Magic Sect of Beauties: The Strongest Mage is in a Cultivation World

Emperor Heavenmind.

He wore his usual dark blue and black robes and a white mask to conceal his identity.

His posture was relaxed yet authoritative. He sat with his legs wide apart and his head resting gently in one hand, almost as though he were bored by the sight before him.

"Do you mind if we have a chat?" Heavenmind asked casually.

In a fraction of a second, Mu Lingxi's defensive instincts kicked in. She condensed a dragon sword and dashed toward Heavenmind with incredible speed.

However, Heavenmind simply said, "Sit."

That one word felt like the will of the world, and almost instantly, Mu Lingxi fell to her knees as if a great force was pressing down on her body and soul.

"I only came here to make a request..." he said with a chuckle, leaning forward to get a better view of Mu Lingxi.

She was pressed against the floor with such force that she could only grunt in anger and frustration.

"Shut your mouth, rogue cultivator!"

In that instant, Mu Lingxi summoned her Divine Spirit Phantom, which emerged like the beastly, ghostly avatar it was. Its complete manifestation was hindered by the spiritual pressure Emperor Heavenmind was exerting. As such, it was only half its normal size.

ROOOOOOAR~!

The Divine Spirit Phantom roared at the top of its voice, and a large shockwave emerged from its bellow.

However, Heavenmind canceled the shockwave with a small wave of his hand.

Even then, the Divine Spirit Phantom tried to break free from the spiritual pressure bearing down on it. It stood on all fours, shielding Mu Lingxi from the great force, but it still struggled to push back.

Heavenmind sighed, "Give up already." He leaned back and crossed his legs casually.

Grunting like an angry beast, Mu Lingxi gripped the wooden floor tightly, pouring out more of her spiritual energy to counteract the spiritual pressure bearing down on her.

ROOOOOARR──!!

The Divine Spirit Phantom roared in response, sprouting two extra arms for more leverage against the force.

Despite her efforts, Mu Lingxi felt a sharp ache in her chest, coughed up blood, and collapsed to the ground as her Divine Spirit Phantom faded away like smoke in the wind.

"Nngh!"

Mu Lingxi grunted heavily each second.

She was too weak to stand.

"Gah, ngghh──! Gah, ahh!"

Her whole body ached, and so did her celestial harmony core, the source of her strength as a Spirit Ascension expert.

Emperor Heavenmind saw this, sat upright, and shrugged a bit.

"You don't listen, do you? No wonder your mother had so many problems with you. Tsk, tsk, this is why I dislike the idea of cultivators having these powers──it leads to childish arrogance."

"Who are you?! What do you want?!" Mu Lingxi screamed at him.

Emperor Heavenmind...

She had only ever heard of him before. His name was perhaps the most well-known in the Lower and Middle Regions.

The living paradox. Known by all, yet known by none.

"I am Heavenmind."

Those three words shattered Mu Lingxi's mind, and she was overcome with an unbreakable fear.

Before her stood the mad cultivator who had destroyed major worlds in the Lower Regions and turned them into pills to boost his cultivation.

This was the same man who had destroyed Huo Yue's home, the Azure Water Realm.

The same creature who had been manipulating events from the start.

He had restored Emperor Cloudcrest's power and saved Mu Suyin's soul from complete crystallization.

He did good where evil could be reaped.

A saint of darkness.

An unknown factor in what was known but misunderstood.

"Y-, you're the one who res──"

Mu Lingxi was too scared to finish her sentence.

Knowing his true identity made him a force she couldn't dare raise her voice against.

Mu Lingxi's heart pounded violently in her chest.

It was not the exertion or the pain from Heavenmind's spiritual pressure but an unfamiliar, all-consuming fear.

She had faced countless adversaries, conquered realms, and emerged victorious time and time again, yet this... this was different.

The fear Mu Lingxi felt was a gnawing, invasive presence that made her feel small and insignificant. Stay tuned to empire

She had always believed herself to be talented, exceptional even, destined for greatness.

The arrogance she wore as armor was stripped away, leaving her bare and vulnerable before the figure of Emperor Heavenmind.

"Oh? What is it? You can't talk?" Heavenmind mockingly asked her.

I... I can't...

For the first time, she felt truly helpless, a feeling she had never known in all her years as a cultivator. And in that moment, Mu Lingxi realized that all her talent, all her power, meant nothing in the face of a true monster.

No... this can't be happening. I am Mu Lingxi, the prodigy, the unyielding force. I can't be subdued like this.

The words echoed hollowly in her mind, lacking the conviction they once held.

Emperor Heavenmind stepped down from the window corner where he had been sitting and floated across the bed until his feet touched the floor.

The same floor which seemed to be Mu Lingxi's only grasp on reality.

"I came here to bring you back with me to the Eternal Lands. At first, I wondered what would happen if I changed the course of an important story. But then I realized that I don't fit into any story. I'm a being without fate, an unknown entity. For simplicity, let's just say I'm fateless. Because of that, there won't be any consequences if I take you with me right now."

He stood above her, staring down with his crystal blue eyes.

Mu Lingxi's body trembled with great fear; she believed this was truly the end.

I don't want to die... I can't die...

S-, Someone, please help me.

Tears rolled down her pale cheeks as her body felt like it was being boiled in a pit of her own doubts, fears, and regrets.

Somebody... save me!

Mu Lingxi shut her eyes tight as she saw Heavenmind's hand reaching for her.

She waited for what felt like forever, but nothing happened.

She couldn't tell if she'd been taken or not.

There was no sound, and she couldn't feel anything.

Filled with fear, Mu Lingxi opened her eyes.

What she saw was beyond anything she could have imagined.

It was an empty world, a space where nothing existed. It looked like a void, but not quite.

Heavenmind was at the far end of this endless space, but that wasn't what caught her attention the most.

She realized she was resting in someone's arms.

These arms were warm and made her feel safe and secure, a feeling she hadn't experienced in a long time.

She looked up and saw the confident face of the only man who would dare to hold her so tenderly.

Emperor of Magic, Yang Wei.

"W-, Wei…?" Mu Lingxi said, her eyes filled with hope and relief.

It was like she had been saved from darkness by an unexpected light.

Yang Wei looked down at her and smiled warmly and affectionately.

"Do you remember when we went on a date, and you asked me if I would come to save you if someone too powerful ever took you against your will?" he asked.

Mu Lingxi was too shocked to speak, so she just nodded and hummed in agreement.

The shock was still in her body.

Yang Wei gave her the answer.

"I told you I wouldn't let anyone take you from me. I'd do everything in my power to save you."

When she heard this, the memory flashed in her head, and her pale cheeks warmed up.

Yang Wei's smile faded, and he said, "I'm sorry. I came late."

An emotion flickered in Mu Lingxi's tired eyes.

She coughed up more blood, then slowly shut her eyes.

Yang Wei hugged her closer in his reliable arms, his voice shaking as he held back tears.

"I'm here now. I won't let anyone hurt you anymore."

Silence...

That was all there was as Emperor Heavenmind waited patiently on the opposite end of the space. It didn't matter how much time Yang Wei wanted to spend with Mu Lingxi──he was still leaving with her today.

Yang Wei furiously glared at Emperor Heavenmind with blood-red eyes.

These eyes...

They weren't just because he was the Blood Emperor; they showed he was a Chaos Lord, the most powerful being in the Magic World.

"So... you're the rotten bastard."

Yang Wei was aware that this was Heavenmind.

The cultivator who blocked him on his way to save the Azure Tree from the Heavenly Court.

The same person who managed to survive his Epochal Law.

Emperor Heavenmind held up both hands and chuckled.

"Ah~ this is frustrating. I didn't really want to get too tangled up in this with you, but that darn Fate-Emperor seems to have already scripted it this way. We're both without fate, but somehow, Catalysts or whatever it is will bring us together eventually."

He spoke so casually.

Yang Wei's gaze narrowed. "What are you trying to say?"

"We've only met once, right?" Heavenmind asked.

"..." Yang Wei didn't respond.

"Have you ever wondered if the face behind this mask is familiar to you?"

"..."

"Have you ever wondered if these blue eyes ring a bell?"

"..."

"Have you ever wondered... why the name Heavenmind strikes fear in the hearts of everyone who has ever spoken of me?"

"Make your point," said Yang Wei, angry and impatient.

"Well it's quite simple."

Heavenmind removed his mask, and what Yang Wei saw was a resemblance that couldn't be hidden by their difference in hair color or demeanor.

Yang Wei saw his face.

A grin appeared on Heavenmind's visage.

"I'm you..."