I Faked My Death After Choosing the Wrong Protagonist - Chapter 1

The Illusory Mist Forest

It is also known as the Demon Mist Forest or the Forest of White Bones.

Countless cultivators have ventured here over the years, yet few have left alive. Many are mauled by demonic beasts before even stepping foot inside; those lucky enough to escape the fangs often succumb to the lethal miasma of the demon mist as they venture deeper.

Despite the danger, the temptation of its treasures is irresistible. The forest is home to an endless array of spiritual plants and rare minerals, making it the only place in the world where one can reap massive rewards without financial cost. It has become a proving ground for strength and status, drawing rival clans and mercenary groups in a never-ending, competitive tide.

The prize this time was the Seven-Leaf Kalpa Grass.

After dispatching the last of the Tier 6 demonic beasts, Shen Qingzhuo casually wiped his dagger clean and headed toward the thickest concentration of mist.

The Illusory Mist Forest lived up to its name: illusion and mist. Not only were demonic beasts of every tier ubiquitous, but the air was saturated with poisonous fog. A single lapse in focus could lead to a slow death, leaving nothing behind but a pile of bleached bones.

Shen Qingzhuo was an exception. He was immune to poison.

Whether it was a “newbie perk” from the System or a trait of his new body, he was not only highly cultivated and of noble status but also possessed a constitution that resisted all toxins. He had transmigrated here a year ago with a singular mission: find the young “Dragon Aotian” protagonist and assist him. Once the protagonist united the continent, Shen Qingzhuo could return home.

He pressed forward. The deeper he went, the more vibrant the strange flora became. This place, feared as the most perilous region in the Nine Provinces, looked like a surreal, dreamlike garden from within.

The Seven-Leaf Kalpa Grass was likely just ahead.

The wails of those trapped outside the forest faded into silence. Dressed in moon-white robes, Shen Qingzhuo remained elegant and unsullied, moving through this death trap with effortless grace. Suddenly, his focused determination wavered, and his cool, refined brow furrowed slightly.

Someone else had been here.

The Illusory Mist Forest only opened its gates on the first and fifteenth of every month; at any other time, the entrance was impossible to find. Who could have arrived before him?

Shen Qingzhuo pondered for a moment. Barring sheer luck, his competitor’s strength had to be formidable. He began to weigh the possibility of taking the grass from them.

The Seven-Leaf Kalpa Grass was true to its name: it had seven leaves, each small and rounded in the shape of a butterfly, glowing with a soft blue hue. The more precious the spiritual plant, the harder it was to grow; it took a century for a single stalk to mature. Having absorbed the essence of heaven and earth, the surrounding spiritual energy was incredibly dense. Typically, within a few miles of such a divine herb, other spiritual plants and beasts would be abundant.

Perhaps the other party hadn’t secured it yet.

Shen Qingzhuo heard the sounds of battle. Peering through his Mirror of Rebirth, he saw a youth clad in black surrounded by a pack of Snow Wolves. These were Tier 4 beasts not high-ranking individually, but dangerous in a pack of over twenty. The youth was heavily besieged.

He looked to be in a dire situation.

Shen Qingzhuo was not one to take unfair advantage. He could have waited for the wolves to exhaust the boy before stepping in to claim the herb with ease. But such a victory would be hollow.

However, by the time Shen Qingzhuo reached the scene, he found only a clearing littered with the remains of Tier 4 Snow Wolves. The youth was gone.

It seems he didn’t need my help after all.

Shen Qingzhuo stepped over the wolf carcasses, careful not to let the blood stain his hem. As the toxic miasma thickened, his curiosity regarding the boy grew. How did he navigate the poison for so long without showing signs of distress? Was his internal energy so profound, his cultivation tier so high that the demon mist had no effect on him?

In this world, power was worshipped. Anyone with a hint of talent would spend their entire lives and their families’ fortunes cultivating profound energy. The ranks were divided into Red, Yellow, Green, and Sky Profound, followed by the Saint, Imperial, and Divine realms.

The Sky Profound realm was already an extraordinary peak. Across the Nine Provinces, many great clans only produced one Sky Profound cultivator every few centuries. Most people spent their lives stuck at the Yellow Profound level, if they even reached that.

Shen Qingzhuo was one of the few at the Sky Profound realm.

According to the book, if the “Dragon Aotian” protagonist hadn’t met that accident three years ago, he would likely be at the Sky Profound realm by now as well. Seeing this youth, who had breached the Illusory Mist Formation before him, ignored the poison, and slaughtered a pack of beasts in record time Shen Qingzhuo felt a flicker of admiration for such a genius.

He was surprised, however. Though he hadn’t traveled much in the past year, he kept himself informed. The youth looked only sixteen or seventeen. Aside from the original protagonist, he hadn’t heard of any other genius cultivators in the Kingdom of Yun.

It was a pity the Mirror of Rebirth only showed objects and not people’s faces clearly; he truly wanted to see if the boy had reached the Seven-Leaf Kalpa Grass yet.

Though the poison didn’t affect him, the white-out conditions of the forest were a visual nightmare. Even Shen Qingzhuo had to rely on instinct to navigate. Vines snaked around every tree, and the threat of high-tier beasts loomed. These beasts were different from contracted spirit beasts; they lacked sapience and lived only to kill.

He moved cautiously, alert to every rustle of the wind.

Hiss… hiss…

Faint sounds drifted from ahead.

As the mist thinned slightly, Shen Qingzhuo spotted the black-clad youth again. Simultaneously, he saw the prize: beside a small rocky hill, bathed in a single, lonely ray of sunlight near a spring, stood the Seven-Leaf Kalpa Grass.

The youth’s back was turned to him. He was walking steadily toward the herb. But rising behind him was a Blood Python, thirty feet long and as thick as two grown men. Half its body was coiled on the ground while the other half towered high, its maw agape and its scarlet tongue flickering menacingly.

Black venom dripped from its tongue; where it hit the ground, spiritual plants instantly withered into ash.

Shen Qingzhuo’s heart tightened.

The youth paused for a split second. Then, with lightning speed, he plucked the Seven-Leaf Kalpa Grass from the dark soil. Just as the python lunged to swallow him whole, he vaulted away, narrowly escaping the beast’s jaws.

Enraged by the loss of its prey, the Blood Python abandoned its “gentle” approach. Its massive tail swept through the clearing, shattering trees and sending clouds of dust and mud into the air. After dodging several strikes, the youth drew several talismans. They flared with power, but Shen Qingzhuo could see they were insufficient. This Blood Python was at least a Tier 8 beast—a creature of absolute destruction.

“Watch your back! Don’t let the tail touch you!”

Shen Qingzhuo had no intention of hiding. He knew the youth had likely sensed him already. Since that was the case, there was no harm in fighting together.

As the python lunged again, Shen Qingzhuo landed gracefully in front of the youth. His dagger transformed into a longsword, piercing deep into the python’s tail-hook.

A Tier 8 Blood Python carried deadly venom in both its saliva and its tail.

The beast shrieked in agony, thrashing wildly. The youth seized the opening to strike at the python’s eyes, causing a flood of black blood to pour out.

The tail and eyes were its weakest points, but a Tier 8 beast remained a nightmare even when blinded. The pain only drove it into a berserk frenzy, its attacks becoming more violent.

However, it was facing a Sky Profound master, and there were two of them.

Fifteen minutes later, Shen Qingzhuo stood amidst the carnage, his moon-white robes still pristine. He walked toward the expressionless youth, tossing a Tier 8 beast core in his hand.

“Take this. It might be useful to you,” Shen Qingzhuo said, extending his hand.

Cores below Tier 3 were low-grade and of little use to serious cultivators. Tiers 4 to 6 were the standard for most; they were difficult to obtain and highly prized for cultivation or for sale on the black market. Anything Tier 7 or above was a catastrophe for anyone at the Green Profound realm or below usually resulting in death. A Tier 7 core appearing on the market would trigger a bidding war.

Shen Qingzhuo looked at him and smiled softly, his eyes bright like the moon.

The youth froze.

At such close proximity, the boy looked up to meet his gaze. He didn’t take the core. He seemed unaccustomed to speaking, and after a long silence, he asked awkwardly, “…Why give it to me?”

Shen Qingzhuo was direct. “You did half the work in taking it down. Besides, I have a favor to ask.”

The youth looked at him with hesitation.

“My name is Shen Qingzhuo.”

He introduced himself confidently. Though he had been a recluse for a year, he was certain there wasn’t a soul in the Kingdom of Yun who didn’t know that name.

“It’s like this: the Seven-Leaf Kalpa Grass in your hand is also what I’m looking for. Tell me your price to let me have it. I didn’t bring any crystals with me today, but if you go to the Shen Estate in Cloud City and give them my name, they will give you whatever you desire.”

The battlefield was a wreck the python’s toxic blood had scorched the earth and ruined the surrounding plants but neither of them cared. The mist had cleared, and a breeze stirred their hair and robes.

Shen Qingzhuo’s smile remained bright. He pulled out another item the weapon he had used to pierce the python. It was a dagger forged from ten-thousand-year-old cold-pond iron, inlaid with a beautiful blue gemstone.

“You don’t have to worry about me going back on my word. This is my personal spiritual tool; keep it as collateral.”

Seeing the youth remain silent, Shen Qingzhuo took the initiative. He reached out, grabbed the boy’s hand, and placed the dagger and the cleaned beast core into his palm, gently folding the boy’s fingers over them.

The moment those cool fingers brushed against him, Qi Ye’s heart gave a violent jolt. He nearly forgot how to breathe.

Shen Qingzhuo winked at him, his face full of hope.

“Crystals, medicinal pills, cultivation manuals, or even other spiritual herbs of the same tier, you can have whatever you want. I have a very important use for that Seven-Leaf Kalpa Grass. Will you let me have it? Please?”