The Reincarnated Villain Can Break the Fourth Wall!

Liu Zhenhai, "I'm certain the treasure is behind this boulder."

"Mm.." Elder Bai offered a slight nod, her expression thoughtful.

At this moment, the only female disciple, Lan Meiyu, stepped forward, her eyes practically shining with admiration.

"Really? You're incredible, Senior Brother~~! Finding the treasure's location so easily…" she purred, moving closer with all the elegance she could muster, her voice soft, almost reverent.

"..."

Fatty Zhou and Xiao Yu exchanged knowing glances, their faint smirks betraying exactly what they thought of her obvious intentions.

Everyone knew Lan Meiyu wasn't here just for the treasure. Liu Zhenhai was a rising star, already at the Soul Fusion realm and an inner disciple of the Xiantian Sect.

If she could secure him as her 'Dao partner'—a companion on the cultivation path—her own journey would get a huge boost.

"Pathetic," Xiao Yu muttered, his disdain barely concealed.

Meanwhile, Su Xiaobai remained motionless, taking in the scene. It was clear that Liu Zhenhai was the real focus of this expedition, Elder Bai's favored disciple, while the others were just tagging along, hoping to bask in his success.

'So, Liu Zhenhai's the hero of this little adventure,' Su Xiaobai thought with a smirk. 'And the others? Just followers hoping to catch a few crumbs that fall from his plate.'

With Elder Bai watching over them, it was safe enough for Su Xiaobai to hang back and observe—the group was far too strong for him to handle head-on.

Not that he intended to fight them. 'Let them do the work. It's not like I could break that boulder myself anyway, he thought with a smirk.'

_____

BAM!

BAM!

BAM!

Crack... Crack...

After nearly an hour of grueling effort, Liu Zhenhai finally shattered the boulder blocking the cave entrance.

CRASH!

The thunderous crash echoed across the valley, scattering birds into the sky.

"Finally!" he gasped, struggling to mask his exhaustion, and glanced over his shoulder, expecting some sign of praise.

Elder Bai remained as she was, her parasol twirling lazily, her gaze distant and detached. She gave him a single nod, barely acknowledging his effort.

'That's it?' Liu Zhenhai's pride deflated, his sense of accomplishment vanishing. 'One nod, after I practically shattered my bones on that boulder?'

Lan Meiyu quickly moved beside him, her voice overly sweet. "Senior Brother, you were amazing~!" she chirped, her tone dripping with admiration, her robes swaying as she leaned in, hoping to draw him in closer.

"Amazing, huh?" Liu Zhenhai thought bitterly. 'Where were you when I was the one smashing rocks?'

Xiao Yu clapped him on the shoulder. "Good work, senior brother," he said in an even tone that somehow managed to feel patronizing.

Liu Zhenhai finally realized what had happened as he glanced around. Lan Meiyu, Xiao Yu, Fatty Zhou, Chen Yong, and Wang Fei—they'd all been standing back, arms crossed, watching him struggle like it was some casual afternoon stroll.

'If I'd asked for their help, we could've cracked that boulder in five minutes,' he fumed silently.

Fatty Zhou waddled past, shaking his head. "No cure for stupidity…" he muttered, just loud enough for Liu Zhenhai to hear, before squeezing himself through the narrow cave entrance.

Liu Zhenhai's fists clenched, his eyes flashing with frustration as he stormed into the cave, his footsteps echoing off the stone walls.

Elder Bai remained outside for a moment, her figure still as a statue, parasol resting lightly in her hand.

Her gaze on the cave entrance as her disciples vanished into the darkness, her calm expression hiding the depths of her thoughts.

_____

A short distance away, Su Xiaobai sensed the stillness in the air. The disciples had finally entered the cave, and the silence gave him his signal.

Opening his eyes, he stretched lazily, brushing dust from his robes. "Finally, the idiots are gone…" he muttered with a smirk. "Time for the real fun."

He took one step forward—then froze.

"!"

There, calm as ever, was Elder Bai, standing with her back to him, the parasol twirling slowly in her hand.

Cold dread washed over him — She hadn't followed her disciples.

She hadn't left.

She'd been there the whole time.

'Oh no…' His heart pounded as he cursed his luck. 'Did she… hear me?'

Without turning, Elder Bai's voice drifted back to him, soft and calm, yet somehow chilling. "Don't enter the cave… unless you want to die."

Her words lingered in the air for a moment, and then, without a glance, she floated effortlessly toward the cave's entrance, disappearing into the shadows.

Su Xiaobai exhaled, his mind caught between relief and unease. 'Don't enter, huh?' he thought, frowning. 'Does she think I'm the type to back down that easily?'

The words echoed in his mind. "To reach strength, one must take risks and forge themselves in fire. Only those who dare step into the flames emerge victorious."

Letting others seize the treasure—his only chance for survival and his ticket back home? Yeah, that wasn't his style.

With one last look at the dark entrance, Su Xiaobai's lips curved into a determined smirk. 'The world rewards those who dare. Those who wait? They end up as dust.'

Taking a breath, he stepped forward into the cave's depths, ready to face whatever lay ahead.

_____

Crunch… Crack…

As Su Xiaobai stepped into the cave, the last trickle of daylight vanished, swallowed up by shadows thick as swamp mud.

Whoosh!

The air itself was cold and heavy, filled with an iron stench that hit his nose like a punch.

"Perfect. A haunted cave that smells like a butcher's workshop," he muttered, squinting into the gloom. "... And, of course, you bastards couldn't resist throwing me into yet another dark hole." He let out a low chuckle.

Srrr....!

He pressed on, and faint blue-green wisps rose from the floor, drifting like ghostly fireflies. The glow cast just enough light to reveal the walls—a series of stone faces, frozen in mid-scream, carved as if the souls of the dead were trapped within the rock itself.

"Alright, whoever of you designed this place had way too much time on their hands," he grumbled, eyeing the eerie carvings. Su Xiaobai had seen a lot, but this was practically begging for an exorcism.

Further in, the cave opened into a larger chamber where towering statues of warriors stood on either side, each one impaled by rusted swords.

Their eyeless faces tilted toward him, expressions twisted in agony, as if they'd died guarding some ancient secret. His smirk faded—something about their hollow gaze seemed to follow him as he walked, like a silent warning from beyond.

Rustle~~!

A cold gust swept through the chamber, chilling him to the core. Beneath that chill was a powerful stinking pulse of 'Death Qi'—a twisted, potent cousin of 'Yin Qi'.

While Yin Qi was cold energy he could cultivate safely, Death Qi was darker, drawn from places steeped in pain or loss.

It carried suffering, leeching the life force of anyone reckless enough to absorb it.

The mist seemed to tug at him, practically inviting him to cultivate it. For a moment, the temptation gripped him tightly as he wondered if his veins could refine it like Yin Qi.

"Testing my damn resolve, huh?" he muttered, eyeing the mist. "You'd love it if I keeled over trying to absorb ghost-flavored Qi in a cursed hole like this." The urge to cultivate it gripped him—hard.

But Su Xiaobai wasn't that reckless.

Scrrrh!

Tearing a strip from his sleeve, he tied it over his mouth, muttering under his breath. "Nice try, you sadists."

The Qi was potent, no doubt—perfect for his cultivation—but he couldn't waste time here. Elder Bai's group would be closing in on the treasure, and if they reached it first, he'd be left empty-handed—or worse, trapped in a cave collapse.

With his focus steeled, Su Xiaobai pressed on, moving as silently as the dead statues themselves.

_____

Meanwhile, deeper in the cave…

After nearly a week of trekking, Elder Bai's group finally reached the end of the tunnel, only to find a massive golden door, standing stiffly like the face of a cliff.

Lan Meiyu gaped. "A… door?"

This wasn't just any door. It stretched hundreds of meters high and was at least twice as wide, its surface engraved with celestial beasts locked in a fierce dance.

Ancient runes, glowing faintly, shimmered across the gold, whispering in a language older than history itself — Each rune thrummed with the kind of power that could topple kingdoms.

Lan Meiyu cast a hopeful glance at Elder Bai, who stood calm and expressionless, clearly expecting them to figure this out on their own.

Lan Meiyu's shoulders sagged—another trial she'd have to work through herself.

Desperate, she turned to Liu Zhenhai, eyes pleading for a solution. But Liu Zhenhai was already staring at the runes, his brow furrowed, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

"Touching it might set off a trap," he muttered, voice tight with tension. "One wrong move, and we could all end up in pieces."