NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 4: This Works Too?
"Chen Xuan is cunning. Maybe he deliberately let me hear those thoughts… just to gain my trust?"
Liu Qingran nodded slightly, curling her lips into a detective-style smirk.
"That bastard really spares no effort."
He was probably even faking his inner thoughts just to deceive her.
"But still… seven days from now, I have to go."
"If I want to uncover the truth behind my clan's destruction, I must confirm whether Su Beichen truly exists."
A chill ran through Liu Qingran's body.
Seven days from now, she would personally go to the Wild Beast Mountains.
She would expose Chen Xuan's facade with her own hands.
Meanwhile, inside the Holy Son's Grand Hall,
Chen Xuan was deep in thought… about what to eat for dinner.
If he knew how Liu Qingran was wildly overanalyzing everything,
He would absolutely lose it.
He was already slacking off!
Why the hell would he bother with some elaborate schemes?!
More importantly, Chen Xuan had zero intention of getting involved in this mess.
That brainless woman was nothing but bad luck.
Being the Holy Son, enjoying his resources and status, was already a dream life.
Why the hell would he want to invite disaster upon himself?
Seven Days LaterWild Beast Mountains
A vast expanse of mountains, stretching endlessly, veiled in ethereal mist.
The roars of demonic beasts echoed through the peaks.
These mountains weren't far from the Desolate Ancient Sacred Land.
Rich in spiritual energy and hidden treasures, they were a prime location for training and exploration.
Many disciples of the sacred land would venture here—Liu Qingran included.
At This Moment—Inside a Cave in the Mountains
A young man stood up.
His expression was cold, his brows furrowed with a hint of hidden malice.
A dark aura surrounded him, making it hard for others to approach.
"Soul Elder, the time has finally come. This time, I won't fail."
Su Beichen glanced outside, then looked down at the ancient ring on his finger.
BOOM!
A shadowy, ethereal figure slowly emerged in the cave.
It was an old man, his body translucent and ghostly, barely more than a wisp of a soul.
He was none other than Su Beichen's golden-finger cheat—Soul Elder.
Once, he had been a supreme powerhouse of this continent.
"Brat, you are my first disciple, but this plan of yours still has too many holes."
"Liu Qingran is a celestial genius of the Desolate Ancient Sacred Land—her intelligence is extraordinary. Deceiving her won't be easy."
Soul Elder spoke in a calm, experienced tone.
Lately, Su Beichen had become obsessed with adding Liu Qingran to his harem.
As his teacher, Soul Elder couldn't bring himself to approve.
This plan had too many flaws.
Su Beichen had secretly studied Liu Qingran's training routine.
He knew that every month, she would come to these mountains for training.
So, he had devised a plan—
He would trigger a beast riot, surrounding Liu Qingran with a horde of monstrous creatures.
A lone woman, trapped among countless demonic and evil beasts—
Surely, she'd be scared out of her mind.
Then, once she had exhausted her spiritual energy, at her most desperate moment—
Su Beichen would make his grand entrance, saving her heroically.
Then, he'd escort her out of the mountains.
A life-and-death crisis like this—
Surely, Liu Qingran wouldn't be able to resist developing feelings for him.
While the plan sounded good, it was full of holes.
Over tens of thousands of years, countless battles and purges had been carried out by the Desolate Ancient Sacred Land.
As a result, the beast population here had stabilized.
Each territory had its own dominant beast king, maintaining a strict hierarchy.
Beast riots almost never happened.
If, all of a sudden, a massive beast horde broke out,
And Su Beichen just happened to be there at the right moment—
Even a three-year-old child would find that suspicious.
Let alone a top-tier genius like Liu Qingran.
"Master, you worry too much. I've already made all the necessary preparations."
Su Beichen tilted his head back, wearing an arrogant smirk.
His confidence in his plan was absolute.
Seeing Soul Elder remain silent,
Su Beichen added confidently,
"Master, don't worry. As long as I suffer a little injury at the right moment, Liu Qingran won't have any reason to doubt me."
"This is the classic 'self-sacrifice' tactic! Once the plan succeeds, I will enter the Desolate Ancient Sacred Land as her Dao partner."
"With my talent, my comprehension, and your guidance, it's only a matter of time before I take control of the entire sacred land."
"And when that happens, I'll use a hundred-thousand-year-old spirit ginseng to help you reconstruct your physical body!"
"Then, I'll lead the disciples of the sacred land to storm the Soul Hall and avenge you!"
Su Beichen spoke each word with unwavering determination, his gaze filled with absolute confidence and arrogance.
Hearing his grand, impassioned speech, Soul Elder chose to say nothing more.
"Sigh, as long as you have the heart, I'm satisfied."
That's what Soul Elder said aloud.
But in his heart?
"Kid, I've lived for hundreds of years, and you're seriously trying to sell me a dream?"
Was this even a real plan?!
If anyone actually fell for this, he'd laugh at them for two and a half years straight.
This shoddy, obvious scheme—where the hell did Su Beichen's confidence come from?
But the thing that shocked Soul Elder the most was—
In the original game's storyline, Su Beichen actually pulled it off effortlessly.
Liu Qingran, a celestial genius of the Desolate Ancient Sacred Land,
Didn't even question the situation—she just walked straight into the trap.
Soul Elder had thought about this for years, but he could never figure out why.
The answer was simple—
He didn't know that Su Beichen was the protagonist.
In the game, every character existed solely to serve Su Beichen's development.
No matter how impossible something seemed,
If it involved Su Beichen, it would have a 99.99% success rate.
"She's here!"
Su Beichen straightened up, locking onto a graceful, ethereal figure moving through the mountains.
The core of his plan—
Liu Qingran.
"No signs of a beast riot?"
"But… there is an unfamiliar spiritual energy lingering here."
Liu Qingran scanned her surroundings and came to a conclusion.
She had arrived early to the Wild Beast Mountains, investigating the area to see whether Chen Xuan's thoughts were actually true.
Awooo!
BOOM!
Roooar!
Awooooo!
The ground trembled violently, trees collapsed, and the entire mountain range shook.
From all directions, countless ferocious beasts charged toward Liu Qingran with bloodshot eyes,
As if they were being deliberately herded into attacking her.
"Hmm?"
"Just as expected."
Liu Qingran had prepared for this in advance.
She calmly drew her sword, showing not a trace of fear.
With a single swing—
A blinding wave of divine radiance erupted forth.
Countless flames surged, shaking the earth.
A roaring inferno, infused with unstoppable sword intent,
Swept across the beast horde like a tidal wave of destruction.
Everything in its path was reduced to ashes.
Even the most frenzied of demonic beasts, upon witnessing this heaven-defying attack,
Were instantly shocked back to their senses, not daring to take a single step forward.
Seeing that the beasts were hesitating,
Liu Qingran, determined to test Chen Xuan's claims,
Pretended to stumble and fall.
The moment the beast horde saw her collapse,
They immediately charged forward again, surrounding her from all sides.
Liu Qingran acted panicked, pretending to struggle desperately,
Making it look as if she was barely holding on, about to be overwhelmed.
"Now's my chance!"
Su Beichen's eyes lit up.
He couldn't hold back any longer—
He leaped into action!
Flashes of sword light struck down the beast leader closest to Liu Qingran.
Su Beichen adjusted his expression, revealing what he believed to be his most pure, innocent smile,
And gazed at Liu Qingran.
"Fairy maiden, are you alright?"
"I'm fine."
Liu Qingran's voice was cold and distant.
"That's a relief. My name is Su Beichen. May I know how to address you, Fairy Maiden?"
Su Beichen put on his most refined and elegant demeanor,
Skillfully slaying beasts while speaking with grace.
To ensure everything went smoothly,
Su Beichen had deliberately lured a group of Nascent Soul Realm demonic beasts into the area.
Even though he himself was only at the late-stage Qi Sea Realm,
As the Chosen One, fighting above his level was just another daily occurrence.
He moved gracefully, weaving through the demonic beasts with practiced ease.
"This actually works?"
Inside the ring, Soul Elder nearly lost it.