Chapter 5: The Forbidden Manual and the Spy Who Wanted My Qi
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Section 1: The Sect's Heart Still Beats
The ruins of Ye Sect still reeked of ash and betrayal.
But beneath its surface—hidden behind collapsed towers and bloodstained prayer stones—something pulsed.
Ye Tian stood before the crumbled gates of the Ancestral Vault, the oldest part of the sect. Every elder once vowed to die before opening it again.
Now the last heir stood there, bloodied and furious.
Ghostclaw limped behind him, curses seeping from his veins. "The vault opens for blood, not keys."
Ye Tian sliced his palm and slammed it onto the black altar stone.
The ground rumbled. Runes long since silenced screamed awake.
> [System Prompt: Hidden Vault Detected — "Cradle of Glitches"]
[Required Identity Match: 99% — Confirmed: Host = Bloodline Survivor of Forbidden Heaven]
The gates opened with a sound like the heavens weeping.
Inside, nothing but dust and a glowing pedestal.
On it: a single scroll, locked in chains of light and darkness.
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Section 2: Glitch Manual — Broken Law of Reality
Ye Tian approached. The scroll trembled as if aware of him.
> [WARNING: You are attempting to access a Forbidden Glitch.]
[Manual Title: "Transcendental Error: Codex of the Fractured Dao"]
[Unlock Requirements: Willingness to defy all heavens.]
He reached out.
Ghostclaw hissed, "Boy! That's not a technique—it's a weapon of destruction!"
"I don't care."
He grasped the scroll.
The chains shattered.
Light devoured the vault. Symbols from forgotten realms etched themselves into Ye Tian's soul.
> [New Technique Acquired: Heaven-Breaking Recode (Level 0)]
[Effect: Replace any cultivation technique with its glitched counterpart. WARNING: Unstable results.]
He felt his dantian pulse—and then shift. His very core began to restructure.
But before he could test it—
CRACK.
The vault ceiling began to collapse.
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Section 3: The Trap of Heaven
"YOU FOOLS!"
Ghostclaw's voice cracked like thunder.
Runes above them lit up in gold and blue—the mark of a Heavenly Execution Array.
"A trap?" Ye Tian growled.
Ghostclaw snarled, "The Celestial Court must've laid this seal long ago—waiting for a survivor to trigger it!"
Above them, a portal formed.
Out stepped a woman clad in robes of starlight and frost, her presence bending reality. Her face was veiled, her voice melodic—but death clung to her like perfume.
"Ye Tian. Host of the Error. You were never meant to be reborn."
> [System Alert: Cultivator Class: Starveil Spy, Rank: Celestial Executioner (Disguised)]
[Harem Potential: High]
[Warning: She is under Heaven's Seal. Mission: Seduce or Die.]
"Seduce or—what?" Ye Tian coughed.
"Your existence threatens everything we uphold," the woman said, her voice emotionless. "I must erase you."
"But you don't want to," Ye Tian said, eyes narrowing.
She faltered—just slightly.
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Section 4: Starveil Eyes, Cracked Heart
Her blade flashed forward, sharp as divine will.
Ye Tian moved to dodge—too slow.
Long Yuyan intercepted.
"Another assassin?" she snarled, bloodied but unbroken. "He's mine to protect."
The spy landed across from them, unmoved. Her veil fluttered. "You don't understand. He's not human anymore."
Ye Tian stepped forward, eyes glowing.
"Then why do you hesitate?"
She said nothing. But her fingers trembled on the hilt.
> [System Scan: Emotional Disruption Detected.]
[Target Conflict: Loyalty vs. Lust. Sync Probability: 42% and rising.]
"Who are you really?" he asked.
"…Lira," she whispered. "Starveil Division. I was born to erase anomalies."
"But you're tired of orders," Ye Tian said, stepping closer. "Aren't you?"
Her veil cracked open just enough to reveal piercing violet eyes—and a single tear.
> [System Update: Starveil Spy Lira - Lust Gauge: 17%]
[Harem Bond Initiation: Pending emotional collapse.]
Long Yuyan, watching them, clenched her fists.
"Not another one…"
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Section 5: System Error… or Seduction Protocol?
Suddenly, the Glitch Manual in Ye Tian's hands pulsed.
> [System Interruption: Glitch Triggered]
[Skill Manifestation: Divine Override - Rewrite one heavenly command.]
The vault exploded in a burst of golden flame.
Ye Tian raised a hand and spoke words not taught in any realm:
> "I reject your judgment."
The symbols of the execution array twisted, folding inward like a devoured star.
Lira staggered. "You… just rewrote a divine order."
Ye Tian stepped through the collapsing vault, his robes scorched but his aura enthroned.
"I told you," he said. "I'm not part of your system anymore."
> [Achievement Unlocked: Heaven-Rebel's First Step]
[Bond Update: Starveil Spy Lira - Loyalty Disrupted. Seduction Protocol: Passive Activated.]
She dropped her blade.
"…You're not a mistake," she whispered. "You're the beginning of something terrifying."
And yet—her eyes lingered too long on him.
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Section 6: Rebirth of a Sect, Rise of a Threat
Later that night, Ye Tian stood at the top of the ruins, overlooking the rebuilding work.
Ghostclaw had begun engraving new protective seals. Long Yuyan sat nearby, bandaging her wounds silently.
Lira sat alone, veil lowered, staring at the stars.
Ye Tian knew the danger wasn't over.
> [System Forecast: Celestial Court will send new agents.]
[Estimated Response Time: 3 days.]
[Recommendation: Expand power, gather allies, initiate Sect Restoration Protocol.]
And then, an unexpected message blinked into view.
> [Harem Slot 2: Pending Compatibility - Starveil Spy Lira]
[Skill Tree Branch Unlocked: Seduction Arts – Path of Divine Subjugation.]
He almost choked on air.
"I'm building a sect," he muttered, "not a cult."
But deep down… he knew he'd need both.
Because Heaven would come. Again. And next time, not just with spies and traps.
Next time, they'd send gods.
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To be continued...