MTL - Divine Brilliance - ~ 1165 life and death mystery

On their wedding night, she gnashed her teeth, yelling, “Your Highness, that’s shameless!”

Set off by the flickering light of red candles, he curved the corner of his mouth into a wicked grin, “Actually, I can be more shameless…”

…

When they met for the first time, he was the young prince who lived in his day of brilliance, while she was the pampered princess of the adjacent state.

When they met again, he became the crippled underdog suffering from frustration, while she became the lackluster hostage stranded in an alien land.

In his mid-life, he was defeated in the fight and had his legs broken; his wife passed away and he didn’t have anything left except his father’s detestation… After constant blows took the edge off his spirit, all he wanted was nothing but serenity.

In her teen-age, her state perished and her home lost; she lapsed into an awkward situation after being abandoned and having her marriage annulled… As endless hardships isolated her from happiness, everything she wished for was no more than peace.

…

“Lu Zhishan, when I first met you, I didn’t think I’d marry you…too old,” after years passed by, one day, she lay on his laps mumbling, with a kind of hazy beauty on her boozy face, “and lame.”

“Mu Nanzhi, you have the wrong memory. At our first meeting, I’m neither old nor limp.”

“…When was that?”

“When people were celebrating your first birthday,” that man assumed all gentleness and joy crept on his eyes and brows, “On that day, you were ‘drawing lots’ in the rear hall. I also sneaked there to have a look. But, out of my expectation, you directly grabbed my true-love knot.”

…

How vivid the red love pea is embedded in the exquisitely carved dice,

Just as my feelings for you deep in my bones.

- Description from Novelupdates

In a world where everyone is a slave, someone is born who cannot be controlled. At the same time, an unstoppable villain rises on a quest for revenge. But the truth is darker than he ever imagined, and now he must face an unbeatable enemy — including himself.***Bruno was a young man born on Earth, the son of an influential modern Emperor. Despite having everything money could buy and receiving the best and most rigorous training to succeed his father, he chose the opposite path, defying his family’s ruthless rule.The price of his innocence? A merciless death and the complete erasure of his existence by the deity controlling his fate. On Earth, the law of the powerful was absolute; a slave could never rebel.But then, he wakes up again.He’s reborn in a world of cultivation, where freedom was promised to those strong enough to claim it. Now, he could soar like a free bird and carve his own destiny... or so he thought.The harsh reality of this new world soon showed him how insignificant he still was. He realized he had only changed masters.The freedom he sought was an illusion. The heavenly laws treated everyone as servants, and their rules were unbreakable. Bruno learned this bitter truth after losing everything that made him happy due to an unjust rule.But who was he to question?Hopeless, Bruno died... and was reborn as Alm, an unstoppable villain. With a soul poisoned by pain and vengeance, he sowed chaos across the universe. Planets were destroyed, countless lives taken, and his name became synonymous with terror.A hero rose to oppose him, wielding a sacred sword of hope. People from all corners of the universe united against Alm, raising their voices and weapons to stop the villain who defied the heavens.But Alm was no longer just fighting for revenge. He was challenging the heavenly laws that sought to control him, fighting fate and all living beings.And against all odds... the sacred sword shattered. The alliance of the entire universe was defeated.The villain won!Now, Alm found himself alone in the empty void of a dead universe, facing his own inner demons. Who could be more ruthless to him than himself?“What have I done?”At that moment, the doors of truth opened to him.Everyone was a puppet of a supreme figure, an entity that manipulated minds and even the heavenly laws.“I will find you, no matter where you are!”Thus, the last emissary of the true Heaven’s Will awakened. Alm, who once only relied on his sheer will and rage, now had a system to guide him. But his opponent was an immortal existence, above even the heavens.The villain who destroyed an entire universe now faced a new beginning. He discovered that the universe he devastated was just a tiny grain of sand in an infinite cosmos, where countless other universes existed.And so begins the legendary tale of the villain’s rise... and the Sacred Round God? A strange Duality of Shadows existed within one person.But this time, he wouldn’t be alone.***To clear up any potential confusion or frustration, here are some key points about the story. I’ll avoid major spoilers, but a few things will be revealed.You might find this concerning at first, but just check the book cover—it shows the main character and his only partner. She first appears at 10 years old, but rest assured, there’s no inappropriate content or early romance.At around 13, SHE starts developing feelings for the protagonist, but he doesn’t respond until she’s an adult. With her determined personality, she tries to seduce him at 17/18, but it doesn’t work. Their relationship only happens much later.The book has nods to other works, with my own spin on them, and focuses on avoiding elements I find problematic in other stories.Lastly, the beautiful book cover was commissioned and created by HDIArt.

In the 15th year of Lolan’s independence, Luo En transmigrated to this world. But because his system needed six months to load, he had to make use of his own know-how to open a bar in the city and use the bar to familiarize himself with this new universe he was in.

But the location of the bar was poor, so the only customer he had was a man named Charles. This man was a very strange one who enjoyed asking Luo En about the country. He would ask about matters concerning the military, the people, and any other topic that would have seemed potentially treasonous.

“What sort of person do you think the current king of Lolan is?

“Which side do you think is more likely to win the war between Lolan and Waoh?

“Which of the king’s sons do you think is most suitable to be the next king?

Charles’ questions were always so bold.

Luo En was always on the verge of rolling his eyes. As a top student of the 21st century who was well versed in military matters and history, these brainless questions were an insult to his intelligence

But since Charles always spent so much money here, he decided to just answer some of Charles’ questions.

“The current king of Lolan is a good king who’s hard to come by. His legacy will definitely go down in history!

“Before him, Lolan was a divided nation where the aristocrats took control of everything, oppressing the people and making their lives difficult. White Horse City and Sunset City were filled with poor and hungry people, even selling their children to make ends meet and eating absolutely anything they could find. It was such a tragedy.

“Thankfully, the current king united the country and gave the people a peaceful and stable environment to live in. At the same time, he set new laws to help the people come out of their post-war poverty…

“So, I think the current king is a truly wise man, a good king who comes once every millennium!

After hearing these words, the king in disguise at the bar felt his heart palpitate. “You know me the best!

Ash Flameheart, a young boy who aspired to be a Greatest Beastmaster Of All Time, was on the verge of death. Betrayed by the Hero’s party, they left him to die in the hands of the Demon King’s army.As his llife gently ebb away after he muttered his last word to the world.“Ahh, I wish I could fly, free as a bird, soaring through the skies and beyond.”After his untimely demise, his soul transmigrated into another world. The Immortal Beast Realm!An eternity later, Ash opened his eyes and found himself encased in a dark space.Beep![Beast Master System has been installed into a new host][Calibrating the Host…][Name: Ash Flameheart][Species: Heavenly Phoenix][Growth Stage: Hatchling Phoenix][Cultivation Arts: Heavenly Beast Taming Art | Feather Swords Gather Array (Not Not Yet Learned) | Eternal Blood Flames(Not Yet Learned) | Ten Thousands Faces Mantra(Not Yet Learned)]Survival of the fittest!Tame or be tamed. Kill or be Killed!