Chapter 3: The difference between the protagonist and the villain is not one-star-to-one

“Ahhhhh—”

A piercing scream echoed through the valley.

“Help! Is anyone… Yan Hanzhou! You bastard, Yan Hanzhou, come out!” Ning Yin sat on a forked branch ten meters above the ground, clutching the trunk of an ancient tree and crying her heart out, startling the birds into flight.

After being dragged off the cliff by Yan Hanzhou, Ning Yin’s memory was a complete blur.

She vaguely remembered Yan Hanzhou teaching her some kind of incantation and telling her to recite it, but she had been so terrified by the sensation of falling off that thousand-meter cliff that her mind went blank—she didn’t catch a single word. When she woke up, she found herself hanging alone on a tree branch, calling out to the heavens and the earth with no response.

Her trembling hands clung tightly to the trunk. Looking around, all she saw were ancient trees shrouded in cool mist, stretching endlessly upward. Glancing down, her legs trembled and her heart pounded wildly.

It’s fine, it’s fine.

“Ning Yin” was at least at the Foundation Establishment Stage. She’d survived jumping off such a high cliff, so a mere ten meters was nothing.

Come on, Ning Yin, you can do this!

Ning Yin slowly straightened her back, hugging the branch and shakily standing on it. A gust of wind blew, sending the fallen leaves swirling through the air. Judging by how thick the carpet of leaves was below, Ning Yin guessed that falling wouldn’t be too bad.

After countless pep talks, Ning Yin took a deep breath, steeled her heart, closed her eyes, and spread her arms, ready to jump. But at the crucial moment, her foot slipped, and the sudden sensation of falling wiped out all her courage. Her legs gave out and she sat back down, clinging to the trunk, wanting to cry but having no tears left.

Forget it.

Instead of forcing herself, she might as well cut herself some slack.

So be it.

The view from this tree wasn’t so bad anyway.

She didn’t even know where Yan Hanzhou had ended up, or if he was still alive. Without cultivation, he was no different from a mortal—falling from that height, he was probably nothing but bones by now.

Reflection Cliff was such a desolate place that no one would come for ten days or half a month. By the time someone realized she and Yan Hanzhou were missing, it would be too late.

And she had no idea where Shi Yunzhao was now.

If she could run into Shi Yunzhao, there might still be a chance of survival.

She didn’t know how long she’d been waiting, but as Ning Yin leaned against the tree, a chill ran down her spine—her sixth sense told her something was approaching from behind. Accompanied by a rustling sound, she turned her head and found herself staring straight into the eyes of a Five-Colored Serpent.

Ning Yin instantly froze, her mind blank, watching helplessly as the serpent inched closer, flicking its tongue.

Thankfully, the Five-Colored Serpent didn’t seem intent on attacking yet. It just stared at Ning Yin coldly.

Cold sweat trickled down Ning Yin’s temples. It took her a long time to recover.

With snakes, if you don’t move, they don’t move. Move, and you’re done for.

Suppressing her urge to run, she held her breath and remained motionless, locked in a standoff with the Five-Colored Serpent. Her eyes ached, but she didn’t dare blink.

A wind rose in the forest.

Countless withered leaves were blown from the treetops.

A single dead leaf, carried by the wind, drifted toward Ning Yin. Both she and the serpent fixed their gaze on the falling leaf as it spun, tumbled, and even briefly soared upward, finally landing on Ning Yin’s head.

It’s over. That was all Ning Yin could think.

As the Five-Colored Serpent shot toward her with a hiss, Ning Yin acted on instinct—her hand shot out and grabbed the serpent at its vital spot. The slippery, icy sensation nearly made her let go, but with death looming, she clung tightly, even as the snake writhed in her grasp.

So disgusting, so disgusting, so disgusting!

“Ahhhh—Yan Hanzhou! Are you dead or alive? If you’re dead, bless me! If you’re alive, get over here and save me! Help! Someone! Is anyone there?!”

Right now, she’d take even a demon or monster as her savior.

She dodged several bites, but the Five-Colored Serpent grew enraged, struggling harder. Ning Yin pressed her back against the trunk, fighting for her life, nearly falling several times.

This can’t go on.

Ning Yin glanced at the ground ten meters below, gritted her teeth, and with a burst of strength, flung the Five-Colored Serpent away and leapt backward off the branch.

The wind roared past her ears. Not far away, a figure rushed over and caught Ning Yin in his arms just as she fell.

The Five-Colored Serpent, flung aside, raised its head and shot through the air, tongue flicking. Yan Hanzhou glanced at it, focused his energy, and with a slight motion of his fingertip, sent a swirling leaf flying like a sword. In a flash, it pierced the serpent’s vital spot and nailed both snake and body to the ancient tree.

The wind in the forest ceased. All was silent.

Ning Yin’s heart was in her throat as she watched Yan Hanzhou pin the Five-Colored Serpent to the tree. The sense of security from falling into his arms finally called her soul back from its fright.

Yan Hanzhou looked at her pale face and asked, “Done coming down?”

Ning Yin’s limbs were weak as she stepped out of Yan Hanzhou’s embrace.

After experiencing the free fall of a thousand-meter cliff and bungee jumping with a snake at ten meters, Ning Yin’s legs shook like sieves. The relief of standing on solid ground moved her to tears, and she squatted down and bawled.

There was no gratitude for a hero saving a damsel—just the joy of surviving a disaster.

Through her tear-filled eyes, she looked up and sobbed, “Yan Hanzhou, are you crazy?! You just jumped off that high cliff like it was nothing! How are you not dead, you bastard!”

“I told you we could just wait quietly at Reflection Cliff until Senior Sister came back, but you insisted on jumping! Was the opportunity down here prepared just for you or something?!”

“I never should have saved you, the villain. Should have let you taste what the leads are capable of!”

Seeing Yan Hanzhou still standing there in silence, Ning Yin suddenly jumped to her feet, her red eyes glaring fiercely at him. “Listen up, you’re my lackey, got it?! You used to listen to everything I said. If I told you to go east, you’d never dare go west. If I told you to chase a dog, you wouldn’t dare catch a chicken. If you stop listening to me, people will think Yan Hanzhou’s been possessed and treat you like a demon or monster! You can’t even draw your sword—do you want to die again?!”

After a long silence, Yan Hanzhou said, “Got it.”

Ning Yin turned to leave, fuming. If she looked at Yan Hanzhou, this jinx, for one more second, she couldn’t guarantee she wouldn’t do something outrageous.

But after a few steps, she suddenly came face to face with the still, dead-eyed Five-Colored Serpent nailed to the tree.

Ning Yin took a deep breath.

Forget it, forget it. A wise person knows when to yield. Out here in the wild, her life was what mattered.

She wiped her tears, turned back, and glanced at the black cloth bag in Yan Hanzhou’s hand. “What’s that?”

“Fruit.”

Ning Yin peeked inside, then complained, “They’re all covered in dirt. Why didn’t you wash them?”

Yan Hanzhou picked one out, wiped it on his clothes a couple of times, and shoved it into Ning Yin’s mouth.

Her look of disgust lasted only a second. As sweet and sour juice filled her mouth, Ning Yin crunched away, glancing warily around as she snorted, “Fine, I’ll let today’s incident go, but I’m telling you, there won’t be a next time! Come with me.”

The base of Reflection Cliff hadn’t seen a human footfall in a thousand years. Because of the opportunities here, countless demons and monsters had multiplied, and the Soaring Cloud Sect used it as a free Trial Forbidden Land.

Shi Yunzhao had gone missing in the Trial Forbidden Land and accidentally wandered into its center—the Inheritance Land left behind by a mighty figure a thousand years ago.

Ning Yin remembered: to leave the Forbidden Land, they had to find the Transference Array left by the Soaring Cloud Sect near the edge.

In the novel, after Shi Yunzhao obtained the Legacy, she was guided out of the Forbidden Land by a Five-Colored Bird.

Both were five-colored, but the female lead met a Five-Colored Bird, took it as a Spirit Pet, and it always fluttered by her side, scattering blue starlight with every flap—cute and beautiful. Ning Yin, on the other hand, only met a Five-Colored Serpent, which not only wanted her life but was slimy and disgusting.

The difference between the protagonist and the villain was truly staggering.

After wandering who knows how long, Ning Yin, out of breath, sat on a large stone to rest. The surroundings all looked the same. If she hadn’t left marks, she’d have thought she’d run into a ghost wall.

Yan Hanzhou looked around. “Where are we going?”

“Of course, we’re getting out of here.”

From Yan Hanzhou’s silence, Ning Yin understood his meaning.

“Don’t tell me you’re still thinking about opportunities? Do you know what this place is? It’s the Soaring Cloud Sect’s Trial Forbidden Land! Every three years, only the top disciples are sent in, and even then, they only operate near the edge. The center is crawling with demons and monsters that have been here for over a thousand years. Only the Elders and Sect Master can handle them. You and I here? We’re basically two skewers waiting to be sprinkled with secret barbecue seasoning and roasted over charcoal…”

Ning Yin swallowed. “Meat skewers. Got it?”

Yan Hanzhou remained silent.

Ning Yin met his stubborn gaze. “I know you were a big shot in your past life, but times have changed. Your cultivation isn’t even as good as mine now. If we can make it out alive, that’s good enough—don’t think about anything else.”

Yan Hanzhou still didn’t move.

“Fine, fine, I’ll be honest. I like to tell little lies. There’s no opportunity at the bottom of the cliff—I made it up. We should just find the Transference Array and get out of here.”

Ning Yin reached out to drag Yan Hanzhou along, but he immediately clapped a hand over her mouth and pulled her behind a boulder. Soon, hurried footsteps approached, and the air was thick with the smell of blood.

A young woman in a white uniform, covered in blood and clearly badly injured, staggered past the boulder.

Ning Yin frantically patted Yan Hanzhou’s hand, pointing excitedly in the woman’s direction.

“It’s Shi Yunzhao! Hurry, hurry! If we follow her, we’ll definitely get out!”

Yan Hanzhou’s gaze darkened, and he followed Ning Yin as they trailed the bloodstains.

Shi Yunzhao truly lived up to her reputation as the Soaring Cloud Sect’s most outstanding junior. Even badly wounded, she was as elusive as a dragon. Ning Yin and Yan Hanzhou chased for ages without catching up, until the blood trail vanished in front of a stone wall.

Yan Hanzhou crouched to examine the blood on the wall. “There’s no path.”

Ning Yin, panting, leaned against the wall to rest. “The trail can’t just disappear. There must be some hidden mechanism. Look for it.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Yan Hanzhou triggered something. With a rumble, the stone wall Ning Yin leaned against opened to reveal a hidden stone door.

Ning Yin nearly stumbled inside.

“What is this place?” Ning Yin stared in awe at the cave before her—it was breathtaking.

Before them was a natural cavern at least ten meters high. An underground river wound through it, its surface glowing with a strange blue light. Most importantly, the cave was thick with spiritual energy. Just breathing filled her dantian—cultivating here would bring twice the results with half the effort.

Sounds of battle echoed from within.

Two

A Beast was fighting in the cave.

The two exchanged a glance and hurried inside, hiding behind a stone pillar. Not far away, Shi Yunzhao, covered in blood, was locked in a desperate struggle with—

Ning Yin tugged excitedly on Yan Hanzhou’s sleeve. “This is where Shi Yunzhao gets the Legacy! That Guardian Tiger is the guardian of the Legacy. Once Shi Yunzhao defeats it, all the treasures in the cave will be hers!”

On the high platform sat a Treasure Box, glowing faintly all around.

“See that wooden box?” Ning Yin’s eyes shone. “That’s the treasure left by the cave’s owner. It’s filled with countless rare wonders—each one a Magic Treasure that would have cultivators fighting over it.”

“You want it?”

“Of course! Who doesn’t want treasures?”

“Then go snatch it.”

“?” Ning Yin stared at him as if he were crazy. “Do you know who left this opportunity? Do you know Lingxiao Immortal Lord? Legend says he started cultivating at three, reached Foundation Establishment at five, and covered in ten years what took others centuries. In less than a hundred years, he became number one on the Jiu Zhou Continent, slaying demons and monsters, upholding justice, and leaving countless Magic Treasures for future generations.”

The novel didn’t say much about this legendary figure—just revealed glimpses whenever the leads had a lucky encounter.

Some said he ascended, others that he perished. Since then, no one had ever reached the Grand Ascension, nor brought down the heavenly tribulation.

“The Soul left by Lingxiao Immortal Lord is strong enough to fight the Sect Master. If you want his Legacy and Magic Treasures, you have to be recognized by his Soul. If you are, you get all the treasures he left. If not, you’ll be obliterated in seconds—body and soul! And you want me to snatch it from Shi Yunzhao? Take the trial? Me? You’re awful! Always saying things that’ll get people killed!”

Cursing, Ning Yin stumbled forward—only to be shoved out by Yan Hanzhou.

“Who’s there!” Shi Yunzhao spun around with a furious shout.

Ning Yin glared at Yan Hanzhou, then turned to Shi Yunzhao with a beaming smile. “Senior Sister, it’s me, Ning Yin.”

Yan Hanzhou stood up calmly under Ning Yin’s gaze. “Ning Yin, didn’t you want the Treasure Box? Go get it.”

Ning Yin waved her hands frantically. “I didn’t! I don’t! I never wanted it! Don’t slander me!!!”

But no one listened to her defense.

The words “want the Treasure Box” awakened another Beast guardian. With a blur, it appeared right in front of Ning Yin.

Before she could even see what it was, Ning Yin turned and ran for her life.

“Yan Hanzhou! Just you wait! If I survive, I’ll make you pay!”

Watching Ning Yin dash madly around the cave, shouting threats, Yan Hanzhou raised an eyebrow and smiled faintly.

The clouds shift, the sea changes.

Many years ago, this land wasn’t even called the Jiu Zhou Continent.

His cultivation had stagnated, so he traveled the world. People called him Lingxiao Immortal Lord.