The Abusive Novel System Pleads with Me to Resign

When the Ninth Junior Brother said these words, his face wore an expression of utmost innocence.

If it had been his own face, paired with his youthful, unblemished age, anyone would have agreed that if the child said something inappropriate, it must have been instigated by someone else.

But now, he was wearing Shen Ying's face, and the sight filled her with complicated emotions.

Seeing Shen Ying remain silent, the Ninth Junior Brother quickly moved to her side, clinging to her arm.

He wrote in a coquettish manner: "Senior Sister, why are you with the Eldest Senior Brother? What's this about the Old Ancestor grouping people together?"

"Is it based on who the team's core member likes the most? Because whether it's the person Senior Sister likes most or the one who likes Senior Sister most, it should be me."

"Oh, right—why did Eldest Senior Brother attack that guy on sight? They're practically beating each other's brains out. Senior Sister, are we really not going to stop them?"

As he wrote this, he tightened his grip on her arm.

Shen Ying glanced over—the two were indeed fighting so fiercely they were close to drawing blood.

Both had landed several blows on each other, and if this continued, neither would come out unscathed.

Shen Ying couldn't just let them keep fighting. After all, in the original story, she had been accidentally killed after getting caught in a death match between them.

Given that precedent, she dared not get close while they were fighting.

Instead, she raised her voice and called out, "Senior Brothers, stop fighting! We've found something over here!"

Ji Liantan ignored her completely, and Ye Qingchen couldn't understand what Shen Ying was saying, so there was no chance he would back down either.

The Ninth Junior Brother smirked at this—until Shen Ying added, "Little Nine says they've discovered clues about the Old Ancestor's True Blood."

Ji Liantan's heart lurched at these words. The True Blood was his primary objective for this journey, and he couldn't tolerate the idea of it falling into Ye Qingchen's hands so soon after entering.

With a forceful palm strike, Ji Liantan pushed Ye Qingchen back, ending the pointless battle.

He shot a venomous glare at Ye Qingchen, who was still wearing his face, before turning back to Shen Ying. Seeing Little Nine clinging to her, he scowled, tore him off, and tossed him aside.

In a low voice, he demanded, "What's going on? How did they find the True Blood already? This is only the second level—we haven't found anything along the way."

Shen Ying replied calmly, "Oh, I lied."

Ji Liantan nearly choked on his rage. "What did you say? You dared lie to me?"

Shen Ying shrugged shamelessly. "What else was I supposed to do? Watch you two keep fighting?"

"You said it yourself—this is only the second level. If you both end up severely injured, what's the point of continuing?"

"Do you want to be eliminated early and become a laughingstock like Gu Lun?"

The young master of the White Bone Sect had died the moment he entered the secret realm, and his corpse had been ejected outside. By now, the outside world was probably buzzing with gossip about it.

Ji Liantan's face twisted in fury. "I wouldn't have lost."

Shen Ying smiled. "Funny—Senior Brother Ye thinks the same thing."

Still seething, Ji Liantan glared at her. "Earlier—did you look at him a few extra times?"

Shen Ying's gaze flickered away. Ji Liantan grew even angrier. "That sanctimonious act of his, wearing my face—do you think it suits him better?"

Shen Ying waved her hands. "No, no! It's just that I've never seen Senior Brother look so dignified and ethereal before. It's a rare sight, that's all."

After all, a person's aura and demeanor were usually fixed. Seeing one face carry two completely different temperaments—wasn't that fascinating?

She couldn't help but feel a little regretful that she didn't have the same perspective as Little Nine and the others.

If she had, she could have seen both versions of Ye Qingchen's style.

The thought sparked an idea, and she quickly said, "Old Ancestor, can I switch teams with Little Nine?"

Ji Liantan exploded. "What did you just say? What are you scheming?"

Her ulterior motives were so obvious even the Old Ancestor could hear them rattling from beyond his coffin.

A voice filled with regret responded, "No. You must continue your battle. Only four of you may proceed to the third level."

Shen Ying sighed in disappointment before asking, "Then does the illusion still serve any purpose now?"

The Old Ancestor seemed to agree that it had lost its meaning. Slowly, the appearances of the four people on the opposing team began to distort in each other's eyes, reverting to their original forms.

In truth, it wasn't so much an illusion as it was the Old Ancestor warping their spiritual senses and perceptions.

Now that the spell had lifted, Little Nine finally saw his beloved Senior Sister's face again and bounded over joyfully. "Senior Sister! Senior Sister! Can you understand me now?"

Shen Ying nodded, then glanced at Ye Qingchen and the other two members of their team.

Sure enough, they were fellow disciples from the Blood Flame Sect and the Ten Thousand Poison Sect. Upon recognizing the two from Shen Ying's group, they happily greeted each other.

Little Nine frowned. "No wonder the Old Ancestor grouped us like this—he wanted us to kill our own allies, especially those closest to us."

"If other teams haven't realized the truth and end up slaughtering their own comrades, thinking they're duplicates, imagine how devastated they'll be when the illusion lifts."

He then looked at Shen Ying with pitiful eyes. "Senior Sister, the Old Ancestor is so cruel! He wanted people who care deeply for each other, like us, to fight to the death."

"If I had to watch you die by my hand, how could I go on living?"

Shen Ying chuckled and ruffled his hair. "You're quite confident, aren't you?"

Despite his antics, this kid had an unshakable belief in his own talent and strength.

Little Nine smiled bashfully before suddenly realizing something. "Ah, right—the three of us fit the Old Ancestor's scheme perfectly."

"But what about the men Senior Brother and Senior Sister brought in? Did the Old Ancestor really think either of them would grieve if the other died?"

Ji Liantan and Ye Qingchen, who had just begun to calm down, immediately looked as if they'd swallowed flies at these words.

Both turned murderous glares toward Little Nine.

The Ninth Junior Brother shuddered, realizing he might have misspoken, and quickly changed the subject. "By the way, why did the Old Ancestor only distort our speech and writing but not our gestures?"

"Otherwise, we wouldn't have recognized each other so easily."

Shen Ying smiled. "It's not that he didn't want to—he couldn't."

"In battle, we rely on observing movements to predict attacks and decipher techniques. If even that were restricted, the fights would be meaningless."

"Even ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​‍if the Old Ancestor is malicious, he's still just a remnant of a soul. He can't monitor hundreds of people, adjusting illusions mid-battle and mid-conversation."

"In the end, it's just an inflexible rule, nothing more."

Little Nine's eyes widened in understanding.

The Old Ancestor, displeased, roared, "Ignorant brat! How dare you belittle this venerable one?"

"When I ruled the demon realm and commanded the winds and clouds, your ancestors were still playing in the mud!"

Shen Ying waved him off. "If it were your true self, we might show some respect. But you're just a lingering ghost trying to manipulate people's hearts. Who would hold you in high regard?"

Before the Old Ancestor could retort, she added, "And don't bother threatening me. It's not like you'd have held back even if we'd groveled at your feet."

The Old Ancestor was left speechless.

Elsewhere in the secret realm, many had already slain their closest friends, triumphant in their victory—only to watch in horror as the "duplicates" before them reverted to the corpses of their loved ones, their grief now unbearable.

Even those who held little affection for their sectmates were now caught in the frenzy of slaughter, turning on their own kin.

Yet here, the ruse had been exposed before it even began.

The Old Ancestor's voice rumbled, "Enough. No matter what, only four of you will leave this place alive."

"Heh, blame it on this old man being nothing more than an inflexible rule," he added with a sneer.

"This space won't open the third layer unless the excess is culled down to four."

Shen Ying, Ji Liantan, Ye Qingchen, and Little Nine exchanged glances, now fairly convinced the Old Ancestor wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed.

Their gazes then shifted to the four disciples from the Blood Flame Sect and the Ten Thousand Toxins Sect, who tensed under the scrutiny.

They were merely ordinary elite disciples of their sects—how could they compare to Ji Liantan, a Young Sovereign?

Even Shen Ying, who had effortlessly separated the two Blood Flame Sect disciples earlier, made it clear that the Harmony Sect's senior sister far surpassed them in cultivation.

Shen Ying spoke coolly, "Fellow cultivators, you'd best withdraw on your own. Given the circumstances, your sects won't fault you for retreating."

Without much deliberation, the four gritted their teeth and wisely reached for their exit tokens—

[Wait! This old man never said you could do it this way! It must be four from the same group—]

Before he could finish, Shen Ying cut him off with a derisive laugh. "Liar."

"The rule you stated at the beginning was clear: the victors could replace the original participants. Even if it was a deception, it still proves the rules allow for competition between the two groups, doesn't it?"

The Old Ancestor spluttered in frustration, "That was for corresponding opponents! At most, only two of your four can remain!"

Shen Ying shrugged. "Oh? Who said I have to fight my designated match? What if I can't bring myself to strike my own reflection and switch opponents instead?"

The Old Ancestor: "…"