Chapter 1: Nightmare
Inside the quiet villa, the woman sleeping on the luxurious bed frowned, caught in the grip of a nightmare.
Sheng Wanyan bolted upright, drenched in a cold sweat. She rubbed her temples, her heart pounding in disbelief.
She had dreamt of a place that looked like the 1970s, filled with bleak, gray streets. The people wandering the roads were pale and emaciated from hunger, surrounded by a heavy, suffocating atmosphere.
She had been having this exact same dream every night for an entire week.
But day by day, the visions were growing clearer. In this modern, scientific age, most people would never believe in such strange occurrences.
But she did.
It seemed her grandfather’s dying words were finally coming true.
Sheng Wanyan glanced at the phone beside her bed. It was already seven in the morning. Throwing off the quilt, she stepped onto the soft carpet and headed to the bathroom to wash up. Afterward, she went downstairs to eat the breakfast prepared by the housekeeper before making her way to the study.
On her desk sat a family portrait of six. Sheng Wanyan reached out and picked up the frame, her eyes filled with deep longing as she gazed at the familiar faces.
“Yan’er, don’t be afraid. Remember, our family will meet again in another world.”
“My dear granddaughter, promise Grandma that you will be strong.”
“My darling daughter, you must live well.”
“Mom’s precious Yan’er, I just want you to have a safe and smooth life.”
“Don’t cry. Your big brother isn’t afraid of dying, I just feel a little regretful.”
Sheng Wanyan recalled the final words her family members had left her before they passed away, her fair fingers gently stroking the glass over the photo.
“Grandpa… maybe we really will meet again.”
She gently laid the photo face down on the desk, pinched the bridge of her nose, and dialed her secretary’s number.
“President Sheng,” the secretary answered respectfully.
“Sell all the properties, shares, and real estate under my name.”
On the other end of the line, the secretary was stunned. The Sheng Group was a massive corporate empire. Could something have gone terribly wrong? Was the company facing bankruptcy?
Logically speaking, that was impossible. Who could possibly bring down the Sheng Group?
Decades ago, Old Master Sheng and Old Madam Sheng had built the family business from scratch. The Old Master was deeply knowledgeable in metaphysics. Relying on his unique abilities, combined with the Old Madam’s sharp business wisdom, they established the Sheng family empire.
Eventually, the reins were handed over to Sheng Wanyan’s father, Sheng Yuhua. A natural-born businessman, he transformed the Sheng family from merely wealthy into a dominant financial conglomerate.
Sheng Yuhua and his wife were childhood sweethearts who went on to have a son and a daughter—Sheng Wanze and Sheng Wanyan. Both children were brilliant, achieved excellent grades, and were remarkably sensible from a young age. Everyone praised them highly, agreeing that the Sheng family had secured exceptional heirs.
However, this rapid success bred intense jealousy. It wasn’t just outsiders who were envious; Old Master Sheng’s younger brother and his family were consumed by resentment. They couldn’t stand that Sheng Yuhua’s status was higher than theirs, or that his children outshone theirs in every way.
When Old Master Sheng and Old Madam Sheng eventually passed away, they went peacefully, though their final thoughts lingered on Sheng Wanyan. There was only one girl in their family, and she had been pampered since birth. From the moment she was born, her grandfather had decided she would be the one to study metaphysics by his side.
Right before he passed, Old Master Sheng gave Wanyan the jade pendant he had worn his entire life.
“Don’t cry, Yan’er. Grandpa is just going ahead to set up a new home for you.”
“Yan’er, you must always wear this jade pendant. Never give it to anyone…”
“As long as you keep it safe… we will be reunited soon.”
Sheng Wanyan had knelt beside his bed, holding his weathered hand tightly as her tears fell uncontrollably.
“Grandpa… I’ll remember. I will never give it to anyone.”
Using the very last of his strength, Old Master Sheng raised his hand and gently tapped her on the head, just as he did when she was a little girl. With no regrets or worries left in his heart, he peacefully closed his eyes.
The Old Madam’s passing followed not long after.
As soon as the Old Master was gone, Sheng Yuhua discovered just how ruthless his uncle’s family could be. Less than a hundred days after his father’s death, his uncle secretly won over several group shareholders and attempted to usurp his position.
But a man capable of expanding the Sheng Group to such heights was not easily defeated. Sheng Yuhua swiftly purged those dissenting voices from the company.
This only deepened the uncle’s hatred. Sheng Yuhua expelled their entire branch from the Sheng family. Great-Uncle Sheng, already old and frail, was powerless against him and died of sheer fury not long after.
Tragedy struck a few years later. Sheng Yuhua and his wife had gone on a delayed honeymoon trip. Their son, Sheng Wanze, drove to the airport to pick them up and bring them home. On the way back, their car was involved in a fatal accident, and Sheng Wanyan lost her last three remaining family members in a single day.
At the young age of twenty-three, the crushing weight of the entire Sheng Group fell onto her shoulders.
Her great-uncle’s surviving family immediately tried to suppress her, claiming that as a young woman, she was unqualified to be president. But Sheng Wanyan was not someone who allowed herself to be bullied. No matter what difficulties she encountered, she faced them head-on. Over time, she proved her formidable strength to everyone, making it undeniably clear that the Sheng Group could not survive without her.
Her great-uncle’s descendants were hopeless, only skilled at eating, drinking, and squandering money. Standing entirely alone, she battled those wolves and tigers for seven long years, eventually sending every single one of her enemies to prison.
Now, at the age of thirty, she was worth hundreds of billions. Yet, she was utterly alone, without a single person to lean on.
Bringing her mind back to the present, Sheng Wanyan scanned the study. She carefully packed away all the family photos in the house. Then, she went downstairs, gathered the household staff, gave each of them a severance of 100,000 yuan, and dismissed them.
Once everyone had left, Sheng Wanyan was the only living soul remaining in the massive Sheng family mansion.
Closing her eyes, she silently willed the words, Go in.
In the very next second, the scenery shifted, and she was standing on a lush patch of grass.
This was the true power of the jade pendant her grandfather had given her—the greatest, most closely guarded secret of the Sheng family. The pendant could only be truly inherited by the women of the Sheng bloodline. Even though her grandfather had worn it his whole life, he had never been able to unlock its inner space.
From the moment she was born, Old Master Sheng knew the jade pendant had finally found its true master.
She had accidentally unlocked this space two years ago. After breaking a wine glass and cutting her finger, her blood had smeared onto the jade pendant. To her shock, the pendant absorbed the blood and seamlessly merged into her body.
At that exact moment, she finally understood why her grandfather had insisted on giving it to her.
Outsiders had spent decades trying to figure out the secret behind the Sheng family’s incredible rise. It turned out to be this very jade pendant—and she was its rightful owner.
Sheng Wanyan stepped onto the soft soil, gazing out at the seemingly endless expanse before her. When she first unlocked it, the space had been nothing but a barren wasteland. But after two years of tireless planting and stockpiling, she had transformed it into a genuine paradise.
Everything in this dimension could be controlled with a mere thought, making cultivation incredibly convenient. Here, she had planted endless rows of fruit trees, lush vegetables, and rare medicinal herbs. She even raised livestock, sectioning off areas for chickens, ducks, fish, rabbits, cattle, and sheep. She had spared no expense, buying saplings for peach, cherry, and plum trees, along with countless varieties of flower and herb seeds to bring the land vibrant life.
