Transmigrated into the Early-Deceased Alpha Fiancée of the Female Lead - Chapter 33

The night before the Gathering of Immortals, a man in a black robe stood silently atop the highest tower of Dinghai Pavilion.

His presence was completely concealed. No one sensed him. Between his fingers, he held the inner core of Fan Nimei.

He had taken it when he encountered Fan Nimei by chance in Tianman City. Her talent for illusions caught his interest, so he killed her effortlessly and took her core for himself.

This man was none other than the one the Zombie King had referred to before dying — An Xi.

It was An Xi who had given Lian Li the zombie forbidden art. Now, he stood at the peak of the Tribulation Stage, the highest realm in the cultivation world. He could summon the heavenly lightning to begin his ascension at any time.

But over thousands of years of cultivation, he had committed countless sins and taken too many lives. He feared that the karmic weight of his actions would bring a lightning tribulation far too great for him to survive.

Over two hundred years ago, he had once glimpsed the Heavenly Dao. He had hoped to use that moment to bypass the tribulation and ascend directly.

But just as he approached the celestial gate to the upper realm, the Heavenly Dao sensed his presence. A bolt of heavenly lightning struck him down. He barely escaped with his life, and even that single bolt had nearly destroyed him.

While recovering from his injuries, he met Lian Li and gave him the zombie forbidden technique. The plan was for Lian Li to create a Zombie King. Once that king had slaughtered enough cultivators and absorbed the dark yin energy of the mortal world, he would reach the Tribulation Stage himself.

At that point, An Xi planned to kill the Zombie King personally. By doing so, he could paint himself as the savior of the cultivation world. This “good deed” would reduce the karmic backlash he would face. Then, by using the Zombie King’s inner core to shield himself from the lightning, he would have a real chance at successful ascension.

The plan had been going smoothly until Zhu Changxuan appeared and destroyed the Zombie King.

And then there was Han Xuejin. She looked like one of those destined by the heavens. Her cultivation path would be smooth, and she would one day ascend without difficulty. He was filled with envy.

This time, An Xi came to Dinghai Pavilion with a new plan. He would take the inner cores of the four Nascent Soul stage elders here. If he could collect nine such cores, he might be able to sacrifice them to the heavens and use them to absorb the lightning.

Although this plan offered a lower chance of success than his original one, he no longer had time. The Zombie King had caused too much chaos. If he tried to use the zombie technique again, the Heavenly Dao might notice.

It was better to take the risk now, even if it was more brutal.

His first step was to quietly eliminate the four elders of Dinghai Pavilion. After that, he would kill Zhu Changxuan and Han Xuejin — both of whom now stood in his way. They were powerful, and Han Xuejin was one of those destined ones, but they were also part of the problem. Conveniently, some of their allies were also at the Nascent Soul stage.

What he had not expected was that Zhu Changxuan and Han Xuejin were already here at Dinghai Pavilion.

From what he had seen, Zhu Changxuan likely carried a power gifted by a cultivator who had already ascended. But that strength had clearly been used up. Now, there was no one in the entire cultivation world who could stop him.

He decided to take his time. One elder per day. He would let them feel fear. That was part of the fun.

As for Han Xuejin, the so-called chosen one, and Zhu Changxuan, who had ruined his plans — they would die last. He wanted them to taste fear before the end.

Laughing quietly to himself, he infiltrated the main building of Dinghai Pavilion. Using Fan Nimei’s inner core, he cast a powerful illusion on one of the Nascent Soul elders. Unaware of anything, the elder died silently in his own quarters.

The next morning, on the day of the Gathering of Immortals, disciples from Dinghai Pavilion left jade slips outside the rooms of every guest.

When Zhu Changxuan and Han Xuejin stepped outside, they found one of the jade slips waiting for them. It was an invitation, asking all attending cultivators to gather at the main hall for a discussion.

Han Xuejin wasn’t particularly interested, but she still turned to ask Zhu Changxuan, “Do you want to go?”

Zhu Changxuan replied, “Let’s take a look. If it’s boring, we can sneak out.”

Han Xuejin smiled slightly. “Alright.”

When they arrived at the main hall, they learned that something serious had happened.

One of the Nascent Soul elders of Dinghai Pavilion had been murdered in the night.

Inside the hall, everyone was tense. Their faces were filled with fear and worry.

If someone could silently kill a Nascent Soul stage elder, then killing the rest of them would be even easier.

Some guests suggested leaving the pavilion immediately. But the three remaining elders quickly made their position clear. No one was allowed to leave. Until the truth was uncovered, everyone inside was considered a suspect. Anyone attempting to flee would be treated as an accomplice.

In the end, there was no proper discussion at all. Instead, they simply began investigating the whereabouts of every person from the night before. Everyone was told to return to their rooms and wait.

Outside the pavilion, the entire market area was shaken by the news of the elder’s death. Merchants shut down their stalls. All events including auctions, temple fairs, and lantern displays were canceled. Most people didn’t even dare step outside. Disciples of Dinghai Pavilion began patrolling every corner of the island.

Back in their room, both Zhu Changxuan and Han Xuejin sat in silence, their expressions serious. It was no small thing for a Nascent Soul cultivator to be killed without a trace.

The feeling of unease Zhu Changxuan had almost forgotten came rushing back all at once.

Seeing her look so unsettled, Han Xuejin gently took her hand and said in a quiet, steady voice,

“Don’t worry. No matter what happens, I will protect you.”

Zhu Changxuan looked serious and said,
“If something really happens, you have to protect yourself first.”

Han Xuejin pressed her lips together, clearly unwilling to agree.

Zhu Changxuan gently took her cool hand and held it.
“Promise me. Take care of yourself first.”

Han Xuejin sighed softly.
“Alright.”

Even so, if danger truly came, her first thought would still be Zhu Changxuan’s safety.

The next day, another Nascent Soul elder from Dinghai Pavilion was found dead.

This time, the two remaining elders could no longer stay calm. They ordered all cultivators on the island to gather in the main hall immediately.

At the current pace, one of the two remaining elders would likely die next.

To prevent this, they decided that everyone should stay together inside the main hall. Since most cultivators could go several days without food or sleep, keeping watch for a few nights was not a problem.

If everyone was gathered in one place, any unusual movement would be easier to notice.

Most cultivators chose to follow their orders, as the elders were powerful and respected.

A small number, however, tried to escape. Some were caught by Dinghai disciples and dragged back. A few managed to sneak off the island.

Zhu Changxuan and Han Xuejin also went to the main hall. Han Xuejin had wanted to take her away from Dinghai Pavilion, but Zhu Changxuan insisted they stay.

She felt that if they left now, they might lose something important. And no matter where they went, they would still face what was coming.

Han Xuejin could only agree, knowing she would protect Zhu Changxuan no matter what.

Inside the hall, even the calmest cultivators wore grim or frightened expressions.

No one had expected something like this to happen during the Gathering of Immortals.

Zhu Changxuan found her thoughts drifting. What if she and Xuejin had never come to Dinghai Pavilion? No, it wasn’t that simple. Even if they had stayed away, this still would have happened. Somehow, she would have ended up involved.

But why did she feel so certain?

Who was behind all of this?

Could someone be hiding in plain sight, pulling the strings from the shadows?

While she wrestled with these thoughts, she didn’t hear Han Xuejin quietly call her name.

It was only when a familiar, cool hand interlaced its fingers with hers that she snapped out of it.

Han Xuejin looked at her with concern.
“What’s wrong?”

Zhu Changxuan forced a smile and shook her head.
“It’s nothing.”

In the darkness, An Xi watched them with amusement. These foolish cultivators actually thought gathering together would keep them safe.

It didn’t matter how many ants gathered in one place. They were still just ants. Crushing them would be effortless.

He took his time, enjoying their fear, their arguments, their growing suspicion.

As the sky darkened, the main hall remained brightly lit. Everyone was fully alert and ready.

An Xi smiled to himself. They were all so afraid of dying. He might as well be merciful and end it for them all tonight.

He strolled calmly toward the main hall, not bothering to hide his presence.

The two remaining elders felt his overwhelming murderous aura the moment he stepped inside. Neither of them had ever seen this man in black robes before.

One of them spoke firmly.
“Who are you?”

Han Xuejin also reacted instantly. She stepped protectively in front of Zhu Changxuan, her entire body on guard.

Other cultivators sensed the threat as well. Some even drew their swords.

An Xi looked at them with disgust. Then he held up Fan Nimei’s inner core and used his full Tribulation Stage power to activate his strongest illusion spell.

The inner core shattered under the force of his spirit energy. He tossed the pieces aside. It didn’t matter. This was the last time he needed it anyway.

In a flash, nearly every cultivator in the hall collapsed into an illusion.

Only Zhu Changxuan remained standing. She caught Han Xuejin before she hit the ground.

Looking around, Zhu Changxuan realized she and the black-robed man were the only ones still conscious.

Everyone else had fallen.

She briefly considered pretending to faint too, but the man’s gaze was already locked on her. If she tried to fake it, she had a feeling she would really never wake up again.

Zhu Changxuan stood firm and stared at him cautiously.

“Who are you?”

An Xi was a little surprised. Zhu Changxuan had not fallen into the illusion.

According to the illusion he had cast using Fan Nimei’s inner core, only cultivators at the Ascension Stage or above should have been able to resist it. The strongest person present was only at the Nascent Soul Stage. So how had she avoided it?

He didn’t attack her right away. Instead, he carefully examined her cultivation level.

So she was only at the early Nascent Soul Stage.

Even though he couldn’t understand why she was immune to the illusion, someone at that level posed no threat.

She must have used up whatever trump card she had back when she helped kill the Zombie King. He had been near Tianman City at the time and had sensed a surge of power stronger than the Ascension Stage.

At most, she could only be hiding Ascension-level strength now. He, on the other hand, was at the peak of the Tribulation Stage. He had no reason to be afraid.

An Xi stared at Zhu Changxuan, sorting out his thoughts in an instant. He also heard her ask who he was.

He felt no need to kill her right away. After all, he was someone about to ascend to the upper realm. For now, he just wanted to toy with the lower world a little longer. No one knew about his return yet.

Killing them all at once would be far too boring.

He hadn’t even seen true despair on her face yet.

With a twisted smile, An Xi said,
“Who am I? Since you’re about to die, I don’t mind telling you.”

While listening to his long-winded, smug speech, Zhu Changxuan was thinking hard about what she could do.

But no matter how she thought it through, there was no way out.

Trying to fight him would be like throwing an egg at a stone. It was always the egg that broke.

Just as An Xi’s voice was turning dry from all his monologuing, he noticed that Zhu Changxuan wasn’t even paying attention. Enraged, he suddenly moved.

In a flash, he appeared beside the two fallen Nascent Soul elders and ripped out their inner cores.

He did it not to kill them for good, but simply to frighten Zhu Changxuan.

And it worked.

She was shocked. His speed was terrifying. She hadn’t even seen him move before it was already done.

Quickly, she laid Han Xuejin gently on the ground and stood up, drawing her sword, Mo Ting, and preparing to fight.

An Xi smiled again when he saw how tense she looked.

Then, as if playing a game, he darted toward her and casually summoned a wave of spiritual force as vast as the ocean, using it to toy with her.

Zhu Changxuan struggled to block each of his attacks. Her arms trembled under the pressure, her grip nearly slipping, her hands growing numb. Every blow sent painful shocks up her arms.

But she clenched her teeth and held her ground.

She could tell exactly what he was doing.

This madman could have killed her in an instant. Instead, he was drawing it out on purpose, enjoying her suffering like some sadistic beast.

Support Transmigrated into the Early-Deceased Alpha Fiancée of the Female Lead