Chapter 1 Withered Autumn

[Withered autumn, fallen leaves everywhere.]

[Setting sun, ruddy glow fills the sky.]

[Amidst this dying scenery, a group of people arrived at the entrance of a secluded valley.]

As the opening CG began, a powerful old voice, in a decidedly archaic tone, delivered a few lines of narration, setting the tone for the entire drama.

[Within the entourage of over a hundred, there were officials with influence over the court, generals with illustrious battle achievements, and even members of the imperial family. Of course, the majority were… soldiers and servants.]

Accompanied by the narration, a group of figures dressed in ancient Chinese attire and armor emerged from a mountain path one after another.

The three men leading the way were all riding horses, each wearing different styles of official robes, seemingly indicating they came from different institutions…

Judging from their eyes, posture, and the aura they exuded, they were undoubtedly skilled martial artists, and seasoned veterans of countless battles.

Following behind the three pioneers was a large contingent of soldiers, each armed with swords and wearing light armor. At first glance, they appeared to be ordinary soldiers, but upon closer inspection… it was not difficult to see that they all possessed a certain foundation in internal energy, and were by no means ordinary foot soldiers.

Looking further back, one could see more riders and carriages…

There were only three carriages in the entire group, moving slowly forward surrounded by soldiers. Each carriage was pulled by two horses, and in addition to a driver, a rider always followed closely beside, clearly acting as a personal guard.

Finally, at the rear of the group, were two more riders and a dozen people in plain clothes. Although these people were not equipped with weapons or armor, they were all strong and healthy men, their gait much lighter and more agile than ordinary people.

[Ming Dynasty, the twenty-second year of the Shengping era.]

[The Emperor, afflicted with a terrible illness, urgently summoned three trusted confidants to the palace and personally issued a secret decree.]

[A few weeks later, the actual leaders of the Grand Commandant's Office, the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and the Eastern Depot led a mysterious group of people and appeared in this valley located in the desolate borderlands.]

As the narration reached this point, a subtitle annotation appeared in the players' and viewers' field of vision, stating:

"Note: The history of the Ming Dynasty in this drama world differs greatly from actual history. The basic setting is… the Guangzong Emperor Zhu Changluo, who should have died in the same year he ascended the throne, lived for over thirty years before succumbing to illness. The resulting butterfly effect caused significant changes in the subsequent rulers, governmental structures, and duration of the dynasty. The current drama takes place in a period that does not exist in recorded history. Shengping is a fictional era name, and the Emperor and other figures are also fictional."

After the subtitles appeared and paused for a moment, the narration continued.

[This valley is named "Burial Heart Valley", located in a desolate border region. The entrance to the valley is extremely difficult to find, and the interior is isolated from the world.]

[Martial world legends say that a "King Yama" lives in Burial Heart Valley, capable of controlling life and death.]

[Those who have nowhere else to turn in the world, if they can be taken in by the "King Yama" and enter the valley, can preserve their lives.]

[No matter who seeks refuge, no matter what they have done outside, no matter how powerful their enemies may be… once they enter Burial Heart Valley, the King Yama will ensure their survival.]

[However, that person, for the rest of their life, can never leave the valley even half a step.]

[Otherwise, they must return the life given by the King Yama… to the King Yama.]

After this introduction, the camera shifted, and the scene instantly transitioned to the depths of Burial Heart Valley…

Behind a mountain recess and beside a clear spring, a sizable village appeared. And at the end of that village, a mountain manor stood against the hillside.

The players' vision moved rapidly with the camera, traversing through the village.

[Desert Saber King Di Hou, Guannei First Spear Feng Er, Flying Dragon Swordsman He Ziming, Ba Fang Lou Xiang Lord Meng Qi…]

Each time the narration announced a name, the camera quickly shifted to a villager and lingered for a few seconds.

Clearly, this was hinting, or rather, explicitly stating… that each of these villagers, now plowing the fields, fetching water, and feeding livestock, were once influential figures who stirred up the martial world.

[These experts who once dominated the martial world have now become "little devils" under the King Yama.]

[Their lives no longer belong to themselves. Only because… they once did wrong things…]

[Massacring innocents, betraying the country and colluding with enemies, raping and killing women, scheming for wealth and killing… everyone in this village has done things that a person should not do, so they no longer have a foothold in the human world, so they came here, and became "ghosts".]

[It's not that no one has ever tried to hunt down the fugitives in Burial Heart Valley. Someone tried many years ago, and others have tried in recent years… but those hunters either gave up or also became "ghosts".]

[Until today, the order here will be broken…]

The plot summary ended here, and the players simultaneously gained the ability to move.

This time, both teams were collectively teleported, and they were with their teammates from the start.

"What the… What's going on?" As soon as he stood still, Wang Tanzhi asked.

At this moment, the four members of the [Hell Frontline] team appeared in a desert. And dozens of teams, roughly three to four hundred people, stood scattered tens of meters ahead of them.

Those people were dressed in various styles, and carried different weapons. Judging from the distance between the groups, they were from at least several dozen different factions… and that didn't include those standing alone.

"This… Could this be a martial arts tournament?" Hua Jian immediately thought of this, because she quickly spotted groups of bald monks, groups of Taoists, groups of Taoist nuns, groups of salt merchants, and other relatively distinctive factions… Based on Miss An's many years of watching martial arts movies, these teams were probably from various schools and sects of the martial world.

"Heh… Maybe." Feng Bujue replied, "Speaking of which… this scene feels familiar…"

In fact, Brother Jue had already deduced that the setting of this drama was the same world as *Cang Ling Lun Jian* (Sword Debate on Cang Ling Mountain). There were two reasons for this: First, he heard the name "Ba Fang Lou" in the opening CG, and this organization was one of the "One Prefecture, Two Towers, Three Schools, and Four Gates" in *Cang Ling Lun Jian*; Second, after a deep exchange with the Illusion Demon Church, Brother Jue learned something… The "Bell Demon" he killed in the back mountain of Cang Ling Town was actually one of the "Nine Nether Fiends" under the command of the Nether King, and like "Fuling" on the Chewing Demon Island, she was a banished "former Nine Nether Fiend." This connection also indirectly confirmed that this drama world existed in the main universe of Thriller Paradise. And all the "Four Realm Melee" competition dramas took place in the main universe, which… made Brother Jue even more convinced of his conjecture.

"This is the drama world of Cang Ling Town, right?" A few seconds later, Ruoyu also realized the meaning of Feng Bujue's words, and turned to answer.

"Eh?" Xiao Tan heard this and asked suspiciously, "So that world is also in the main universe?"

"It's normal." Feng Bujue shrugged and replied, "Since there are 'planets that resemble America in the 1980s' in the main universe, why can't there be 'planets that resemble China in the sixteenth century'?"

"Hmm… That makes sense. We've even been to a planet full of rabbits that know how to do Kung Fu…" Xiao Tan nodded in agreement.

Just as they were talking, suddenly! A figure soared into the sky, passing over the heads of the crowd, stepping on air all the way… and stood on a high rock in the desert, standing before the heroes.

It was a man in his fifties, with a heroic face, dignified appearance, tall and sturdy physique, and extraordinary bearing.

He was wearing a green brocade robe, with a metal belt around his waist, holding a shirt in his hand, and wearing fast boots. All over his body… he was not wearing any weapons.

"Greetings, heroes…" After the man stood still, he cast a condescending gaze over the crowd beneath his feet, and then said, "Yuan… greets you."

His voice was not loud, nor did he shout, but every word he spoke clearly reached the ears of everyone within hundreds of meters.

"Using internal energy to transmit sound, huh…" Feng Bujue muttered, stroking his chin, "In this open space, and able to use it on so many people at the same time… his skills are quite remarkable. Also, since he dares to jump to a high place alone and speak so loudly in front of the entire martial world… it shows that his status in the martial world is also extraordinary."

The reactions of those martial artists in the next second explained the identity of "Yuan".

"Greetings, Alliance Master!" Similar words echoed from the crowd, near and far.

"Oh… It's the Martial Arts Alliance Master…" Feng Bujue muttered in a tone that implied "it's just the Martial Arts Alliance Master."

"Heroes, you are too polite." After a few seconds, the Alliance Master clasped his fists in return, and said loudly, "The current situation is urgent, and time is of the essence. Yuan will get straight to the point…" He paused for half a second and said, "Yuan has received reliable information that half a month ago, the imperial court sent over a hundred experts, rushing all the way from Shuntian Prefecture to Burial Heart Valley, and they arrived not long ago." As he spoke, he turned and gestured towards the distant mountain shadows behind him, "After several inquiries, Yuan finally learned… that there is a kind of 'longevity technique' hidden in that Burial Heart Valley. It is said that those who master it can achieve immortality and eternal youth."

Before he could finish speaking, a clamor erupted from the crowd.

In fact… it was optional for him to say this, because it was basically an "open secret." If these martial artists below didn't know about the existence of a "longevity technique," why would they be so enthusiastic about rushing to this desolate place?

"Heroes!" The Alliance Master paused for a moment, and continued, "That 'longevity technique' is a classic created by people of our martial world. How can it be handed over to those imperial hounds?" His tone suddenly became impassioned, "Yuan believes… that this matter must not be allowed!"

"That's right! It must not be allowed!"

"Alliance Master is wise!"

"We must not let the 'longevity technique' fall into the hands of those lackeys!"

Listening to these echoing voices, Alliance Master Yuan nodded with satisfaction: "Today, Yuan invited all of you heroes here, just to ask you to lend me a hand."

"I have a feeling…" Hearing this, a smile suddenly appeared on Brother Jue's face, "... next he's going to say something very shameless."

His words were immediately fulfilled…

Sure enough, Alliance Master Yuan's next sentence was: "As long as we gather the strength of all our schools and sects, it will be easy to take down those imperial hounds." He waved his hand and swept his sleeves, "However… the imperial court will definitely not give up so easily. They will definitely send people to steal the technique from Burial Heart Valley again. Therefore… Yuan believes that the 'longevity technique' should be jointly guarded by our entire martial world."

"Alliance Master is right!"

"It should be guarded by us!"

Several sect leaders couldn't wait to respond to Alliance Master Yuan's call, shouting loudly.

"Hehe… This logic is driving me crazy…" Hua Jian looked at the NPC high above with a contemptuous expression, and sneered, "Leaving aside what the Ming Dynasty government is like in this world, even if they are a bunch of robbers… this Alliance Master seems to be saying—'Our neighbor has a treasure. To prevent robbers from stealing it, let's rob it first and keep it safe for our neighbor.'"

"Moreover…" Ruoyu then coldly added, "The so-called 'joint custody by the entire martial world'… is just him, the Alliance Master, keeping it first, right? After the thing is in his hands, whether he will take it out again, or whether what he takes out is real or fake… that's not for sure."

"I think… even if he is really forced to keep it with someone else," Xiao Tan also said, "he will definitely copy or memorize that technique first, and then hand over the real one."

"Hmph… You're all too naive." Hearing his teammates' words, Feng Bujue smiled and shook his head, "If it were me… today, everyone present, after being used by me… none of them would be able to leave this desert alive."

The few of them were talking recklessly, and their voices were not low, but… no one noticed them.

Because so far, the "system protection time" after entering the drama had not yet passed.

Brother Jue and the others were very clear about this, after all, they were all level 50 players with plenty of drama experience, and they were very familiar with all the details in the game.

In the current situation… the four of them suddenly appeared, and there were so many people standing nearby, but not a single NPC noticed their appearance, which was undoubtedly due to the system protection.

"Since everyone has no objections…" Seeing that things were progressing very smoothly, Alliance Master Yuan continued, "... then, without further delay, the current sunset is the perfect opportunity to enter the valley." It seemed that he had done his research very thoroughly, "That Burial Heart Valley is shrouded in 'light mist', and one can see at night. Everyone, follow me… Let's work together to wipe out those imperial hounds and find and protect the 'longevity technique'!"

As the voice fell, the various sects were in an uproar, rushing forward… In the blink of an eye, those hundreds of people were marching in a mighty group with Yuan towards the valley a few kilometers away, raising clouds of dust wherever they passed.

Only Brother Jue and the other three stood still, casting contemptuous glances at those rabble.

[Main Quest Triggered]

[Kill Four Members of “Red Sakura”.]

At the same time, the quest prompt popped up…