21st Century Archmage - Chapter 98 - Clouds of War

Deep below the earth's surface, a mystifying subterranean seascape lurks, an archipelago bathed in inky blackness where suspense and horror hold court. Here lie strange islands and even stranger monsters, far beyond the realms of human imagination. In this domain, mankind is far from dominant; instead, madness and death rule supreme.

Pleading for mercy from the unknown creatures of the deep only leads to a slow, tortured existence. The trapped survivors gradually distort, losing what made them human, both physically and mentally, to the gloom as they remain trapped in this eternal obscurity. Their only hope? A perilous expedition into uncharted sea territories.

Fueled by determination, Charles embark on this daunting voyage aboard his steamship, aiming to reclaim humanity's past glory. Together with his crew, they sought a way out of this hidden sea world, a path back to the sunlit world above, where humans once stood tall.

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I read a few comments from Chinese readers that compared this novel with Lord of Mysteries because of similar elements: Lovecraftian, western fantasy, first industrial revolution, and steampunk. However, I have yet to finish reading Lord of Mysteries to do any actual comparison, but I do think those who have enjoyed that novel would enjoy this as well. Also, the author of LotM, Cuttlefish That Loves Diving, also did a shout-out for this novel, so I guess he approves of it too?

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As Mingguang Sect’s esteemed Immortal Master, Yi Ning had never experienced much heartbreak and suffering. He had always expected his life to be smooth-sailing, and was only waiting to ascend before marrying his disciple with whom he shared mutual affection.

However, he had never expected that on a rainy night, his disciple brought back a childhood friend.

They were close and intimate, to the point… of sharing a bed.

Standing before the bed where they were entwined, Yi Ning’s heart was as cold as sunken ice. He had wanted to end it all cleanly and straightforwardly, yet had never expected that his disciple not only wanted his childhood friend, but wanted his Shizun too.

His disciple shattered his spiritual core and laid down a hex, throwing him into the main hall to await nightfall to consummate their relationship.

Just as he had fallen into despair and wanted to end his life, he unexpectedly discovered a strange book. The book detailed his life, and the him it described, from beginning to end, was nothing more than a tool used to satisfy his disciple’s desire to conquer, lowly and wretched as a cultivation furnace.

Yi Ning’s head spun, and his heart gave birth to a strong hatred. He dragged his wrecked body to the back of the mountain and released the Demon Venerable Yan Xuan, who he had personally sealed nine years ago.

In return for undoing the seal, Yan Xuan would aid him in escaping.

After the man heard the reason why, he leaned against the wall and smiled with a hint of mockery. Yi Ning had thought he was going to ridicule him for having deserved it, being betrayed by an ingrate who bit the hand that fed him.

Yet, what he never expected was for Yan Xuan to reach out and tug him into his embrace, and the words that left his mouth were instead:

“You fool, I’ll help you take revenge.”

After this, he killed all those who wronged him, and cradled him close to his heart.

He wants to shatter your cultivation and mangle your limbs, to turn you into a bird in a cage, free for him to humiliate.

Yet, with this lowly and dirty heart of mine, I want to pull you from the swamp and cut down the heavens for you.

- Description from Novelupdates

“You want to steal my genes then leave?” He grabbed her and tried to force her to hand over the child that was born three years ago.

Coco Coison, after her untimely death at the hands of a fairy, finds herself transmigrated into the body of Coco Hughes, a woman with a troubled past. However, Coco was bestowed upon an ability: she was given abilities similar to Lala, a garden fairy, as compensation from Lala's sister.Eager to embrace her new life and start afresh in this unfamiliar world, Coco soon discovers that her new reality is far from what she wanted it to be.She encounters the four husbands of Coco Hughes, only to learn that they harbor deep resentment towards her due to Coco Hughes's abusive behavior— both physically and emotionally.Despite her intentions to lead a better life, Coco realizes that she must go through the complicated relationships and work to mend the damage caused by Coco Hughes to the husbands, who are now tied to her fate.Coco Coison must confront her past actions in a world where she is both an outsider in the lives of those Coco Hughes has wronged while carving a path for her to separate herself from her husbands.However, they seem to have another plan.“Where are you going? Stay for the night.” The first husband who doesn't like her presence around the house had started to let her stay.“Coco, what the f*ck are you doing? I told you to not lift a hand after coming back from outside!” The second husband who likes slaving her, cusses her out from trying to make herself a cup of tea.“The librarian told me that you went to the main city to get me books again. I thought I told you to stop doing that and put yourself at risk?” The third husband who loves books more than anything else had scolded her for doing her supposedly weekly errand told by him.“Who told you to go and ask those mediators to sing for you? I'm here, I can do it for you.” The fourth husband who doesn't like to sing for her had made it his daily task to sing for her before she goes to sleep.Coco Coison only wanted to live her life peacefully and earn money so she could divorce the four husbands, but it seems like they didn't want that.“It seems that tons of leeches want to have you around, huh? How about we get ourselves busy and have some kids fill the empty space of this house?”