Unsheathed - Chapter 18: Three of the Five

I became a staff officer of an empire whose defeat was certain.The only way to escape from the empire with an 8-year mandatory service was through dishonorable discharge.But then…“You can be glad, Lieutenant. Thanks to your accurate instinct, our military could prevent damage in advance.”The more I struggled to be discharged, the higher my performance evaluation became.

A door unfolded before him.Evil thrived, and whispers spilled from within.The resentful compound eyes flickered and vanished, the presence longing to burst out was blocked inside, and the alluring murmurs echoed in the ear.The sticky, pink brain mumbled something. A figure cloaked in a yellow robe watched from a distance. A dark green presence, smelling of blood, roared. A string of wondrous soap bubbles released friendliness—and many, many guests.They sincerely invited Lu Li to join this mad party.Lu Li stepped in, his stride resolute and unwavering.He had no reason to refuse.

“She was supposed to be silent. She chose chaos instead.”At thirteen, Lorraine vowed to a boy, “I’ll be your poison. I’ll be your blade in the shadows. I’ll live for you.”The catch? She was supposed to be mute and deaf.The bigger catch? He was a hostage prince with no power.Raised in a household where her father adored her perfect half-sister Elyse, Lorraine was thrown into a political marriage with Prince Leroy. Unfortunately, he liked Elyse too. Of course he did.Lorraine played the role of the forgotten wife, but still gave it all. Loyalty, time, and space. The Silent Crown, they called her. Fitting, really. No one expected anything from her. Especially not betrayal.He came back from the war with a mistress, who was a living shadow of his first love.That was Lorraine’s breaking point. Divorce? Not allowed. Staying? Not an option.So, she gave herself one month. One month before she vanished from Vaeloria, from the life that had chewed her up and smiled while doing it.But before she left?She wanted revenge.On the father who put her through hell.On the sister who took her place.On everyone who hurt her and laughed at her.And continuing with… an affair… with Leroy.Yes, you read that right. Lorraine started a secret affair with her own husband. In the shadows. As someone else. Masked. Daring. Desired.And for the first time in her life, she was powerful.He doesn’t know it’s her.And she doesn’t care to correct him.She’ll ruin him with pleasure.Then leave him with regret.That was the plan.The kingdom has no idea what’s coming. The Silent Crown has stopped waiting to be loved. Now, she wants war. And she’ll watch it all burn from the shadows.

A dying old man entrusted him with the position of Sect Lord of a “great and glorious sect,” passing on a token and proclaiming him the future ruler of countless disciples.But when Li Xuan arrived at his inheritance…There were no disciples.No elders.No spirit beasts.No treasures.Only a collapsing gate, broken halls, and weeds taller than the main pavilion.The so-called supreme sect was nothing more than a ruined mountain with a fancy name.Just as despair set in, a mysterious voice echoed in his mind—[Sect-Building System Activated.]• The Host is invincible within sect territory.• The Host cannot leave sect territory.• Expand territory to receive rewards.• Recruit disciples.• Establish dominance.• Conquer realms.Each time the sect’s influence expands, divine rewards descend:Ancient techniques.Heaven-defying artifacts.Mythical beasts.Even fragments of lost realms.Trapped within his mountain yet unmatched inside it, Li Xuan begins rebuilding from nothing.One disciple becomes ten.Ten become a hundred.A hundred become an army of immortals.As territory spreads and realms begin to converge, the world slowly realizes:The ruined sect on the forgotten mountain…has become the axis of heaven and earth.Within his sect, all realms unite.