Reborn as the Novel’s Villain: Cultivation Lost, Female Leads Take Control

In front of an ancient palace filled with dense spiritual energy and shrouded in ethereal mist, Xu Yang, accompanied by Xue Jinli and her shadow, Situ Qingqing, arrived at its gates.

“Master, see how heavily fortified this place is? Just one misstep, and anyone trespassing will be obliterated,” Xue Jinli warned, her face solemn.

Xu Yang nodded, flicking his toe to send a small stone shooting towards the palace. The moment it entered, an array of thousands of terrifying divine runes blazed forth, shattering the stone into dust. The runes interwove to form intricate arrays that sealed off the palace as tightly as a fortress.

Just as described in the original novel: three thousand killing formations guarded the palace, reinforced with illusions and traps. The protagonist would have needed the guidance of the pendant’s spirit to even stand here, let alone claim Qi Yuan’s legacy.

‘Yet now, this legacy is destined to be mine.’

With that thought, Xu Yang’s calm expression didn’t waver. “Qing’er, Jinli, follow me closely.”

“Yes, Master, I won’t leave your side,” Situ Qingqing said sweetly, clinging to a corner of her master’s robe.

‘Something’s up here…’ Xue Jinli, glancing at her junior sister, noted the lovestruck look in Qingqing’s eyes, but she played along, echoing her obediently, “Yes, Master, I won’t leave your side either.”

Situ Qingqing gave Xue Jinli a sharp look as if to say, Why are you copying me?

The next moment, however, her smug expression froze, and a blush spread across her face. She turned her glare on Xue Jinli, fuming through their mental link, “Third Sister, why are you pinching me?”

“Oh? So you can let Master pinch, but not me?” Xue Jinli smirked, her tone playful.

“Third Sister, you’re talking nonsense!” Situ Qingqing’s heart skipped a beat, her face turning pale as she tried to keep her voice steady. ‘She couldn’t possibly know, could she? Master let go quickly enough.’

Xue Jinli’s eyes sparkled as she pressed, “No need to deny it. If you want, I can send the playback from my memory stone to our chat group. Then it won’t be just me asking questions.”

“You recorded it?” Situ Qingqing’s voice shot up before she quickly backpedaled, realizing she might be falling for her sister’s trick. “I mean… there’s nothing to record. Master and I didn’t do anything, so what could you have captured?”

“Think hard, little Qingqing,” Xue Jinli said with a pointed look at her junior sister’s slightly rumpled collar.

‘No…’ Qingqing followed her gaze and froze. Had she actually been caught on record? What would she do if her senior sister Yuan Kouxuan saw it? Could she possibly face such a humiliation?

After a moment’s internal struggle, Qingqing finally bit her lip, speaking in a barely audible voice, “Third Sister, it’s not what you think…”

“Oh, then make it quick,” Xue Jinli urged.

“Master was… vulnerable, so I couldn’t help but…” Situ Qingqing trailed off, her cheeks crimson.

“So you’ve committed a great offense against your master?” Xue Jinli helpfully supplied.

Qingqing was too flustered to refute her properly, stammering, “Third Sister, it’s not… it wasn’t like that…”

“Well, well! Little Qingqing, you’ve done something I always wanted to do!” Xue Jinli’s tone was full of frustrated jealousy.

‘What?’ Qingqing blinked in shock, finally realizing she had fallen into her sister’s trap. “So… you tricked me?”

“Little Qingqing, you’re adorable,” Xue Jinli teased, lifting her chin with a finger.

Qingqing’s face settled into a calm expression. “Third Sister, since there’s no actual recording, you’ll just forget what I said, right? I won’t admit to anything.”

“Won’t admit it? Well, I recorded all our conversation just now with a Voice Stone. No tricks this time,” Xue Jinli said, waving a softly glowing stone from her belt.

“Third Sister, you’re so cunning!” Situ Qingqing grit her teeth, torn between frustration and helplessness.

“Why, thank you,” Xue Jinli smirked. Her tone turned coaxing as she said, “You don’t want Senior Sister to find out about this, do you?”

‘I’ve heard this line way too many times’, Situ Qingqing thought with a sigh. She didn’t want to give in, but her sister had her at a disadvantage. “What do you want, then? If your request goes against my principles, I’m not agreeing!”

“Don’t worry; it’s nothing big. Just a tiny favor.”

“And what is that?”

“Help me claim Master’s heart,” Xue Jinli’s eyes shone with determination.

Situ Qingqing gaped in disbelief.

To her, this was no small matter. “Absolutely not,” she declared without hesitation.

“Either we both share Master, or you can answer to Senior Sister Yuan. Your choice,” Xue Jinli said with quiet confidence.

Situ Qingqing frowned, clearly conflicted. After a moment, she muttered, You know, maybe Master doesn’t even have a thing for you.

The truth can sting harder than any lie.

Xue Jinli puffed up indignantly, saying, “Who says so? Besides, who’s to say I won’t… grow…?”

Her voice softened as she spoke, clearly lacking confidence, though she tried to hide it. After all, her strengths lay elsewhere: her long legs and resilience—qualities hard-won over years of training.

“How about you choose another condition, then?” Qingqing suggested, still unwilling.

“Nope, Master is my priority. Either help me, or prepare for the consequences,” Xue Jinli replied, standing firm.

“Fine, I’ll help!” Situ Qingqing finally agreed, matching her tone.

In front, Xu Yang continued using the Heavenly Desolation Pagoda to unravel the complex array. He could sense his disciples whispering behind him but had no evidence of any wrongdoing. So he merely turned back and said, “Stay focused, you two.”

“Master, mind your own business!” Situ Qingqing snapped, her tone uncharacteristically sharp.

Xu Yang blinked, thoroughly baffled.

What just happened?