The Misty Cloud Sect's Sky Cloud Plaza had been transformed by system code into a circular amphitheater. Virtual interfaces such as "Plot Progress Bar" and "Audience Emotion Value" floated all around it. Xiao Feng and Xiao Yan blended into the crowd, watching Nalan Yanran stand at the center of the dueling platform in her wedding robes. The system rune between her brows flashed with an eerie blue light, and every movement she made was stiff and mechanical.
"After today, there will be no more good-for-nothings in the Xiao Clan!" Yun Leng stood at the judges' dais, the System Command Flag in his hand seeping black blood. "Xiao Yan, step forward and accept the challenge!"
A uniform cry of "Kill!" rang out from all around the plaza. Xiao Feng noticed code flowing through the eyes of the Misty Cloud Sect disciples in the stands. They had clearly been completely controlled by the system template. He sent a message to Xiao Yan: "Xiao Yanzi, Nalan Yanran's Dou Qi is locked by the system at Three-Star Dou Wang. This fight has been a trap from the very beginning."
Xiao Yan gripped the Heavy Xuan Ruler, but the Flame Emperor Fire on its surface suddenly surged out of control, leaving scorch marks along the edge of the dueling platform. "Third Brother, my Heavenly Flames... It feels like something is pulling at them!"
Ding! "Plot Kill: Daughter-Slaying" program triggered! Host Xiao Yan's Flame Emperor Fire is being forcibly redirected by the system toward Nalan Yanran's heart!
The system notification rang out like thunder. Xiao Yan stared in horror as his hand swung out of his control, sending a stream of fire piercing through Nalan Yanran's defenses and sinking into her heart before everyone's eyes. The crowd erupted in an uproar. Yun Leng seized the moment to raise the flag high. "Xiao Yan of the Xiao Clan has slain a woman and disgraced the sect! His crimes are unforgivable!"
"No!" Xiao Yan rushed toward Nalan Yanran, only to be hurled back by the System Barrier. Only then did he notice the eerie smile on Nalan Yanran's lips. There was no blood on the wound in her chest; instead, blue code spilled out. She was nothing but a puppet projection generated by the system!
"We've been tricked!" Xiao Feng lashed out with an Emperor Flame Chain and wrapped it around Yun Leng. "The real Nalan Yanran is hidden in the back mountain of the Misty Cloud Sect! These are all illusions created by the system template!"
Yun Leng gave a savage grin and crushed the flag. The plaza floor suddenly split open, revealing the Soul-Devouring Insect Nest beneath it. Swarms of insects surged forth like a flood of code. "Sons of Xiao Zhan, did you think you could break the system template? Today, I'll show you what true 'plot crushing' looks like!"
System kill array activated! "Wanted Across the Continent" plot triggered! Xiao Yan has been marked as a "woman-slaying fiend." Hostility from NPCs across the map is MAX! Xiao Feng cannot use any power except Emperor Flame. His health is continuously decreasing!
Xiao Yan felt chains binding the Dou Qi throughout his body. The "Villain Value" on the system interface soared wildly, and even the medicinal ingredients in his Storage Ring were labeled "evidence of a crime." Seeing this, Xiao Feng resolutely unleashed Emperor Flame Domain: Heaven-Defying Fate. Orange-red flames swept across the plaza, burning the system's "continuous health loss" rule to fragments. "Xiao Yanzi, use Fire Lotus: True Self to break the illusion!"
Xiao Yan gritted his teeth and circulated the Flame Mantra. Dual Flame Heart Fire gathered in his dantian. This time, he didn't form the Fire Lotus according to the system template. Instead, he infused it with memories of refining medicine with Yao Lao, the unspoken understanding he shared with Xun'er, and his life-or-death battles with Medusa. As the flames took the shape of a lotus, the outline of the Xiao Clan crest emerged faintly within it.
Ding! The system has detected that host Xiao Yan has triggered the "anti-template" trait. System rules have failed!
Reward: "True Self Fire Lotus" skill, which ignores all plot locks!
The moment the Fire Lotus exploded, all the illusions vanished. The real Nalan Yanran was hanging from the System Altar in the Misty Cloud Sect's back mountain, code chains piercing all four of her limbs. Her eyes were filled with pain and defiance. Xiao Feng soared through the air and brought down his Emperor Flame battle blade. The chains snapped, and he caught Nalan Yanran, carrying her to safety. Then he saw a dagger engraved with the character "Hun" embedded in her chest.
"Young Master Xiao..." Nalan Yanran coughed up black blood. "Yun Leng used the system template to alter the sect's records. The real Three-Year Agreement... was replaced long ago with a trap called 'Slay the Daughter to Raise the Banner'..."
Xiao Yan charged up behind him and slammed the Heavy Xuan Ruler into the altar, sending cracks through the system core. "Hun Dan really is here! Third Brother, look at the altar's markings. This is the Soul Clan's Soul-Devouring Reincarnation Array!"
Before he had finished speaking, Hun Dan's phantom seeped out through the cracks. He manipulated the torrent of code on the altar, trapping Xiao Yan and Xiao Feng in its center. "Sons of Xiao Zhan, congratulations on seeing through the system illusions—but the sooner you see through them, the deeper your despair!" He waved his hand and summoned eighteen "system puppets," assembled from the skeletons of generations of Misty Cloud Sect experts. "These are all 'plot bosses' enhanced by the system, made specifically to bring your story to an end!"
Xiao Feng handed Nalan Yanran over to Xiao Yan as Emperor Scale patterns spread across his body. "Xiao Yanzi, keep her safe. I'll take care of these 'plot bosses.'" He swung his blade at the nearest puppet, only to see it unleash the Misty Cloud Sect's long-lost Storm Wind Sword Art. Every strike precisely predicted his movements.
Ding! The system puppet has triggered the "plot crushing" skill. Host Xiao Feng's attack hit rate: -70%!
"Interesting." Xiao Feng gave a cold laugh. Emperor Flame suddenly transformed into countless sparks, each one forming a phantom image of him. "But my flames have never had only one true body!"
The sparks exploded all at once, and amidst the sea of flames, the puppets' "plot prediction" completely failed. Xiao Yan seized the chance to pour Dual Flame Heart Fire into Nalan Yanran's body, burning through the code chains in her meridians. She suddenly opened her eyes, and her Dou Qi surged to Five-Star Dou Wang—the true strength the system template had suppressed.
"Master Xiao, Xiao Yan, you have to leave!" Nalan Yanran forced herself upright. "Yun Leng hid a System Nuke inside the sect. If it explodes, the entire Jia Ma Empire will be assimilated by the template!"
Xiao Feng's pupils contracted. He turned toward the Misty Cloud Sect's main peak, where a black mushroom cloud of code was rising. Without hesitation, he grabbed Xiao Yan and Nalan Yanran. Emperor Flame became a streak of light as he broke through the sky. "Xiao Yanzi, use your Fire Lotus to hold off the puppets! I'll defuse the bomb!"
Xiao Yan nodded. The True Self Fire Lotus formed in his palm. This time, the lotus was no longer focused on destruction alone; it bore the Dao patterns of "burning away all falsehood." The instant the Fire Lotus struck the altar, the system core let out a piercing alarm, and Hun Dan's phantom shattered into fragments. "Impossible! How could you break both the system template and the Soul-Devouring Insect Array at the same time?"
"Because our story has never been written by the system!" Xiao Yan smashed the system core and watched Xiao Feng's retreating figure. Dual Flame Heart Fire formed a protective barrier around him. "Third Brother, I believe in you—just as you've always believed in me!"
Before you continue