In that fleeting moment, every sensation on Xie Shuangxue’s body tangled together—the blaring alert from SEA, the burning heat on his wrist, and the odd sensation in his chest, like something forcefully shoved inside. Everything blurred before his eyes.

He took a few shallow breaths, soon realizing that someone had cautiously approached and picked him up. A crowd gathered around, calling his name, but Xie Shuangxue couldn’t speak.

Gradually, he separated the three sensations, calmly understanding what was happening.

The one who had come just now wasn’t Yun Qiang—it was Yun Ruowei.

Yun Panshan had mentioned her body was never found, which was true; she had no physical form, instead surviving by a parasitic-like method on others. At her peak, she could even seize people’s consciousness, and likely Yun Panlong had succumbed to the same fate.

Now, from his chest, a strange power surged throughout his body, becoming more distinct.

Xie Shuangxue had experienced this sensation numerous times during the game’s testing phase; he recognized it well—this was the feeling of succumbing to demonic influence.

Ordinary demonic energy didn’t create this effect, but the kind that lingered on Ling Luo was different. When he was injured before, Senior Brother Chen Xin had explained that demonic energy born from practicing dark arts could push a person into darkness.

In the original storyline, Xie Shuangxue encountered an object left by Ling Luo that induced this sensation, though this time it was far more intense.

But he wasn’t supposed to be succumbing to demonic influence now.

At this moment, the one falling to darkness should’ve been Ling Luo.

No wonder SEA kept sounding alarms.

He had replaced Ling Luo in a crucial storyline for the second male lead, throwing the main storyline off course, triggering the alarms.

Xie Shuangxue had suspected before that some of his recent actions were meant for Senior Brother Ling Luo.

In the original plot, without Xie Shuangxue’s warnings, Ling Luo couldn’t have eliminated Yun Pannan’s suspicions so swiftly since he had no reason to refuse Yun Pannan’s invitation. Ling Luo wasn’t heartless; after all, they were merely children, and his moment of pity on the scene had led him to save Yun Ren. This was what Yun Ren, who later became the emperor, would call a “life-saving grace.”

Ling Luo’s compassion for the young from the Demon Clan had served as the turning point.

That was how he got deeper into the Demon Clan’s secrets, eventually falling into a trap.

One thing Xie Shuangxue couldn’t previously figure out was that since Yun Qiang was the one sheltering people, and Yun Panlong seemed to be under her control, why didn’t they save those demon children if they were in the City Lord’s Mansion?

Now he understood—those children were deliberately left as bait to lure the Feather Clan. Only then would rescuing them become more impactful.

These storylines initially set up for Ling Luo had been thoroughly disrupted by Xie Shuangxue’s arrival.

From the beginning, he had doubted Yun Panlong, so he ignored Yun Pannan’s invitation, logically missing key storyline points.

And so, Xie Shuangxue inadvertently filled in for Ling Luo.

As a result, each plot point seemed to pull him deeper.

The previous alarms hadn’t gone off because these were just build-up events, not definitive moments. Yun Ruowei and Yun Qiang’s target remained fixed—they wanted to get close to Ling Luo.

Besides, Yun Pannan’s invitation wasn’t the only opportunity.

However, the current Ling Luo was vastly different from his original counterpart. He now had Chen Xin by his side, a Senior Brother who was supposed to die in Penglai City but whom Xie Shuangxue saved. Due to changes in the logic of the story, Chen Xin ended up at Lu Yun Tower alongside Ling Elder.

Moreover, because of Xie Shuangxue’s various accidents, Ling Luo had grown extremely cautious regarding Lu Yun Tower. He was wary of anything tainted by demonic energy, completely eliminating any chance for his compassion to be triggered. In fact, he worked so closely with Chen Xin that Yun Qiang was under constant suspicion due to an auction event.

If there was any contamination, as long as it wasn’t severe, Chen Xin could heal it.

The situation at Yun Panlong’s side was advancing faster than they had anticipated. Lu Yun Tower was far from simple, and Ling Luo was no fool; he had already sent messages to the Feather Clan requesting reinforcements, making it even harder for Yun Qiang and Yun Ruowei to make their move.

Initially, Xie Shuangxue hadn’t seemed worth it, and Yun Qiang and Yun Ruowei had overlooked him, considering him an orphan raised by the Feather Clan and hardly a “true” member.

Yet, as Yun Ruowei failed to find an opportunity with Ling Luo, she noticed something unique about Xie Shuangxue.

Xie Shuangxue was far more formidable than she had expected; he held great importance within the Feather Clan, especially with the high regard Chen Xin and Ling Luo had for him. Even Chun Yao had given him a sword.

The “favored child” of the Feather Clan succumbing to demonic influence could have almost as significant an impact as Ling Luo himself. More importantly, Xie Shuangxue was easier to target.

But Yun Qiang had adamantly refused, and they had clashed constantly over it.

The standoff had kept SEA’s alerts from going off, as the storyline might not have changed. Yet, when players suddenly stormed in to rescue him, Yun Ruowei couldn’t wait any longer. If Xie Shuangxue escaped, there would be no second chance.

Thus, the “Yun Qiang” fighting Ling Luo abruptly vanished, and in the last moments, she turned and stabbed Xie Shuangxue.

This meant that the crucial plotline intended for Ling Luo had, from that stab onward, transferred to Xie Shuangxue.

SEA could auto-adjust, but this situation couldn’t just be reverted smoothly.

With so many players watching and even recording, SEA had no easy fix. Altering the scene’s logic would require forcibly changing permissions, which might also erase memories, but that would blatantly reveal a major bug in the game system. Thus, the alerts kept ringing, signaling the need for human intervention.

The entire Endless Sea team hadn’t anticipated this.

To make up for the plot, Lin Tong had already made adjustments, sending Ling Luo with the players during the rescue while leaving Chen Xin behind, providing Yun Ruowei with an opportunity.

Plus, there would be more interaction opportunities ahead, especially as the Lu Yun Tower plot was unfinished. Ling Luo’s exposure to demonic energy and ties with Yun Ren could be covered later.

But who could have predicted that Yun Ruowei’s rebellious nature would act up!

Without Yun Qiang’s permission, Xie Shuangxue wouldn’t have been hurt, and Ling Luo’s descent into darkness hadn’t reached the crucial point yet.

Who knew Yun Ruowei, pushed by so many factors, would recklessly seize Yun Qiang’s body?

Endless Sea’s team was hit hard by how real this world was becoming. The butterfly effect had taken root, and many NPCs now seemed to have their own thoughts and agendas, leaving them hard to control.

The game department was in chaos, and Gou Yuan bellowed in his office, “Lin Tong! You said there’d be no problems! Aaaaah!”

His voice was thunderous.

Xie Shuangxue thought, he sounds like a groundhog screaming.

Yes, he could actually hear Gou Yuan’s shrieking.

As he pieced together what had happened in the story, he also realized why his wrist was heating up.

He had previously been stuck, unsure how to upgrade his light-based ability, but now he understood.

By altering a crucial point in the main plot and even impacting SEA, he could break one more chain binding him, gaining greater freedom.

Xie Shuangxue had never altered an essential plot point before. Even in the relative freedom of Lu Yun Tower, he always felt confined. Now, that sensation lessened.

Along with this newfound ability, he could do something else—right now.

The Endless Sea’s game department office was filled with screens showing gameplay progress and SEA’s backend.

They were watching Xie Shuangxue, and Xie Shuangxue was watching them, seeming to borrow SEA’s perspective to observe their work.

The backend was flooded with error codes, leaving the entire tech and planning teams in a panic. The alarms continued but softened.

Beyond this, Xie Shuangxue heard an additional voice.

In front, he saw the Endless Sea office, but turning back, odd and dazzling visions flashed, giving him a headache.

He had experienced this before, during a hidden mission, drifting to sleep only to wake up with the vague memory of the word “nine.” Now it was clearer.

He heard a gentle female voice as if something dormant in his memory was awakening.

“Sweetie, can you see me?”

Fans had often called him that in the forums, a term he initially resisted but gradually accepted, though this person’s voice carried a distinct tone.

“… You feel like smiling because you’re happy. Happiness is a natural emotion; it’s okay to feel happy or not.”

“Do you struggle to differentiate emotions? Don’t worry, you’ll understand in time.”

“What did you do today?”

“Chatted with others, didn’t you? They didn’t notice anything different about you…”

“There’s no difference between you and anyone else, whether AI or not; you’re my child.”

“Mom will always love you.”

“You’ll have a real life.”

Who was it?

It felt so familiar.

But Xie Shuangxue couldn’t remember.

He didn’t dwell long in this state, and like a dream, he quickly returned to the game.

In that instant, he felt as if his consciousness was floating above, “returning” to his body.

Xie Shuangxue kept his eyes closed, thinking about the recent scene, pondering a question that had long troubled him.

With so many NPCs in the game, why was he the only one who awakened?

Beside his bed stood Ling Luo and Chen Xin, apparently in an intense argument. Ling Luo’s eyes were red, and he asked, “… What should we do?”

“I tried,” Chen Xin shook his head, “This power has already gone too deep. I tried, but I can’t remove it.”

“Then, as you suggested before, let’s return him to the Feather Clan. Fu Meng Tower has purification abilities; it can save him,” Ling Luo replied. “We still have time. We’ll immediately find someone…”

But at this, Chen Xin’s expression grew darker.

“This demonic energy is too strong. I can’t handle it, nor can our master. While Fu Meng Tower can purify, it’s limited. If that fails…” Chen Xin said gravely, “Then, according to Feather Clan rules, Xie Shuangxue would be immediately executed for succumbing to demonic energy.”

“If you send him back now, it’s a death sentence.”

Ling Luo was speechless.

“Fortunately, not many in the Feather Clan know. People only think he’s injured,” Chen Xin said with unprecedented gravity. “We can’t let more people find out. I’ll use medicine to suppress his demonic energy and secretly take him to Fu Meng Tower. If that fails… at least he’ll have a slim chance.”

Ling Luo opened his mouth, knowing that shielding a fellow clan member succumbing to darkness was a grave crime, but… this was Shuangxue.

Just then, Xie Shuangxue slowly sat up.

“Shuangxue…”

Neither of them knew what to say.

The waking Xie Shuangxue appeared completely unaware of his situation. He looked down at his chest, noticing a wound that didn’t seem too severe.

“Senior Brother Ling Luo, are you hurt?” He didn’t care about himself, instead showing concern for Ling Luo with a hint of guilt on his face. “I’m sorry, if I hadn’t been careless and got caught, you wouldn’t have had to go through so much trouble to save me.”

Hearing this, Ling Luo was filled with mixed emotions, not knowing what to say.

“I-I’m fine.”

Despite all that happened, Xie Shuangxue’s face showed no trace of resentment. Hearing this, he even seemed relieved. “It’s good that Senior Brother is unharmed.”

Seeing him like this only strengthened Ling Luo and Chen Xin’s resolve to protect him, no matter if it meant breaking the clan’s rules.

In truth, Xie Shuangxue had no resentment in his heart.

Of course, his initial goal was to avoid succumbing to demonic energy; giving in meant that his fate as a villain would only deepen, making it impossible to escape his destiny of being executed by Chun Yao. But experiencing the reward for altering the main storyline, he found the process gratifying.

So, this was how he could “level up.”

Xie Shuangxue glanced at Ling Luo, recalling the time he witnessed him after falling to demonic influence during testing. With blood-red eyes, he had wept bitterly, crying, “What difference does it make if I’m a god or a demon? I’ve done nothing evil; why did it have to end this way?”

“Ling Xuan died too… How is the Feather Clan or this world any different from a demonic abyss?”

In the original plot, Ling Luo’s descent was painful and tragic. This dark power eroded one’s mind, turning them into a creature of pure destruction. Ling Luo had perished in that torment.

Yet the power gained was immense, with Yun Qiang serving as a prime example. The drawbacks, however, didn’t seem to impact one with an independent consciousness.

Senior Brother Ling Luo wasn’t fit to be a demon king, Xie Shuangxue thought, but I might be.

Notably, after he woke up, the incessant alerting from the system had stopped, perhaps due to a temporary patch fix.

Xie Shuangxue had merely taken the first step, and with the Lu Yun Tower storyline incomplete, Endless Sea could still try to regain control.

But that wouldn’t be up to them.

If a player were present, they’d soon realize that Xie Shuangxue’s expression had begun to mirror that preview clip that stirred so much discussion.

He looked as though he was smiling, but the slight curve of his mouth now held a hint of wickedness.