Traveling Between Two Worlds: From Bread for Maids to Fantasy Overlord

The dungeon of the Trade Alliance was bitterly cold.

The captured assassin was chained, his body covered in wounds, yet his eyes remained defiant, and he gritted his teeth, refusing to speak. Huang Yiming stood before him, his expression icy, faint system energy swirling around his fingertips—over the past eight years, he had become adept at using the system's various functions, making interrogation a trivial matter.

"I know you've been cursed by the Tianyan Sect, but the power of the system can break the curse, or it can make you wish you were dead." Huang Yiming's voice was calm, yet it carried a chilling sense of oppression. "Tell me about the current situation of the Tianyan Sect's patriarch, the internal situation of the allied forces, and the whereabouts of the ancient evil artifact, and I will spare your life."

The assassin trembled, a flicker of fear in his eyes, yet he still refused to divulge anything. Huang Yiming said no more, slowly channeling the system energy from his fingertips into the assassin's body. A piercing pain instantly swept through his entire body, and he couldn't help but let out a shrill scream. Cold sweat covered his forehead, and the spells on his body began to malfunction, with black mist overflowing from his body.

"I'll talk! I'll talk!" After a moment, the assassin could no longer bear it and collapsed to the ground, his voice trembling. "The patriarch of the Tianyan Sect is named Ling Xuan. He was originally at the peak of the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm. Three months ago, he went into seclusion to break through to the Nascent Soul realm. Now, he has emerged from seclusion ahead of schedule and broken through to the late-stage of the Golden Core realm. However, his position is not yet fully stable, and he still needs to rely on an ancient evil artifact to suppress his aura. That ancient evil artifact is called the 'Demon Erosion Blade,' a treasure left behind by the demon race a thousand years ago. It can release evil energy to enhance combat power, but it will also erode the user's mind."

Huang Yiming nodded slightly and then asked, "Is there not harmony within the allied forces?"

The assassin, panting heavily, continued, "Yes! The ten major sects each have their own ulterior motives, all wanting to seize your system and dual-realm resources. They were only forced to join the alliance because they feared the strength of the Tianyan Sect. Among them, the Qingfeng Sect, Liuyun Sect, and Baicao Sect are the three weakest of the ten sects. They have long harbored resentment towards the Tianyan Sect's oppression, but dared not speak out. During Ling Xuan's seclusion, the alliance was led by Zhao Kun. This man is arrogant and has offended many sects. Many sects are watching in secret, and may defect at any time."

Upon hearing this, a glint of light flashed in Huang Yiming's eyes, and a plan to divide the allied forces instantly took shape in his mind. For eight years, he had repeatedly thwarted powerful enemies, relying not only on modern resources and systems, but also on precise calculations and a keen understanding of human nature. The Tianyan Sect appeared powerful, but in reality, it was riddled with internal conflicts. By exploiting these conflicts, the allied forces could be dismantled effortlessly.

"Very good, you can survive." Huang Yiming withdrew the system energy and signaled the guards to take the assassin away for safekeeping. "Yang Xiu, send someone to keep a close watch on this assassin to prevent him from being silenced by the Tianyan Sect. Also, take another inventory of the supplies and be prepared for any emergencies."

"Yes, Sect Master." Yang Xiu responded and withdrew. She knew that Huang Yiming was bound to make a big move next.

Huang Yiming returned to the main hall and summoned the five women for a meeting, informing them of the information revealed by the assassin. Upon hearing this, Qin Yuling immediately said, "Since there is discord within the allied forces, we can defeat them one by one. First, we can take down the three weaker sects, Qingfeng Sect, Liuyun Sect, and Baicao Sect, to intimidate the other sects, and then concentrate our forces to deal with Tianyan Sect."

"Yu Ling is right, but we can't force it." Huang Yiming shook his head, a calculating smile playing on his lips. "We need to feign weakness to lower the Tianyan Sect's guard, while simultaneously enticing those three weaker sects to sow discord between them and the Tianyan Sect. Su Qingyue, you will personally go to these three sects, bringing ample supplies of refined salt, sugar, antibiotics, and high-grade spiritual herbs. Tell them that if they defect, I will reach a long-term trade agreement with them, sharing the opportunities of the dual realms, and even helping them improve their sect's strength."

Su Qingyue nodded: "Don't worry, I will definitely take care of it. However, these three sects are afraid of Tianyan Sect and may not agree easily. I need to bring a few guards in case of any unforeseen circumstances."

"Yes, have ten top disciples of the Ziyao Sect follow you and secretly protect your safety," Huang Yiming instructed, his eyes full of concern. "Be careful in everything. If you encounter any danger, contact me immediately, and I will come over as soon as possible."

Su Qingyue felt a warmth in her heart and nodded, "I understand."

Then, Huang Yiming looked at Qin Yuling: "Yuling, you will lead five hundred elite troops to fight against the vanguard of the allied forces—the cultivators of Qingfeng Sect. Remember, you must deliberately show weakness, pretend to be defeated, and retreat step by step to lure Tianyan Sect and other sects into underestimating us. At the same time, you must let Qingfeng Sect see that we are not invincible, thus creating conditions for Su Qingyue's negotiations."

"Understood!" A glint of fighting spirit flashed in Qin Yuling's eyes. Although she had to feign weakness, she was still very excited to be able to confront the allied forces head-on. However, she did not expect that this seemingly simple battle of feigned weakness would conceal deadly dangers.

The following morning, Qin Yuling led five hundred elite troops to the outer perimeter of the interdimensional passage, confronting the vanguard of the Qingfeng Sect. The Qingfeng Sect Master, a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator leading two thousand cultivators, immediately showed disdain upon seeing Qin Yuling with only five hundred men: "Miss Qin, is Huang Yiming afraid? He only dares to send such a small number of people to their deaths?"

Qin Yuling snorted coldly and drew her sword: "Enough talk, let's fight!"

A fierce battle was about to break out. Following Huang Yiming's instructions, Qin Yuling deliberately restrained her fighting power, engaging the Qingfeng Sect Master in a protracted fight. While appearing evenly matched, she consistently yielded. Her elite troops also feigned defeat, suffering heavy casualties in the process. The Qingfeng Sect cultivators, their morale soaring, pressed forward relentlessly, constantly mocking Qin Yuling and the Trade Alliance.

By noon, Qin Yuling had sustained minor injuries, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth, and led the remaining elite troops in a disheveled retreat. The Qingfeng Sect Master was overjoyed upon seeing this and immediately sent someone to report the news to Zhao Kun, seeking credit and reward.

Upon learning the news, Zhao Kun was indeed very pleased, believing that Huang Yiming was weak and easily defeated, and thus further underestimated the Trade Alliance, loosening his control over the ten major sects. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Su Qingyue secretly went to the Qingfeng Sect, Liuyun Sect, and Baicao Sect to negotiate. With abundant resources and tempting conditions, she successfully persuaded the sect leaders of the three sects, and the three parties agreed to secretly switch sides and cooperate from within to deal with the Tianyan Sect.

Qin Yuling led the remaining elite troops in a retreat, and just as they were about to reach the headquarters of the Trade Alliance, they were suddenly blocked by a group of cultivators. The leader was a young man dressed in the robes of the Tianyan Sect, with an arrogant face and sinister eyes. He was none other than Ling Hao, a core disciple of the Tianyan Sect, Ling Xuan's personal disciple, and a cultivator at the early stage of the Golden Core realm.

"Miss Qin, how have you been?" Ling Hao sneered, his gaze greedily sweeping over Qin Yuling. "That mortal loser Huang Yiming didn't dare to fight personally, so he sent you, a woman, to your death? If you obediently submit to me today, I'll spare your life; otherwise, I'll cripple your cultivation, torture you mercilessly, and then hand you over to the allied cultivators to be played with as they please!"

The Tianyan Sect disciples behind her echoed her sentiments, their words foul and their eyes filled with covetousness. Qin Yuling's face was icy, her grip on her longsword tight—despite her minor injuries and diminished fighting strength, she refused to yield: "Ling Hao, stop talking nonsense! Huang Yiming will definitely come to save me, and then he will kill you all!"

"Save you?" Ling Hao laughed loudly. "Huang Yiming can barely save himself, and he wants to save you? Let me tell you, you're not escaping today! If Huang Yiming knows what's good for him, he'll obediently hand over the system, and then I'll offer you and the other four women up; otherwise, I'll make sure you die a horrible death!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Ling Hao waved his hand, signaling his men to attack. The disciples of the Tianyan Sect swarmed forward, surrounding Qin Yuling and the remaining elite troops. Qin Yuling gritted her teeth and fought back with all her might, but she was already injured and outnumbered. She gradually fell into a disadvantageous position, and several more wounds were added to her body, making her injuries more and more serious.

She knew she wouldn't be able to hold out until Huang Yiming arrived, but she still didn't give up—she was Qin Yuling, Huang Yiming's woman, and she couldn't bring shame to him, much less be insulted by these people. She gripped her longsword tightly, her eyes resolute, ready to fight to the death.

At this moment, inside the Tongshang Alliance headquarters, Huang Yiming had just received a message from Su Qingyue, learning that the three sects had agreed to defect. He was secretly pleased when he suddenly received a report from his guards: Qin Yuling was ambushed by Ling Hao and his Tianyan Sect disciples during the retreat, and was seriously injured and surrounded.

Huang Yiming's face instantly turned icy cold, a raging fury flashing in his eyes. His spiritual energy surged violently, and the oppressive aura of a mid-stage Golden Core cultivator swept across the entire area. He abruptly stood up, his voice chillingly cold: "Ling Hao, you hurt my woman! I will grind you to dust!"

Before he finished speaking, Huang Yiming's figure had already disappeared from the main hall, rushing towards the direction where Qin Yuling was ambushed. He had only one thought in his mind—no matter the cost, he had to save Qin Yuling; anyone who dared to hurt her would surely die! Little did he know that Ling Hao's ambush was not only to humiliate Qin Yuling, but also a trap set by Ling Xuan, waiting for him to walk right into it.