Level Up Legacy - Chapter 45: Defiance

Akashi was a boy so beautiful it seemed the gods had sculpted him with a touch of mischief and a dash of fragility. He wasn’t handsome in the rugged, masculine way of knights or warriors. No—his beauty was softer, captivating in its innocence. His frame was small, almost delicate, and his pale skin looked as if it had never known hardship, kissed only by the gentle sunlight of his village fields.With wide, striking black eyes that shimmered like obsidian under moonlight, and hair the color of a calm, endless ocean, Akashi possessed a charm that defied age, status, or reason. He didn’t know it, but his very existence pulled at the hearts of those who saw him—like an untouched gem waiting to be claimed.And yet, he had been untouched for a reason. Akashi had never known life beyond the boundaries of his village. He grew up surrounded by warm smiles and familiar voices. Every elder knew his name. Every child wanted to play by his side. His days were simple, his heart untouched by cruelty.But peace is a fragile thing.One night, it shattered.The sky turned crimson. Screams tore through the quiet air. Fires devoured homes. Demons—twisted beasts of shadow and rage—descended without warning. They killed with a hunger that could not be reasoned with.By morning, the village was gone.Ashes, corpses, and silence were all that remained.And Akashi… Akashi was alone.The last heartbeat in a graveyard of memories.He wandered for days, hollow and dazed, until rough hands seized him. Chains replaced freedom. Smiles were replaced by cold appraisals. And so, the boy once adored by all became something else—something to be sold.A slave.At the capital's grand auction house, he was stripped, washed, and displayed like merchandise. His beauty caused a stir. Whispers spread like wildfire.“Look at those eyes...”“That hair... Is it dyed? No, it’s real...”“So delicate... Is he even human?”To them, he was no longer a boy with a heart, but a prize to possess. A fantasy in fragile form.He stood on the stage, trembling slightly, barely able to process what was happening. The voices of the crowd blurred together—hungry, leering, filled with desire and greed. The auctioneer’s booming voice called out the bids as if Akashi were nothing more than a fine vase or a rare jewel.The numbers climbed quickly. Too quickly. Akashi’s knees weakened beneath the weight of invisible eyes drinking him in. He stared at the marble floor, trying not to cry.Then, suddenly, the room fell silent.A voice—deep, commanding, and heartbreakingly beautiful—cut through the air like silk over steel.“Fifteen thousand gold.”Time seemed to pause.Every head turned.At the back of the room, standing beneath the golden chandelier, was a woman unlike any other.She wore a flowing red gown that hugged her form like it was crafted by the gods themselves. Her long, golden hair shimmered like strands of sunlight, cascading over her shoulders with effortless grace. Her eyes, cold and blue as a glacier’s heart, stared ahead with quiet power.Even the nobles drew back. This was no ordinary bidder.It was one of the Princesses of the Three Great Kingdoms.Whispers erupted anew—but no one dared challenge her offer.Who would?She stood like royalty incarnate, a goddess who walked among mortals, and she had just claimed Akashi as her own.The boy raised his head slowly, unsure of whether to feel fear or relief. His eyes met hers—just for a second—and something in his chest shifted. She didn’t smile. She didn’t leer. Her gaze was unreadable.But it was powerful. Absolute.And it made his knees weak for an entirely new reason.He didn’t know her name. Not yet.But she had bought him.And somewhere deep inside, something told him—his life was never going to be the same.

Jianjing was reborn into a parallel world and became a genius novelist.Or rather, the soon-to-be deceased young genius novelist…[System Warning]: You committed su*cide, estimated time of death in 10 minutes.[Mandatory Mission]: Escape from the enclosed room.[Reward and Punishment]: Successful escape means the author continues the story, failure means the story is abandoned.Jianjing: WTF?!System: This is just the beginning, face the storm ahead!Jianjing’s view of herself: An ordinary bestselling novelist.Others’ view of her: “Novelist Detective”, “Honorable Citizen for Bravery and Justice”, “Police Consultant”, “Surprise Guest for Horror House Shows”, “Human Representative Against Unknown Creatures”…

In a world teetering on the brink of chaos, where eldritch gods peer into mortal realms and monsters stalk the land, Lu Yu finds himself moments away from a gruesome end as a sacrifice to a sinister deity. Just as the cold altar awaits him, a glimmer of hope emerges: he activates the Monster Editing System.With this arcane power, Lu Yu can extract materials from all things and fuse them to create unimaginable creatures. Each monster grants him a portion of its strength and a unique, terrifying skill. From that moment, Lu Yu embarks on a perilous game of wits and power against the ancient, malevolent gods.99 Demonic Eyes+ Cyclops Body + Primordial Chaos Stone = Chaos Evil Eye: its gaze alone spells death, obliterating all under the curse of its Mystic Death Stare.Angel’s Blood+ Nightmare’s Corpse = Holy Nightmare: a being that commands the dimensional ability Paradise Descent, fusing heaven and hell into an inescapable exile.Seed of the Dusk World+ Mutant Drake Egg = Endbringer Dragon: the avatar of apocalypse, wielding the Calamity Domain to usher in the end of all things.From the shadows, he crafts horrors beyond comprehension: Void Shadow Spider, Hundred-Armed Giant, Soul-Banshee, and Endbringer Dragon. Each creation shakes the fabric of reality itself. Even as his creations grow in power, they spiral further beyond mortal understanding, defying natural laws. The gods, once indifferent, now tremble as their monstrous rival rises.Can Lu Yu’s ingenuity and monstrous legion prevail in the deadly dance with gods? Or will the ancient, inscrutable powers crush him before his ultimate creation takes shape?The monsters are limitless, and even the gods dare not look away…

[Mind Reading + Pet of the Group + Transmigration into a Book + System + Pretending to be Weak to Strike Powerful Enemies + Cannon Fodder’s Counterattack]

Xiao Chuchu transmigrated with a palace scheming system and foreknowledge about the future into the early-passing cannon fodder princess in the book.

Her Father Emperor would be poisoned to death, her Mother Consort forced to die in burial with Father Emperor, her elder brother and entire maternal family – loyal officials – would meet cruel fates!

The Xiao Dynasty would soon be destroyed under the new Emperor’s hand.

[Mother Consort ah, you did not fight or snatch, yet still incurred the jealousy of the Imperial Noble Consort, who issued an order for you to be buried alive with Father Emperor!] [Elder brother ah, accomplished in both civil and military affairs, yet still viewed with suspicion by the new Emperor after Father Emperor’s death, plotted against and killed at the border pass.] [Maternal grandfather ah, clean and honest your whole life yet still falsely charged by the new Emperor with six major crimes, your whole family exiled and killed!] [Father Emperor ah, you were poison-swapped and killed while concocting elixirs and seeking the Dao by the Imperial Consort. After your death, the new Emperor abolished old laws, killed hundreds of loyal officials, imprisoned top generals, borders lost, people struggling to survive! Our ancestors’ legacy destroyed in less than two years!]

As Xiao Chuchu suckled milk, her Father Emperor, Mother Consort, elder brother, and maternal grandfather were all dumbstruck.

[Oh no, it’s over.]

Xiao Chuchu lamented that she was but a baby, able to do nothing.

But very quickly she noticed something amiss –

Her Mother Consort, rising higher and higher in rank, Noble Lady, Concubine, Consort, Noble Consort…much favored among the six palaces.

Her elder brother, originally unrelated to the throne, was established as Crown Prince.

Her maternal grandfather’s family, quite valued and relied upon…

Her Emperor Father still hadn’t died!

On the contrary, the treacherous Empress, Consorts, and new Emperor met their ends prematurely…?

How could things turn out this way?

Xiao Chuchu didn’t understand.

Soon her Father unified six nations ahead of time, opened maritime prohibitions, started mutual markets, took the Silk Road…the Xiao Dynasty rose to great power!