the bargain beneath the ashes

This world is sick, and it must be cured with swords and forged with iron and fire. To slay tyranny, to cut down the unrighteous. To overturn heaven and earth, to mold the human world. All shall begin with the sword in hand. ====== When the Innate Wisdom Bearer An Jing received aid from the ancient Sword Spirit, allowing him to traverse various realms, he knew that his future would inevitably lead him down a path full of hardships and difficulties, hard to be understood by others, yet capable of changing this wretched world. And on this path, he would also crush many deserving scum underfoot. “Heh heh, the Myriad Tribes of this world shall greet the birth of this epoch-making giant like me with fervent wishes. World, I'm coming to save you!” Noble Officials/Demon Sect/Heavenly Demon: “Alas, is reconciliation possible?” Elements: Chaotic times of Martial Arts, cyber cultivation, gates between two worlds

Lorenzo Holmes, who arrived in Old Dunling six years ago, now mingles in this city of steel and steam as a private detective. Here he has encountered a strange case. "So, there's something wrong with Wol's body?" "I pierced through his cervical vertebrae... His carotid artery ruptured, massive internal bleeding ensued, and he quickly died, but the bizarre thing happened then." "He should have died... he definitely died, but his heart was still beating, beating wildly. You could say his brain was dead, but the body was still alive, extracting fresh blood from the bullet holes."

In her past life, Shen Xi always longed for love and validation from her parents, members of the wealthy Su family. Unfortunately, the attention that she yearned for was stolen by the family’s fake heiress – her elder sister, Su Ruowan. As a result of Su Ruowan’s evil plans, Shen Xi was crippled, disfigured and eventually died of leukemia. However, in a surprising turn of events, Shen Xi was reborn. Returned to the time when she was a seventeen-year-old teenager, she’ll set things right and get her revenge against the Su family.

In her previous life, her mother suffered heartbreak and betrayal from her father, who misplaced his trust and met a tragic end. After a cruel twist of fate, she was exiled to a remote village for 19 years and ultimately lost her life at the hands of the Hampton family. Now, given a second chance at life, she vows to avenge her mother and herself. Fueled by fierce determination, she embarks on a mission to dismantle the treacherous scumbag and the deceitful white lotus who betrayed her. Along the way, she finds herself in an unexpected, sweet relationship with her seemingly "cheap" husband. The world is shocked and confused by her return. "Isn't she the village girl who was exiled for 19 years and killed by the Hampton family?" they whisper. But powerful allies emerge from her past: Her Uncle, a powerful corporate president, declares, "That's my precious niece." Her Second Uncle, a top celebrity, states, "I'm here for a discussion." Her Little Uncle, a champion in electronic competitions, stands ready to support her. And then there’s her husband. Known to many as a disabled man, he surprises everyone by saying, "That's my wife." When questioned about his disability, a knowing smile spreads across his face. "I'll only be crippled in front of her," he reveals, his mysterious aura hinting at hidden depths and formidable strength. Together, they form an unbreakable alliance, ready to dominate the world and take down anyone who dares to stand in their way.

Transmigrating to a world ruled by dragons, he becomes a red dragon named Karon. The first enemy he needs to fight against is his own sister, a little dragon which tries to snatch his food. "Eat it, fool, don't let your injuries affect your upcoming first slumber." "I accept your favor,"

She saved someone out of kindness, and never expected that she'd die in the process and her soul would traverse to an unknown era. When Xinyue woke up, she found out she had become an eight-year-old girl. Her family lived at the foot of Changbai Mountain, subsisting on ginseng farming, but life was bitterly hard. Luckily, her parents were neither soft nor favoring any one child and neither were her grandparents. Alright then, let the whole family join forces, all aiming for Xiao Kang.

She died saving a world. She woke up in a body that couldn't save itself. Sixty years of war. A rebellion built from nothing. A detonation that freed thousands and erased her from existence. Commander SN1068 didn't expect to wake up. Reborn on Doha — a world where cultivation determines your worth and power decides who lives — Jayde carries a lifetime of military experience in a body the world labels Voidforge. The lowest of the low. No cultivation. No value. Her family discards her at six years old. Her mother dies, calling her a monster. By nightfall, she's in the slave pits. She survives ten years of darkness with nothing but a dead soldier's instincts and the stubborn refusal to stop breathing. Then her blood touches something ancient, a library explodes, and the world notices her for all the wrong reasons. Jayde runs. Into a forest that should kill her. Into alliances that shouldn't be possible. Into a power she doesn't trust — because the last time she had power, she used it to destroy herself. Now she's building again. Quietly. Ruthlessly. Accumulating debts, allies, and enemies in a world where prophecies have a habit of choosing the people least equipped to survive them. She doesn't want to be chosen. She wants to build water purifiers and be left alone. Doha has other plans. Across realms, a demon king feels a bond he thought was severed ten thousand years ago. Ren has searched for his truemate across millennia — through wars, betrayals, and a grief that nearly unmade him. His jade pendant is warming. She's out there. Alive. And he will burn through anything that stands between them. He just doesn't know she's a sixteen-year-old girl in a disguise, building irrigation systems and pretending to be nobody. --- Weave of Ashes is a multi-POV cultivation fantasy about a reincarnated soldier rebuilding from nothing in a world that runs on power she was born without. It's about found families forged in blood rather than sentiment, a slow-burn romance that spans realms, conspiracies that reach back millennia, and the stubborn conviction that the world doesn't have to be this cruel. --- Dark worlds. Fierce love. No shortcuts. --- Content Warning: This story contains depictions of child abuse, slavery, trauma, violence, death, and dark themes, including horror elements. Reader discretion advised. 300+ chapters published. Ongoing. Updated daily. ONLY available on Webnovel

"You will suffice." That's what something whispered in Raizen's mind before a Nyx dissolved into shining ashes at his feet — right after it slaughtered everyone he loved. He doesn't know what he's "sufficient" for, what spoke to him, or why it led him to an unconscious girl with no memory. He only knows his world is gone, and the only place that'll take him now is the Underworks — a rusty undercity beneath Neoshima's walls, where survival is never guaranteed. His only way out: the Lotus Academy, the place where he can learn about Nyxes, the ruined world's dark history, and how to wield Eon. Train hard enough, and he might become a Vanguard — the elite force that hunts down humanity's worst nightmares. But the voice hasn't spoken since. And the higher Raizen climbs, the clearer a dark truth becomes: the thing that saved him, and the darkness that has haunted humanity for centuries... Might just be the same thing.

“D” like darkness, depth, or even… death. The “D Section”, that was where he had been all those years. And now he was back, alone, like he had always been before he met her, and left her. Did she wait for him, or did she feel betrayed and went on with her life? The answer, it might break him, or it might simply determine whether he will be alone again now that all his comrades are dead. If only he knew the surprise waiting for him.

#completed What Lives Beneath the Veil --- She smiles. You trust her. That is your first mistake. Your last mistake is breathing. --- THE PREMISE Every monster wears a mask. The most dangerous ones wear innocence. Princess Liora Veyne is born without a soul. No one notices. Not her family. Not her kingdom. Not the countless victims who will one day die smiling because she told them everything would be fine. She learns early: the world trusts a sweet face. So she gives them one. Eyes wide. Voice soft. Smile gentle. The perfect princess. The harmless girl. The last thing you will ever see. Behind the mask: centuries of blood. --- THE CURSE Her 101st victim does not die quietly. He dies cursing. No lover will ever satisfy you. You will crave endlessly—always hungry, never full. Every person who touches you will become your next sacrifice. The curse does not break her. It perfects her. Now she hunts differently. Not with violence. With seduction. Every willing body becomes a ritual. Every night of pleasure becomes a countdown to death. She traps them with charm, consumes them with hunger, and adds their power to her own. The craving never stops. Neither does she. --- THE CYCLE Across centuries, they come. Heroes. Warriors. Chosen ones. They gather their allies. They forge their weapons. They believe—foolishly, beautifully—that this time will be different. It is never different. She defeats them all. Not in battle. In trust. She learns their names. Their hopes. Their weaknesses. She becomes whatever they need—a friend, a lover, a savior—and destroys them when they are too broken to fight back. Their bodies fuel her immortality. Their screams become her lullaby. And the mask never slips. --- THE HORROR She watches kingdoms burn. Empires crumble. Stars die. She adapts. Evolves. Wears new faces in every era. Medieval castles. Industrial cities. Digital worlds. The future. The mask changes. The hunger does not. She is immortal. Insatiable. Unstoppable. And no one knows. Not the heroes who die trying to stop her. Not the families who weep at her "tragic" funerals. Not the world that calls her good. The veil has never lifted. It never will. --- THE TRUTH This is not a story about redemption. The villainess does not learn to love. The curse does not break. The heroes do not win. This is a story about failure. Eternal, absolute, hopeless failure. Every hero falls. Every lover dies. Every attempt to stop her makes her stronger. The cycle has no end. The hunger has no cure. The mask has no crack. She walks among you now. She smiles at you now. And you will never, ever know. --- "She has been wearing the veil for a thousand years. You will never see what lives beneath." --- End of Synopsis CONTENT WARNING: This series contains explicit sexual violence, human sacrifice, psychological torture, murder of innocent characters (including children and family members), ritualistic killing, and extreme horror. No character is safe. Read at your own risk.