Novels by Ashdenroth

There were plenty of old legends that claimed a Huli Jing could bestow great fortunes to the one she favored and even grant him wishes beyond the mortal realm. However, the tales also advised caution against the more deceptive ones who only lived to torment men and trick them into submission with their wily charms.Zi Han stopped at the door, his mind caught between trusting the Huli Jing again or choosing caution over blind faith. “How do I know you aren’t trying to trick me again?” he finally asked, the distrust clear in his tempered voice.The Huli Jing calmly replied, “I have already tried to deceive you once and learned my lesson. I promise I do not harbor any ill intentions anymore. Just give me a chance to atone for my mistakes.”Zi Han slowly turned around and looked her in the eye. She stood there silently, as still as a statue. If she wanted, she could use her powers to prevent Zi Han from leaving, but instead, she chose to let him do as he pleased.After thinking for a whi

The woman stood there dumbstruck, her naked body vulnerable and exposed, yet there was a wild defiance in her eyes. Her face darkened as Zi Han’s bold accusation shattered her dreams, dashing her hopes to pieces.“What do you mean? Have you truly forgotten me?” she questioned in a distraught voice.Zi Han moved the lantern closer to her face and repeated in a firmer tone, “I mean exactly what I said. You are not Lady Ying Lao, but someone else pretending to be my beloved.”“That is so cruel of you, Zhao Long!” She protested, staggering back and covering her naked breasts with her arms. “How can you not recognize your own wife?” she complained, lowering her head in embarrassment and flooring her gaze.But Zi remained unmoved by her antics. He walked closer to her and replied, “I may have lost my old memories, but I can still feel Lady Ying Lao’s warmth in my heart. Her presence feels different, even in my dreams. Whenever I think of her, it fills my soul with warmth and makes me forget

This fateful reunion left Zi Han speechless. He had a million questions bubbling in his mind, but the only thing he could think of right now was holding Lady Ying Lao closer to his heart. As the night darkened and the red foxes cackled in the distant woods, Zi Han felt time stop around him. Inside the room, the solitude intensified his longing, and he held her tighter. With every breath, Zi Han’s heart raced louder and still louder, till he could no longer stop his fingers from trembling. Although he barely remembered anything from his past life, Lady Ying Lao’s face was always in his mind, and now that he had seen her from up close, he wanted this moment to last forever.Lady Ying Lao lay her head to rest on Zi Han’s chest, her soft breathing filling the dimly lit room as she savored his presence.“I have spent decades without your touch. But I knew you would find me one day,” she whispered in her honeyed voice. “You have no idea how much I have missed you, Zhao.”Zi Han held her t

Zi Han sat up on his bed, resting his throbbing head on his arm. The nightmare had awakened a painful memory from his past life, but he still couldn’t remember anything about those people hanging from the tree.Forced to live a dual life in this mortal world, Zi Han found himself caught between two realms, his mind fractured into several fragments, each with a story of its own.“Guan Yu…you were my brother,” he mumbled in the dark, his throat drying up from thirst as the room felt suffocating. Even though Guan Yu’s face was still flashing in his mind, he couldn’t remember their relationship. But every time he thought of his long-forgotten half-brother, it filled him with a sense of unrelenting hate. “Dongxiang told me I was betrayed by my brother, yet I can’t remember anything about you, Guan Yu,” Zi Han mumbled, clenching his cold fists. “Why can’t I remember anything? How long will my memories keep haunting me like nightmares?”Suddenly, Zi Han’s window was thrown open by a strong

Dongxiang’s informers in Heshing confirmed that the hit was a success, and all five trailer trucks had been completely destroyed, along with the supplies they were carrying. Zi Han’s plan had worked perfectly and stirred panic among the Sand Scorpion loyalists, causing most of the shops and stores to shut down for the day.“That should teach them not to mess with us!” Zhen Lee exclaimed, pumping his fists in the air. “I bet Noah must be wetting his bed right now.”Dongxiang, however, chose to be the voice of reason instead of getting carried away. “We should not get too far ahead of ourselves. Noah is ill-tempered and reckless. And we all know a wounded wolf backed into a corner can be more dangerous than a tiger.” Zi Han was still staring at the detonator in his hand. With the press of a single button, he had taken out Kailen and his crew of grunts in one fell swoop. He realized was no longer an innocent college student, but had turned into a cold-blooded killer. It felt scary kno

Zi Han’s carefully executed attack had struck a devastating blow, plunging Heshing into chaos. The explosions had not only destroyed the Sand Scorpion supplies but also killed Kailen and his group of runts.As people rushed for cover, fleeing to the safety of their homes, the Sand Scorpion fighters manning the checkpoints sent word to their leader, requesting support.Noah arrived on location within the next few minutes, accompanied by his elite grunts and gunners. He had heard the explosion from miles away but had no idea what had triggered the blasts. But now, as he looked at the burning wreckage of the trailer trucks, everything became clear.Someone had carefully targeted their supplies on purpose, and the message was clear: the Sand Scorpions weren’t safe even inside their own territory.As Noah sifted through the wreckage, he spotted a mutilated corpse, ripped to pieces. He kicked the dismembered bust and flipped it over with his shoe, only to see Kailen’s half-burnt face.“You s

“I never really thought the boy had it in him to keep going after he lost his home,” someone observed in a calm, benevolent voice. “I must admit his resilience is quite impressive for a mortal. Were it anyone else in his shoes, the ending would have been a lot different.”“I knew there was something about him right from the day he was born. Alas, his mother never got the chance to see him grow up,” a feminine voice stated wistfully. “The question remains, what must we do with him now?” the male voice questioned.“I think it is time to leave the choice in his hands,” a second feminine voice spoke aloud. “Wake up, my dear child. Your mortal troubles cannot touch you here. Wake up and choose.”Groggy and disoriented, Ezra slowly parted his eyelids and immediately squinted as the bright white light flooding the room smarted his eyes. Still dizzy and weak, he somehow rolled over and gasped.“Where am I? What happened?” “You are safe inside the Hall of Wandering Souls,” a measured feminine

“The hour of darkness descends upon this world like a shroud, and the bleeding moon beckons the Lord of Decay to reclaim his lost domain. Come forth and ascend the throne of darkness, my Lord!”Ezra’s heart pounded inside his chest like a caged animal, and his head throbbed in pain as he heard muffled words shouted in the distance. Lying in a bloody puddle on the black marble floor, he parted his droopy eyelids and saw Lord Wilhelm standing behind the altar and Lady Lillian facing him on the other side.Though Tanya’s face was hidden from view, Ezra could see her supple white fingers tingling as her delicate arm dangled from the stone altar. She was still alive, but Lord Wilhelm was already anointing the ceremonial dagger forged from infernal obsidian and preparing to plunge it into her heart.“You…cannot do it. You need the crimson moon to…summon Zepheroth,” Ezra said, fighting the pain.“The hour of our Lord is nigh. And all celestials shall obey his will,” Lord Wilhelm continued cha

The enchanted nock gun vibrated with elemental energy as Jasenki loaded it with enchanted rounds. The glyphs carved into its stock shimmered and dazzled as he aimed at Ezra.“Scream for me, Ezra!” Jasenki yelled, pulling the trigger.Bang! Fwoom!A fiery barrage lit up the dark pavilion as fifteen fireballs erupted from the silver-dusted barrels. The first hit burned Ezra’s left sleeve, setting his tattered leather jacket ablaze, and the rest of the fireballs charred his white shirt, burning his skin.“This gun was forged by the best Gunsmiths in Stonewell, and enchanted with the rarest of ancient glyphs. No one can withstand its power!”Jasenki reloaded his weapon and fired again, unleashing another flaming barrage.But this time, a barrier of flames erupted around Ezra, cocooning him within an elemental shell.All fifteen fireballs exploded into sparks as they collided with the flame barrier, leaving Ezra unharmed.“Damn you, Ezra. Keep trying your tricks and see how long you can su

Ezra looked at the two Spectral Companions hovering behind Jasenki and Cecilia and realized these spirits weren’t obtained from their ancestral artifacts. “I see you have abandoned your family relics,” he said, carefully analyzing the two specters with his Dragon Eye skill. “These spectral entities are gifts from the Lord of Decay,” Jasenki replied, raising his head with arrogance. “I bet you have never encountered anything so powerful before.”“Go on, Ezra. Call your little Spectral Basilisk, and let us see if it can stand up to our companions,” Cecilia mocked, casting a disdainful glance at Ezra’s tattered brown jacket and muddy black boots. “You still look as beggarly as before. I suppose some things never change. I am so glad I rejected you when I did.”Suddenly, Ezra’s eyes glinted, and his pupils brightened with a bright blue flame that blazed with magic energy. The scar on his chest glowed through his shirt, revealing his true power.Reaching inside his jacket, Ezra pulled out

Following the glowing trail left behind by the Spectral Beholder, Ezra avoided the rot vines squirming in the mire, and the Medallion of Purity hanging over his chest shielded him from the swamp's corrupting influence.Dark geysers erupted around Ezra, spewing molten tar several feet in the air and filling the swamp with a sulfurous haze. The choking odor brought tears to his eyes, but he pushed on through the vaporous veil.The Spectral Beholder led Ezra to a small patch of dry land surrounded by rotting oak trees. As he stepped onto the elevated mound, he spotted a fiery blue orb floating in the distance.Ten more orbs appeared out of thin air, floating through the foggy darkness. At first glance, they looked like glowing power crystals, but as Ezra took a closer look, he realized these orbs weren’t floating crystals or fireflies, but Elven Wisps.The Elven Wisps were unique spectral entities only found in the Violet Everglades. Unlike Banshees and Spectral Wraiths, the Elven Wisps w

A weary traveler lost inside the Violet Everglades was an easy prey for the creatures of the dark, and Ezra had just encountered one such nefarious entity. But instead of fear, his eyes lit up with a strange hopefulness.“You called out to me in Tanya’s voice, so you must have seen her passing through. Point me toward the Fountain of Chaos, and I won’t kill you,” he spoke in a cold, emotionless voice, without even turning to look at the creature creeping toward him.The creature laughed at his words and rushed through the darkness, moving like a shadow to play with his mind. Her voice echoed from different directions as she disappeared like smoke and danced around Ezra.“You are in my home, youngling. The dark ones told me you’d be coming,” she cackled. “But you won’t be walking out alive. So, forget about your friend and save yourself if you can!”As Ezra stood there motionless, a howling shadow rushed past him and gathered on a dry patch of grass overgrown with violet tulips that glo