Mythshaper - Chapter 12: Tree of Life

“Let me tell you something honey, Revenge is the best dish served cold.’’****To her, betrayal was the most excruciating pain in the world—the kind that pierced her soul.The people she had loved with her entire heart had not only failed her, but ruthlessly deceived her.“How could you?” she had once cried, her voice shaking as she stared at the man she had chased like a madwoman. But he had already cheated on her—expecting a child with the very woman she despised with every fiber of her being.Her so-called “family ” was no better. The relatives she thought she could trust? They only wanted the inheritance meant for her and her little brother.The people who once smiled sweetly and flattered her? They were nowhere to be found when her glamorous and envious life crumbled to nothing.“I thought you all cared about me...” she whispered bitterly, watching as one by one, they all turned their backs on her when she needed them the most.In that devastating moment, everything became painfully clear. The bubble she had lived in popped and she finally saw their true faces.But....it was too late.Everything she had was gone, slipping through her fingers like sand in the wind.Except for him.Her former fiancé, the one man she had tried to ruin with every scheme she had planned, remained by her side until the end. He stood by her, even as she took her final breath.She had accepted her tragic fate—until something phenomenal happened. She woke up once again.Back to the past.Where nothing had happened yet.

Heaven and Earth serve as the guesthouse for all living things, with Time being the sojourner since time immemorial.

As with the difference between dreaming and awakening, the distinction between life and death is diverse and confused, and changing.

What awaits us beyond time, once we have transcended life and death, heaven and earth?

Ethan's head throbbed violently as he opened his eyes, his vision hazy and unfocused. A dull ringing filled his ears, drowning out his thoughts.“What’s happening…?” he thought, his mind sluggish, struggling to catch up with reality. One moment, he was asleep—or at least, he thought he was—and the next, searing pain forced him awake.His vision swam, shapes blurring together in a disorienting mess. But then, muffled noises filtered through the haze—frantic, panicked sounds. Someone was trying to scream, their voice smothered, choked by something.A cold shiver ran down his spine.As his sight gradually sharpened, Ethan's breath hitched.He was on all fours, looming over someone. A girl.Her body twisted and writhed beneath him, ropes biting into her wrists and ankles. Her mouth was gagged, muffling her cries. Her wide brown eyes, brimming with fear and fury, glared up at him.Ethan's body locked in place, his blood running cold.“What the…?” His mind reeled, thoughts slamming into each other in chaotic disarray. “What kind of bizarre dream is this?”Panic clawed at his chest. His breath came in ragged, uneven gasps as he scrambled backward, only to realize his limbs felt sluggish, uncooperative, like they didn’t belong to him.“Is this… is this some kind of twisted fantasy I never knew I had?” A sickening thought slithered through his mind, making his stomach churn.The girl's frantic squirming slowed for a moment, her gaze flickering with confusion as she took in his expression—his trembling hands, his wide, horrified eyes. But the fear returned just as quickly. She struggled harder, her body arching, her muffled screams rising in pitch.Ethan wanted to speak, to say something, anything, but before he could force out a word, a glowing blue window materialized before his eyes.His breath caught.A translucent, hovering screen?“What…?”Lines of glowing text scrolled across its surface.---[System Activated…][Host Confirmed.][Simulating Previous Data…]Ethan awakens in a mysterious world, shackled by a curse that clouds his judgment and drives him toward choices he never wished to make. Burdened by guilt and responsibility, he must navigate the fallout of his actions while unraveling the truth behind the curse—and his place in this enigmatic new reality.

My name is Chen Huai’an, and I have cancer. I’m dying. Lately, I’ve become obsessed with a virtual girlfriend game. I top up my account to buy her cultivation techniques and magical artifacts. Even though I’ve emptied my wallet, I laugh like a fool. I always thought it was just a game—until one day, my virtual girlfriend sent me a pill. The next moment, the pill appeared in my hand… Am I… not going to die?!My name is Li Qingran. My cultivation has been crippled, my spiritual roots dug out, and I’ve been expelled from my sect. I cower in a dilapidated hut, waiting to die. I thought my life was over—until I met a mysterious senior who never shows himself. This senior heals my wounds and helps me cultivate. I grow stronger and stronger, eventually becoming the most powerful sword cultivator in the Cangyun Realm. I’ve heard that the spiritual energy in Cangyun is depleting, the Dao is dim, and an immortal from another world plans to merge their soon-to-revive realm with ours. An age of chaos and opportunity is upon us. Even immortals may face death in this struggle. I scour the world for traces of this senior. I want to protect him—and become his Dao companion!!!