Get Lost Female Protagonist! I Choose the Villainess! - Chapter 105:

Chapter 105: This Time, It Doesn’t Depend on Xia Yu’s Luck, It Depends on Yours:

The young man standing before them looked about the same age as Ling Kong. His skin was dark, and he was dressed a bit differently from those around him. Ling Kong stared at him, recognizing him instantly—Pan Ya.

Pan Ya was from one of the empire’s frontier forces. These powers around the empire were somewhat special. Technically, they belonged to the empire, yet they weren’t truly under its control. It was more of an attachment relationship—dependent on the empire, yet acting autonomously. Pan Ya himself was a young Patriarch of one of these forces.

The corners of Ling Kong’s mouth lifted slightly. He had met Pan Ya before—and even competed against him. Though Pan Ya was strong, he was far from honest. In the original plot, this man eventually conspired with foreign forces to betray the empire. When his father opposed him, Pan Ya killed him and took over as Patriarch. He was a traitor at heart—cruel and ungrateful. If possible, it would be best to get rid of him now in the ancient ruins, saving future trouble.

Pan Ya sneered as he looked at Ling Kong. “Yeah, we even played together. I lost quite a bit back then.”

That past encounter occurred when the Emperor had summoned the heads of the various border forces. As a young Patriarch, Pan Ya had followed his father to the imperial capital. During a banquet held by the royal family, a friendly competition among the younger generation had taken place. Pan Ya had been completely defeated by Ling Kong. Whether in swordplay or other contests, the young elites from the border were no match for the prince. That day, the prestige of the imperial family soared.

From that moment on, Pan Ya never forgot Ling Kong. Raised as the heir of his tribe, he had always been superior to his peers—until that humiliation. Now, seeing Ling Kong again stirred old grudges.

“The games we played back then were just child’s play,” Pan Ya sneered. “Now that we’ve grown, let’s see if you’re still as impressive when it’s for real.”

Ling Kong replied calmly, “If you want to perform again, go ahead and try.”

Pan Ya smirked. “Don’t worry. I’ll get my chance.” He closed his eyes. He would take revenge if the opportunity arose. The hatred he held for Ling Kong hadn’t faded one bit.

Ling Kong ignored him and gently held Jiang Ruoxi’s hand, then led the way into the secret realm through the gate. Behind them, Xia Yu and the others followed closely. Twenty people in total leaped into the gate.

On the side, Yun Jian and the elders of the other sects watched the swirling portal intently, silently hoping for the group’s safe return.

Hum! Suddenly, the five surrounding stone pillars let out a low hum. Glowing lines appeared on their surfaces, emitting waves of light. The same light spread across the ground, following the etched patterns that led to the center gate. Then, the circular gate abruptly closed.

Yun Jian and the others turned pale. “What’s happening?”

The elders of the five major sects shot into the air and rushed toward the sealed gate. Why had the entrance to the ancient site suddenly shut?

They unleashed their spiritual energy and struck the gate with full force, but even with their combined power, they couldn’t make the slightest dent in the site’s defensive patterns.

Their faces turned grim. The site had suddenly closed. When would it open again? Would those who entered even be able to come out?

The people inside were the most elite disciples from their sects—some of them irreplaceable talents. If they were trapped or lost, it would be a devastating blow.

Hum… At that moment, the circular gate began to glow again. Intricate patterns lit up around it and started to rotate slowly, resembling the movement of a clock.

“This…” Yun Jian and the others stared at the rotating symbols thoughtfully. “It looks like… a timekeeping device?”

“Yes, a kind of clock! From this, it seems the gate will only open once a certain amount of time has passed.”

“How long?”

“There are 365 symbols. If each represents one day… then a full year?”

“A whole year? Does that mean they’ll be trapped inside for a year?”

Everyone’s expressions darkened. No one had expected that entering meant being locked in for an entire year. It wasn’t exactly short—but it wasn’t short enough to be safe either. Sending so many young cultivators into a dangerous, unknown world for a year without warning… could they survive?

If the site was safe, a year would be manageable. But this was no ordinary place. No one outside knew what dangers lurked within. Yun Jian’s brow furrowed deeply. If it truly took a year, their current supplies might not be enough for even Ling Kong’s group alone. Could they endure?

Even worse, what would they say if the royal family asked about Ling Kong’s whereabouts? If anything happened to him, the Sword Cloud Sect would be held responsible.

Yun Jian made a quick decision. “From now on, the five sects will each assign people to guard this place. If anything changes, we’ll act together. If necessary, we’ll report it to the empire.”

Though the empire might not be able to affect the ruins, it was still more powerful than the five sects combined. If push came to shove, they could rely on imperial strength.

The other sect masters nodded silently. There was nothing else to be done. All they could do now was wait—and pray. Pray that those who entered would survive and return victorious.

…

Within the ruins, the world was pale and silent. There was no sky, no clouds, no day or night—just endless dim light. The ground was quiet and barren, scattered with fragments of ancient structures that didn’t belong to the current era. Among the ruins stood a large circular gate.

It began to shimmer, and twenty figures slowly emerged from it. They looked around, taking in the desolate landscape.

“This… must be the ancient ruins. It does feel ancient,” Pan Ya murmured, stepping forward. “But… it doesn’t seem dangerous.”

The area was eerily quiet—more like an abandoned graveyard than anything else. He casually kicked a stone forward. It flew dozens of meters before hitting the ground.

Suddenly—crash! A massive, fat creature burst out from beneath the earth. It resembled an oversized maggot, its grotesque mouth filled with dripping fangs. It reared up before vanishing back into the ground. Then, as if nothing had happened, vegetation and moss quickly covered the spot where it had emerged.

Everyone froze. This place was far from lifeless. Even the dry vines around them looked like they had grown recently. It was not as simple as it appeared.

Behind them, the circular stone gate slammed shut. Runes slowly lit up and began rotating.

Chu Mo and the others turned to look.

“What happened? The exit closed?”

“Then… how do we get out?”

“Don’t panic. It looks like a countdown of some kind. When time runs out, the gate will open again.”

“Three hundred and sixty-five symbols… it’ll take 365 days to open?”

“A year?”

They quickly figured it out. Their faces turned grim. A whole year inside?

There was no choice now. They had to start planning—for survival.

Ling Kong didn’t show much concern. He simply stared ahead into the pale unknown.

“A year, huh? I already knew,” he murmured.

Jiang Ruoxi turned to him. “See anything?”

“We can’t just stand here for a year.”

“Go? Go where? It seems peaceful, but it’s dangerous,” she said.

Ling Kong glanced at her. “If I weren’t here, where would you go?”

This time, he let her decide. In the original plot, Jiang Ruoxi had discovered the Soul Jade Crystal in these ruins, though Xia Yu had snatched it by coincidence. Now, Ling Kong wanted Jiang Ruoxi to be the one who chose the path forward.

“Ah?” Jiang Ruoxi looked at him in surprise. Wasn’t he fine leading them?

“You choose,” Ling Kong said with a gentle smile. “Wherever you point, we’ll go. This time, it doesn’t depend on Xia Yu’s luck—it depends on yours.”