MTL - The Venerable Swordsman - Chapter 22 : Out of two swords, count me to lose!

The protagonist travels through Shu Mountain and becomes a demonic dragon guarding the heavenly book in Dinghu Peak.

In the continent of Tiandi humans lived amongst beasts, demons, and spirits. Here warriors were as common as the clouds in the sky, and each expert could either cultivate their inner energy known as Qi, or their soul, to form Spiritual Energy.

In the village of Jinwei, Luo Xiao grew up like a beautiful bird locked in a cage. He was weak from birth and unable to leave his bed for an extended period of time, yet his beauty made him well-liked amongst the villagers.

One day disaster struck the village of Jinwei. A Corpse Puppet appeared wanting to eradicate all life. A seal was unlocked, and soon the Corpse Puppet was dead under the hand of the sickly Luo Xiao, but this was not the end of his misfortune.

Right when he thought that the end was coming, a man as handsome as a god descended to the mundane world and took him away.

For the sake of revenge, Luo Xiao sold his soul to this handsome man, but is it only his soul that this alluring stranger took from him?

All rights to the Cover Image belongs to me.

Ryan, a normal office worker who could be considered an extra in a boring world, did his job regularly and spent time here and there.He found himself, by mistake, being killed by a female reaper. Yet, the only thing he received as justice was a chance to transmigrate into a new body with his memories intact.Meanwhile, that female reaper faced a very small punishment: her powers were suppressed for ten minutes, leaving Ryan with nothing but a mocking smirk from the reaper as she ridiculed him for being a meager human with no life that belonged to him. He was left with no choice but to stand in front of the one who had granted such “justice” and watch the reaper laugh while turning to leave the place.In front of him was the reincarnation pool, and beside it stood the woman smirking at his misery while completely powerless for a whole ten minutes—there was no justice for him here. With his hands clenched, he decided that if he was really going down, he would take her with him. Swiftly tackling her, he pushed the reaper and himself directly into the reincarnation pool.The next moment he knew, he found himself being born as a extra disposal substitute of the Ducal Prince, destined to die at the hands of the princess in his stead.Soon enough, he understood that instead of some random world, he had been transmigrated into the last novel he was reading and a fan of—Invincibility Starts with Marriage and Having Lots of Children.[ Disclaimer: First POV for main charcter is mixed in chapters with Third POV of other characters ]( Disclaimer: There could be mistakes in the chapters, not because I am weak in grammar or something, but when one has to write 8K a day, the chances of things being left out are pretty obvious. So, if you understand what that sentence means, just ignore the minor mistakes, but if you want to point out grammatical mistakes, please do so. I will correct them as soon as possible.)

Japan – National News BroadcastThe polished news anchor sat upright, her gaze sharp as she adjusted the stack of papers before her. The newsroom behind her hummed with quiet urgency, the weight of the moment settling over the broadcast.“Authorities are baffled by a sudden and unexplained surge in sleep-related deaths across Japan,” she began, her voice steady yet tense. “More and more citizens are passing away in their sleep without any prior health concerns. Experts are working tirelessly to determine the cause, but no clear explanation has emerged. Authorities urge the public to remain vigilant and report any unusual symptoms before bedtime.”A graphic appeared, displaying the spike in fatalities over the past month. Behind her, unsettling photographs flickered across the screen—blurred images of individuals found in their beds, their faces frozen in expressions of terror.The anchor’s tone shifted. “Health officials recommend citizens avoid excessive fatigue and maintain healthy sleep habits. More updates will follow as investigations continue.”---United States – Paranormal PodcastIn a dimly lit podcast studio, the host leaned forward, his eyes wide with curiosity. Across from him, a rugged man in a worn flannel shirt, gripping a faded photograph in one hand and a beer can in the other, leaned back in his chair.“So, you're telling me you saw this creature firsthand?” the host asked, clearly intrigued.The man scoffed, shaking his head. “Damn right, I did. Ugly thing had wings bigger than my body—slow but sneaky. Thought it could steal my pigs again, but I was ready this time—camera in one hand, shotgun in the other.”He slammed the table for emphasis, then shoved the blurry image toward the host. The photograph depicted a small, red-skinned humanoid figure with large, bat-like wings, its eyes glowing faintly in the darkness.“Spit, the thing didn’t know what hit it when I fired!” the man chuckled, his voice full of excitement.The host held up the picture to the live chat. “Alright, what do you think? Mothman? Demon? Or is our friend here just seeing things?”The chat exploded with theories—some skeptical, others eager for the investigation to continue.---China – Liangyuan Street MarketSurveillance footage from a bustling night market in China captured a chilling scene. A woman in a red qipao walked gracefully through the crowd, her figure striking in the soft glow of lanterns.Suddenly, she paused. Her body flickered—like a glitch in a video—before vanishing completely, as though she had never existed.The footage zoomed in, replaying in slow motion. In the final frame before she disappeared, her face distorted unnaturally, her eyes hollow and empty.The screen cut abruptly to black.