Eastern Yue Domain

Mystic Moon Sect

Lunar Eclipse Peak

The grand hall of the peak master stood silent, its vastness filled only with the soft hum of spiritual energy that echoed faintly through the still air. The room, carved from deep blue stone, shimmered with a faint light, reflecting the moon's glow from the translucent windows that lined the chamber. The walls were etched with ancient runes that glowed softly, giving the space an otherworldly feel—both serene and imposing.

A jade foot, once hidden beneath the flowing folds of a green robe, now dangled lazily in the air, peeking out like a precious gem amidst a sea of fabric. The foot, perfectly sculpted and smooth as if carved from the finest jade, caught the subtle gleam of moonlight, giving it a mystical sheen. The green robe itself, adorned with silver and purple embroidery in intricate celestial patterns, hung loosely around her delicate frame. The fabric shimmered with every slight movement, hiding much of her form but offering fleeting glimpses of her ethereal beauty.

The woman, Ye Qingxian, exuded a cold, unearthly grace. Her face, a study of flawless symmetry, was as pale as the moon itself, framed by long, flowing black hair that cascaded down her back like an inky waterfall. Though her features were soft and exquisitely feminine, there was an undeniable sharpness in her gaze, a latent power that simmered beneath the surface. Her eyes, a deep shade of violet, glowed faintly with inner energy, revealing the immense cultivation power she possessed.

The atmosphere in the hall was paradoxical—both frigid and smoldering. A fire, though invisible, seemed to burn in the air around her, as if her presence alone stirred some elemental force that warped the natural balance. It was a force that could both freeze and ignite the soul.

She reclined on a bench made of polished obsidian, its surface smooth and gleaming under the dim light. Despite its hardness, she sat as if the bench were a cushioned bed, her posture relaxed, yet inherently regal. Her lips, crimson like freshly spilled blood, remained still, yet a voice as soft and calm as a gentle breeze drifted into the air, filling the empty hall.

"But hasn't the disciple-recruiting ceremony already begun?" Her voice was neither too loud nor too soft, and it carried a weight that seemed to echo with authority.

Before her stood a woman dressed in silver robes, her head bowed low, strands of her hair cascading down to conceal most of her face. Her robes were simpler compared to the peak master's, but still elegant, lined with subtle designs of the moon and stars. The woman's posture spoke of both respect and fear, her back slightly hunched as if weighed down by the very presence of the woman she served.

"To reply, Peak Master, there is still a quarter of an hour before the ceremony begins. The sect master has sent a message urging all peak masters to attend." Her voice was small, trembling slightly as she relayed the information.

A slight frown creased Ye Qingxian's otherwise perfect face. Her delicate eyebrows furrowed just a touch, a faint sign of her displeasure.

"In the past, others could accept disciples on behalf of their peak. Why must I participate this time?" Her tone, while still calm, held a trace of irritation, a subtle shift in the air that sent a shiver down the spine of the silver-robed woman.

The woman hesitated, visibly uncomfortable, her fingers gripping the fabric of her robe as if searching for strength. "I… I heard from my senior brother at Full Moon Peak that the sect master predicted there would be a disciple who could change the fate of the Mystic Moon Sect."

She paused, swallowing nervously before continuing in a quieter tone. "But… this is only a rumor."

The silence that followed was heavy, the weight of it pressing down on the woman as she dared not raise her head further. Ye Qingxian's gaze bore into her, cold and unreadable, and for a long moment, nothing was said.

Finally, Ye Qingxian broke the silence. Her voice was soft but firm. "You may leave."

The silver-robed woman bowed deeply, retreating quickly, the sound of her light footsteps fading away until the hall was once again enveloped in stillness.

Ye Qingxian sighed softly, her breath barely a whisper in the large chamber. Her eyes, half-lidded in thought, drifted toward the tall windows that overlooked the vast expanse of the Lunar Eclipse Peak. From her vantage point, she could see the endless stretches of mist-covered mountains, their peaks barely visible beneath the pale glow of the rising moon. The air outside was crisp and cold, and the thin clouds that passed by were like tendrils of silver smoke, adding to the ethereal beauty of the night.

"Predicted by the sect master… Senior brother, you're truly willing to give up," she muttered quietly to herself, the corner of her lips curling ever so slightly in a bitter smile.

She rose slowly, her hand trailing along the back of the bench as she stood. Her movements were graceful, fluid, like water flowing in perfect harmony with the earth. "It seems this disciple-recruiting ceremony..."

But she never finished her sentence.

A flicker of movement caught her attention, and her pupils shrank to sharp points. She turned swiftly, her spiritual senses expanding outwards, scanning every corner of the hall with a precision that left no space unsearched. Her eyes gleamed with a sudden intensity, her body poised like a taut string ready to snap at any moment.

There, lying quietly where it had not been moments before, was a small book.

Its cover was snow-white, speckled with golden flecks that shimmered like tiny grains of sand caught in the morning sun. The book exuded a faint, silver glow, the light pulsating gently as if it were alive. The moment she laid eyes on it, the book floated up from where it had rested and drifted towards her, as if drawn by an invisible force.

Ye Qingxian's eyes narrowed. "What… is this?"

Her voice, once calm, now held a note of cautious curiosity. She extended her spiritual sense further, sweeping over the entirety of Lunar Eclipse Peak once more, searching for any intruders. Her power surged through the walls and crevices of the peak, reaching out like invisible tendrils, leaving no stone unturned.

Apart from her seven personal disciples and the ten inner disciples assigned to tasks at the peak, there was no one—no outsiders, no foreign presence.

(This…) Ye Qingxian's mind raced. As a cultivator in the middle stages of the Nascent Soul tier, her senses were sharper than any mortal's—no one could approach her unnoticed. Yet here, before her, lay an object that had appeared without a single ripple in the surrounding energy. The implications were unsettling.

(Who could have done this?)

Her mind wandered through possibilities, each more improbable than the last. Still, after a few moments of consideration, her gaze softened slightly. If whoever had placed this item meant her harm, they could have attacked her already. Instead, they had left this—an object seemingly harmless.

With a slight exhale, Ye Qingxian let her shoulders relax and directed her attention back to the floating book. Its glow seemed to beckon her, as though it held secrets meant for her alone.

The words inscribed on the cover caused her heart to skip a beat. She blinked in disbelief.

"Jian Yue… Diary Copy?... Who still writes diaries in this day and age? And… how does it have my name on it? Exclusive? For me?"

Indeed, Ye Qingxian was the peak master of Lunar Eclipse Peak in the Mystic Moon Sect. She was famed across the Eastern Yue Domain as a cultivator of immense power and unrivaled beauty. But despite her wariness, she found her curiosity piqued. There was something about the book that felt oddly familiar, as though it was linked to her fate in ways she could not yet comprehend.

Still suspicious but driven by intrigue, she extended a slender hand and grasped the diary gently. The cool texture of the cover sent a slight shiver through her fingertips. She hesitated for only a moment before opening the first page.

[Who in this world can understand me? I've actually transmigrated into another world!]

Ye Qingxian's brow furrowed as she read the words. They were cryptic, almost nonsensical to her.

Transmigrated into another world? The concept baffled her. Could this be referring to ascension to a higher plane of existence? Had this person, Jian Yue, crossed from another realm?

She continued reading, her mind grappling with each strange revelation.

[Good news: I transmigrated into a fantasy and romance novel I read: Revenge of the Cold-Hearted Immortal!]

[Bad news: I transmigrated as a woman! Who would've thought I'd wake up as a stunning beauty one day?]

[Worse news: I've become the villainess in a cultivation world fraught with danger!]

The words seemed absurd. Ye Qingxian's normally stoic expression faltered as confusion washed over her. She had lived aloof for centuries, a woman of supreme discipline and composure. Yet this strange self-reflection written in the diary perplexed her.

Wait… what did they mean by becoming a woman? And what's a fantasy romance novel? Some kind of storybook? 

What could it mean? A villainess? Could it be that this Jian Yue had crossed into her world from another—a world where stories were crafted and woven into what they called "novels"?

She shook her head slightly, dismissing the thought as ridiculous. She was a living, breathing entity in this realm, not some character in a fabricated story.

But despite her disbelief, she decided to keep reading. Regardless of whether it was a storybook or not, she found the diary's owner oddly amusing. After all, no one would so casually adapt to becoming a woman and call themselves a "villainess."

In this world, where the strong thrived and the weak perished, there were no true villains—only winners who painted their opponents in the darkest colors. Of course, there were those who killed for the sheer thrill of it, but even they were more beast than human.

Yet, from the tone of the diary, its owner didn't seem inherently evil. Who, after all, would write such odd things if they were?

[But don't panic! Although I'm the villainess, the Heavenly Dao told me that as long as I don't provoke the original protagonist without reason...]

[Then I'm free to live how I please, without the story's plot hunting me down.]

[Of course, I can't accept being so restricted. After all, I'm a transmigrator.]

[So! With my eloquence, I struck a deal with the Heavenly Dao.]

[She promised me that if I kept to this agreement, I'd be granted one favor.]

[Thinking about it, I hit the jackpot!]

[She doesn't know that I've gained a diary system since coming here.]

[Ah! The march toward rebirth has begun. I'm ecstatic.]

Ye Qingxian's breath caught. The Heavenly Dao? Could it be true? The Heavenly Dao was the law of the universe, the force that governed all things. It had no form, no face, and no personality. And yet, this person claimed to have negotiated with it?

Her mind reeled at the possibilities. Could this person be some sort of chosen one, someone capable of interacting with the laws of the universe on a level that even she, with her centuries of cultivation, could not fathom?

[Now that I've come this far, there's nothing left but to get comfortable in my new skin.]

[The Mystic Moon Sect's disciple-recruiting ceremony is about to begin, and I must attend.]

Ye Qingxian's heart skipped another beat. Could it be that this person was planning to attend the ceremony?

Suddenly, a memory surfaced in her mind—her senior brother, the sect master, had mentioned a new disciple who would have a profound impact on the future of the sect. Could this person—Jian Yue—be the one?

She read on, her curiosity deepening with every word.

[I've transmigrated! And I'm still in the cultivation world! I must set a grand goal for myself!]

[I will become a powerful immortal and marry a few beautiful women from the cultivation world! Surely marriage between women is acceptable here, right?]

[After all, this is a world ruled by strength.]

For the first time in hundreds of years, Ye Qingxian's expression cracked into something resembling surprise. The idea of becoming an immortal was nothing new—every cultivator aspired to that goal. But to marry several women? Even if Jian Yue had been a man in their previous life...

What a strange villainess indeed, she thought, feeling the stirrings of amusement.

Ye Qingxian mentally labeled Jian Yue as peculiar but... interesting.

[Hmm? Oh right, there are also the unfortunate harem members of the protagonist.]

Ye Qingxian's brow furrowed.

The protagonist's harem?

[Once these women see the protagonist and his golden aura, they become utterly brainless, falling head over heels for him. Especially one of the first women I'll meet in the Mystic Moon Sect: Ye Qingxian.]

Ye Qingxian: ???

[That woman was always a love-struck fool in the plot, blindly devoted to the protagonist.]

[A total love-brain!]

"Bang!"

In an instant, the temperature of the grand hall plummeted. The very air seemed to freeze, crystallizing into frost that spread rapidly across the stone floor, up the walls, and even to the high ceiling. The once smooth obsidian bench was now coated with a thick layer of ice, its surface reflecting the cold blue glow of the room.

For the first time in centuries, Ye Qingxian's perfectly composed face flushed with anger and embarrassment. Her eyes blazed with fury and shame, and her spiritual energy surged wildly, creating a storm of freezing wind that swirled around her, crackling with raw power.

Her lips, so long still, parted as she grit her teeth and spat out the name of the one who had so carelessly insulted her.

"Jian Yue…!"