As the sun dipped below the horizon, the day swiftly drew to a close. Lin Xuan, dragging her weary body home, couldn’t shake the feeling that her classmates had been looking at her strangely all day.
Moreover, her juniors, for some inexplicable reason, had suddenly grown bold enough to ask for her contact information, leaving her utterly exhausted from fending them off.
Shi Chen, however, wasn’t faring much better, which brought Lin Xuan a small measure of comfort. It was always a little more comforting to realize someone else shared her misfortune than to suffer alone!
Finally, she reached her apartment door. Just as she arrived, a pair of fluffy fox ears suddenly sprang forth from Lin Xuan’s head. Ever since that strange night when her body began to change, her already keen senses and observational skills had become significantly enhanced.
She had grown accustomed to it, though. Each transformation brought with it a new, peculiar ability.
“What is this?”
In her enhanced vision, the clear fingerprints on the door glowed faintly, as if dusted with fluorescent powder. A subtle, ethereal chain of light seemed to extend from the doorknob, disappearing into the inner crevice of the door.
Someone had entered her home.
‘Could Ling’er have snuck in again to install a surveillance camera in my room?’
Lost in thought, Lin Xuan willed her ears to retract. Filled with curiosity, she cautiously opened the door, peering through the gap into the apartment.
“—a severe influenza virus has erupted in the ancient city of Kanchipuram in India. The source of the virus remains unknown, and it continues to spread across several temples… Currently, nearly twenty thousand people have been infected…”
“—the Huaxia Empire has dispatched nearly twenty thousand medical personnel to provide assistance…”
The news broadcast drifted clearly into Lin Xuan’s ears as the security door swung open.
On the sofa, a beautiful woman with graceful, alluring curves lay sprawled like a middle-aged man in his thirties or forties. Her skin, as fair as jade, and a pair of perfectly long legs were casually propped up, her toes playfully wiggling the slippers.
“Ugh, why are there so many things happening these days? Can’t a person get a moment’s rest?”
Grumbling, the woman grabbed a bottle of soda from the table and took a long swig. Her beautiful eyes then flickered towards the sneaking figure at the doorway, a seductive smile playing on her lips.
“My dear, you’re back?”
“Big Sis, why are you here?”
Lin Xuan’s face twitched almost imperceptibly as she beheld the beautiful woman, who looked no older than seventeen or eighteen. A strange expression then crossed her features. She couldn’t explain why, but a faint glow had seemed to envelop the woman for a moment before vanishing in a blink.
“I’m going on another business trip in a couple of days, so I came to see my dearest *otouto* before I leave!”
“I bet you just came to raid my snacks again!”
Lin Xuan’s face registered exasperation as she surveyed the snack wrappers strewn across the floor. The woman before her was Lin Xuan’s cousin, Ling Yu, the very person who had first introduced Lin Xuan to cross-dressing. Tall and statuesque, she was a goddess in everyone else’s eyes, yet in Lin Xuan’s presence, her words and actions were uncannily like those of a peculiar middle-aged man in his thirties or forties.
“Not at all! It’s rare for me to go on such a long trip, so naturally, Big Sis is here to leave some gifts for her little brother! Hehehe, it’s been a few days, Xiao Xuanxuan, and you’re looking even more radiant…”
As she spoke, the woman magically produced several sets of women’s clothing from seemingly nowhere. With a lewd grin, she rose from the sofa. Oh, and despite her youthful appearance, she was actually twenty-eight, almost thirty.
“Come, come, try them on quickly!”
“Alright, alright, you go back to watching your news!”
Lin Xuan was in no mood to bicker. With an exasperated look, she pushed Ling Yu back onto the sofa, expertly gathered the trash, donned an apron, and headed for the kitchen.
“Mmm~ Xuanxuan is so rough~”
The beauty on the sofa pouted slightly in displeasure, then turned back to the television. The news report had already switched to the next segment, where a woman with a microphone was professionally reporting on a blurry photograph.
“Today, the waters north of the Yamato Nation experienced a severe tremor, resulting in casualties and property damage totaling… Fishermen claim to have seen a colossal whale, shaped like a castle, several hundred kilometers off the coast. Related investigations are ongoing…”
The jade-like hand reaching for a potato chip paused momentarily. The woman’s beautiful phoenix eyes narrowed slightly.
“Hey, Xuanxuan, I was wondering…”
“? What is it?”
“How about we shower together tonight~”
“???”
****
The dishes were quickly prepared.
As usual, the seemingly refined elder sister transformed into a ravenous glutton before the food, frantically shoveling it down.
“Sis, slow down. No one’s going to steal your food.”
Lin Xuan had just given her usual helpless reminder when she noticed Ling Yu actually stopped, suddenly eating slowly and uncharacteristically.
Her beautiful eyes scrutinized Lin Xuan from head to toe.
“What is it?”
“You know, little brother, I’ve always thought you had a talent for cooking!”
“?”
“So please, wear nothing but an apron and cook for me!”
“Get lost!!”
“Ahahaha, but you seem to have lost weight recently. How about after dinner, Big Sis gives you a thorough physical examination (ಡωಡ)?”
Lin Xuan expressionlessly pulled out her phone and dialed 110.
****
Death, fear, despair, hatred…
Endless negative emotions from the dark plane surged into her body, accompanied by black mist.
The Seed of the Undead in her left hand gradually melted, and the dark will hidden within it was completely dissolved.
In its place, another, even more terrifying will gradually awakened within Zhao Zheng’s body. It was like the primordial will of the world at its genesis, asserting its dominance and destroying everything in its path with an undeniable force.
“I, the Sovereign, command: Silence!”
Without hesitation, she plunged the divine sword deeper into her chest by several inches. A powerful surge of dragon energy coursed through her, instantly sweeping away the black mist while simultaneously tearing at her internal organs.
Zhao Zheng threw her head back and laughed wildly, a defiant arrogance etched on her excessively pale face.
“The King of the Underworld? Do you truly believe yourself great?”
“Come, devour my soul! If you have the guts, consume my soul, and you too shall perish!”
Zhao Zheng’s voice grew increasingly bizarre, even acquiring a metallic clang.
“My King…”
Behind her, the faint divine light in the eyes of the heroic spirits before the ruined city walls flickered like candles in the wind.
They watched their young King, enveloped in black death energy. Outside the black dragon robe, one pure black armor piece after another emerged.
Lava-like patterns flowed across the armor, emanating a deathly aura that could extinguish all spirits and a monstrous malevolence, threatening to devour everything in sight.
However, something about Zhao Zheng’s body seemed to make the entity wary, preventing it from acting rashly.
“You desire this vessel of mine? If you have the power, come and try to take it!”
As she spoke, she once again frantically channeled the power of the divine sword in her hand, unleashing the dragon energy completely within her body.
Blood burst forth from her body in numerous places.
The armor and robe outside her body shrieked like a ghost infant, but Zhao Zheng tore it off, skin and all, kicking it away violently. Then, like a madwoman, she threw her head back and laughed uproariously.
“Either obey me, or we die together! Resurrection??? I’ll ensure you suffer eternal damnation right now!”
“Remember, now, *I* am the King!”
Blood gushed forth. Behind her, the row of heroic spirits watched, stunned.
A black and crimson throne slowly ascended from the ground, as if from the boundless abyss of the Nine Netherworlds. Countless terrifying ghostly heads emerged from that chasm alongside the throne.
Pitch-black death energy surged skyward, like overturned ink, instantly staining the heavens. Myriad underworld specters circled, bowing before the central throne. They sang loudly, emitting harsh and grating hymns, praising and celebrating.
The birth of a new King!
Yet, in the eyes of the heroic spirits behind them,
There was no longer any trace of a living person’s aura on their King’s body…
****
Ding! Second update has arrived.
ヾ(✿ﾟ▽ﾟ)ノ