Chapter 1 Reborn as Scum
"The Arrogant Immortal Demon Path" is a YY harem novel.
To be more specific, "The Arrogant Immortal Demon Path" is an incredibly long novel with an overpowered cheat system, a harem approaching three digits, and all the female characters in the book falling for the protagonist—a monster-slaying cultivation novel with a satisfying plot.
The most popular harem novel of the year, bar none!
The male protagonist of this book, Luo Binghe, does not follow the typical "overpowered protagonist" or "trash-to-hero" trope, yet he still became a sensation among millions of readers on the Zhidian Literature Network, influencing countless subsequent imitations of YY novels.
He goes for a dark style.
Before his transformation into a villain, he was a tragic hero.
Now, let the seasoned reader Shen Yuan, omitting countless fan service elements, briefly summarize this monumental work of tens of millions of words for everyone.
Luo Binghe was abandoned by his parents at birth. He was wrapped in a white cloth, placed in a wooden basin, and floated downstream.
He was pulled from the river by fishermen during the coldest days of winter, thus escaping death as a child. Because he drifted on the Luo River during a time when the river was covered with thin ice, he was given this name.
He spent his childhood wandering the streets, never having enough to eat or wear, a bleak existence. A washerwoman from a wealthy family, seeing his pitiful state and having no children of her own, adopted him and raised him as her own. Mother and son lived in poverty, enduring endless humiliation and mistreatment while dependent on the wealthy.
The extremely unhealthy upbringing Luo Binghe experienced from a young age sowed the seeds for his later twisted personality, characterized by pettiness, vindictiveness, a cruel heart, and a hypocritical smile.
He endured beatings from the young masters of the manor for a bowl of lukewarm meat porridge, but in the end, he was too late and couldn't let his mother taste it before she passed away.
By chance, Luo Binghe was chosen by the Cangqiong Mountain Sect, one of the four great immortal cultivation sects of the time, and became a disciple of Shen Qingqiu, the "Xiuya Sword".
He thought things would finally be on the right track, but little did he know that Shen Qingqiu was all show and no substance, a person of low character. He was jealous of Luo Binghe's unparalleled talent and feared this disciple whose cultivation progressed by leaps and bounds every day. He constantly mocked and ordered him around, and even his fellow disciples looked down on him. Several years of studying, enduring humiliation and hardship, became another heartbreaking and tearful tale.
Luo Binghe grew up to be sixteen years old through many hardships and difficulties, and finally ushered in the Immortal Alliance Conference, a grand event held every three years in the cultivation world. During this Immortal Alliance Conference, Luo Binghe was ambushed by Shen Qingqiu and fell into the rift at the border between the Demon Realm and the Human Realm—the Abyss of No Return.
Little did they know, this was just the beginning of the story!
Luo Binghe not only survived, but also found his peerless sword "Heart Demon" in the Abyss of No Return. He also learned about his origins through this discovery.
It turns out that Luo Binghe was the offspring of a demon king and a human woman, their love blossoming together. He possessed the blood of both an ancient demon and a human. His biological father was imprisoned beneath a high mountain, never to rise again; his biological mother was a disciple of a prestigious sect of cultivators, expelled from her sect for having an affair with a demon. She endured humiliation and hardship, escaping countless pursuits, but died after giving birth to Luo Binghe from postpartum hemorrhage and starvation.
She used her last bit of strength to lift her own child off the lonely birthing boat, hoping for a glimmer of hope.
Luo Binghe used the Heart Demon Sword to break the seal on his demonic bloodline, and devoted himself to cultivation in the dark abyss, comprehending unparalleled divine skills before returning to the Cangqiong Mountain Sect.
From here on, Luo Binghe resolutely marched down the path of darkness.
His former enemies all met tragic ends at his hands, suffering unimaginable torment. With his increasingly adept use of disguise and manipulation, Luo Binghe, two-faced and hypocritical, gradually gained trust, seized power, and rose rapidly through the ranks, unleashing a tidal wave of bloodshed.
As the plot unfolds, Luo Binghe's descent into darkness becomes increasingly severe. He returns to the Demon Realm, inherits the throne of the Holy King, but remains unsatisfied, and begins a bloody purge and extermination of all major cultivation sects in the human realm, eradicating any voices that oppose him!
In the end, Luo Binghe, a legendary immortal and demon, unified the three realms and the vast land; he had countless concubines and endless descendants!
"Stupid author, stupid writing!"
This was the last thing Shigenaki could say before he breathed his last.
Imagine a model young man who dutifully spends money to buy VIP access and read the official version. The book he insisted on finishing before his death was such a terrible novel that was only good for entertainment. How could he not curse it?
"The Arrogant Path of Immortals and Demons", by Xiang Tian Da Feiji.
Just looking at this ID gives off a lewd vibe. It's written like a primary school student, full of cringe-worthy moments. Even Shen Yuan would be embarrassed to call the author's chaotic, utterly unsystematic framework a cultivation setting.
Everyone seems to have their intelligence swallowed up by the protagonist's domineering aura.
Especially Luo Binghe's master, that Shen Qingqiu, is simply the worst of the worst, and the worst of the worst scumbags!
His purpose in existence is to court death, and then, when he fails, he gets killed by the protagonist!
So why did Chenyuan read such a book, and even read it to the end?
Don't get me wrong, Shen Yuan isn't being a jerk. This reason is also what's most frustrating for him:
This story is riddled with foreshadowing and plot holes, filled with mystery and shrouded in mist. In the end—not a single one was solved!
It was like a mouthful of blood rising from the sky!
Who exactly is the murderer behind those several tragic incidents? Where are those several stunning girls who were promised to be added to the harem? What were all those big-name, incredibly powerful characters for, and why didn't they ever show up in the end?! Brother Xiangtian, Brother Feiji, and Juju, can we make a deal to fill in the gaps?!
Shen Yuan felt that he could be so angry that he would come back to life.
In the endless darkness, a mechanical voice echoed in his ears.
[Activation Code: "Stupid Author, Stupid Work". System will be automatically triggered.]
"Who are you?" The tone of voice sounded like Google Translate. Shen Yuan looked around; he felt as if he were floating in an imaginary space, where he couldn't see his own hand in front of his face.
The voice was omnipresent: "Welcome to the system. Based on the development philosophy of 'you can do it all,' this system aims to provide you with the best experience. We sincerely hope that during your experience, you will achieve your desired results, transforming this idiotic article into a high-end, sophisticated, and classy classic. Have a pleasant time."
In his dizziness, a man's voice whispered in his ear, "...Junior brother? Junior brother, can you hear me?"
Shen Yuan jolted awake, steadied himself, and forced open his drooping eyelids. The scene before him seemed to swirl with thousands of flowers and leaves, before finally overlapping and merging together, gradually becoming clear.
He was lying on a bed.
Looking up, there is a bed canopy covered in white gauze, with delicate sachets hanging from the four corners.
Looking down, I saw myself dressed in white, with an antique air, and a paper fan leaning against my pillow.
Looking to the left, a handsome man with his hair tied up in black sat on the side of the bed, looking at you with concern.
Shen Yuan closed his eyes, suddenly reached out and touched the folding fan, then swung it open with a whoosh, fanning away the cold sweat streaming down his face.
The man's eyes lit up with joy as he asked gently, "Junior Brother, you're finally awake! Is there anything else that's bothering you?"
Shen Yuan said, "...It's alright."
The amount of information was a bit overwhelming, and Shen Yuan, still confused, tried to sit up. Seeing this, the stranger quickly reached out to support his back, helping him lean against the headboard.
Shen Yuan was always a cautious person. Before he understood the situation, he pretended to have just woken up and was in a daze, asking, "Where...am I?"
The man was taken aback and said, "Are you really still half asleep? This is your Tranquil Peak."
Shen Yuan was startled, but continued to feign fainting: "Why...why have I been unconscious for so long?"
The man sighed and said, "I haven't asked you yet. Why did you suddenly develop a high fever? I know that the Immortal Alliance Conference is approaching, and you are eager to teach your disciple. But with the current foundation and reputation of our Little Heavenly Palace, even if we don't send anyone to the conference, no one will dare to question us. Why do you care about those empty titles?"
The more Shen Yuan listened, the more uneasy he felt. Why did those words sound so familiar?
Wait, why does this premise sound so familiar?
Then, the man's earnest remark finally confirmed his suspicions.
"Junior Brother Qingqiu, are you listening to your senior brother?"
Then, with a "ding," the mechanical voice from the dream, like Google Translate, rang out again.
[System activation successful! Bound character: Shen Qingqiu, master of Qingjing Peak of Cangqiong Mountain Sect, Luo Binghe's master. Weapon: Xiuya Sword. Original B-grade: 100.]
"What the hell are you? It sounds like you're talking directly into my head. What's with this 'The Proud Immortal Demon Path' vibe?"
Chen Yuan didn't say it aloud, but the voice quickly responded.
[Your system execution command has been linked to the account 'Shen Qingqiu'.]
As the story unfolds, multiple indices will gradually be unlocked. Please ensure that none of these indices fall below 0. Otherwise, the system will automatically impose penalties.
Stop. That's enough. Shigenagaki has made up his mind.
He was reborn.
He was reborn into a dark, harem novel that he had just finished reading and even disliked. And he came with some kind of weird system. Shen Qingqiu quickly accepted this fact.
He is Shen Qingqiu, the male protagonist's scumbag master who deserves to die a horrible death. Well... uh, the situation is a bit complicated.
The man next to him is Yue Qingyuan, the current leader of the Cangqiong Mountain Sect, Shen Qingqiu's senior brother, and known as the "Mysterious Sword." Holy crap.
Shen Yuan specifically called out "Holy crap" for Yue Qingyuan for a very important reason—in the original work, Yue Qingyuan was killed by his good junior brother Shen Qingqiu!
They died such a horrible death!
Pierced by a thousand arrows, his body was never found!
The victim's face, showing concern and care in front of this "murderer," must be under immense pressure!
However, judging from the current situation, the plot has clearly not progressed to that point. Yue Qingyuan is still perfectly fine, which means that Shen Qingqiu has not yet been exposed as a hypocrite and has not yet been completely disgraced.
Yue Qingyuan was just a nice guy, nothing to be afraid of. Shen Yuan actually quite liked this character while reading the book. As he felt a little relieved, a line of text strangely surfaced in his mind.
[...In the pitch-black room, an iron chain hung from the rafters. A ring was attached to the end of the chain, fastened to a person's waist. If that could still be considered 'human'. This 'person' was disheveled and filthy, like a madman. Most horrifyingly, all four of his limbs had been severed. His shoulders and thighs were just four bare lumps of flesh. Touching them would elicit a hoarse 'ah ah' sound. His tongue had also been forcibly removed, so he couldn't utter complete sentences.]
↑ Selected excerpt from "The Arrogant Immortal Demon Path," Shen Qingqiu's ending.
Shen Yuan, no, Shen Qingqiu lowered his head and rubbed his forehead.
He has no right to lament the tragic deaths of others; he himself suffered the most tragic death!
We must never make a grave mistake!
Nip it in the bud before it happens!
From this moment on, I'll cling to the male lead like crazy!
Be a kind and gentle teacher and friend who teaches with earnest care and tenderness, and show him concern and care in every possible way!
The moment the thought crossed Shen Qingqiu's mind, a long string of alarm sounds suddenly exploded in his head, like a hundred police cars sirens blaring past, making him shudder and clutch his head in pain.
Yue Qingyuan immediately asked with concern, "Junior brother, do you still have a headache?"
Shen Qingqiu gritted his teeth and remained silent. The system sharply warned: [Warning. Your intentions were extremely dangerous. This is a violation of regulations. Please do not attempt it, or the system will automatically impose penalties.]
"Where is the violation?"
[Your character is currently at the initial level, and OOC (Out of Character) behavior is frozen. This will be unfrozen after completing the initial stage tasks. Before this is unfrozen, any actions that violate the original 'Shen Qingqiu' character setting will result in a deduction of points.]
As a semi-otaku, Shen Qingqiu used to occasionally read fanfiction, so he knew what OOC meant. "Out of character" is an abbreviation for the full meaning of a character's personality; it literally means that the character is out of character and doesn't conform to the original character's personality.
"...So, before that function is unfrozen, my behavior cannot exceed the scope of what 'Shen Qingqiu' would do?"
[Correct understanding.]
This directly led to his rebirth and replacement of Shen Qingqiu's body, so why would he care about details like OOC?
Shen Qingqiu asked again, "You just said something about... the index not being able to go below 0. What would happen if it went below 0?"
You will be automatically relocated back to your original world.
The original world? But in the original world, Shen Yuan's physical body was already dead.
In other words, if all his points are deducted, what awaits him is death!
So, is it okay if I ignore the male lead and do nothing?
He looked up and glanced around, but didn't see anyone among the disciples serving him who matched Luo Binghe's appearance. He feigned nonchalance and asked, "Where is Luo Binghe?"
Yue Qingyuan paused, looking at him strangely.
Shen Qingqiu remained expressionless, but secretly wondered. Could it be that the timing was off, and the male lead hadn't yet become a disciple of the Little Heavenly Palace?
Yue Qingyuan said, "Junior brother, don't be angry."
A sense of foreboding arose in Shen Qingqiu's heart.
"I know you don't like him. But that child was born with poor aptitude, and he has already tried his best. Please don't punish him anymore."
Shen Qingqiu's lips went dry, and he licked them. "...Just tell me, where is he?"
Yue Qingyuan was silent for a moment, then said, "After you hung him up and beat him, didn't you always lock him in the woodshed?"
Shen Qingqiu's vision went black.
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