Defiance of the Fall - Chapter 123: Neighbors

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

Ruigen’s late Ming Dynasty + the semi-overhead history and officialdom of the Red House are absolutely delicious!

The second year of Yonglong of the Great Zhou Dynasty. The hidden worries of the prosperous age.

The four kings and eight princes are blooming with brocade flowers, and civil servants and military generals are cooking oil with fire.

There are civil and military parties in the north and south endlessly fighting each other, and outside there are captives and tigers on the nine borders of the sea.

This is the best of times and the worst of times.

The key lies in how you grasp it when you are in it.

Be brave and diligent, volunteer tirelessly, let’s see how I can fix the wind and turn the sky!

Historic officialdom has cultivated literature, brothers please support more.

Ruigan’s hardcore book friend group: 581470234

- Description from novelbuddy

In a realm where even the faintest shadows whisper untold tales, I came to realize that the forgotten often hold the most powerful narratives.As an avid admirer of the world's most beloved series, I never imagined that one night's rest would pull me into its very fabric.“Why on earth am I stuck in this world? And why, of all people, am I him?”I had become Arthur Nightingale—Class A’s most unremarkable student. A magic swordsman barely worthy of mention, ranked 8th among the first-years. A mere footnote in the grand story.Still, with this body’s abilities and my own insider knowledge, I figured I could carve out a peaceful life. Or so I believed.“This was the only way,” the voice repeated, resolute. “The only way to stop her.”Little did I know how truly unique Arthur Nightingale was—or the path this journey would force me to take...

When the spiritual barrier that has been intact for a hundred years is shattered by a meteor, spiritual energy that had disappeared starts to return.The mystical realm slowly begins its revival—magic, witchcraft, curses, supernatural lifeforms, strange and mysterious legends, monsters and gods from other worlds…The old world order collapses, yet the new order is mystifying and chaotic.Just before the unprecedented reformation is here, Tang Qi awakens and finds himself hung on the cross, having turned into an inferior demon and in great pain and agony…With his special ability to see through the nature of all things from the mystical realm and a sly and crafty mind, follow Tang Qi as he develops new skills and powers—as well as making new friends and allies—to battle and protect himself from never before seen supernatural threats in an unfamiliar world!