The Immortal Realm was a tapestry of boundless territories, so vast that even those who spent lifetimes traversing its expanse could never hope to set foot in every corner.
Here, immortal sects and ancient powers rose and fell like tides, birthing countless powerhouses who vied for supremacy. It was a world where Immortal Qi permeated the very air, nurturing spirit beasts of legend and adorning the landscape with majestic mountains and celestial rivers.
Yet, amidst this infinite expanse, one entity reigned supreme.
The Ye Family.
They were the undisputed hegemons of the Immortal Realm, a titan against which no other power dared to crash.
Suspended high above the Ye Family's ancestral base floated a magnificent palace, a fortress of divine architecture bathed in such abundant Immortal Qi that it coalesced into visible mists.
Around this floating sanctuary, Immortal Beasts patrolled the skies, their silhouettes casting long shadows over the world below. These were not mere pets; among them were terrifying existences that had reached the True Immortal Realm, beasts whose mere breath could level mountains. Their presence turned the airspace into a forbidden zone, terrifying to the extreme.
The scenery surrounding the palace was ethereal, a veritable fairyland on earth, yet its beauty masked a lethal power.
At the epicenter of this celestial fortress lay a chamber of unparalleled opulence. Its very location within the complex spoke volumes; the status of its occupant was self-evident, demanding reverence without a word spoken.
Domineering the center of this room was a bed carved from a single, flawless block of immortal jade. It was a treasure that defied valuation, emitting rhythmic waves of rich Immortal Qi.
To cultivate upon this surface was to cheat the heavens themselves, yielding double the results with half the effort. If a mere fragment of this jade were to appear at an auction within the Immortal Realm, it would incite a bloodbath as countless sects vied to possess it. It was a uniquely blessed artifact, a rare treasure that concentrated the spiritual essence of the world.
Resting upon this sovereign dais was a young man.
His robes were whiter than driven snow, immaculate and unstained by the dust of the mortal world. His face was a masterpiece of creation—handsome beyond measure, with long, willow-like eyebrows that framed a countenance of aristocratic nobility. His body possessed the grace of a jade tree, exuding an aura of elegance that seemed innate rather than learned.
Suddenly, the figure stirred.
The young man, who had been lying in deathly stillness, slowly opened his eyes. Within those deep, abyssal pupils, a flicker of confusion swirled.
"Where is this...?"
Ye Qian, having awakened from the void, scanned his surroundings. The luxurious chamber was alien to him, far removed from the place he had last occupied.
He slowly propped himself up. However, before he could stabilize his posture, a torrential flood of memories assaulted his mind. It was a violent intrusion, a lifetime of experiences that did not belong to him forcing their way into his consciousness.
His head throbbed as if it were on the verge of exploding. But as quickly as the pain arrived, it dissipated, leaving behind clarity. The foreign memories settled, weaving themselves into the fabric of his being. Ye Qian finally understood.
"This is... the Immortal Realm?! And I am now the Young Master of the Ye Family, the strongest power in existence... Ye Qian?!"
His name in his previous life had also been Ye Qian. He had not expected to retain it after transmigration.
But more shocking than the name was the identity attached to it. His background was nothing short of heaven-defying. As the Young Master of the Ye Family, he was one of the most noble existences in the entire Immortal Realm. There was no power under the heavens that dared to provoke him. Anything he desired—wealth, women, resources—was within easy reach, requiring only a gesture of his hand.
With such a monstrous background, why had the original Ye Qian collapsed?
Sifting through the newly acquired memories, Ye Qian discovered that his predecessor possessed not only a noble identity but also a cultivation talent that inspired venomous envy in others: the Supreme Immortal Body.
This physique was the stuff of legends. Those blessed with it could cultivate at a velocity that made even the most celebrated prodigies look like commoners. Throughout history, individuals with the Supreme Immortal Body were one in a million. The last recorded occurrence had been a hundred thousand years ago—an existence who had cultivated all the way to the Great Emperor Realm.
That Great Emperor was none other than the founder of the Ye Family.
When Ye Qian was born, the heavens and earth had changed color. Endless golden light had illuminated the firmament, and he had entered the world shrouded in swirling Immortal Qi. The terrifying aura emanating from the infant had startled even the Ye Family's Old Ancestor, causing him to tremble in fear and awe.
Subsequent examinations confirmed the miracle: Ye Qian had perfectly inherited the Ancestor's Supreme Immortal Body.
The entire Ye Family had erupted in jubilation. This heritage meant that Ye Qian's future potential was limitless; he was destined to rival, perhaps even surpass, the founding Ancestor and ascend to the Great Emperor Realm. From his first breath, his destiny was sealed as the future ruler of the Ye Family.
With the Supreme Immortal Body, his cultivation speed was terrifying. Before the age of seven, his foundation had been further tempered by innumerable Heaven and Earth Treasures and supreme immortal medicines. The clan spared no expense.
Now, at merely eighteen years old, he had already reached the peak of the Enlightenment Realm.
In comparison, the so-called "prodigies" among his peers were struggling to breach the Divine Ability Realm. Ye Qian had surpassed them by more than a major rank. The Supreme Immortal Body was simply that terrifying.
However, the original host had been plagued by hubris. Unsatisfied with the Enlightenment Realm Peak, he had desperately sought to break through to the Holy Induction Realm.
But cultivation is a treacherous path. His progress had been too rapid, his foundation powerful but his state of mind fragile. In his haste, he had destabilized his mental state, giving rise to a Heart Demon.
For a cultivator, a Heart Demon is a death sentence waiting to happen. One careless thought can lead to Qi Deviation and obliteration. The original Ye Qian, despite knowing the Heart Demon had taken root, had arrogantly attempted to force the breakthrough. The result was catastrophic: the Heart Demon backlashed, shattering his soul.
It was in that moment of destruction that the new Ye Qian's soul had arrived. Aided by a mysterious System, he had entered the empty vessel and successfully fused with the fragmented remnants of the predecessor's soul.
This fusion was the key. It allowed Ye Qian's soul to fit the body perfectly, masking any abnormalities from the prying eyes of the Ye Family's formidable elders. Without this synthesis, his foreign soul would have been detected instantly. In a family of this caliber, such a discovery would have led to his soul being forcefully extracted and refined, resulting in true, irreversible soul scattering.
Realizing that the System had saved him from a fate worse than death, Ye Qian secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
"Good. The System is capable. Otherwise... I would truly be finished before I even began."
Just as the thought crossed his mind, a mechanical, synthetic voice resonated within his consciousness.
[Ding! Master, please rest assured. The Great Villain System will dedicate itself to eliminating all of Master's worries.]
For anyone else in the Immortal Realm, a disembodied voice speaking directly into their Sea of Consciousness would have been cause for terror. But as a transmigrator, Ye Qian accepted the anomaly itself instantly. This was his cheat, the foundation of his survival in this ruthless world.
"...Wait. Great Villain System?!"
Ye Qian stilled, the name striking through his mind like a blade.
Good gracious.
The memories he had absorbed painted a picture of arrogance and dominance, and now the System's name confirmed it. He hadn't just transmigrated; he had been cast as the antagonist.
Having read countless webnovels, Ye Qian understood the implications at once. The so‑called Great Villain was never written to walk peacefully to the end—his fate was to be dragged out, condemned in the name of justice, and destroyed so the protagonist could bask in the spotlight.
His gaze deepened, a faint chill sliding through his chest—not panic, but a clear, cold assessment of the danger he faced.
If this world followed the same script, then someone out there already regarded him as a future execution target.
He had no intention of obediently playing along.
He would not grovel for survival.
He would decide his own ending.
The "cheat" he had just encountered no longer felt simple. It was an opportunity—but also a blade, and whether it cut others or turned on him would depend entirely on how he handled it.