Bai Fanlu was awakened by pain.

He had been sleeping soundly and was groggily trying to flip his body over when he felt a sharp pain in his shoulder. He reflexively tried to switch on the light, but could not find the switch. He then fell back onto the bed, the back of his head hit a hard board with a loud thud.

Bai Fanlu winced and his brain felt like it was being struck like a gong, ringing continuously.
"Shixiong, you're awake? Quickly lie down and don't move..." a strange young man's voice came from the side.

When Bai Fanlu heard this, his rattling brain froze for a moment.
What did he call him?

Oh no, that's not the point. The point should be, who was this man? Why was he in his house?

Bai Fanlu squinted his mildly myopic eyes, and with a tilted head, looked at the man. This man had stern sword-like brows and bright eyes, he was donned in a white robe, his long hair was neatly tied up. No matter how Bai Fanlu looked, this man seemed to be a typical gentleman who you would expect to see on a historical drama production set holding a folded fan.

But before he knew who the stranger was, a bigger surprise followed—it would seem that his house had been thoroughly burgled, with all four walls empty and no furniture or appliances in sight.

Even the Simmons mattress underneath him had disappeared in his sleep, leaving him with a bare, hard bed frame.

What a ruthless thief—who didn't even leave him with a pillow...

Bai Fanlu suddenly remembered something, and hurriedly reached for the back of his head. Not only did he not find the thing he was searching for, the movement led to a more intense pain in his shoulder. He could not bear it and tears welled up in both his eyes.

The presence of the stranger distracted him earlier, but now he felt the full extent of it. The skin on his right shoulder seemed to have just been scalded with boiling water. The injury was both itching and let out a searing pain.

It is too painful...What is going on?

"Shixiong, your wound is seeping blood!"

The man's tone had an urgency to it, raising his hand as if he wanted to touch him, but was a little hesitant.

Bai Fanlu’s eyes were still foggy, he could only make out a figure pacing nervously around in his field of vision, the movement made him both dizzy and suffocated. He blinked his eyes and felt a warm liquid slide down his cheeks before his vision finally returned.

"Shixiong, you..." the man saw the ‘tear stains’ and was stunned for a moment, then his face sank in solemnity, "Damn it! Shidi was too ruthless. Shixiong must be in great pain, I'm going to go find Shizun now."

He left like the wind and was gone in a flash.

With that, Bai Fanlu could no longer ask him any questions. He blinked, blinked again and once more, then rubbed his eyes.

He was right, the door was still closed. The man had indeed disappeared suddenly from where he stood.

Bai Fanlu twitched his lips and swallowed, then he slid his feet along the wooden grains of the edge of the bed. Next, he reached his less painful left hand to the side of his head and realised that his phone was gone along with his headphones.

This is a dream...

It must be...

Bai Fanlu took a deep breath and closed his eyes, deliberately ignoring his right shoulder, which was hurting so much that he started to tremble. He was attempting to ‘ostrich’ from reality.

Just as he thought he would be waking up from this dream, a strange scent suddenly lingered around his nose. This was followed by a drizzle of water and a stream of air as cool as snow that slowly enveloped his right shoulder. Almost instantly, most of the pain disappeared.

Bai Fanlu opened his eyes in surprise, and saw a man standing silently beside his bed.
The man was dressed in green, his silvery-white hair flowed gracefully, like a waterfall, behind him. A few strands, hanging down beside his face, made his eyebrows and eyes look even more otherworldly and pure. Not to mention that his body also seemed to have a celestial aura surrounding it.

At that moment, the man raised his right hand and gestured some characters in mid-air, strands of fog condensed into each stroke he made...such dazzling special effects mesmerised Bai Fanlu completely.

...An immortal!

Lying on the bed, Bai Fanlu looked devoutly at the immortal.

However, at this moment, he was wounded and weak. The look which came from his eyes gave off a different intended emotion to the immortal and the man in white who had gone and now returned.

After a few moments, the immortal withdrew his hand and tucked them behind his back.
"How does Mo'er feel now?"

As expected of an immortal, even his frown seemed poetic—like a song of autumn under the maple tree awaiting the cold mountain wind of winter.

His voice was also extremely beautiful, although it was cold and detached, there was also a tone of gentleness and delicateness. Probably because of his occupational habit, Bai Fanlu enjoyed listening to how people spoke and judging their characters from their voices. With this proper control of tone and diction, his affection for the immortal grew.

But, what was this ‘Mo'er’, that he was calling him?

Bai Fanlu was confused but didn't dare to answer, and only hesitantly nodded his head.
Seeing this, the man in white faced the immortal and said, "Shizun, Shidi could have held back, but he was so aggressive and hurt Shixiong to such an extent. It is hard for everyone else to acknowledge him. Shizun, please look into this!"

Bai Fanlu did not understand his words, but he somehow felt an eerie familiarity hearing these lines.

"I have made my decision," the immortal listened to the man in white and said, "Chong Yu, go back first and don't be so reckless next time."

"...Yes, Shizun." The man in white with his fist in his palm looked as if he still had something to say, but closed his mouth and retreated as he was told, looking back at Bai Fanlu again before he left.

Bai Fanlu did not notice the man looking at him. He was occupied at the moment with trying to figure out the meaning behind the earlier conversation involving the names ‘Chong Yu’, ‘Mo’er’ and ‘Shizun’.

"...Shizun...?"

By some miracle, Bai Fanlu tried calling out.

The immortal looked down at his disciple on the bed and gave a slight nod, "I know."
Know what? Bai Fanlu was even more confused, he didn't even know what he meant to convey by calling out.

As he was thinking about what to say next, he saw the immortal raise his left hand, and a thousand red lights converged in his palm, quickly condensing into a red-coloured pill, which slowly drifted down in front of Bai Fanlu's eyes.

The fragrance was overwhelming!

The scents seemed to find their way over and gathered on the pill. Before Bai Fanlu had time to react, he saw a flash of red light and the pill disappeared before his eyes.

At the same time, his mouth cavity seemed to be filled with something cold and smooth, yet also astringent, with a fishy taste, yet within this fishiness was an inexplicable sweetness. It was like eating strawberries mixed with blood from a bite through his tongue.

Bai Fanlu frowned, he gagged in his throat, but was still forced to swallow it.

Seeing him take the pill, the immortal said indifferently, "With regard to Yun Zhan, I know what you think, so I punished him with three days of confinement as a minor disciplinary act."

"Now, according to the rules, him being your replacement as next Sect Leader is a foregone conclusion, so I will now take him to Fuxi Mountain. You will remain here and recuperate."
With these words, the immortal turned into smoke and mist, and left in a flutter.

The pill began to swirl in his belly, gradually dissolving into hot streams that channelled into his limbs and bones. A deep, intense power seemed to rise and surge everywhere—and was being absorbed...

Bai Fanlu was not in the frame of mind to enjoy this amazing sensation. He was shocked to hear the immortal mention the name ‘Yun Zhan’.

After a long time, Bai Fanlu jolted and sat up from the bed.

Yun Zhan!

He was the main protagonist from the novel he had just finished reading ‘The Book of Immortals and Demons’. This protagonist had a silver-haired Shizun, Ling Qingzi. Ling Qingzi's second disciple was called Wang Chongyu, while his foremost disciple was called Bai Fanlu, formerly known as Bai Mo.

Bai Fanlu's right hand pinched his thigh hard, his shoulder didn't hurt as much anymore, but now, his leg hurt a lot.

It was not a dream, he had transmigrated into the world of that novel!

Bai Fanlu stood up and roamed around the room like a wandering soul. The room was not large, it was pretty much empty, with only a table at the corner by the window, and an abstract painting of a landscape on the wall. An empty scroll was spread out on the table and there was a brush resting beside it, seemingly untouched.

Bai Fanlu walked towards the window, pushed it open and looked out. Before him was the highest mountain, Jade Peak, with the magnificent Qionglin Forest flanking the sides, and at the end of the Smoke Mist lay the Lingjue summit.

This is the novel's summary of the four realms of the immortal world. Bai Fanlu looked out at the tossing sea of clouds, as he felt the ethereal wind blowing against his skin, a sense of trepidation arose from within.

Had he really become the Bai Fanlu of that book?

Lowering his head, the right hand he placed on the window pane was pale, white and seemingly bloodless, with a faint violet ribbon floating on his wrist. This should be the book Bai Fanlu’s magical weapon, Cang Jin, which was sealed within his body. It will gradually change its illusionary shape according to the bearer's internal energy. Now the ribbon has begun to change with the second strand vaguely growing in size.

The reason for this is because Bai Fanlu was badly injured in front of more than a thousand disciples from all eight sects of the four mountains at the Sword Summit to select the new Sect Leader.

The person who won and injured him was none other than the main protagonist, Yun Zhan.
When he thought back to the plot, Bai Fanlu could only sigh. Originally, he had approached the novel purely because it had been selected for production as a radio drama, and he was involved in the post-production. When he saw that the character's name on the second lead position in the dubbing list was exactly the same as his, Bai Fanlu couldn't resist, and stayed up all night to finish the novel.

When the story first unfolded, the book’s Bai Fanlu did not disappoint him. As the foremost disciple of the largest immortal cultivation sect, he not only possessed excellent qualifications and an outstanding cultivation level, he also had a modest and generous personality.

He was a role model for the new generation of disciples in the entire immortal world, an idol in the eyes of his Shidi and Shimei, and the Sect heir whom his Shizun had placed the highest hopes upon.

It was a pity that this foremost disciple is perfect in every aspect, but his tastes are questionable. He only had eyes for the main protagonist, Yun Zhan.

Yun Zhan is an ingrate. He was rescued by Bai Fanlu when he was a child, and followed and flirted with this Shixiong day in and day out, basking in his love and care. However, one day he changed completely, not only did he injure his Shixiong with an immortal weapon at the Sword Summit, but he also had an open affair with a female cultivator, and even stood watching Bai Fanlu coldly when he was under siege...

The book’s Bai Fanlu, who could not stand this treatment, was shaken and fell into the abyss of the Endless Realm, losing his wits and becoming a murderous demon lord, claiming countless innocent lives thereafter. Yun Zhan used this as a reason to unite all the great immortal sects to activate the Demon Extermination Formation against Bai Fanlu, causing the destruction of his body and soul, and him to suffer the pain of dying in hatred at the hands of his beloved.

Typically, when the plot reached this point, it would make sense for the main protagonist to come to his senses, pound at his chest with regret and chase after his ‘wife’ to the crematorium, or even be reborn to see her. Bai Fanlu held on to such expectations and patiently read on, only to discover that the plot had actually made a shocking reversal.

In actual fact, Bai Fanlu is the real antagonist, having his memories awakened by the Great Elder of the Demon Clan, he hides his identity as the young master of the Demon Clan and endures years of humiliation, with the single goal of avenging the death of his mother, who perished in the war between the immortals and demons.

The reason why Yun Zhan treated the book’s Bai Fanlu in such a way was because he had already discovered his villainous plot with his discerning eyes, and deliberately set up a trap to disrupt it.

At the end of the novel, the truth was revealed and Yun Zhan defeated the villainous elder of the demon clan and succeeded in saving the world, claiming supremacy over the immortal realm.

Therefore...this was not a story of a tragic, misunderstood love but a story of how a man becomes a hero?

Ban Fanlu was already forced to stiffen his neck in disapproval as he read on and when he finally reached the ending, he almost spurted a mouthful of blood.

The book’s Bai Fanlu, who was gentle like jade, later succeeded as the demon lord, who went on a murderous rampage until he became a complete villain. He also noticed that the author's writing was really fascinating, as Bai Fanlu looked at his own name constantly appearing in the lines, he felt an inexplicable chill.

Yet, Bai Fanlu could not be appeased—having to suffer such internal injuries when he diligently finished reading a novel for the first time. He just could not let it go. In the sea of readers’ discussion threads denouncing the main protagonist as a scumbag, or the author who cheats on the readers’ feelings, Bai Fanlu wrote his own review.

It stood out because it was the only discussion thread which defended the good name of that eldest Shixiong.

In the long paragraph, the author was first criticized for being abusive for the sake of being abusive. Then he pointed out with clear justifications that even if the eldest Shixiong was born a demon, he is such a strong and self-disciplined person, how could he be so entrapped by love to be driven to kill hoards of innocent people? The author's logic is confusing and the ending seems to be forcibly flipped.

The long review was so heartfelt, that the bottom of the page started to fill up with more comments and within half an hour this review was pushed to the top of the list of best reviews.

Amongst the list of responses, there was one in green that stood out:

Cloud Traveller, “Hello, thanks for the long review. I see that your display name is Secular Brahma Heart, dare I ask how I can cultivate a Buddha-like heart when I am in the secular world? If you were Bai Fanlu, would you be able to retain your original heart in the same situation?”

Bai Fanlu could only smile at this. He was purely reading for entertainment and wrote the review to vent and did not think any further. Also, no ‘ifs’, he is Bai Fanlu.

He noticed the novel and started reading also because his favourite male god voice actor, Ben Ming, would be cast in the audio drama. After venting, Bai Fanlu thought he should go back to listen to his idol’s voice to recuperate. Bai Fanlu tossed away all the frustrations associated with the novel and happily turned on his phone to tune into the audio drama. His male god’s voice never failed to make his body tingle and float.

Ben Ming had a voice so naturally pure and provocative that listeners would willingly bear him a monkey child. However, he had never taken on a role like Yun Zhan, who portrayed both good and evil, and Bai Fanlu couldn't figure out why he was willing to take on the role of this scum. They say that voice actors are weirdos, so he wondered what kind of voice would be used to portray Yun Zhan.

As he listened on and pondered, Bai Fanlu fell into a deep slumber. When he woke up again, he had already transmigrated into the world of this novel.

Transmigration? So be it, but he was not even allowed to appear at a point before he was injured and had to suffer this hellish pain for no reason.

Finally clearing his mind, Bai Fanlu sighed long and heavily, suddenly thinking of finding a mirror to look at himself. He had barely accepted the fact that he had just transmigrated, he should at least know what he looked like now.

The author of this novel, strange to say the least, described the appearance of every character, except for the face of the eldest Shixiong. There was only one chapter where the author left hints, that was when the book’s Bai Fanlu went down the mountains for training and had to dress as a woman due to certain circumstances. He was almost molested as he walked through a large crowd so one could guess that his looks are quite superior.

When Bai Fanlu failed to find a mirror, he was frustrated. At that moment, his right hand seemed to know how he felt and with a twitch, a talisman was drawn in mid air and a mirror appeared before him.

As the mirror was apparated, a mechanical tone could be heard in Bai Fanlu's head.
[Congratulations for activating the system function, this 'Reader's Brain Fragment’ is a reward item, welcome to the world of 'The Book of Immortals and Demons'.]

Having experienced the shock of transmigrating earlier, Bai Fanlu was calmer at this, but it was the mechanical voice that seemed to be able to decipher his brain waves and intentions, and without the need to ask, the voice sounded out again.

[The Gate of Time and Space is closed, you cannot return to the real world until you have completed your system goal.]

"..."

[Your set goal is: Never forget your original heart, stick to your true nature, and do not become a villain.]

The setting is so contradictory that Bai Fanlu rolled his eyes reflexively. How can the novel end if he, the main antagonist, doesn't become one?

[There is more than one villain in the novel, as long as the main protagonist finally destroys all the other villains, the great peace restored can be considered the proper ending.]

Bai Fanlu remembered the Great Elder of the Demon Clan who used the original character as his weapon, and understood.

[As long as I don’t become a villain, I will clear the goal?] In a flash, Bai Fanlu was determined to confirm this point.

[That’s right.] The voice was crisp.

[It doesn't matter if the plot changes?]

[Yes, that is correct.]

Receiving an affirmative answer, Bai Fanlu hooked his lips. That was a lot better!

He was a man who took things as they came, always optimistic and quick to adapt to his environment, and now that he had an idea in mind, most of his worries went away.