An astronomy enthusiast on the open ground beside Mount Hua shouted excitedly, "Look, the nine planets have aligned in a straight line—this is a once-in-a-millennium spectacle!"
Meanwhile, atop Mount Hua, Ye Lanshan sat cross-legged at the center of a spirit-gathering array, absorbing spiritual energy. But she didn't notice that the light from the jade pendant around her neck matched the glow of the nine-planet alignment. Suddenly, a beam of white light descended from the sky, and Ye Lanshan vanished into thin air within it.
The next day, a shocking headline appeared in the news: during yesterday's nine-planet alignment, a white light had descended on Mount Hua, leaving a strange pattern on the spot it struck. After much debate, scientists unanimously concluded it was a signal sent by aliens to Earth—whether it was hostile or friendly remained unknown.
At the same time, a major event shook the cultivation world of Huaxia: Ye Lanshan, the number one genius of the cultivation realm, had gone missing, and no one knew how she disappeared.
In the Xuan Yu Forest of the Tianyuan Continent, a bloodstained, gravely injured woman leaned against a tree, appearing as if she were dead.
Why does my body hurt so much? What's going on? What happened? Could it be a lightning tribulation? But it shouldn't be time for that yet. Besides, even if a tribulation came, the protective barrier would block it—there's no way it could strike me. A flood of questions swirled in Ye Lanshan's mind.
Suddenly, a loud crash jolted her eyes open. Taking in the scene before her, she realized this wasn't the familiar Mount Hua but a place she'd never seen. Glancing at her hands, she thought, This isn't my body. Have I transmigrated?
I never thought something that only happens in novels would happen to me. I just wonder who the owner of this body was, to be so badly injured.
Perhaps the Flame Tiger nearby, annoyed at being ignored, let out a roar.
"What the hell is that?" Startled from her thoughts, Ye Lanshan stared in horror at the creature—something like a tiger but not quite. What kind of world have I ended up in, with such bizarre beings?
Shocked, she pointed at the Flame Tiger and asked blankly, "What exactly are you?"
Enraged by her rude behavior, the Flame Tiger charged straight at her, intending to crush her. But it underestimated Ye Lanshan's combat prowess. She dodged the attack, pulled out a dagger from somewhere, and began fighting the beast.
I'm a cultivator—there's no way I can't beat this monster. But this body is too badly injured. Otherwise, I wouldn't be struggling with this beast for so long without killing it, she thought as she straddled the Flame Tiger's neck.
At that moment, Ye Lanshan didn't notice that her blood was being absorbed by the jade pendant around her neck—the same one that matched her life-bound artifact.
Just as she was about to give out, the jade pendant suddenly emitted a white light, enveloping both her and the Flame Tiger beneath her. Luckily, it was daytime, so the flash wasn't too obvious and didn't draw much attention. After a moment, the light faded, and both Ye Lanshan and the Flame Tiger woke up.
What's happening? I've been contracted—and by this useless waste? The Flame Tiger thought in shock.
"Stop thinking about it. It's true. I don't know how I contracted you either, but it's a fact," Ye Lanshan said nonchalantly, looking into the Flame Tiger's stunned eyes.
Suddenly, she clutched her chest in pain and gasped, "Quick, take me to your territory." Once they reached the Flame Tiger's lair, Ye Lanshan collapsed unconscious.
At dawn, Ye Lanshan woke up. Propping herself up slowly, she sat up and recalled the vivid, tragic scenes that had flashed through her mind. In a hoarse voice, she murmured, "Don't worry. Since I've taken over your body, I won't let you be schemed against for nothing. I'll avenge you."
It turned out the original owner of this body was the daughter of Ye Feng, the young master of the Ye family in the Moon Kingdom, and she was also named Ye Lanshan. Though her talent was poor, her father was a top-ranked expert on the Tianyuan Continent, and she was deeply loved by the old family head. So, whether it was food, clothing, or resources, she had the best of everything.
But ever since Ye Feng went missing five years ago and the old family head went into seclusion, Ye Lanshan's situation had worsened day by day. At first, things were tolerable—people still cared about appearances (and feared the old family head might emerge suddenly)—so it was just a downgrade in living standards and fewer resources. Nothing more.
But as the old family head remained in seclusion and the new family head, Ye Suzhe, strongly disliked Ye Lanshan, the clan's disciples grew bolder in bullying her. Two years ago, due to a scheme, she was expelled from the main family and sent to a branch family in Chaoyang City, hoping for a better life there.
Instead, she was poisoned as soon as she arrived, breaking out in bumps on her face and losing the ability to use her spiritual power. If not for the protection of clan disciple Ye Yu and the city lord's daughter, Chu Liuxiang, Ye Lanshan would have died long ago.
Two days earlier, Ye Lanshan, Ye Yu, and Chu Liuxiang had gone to the Xuan Yu Forest to find an antidote herb. Just as they spotted it, they ran into their rival, Su Chengwen, and his group. A dispute over the herb escalated into a fight, and a black-clad figure suddenly appeared and kidnapped Ye Lanshan.
"Who are you? What do you want?" Ye Lanshan asked, her voice trembling violently.
The black-clad figure pressed a knife to her neck and said coldly, "A dead person doesn't need to know who I am."
"Is that so? Are you sure you can kill me?" Ye Lanshan forced calmness as she pulled out a magical artifact and swung it at him. But the strike didn't kill him.
"Heh, interesting. A waste like you actually has such a powerful artifact," the black-clad figure said, licking his lips. "Do you think this artifact alone can kill me? How naive."
Ye Lanshan's eyes darkened as she steadied herself. "Don't get cocky. Once Ye Yu gets here, you're dead."
The black-clad figure laughed as if he'd heard the funniest joke. Suddenly, his body went rigid. Panicked, he demanded, "You—what did you do to me? Why can't I move?"
Ye Lanshan looked at him, relieved, and patted her chest in fear. "Good thing it worked, or I'd be dead." With that, she ran off, leaving the black-clad figure glaring furiously at her retreating back.
A quarter of an hour later, the black-clad figure finally regained movement. He lifted his head and stared coldly into the depths of the forest. That area is home to many high-level magical beasts—even a Grand Mystic Master wouldn't dare enter, let alone that waste Ye Lanshan. She's stupid enough to run deeper into the forest. Even if she escapes me, I doubt she'll survive the beasts in there. With a sneer, he turned and left the Xuan Yu Forest.