Eastern Wasteland Sacred Province.
Hundreds of zhang above the ground, an enormous mountain floated amid swirling clouds and mist, with a palace gleaming with dazzling golden light atop it.
Like a deity of the nine heavens, it radiated majesty.
A young man of eighteen or nineteen slowly emerged from the palace entrance. He wore a sea-blue robe and was incomparably handsome, as graceful as fine jade, with an otherworldly bearing.
With his hands behind his back, the young man glanced around the empty palace, the vast mountain, and the surrounding landscape. After a long while, he shook his head, then took a feather fan and leisurely reclined on a lounge chair made of spirit jade beside him. He sighed. "System, oh system, are you sure there's nothing wrong with transporting me to this deserted place?"
His name was Lin Yu. Half a month ago, he had transmigrated from Blue Star to this world and bound himself to a system called Hongmeng. The system had then gifted him Hongmeng Mountain and the Primordial Hall.
Hongmeng meant the source from which all things in the world arose, including the Heavenly Dao that governed this plane.
Proud and ambitious at first, Lin Yu had been full of confidence, thinking he would venture out of the uninhabited wilderness and carve out a place for himself in this world.
But after seeing that even a little mouse in the wilderness was as enormous and terrifying as two tigers, he abandoned that idea.
The dangers of this new world were not something an ordinary mortal like him could withstand yet.
Not long afterward, the system issued a beginner mission.
It tasked Lin Yu with telling someone's fortune and divining heaven's secrets. Hongmeng gave rise to all things, so the Hongmeng System could naturally uncover every secret in the world with ease.
The system also said that completing the mission would earn him extremely generous rewards.
Lin Yu was excited for only a brief moment before wilting. In such a rarely visited wilderness of primeval forest, it would be a miracle if anyone showed up.
Over the past half month, apart from various monkey-type demonic beasts, he had not seen a single living creature that bore any relation to humans.
Lin Yu resigned himself to his fate. He was absolutely safe as long as he stayed inside the Hongmeng Great Hall anyway. Being a salted fish here was fine too.
While Lin Yu lounged at ease, several streaks of light were hurtling through the sky hundreds of li from Hongmeng Mountain.
A red streak led the way, with four cyan streaks close behind.
Within the red light, Yu Hongyan wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth. Fighting her increasingly hazy consciousness, she desperately flew onward while rebuking them indignantly. "You sanctimonious hypocrites! You stooped to ambushing me and even drugged me with an aphrodisiac! Righteous sects? Pah!"
"Heh heh, against a demonic cult witch like you, righteous cultivators like us have no need for gentlemanly courtesy!"
"Exactly! Once we catch you, if you serve us well enough, we'll consider leaving your corpse intact!"
"That's right! Everyone has the right to slay members of the demonic cults. It's your good fortune, you demonic cult slut, to serve righteous cultivators of our True Nine Immortal Sect!"
"Why waste so many words on her? They say demonic witches have excellent skills. Once we catch her, why don't we have a taste?"
"..."
Several voices came from behind her. Four young men of distinguished bearing pressed close after Yu Hongyan, lewd smiles on their faces.
Yu Hongyan was filled with shame and fury, wishing she could tear them into ten thousand pieces. If she had not been gravely injured, killing these four with their paltry skills would have been effortless.
After all, she was the Holy Maiden of the demonic Night Moon Palace. Who would dare treat her like this?
To advance her cultivation realm, Yu Hongyan had gone out in search of an immortal herb. Along the way, she had accidentally wandered into an ancient restriction and suffered severe injuries.
What Yu Hongyan had never imagined was that, just as she escaped the restriction and prepared to heal, the four from the True Nine Sect had already been waiting behind her like orioles stalking their prey.
After successfully ambushing her, they had even forced her to take an aphrodisiac. Their intentions were all too easy to imagine.
She had escaped only by desperately overtaxing her potential in an explosive burst, but in her current condition, she feared she could not hold on much longer.
"Am I really going to fall into those four shameless scoundrels' hands today?"
Looking at the four pursuing her relentlessly, Yu Hongyan's expression was icy.
Rumors claimed she specialized in capturing men to harvest their essence and committed every imaginable evil. In truth, however, those she captured were all utterly wicked villains. The supposed essence harvesting was merely a rumor; she had always remained a virgin.
"Even if I have to self-detonate, I won't let these sanctimonious creatures have their way!!"
Yu Hongyan bit her lip hard. Even in death, she would never suffer humiliation at their hands!
"Hm? What's this?"
Just then, the enormous Hongmeng Mountain, its palace wreathed in immortal Qi, and the handsome Lin Yu reclining on a jade chair all came into view nearby.
Although Yu Hongyan did not know who he was, judging by the palace's appearance and Lin Yu's bearing, he was very likely one of the hypocritical righteous faction, so she planned to take a detour.
Lin Yu also noticed what was happening before him, but before he could react, he heard one of the cultivators behind the woman call out to him.
"We are cultivators of the True Nine Sect, pursuing a demonic cult witch. Your sect is to provide support at once..."
Li Da, who was leading the pursuit, looked at Lin Yu and shouted. His tone was arrogant, as though he thought nothing of Lin Yu's Primordial Hall.
Lin Yu curled his lip and said lazily, "I'm under no obligation to do your work for you."
Li Da frowned at that, then gave a dark, cold sneer. "Hmph! To think you're another demonic fiend! In that case, we'll eliminate you along with the witch!"
Yu Hongyan, who had been about to flee around the mountain, was immediately overjoyed upon hearing this, thinking she had encountered a fellow cultivator of the demonic path.
Those of the demonic path tended to be more freewheeling and cared little for formalities. Quite a few of their factions imitated the palace architecture of righteous sects. Encountering one now truly meant that heaven never barred every path.
Although the demonic factions did not all stand together, if she revealed her identity as the Holy Maiden of Night Moon Palace, she had no fear that he would refuse to help.
With that thought, Yu Hongyan summoned her escape light and swiftly landed in the plaza outside the Primordial Hall.
"Sorry to disturb you, fellow Daoist. I'm from Night Moon Palace... Huh, you?"
After a brief apology, Yu Hongyan was about to introduce herself when she suddenly froze.
The man before her had no spiritual power whatsoever. He was nothing more than an ordinary person.
She swept her divine sense over the entire palace and found no other living person either.
Upon realizing this, despair immediately showed plainly on Yu Hongyan's face. She had thought she was saved, only for heaven to play an enormous joke on her.
After letting herself relax just now, she could no longer muster any strength to flee.
She could only wait for death.
"Heh."
Yu Hongyan gave a bitter laugh and looked at Lin Yu. "I've dragged you into this. If there is another life, I'll serve you as an ox or a horse."
Yet Lin Yu seemed utterly unaware of the danger, continuing to sit comfortably in his lounge chair, his eyes leisurely closed. "It's not that serious. With me here, you'll be fine."
Lin Yu spoke those few words with absolute confidence, like a supreme mighty expert who held everything in his grasp. Yet Yu Hongyan frowned. The enemy was almost upon them, and this mortal was not only so calm, but so full of himself?
Could it be? Was he an idiot?