above the shadows cast

The first star that passed away extinguished two thousand years ago. Four hundred years later, the mysterious Calamity of Heavenly Fall destroyed the civilization of the previous era, returning thriving cultures to ignorance. Since then, stars gradually vanished, the Firmament grew dark and dim, and a new civilization rose from the starless wilderness, flourishing once more. Yet, what accompanied this were war, death, destruction, and hatred. The flames once aimed at the Firmament were used to slaughter the people of enemy nations, and the raining clouds once engineered to alter deserts were turned into floods that engulfed the land. Humans once again began to kill each other for wealth and power... but no one looked up at the sky. They lost the Guidance of the stars Above the Sky, forgetting the awe of gazing upon the Milky Way. They were all prisoners. One thousand six hundred years after the Calamity of Heavenly Fall, a young child awakened memories of his past life. He wanted to break the Cage, to throw off the shackles. He wanted to become a star. To return to Above the Sky. "I don't care about how the people of this world live, whether they're well-fed or not, whether they can dress warmly or live comfortably, whether they have dreams or hopes. I don't care about their loves and hates." "I just want to go Above the Sky." ——Ian.

"I should have stayed home and played video games." This was Ray's last thought before darkness engulfed him after he was hit by a car. But surprisingly, instead of finding himself before the gates of hell after dying, Ray found out he was transmigrated into another world. The world Ray was transmigrated to was called Arora World, a place where you can use different kinds of skills, magic, and even acquire powerful classes. Ray found himself in the body of a young boy named Evan, who was studying in a hunter academy after awakening his abilities at the age of fourteen. At first, Ray was happy that he was transmigrated into the body of someone who had awakened his abilities and could use the magic he always wanted to use. However, as Ray went through Evan's memories, he finally realized that everything was not as simple as he had expected. Evan had a unique physique that didn't allow him to increase his power like other people. Because of this useless unique physique, Evan was the weakest hunter in the entire academy. And that was not all; the more Ray looked at Evan's memories, the more he realized just how troublesome his situation was. "I know I entered this body without buying a ticket, but isn't this too much?" Ray said in a depressed voice after going through Evan's memories. Will Ray be able to survive in this new world? Is the physique of his new body really useless? Join Ray on his adventure to find out.

This is an era where heroes emerge in great numbers! This is an era where death and hope exist side by side! This is an era where the old order and the fires of new civilizations collide! What kind of grand epic will be written by the decaying federation, the fanatic empire, the obstinate theocracy, and the stirring foreign races?

My grandfather is very eccentric, performing daily rituals of offering incense to himself, standing in front of his own spirit tablet and eating candles. Villagers are fearful of my grandfather. I am fearful of him too. Later, I discovered that what they were afraid of was not my grandfather, but me. Even grandfather is afraid of me. ... My name is Chen Shi. The Chen of honesty, the Shi of sincerity.

Most people are born ordinary, but there are always some who, despite being born ordinary, aspire to greatness. From an exploited undocumented worker to the godfather of the dark; From those who obey the rules at the bottom of society, to the emperor behind the scenes who makes the rules; The country belongs to the federation when the sun shines, but it belongs to me when the night falls! "Sometimes, shadows can not only be as vast as light but can even cover it!" "We never extort anyone, every penny we make can pass through our conscience." If someone knocks on your door at night, they either bring my regards or brings the destruction for your arrogance. As for what you will get, it depends on how you choose, my friend!

In a world where everyone is a slave, someone is born who cannot be controlled. At the same time, an unstoppable villain rises on a quest for revenge. But the truth is darker than he ever imagined, and now he must face an unbeatable enemy — including himself. *** Bruno was a young man born on Earth, the son of an influential modern Emperor. Despite having everything money could buy and receiving the best and most rigorous training to succeed his father, he chose the opposite path, defying his family’s ruthless rule. The price of his innocence? A merciless death and the complete erasure of his existence by the deity controlling his fate. On Earth, the law of the powerful was absolute; a slave could never rebel. But then, he wakes up again. He’s reborn in a world of cultivation, where freedom was promised to those strong enough to claim it. Now, he could soar like a free bird and carve his own destiny... or so he thought. The harsh reality of this new world soon showed him how insignificant he still was. He realized he had only changed masters. The freedom he sought was an illusion. The heavenly laws treated everyone as servants, and their rules were unbreakable. Bruno learned this bitter truth after losing everything that made him happy due to an unjust rule. But who was he to question? Hopeless, Bruno died... and was reborn as Alm, an unstoppable villain. With a soul poisoned by pain and vengeance, he sowed chaos across the universe. Planets were destroyed, countless lives taken, and his name became synonymous with terror. A hero rose to oppose him, wielding a sacred sword of hope. People from all corners of the universe united against Alm, raising their voices and weapons to stop the villain who defied the heavens. But Alm was no longer just fighting for revenge. He was challenging the heavenly laws that sought to control him, fighting fate and all living beings. And against all odds... the sacred sword shattered. The alliance of the entire universe was defeated. The villain won! Now, Alm found himself alone in the empty void of a dead universe, facing his own inner demons. Who could be more ruthless to him than himself? “What have I done?” At that moment, the doors of truth opened to him. Everyone was a puppet of a supreme figure, an entity that manipulated minds and even the heavenly laws. “I will find you, no matter where you are!” Thus, the last emissary of the true Heaven’s Will awakened. Alm, who once only relied on his sheer will and rage, now had a system to guide him. But his opponent was an immortal existence, above even the heavens. The villain who destroyed an entire universe now faced a new beginning. He discovered that the universe he devastated was just a tiny grain of sand in an infinite cosmos, where countless other universes existed. And so begins the legendary tale of the villain’s rise... and the Sacred Round God? A strange Duality of Shadows existed within one person. But this time, he wouldn’t be alone. *** To clear up any potential confusion or frustration, here are some key points about the story. I’ll avoid major spoilers, but a few things will be revealed. You might find this concerning at first, but just check the book cover—it shows the main character and his only partner. She first appears at 10 years old, but rest assured, there’s no inappropriate content or early romance. At around 13, SHE starts developing feelings for the protagonist, but he doesn’t respond until she’s an adult. With her determined personality, she tries to seduce him at 17/18, but it doesn’t work. Their relationship only happens much later. The book has nods to other works, with my own spin on them, and focuses on avoiding elements I find problematic in other stories. Lastly, the beautiful book cover was commissioned and created by HDIArt.

If the gods no longer bestow their mercy, then let us kindle bonfires, carry great swords, become skeletons, or heroes of legend.

What is my existence? What am I? Since his birth, Aldrian Aster had never been an ordinary human. One day, a screen appeared in his sight with a message: I’m tied to the universe. I’m tied to nature. All of this is my own karma. Why I am different is also my destiny. My domain encompasses all things. There is nothing that can escape my view. There is nothing that can escape my sense. There is nothing that can escape my will. As he read these words, Aldrian understood that this was part of his destiny. Abnormal cultivation? Rapid comprehension? Mastering everything? Creating techniques effortlessly? This was his journey towards discovering his 'true' self.

# GAMEALTERNATEWORLD # RELAXING # PRIEST In that year, the entire world mutated. The game descended into reality while demonic catastrophes rampaged. For the sake of survival, everyone had to pick up a job class and level up their skills frantically. They worked hard to be more powerful. Lin Ye acquired the special talent of Reversing. He could reverse and strengthen any effect that was targeted at the host. For instance, he could turn damage into healing and buffing into debuffing. As such, he changed his job class and became a priest. He challenged an opponent, “Come at me! Attack me with any of your forbidden curses or divine techniques. I will admit defeat even if I lose a bit of blood.” He then said, “So, your attack has no effect on me? It’s my turn to attack now. Healing Spell!” [Notification: you attacked your opponent with a healing spell and caused 100 million points of critical damage. The other party has been afflicted with the negative status effects of anti-treatment, poison, burn, silence and fatigue.] Lin Ye’s opponent was befuddled.

Dong Xi transmigrated, but she was neither the female lead nor the villainess, but a tragic side character in a book. Even though she was a proper rich daughter, her mother used her as a substitute for her youngest sister, and sent her to train as a cultivator at the top cultivator sect in the world. Though she was initiated at eight years old and trained for eight years, she was talentless and didn’t have much experience. Eventually, her younger sister was recruited because of her outstanding talent, while Dong Xi was banished after it was revealed that she was just a substitute. After that, someone caught her, imprisoned her, and tormented her for two years just because she was attractive. Though she was rescued by a senior disciple from the cultivator sect, it turned out that he did it to avenge her younger sister, and tortured her to death. When Dong Xi transmigrated, it was just after she was initiated and began life as a cultivator. She decided that she would do her best, improve her cultivation, and survive! Eating? Sleeping? All that was a waste of time! If there was a cultivator who practiced sword cultivation a thousand times per day, she would do two thousand! Eight years later, when her younger sister was recruited for her talent, Dong Xi promptly packed her bags and left, leaving the cultivator sect panicking and wondering who had taken her away! Su Cheng, the most powerful demon lord: Who dares harm my beloved wife?! This means war! Dong Xi, still running away: What? Who are you? Su Cheng: Don't you remember the snake you counted stars with years ago, beloved?