The Abusive Novel System Pleads with Me to Resign

Ji Liantan's face was a picture of frustration, as if he had given up and was ready to smash the pot.

He realized his junior sister no longer obeyed him as blindly as before, yet he found himself powerless to change it.

As long as he still harbored designs on Ye Qingchen, he couldn't resort to any forceful measures against her.

And his once-docile junior sister was no longer someone who could be cowed by mere threats.

After several verbal clashes, not only had he failed to gain the upper hand, but he had also been thoroughly provoked by her.

This left Ji Liantan fuming, with no choice but to retreat yet again.

Just moments ago, his attempt at reconciliation had been ignored, and in his frustration, he had blurted out those words.

But the moment they left his mouth, he regretted it.

Glancing at the two disciples from the Venom Sect and the Bloodflame Sect, he saw them stiffen in shock.

Their eyes conveyed a clear message: "Your Harmony Sect really has no sense of propriety."

Flushed with anger and shame, Ji Liantan was about to deal with them when he felt a light impact against his body.

Not heavy, but warm—someone had thrown themselves into his arms, wrapping their arms around his waist.

Then, hands slid down his waistline and pressed against—

Ji Liantan's scalp tingled. Though he had spoken boldly, he never expected this person to actually be so shamelessly eager for him.

To disregard the setting entirely.

"You—what are you doing? There are people here!" he hissed.

The two disciples from the Bloodflame Sect and the Venom Sect forced weak smiles. "It's fine, take your time, no rush."

Ji Liantan's face burned even hotter, but fortunately, Shen Ying didn't linger. She pulled away and stood up, looking at him with a smirk.

"See? If you'd just been straightforward from the start, we wouldn't have this problem. You can't string me along and then refuse to give me a taste."

Ji Liantan gritted his teeth. "Shut up. One more word, and I won't let you touch me again."

The Bloodflame and Venom Sect disciples: "..."

Shen Ying decided not to tease him further and turned to the other two. "Before you arrived, did you hear anything unusual?"

The handsome red-robed disciple from the Bloodflame Sect replied, "No. After getting separated from my sectmates, I've been wandering in this mist until a sudden force pushed me here."

The Venom Sect disciple, rugged and exotically handsome with a stubbled jaw, spoke in a deep voice. "Same. I was only pushed a few steps, but after wandering for what felt like an hour in this mist, you all suddenly appeared right in front of me."

Shen Ying's eyes flickered with understanding.

She glanced at Ji Liantan, who met her gaze with silent recognition.

Compared to other demonic cultivators, Ji Liantan and Shen Ying had far more experience navigating secret realms.

Their lifelong partnership had honed an unparalleled tacit understanding.

A single look was enough for them to grasp the trick at play here.

If their senses hadn't been manipulated or severed, then this mist held deeper secrets.

Ji Liantan pulled Shen Ying into the mist, walking a dozen steps away. Though the fog should have obscured them instantly, the other two could still see them clearly.

Ji Liantan murmured, "Seems like the four of us are stuck together for now."

Then, lowering his voice, he asked Shen Ying, "When you questioned them earlier, had you heard something before we met?"

Shen Ying answered honestly, "The Old Ancestor first asked me who I wanted to team up with."

"Of course I said I wanted to be with my senior brother. But he cheated and stuck me with three ugly ducklings instead."

"I argued with him until he finally honored his promise."

Ji Liantan frowned. This sounded too unreliable.

Just as he was about to ask how she had "reasoned" with the Old Ancestor, a voice boomed from above: "Bah! You didn't say you wanted to team up with your senior brother—you said you wanted someone handsome!"

"Anyone would do!"

Ji ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​‍Liantan stared at Shen Ying impassively.

Shen Ying remained unruffled. "Among so many people, who could compare to my senior brother's beauty?"

"In my eyes, no other man is even worth looking at. I was just being polite—my real demand was obvious."

"Not only did the Old Ancestor go back on his word, but now he's butting in like a gossip."

The Old Ancestor's voice choked, as if he wanted to curse.

Ji Liantan gave Shen Ying a sidelong glance, unsurprised by her words.

Instead, he reminded her, "Don't just cling to me. Shouldn't you be keeping an eye on Ye Qingchen at a time like this?"

The Old Ancestor: "..."

He truly didn't understand the younger generation anymore.

Once it was clear they couldn't separate, the four regrouped. Suddenly, a white stone hut materialized in the mist.

A door faced them. After exchanging glances, they approached and pushed it open.

Inside was a spacious hall, resembling an opulent mortal-world tavern.

The interior was far larger than the hut's exterior suggested.

At the center of the hall was an open space—already occupied.

"Occupied" wasn't quite the right word, because the four figures standing there... had their exact same faces.

The purpose of this trial was now unmistakable.

Ji Liantan let out a mocking laugh. "The Old Ancestor's tricks are outdated. This move has been overused in secret realms and illusions nowadays."

Even the disciples from the Blood Flame Sect and the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect wore expressions of boredom.

The Old Ancestor's voice echoed, "Heh heh heh! Think it's too easy?"

"No matter, no matter. If you pass this trial, there will surely be something more satisfying waiting for you later."

"Very well. The rule here is simple—only four may walk out of this place alive. As for whether those four remain the original individuals, this old man couldn't care less."

Shen Ying spoke up, "So, if the copy of me on the other side kills me, she can inherit my identity and proceed to the next stage of the competition?"

The Old Ancestor replied, "Precisely."

Shen Ying's warning made the other two tense. If it were merely a battle against their own illusions, it wouldn't be so bad.

But if these illusions could kill and replace them, it was far more terrifying.

Would this replacement only last within the secret realm, or would it remain effective even after leaving?

If it were the latter, then this was no simple replication of their techniques.

Shen Ying glanced at the opposing side. The four copies were also watching them warily, occasionally whispering among themselves. But the words that reached Shen Ying and the others were nothing but sharp, indistinguishable noise.

They couldn't understand, but it was clear—the copies had developed their own independent consciousness and means of communication.

A cultivator from the Blood Flame Sect stepped forward. "I'll go first."

Seeing his movement, the red-robed copy of him on the opposite side also stepped out on its own.

The rest retreated to the periphery by unspoken agreement, leaving the two Blood Flame Sect disciples to clash.

Most of the Blood Flame Sect's techniques relied on blood as a medium. Almost immediately, a dense crimson mist enveloped the entire arena.

Within it, the two scarlet-clad figures fought like phantoms, their movements too swift to discern.

Shen Ying glanced briefly before looking away, uninterested in the life-and-death struggle on the stage.

Instead, her gaze settled on the three remaining copies across from her.

She studied the duplicate of Ji Liantan. Though identical in appearance, the aura it exuded was different—more refined, more composed.

Then Shen Ying said, "Senior Brother, I'm going over to say hello."

Ji Liantan nodded reflexively. "Mm. Mm—?"

By the time he realized who she meant to greet, Shen Ying had already appeared before her own copy.