow stronger; they only needed to consume poison.
Their Woeful Poison Body would automatically transform the poisonous energy contained in the poison into a highly unusual form of poison Dou Qi. The more potent the poison, the greater the boost to their strength.
Sunrise in the East, Invincible: "Xiao Yi Xian is right. If you need help, just say the word! We're all friends in the same group, so of course we should help one another. Besides, taking down scumbags is everyone's responsibility!"
Gentleman Sword: "Count me in!"
Yue Buqun thought this was a rare chance to earn some goodwill. He had to get involved.
After all, he was the Gentleman Sword! How could he pass up a chance to help someone?
Seeing that even the hypocrite Yue Buqun had spoken up, Ning Caichen refused to be left behind.
Undead Knight: "Me too! But I've only just started cultivating, so I'm pretty weak. I also don't have the points to buy a Myriad Worlds Shuttle Card, so I probably can't do much for you... But I'll cheer you on in the group!"
I Want to be Zhao Gao: "Cheering me on is already more than enough! Thank you!"
I Want to be Zhao Gao: "Thank you all!"
Before you continue