The Desolate Era (Web Novel) - Book 4, Chapter 1 - His Waiting

Doctor Xiao, the head of the Imperial Hospital known for his virtuous conduct both in medicine and virtues, gets embroiled in the case of the Concubine's false pregnancy and is beheaded.Male members aged twelve and above are exiled, while the women and children receive the Empress Dowager's grace and return to their ancestral home in Shu City.Unexpectedly, the clan members who had always been sheltered by Doctor Xiao refused to allow this group of women and children to enter, seized their ancestral property, and expelled them from the clan.A group of pampered women suddenly lacking anything, Xiao Chunnuan, who never showed off and only loved reading and making medicine, becomes the backbone of the entire family.She teaches her family to wash clothes and cook to survive;Teaches her sisters to dig wild vegetables and prepare herbs;Teaches her little brother about business and martial arts for physical strength; even if they can't take the imperial examination forthe next three generations, they must learn to read and write;She works hard to earn money while also aiding her exiled relatives;Her grandmother finds a marriage for Chunnuan, but it results in the Clan Leader's daughter coming to stir trouble.A kind person is bullied while a good horse is ridden, old grievances and new hates are accounted together, Xiao Chunnuan is never someone to hold back, whether in literary or martial battles, she can respond to the challenge!

Marcella Valemont was a villainess wrapped in silk and thorns.The alluring, selfish daughter of the High Priest, she was forced into a cold marriage with the Black-bellied Duke Berith Montclair. She longed for power and would stop at nothing to claim the crown, even if it meant seducing the incorruptible Crown Prince Lucian and clawing her way to the throne into becoming the Queen.Until it all burned.Her ruthless schemes led to betrayal, rebellion, and ruin-- an empire on its knees, a virtuous king destroyed, and a rebellion led by the man she discarded. Desperate and full of regret, she barters her life with the Duke to save Lucian.In an interesting turn of events, Marcella gets to go back in time to fix her wrongs, save the man who was ruined because of her and hopefully stop the bloodthirsty rebel Duke Berith.She finds herself reborn as her 18-year-old self with a chance for a do-over and vows to do better this time.But the past does not forget. Nor does the devil in her husband’s skin.Secrets long buried begin to surface, and Marcella discovers that her former husband is far more than he seems—a man cloaked in darkness, harboring a purpose that threatens everything she holds dear.They say second chances come with thorns and to fix the past, she must trust the devil who destroyed it.

The wrong way to act as a villain no.1: Get rid of the protagonist while he still hasn’t become powerful.

The wrong way to act as a villain no.2: Take the limelight from the protagonist at the key moment.

The wrong way to act as a villain no.3: Make the protagonist fall in love with you, thus making him incapable of completing the final step – eliminating the major villain.

Han Changsheng, Head of the Demonic Cult, is the major villain who’s employed all three incorrect methods.

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As the leader of the first Demonic Cult in the underground world of martial arts and cultivation, Tianning Cult, Han Changsheng carried on the long-standing tradition of an unstable mind and a refusal to seek any treatment.

Originally, his life should have passed by quickly and simply, but one day he kicked a descended Immortal Lord off a cliff. In order to make up for this mistake, he must aid the Immortal Lord in ascending back to his position… but why does this mistake keep growing? Hey, lao zi doesn’t need you as a younger brother, you should look for An Yuan! Don’t chase after lao zi, you’re destined to be An Yuan’s wife! Don’t worship lao zi as a martial arts lord, lao zi is the genuine leader of the Demonic Cult! Hey, Hey lao zi is obviously the major villain! What the hell are you doing?!

- Description from Novelupdates

After becoming #1 in the world after playing a grand strategy game as the most difficult faction on immortal level difficulty, MC receives an invitation to compete in an even more challenging game which takes the MC into the world of the game itself, but as it's weakest lord who will die two days later that appears only as a cutscene in the tutorial as first of many deaths to rock the continent until only one survives to proclaim a new eternal empire.Can the MC use his game knowledge to successfully survive his impending doom, and rise from the ashes to reclaim the glory he'd won before?