The Duke's Masked Wife 2: The Prince's Outcast Bride - Chapter 87: Bad intentions (2)

Anton is a great-grandfather. He is living quite a happy life, despite his advanced age and declining health… until a group of cultivator bandits moves into the area. The nearby guardians of the area, the Order of Ninety-Nine Stars, are unable to track them down as they continue to ravage nearby towns. During one desperate winter Anton is out on a hunt when his family- his entire village- is killed or taken as slaves by the bandits. He lacks the strength to fight them, and he wasn’t even present for their arrival to die with his loved ones. At the pit of his despair, he wonders if he ever had any chance to change things. What could he even do? He cannot even pull his best bow, and his eyesight is failing. If he had been a cultivator… perhaps there might have been a chance, but he was decades- perhaps even most of his life- too late.Participant in the Royal Road Writathon challenge (2022)Notes on cultivation levels:There are five general stages of cultivation, though the fifth is extremely rare. Each cultivation style might have their own name for the stages.1. Body Tempering2. Spirit Building/ occasionally System Creation (Ninety-Nine Stars)3. Constellation Formation (Ninety-Nine Stars)4. Life Transformation/Galaxy Construction (Ninety-Nine Stars)5. Ascension

Beneath the peaceful façade of the modern world, an undercurrent of shocking crimes roils in the underbelly of society.

In a world where strength is law and the weak are trampled, Ezra Cain was destined for nothing—crippled, abandoned, and left to rot. But when death comes knocking, something awakens within him.[Primordial Evolution System Activated.]A forgotten power lost to time, capable of infinite growth, limitless evolution, and ultimate domination. From the ashes of his former self, Ezra begins his ascent—devouring monsters, absorbing abilities, and forging a path no being has ever walked. But power comes at a cost.Ancient gods stir in fear. Forbidden realms tremble. The strongest beings in existence move to eradicate him before he reaches his full potential. But Ezra is no pawn in their game—if the gods wish to stop him, then he will do what no one has dared before.He will evolve beyond them. He will devour them. He will become the first Primordial Overlord.The age of gods is over. His reign begins.

The Supernatural era descended, the rules changed, mystery arrived, and the world altered. Countless ruins of civilization emerged, and an abundance of Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures lay at everyone’s fingertips. Radical faction, “This is the best of times, entering a new world, excavating relics, mass evolution!” Conservative, “This is the worst of times, with countless monsters outside, once you leave the Safe Zone, extinction awaits humanity!” … Meanwhile, at a remote ruin, Lu Yuan successfully discovered new treasures and sought after the mysterious wealth, desperately trying to contact his fellow Earthlings. “Found a communicator, can it get through?” “Hey, humans—I’m almost becoming a god, and you’re still hiding in the Safe Zone?”