Crown of Thorns - Chapter 81: The Warrior's story

Shi Man was the best special agent in the organization, and she was supposed to retire in peace, but they came after her to purge her anyway. She died exhausted after turning the tables against the organization’s agents… but was reborn, transmigrating into a book as its villainess! The villainess’s family is rich and powerful. Being the only daughter, her mother and brothers would pamper her out of control, and she was engaged to the male lead at birth. Yet, the body’s original owner messed up big-time despite being dealt the perfect hand. She harassed the female lead to win the male lead’s attention and affection until she eventually incensed the male lead. He threw her into the colosseum ring, where she was torn to pieces. Her family naturally went all out to avenge her and ended up suffering multiple casualties as they fell into desperate straits…

On the other hand, when Shi Man reincarnated, she told the male lead that they should go their separate ways and pretend they never knew each other even if they met again. She even paid the female lead with emotional duress compensation and told her they had nothing to do with each other from then on. However, after parting ways with them and preparing to begin a new life, the male lead regretted his choice and started wooing her. The supporting male characters who were never interested in her also had a sudden change of heart, and even the female lead was now offering to be her follower! Staring at the mob flocking around Shi Man, the Shi family was furious. “She belongs to our family! Stay away!”

As Mingguang Sect’s esteemed Immortal Master, Yi Ning had never experienced much heartbreak and suffering. He had always expected his life to be smooth-sailing, and was only waiting to ascend before marrying his disciple with whom he shared mutual affection.

However, he had never expected that on a rainy night, his disciple brought back a childhood friend.

They were close and intimate, to the point… of sharing a bed.

Standing before the bed where they were entwined, Yi Ning’s heart was as cold as sunken ice. He had wanted to end it all cleanly and straightforwardly, yet had never expected that his disciple not only wanted his childhood friend, but wanted his Shizun too.

His disciple shattered his spiritual core and laid down a hex, throwing him into the main hall to await nightfall to consummate their relationship.

Just as he had fallen into despair and wanted to end his life, he unexpectedly discovered a strange book. The book detailed his life, and the him it described, from beginning to end, was nothing more than a tool used to satisfy his disciple’s desire to conquer, lowly and wretched as a cultivation furnace.

Yi Ning’s head spun, and his heart gave birth to a strong hatred. He dragged his wrecked body to the back of the mountain and released the Demon Venerable Yan Xuan, who he had personally sealed nine years ago.

In return for undoing the seal, Yan Xuan would aid him in escaping.

After the man heard the reason why, he leaned against the wall and smiled with a hint of mockery. Yi Ning had thought he was going to ridicule him for having deserved it, being betrayed by an ingrate who bit the hand that fed him.

Yet, what he never expected was for Yan Xuan to reach out and tug him into his embrace, and the words that left his mouth were instead:

“You fool, I’ll help you take revenge.”

After this, he killed all those who wronged him, and cradled him close to his heart.

He wants to shatter your cultivation and mangle your limbs, to turn you into a bird in a cage, free for him to humiliate.

Yet, with this lowly and dirty heart of mine, I want to pull you from the swamp and cut down the heavens for you.

- Description from Novelupdates

WARNING: DARK AND MATURE CONTENT. Readers discretion advised.Serena Alaric wanted nothing more than a quiet life, far from the shadows of her family’s dark past. But when masked enforcers storm her home and drag her into the clutches of the Council of Vitae, she learns her blood is the key to a deadly legacy she never asked for.Lucian Draven is the cold and ruthless leader of a powerful mafia syndicate, cursed to endure unimaginable pain. The Council claims Serena is his only salvation. Yet beneath the Council’s polished facade lies a web of lies, experiments, and betrayal that runs far deeper than either of them imagined.Forced into an uneasy alliance and given a time limit to produce an heir, Serena and Lucian must navigate a treacherous world of power and manipulation, where trust is a rare commodity. As they uncover the truth about the Council’s sinister plans, their hatred begins to give way to something unexpected—a bond forged in fire and blood.But with enemies closing in from all sides and time running out, Serena and Lucian must decide: will they fight their fates, or embrace the dangerous connection that could either save them, or destroy them both?

Reincarnated as the first prince of the Jing Dynasty, Jiang Changsheng was transferred by a traitor as soon as he was born, and then he was sent to a temple to become an ordinary little Taoist priest.

From the prince to the little Taoist priest who no one cares about, his life has fallen. Fortunately, Jiang Changsheng has activated the survival system and has an infinite lifespan. As long as he survives the hardships of life, he can get a survival reward.

He was almost killed by his brother while practicing martial arts, but survived by luck and got the leg of the gods.

Encountered an earthquake, was nearly killed by the beam of the house, and obtained the Nine Searching Heavenly Dragon Step.

The demons roamed the capital, passed it safely, and obtained the magic weapon to conquer the demon pestle.

…

There are many dynasties, demons are rampant, and martial arts rule the world. This is a world without immortals and gods, and Taoism is hidden in the halls and mountains.

Three hundred years later.

When the Jing Dynasty was prosperous, it ushered in decline, the princes rose together, the emperor became a puppet in the hands of the heroes, split the dynasty, and fought for decades.

The puppet emperor Jiang Xuanzhen came to the Taoist temple and knelt down and cried, “My descendants are not filial and unable to return to heaven, please ask our ancestors to ascend the throne and continue my grand scene for another 300 years!”

- Description from novelbuddy