Xiao Che looked up at the sky.

Under the moonlight, his figure was tall and upright, black hair flowing freely.

The lines of his side profile were sharp; his sword-like eyebrows extended to his temples, and his deep eyes reflected the scattered starlight, cold and handsome, like a banished immortal.

A white shooting star streaked across the night sky.

It grew larger and closer, and he could vaguely make out a stunningly beautiful woman, her robes fluttering in the wind.

A face that could topple kingdoms slowly filled his vision.

“So beautiful!”

Bang!

“Ah, crap…”

Xiao Che was gone.

He died at the age of nineteen.

…

Xiao Che blinked awake, dazed.

He was lying on the ground, naked, a warm, soft body nestled against his chest.

A face of absolute beauty was right in front of him.

Her eyes were half-closed, black hair like a waterfall, barely covering skin as white as lamb’s fat jade. Her curves were hinted at beneath her robes, the delicate sweat on her skin glistening under the moonlight.

I transmigrated? And… got ridden?

He was just an ordinary office worker who died suddenly from overtime, and now his soul had transmigrated?

The memories of the original body flooded in.

On the Xuán Tiān Continent, Eastern Region, Dongzhou, Cangyun Mansion, Xiao Family… there was a young clan lord also named Xiao Che, a prodigy with an extraordinary fire-spirit root and a pure-yang Dao body.

Ranked eighteenth among the 108 Divine Bodies.

At age five, he drew qi into his body; at ten, he laid the foundation; at sixteen, he reached the sixth layer of foundation. But a year ago, during a skirmish over a spirit mine with a rival family, he was ambushed, his dantian destroyed, and his cultivation fell back to the first layer of Qi Refining.

And just now… while gathering herbs on the mountain, he had been killed by a beautiful woman falling from the sky.

And it was this very woman.

Jackpot!

Xiao Che’s heart jolted. A surge of ecstatic joy washed over him.

Reborn into a cultivation world! This time, he would defy fate and change his destiny, no longer being a beast of burden!

Before he could fully process this, the woman in his arms fluttered her eyelashes and opened her eyes.

Their gazes met.

Her cheeks instantly blushed, yet her misty eyes widened and glared at him.

“No! Don’t look!”

Her voice was a mix of shyness and anger, and she pointed at his forehead.

Damn… got ridden and can’t even look!

Xiao Che cried inwardly as darkness overtook him.

The woman withdrew her finger, her gaze lingering briefly on his handsome face.

Heaven did not forsake him, Qing Lian.

A pure yang Dao body… and born this beautiful.

Unfortunately, her cultivation was too low; she could only temporarily stabilize his injuries and could not restore his cultivation.

Her eyes lingered for a moment before silently withdrawing.

…

One day later.

Xiao Che blinked awake again.

The “battle” still seemed ongoing, his body drained of energy.

A wave of weakness hit him, his face full of despair.

Am I… being drained?

I haven’t even touched a girl’s hand before, and she’s starting this big?

I promised myself no more being a beast of burden… this luck is worse than a 996 work schedule! Shouldn’t have set that flag!

Just transmigrated, and I’m already being dispatched… in this way?

The woman noticed he had woken, lifting her fingertip again.

Xiao Che’s vision went black once more.

“You’re such a—”

…

The third day.

Xiao Che awoke again. The battle was finally over, and he sighed in relief.

He cautiously opened his eyes, following a faint sound.

The stunning woman was facing sideways, dressing in the morning light.

Her black hair cascaded, framing shoulders like polished jade. Her waist was narrow, curves breathtaking; the sunlight added a soft glow, making her look unearthly.

“You’re awake.”

The woman spoke, her tone unreadable.

“Then get up and get dressed.”

He jolted, fumbling to grab his clothes.

“Yes, Immortal.”

“Call me Qing Lian.”

“Yes, Immortal Qing Lian.”

“I am the Qing Lian Empress.”

His hand froze mid-sleeve.

“Em… Empress!”

Xiao Che’s pupils shrank.

Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Transformation, Fusion, Great Success, and Tribulation.

Nine major stages, each with nine layers.

Only those who survive all nine Heavenly Tribulations of the Tribulation stage and stand atop this world may be called an Empress.

I… have been… by an Empress…

“How do you feel?”

The Qing Lian Empress looked at him, her eyes calm.

Xiao Che opened his mouth, feeling… his waist was still sore.

“Don’t make that face. I was betrayed by that wretched Yao Guang and fell here. Borrowing your Dao body for dual cultivation temporarily stabilizes my injuries.”

“You’re not at a loss either. The primordial yin I’ve accumulated over ten thousand years is sealed in your dantian. As your cultivation rises, it will slowly dissolve, compensating for hundreds of years of arduous cultivation.”

Having spoken, she calmly tied her white inner robe to conceal her curves, then donned a gorgeous moon-white Qing Palace outfit, hiding the landscape behind her.

Following the original memories, Xiao Che tried to concentrate inwardly.

He froze.

The previously shattered dantian was completely restored, warm and smooth like jade, spiritual power flowing unobstructed.

Even more important… the bottleneck at the sixth layer of Foundation Establishment had broken!

Seventh layer!

The bottleneck from mid to late Foundation Establishment, which the original body had struggled with for over two years until death, had dissolved like snow melting under the Empress’s primordial yin.

I… actually am with an Empress at the pinnacle of this world…

And, by sheer luck, my cultivation has recovered!

This isn’t just ascending a step; it’s like riding a rocket straight into the Lingxiao Palace!

“Feeling it?”

The Qing Lian Empress’s voice pulled him from his ecstasy.

“Yes!”

He nodded eagerly, excitement still surging. “Not only is my foundation restored, but my cultivation has also increased a stage! Thank you, Your Majesty, for your favor!”

“There is another opportunity for you,” she said lightly. “Concentrate, look inward into your Spirit Sea.”

Xiao Che was stunned, then sank into meditation.

At the center of his Spirit Sea floated a small purple jade book, crystalline and exuding ancient energy.

As he touched it with his mind…

Buzz!

The scene changed suddenly.

He was in a strange space.

Beneath him was cracked, dry land. Looking up, there was no sky, only gray mist.

This… is too desolate.

Even emptier than the office after the company hands out year-end bonuses.

The space wasn’t large, maybe thirty meters in each direction.

Floating in midair were two things.

On the left, the purple jade book radiated a gentle glow. On the right, a figure in moon-white Qing Palace robes, graceful and still.

Long black hair—Qing Lian Empress herself.

“This…?”

Xiao Che’s mind was spinning.

“This is a Congenital Spirit Treasure—the Hongmeng Celestial Book.”

The Empress’s voice echoed in his consciousness.

“This space is the Celestial Book Xumi Space, and the only place I currently reside.”

“You are the first outsider in ten thousand years to enter here alive.”

Xiao Che blinked, taking three seconds to process this.

“Uh… Your Majesty, when you say ‘enter alive,’ does that mean those who came before… weren’t alive?”

The Qing Lian Empress looked at him silently.

After a long moment, the corner of her lips lifted slightly.

“Guess.”

NOTE

topple means overthrow 

Jade: translucent, smooth, and pale

Dantian: literal center of a character’s power and soul.

Arduous: Difficult