Fighting to be Kind in a Cultivation World - Chapter 169: Brothers

ROMANCE! APOCALYPSE! DRAMA LOVING GOD! REBIRTH!The hospital lights buzzed faintly above her, the edges of her vision already blurring into white. Blood pooled in her lungs. No family. No friends. Just the relentless beeping of a monitor counting down her last seconds. Rosalie stared at the sterile ceiling, tears sliding sideways across her temple.“I didn’t even get to do anything.” She whispered. “No love. No one will remember I was here. If anyone’s out there… God, fate, whatever you are, hear me. Let me live again. Somewhere. Anywhere. Let me matter.”When she woke up again, she wasn’t Rosalie anymore. She was Mei Shen, a forgotten noblewoman trapped in a story of cold nights and cruel tyrant hands. One night. No promises. A pregnancy with a tyrant's child. She ran. Hid. Escaped fate’s cruel grip.But less than a month later everything changed.“Subject detected. Lianwei Voss has entered your proximity. Obsession level: 85% - critical. Imminent event : Apocalypse countdown initiated -time remaining: Unknown. New genre unlocked: Dark romance -Obsession + villainous devotion activated.”The game had changed. The rules were gone.“You broke the script. But you will never break me.”God whispered in her ear.The child she carried was a weapon, her vengeance a fire. And somewhere in the darkness, the emperor’s obsession burned hotter than ever.One night, beneath the empire’s broken skyline, she found a stranger, broken, bleeding, unknown. She saved him. Not knowing she was cradling her own nightmare.

In the vast world of cultivation, a talisman is formed by merging the essence of heaven and earth with the spirit and soul of the practitioner. Imbuing the formless with power and imprinting it onto paper, talismans hold immense potential. Yet, this art comes with a price—most who pursue the talismanic path exhaust their spiritual consciousness, falling before they reach their full potential.Lu An’s fate was no different—until his soul, shattered by fate, found itself reborn in a new realm of cultivation. Within his sea of consciousness, he discovers the Four Treasures of the Study, mystical tools that allow him to create talismans without depleting his spiritual energy. With this newfound gift, Lu An begins his ascent.[You have drawn a Breath-Concealing Talisman. Completion Rate: 62%. Grade: Inferior, first grade. Spiritual consciousness refunded.][You have drawn a Wealth-Bringing Talisman. Completion Rate: 73%. Grade: Middle, fifth grade. Spiritual consciousness refunded.][You have drawn a Three-Yuan Gathering Qi Talisman. Completion Rate: 85%. Grade: Superior, ninth grade. Spiritual consciousness refunded.]The world of talisman-making opens before him—mastery over the five elements, control of winds and thunder, the study of formations, the nurturing of spiritual creatures, and even the command of ancient treasures. With every talisman, Lu An’s understanding of the Dao deepens, his soul, body, and laws intertwining as one. His talismans grow in power—some divine, some forbidden—each step toward immortality.Using the very forces of nature as his tools, Lu An crafts talismans that can reshape reality. With mountains and seas as his ink and brush, and heaven and earth as his canvas, he will rise to the pinnacle of the immortal realm. Even the immortals and Buddhas will bow before him, for they know him as the Talisman Ancestor.But few recall the man behind the legend, the one named Lu An, whose journey to the top, though formidable, has only just begun.

Deep below the earth's surface, a mystifying subterranean seascape lurks, an archipelago bathed in inky blackness where suspense and horror hold court. Here lie strange islands and even stranger monsters, far beyond the realms of human imagination. In this domain, mankind is far from dominant; instead, madness and death rule supreme.

Pleading for mercy from the unknown creatures of the deep only leads to a slow, tortured existence. The trapped survivors gradually distort, losing what made them human, both physically and mentally, to the gloom as they remain trapped in this eternal obscurity. Their only hope? A perilous expedition into uncharted sea territories.

Fueled by determination, Charles embark on this daunting voyage aboard his steamship, aiming to reclaim humanity's past glory. Together with his crew, they sought a way out of this hidden sea world, a path back to the sunlit world above, where humans once stood tall.

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I read a few comments from Chinese readers that compared this novel with Lord of Mysteries because of similar elements: Lovecraftian, western fantasy, first industrial revolution, and steampunk. However, I have yet to finish reading Lord of Mysteries to do any actual comparison, but I do think those who have enjoyed that novel would enjoy this as well. Also, the author of LotM, Cuttlefish That Loves Diving, also did a shout-out for this novel, so I guess he approves of it too?

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In the 21st century, divine physician Qian Jiujiu was targeted by a bomb when she was rescuing soldiers in the battlefield. Because of the bomb, she crossed the to a new state and became the second daughter of concubine in Qian familiy. Because the taoists asserted that she would “curse parents”. Therefore, she was sent to village outside capital for 16 years not long after rebirth. This time, her father took her home, just to let her marry Mu Yexiao instead of her lineal sister.

Who is Mu Yexiao? The sixth prince of the state, the favorite prince of the emperor. Because he was injured in the battlefield, his legs were disabled, and he was unable to bear children. In anciet time, he also failed to seek effetive medical treatment. The royal family decided to marry the legitimate daughter of Qian families to Mu Yexiao, in order to drive away bad luck.

However, as a modern doctor who combines traditional Chinese and Western medicine, Qian Jiujiu won’t obedient to fate? She used her wonderful medical skills to heal the Mu Yexiao’s disabled legs, hoping this prince could support her. But who knows he was very shrewd! Who yielded to whom? It’s difficult to say.

- Description from Novelupdates