Dawn: A GameLit Series (Death God System - Book #2)
Author: Kajack, M.Q.
Date: 2019-07-26

Death God System—Book 2

DAWN

M.Q. Kajack

“What? How is this possible?”

Ding!

The System’s voice then sounded out.

Based on the speed the sphere was travelling and the time you were in the void, the distance covered was ten times bigger than the Seeking Continent.

Goodbye to my Sect Trials. If I had known, then I would spend my last years going toward another direction. No wonder the System doesn’t know where I am. I have no map of this place.

Shu Er looked sad. Even without looking, I could observe her through my soul. I sighed, still worried on how to heal the women’s bodies and let Shu Er walk on her own. For a beautiful woman, losing a leg and a hand was not acceptable at all. Shu Yi was also feeling down without her arm, but she was better off than her little sister because she could still walk.

The three of us advanced for several hours toward the shadow of the city we spotted earlier. We had been through a lot during the travel, so after I tended to their wounds, we decided to camp out for the day. The night was approaching. We stared up at the dark sky, and then Shu Er opened her mouth to talk.

“Master, will I have to stay like this forever?” Shu Er’s voice pierced through my mind. I blamed myself for how weak I was.

“Don’t you know how awesome your master is? I will heal you, so don’t worry about it and go to sleep,” I said, turning my head to look into her eyes.

We stared at each other for a few minutes until her eyes gradually fluttered close, and she had fallen asleep. She seemed really exhausted.

On the side, I could see her sister frowning. “What are you thinking about, Shu Yi?”

“I don’t understand you at all, Master. What kind of person are you? You kill without batting an eye, you show little to no emotion and sometimes, you behave like an adult, only to act like a kid after. You are too hard to understand. You could have left us behind as we are just slaves, yet you did not. You protected us… why? It’s so confusing.” Shu Yi’s hand was resting on her chest as she said that.

“Honestly? I do not know, only that I will protect you both to the best that I can. You both are mine. I do not consider you slaves with no kind of value. The moment I sealed both your souls, you have become my followers. As your master, it is important for me to care for you.”

“That’s it?” Shu Yi asked in a soft voice.

I knew what she was getting at. I might not love them, but I cared deeply about them. Even if they were not useful, I would train them to be useful. In my mind, even though they had my seal, they were not so different from the other followers that I had, just that it was more convenient with the seal for safety purposes. In addition, I could communicate with them through the seal.

“Don’t worry about it for now. It will happen naturally.” That was the best answer I could give her.

Shu Yi smiled, turned her head around, and faced the sky.

“Good night.”

The next morning, the mood of our group improved a little. However, we didn’t eat since the Black Star Flame burned everything in my inventory and there was also no beast in sight in this vast plain.

We continued in the direction of the city. During our travel, we saw nothing amiss. There were no signs of any danger whatsoever.

I started to suspect something wasn’t right when we were already on the road for roughly six hours and we still had not made progress toward the city. The plains seemed to be endless.

I groaned. Don’t tell me the plains are trapping us?

“Master, what are we going to do?” Shu Yi said when three days of travel brought us nothing. This place was too strange. The sky, the sun, the moon, the stars—they all had the same position. Nothing moved, as if we were trapped in an illusion. Once, I went ballistic and destroyed the plains, creating deep craters when I exploded the ground. I used every idea in my head to bring us out of whatever was trapping us. The following day, however, everything I had destroyed recovered as if I had done nothing.

This place is too strange. If I don’t find a solution, Shu Yi and Shu Er will starve to death.

“Master, look! The sky!” shouted Shu Yi.

A tear appeared in the sky, followed by a ray of light descending to the vast green plain.

A young man carrying a giant axe appeared. He was standing quite far from where we were so he didn’t notice us.

The young man laughed. “It seems I arrived here first. I can’t wait for the rest of them to come here.”

I was about to approach him when another tear appeared in the sky. Another young man descended. He looked different from the person carrying the giant axe; he was handsome. From his posture alone, I could tell he came from a rich family. He was probably a young master, one of the worst kinds of people to deal with for their kind tend to bring too many troubles.

Two more tears opened in the sky and this time, two girls appeared. They were both inferior in looks to my Shu Yi and Shu Er, but I had to say they had good looks and toned bodies.

“We are the first four to pass?” said one of those girls.

“I guess the others will take some time. It’s awesome for someone as dumb as you to even pass,” the young man replied, mocking the girl who just talked.

I guess they don’t have a good relationship, but who cares about their relationship? I need to know where the hell I am. I approached them while they were discussing with each other.

“Excuse me, I am lost. Do you know where we are?” I asked.

The four of them jumped back and aimed their weapons at me. I stepped back, not expecting this kind of reaction.

“Who are you?” the young man with the giant axe asked.

“Idiot! The test must have started already.”

“He’s right. Don’t you see the two girls? They are way over the minimum age to be able to take part. He must be part of the test.”

“Should we kill them?” the small girl said.

“No, don’t you see the man’s cultivation? I cannot see it. He must be a very strong puppet. I guess the mission must be to help him. Perhaps this test is a group test?”

More tears appeared in the sky, followed by the descent of hundreds of lights.

“Damn, this is too messy. Li Qi, we need to regroup,” said the young man with the axe.

“Don’t freaking order me around, Chu Xian,” Li Qi retorted in a commanding tone.

“Stop it, both of you! Don’t start a fight. It’s not the time.” The other girl, who didn’t speak until now, stood between them to break the building tension.

“You Ye is right. We don’t have the time,” Chu Xian agreed.

“Xiao Wu, let’s go. We already found the guide.” You Ye took Xiao Wu’s hands.

“Look, these puppets are broken! One is missing a leg and a hand while the other is missing an arm,” Li Qi pointed out.

“The passage of time must have damaged them, but why is a puppet carrying another puppet? So strange,” You Ye said, her brows furrowed in a frown. “Actually, they are quite beautiful. What a pity.”

“Li Qi, can you regroup with our people? This is our chance to make them eat dust,” Chu Xian laughed.

“For once, we agree! You three take care of the three puppets and make sure they are hidden. They have intelligence, so they must be some kind of a low soul.” Li Qi then left towards the other youths.

What is going on? Did they mistake us for puppets? Why are so many people suddenly descending from the skies, all of them youths?

“Hey! We are not puppets!”

The three youths left behind wordlessly looked at me, their expressions strange. Shu Yi and Shu Er were also confused and a bit angry because of the commentaries about their missing limbs.

A huge tear then opened in the sky and out came a massive and beautiful Swallowtail Butterfly. Mounted on it was a stunning girl emanating a cold and intimidating aura. She was at Qi Refining Peak and her mount was also a King Beast.

“Shit! Lu Xin caught up!” Chu Xian, You Ye, and Xiao Wu paled.

What is wrong with them? Why are they so scared? It is but a beautiful girl, although the butterfly is making me wary. In my previous life, I hated them with a passion.

“It’s Li Qi! He’s back!” You Ye exclaimed, suddenly excited to see the elegant young man return.

“Everything has been arranged. I managed to join our sects together. They will shield us, but there is not much time so we need to move fast. Chu Xian, your Mountain Berserk Sect will take the initiative to push through them. My Light Sect will do the covering. You Ye and Xiao Wu, Moon Lake Sect will take the rear,” Li Qi explained, but he was interrupted by You Ye.

“The Dark Wood Sect didn’t agree?”

“No! I overheard them. They are colluding with the Lu Xin Sword Sect. I’m afraid it won’t be easy. We only have the surprise element on our side,” Li Qi said while looking at me.

“Damn it! These unworthy guys! This time, we are facing seventeen sects. We won’t back down. Us from the South Country will prevail!”

Light Sect...? Am I not outside the Seeking Continent? Facing seventeen sects... Are these four guys seeking death? Could it be…?

“The Trial,” I said, but before I could finish what I was about to say, Chu Xian grabbed me. You Ye and Xiao Wu took care of Shu Er while Shi Yi was picked up by Li Qi.

“Now! The puppet started the trial,” shouted Chu Xian.

Dozens of youths yelled Qi arts’ names before hitting other youths; many were caught off guard by the sneak attack. I could see over fifty youths armed with axes surrounding us.

“Senior Chu, we will charge through. Good luck.”

Fuck, are they insane? They are charging! Fifty youths toward five hundred unprepared youths!

“Li Qi! The tokens, do they work?” Xiao Wu shouted anxiously.

“Yes, but you need to claim a life to be able to exit.” Li Qi faced back. “Light Sect, Blind Cover!”

One hundred youths appeared, covering the formation the fifty youths made. This was total madness. In just a matter of seconds, more than two hundred youths lost their lives.

“Go! Move out!” Chu Xian yelled, splitting five guys with one wave of his axe.

“Cover them out!” Ten young girls between thirteen and fourteen years old yelled.

“Stop them! They have found the Trial Guide!”

“Chase after them!”

“Everyone, take cover! They are launching sneak attacks.”

“Look, it’s them! Their sects are united. They are covering for them.”

Hundreds of shouts reverberated throughout the fields. We were charging out, surrounded by hundreds of armed youths. This was a messy battlefield.

Li Qi was covered in blood as he assisted Light Sect. Right now, the Moon Lake Sect was the one in charge of covering us. They made a huge barrier while Chu Xian acted as the heavy support.

“Teleport out if you can’t handle it anymore. Get your tokens ready,” Chu Xian said, standing in the front row, covered with blood.

Two youths beside him got hit by a Qi art, wounding them severely, but they managed to crush a token and get out. The guy who hurt them was split in half by Chu Xian’s axe. Li Qi was also killing smoothly, yet they were against too many.

I had to say that Li Qi’s formation was quite effective, even though some of the guys had died and majority of them had teleported, leaving behind only forty percent of them.

This situation was very strange. I didn’t know whether I should laugh or cry. I did say that I wasn’t a puppet, yet they thought I was some kind of a guide instead. Free Death Points were always welcome.

Although many people managed to teleport, there were many that died, especially at the start. I was sure this would cause a great rift between the South Country and all the other sects. Three sects fighting against seventeen was crazy; yet I would admit that I liked their guts and style.

“Moon Lake Sect, switch now!” You Ye commanded.

One hundred girls forming a barrier rushed to the enemy lines. The girls were doing a kamikaze attack.

“Reflection!”

Madness! Hundreds of girls were getting hit, their barrier barely withstanding. After yelling Reflection, the barrier expanded and exploded. I could see all the girls lying on the floor with serious injuries, but they were not life threatening. They were smiling while crushing their tokens. It seemed this sect was dangerous. I could not help but look at the innocent You Ye and Xiao Wu. It was scary what kind of arts this sect held.

Those from the Light Sect then exploded, producing a huge blinding glare. I could see nothing at all, yet through my soul, I could see Li Qi covering all of us in with his Qi and his face was getting paler every second from the exertion.

Ten minutes later, the light diminished and I recovered my sight. The battlefield was far away from us, and the youths were recovering and pulling themselves together. No one from the Light Sect, the Mountain Berserk Sect, or the Moon Lake remained, only Li Qi, Chu Xian, You Ye, and Xiao Wu.

These four youths had a solemn face on them; they were covered in blood, exhausted, but their eyes showed a burning fighting spirit.

“Shit! Lu Xin is chasing us.”

“Why are you so afraid of her?” I asked. The girl they call Lu Xin was still far away from us, but thanks to her mount, she would catch up to us in no time.

“That’s because she’s from the Righteous Sect, the most powerful sect from the Central Country. Also, she’s the granddaughter of the Head Master. They have trained her since she was young. She’s only thirteen years old, yet she’s already at the Qi Refining Peak...”

“So? You are four against a girl.”

What a bunch of weaklings.

“She’s stronger than us combined.”

Shu Er and Shu Yi laughed. It had been a while since I heard their laughter. I enjoyed their smiles.

“Master, let them witness the strength of the mighty Puppet Guide,” they grinned.

“What are we going to do? It seems if we don’t agree to fight her, the Puppet will ditch us,” Xiao Wu said.

“But it’s impossible for us to beat her in combat. She has far too many trump cards. This quest—”

I looked at Shu Yi and Shu Er, each of us wearing disbelieving looks on our faces. Are they dumb or something? What quest? I was getting pissed with these idiots. While they were talking, Lu Xin already caught up to us.

“You think just you four can fight me? Hand over the Puppet Guide! This time, you created big trouble for your three sects. Did you think you can get the Ancient Ruin’s buried treasure with this kind of ability? Kneel and repent, or face death. Choose!”

The four youths stopped running and brought out their weapons, positioning them in the air, ready to strike.

“I appreciate your courage. At least you aren’t trashes. Well, you shall die by my sword.”

What an arrogant girl.

My soul picked up a subtle change in the environment. Something changed. I could finally see the city shadow a bit more clearly. Something must had been activated.

The fight was about to start. Sweat dotted the foreheads of the four youths, yet Lu Xin stood there, her face devoid of any emotion, her eyes sharp and cold.

Shu Yi’s stomach growled, making her flush beet red. Shu Er smiled at her. They hadn’t eaten for days. They needed nourishment. The five of them turned to look at her, making her blush even more. She took a few steps backward and hid behind her little sister.

The mood became awkward. The five of them turned to look at the young ‘puppet’ with a missing arm.

Oh! The butterfly—well, it’s really a bug—but it should have enough meat, right?

I walked toward the butterfly. It possessed the same attitude as her master. Too arrogant. While my hand moved slowly, I released some pressure to root the beast.

The five youths watched my hand until it grabbed the butterfly head. No one expected that with me exerting only a little bit of pressure, the butterfly’s head would explode.

Ding!

Killed Swallowtail Butterfly +1,350 XP

Death Point +1

Death Core +1

Their jaws dropped. The Puppet was that powerful? That was a peak King beast, yet it didn’t even get to struggle at all. It just faced its death without doing anything.

Wait! Something was wrong. The Puppet should only guide them through the test and explain the rules and these kinds of things. It should not be capable of killing the participants of the test.

“You are not the Puppet Guide! Who are you?” Lu Xin was furious that her precious mount was dead. She’d had this butterfly since she was little.

I moved the corpse toward Shu Yi and Shu Er. I dissected and dismembered the butterfly fast, my trait King Monster Hunter proving to be very useful as it allowed me to select the best parts for them to eat. Then, they sat and cooked the butterfly parts really fast with their Qi.

Lu Xin’s mind went blank. She had never been disregarded like this, and yet this young man in front of her ignored her completely. He even gave her dead mount’s corpse away to be eaten by those two injured women. She could not process what was happening.

“We are mistaken? Is he not the Puppet Guide? But he is here before us,” Li Qi said in confusion.

“Right! We are the ones to pass the second trial first,” Chu Xian said.

“Also, look at those women. They are over eighteen years old. They shouldn’t be able to enter the trials...” You Ye eyed the two sisters up and down.

“But this youth is less than fifteen years old... Could the anomaly in the Ancient Ruins be caused by him?” Xiao Wu speculated.

“You boy! You court death!” Lu Xin shouted, ready to cause more trouble.

She unleashed her sword and moved toward me, executing a movement technique called Cloud Steps. She was floating as she hovered toward me. I didn’t dare to underestimate her movement technique—it was fast, but it was clear that she was not used to fighting at all. She lacked the experience. Besides, my body, boosted with Qi cultivation, could match a normal Core Foundation 1st Rank. With that, Lu Xin became slow to the point that I could crush her instantly. Her technique was great, I could see that, but it was clearly a flashy movement without substance or great improvement in speed. I guessed it was a Core art which she didn’t use properly. In fact, Li Qi was faster than she was.

I didn’t want to embarrass her anymore, so I slapped her face and sent her flying.

“You are not a worthy opponent. Your technique is inferior to these four, yet you are so arrogant and mighty. Go home and train some more.” I could not stand this kind of attitude. I did not want to kill her. She could be a potential problem, so I needed to get smart and play low. This kind of place could bring me too many enemies. I didn’t want to attract trouble.

“So strong...” You Ye exclaimed, her mouth hanging open in awe.

“Not again. This silly girl, always drooling over strong men,” Chu Xian said with a grimace.

“You Ye, control yourself,” Xiao Wu whispered to her. It worked as You Ye recovered her composure.

“Let’s go,” I said.

We ran in the direction of the city, leaving Lu Xin behind. This time, moving closer to it worked.

When nighttime arrived, everyone was tired. As we needed to increase the distance between us and the other sects, we had been traveling the entire day, giving us no time to discuss.

The four youths bombarded me with questions, but I also had lots of my own. The conversation turned confusing.

Thankfully, a sentence was enough to silence them.

“I can kill all of you anytime,” I said.

Shu Yi and Shu Er laughed. These two really knew me. If I did want to kill them, they would be dead by now. Thanks to their laughter, the four youths took my words as a joke.

“Where are we?” I asked. This was my primary question.

“We are inside the Ancient Ruins, a trial among sects. Currently, we are competing to see who among us can complete more stages and get the buried treasure. But... who are you?”

“You can call me Ye Bai. These two are Shu Yi and Shu Er, my maids,” I said.

“So... how did you get in here? We didn’t see you pass the other trails and in the Ancient Ruins, First Level people over eighteen years old cannot take part,” Chu Xian asked.

I thought for a bit. “This is really the Sect Trials? But why are the people from the other countries here? Your cultivations are way above what I heard.”

This was a little confusing. Did Ye Qing give me the wrong information? They looked at me, confusion etched on their faces.

I frowned. “What? Do I have something on my face?”

“This is the Inner Sect Trials. We are the top outer disciples from our sects. These trials are used for top outer disciples to access the Inner Sect. It’s only for Qi Refining stage, those under Core Foundation. As Chu Xian said, only people below eighteen years old can take part. So, for your maids, it’s impossible to be here. That was why we thought you were puppets,” Li Qi explained.

“Wait, you guys are saying you got teleported here because of the Inner Sect Trials? I want to apply as an outer disciple...” This confused me.

You Ye stood, stunned. “You are not from any sect?”

“You Ye, calm down. He must be from some big house,” Li Qi explained. You Ye was far too excited, as if she wanted to marry me right away.

“I got no family. I’m an orphan.”

“Eh?”

Their minds went blank. This fourteen-year-old boy sent Lu Xin flying like nothing, yet he didn’t come from any sect and he had no family background at all... Wasn’t this guy lying?

“Xiao Wu, you can tell if someone is lying. Is this guy saying the truth?” asked Li Qi in disbelief.

“He’s telling the truth.”

That is an interesting power, being able to know when someone is telling the truth.

“I was in a forest, then I entered a cave and a transfer array brought me here. We almost died during the transfer—that was how my maids got seriously injured. So, can you please explain properly what is going on?”

“You are already at Qi Refining Peak, so you can be automatically considered as an outer member. There was no need for you to do the test the moment you broke through the Qi Refining stage,” Chu Xian pointed out.

I unleashed my aura and my cultivation got revealed: Qi Refining, 5th Rank.

The four of them coughed.

“What kind of monster are you? Fuck, how can you be so strong when you are only at the 5th Rank?”

“I was born like this...”

The four youths looked shocked at my admission. After they recovered, I went back to the previous topic before I startled them with my impressive strength. The only thing that bothered me was Shu Yi’s and Shu Er’s angry faces. Maybe, they were jealous of You Ye, who sat very close to me.

“Anyway, we aren’t sure. Let me explain everything from the start. The Seeking Continent is split into five countries: North, South, East, West, and Central. There is a rumor that there exists a sixth country called Sky Country, but no one has ever found it. No one is clear, but many people claimed that this Ancient Ruins is related to the history of the entire Seeking Continent. Every five years, in each country, an entrance to the Ancient Ruins will appear. The Ancient Ruins is split into several levels with various tests in them. Every test was different, and during the years, there were too many combinations. It was impossible to guess what would happen in them. There were three levels: for those under Core Foundation, under Nascent Soul, and under Spirit King. It was said that an ancestor uncovered some mysteries and made the Ancient Ruins into the Sect Trials with these tokens.” Xiao Wu, who explained everything, showed me a token.

“So the sects from each country decide to use the ancestor’s method and test their disciples every five years using the Ancient Ruins. Outer disciples from the sects will go to the first Ancient Ruin level. If they succeed and become part of the top ten, only then can they become inner disciples. Otherwise, for us, the only way to be an inner disciple is to breakthrough to Core Foundation directly before being thirty. It is the same for inner disciples who want to be Core Disciples. They will go to the Ancient Ruin’s second level to prove themselves using the same process. Of course, the difficulty from the first level is easier than the second level and the third. As for the third level, no one has ever tested it because it’s too dangerous and because of the rule that you can only exit if you kill someone else. There is also an age limit which most people surpass. With this restriction, the people who can get in is less and less as time passes. The age limit is eighteen years old for the first level, twenty-eight years old for the second, forty-three years old for the third.”

“Now, do you understand why we thought it was obvious that you are part of the trial? We couldn’t see your cultivation and both girls are above eighteen years old,” You Ye said.

“Are you telling us we are old?” Shu Er said, her voice rising a notch.

Both girls glared into each other’s eyes, brows furrowed, lips in a frown, sparks almost coming out with how intense they stared each other down.

I didn’t know this side of Shu Er. She easily got jealous.

The rest of us ignored both girls and resumed our discussion.

“You said the Ancient Ruins appear in each country, so does that mean all the countries fought against each other?” This point was still confusing me. If this was normal, why were these guys acting so crazy before?

Li Qi denied it with a shake of his head. “This is the first time it ever happened. Normally, we only struggle against our country’s sects. This time, for some reasons, when we all entered, the other countries’ sects were also here. Aside from that, the only thing strange, so far, is you. A guy insanely strong, accompanied by two women, who knows nothing about where he is,” Li Qi said, speaking what was on his mind without stopping. He was clearly angry at himself for being so weak and allowing a kid younger than him to protect him.

“Then, where is the Ancient Ruins located?” I looked at Chu Xian who was cleaning his axe.

“It in a sealed space inside the void. That’s what a space-talented Spirit King said.”

That would explain why the System said we were outside the Seeking Continent.

I processed all the information they gave me. The Seeking Continent didn’t look like a normal continent at all. With the process of the Ancient Ruins, the impression it gave me was that it was some kind of a puzzle. Why would it appear in all the countries at the same time? If it was just one inheritance, then the stronger you were, the better. Why would it care for trivial Qi Refining stages…?

Xiao Wu shook her head. “Ye Bai, it’s not just that.”

“What do you mean?”

“In each level and test, there is some kind of secret for cultivation. Hundreds of years ago, a genius guy was at the Qi Refining Peak. He was about to break through to the first level of Core Foundation—or that was what everyone thought. His cultivation got stuck on a bottleneck. Here in the Ancient Ruins, he only reached the fifth test. Many people went past him. With him staying there, he couldn’t become an inner disciple, yet the guy only stood there silently with a smile on his face. The weird situation was that no one could understand his cultivation. The sect didn’t pay more attention as he wasn’t that special—there were a great number of geniuses that emerged each time but only a few managed to cultivate properly. The guy was long forgotten until three months later, someone who he had offended came to look for him after that enemy broke through to Core Foundation. That genius guy only needed one punch. With that one punch, even though he remained in the Qi Refining stage, his Core Foundation enemy was utterly defeated. After this incident, he only left a few words behind and disappeared. He said that the Ancient Ruins is not just a stupid and dumb test for the sects. Each test has its depth and meaning,” Xiao Wu said.

“Interesting. So that guy broke through the 10th Rank,” I said, smiling.

When they heard that, everyone, including Shu Yi and Shu Er, stopped and looked at me. You Ye jumped and threw herself at me. I could feel her bosom against my chest. She may not be as beautiful as Shu Yi and Shu Er, but she evidently had a bigger chest.

“Ye Bai! Ye Bai!” I heard their voices calling out to me.

“Oops, sorry. A beauty confused me for a second,” I teased You Ye a little.

Xiao Wu grabbed You Ye, whose face was red as a tomato and didn’t know what to do.

“Ehem! So, you said something about the 10th Rank. Care to explain?” said Li Qi. His eyes were shining; it seemed he was hungry to know what I was about to tell him.

“It’s simple. They didn’t understand his cultivation because they had never seen a 10th Rank before. He possessed a Qi base bigger than a 9th Rank, yet his body was not emanating the Core Foundation Qi. It’s actually quite a miracle for someone to reach the 10th Rank. That would explain why he could defeat a 1st Ranked Core Foundation. But based on what I know, unless that kid possessed a special constitution or bloodline, it won’t be enough to defeat a Core Foundation with only one punch.”

They were geniuses so they understood my meaning. “There is something above the 10th Rank!”

They sat cross-legged and pondered about what I told them.

Seriously, these geniuses...

“Master, what shall we do?”

It was already morning. I turned to Shu Yi, who had just woken up. “Continue onward the city. We need to reach it before the others can catch up to us.” Then, I continued to our companions. “Are you guys ready to set out? Or are you still pondering about last night’s talk?”

Their faces flushed red with shame. Last night, with the words I spoke to them, they got some little compression in their Qi, then they totally ignored me afterward.

“It’s okay, I’m a good guy. Otherwise, you’ll all be dead by now,” I reassured them, laughing a little.

Shu Yi and Shu Er were used to seeing me laugh even though my laughter was quite cruel and dark. After what I said, I could see the four youths getting a bit more serious, their bodies trembling slightly. Xiao Wu paled a little. As for You Ye, I think she felt hot. This perverted girl...

We ran as fast as we could toward the city. It was almost night time when we reached its huge dark gate. The city was enormous, but we couldn’t appreciate its finer details because it was completely covered with shadows. It was a strange sight.

An old man sat on a chair by the gate, his eyes shut closed. When we approached him, he began to talk.

“Choose life or death. This is the third test. A life or death game. Left or Right.”

What is this old man saying?

Something suddenly grabbed me, bringing me to full alert.

The old man opened his eyes: one eye was black while the other one… I didn’t get to see for I was teleported before I could even look.

“You chose death. Kill those who choose life or death will choose you.”

What is this voice talking about?

I found myself inside the city. Darkness was everywhere—thick, cold, and oppressive—making it hard to see, but fortunately, I had a Darkness Talent so my sight wasn’t hindered. Besides, with my soul’s strength, I could see everything beyond what my eyes are capable of.

Shu Yi and Shu Er are not here? Then, what grabbed me?

“Oh, You Ye, you also chose death.” I found a familiar girl beside me. “What’s with your face? Don’t tell me you are actually scared?”

“Yes, can’t you sense how oppressive the aura of this city is? I can hardly breathe. There is too much death in the air.”

“You are right. They want us to kill those who chose life. If we don’t do it fast, this aura will kill us. What a wicked test, not to mention it’s hard to see in this city. I’m surprised that you grabbed me before being teleported. Why did you do that?” I said, looking at this girl who was grabbing my arm and pressing her bosom against the length of it.

“Woman’s intuition. With you, I will be safer,” she said shyly.

While You Ye and I moved around the city, I talked to the twins through their seals; they were in a room with that old man, watching the city from a projection. The old man was a puppet, and there was something quite weird in the instructions his creator gave him. For him, Shu Er and Shu Yi were anomalies, but the creator meant no harm to people who should not be in this trial. Thus, the old man explained everything to them and posed no harm.

Shu Er explained to me the rules. The participants on the life side were white dots while the those on the death side were black dots.

The rules were easy; the moment you killed three persons on the life side, you would pass the test. You would only have twenty-four hours. Otherwise, the death aura around you would take away your life. For the life side, the rules were easier—to survive for twenty-four hours.

Those like me who chose death, we could only blame our twisted minds, only thinking about killing.

Wait.

“You Ye, you didn’t look at the old man’s eye, right?”

“I was looking at you... I saw you about to disappear and subconsciously grabbed you.” Her face turned red as she lowered her head.

Has this girl fallen for me? Well, to begin with, I’m handsome and powerful. This life is better than my old one!

We had been traveling for four hours, yet we found not a single person. I was starting to get worried. We only had twenty-four hours to find six people and kill them, or else the pressure would increase. For every hour, the pressure got stronger; it wasn’t affecting me, but it was affecting You Ye.

Stupid me.

“Shu Er, Shu Yi, can you guys detect if two black dots together stopped?”

“Yes, there are two black dots that almost fused...” Shu Er’s voice sounded annoyed.

“That must be us. Guide me toward a white dot.”

“Head north,” Shu Yi said.

“I feel some people around,” I told the girl behind me. “You Ye, get ready. You will get the killing first.”

She nodded. I was surprised this girl suddenly became so quiet. Don’t tell me she has dual personality.

Found them! There were two young men walking. They noticed us as well and walked toward us.

“They are from the Dark Wood Sect...” You Ye pointed out in a low voice.

“Oh, who cares? They will die,” I said in a normal tone.

“Look, it’s You Ye. We got lucky.”

Both young men laughed while getting closer. They seemed to have nasty intentions; it was clear based on how they were looking at You Ye.

“Look at the scaredy cat. You got yourself a boyfriend now?”

“Little boy, you better run now, or else you will—”

I didn’t want to waste more time. I just punched their heads to the floor. They underestimated their enemy, so they didn’t see my attack coming. What a bunch of retards.

“Now, you can easily kill them,” I said, smiling

“But... this doesn’t feel alright. They’re unconscious.”

“So, you want to get raped by them and then kill them? I can wake them up if you want...”

“No! No! That is not what I mean... Y-you were teasing me. Brother Ye is such a teaser...”

You Ye pouted timidly at me, looking wronged, before she approached the two young men knocked out cold on the floor. Two red daggers appeared in her hands. With a smooth movement, both young men got their hearts pierced.

Since when did I become Brother Ye? This girl... What a smooth movement. Dual dagger, that’s an interesting weapon.

Ding!

Death Points +240

As expected, Dark Wood Sect disciples got a lot of death points on their heads... I should find a way to join their sect.

“Master, from the south, there is someone running,” Shu Er exclaimed.

“You Ye, let’s head south.”

“How do you know there is someone there?” she asked, confused.

“Secret!” I said, laughing.

She harrumphed. “You have too many secrets.”

For some reason, it was very fun to tease this girl.

The city was so damn big. It took us three more hours to reach that person. We saw Xiao Wu being chased by some other unknown girl. Xiao Wu would be in a pretty bad situation if we didn’t arrive—she would have died. Xiao Wu had wounds over all her body, even though she was a rank higher than the girl attacking her. The other girl was about to catch her and kill her when we arrived.

“Brother Ye, help me out!” Xiao Wu came, crying and running in circles around me.

“All right, calm down. Stop with the crying.” I then turned to You Ye. “Take care of that girl for your third kill. Don’t worry, I will take care of Xiao Wu.”

Seeing us, the girl who was chasing Xiao Wu tried to run away, but You Ye was faster. It was clear You Ye’s arts were of a higher tier than that girl’s. A few minutes later, that girl turned into a cold corpse on the dark floor of this shadow city.

Ding!

Death Points +20

You Ye was coming toward us when a ball of light suddenly covered her and she disappeared. It seemed that after having completed her third kill, You Ye was immediately teleported.

Standing next to me, Xiao Wu calmed down after seeing her chaser got killed. I kept the corpse as its owner was at the Qi Refining 7th Rank.

Ding!

Quest #5. Be the last man standing on the Death Side. Rewards: None

Quest #5. Be the last man standing on the Death Side. Rewards: None.

“Are you kidding me? You want me to be the last man standing but there are no rewards? What kind of quest is this? I will not do it!”

Your pride is at stake. If the host doesn’t complete the quest, the host will lose 5M EXP points and earn the title ‘Coward’.

Coward: Someone who gets intimidated easily.

“Are you insane? 5 million! My cultivation will be destroyed, not to mention that everything will be gone! I prefer you better when you are a quiet system...”

“Brother Ye... Are you okay?” Xiao Wu was tugging my arm.

“Yeah, sorry. I was thinking.” I turned to look at her.

Pride, eh? To win or to die—is this what you mean, System? Why are you pushing me now?

I realized that Xiao Wu looked frightened, and I could even see her shiver a little. I expanded my soul to search for the cause. There was nothing near me to make her that scared. Could it be me? I calmed down. Indeed, it wasn’t the System but the Death Core. I could feel it pulsing through the veins in my body.

I sighed. It was doing whatever it wanted. It probably got provoked by the Death Aura that was trying to suppress me.

“Your eyes...” Xiao Wu was in a defensive stance.

“Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you. It’s just my bloodline. Sometimes, it goes out of control,” I said with a forced smile on my face.

Xiao Wu calmed down. “Everyone has their secrets. I trust you.”

“Rest, we will wait for the hours to pass by...”

“But what about you? As you’re on the death side, don’t you need to kill?” Xiao Wu asked, showing her concern for me.

“Silly girl. Do you think the same rules apply to me? Don’t forget I came in without a token.” There aren’t many hours left anyway.

As we waited, Xiao Wu stood there calmly, telling stories about her life. Well, she was a good girl, just that once she talked, she just wouldn’t shut up at all. She was like Li Qi.

One thing I learned about her was that she came from a humble background. Her dad struggled as a mercenary to earn spirit stones and money for her precious daughter. With her dad’s efforts and her diligence, she managed to enter the Moon Lake Sect. Another interesting fact was that, well, she wasn’t interested in me like You Ye was. She was into girls! When I found out, I laughed. She was in a sect full of girls—yep, the Moon Lake Sect was an all-girls sect.

Xiao Wu also mentioned that You Ye was born inside the sect. Her mother was an awesome Nascent Soul cultivator, although she faced many troubles because she returned to the sect bearing a child. Many elders tried to suppress her and her child. It was rumored that You Ye’s father was worthless.

Since this test started, twelve hours had passed. There were only twelve more hours left. I still didn’t understand how to solve my current situation. How was I supposed to be the last man standing?

Time seemed to flash by.

“Brother Ye, it’s been twenty-four hours. Are you sure you will be okay?”

“Don’t worry about that. Your Brother Ye has many trump cards.”

It wasn’t long before a light covered her entire body and she disappeared, just like how You Ye disappeared.

“Shu Yi, Shu Er, do you see white dots?”

Shu Yi answered me. “Yes, there is only one white dot remaining. It’s Li Qi. He seems to be in an enlightenment. All the black dots stopped. Some of them started to slowly disappear. They must be getting crushed by the pressure.”

Shu Er couldn’t help but warn, “Master, be careful.”

So that’s how it is.

The pressure increased with every second that passed. The death aura was getting thicker. This aura was something different from when I absorbed the Death Points. Its origins should be far purer. An ancient being… I don’t think so. Perhaps, it was related to some antique items.

I was getting uncomfortable with the pressure surrounding my body, but I had to tolerate it as the System told me to be the ‘last man standing’. For the past hour, I was in a trance, analyzing this Death Aura pressing against me. Releasing my Qi against it didn’t work. The Death Core was restless, but I understood nothing at all. What was I supposed to do? The only thought I had right now was to endure it to complete the quest.

Gradually, I couldn’t endure it anymore—the pressure would crush my body. Death wasn’t affecting me. I was a corpse and a master of Death, or that was what I thought.

I released all my Qi but it didn’t even buy me a second. The Death Aura got mixed with my meridians, and I couldn’t control it. I understood something then. I wasn’t altogether immune to Death—the only part of my body which wasn’t affected was the Death Core.

At this rate, I would not be able to fulfill the quest. Technically, I was the last man standing on the death side, but it seemed that unless I defeated this pressure, the quest wouldn’t end. I was in trouble. This kind of Death Aura was something of a higher level than I could control. Upon having this thought, I had a sudden flash of inspiration. I could not control it, but what about the Death Core?

The Death Scripture!

Through the Death Scripture, I tried to control the Death Aura inside me; it took a while, but it was working. The Death Aura was getting absorbed by the Death Core. I smiled when I realized that the Death Aura I was absorbing tried to escape.

Too late...

Every Death Aura inside the city was getting absorbed by the Death Core. As the Death Aura decreased, the pressure also decreased…

After a few hours, there was no Death Aura left in the city. The Death Core ate it all. I could feel the Death Core refilling the Qi in my meridians, but this time, it was purer. The Death element was purer than before, its thickness increased, just like the Death Aura it absorbed. I could feel that my Qi had gotten stronger. The characteristics of Death were more present.

Ding!

Quest #5. Completed. You maintained your pride.

Yeah, I understood. Having the Death Core and being crushed by Death Aura... it was honestly laughable. No wonder the System issued this kind of quest.

The quest didn’t give me a reward but fulfilling it made my Qi purer. Hmm, perhaps the Death Core needed to be awakened…

“System, compare my previous Qi with the Qi I have now.”

Ding!

Density increased, purity higher, estimating a 10% increase of Qi power.

I almost ceased to exist two times, but it was worth the trip. I laughed quietly.

Oh, crap! Poor Li Qi!

Li Qi must have finished his enlightenment. I guess I had interfered with it by absorbing all the Death Aura around him. Now that the Death Aura was gone, the darkness of the city was also gone. The city looked so old that there was not much building standing.

I was still confused. The Death Aura was also mixed with the darkness attribute? Li Qi’s attribute was related to light which was an antagonist of darkness and something related to life. Would this count as having passed the test? I destroyed the test. I guess it could count.

The old man appeared before me. One of his eyes was gone. Now, I could see that his other eye was white.

“Since I was created, there has been no one who can complete the Death Game, let alone destroy it.”

The two of us got teleported out, and we appeared before Li Qi. He was still in an enlightened state.

How can this be? I was confused. I destroyed the Death Aura. His enlightening should have been stopped by the environment change. Why was he still getting his enlightenment and getting a deeper comprehension? I turned my head to look at the old man puppet.

“It seems you are still too young. This Death Game was originally created for the purpose of training Light and Darkness cultivators. The precious reward from the test is not survival, but the chance to get enlightened.”

“But I didn’t get any darkness enlightening moment, yet Li Qi’s enlightenment is getting stronger.”

“You still don’t understand. Death maintained the darkness in the city and from the darkness of this city, the light gathered and condensed. You guys are the life powering it, providing a reason for the Death Aura to exist. Everything must be in a balance. This test will never cease as long as balance is maintained. That is until a person finds enlightenment in something above light and darkness and breaks the balance of the test. As you broke the test, the death and the darkness elements were gone, so logically, your friend’s enlightened state got even better without the opposite attribute bothering him.”

“I get it now. Who would have thought that I actually helped him? So that’s the reason why your eye is gone.”

“Not only my eye. I was the core of the game. This boy is absorbing the light element. When his enlightenment ends, this test shall never appear in the Ancient Ruins again.”

I could see his other eye getting more and more lifeless. Li Qi was getting stronger with each passing moment. He was about to breakthrough!

After a while, he opened his 9th meridian. It may be due to his element or his enlightening state, but it was as if I could see his meridians on his body. They were shining. A little white ball passed near me and submerged inside Li Qi’s body. In a brief instant, I saw a 10th meridian shining. This time, Li Qi earned big.

“Congratulations,” I said with a wide smile on my face.

Li Qi had awoken from his enlightened state. I could see mixed emotions flickering on his face. Li Qi was about to open his mouth to talk, but I waved my hand to stop him.

“Keep your secrets as secrets.”

I could see his expression change, but then he nodded his head. A man must be always careful. You never know how many people would hunt you down and pursue you for your secrets so it’s better to bring them to your tomb.

“Congratulations to the both of you. Keep working hard and you will have a bright future.”

The old man was decaying, his body parts deteriorating at a fast speed. Before we could see him crumble into dust, the old man waved his hands, and then we got teleported out.

We arrived inside a big room. Each wall had different colors, making it look weird. The one who designed this room must had been out of his mind. Too ugly.

Li Qi and I found ourselves surrounded by hundreds of people.

Okay, bad place to be teleported to. There are lots of people missing. Many people have died. Bad luck if they picked the death side.

Thanks to my soul, I spotted Chu Xian, Xiao Wu, and You Ye. The three of them were together. Li Qi and I passed through the crowd of youths to reach the place where they were. Everyone was looking at us with a hateful and vengeful gaze. A young man, tall and muscular, stopped me with a commanding voice.

“Stop right there! You aren’t allowed to approach Lu Xin! You are only a country bumpkin from that trashy country.”

“Huh? Who is willing to approach that idiot? Get out of my sight or I’m going to crush your skull and feed it to the dogs.”

The man remained silent with a mocking smile on his face. He was looking down on me.

“Brother Ye, this doesn’t suit...” Li Qi advised me.

“Are you moving or not? You are pissing me off.” The man was still looking down on me. I could see everyone mocking me like I was a dumb kid.

“Fuck all of you! You are going to die! I’m going to erase every one of you from this continent.”

“Stop! Brother Ye!” The voice of You Ye rang in my ears, but it was too late. I was already punching the imbecile in front of me.

BOOM!

He wasn’t the only one that was sent flying. I was also sent flying by some force. The moment I punched him, I could feel the strength that should have killed him partially rebounded to me.

“You are an idiot.”

It was Lu Xin’s voice. The crowd was laughing at me.

However, the laughter abruptly stopped when the young man I punched started coughing blood. He looked almost at death’s doors. The crowd was stunned as Lu Xin trembled.

“Brother Ye, are you okay?” Xiao Wu’s warm voice helped to calm me down a little.

“It’s not good. Brother Ye, they were provoking you on purpose. In this room, when hitting another person, a force of equal strength hits you as well. The other person bears only 90% of the damage you do, more or less. In this room, no one can kill another without being severely hurt.”

You Ye’s voice was interrupted by my laugh.

“They are all going to die.”

As the echo of my words rang out inside the room, the faces of those present blanched, and it looked as though many had felt a shiver run down their spine. Seconds later, however, they recouped, laughing. But these fools had underestimated me. They knew nothing of my capabilities—I was confident in delivering what I said.

“Brother Ye, please don’t. We know you’re strong, but we can’t do anything about it right now, so please, please endure it!” You Ye’s pleading voice fell upon my deaf ears as she helped me stand.

I appreciated her help, but it was unnecessary. The only reason I was sent flying was because of my own lack of awareness. No damage was done to me at all. For that matter, even if I had been hurt, why should I care? I wasn’t alive. My body could be fixed with no real effort.

I glared at these youths who foolishly enraged me. “You needn’t worry,” I told You Ye, “I’m a man of my word. I said I would kill them, and I will.”

I didn’t know if this room was set up as a test or not, but the rules here couldn’t stop me from killing these fools. After all, I had plenty of aces in the hole, still. I only needed two thousand jin of strength to crush and kill any of them. With my speed, they wouldn’t have any time to react and protect themselves with Qi. I had nothing to fear if the force was rebounded to my own body as I could almost take a hit with ten thousand jin of force.

“You provoked the wrong person.”

A whistle pierced everyone’s ears, and the slaughter began as my shadow kept drawing closer to my body. A fat boy nearby was the unluckiest of the bunch—he was the closest one to me. Grabbing his head with one hand, I spat in his face and sneered.

“It’s your unlucky day.”

Before his face even had time to express disbelief, I crushed his skull with my grip. A fountain of blood burst from the carcass and painted my precious white skin with dark red splotches.

“But you don’t need to worry. Hundred more will accompany you soon.”

Ding!

Killed Qi Refining 6th Rank. +900 XP.

Death Point +50.

Death Core +1.

In line with my expectations, I felt a force pressing on my skull. I snickered in derision at the annoyance. My body’s capacity was five times that of the force I had used to kill that weakling. The discomfort left as fast as it had come. A mad toothy grin spread across my face as the fat carcass slumped to the ground.

The nearby youths stood still, as though petrified, as they watched me disappear and immediately reappear next to a small girl. I shaped my hand into the likeness of a dagger’s tip, piercing her chest and grasping her beating heart. The girl’s large eyes bulged as she coughed up blood.

“I’m sorry—” she managed to choke out in horrified regret, finally realizing the grave mistake they had committed.

Ding!

Killed Qi Refining 5th Rank. +750 XP.

Death Point +20.

Death Core +1.

Chu Xian, Li Qi, Xiao Wu and You Ye stood frozen, stunned, clearly unable to understand how I had slaughtered two of the enemies in the blink of an eye. What rules? I didn’t care.

“Why is he unaffected? What’s going on?!” someone within the crowd screamed.

“The force isn’t acting on him!” yelled another.

“No, you’re wrong. He’s a body cultivator!” Lu Xin’s response was deliberate, hanging on every word as she herself didn’t want to believe what she was seeing.

Their faces flushed with fear and apprehension, realizing their error at last. It was obvious to all those present that if you couldn’t match a body-cultivating opponent in speed or reaction time, you were as good as dead. That was the fearsome law of body cultivation.

”Run!”

I had thrown the crowd into chaos, just as I wanted. Through the swarm of bodies, I noticed a young man and woman sprinting hand in hand. An instant later, they felt my hands running through their hair.

“What a nice couple, volunteering to be the next to see the other side.” Both heads exploded in my hands, and two more corpses embraced the cold hard floor.

A cry came from a now panicking Lu Xin.

“Regroup! Hurry!”

Lu Xin wanted to get the situation back under her control, but it was already too late.

Ding!

Ding!

Ding!

Ding!

Legs, arms, heads, torsos, I severed them, crushed them and obliterated them. One could no longer see blue on the floor, only red. In less than a minute, twenty had fallen.

“Please have mercy! We didn’t do anything! It was Lu Xin! It was all her! I promise!”

A group of young men near me had fallen to their knees and hit their foreheads into the bloody floor, prostrating themselves.

“Begging for mercy? You think you can buy time?” I looked with disdain at the party that couldn’t even retain their dignity in their final moments.

A deafening sonic boom rang out as the young man who had just been grovelling nearest to me no longer existed. The only reminder of his mortal life was the smattering of internal organs that painted the nearby wall. This time, I felt pain, but after using my Qi to defend, I felt better. I had wanted to teach them a lesson this time, and I’d achieved that goal.

“Monster!”

“Attack him together! He can’t survive our combined offense!”

“Right! Attack them together!”

The crowd reached a feverish pitch, losing all rationality, their backs against the wall.

“Stop it!” Lu Xin tried desperately to regain control. “Don’t attack him! We must defend!”

But Lu Xin couldn’t control anything anymore. Hundreds of attacks streaked toward me. Fire, water, lightning—the show of lights would’ve dazzled my eyes if their attacks weren’t so weak. They gave their all in this last-ditch attempt, but without any coordination, their all wasn’t anything in my eyes. I gave a low chuckle as I grabbed some of my nearby opponents and threw them forward, using their bodies to intercept the incoming attacks.

A firework of blood spread out across the battlefield. Bodies exploded from the Qi attacks that hit them or the force of their own offensive reflecting onto themselves.

The wave of Qi attacks soon dissipated and the mist of blood finished raining onto the ground. The crowd had dwindled from its initial one thousand members to no more than twenty. As the chaos died down, those that remained alive saw me standing with my leg up on a pile of bodies, completely unscathed.

“Well, that was satisfying. You aren’t going to attack anymore? There are still a few of you...”

Kicking bodies out of my way, step by step, I approached the remaining enemies. Just the sound of my footsteps trudging through the slick blood was enough to make the bravest among them fall to their knees.

I saw Chu Xian trembling. Li Qi wore a resolute expression. As for the girls, You Ye had her mouth slightly agape, not noticing herself drooling, and Xiao Wu had tears welling up in her eyes.

“It’s time! Time for the rest of you to—” my sentence was interrupted midway by a loud voice resounding through the room.

“Hold it right there.”

“The final test will start soon. Young boy, are you planning to destroy every test you face?” The voice was loud enough to be heard by everyone in the room.

The small party left after the massacre was pale and scared, kneeling on the floor crying, begging for forgiveness. When the voice reached their ears, they got hyped up, and since they felt safe, their arrogant inner selves resurfaced.

“Boy, you are strong I acknowledge that fact.” One arrogant outer disciple from an unknown sect pointed at me with a trembling finger, scolding me. “Look how you were so proud of claiming you would kill all of us, but now you are stopped by the owner of the test. You are about to be punished!”

I glared at him with a cold murderous look. Suddenly, I heard liquid trickling onto the floor. My gaze was enough for the already terrified disciple to cover himself in piss. Nearby, a girl yelled with disgust. The yellow liquid reached her while being in a kowtowing posture, and she couldn’t help but vomit. Brief seconds later she recovered and directed a pleading look...

“Don’t waste your time.”

My legs moved forward to meet the rest of the people that needed to die.

“Young man, aren’t you being a little disrespectful to this humble one?” The loud voice rang again.

“I don’t know you. You are just a voice. Are you someone worthy of respect?”

“Fair enough.” A middle-aged man appeared in the center of the room hovering above the scattered corpses. “Truly, you overdid. Don’t you have some kind of respect for life? They were so young, some of them only twelve years old. You could have taken them as slaves, at worst. There was no need to kill them like that.”

“After I killed them, we can face the fifth test,” I replied in an offhanded tone.

The man’s imposing manner grew. “Arrogant, aren’t you?”

“Oh, you are a remnant soul! Trying to suppress me with the soul?”

I released my soul, and both souls crashed. I overpowered the middle-aged man’s soul.

“What kind of monster are you?!” he shouted, frowning.

“The kind you don’t wish to offend, or you will cease to exist,” I retorted.

Seeing this, Lu Xin’s body shivered. What kind of monster had she provoked?! How could he go against the Ancient Ruins Test Master?

If she were to be given a second chance, she would have never provoked this guy, even more, she would invite him to her country, even marry him! Sadly, in this world, there was no cure for regret.

“I command you to stop!” the middle-aged man yelled.

Due to his strong voice projection, many youths fell to the floor with their ears bleeding.

He was distracting me! Not good!

With a thought, I summoned my Scythe and threw it as hard as I could towards Lu Xin. The speed at which my Scythe was flying was incredibly fast. I never got to try it before, but it seemed like my Weapon Throwing can overlap with my Scythe, providing it with a huge Throwing Speed Bonus. Yet, it wasn’t enough. The remnant soul was faster. He possessed Lu Xin’s body and avoided my Scythe using a core movement speed art. The Scythe crashed against the wall. Although the walls remained unscratched, the whole room trembled; the power from the impact was something a Core Foundation cultivator would have trouble defending.

The possessed Lu Xin didn’t wait for me to reach her and executed a deadly core art. A huge ball of flames inevitably engulfed the remaining youths. They couldn’t defend themselves; the art was too powerful and it turned them into ashes. On one hand, Lu Xin had visibly paled as forcibly executing a core art was not something that came without a price.

“We will meet again,” an aged voice sounded from Lu Xin’s mouth.

I was already on the move, running towards the pale Lu Xin when I saw her reach out to the red wall behind her.

“I accept the test!” This time, it was Lu Xin’s voice that sounded.

A red light covered her body and she disappeared. In her place, only the remnant soul remained. The red wall then turned dark.

“Damn, you fucking old man! Why did you help her? How are you related to her?!” I shouted with rage as I charged towards him.

“She is my sister’s granddaughter. I recognized her the moment she entered the room as she looks exactly like her when she was young. Unfortunately, this room is a test without explained rules. People must figure things out...”

The remnant soul was slowly disappearing.

“Nascent Soul cultivators that die inside the Ancient Ruins get their souls sealed, becoming part of the tests to maintain order, help, or supervise, as well as do other kinds of functions. Long ago, when I died, I became the supervisor of this test in order to give small pointers so people can complete this test.

“This test only allows six people to survive and pass the test. This is a room for a massacre! Of despair! When only six people are left, they can accept the true final test by touching a wall. The tests are based on the color of the wall touched. Unfortunately, possessing Lu Xin was the limit that the Ancient Ruins allowed me to do; using my own power to kill was not something that the Ancient Ruins can tolerate… My soul is already dissipating, and soon, I will cease to exist. Lu Xin is not a bad girl. She is just young and bad-tempered. The Central Country is not a good place for young people to grow. Forgive her…”

Initially, I had wanted to kill the remnant soul myself to earn a good amount of experience points, but the talk filled with information regarding the Ancient Ruins stopped me. By the time I processed the information, the middle-aged man’s soul had fully dissipated.

What a pity.

My eyes caught sight of four youths who didn’t know how to approach me. Perhaps I had scared them by my actions, or maybe they feared my strength now, I wasn’t sure. Until now, they sort of found me normal, but my last attack with the flying Scythe and the remnant soul brought their minds into confusion.

I looted what was left of the bodies on the ground. It wasn’t much, but I collected every piece of valuables I found. What was left of the corpses was also collected, since having them could be used to fix my body. Next time, though, I better not be wasteful. There were hundreds of corpses above 5th Rank that were incomplete and I wasted many missing pieces…

I sighed. What have I become? Do humans only mean this much to me? Just chunks of meat to fix me?

The room was deadly silent. My sigh released all my negative emotions in the air and it pierced through the four youths’ ears. The petrified youths recovered with mixed feelings and thoughts. I saw the struggle deep in their eyes. Perhaps, my existence was something too hard to approve. Who knows? I might never get a friend.

Xiao Wu was the first to react. Her petite body was moving through the remains I didn’t collect and I could see her beautiful crying face getting closer. In my eyes, her actions were in slow motion and I caught every small detail on her expression. She kneeled down and looked straight to my eyes. She wasn’t confused or scared. It was a strange sight to see—she was feeling grateful yet regretful.

“Ye Bai... I’m sorry, but this is too much. I have people I need to take care of. I can’t be as carefree as you. I cannot face their retaliation. Thank you for saving my life. Sorry.” Xiao Wu’s voice sounded fainter and fainter with each word, her tears flowing in streams. She had betrayed her heart for the sake of her loved ones.

Her previous ‘brother’ was no longer present and our small relationship had ended. In her eyes, I was a monster, but it wasn’t enough to put her faith in me, and so she discarded me. How long did we know each other? What did I expect?

My Scythe was back at my hand, the blade was resting against Xiao Wu’s thin and perfect neck. A little push was all I needed and Xiao Wu would breathe her last. My arm trembled, my mind screamed against it. She did nothing, but it was her choice and she would pay a heavy price for betraying her heart, although it was not a huge betrayal. The Scythe in my hand then disappeared. I recalled it to the System Inventory.

After kowtowing three times, she muttered, “I reject the test.”

A blue light engulfed her petite body, and then she disappeared.

I knew Xiao Wu was smarter than the rest. She found a way out of the test. The test of the Ancient Ruins sometimes were all done without rest, or maybe there were a few moments to rest. It was then when the tokens to exit could be used. Right now, we were facing a survival test. We needed to accept the test based on what the remnant soul told us. I never thought that the test could also be rejected.

Chu Xian’s axe appeared in his hand. He had a serious face and I wondered what Chu Xian was going to do. He was a very basic young man. In fact, all men from the Berserk Mountain were simple. His way of expressing himself was through arguments and that was what he had always done with Li Qi. Chu Xian walked away with his head lowered. I was feeling slightly disappointed. To be honest, I expected more from this proud young man.

Li Qi smiled as his elegant voice reached me.

“Brother Ye, you should observe carefully. He will give you his answer. Such is a man that I never beat in a true combat.”

Chu Xian’s muscles grew bigger, or rather, his whole body grew. He became two times bigger than me. His robes got torn apart and his body was totally exposed, the veins showing underneath his skin. I could hear his heart beating from where he was standing. What a mighty ancient bloodline!

“Brother Ye! This is what I can do to help you out.”

Those words from Chu Xian was followed by an immense roar. His back muscles bulged out, strength flowing to his arms. Gripping his axe with both hands, he unleashed an attack toward one of the walls.

The loud noise stunned me and it almost made the room tremble like I did. So... why? Why were they so afraid of Lu Xin? Chu Xian could literally turn her into dust...

Huh?!

Blood came out of Chu Xian’s mouth.

“I can only help you out this much! Bring it out, I fear no one. Perhaps, I might not be able to stand by your side, but so what?! Even big bosses need their minions to be killed. I will be a true man until the very end!” Chu Xian started laughing, his eyes fixed on me.

His face was pale. It was clear he was not in full control of his bloodline and he was restraining it. His bloodshot eyes showed traces of the ancient and mighty Berserk Bloodline. I didn’t need the System to tell me or to read it in a book. I simply knew it—any man in the entire world would understand where that wild look was coming from. This man would slaughter his way to the very top once his bloodline and his wild nature totally awakened. I couldn’t help laughing. A true man? So be it.

“Go on, otherwise, I would feel disappointed, Brother Chu!”

“I accept the test!” roared Chu Xian.

Li Qi sighed. “Now, you know the reason why Chu Xian never went all out. Trying to control his Berserk Bloodline will make him suffer a backslash. There is a huge chance that he will go berserk and start a massacre as he’s not in control. But he’s a simple man. He unleashed his bloodline even at the price of hurting him because he trusted you as his brother.”

“Yeah, there is still a long way for him to control his bloodline. Once he accomplishes it, he will become someone great!” I said, facing the wall where Chu Xian disappeared.

“True, until now he’s been afraid of his bloodline. He was afraid to unleash a massacre. Seeing you must have untied that fear,” Li Qi said with a proud smile on his face.

“What about you? Are you afraid?”

“Me? This whole mess started because of me. If I were to cower now, what kind of man would I grow into? Besides, you opened up a new path for me.”

“I just suggested something at best. It was all your effort.”

“You should know that with your strength, you will have no problem becoming an inner disciple of any sect. They will doubtlessly fight over you. Do you want to join the Light Sect?”

I could see the solemn face this youth in front of me had. Li Qi was serious, formally inviting me to his Light Sect. It was true that I had a small conflict with Senior Brother Wu, however, he was only an ant in the whole Light Sect. If I entered the Light Sect, I would have no trouble at all. I doubt he could do something to suppress me.

Unfortunately, this wasn’t part of my plans. The best sect for me would be the Dark Wood Sect. Later on, I’d need to think of a plan once I got in. I doubted Lu Xin’s alliance with the Dark Wood Sect was something that elders carelessly agreed to, so I would need to be careful.

“Sorry, I have to decline your offer.”

“It’s okay. I understand, Brother Ye. With your power and strength, it’s understandable. So, you will join a sect from the Central Country, then? It’s a good idea. It will help you face Lu Xin’s retaliation...”

I waved my hand to stop Li Qi. I knew that if I didn’t interrupt him, he wouldn’t ever stop talking. He ignored my hand signal.

This guy...

“No, you got it wrong,” I replied to interrupt his blabbering.

“Eh? But, Brother Ye, you cannot join other countries’ sects. It’s impossible. You killed every member of the Dark Wood, the Moon Lake doesn’t accept men, and you rejected the Light Sect... Oh! Could it be your plan is to join the same sect as Chu Xian?”

“Wait! What do you mean you can’t join any other countries’ sects?” I asked, confused.

“You got your talent tested, I assume?”

“Yes.”

My mind was filled with thoughts about Ye Qing, the first human who I interacted with and also the one that gave me a name. He provided me with shelter and helped me. He also taught me the foundations of this world. Now, I realized it was dumb of me to spend every single day training instead of asking him more about this world. No wonder Ye Qing always looked at me like a fool. My mind was looking through every memory I had with Ye Qing. Thanks to my powerful soul and the System, everything was recorded in detail.

Eh? What are those movements...

The Ye Qing in my memories each day did one slight move out of the routine he was teaching me. I never noticed that.

“System, assemble all the moves outside Ye Qing’s routine—the moves that he doesn’t repeat in a day.”

Ding!

Analysing and processing. Please wait.

“Ye Bai! Ye Bai!”

Li Qi was shouting at me, trying to wake me up from my deep thoughts.

“Sorry, I got absorbed in my thoughts. I just remembered something.”

“Since your talent was tested, it registered you as a South Country citizen. The sects only accept people registered in their respective countries. That’s a rule that has been set since ancient times.”

“Don’t tell me it was the Holy Crystal’s doing?”

“Yes, as the Holy Crystal is present in every country, and there is one Holy Crystal in almost every city. Initially, many people didn’t agree to this rule. Some of them even tried to destroy the Holy Crystal, but they didn’t succeed and they ended up being destroyed, their souls devoured by it. It was said that ten thousand years ago, the number one existence tried to destroy it, too, however a white light engulfed him and he died.”

“Fuck! The number one existence couldn’t resist it. But then why can’t we join the Central Country’s sects?”

Li Qi waved his hand. On his palm, a token was sent flying to my direction. A token? Li Qi seemed to have understood my thoughts.

“Watch it carefully.”

I inspected it with my soul. After a few seconds having it in my hand, I could feel it; it was the same feeling I had when I touched the Holy Crystal.

“A token made from Holy Crystal?”

This continent was getting weirder...

“It’s not clear what it’s made of, but it is like the Holy Crystal. The heads of the sects have a special token that can create more tokens. The process to become a disciple is to refine one of these tokens. This is a token from the Light Sect. If someone from my sect gave you an unrefined token, you could refine them and become a fellow disciple. Although, if the unrefined token is from a sect in another country, the token will detect you are from another country and it will break. This rule applies to the North, West, South, and East countries. If you go to the Central Country, a place where there are more resources, you can join a sect there even if you have already joined a sect in your country. This way, you can get more resources for being in a richer country, but still belong to your country’s sect. Also, the Central Country has more level of control over the other four countries...” Li Qi continued to explain.

This was too much information to digest, as if everything was set up by someone this way. The Holy Crystal was controlling everything... why did seem so familiar?

“Then, since it’s like this, many people will go to the Central Country. Though, if you belong to another country’s sect and you joined them, it would still put you in a difficult spot,” I said, scratching my head and thinking hard.

“Exactly. This way, you would try to prevent those people with thoughts against the actual system and the Central Country. It’s a win-win situation for them since they have the resources that other people lack.”

“Who controls the Holy Crystal, then?” This was too much information for my brain. It was lucky I had the System, otherwise, my head would have exploded.

“No idea. No one knows. The Holy Crystal has been here since the start of the Seeking Continent, or at least, that is the information that has been passed on for centuries. Actually, the Ancient Ruins is also related to them. Once you exit, the Holy Crystal token will show you your progress on the Ancient Ruins floor. So if you exit right now, the Holy Crystal will show you something like 80% completion or something like that...”

“I’m confused. This kind of information about being a citizen or the Ancient Ruins didn’t show when I touched the Holy Crystal...” I said while remembering the time I touched it.

“That’s because you touched it without another thought. Surely, the one who made you touch it only told you about the talent, so your thoughts were only focused on testing your talent. If you touch it now while thinking about yourself, it will reveal everything about you,” Li Qi explained carefully with a wide smile on his face.

This guy... he is doing it on purpose. I treated them like fools before and now he’s throwing all the knowledge to make me look like a fool.

I coughed. “Is there something else I need to know about the Holy Crystal?”

“There are many things. You can just check it out when you are back in the city since it will take too much time to explain the other stuff. You need to know that everybody can see your information the moment you get registered—well, just the common information. Touch the Holy Crystal and think about the person you need; the information will pop out. If you belong to a sect, you can just use your token.”

“What if I use your token?”

“It won’t work, as it’s for my use, not yours. Besides, if you do so, you will get struck by a lightning bolt as a warning,” Li Qi said with a serious face.

“You kidding me? Struck by a lightning bolt? Just for trying to use it?”

I gulped.

I had Li Qi’s token in my hand. Luckily, I didn’t try to use it. I threw Li Qi’s token back to him. I was strong but not strong enough to withstand a lightning bolt.

“Now that you know more about how the sects work, are you still unwilling to join the Light Sect? Are you going to head to the Central Country?”

“I have some stuff going on with the Dark Wood Sect. I will try joining them,” I said with an evil smile on my face.

Li Qi was taken aback. He turned around to conceal his reaction, but I already saw his stunned face.

“Some sects are not suited for this country,” I said, laughing.

“It seems a great man has greater goals. I was too short-sighted.”

Li Qi was laughing until he reached another wall.

“I accept the test,” he said with confidence.

Yet another one was gone; only You Ye was left. In my previous life, I wasn’t good at interacting with females. I couldn’t understand what You Ye was thinking, as she donned a radiant smile on her face. Ever since these youths calmed down and walked their chosen paths, she just watched the events unfold. For some reason, I had a bad feeling.

You Ye exhaled, arranged a little bit her robes, untied her gold hair, and left it resting on her shoulders. She puffed out her chest and started to walk toward me. I was starting to get nervous even though Shu Yi and Shu Er had more impressive and imposing physiques than her. Granted, the twins were mine. They were under my Death Soul Seal so I could restrain or control them, but it was not the case for the girl in front of me... She was getting closer to me. I tried to open my mouth several times, but I could not utter a single word.

Shit, what’s wrong with me? It’s just a girl. Where is the man who just exterminated more than eight hundred lives as though he was just stepping on ants?!

Before I knew it, my back was already against a wall, and You Ye was embracing me. Her bosom was pressing against me—the feeling was nice—and her head with her long golden hair was resting on my chest.

“Brother Ye, you know, I never knew my dad. The cultivation world is really hard and rough. Love barely existed; it is only for those with power. Only they can pursue it. There are many adversities. Cultivation levels, for example, ensure varying lifespans. What will you do, then? Just wait for your lover to die of old age? Or will you waste your life away in search of an item that can make your love grow to the same cultivation as you? There are many possibilities that can happen. So many people end up renouncing love and love only the benefits they can get. My mother is a talented and stunning woman. Many people pursued her when she was younger, yet they all got rejected One day, my mother was beaten by a ‘savage’ who she met in the woods. That was my father. My mother was pampered into arrogance… until she met him. Later on, she found out who this young man was. He was an extremely talented young man; a genius who only appeared once in a millennium. He could easily defeat people stronger than him. The youth’s image was burned in my mother’s mind; she had fallen for him and she pursued him. She succeeded in the end, otherwise, I wouldn’t have been born. They journeyed together. Many things happened between them and my mother became pregnant.

“Then an incident happened and pushed my mother to make a decision. A powerful young master from the Central Country took a liking to her, something my father couldn’t tolerate. My father had many talents as well as faults; he was a very temperamental man. He annihilated that young master and got himself hunted down by the whole continent. That’s how powerful the young master’s background was. As much as my mother believed in her lover, she couldn’t convince herself. She couldn’t trust the words of her lover claiming that they would be okay, that nothing would happen to her or their child. How could a single man stand against the whole continent? Who would believe it? My mother, who was pregnant with me, ran away for my sake. She wanted her unborn child to live, for me to be born without being hunted down or having to hide and run everywhere.”

You Ye looked straight into my eyes.

“I don’t blame my mother. She raised me and always did the best for me, but she said it herself. She regretted her choice over and over again, and if she could undo her decision, she would. My father was never killed in the end, and no one ever found him. Brother Ye, I want you to know I don’t care if you are like my father; I don’t care if you stand against the whole continent. I have fallen in love with you. I will not walk the same steps my mother did. I will pursue you! You will become my man!”

I was left speechless by You Ye’s story, much more when I heard her confession. I couldn’t think straight.

You Ye’s lips pressed against mine. They were mellow. I was intoxicated...

“I accept the test,” You Ye said, touching the wall behind me with a big smile.

That was my first kiss in both lives...

Ding!

P...

Eh?

“System, what’s wrong? Are you done with the analysis from before?”

Yes!

“Why didn’t you say anything, then?”

The System was acting strange.

The System was analyzing ways to upgrade itself.

“You found a way?” If the System found a way to upgrade, that would be awesome. I could have new functions or new skills. So far, nothing out of the ordinary worked to get a skill, and I also rarely got a quest. The system in the novels I had read, even the one in RPGs I played, had more functions than this system of mine.

Analysis ongoing.

Since the System was clearly busy, I decided to advance in the test just in case there was some kind of timer inside the room, not that it helped much besides the usual kill reward stuff.

I sighed. The one who made this room was truly... I looked at the ceiling painted in some weird colours like they were all carelessly thrown together. Really ugly.

The ceiling was too high to reach, and although Qi Refining cultivators couldn’t fly and their Qi was not enough to support prolonged flights, using it for something like getting to a high place or moving to the top of a mountain was very useful. Manipulating the Qi inside me, I did a series of air steps to reach the ceiling. It was my first time but, surprisingly, I didn’t face any problems.

Ding!

Learned Passive Skill Fly Lv1/100 (0/10000)

Fly: Increase movement speed by 1% while in the air.

Every part of my soul focused on the notification that just appeared in my mind. If it hadn’t been for my second soul which stabilized my body, I would have crashed into the floor. Did I get it just like that? Could it be that I could only learn a defined set of skills?

Death God System upgraded from 1.0 to 1.1

The System got upgraded! What changed? This was great news!

“System, you found a way to be upgraded?”

Replying to the host—the token from the sects can help the System upgrade itself. The technology can increase the knowledge inside the system database. Recommending the host to get his hands on a higher-ranked token.

“That will be easy. I just need to kill a disciple to get my hands on them.”

Once the user dies, the token gets destroyed.

“Then, I just need to take it by force!”

The token has a spatial function. The user can retrieve and retract the token at any time.

“Fuck! Since when you have become so smart and knowledgeable? Then, I will kidnap the opposite party to maintain his life, and take his token to analyze it.”

The token can be destroyed by the user with a thought.

The token—

“Enough! I will figure out a way to get my hands on a higher-ranked token!”

There was one thing bothering me: why would the System upgrade with a token? Did it have something to do with the materials it was made of? Li Qi explained that the Sect Leader had a special token that could create tokens for their disciple. This should be what the System was referring to as ‘a higher-ranked token’.

Hold on! Technology? This world didn’t have technology at all. Clothes were handmade, weapons were forged by a blacksmith, and everything else was like in Europe’s Middle Ages. Thanks to Qi and arrays, they could make things for their uses: communicating with tokens, teleporting arrays, and other things. There was the fact that thanks to Qi, they were more advanced than the technology from my other life, but it remained that the ‘technology’ concept didn’t exist here. Then...

“System, what is the token from the Light Sect made of?”

Unknown.

That wasn’t the right question. Think… got it!

“Is it made from an array? Explain what you know.”

No, the core of the token is made from a type of crystal. The composition and materials are unknown to the System, although similar to the Holy Crystal. There is also a mass of energy inside the crystal operating with circuits all around the token. Thanks to the design, order, and composition, the System found a way to upgrade itself after analyzing and comparing it with the System Core.

So, it’s indeed technology. No wonder they couldn’t understand the tokens, they didn’t have any basis of the technology on this world. It was an ancient era, after all. Still, the technology was enough to make the System gain insights.

I kept pondering on this issue and I was starting to understand some stuff. I was stupid, but there were obvious things. The System I had was damaged—it was not complete. That was why it could gain advantages from other technology. This didn’t mean that the System was less advanced, it was just not at its peak. Thinking about this made me remember the database. If the database was gone, it would be impossible for the System to know about itself. The only down side of this was that I couldn’t fill the information needed to upgrade the System in this world. At most, I could make it evolve by itself by analyzing other technology stuff. The Holy Crystals and the tokens were the key.

“System, can’t you analyze the Holy Crystal? It should be similar since the token might be also related to it.”

The System’s analyzing level is too low. It would take a dozen years to analyze the Holy Crystal as it’s too complex. There also is a protection device on the Holy Crystal that can destroy the System.

What?! This is the first time I heard a system could be destroyed.

The System can indeed be destroyed as it is fused with your soul.

Great! Things were taking a bad turn. I thought I had an omnipotent system, but I just realized that it could be destroyed on top of the fact that it was damaged... Wouldn’t that mean I would also cease to exist if the System got destroyed?

Yes.

The Death Core was still unknown to me and now the System was making things harder.

Shaking my head and leaving behind the thoughts about those two things that were not under my control, I pressed my hand against the ceiling.

“I accept the test.”

A multicoloured light engulfed me and I got teleported.

I massaged my head with my hands, trying to clear away the dizziness. This teleportation was too much.

After a few minutes, I could see myself surrounded by mirrors—hundreds of them. I used my soul to cover every direction, but there wasn’t anything except mirrors.

What the hell is going on?

I was expecting some ancient voice or something to explain what I must do to pass the test. I waited for a few minutes, but nothing happened. This was getting on my nerves. What kind of test was that? On top of that, the mirrors were not actual mirrors. There was no reflection at all.

Back at the Imperial City, many youths were celebrating while some of them were crying. For those who were crying, there was no second chance. They had utterly failed the Sect Trials. Their only hope would be breaking through to the Qi Refining stage, but for most of them, that would require getting their hands on Spiritual Stones which were scarce for poor and medium families. Even some rich families would have trouble getting their hands on them. Those celebrating were, of course, the youths who managed to succeed. They were now proud members of their sects.

The ones in charge of the trials this time were core members of the country’s sects. They were young men and women who had reached the Nascent Soul cultivation stage. Even though some big clans in the Imperial City had stronger Nascent Soul cultivators than the ones the sects sent, they had to give them face and they treated them with the utmost care. After all, they couldn’t fight a single sect even if they joined hands with other clans. Even the King wouldn’t dare to stand against a sect.

This time, there was another event going on nearby. Usually, sects would run their inner and core tests when the Ancient Ruins’ portals to different levels appeared. The portals never spawned at the same time or in the same place. The sects would always have men trying to find out where they would appear as the Ancient Ruins gave benefits to those participating—of course, only if they lived through it.

A coincidence happened this time and the portal to the Ancient Ruins’ first level spawned in the Imperial City. It was also close to the time when the Sect Trials started to gather talented youths.

Roughly an hour later, all the youths waiting outside had calmed down. This was an important and crucial step in their lives; they got to see their seniors and interact with them after they exited the Ancient Ruins. The youths had solemn faces. They just joined their respective sects and they were already under such pressure—they couldn’t let their sect lose face.

At the city gates, a vast portal could be seen. It was big enough to be seen from a hundred li away. Those looking into it would feel dizzy. They couldn’t imagine what kind of existence created such a big portal. Among the youths, there was a young girl whose figure stood out. Her beauty was something that couldn’t be explained.

She was wearing an arrogant smile on her face, even so, it didn’t affect the charm of her sexy and slender figure. She could be described with one word: perfect. She had the right to be proud and arrogant, as her name was Wei Beiyu, the princess of the South Country and the only daughter of the its king. She was the reason the Sect Trials started one month earlier than it was supposed to.

The core members of the sects were frowning. Based on their previous experiences, a number of disciples should already be out by now. It had been over a week already, so why had nobody exited?

No one in the crowd dared to say a word. They could see the core members’ displeased faces, and as most of them weren’t dumb, they figured that something was clearly wrong. Crack a joke? Who would dare utter a word? Piss off a Nascent Soul and you’d be dead for sure.

Fortunately, nobody had to break this unbearable silence as the portal did the job with its subtle vibrating sound. As fast as lightning, a figure was shot out of the portal and sent crashing to the ground. It was a muscular young man, with blood all over his body. The impact hurt him and his wounds got even worse, yet the young man on the floor laughed hard.

“Fuck them! That was great!” yelled the bloody young man.

The crowd was stupefied. Fuck them? That was great? This man was almost dead, but he could still utter that kind of words and even laugh. What the hell happened? They recognized him as a disciple from the Berserk Mountain Sect. Youths who passed the test and joined the Berserk Mountain Sect were amazed as their eyes lit up. What an amazing endurance!

A core member from the Berserk Mountain Sect appeared next to the bloody youth and gave him a pill to heal his wounds.

“What happened?”

It was true that the Ancient Ruins’ tests were hard but the state of that man was beyond normal. Before the young man could answer his senior brother, several more figures were thrown out crashing to the floor, their state similar to the man who first appeared. Upon landing, instead of screaming in pain, they were madly laughing.

“Shit! Amazing, it was totally worth it.”

“Did you see that? Fuck! Senior Brother took ten of them down!”

“War! War! War!”

The other core members from their respective sects frowned even more. Something clearly went wrong! The sects’ newcomers were dumbfounded... their seniors’ injuries were way too serious.

“Berserk Mountain disciples, help your fellow brothers, tend to their wounds. I have already informed the elders,” yelled the commanding Berserk Mountain core disciple.

A few seconds later, disciples from the Light Sect started to appear from the portal. They weren’t as heavily wounded as the Berserk Mountain participants, but they were also laughing. Amidst their laughs and yells, Li Qi’s name could be heard.

The crowd was thrown once more into chaos. The Light Sect’s core disciple also ordered the younger disciples to start tending to the newcomers’ wounds. Everyone was doing their best, trying to help and stabilize the chaotic situation. All of the Light Sect and Berserk Mountain disciples who attended the test besides Chu Xian and Li Qi were also thrown out of the Ancient Ruins almost at the same time!

What the hell happened?

The situation worsened. Dozens of young girls were teleported out; many of them had scars all over their faces and were missing too much hair. Some didn’t even have clothes on and the only thing preventing the crowd from lustfully staring at their bodies were the wounds covering their bodies. The state of those girls was far worse than any of the disciples of the other sects.

The girls looked as if their purities had been taken by some beasts, and their crying faces were enough for the crowd to be enraged. The new disciples from the Moon Lake Sect trembled—this test was too savage. Finally, a naked girl kneeling on the floor snapped out of her trance and started laughing like a maniac.

“We did it... We did it!”

A furious figure descended from the skies and embraced the poor girl. It was a petite young woman with a scar on her face. “I demand an explanation! Who the fuck did this?”

“They managed to breakthrough! They did it!” shouted a wounded disciple from the Moon Lake Sect.

When the voice echoed in the air, every disciple that got out of the Ancient Ruins started to laugh.

The Berserk Mountain sect disciples were already in a better shape after taking pills and getting healed by their members.

“We did it! We beat the other four countries!” a tall and handsome man covered in bandages shouted, opening his wounds all over again.

The rest of the wounded sect members cheered.  It was a feat to fight and win a chaotic battle when they were outnumbered by the thousands.

“What happened?” the Moon Lake Core disciple asked again.

“I can explain everything, Senior Sister,” a new voice said out of nowhere.

“Xiao Wu!”

A petite young girl without any injury stood next to the portal. The stunned crowd turned their heads to face her. They needed an explanation. This was beyond crazy for them.

“Xiao Wu, please explain. What happened? How come everyone is in this terrible state?”

“The moment we entered the Ancient Ruins, we appeared in a common zone. However, apart from us, there were also sect disciples from the other countries in the common zone to take the test!” Xiao Wu went silent after this short explanation.

“How can this be?” the Berserk Mountain Core disciple exclaimed.

“I don’t know. The Ancient Ruins didn’t explain anything to us as to how this happened at all. We faced the test with the rest of them. The first test was awful. Everyone from the South Country ended in the bottom, and we didn’t do well at all.”

At this point, everyone clenched their fists. They were last! This was a wound every citizen from the South Country had. Since ancient times, no matter what it was, the South Country always ended last.

“On the second test, we faced a weird test filled with many questions. I figured out a sequence on the test and shared it with others. Li Qi, Chu Xian, You Ye and I managed to get on the top spots followed by the rest of our sect members. On the third test, everything changed...” Xiao Wu’s voice trembled. In her mind, there was a handsome youth with pale skin and long black hair standing on top of a pile of bodies.

“We thought we were teleported to the third test. The four of us found a youth with two wounded women whose ages were over the Ancient Ruins rules. We figured out that they were the puppet guides for this test, so we tried to hide them from the rest. We wanted to take advantage of those puppets so our country could win another test, perhaps we could even eliminate them. Li Qi devised a plan with all our country’s sect members. Unfortunately, the Dark Wood Sect allied with Lu Xin from the Central Country’s Righteous Sect! The members from the Berserk Mountain Sect charged through the other countries’ sects, killing and annihilating everyone on their way. The Light Sect members covered the holes in the formation to allow Li Qi, Chu Xian, You Ye and the puppet guide to find a way out. The Moon Lake disciples were the last line of defense, as they used Reflection on the enemy,” Xiao Wu explained.

The crowd stood there with their mouths open. Three sects fighting against seventeen? It was total madness! It was war! Now, they understood why these badly wounded youths kept laughing like maniacs.

Fuck! They succeeded! They totally forgot about the Dark Wood Sect’s betrayal, about how the Ancient Ruins went crazy and gathered every sect from the continent in the same trial. For once, these young men and women in front of them had brought glory for their poor South Country.

“Where are those bastards from the Dark Wood Sect?”

“Fuck them! They betrayed us!

“Hang them!”

The crowd started to realize the severity of the issue. The Dark Wood Sect had betrayed their country.

The Dark Wood disciples frowned. This was a bad sign. Everyone was glaring at them. If the crowd were to attack, they would be killed without a doubt as they were totally outnumbered.

“Shut up!”

An imposing aura subdued the crowd. A black-haired old man descended from the skies. Following him were two more old men and one stunning women whose beauty was almost on par with Wei Beiyu. That long and dazzling long golden hair along with that bold and sexy figure could take one’s breath away. The woman looked in her early thirties and she was wearing a red armor. The armor accentuated her ample bosom and perky butt. Evidently lacking refined grace, the woman showed her wild nature, arousing every man’s desire to push her on a bed. This woman was well known in all the South Country. She was the woman of the man who stood against the whole continent—You Ye’s mother.

“Xiao Wu, where is You Ye?” she asked with a worried face.

“You Jin! Do you think now is the time to care about your own daughter? Where are the Dark Wood Sect’s disciples? I don’t care about any shitty alliance. There are no rules inside, everyone can do whatever they want, and no one is to blame them for that!!” the old man who calmed the crowd with his aura shouted. It had to be known that he was an Elder of the Dark Wood Sect.

You Jin clenched her teeth. It was true; people doing the test were not bound to any rule, just survival. The Ancient Ruins had too many weird tests for you to care about your fellow disciples, so your only priority was to uncover any new piece of information you could find and survive.

“Every disciple from the Dark Wood Sect has been killed,” Xiao Wu said.

She had just dropped a huge bomb.

“What are you talking about? Talk clearly!” the old man from the Dark Wood Sect yelled, grabbing Xiao Wu’s throat.

“Old Yi! Calm down!”  the old man from the Light Sect shouted.

Before anyone else could react, You Jin took out two swords, one in each hand, and charged towards Old Yi. The Light Sect’s old man then protected Xiao Wu just in time and earned enough time for You Jin to attack. Old Yi had no other choice but to avoid the fatal attack as they were both at the Nascent Soul stage.

“Are you guys going to start an internal strife in the South Country?” Old Yi exclaimed.

“No! But you should calm down,” the old man from the Light Sect answered. “Now, little girl, please explain what happened afterwards.”

Xiao Wu struggled. Everyone was focused on this girl who held all the answers.

“We were mistaken. The Puppet Guides we previously got were not puppets, but a rogue cultivator and his companions—”

“That’s impossible.” This time, it was the Berserk Mountain’s Elder who talked. “We examined every person who passed through the portal, and there was no room for mistake!”

Xiao Wu shook her head. “This boy entered through other means. He was teleported in through an array. Both women were his maids and they had gotten severely wounded after the teleportation, that they almost died in the process. After the battle, our group escaped until Lu Xin caught up to us with her butterfly...”

“Then how did you escape? Where is You Ye? Lu Xin is acknowledged as an incredible genius. You shouldn’t be able to escape her.” You Jin was getting nervous. Where was her daughter?

“Well... Lu Xin was sent flying by a slap from the boy we mistook as the Puppet Guide.”

“Excuse me?” You Jin was stunned, as were the others. They knew who Lu Xin was and how much effort the Central Country had spent in training her.

Some of those in the crowd started to discuss, explaining the situation to those who didn’t know who Lu Xin was.

“Who is this youth you met? Could he be a disciple from the Central Country? Perhaps you didn’t know him, so he lied...” the Light Sect’s old man asked.

“That’s not possible. Xiao Wu has a bloodline that can detect if someone is lying.” Then, You Jin demanded, “Tell us who this young man is.”

“This... can I not reply to these questions? I don’t want to disclose his personal information.”

Xiao Wu was trying to protect Ye Bai in her own ways. She knew that she had to give the sects information or it would end badly for her if the disciples took too long to exit. However, she also didn’t want to expose him like that.

“Sure thing, you don’t need to reply. I would just use Soul Search on you.” Old Yi was walking towards Xiao Wu with a wicked smile on his face. “Don’t worry, there is only a 90% chance you will become a vegetable—”

“No!” Xiao Wu paled, remembering that Dark Wood Sect was famous for their extreme and weird torture techniques.

“Xiao Wu, the situation is too important this time. Many things seem to have gone wrong with the Ancient Ruins. I’m afraid you cannot protect your friend. You need to talk as this concerns all of us.” You Jin tried to comfort her so she could talk. After a few more persuasion, the young girl finally relented.

“H-His name is Ye Bai. He really is a rogue cultivator who got teleported in the way I explained. He’s an orphan, too... and yes, he slapped Lu Xin like a fly on his path.”

“So, this Ye Bai guy is quite strong. Even though the tower is strict with its rules, since he didn’t enter through the same means, it seems the rules didn’t apply to him. Something must have gone awry with the Ancient Ruins. That should be why all the sects ended being mixed up on the same floor. Perhaps the rules changed, and Core Foundation cultivators can now enter the first floor...” the Light Sect’s old man muttered more to himself than to Xiao Wu.

“It’s not like that,” Xiao Wu replied.

“What would a young girl like you know? The Ancient Ruins is more complicated than what you can understand.” The Light Sect’s old man was dissatisfied with the girl’s attitude. Daring to contradict him! What would a little girl know? “If you can reach the Nascent Soul stage, you will understand—”

“Ye Bai is only at Qi Refining 5th Rank...”

Everyone turned to look at Xiao Wu, stunned. For a brief second, no one talked or breathed, and the entire crowd was buried under silence.

“He is a body cultivator—his body is stronger than his Qi,” Xiao Wu pointed out with a proud face. She had just slapped this smart ass elder from the Light Sect.

The Elder from the Light Sect reddened out of shame.

“You Jin! Your disciple better tell no lies, or she would have to face the consequences!” shouted the enraged Elder.

“Don’t worry she cannot lie, at best she can only hide the truth or not answer at all. That’s the kind of curse she bears with her bloodline,” You Jin replied. Then, she turned to face the girl again. “Xiao Wu, do you have more information on this boy? You must know that the Body Cultivation path has been forgotten since ancient times. Barely any people can upgrade their bodies unless they find a good chance.”

“Sorry, Elder You, I honestly don’t know anything more than what Ye Bai explained to us.”

“Enough with the chit-chat,” said the Elder from the Berserk Mountain Sect. “The boy is probably someone who found some Ancient Remains and got a fortunate encounter. It happens from time to time. There is no need to be so surprised.”

“Old Jiang is right. Now, can you please explain what followed after?”

Xiao Wu got stunned. Since the first time she met Ye Bai, she thought he was someone great with incredible secrets. Never the thought of Ye Bai increasing his body cultivation thanks to a fortuitous encounter crossed her mind. So that was it, he got so full of himself with his body cultivation. Body cultivation was lost! Not even the people in the Central Country could do anything about it. At most, they could use massive resources to increase it a little bit. That guy was crazy, daring to offend every sect in the continent. She was feeling better now that she knew that she had done the right thing. He was just a guy with a fortuitous encounter.

“What followed after was a Death Game—you had to pick either the life side or the death side, where the life side had to survive, and the other one had to kill. During that game, around 30% of us were killed. Afterwards, we were transported to another big room. What followed was a massacre.”

“Girl, I’m starting to get tired. Get to the point! Where are the disciples of the Dark Wood Sect?” Old Yi shouted. He was clearly about to lose his patience again.

“I told you already! They are all dead,” Xiao Wu said, her body shivering.

“What happened?” the Elder from the Light Sect asked while scratching his beard.

“The fourth test is what happened. The tokens were rendered useless in that big room. There was also a strange rule, a force preventing people from killing each other. The force will reflect the attack you made back to you. Since Ye Bai slapped Lu Xin, the other guys took advantage of this rule, luring Ye Bai to attack—”

“Tsk. What did I say? This guy took advantage of his fortuitous encounter and got lured into a trap. What a waste... so what happened after he got killed?” the Elder from the Light Sect pressed.

“They all got killed,” said Xiao Wu with a solemn face.

“I already told you that he got killed... Eh? What did you just say?” The Elder’s hands were trembling.

“Ye Bai killed them all...”

The crowd felt like their minds were hit by thunder. Only one guy killed them all? The crowd stood there, speechless. A young man stood against seventeen sects? What kind of fucking feat was that?

The Light Sect’s Elder coughed blood and paled.

“Ye Bai is a body cultivator. No one could stand or dodge a hit from him. Even the reflected force did nothing to his body... Everyone mocked him and laughed when Lu Xin set him up, so he erased them. He reduced them to a pile of scattered flesh. The only one who remained alive was Lu Xin because she managed to escape.” Xiao Wu was hugging herself. She was remembering that brutal look and the murder scene Ye Bai created.

“That was satisfying! So, refreshing!” Chu Xian laughed.

“Indeed, it seems that this time, you gained no small advantage. You bastard broke through!” Li Qi said, laughing.

“Watch out for my beloved Ye Bai. He will reduce your achievements to dust,” You Ye said while laughing. She had a dazzling smile on her face.

Both guys gulped. Damn Ye Bai.

“Huh? Look, isn’t that Shu Yi and Shu Er?” You Ye pointed to two figures lying on the floor surrounded by thousands of broken crystals.

They were unconscious, but they were complete. They were no longer cripples. Their limbs had grown back, the missing arms and legs appeared again, attached to their bodies. They were perfect—the newly grown parts didn’t have any flaw. Now that they had recovered, their beauty was accentuated even more, especially for Shu Er.

Chu Xian and Li Qi looked at each other with a dejected smile on their faces.

Damn Ye Bai!

“Stupid motherfucker ruins! We almost died! What nonsense final test? Why are we being attacked again if we’re done with the ‘final’ one?” Chu Xian exclaimed with his blade full of blood. “Where did so many monsters come from?”

“Fortunately, we didn’t fail to protect Shu Yi and Shu Er. Otherwise, Brother Ye would have blamed us,” Li Qi said.

“My husband won’t blame us! He is not that kind of man,” You Ye said with a radiant smile on her face. Her clothes were a total mess, exposing some parts of her body, and her shining golden hair was stained with blood.

Chu Xian and Li Qi wanted to cough blood. How shameless could this girl be? Since when did Brother Ye become her husband? Sighing, both young men understood that You Ye became dumb the moment she had fallen in love with Ye Bai.

The three of them were always competing against each other, but the Ancient Ruins drew them closer. They were satisfied with the trip and they became sworn brothers. As for You Ye, she became Ye Bai’s first wife, at least that was what she claimed herself to be.

Li Qi found the Ancient Qi path. Thanks to this, he was able to breakthrough to Qi Refining stage 11th Rank. Chu Xian also managed to control his bloodline a bit more, therefore breaking through to Core Foundation 1st Rank and Muscle Tempering 2nd Rank, bringing his cultivation to a new level. After all, his bloodline was related to body cultivation. You Ye awakened the potential of her body and broke through to Core Foundation 1st Rank. The Ancient Ruins labelled her as the possessor of the Sun Spiritual Body.

This was totally new. There had never been a Spiritual Body attribute listed on the Holy Crystal. Li Qi, who was the one with the most knowledge among them, guessed that it might be something related to the Spirit King stage.

Shu Yi and Shu Er were still unconscious, and the youths didn’t know how to wake them up. Both of them weren’t responding to anything. The strangest thing though was that the twins held hands together, and no matter how much the trio tried, there was a force preventing them from separating them.

“Don’t worry. Since they are the maids of my husband, I will take proper care of them when we are back at our sect,” You Ye assured them.

The boys didn’t know what to say, so they just nodded, wondering what was Ye Bai’s opinion on all of this. Could it be that something happened between them? She was left alone with Ye Bai, after all...

“Look! The portal to the exit is here!” Chu Xian said while rushing to the portal.

You Ye happily followed after Chu Xian, but they were abruptly stopped by Li Qi’s shout.

“Wait!”

“What’s wrong, Brother Li?” You Ye looked at him with a weird face.

Li Qi lowered his head. “Sister You... I didn’t want to be the one telling you this, but something must have happened to Brother Ye...”

“What the hell are you saying? Nothing will happen to my husband!” You Ye angrily shouted, her body betraying her feelings as she was shivering.

Indeed, something was wrong. They had all succeeded, but where was Brother Ye? Why were both of his maids there without him? You Ye had already realized that something went wrong, she just didn’t want to accept it. Right now, the evidence was in front of her...

When the last test of the Ancient Ruins ends, a massive portal would always appear, so that the people would be able to exit. That was not the exact issue. The issue was that once the portal appears, every person alive would be teleported near the portal. That was the reason why Chu Xian, You Ye, Li Qi and the twins were together.

“It’s okay, I know. I choose to believe in him,” You Ye said without looking back, her eyes tearing up.

“Brother Ye will be okay. He’s a monster, after all,” Chu Xian said, laughing afterwards. “Let’s go!”

“I just hope Xiao Wu didn’t turn the situation for the worse. Otherwise, I’m afraid Brother Ye will be hunted by his own country,” Li Qi said to the both of them. They needed to understand the situation accurately.

“Then...” You Ye seemed to get the message Li Qi wanted to get across.

“Xiao Wu didn’t see what happened to us, after all. We will fabricate a story just in case Xiao Wu made things difficult for Brother Ye. We will maintain our relationship secret,” Li Qi explained his plan to them.

“But—”

“Drop it, Sister You. Li Qi is right. We can’t help Brother Ye if they associate Brother Ye with us. We don’t have high support within the sects, so we need to get stronger for his sake if something goes wrong. I doubt your mother’s influence could cover us, Sister You. The only problem is them.” Chu Xian waved towards Shu Er and Shu Yi.

Li Qi gritted his teeth “I don’t have any idea for them.”

Biting her lips, You Ye made up her mind. Two tokens appeared on her hands.

“Enslave!” she shouted.

The two tokens radiated a red light, flying towards Shu Er and Shu Yi. Both tokens placed themselves above their hearts. However, their shining red light suddenly stopped, and several seconds later, both tokens turned into dust.

This was not the first time the three of them had seen how people got enslaved, and as such, they had also seen the enslaving process fail. However, this was a first—never had the enslaving tokens turned into dust. The tokens could be easily destroyed with Qi, therefore people needed to be unconscious to be enslaved. The tokens You Ye used were enough to enslave a Core Foundation cultivator, and both women on the floor couldn’t defend themselves. There was no Qi fluctuation from them.

What exactly happened?

You Ye turned to look at Li Qi with pleading eyes.

“I don’t know, Sister You...” Li Qi said, lowering his head.

“This is troublesome. Perhaps nothing will happen to them?” Chu Xian said.

The three of them discussed about what to do with Ye Bai’s maids. You Ye was getting crazier with each moment, as none of the solutions they found had a good ending for Shu Er and Shu Yi. After spending so much time talking, they understood that the chances of Xiao Wu telling everything about Ye Bai were too high. If they failed to protect his maids, how would they dare look into his eyes again?

Both women were resting silently on the floor. If one didn’t focus, they wouldn’t even notice they were still breathing.

As they were conversing, no one noticed a small part of the space tearing up, forming a small black hole that grew with each passing second. By the time Li Qi turned his head to check on both women, it was too late. The black hole was big enough to engulf them and it was exactly what happened. Before anyone could react, the black hole closed.

You Ye stared at the black hole with her mouth agape… then, she lost consciousness, her slender body slowly falling on the brown ground. She had fainted.

“L-Li Qi, what was that?” Chu Xian said in a shivering voice. His bloodline had activated, and he was trying hard to suppress it. The dark presence he felt when looking inside the black hole was threatening enough for his bloodline to awaken on its own.

Li Qi’s body was trembling, half-kneeling on the floor with his face as white as paper. Cold sweat ran down his spine. He couldn’t find the words to describe what happened. All he knew was that the presence inside the black hole was way too terrifying. If it didn’t show mercy... Li Qi was absolutely sure everyone would have died.

Shu Yi’s and Shu Er’s bodies were lying in a dark and desolate land which didn’t harbour any kind of life. Their surroundings were dark and cold, so dark that nothing around them could be seen. If it wasn’t for the slight color difference of the floor, anyone would think they had gone blind.

Despite being engulfed by the terrifying black hole, both women were still holding each other’s hands, still unconscious.

“Look! They are out!” someone within the crowd shouted, pointing at the immense portal.

Everyone focused on the three figures who just appeared—two young men and a beautiful girl. Her beauty was not enough to overshadow Wei Beiyu, but it was still a beauty that stood out. Her long golden hair, dancing with the wind, made her gorgeous face truly shine.

Within the crowd, Wei Beiyu’s face twitched. She didn’t like losing her spotlight. When the three of them appeared, she was happily being flattered by the newcomers of the sect and some new senior brother she met.

“Mother!” You Ye shouted as she spotted her mother talking with Xiao Wu.

Li Qi frowned. This wasn’t good news. He could see that there were way too many people waiting at the portal. He recognized the three Nascent Soul cultivators beside You Ye’s mother. The four of them were in charge of the Inner Disciple test this year. Worst of all... there was a Dark Wood Sect Elder among them. He must be furious that every disciple under the Dark Wood Sect was killed.

Li Qi’s eyes rested on Xiao Wu, and they made eye contact. Xiao Wu trembled.

Chu Xian and You Ye understood the meaning behind Li Qi’s look and Xiao Wu’s reaction. Brother Ye had been exposed.

“Ye’er!” You Ye’s mother shouted, her eyes slightly watering.

She reached over and embraced her daughter. It was a strange sight to see this mother and daughter pair. They looked so similar that they could pass off as sisters. You Jin’s age didn’t match her appearance at all.

Some youths in the crowd gulped upon seeing this embrace. The sight a young woman’s bosom pressing against a bigger and more mature one caused many dirty thoughts to form in their minds.

“Where is that boy named Ye Bai? Where is he?” Old Yi shouted. He couldn’t endure it anymore.

Based on how enraged Old Yi from the Dark Wood Sect was, things were clear. Xiao Wu spilled everything out. The three of them had agreed before to hide their relationship with Brother Ye. Since both Brother Ye and his maids had disappeared, things were a bit easier now.

“We don’t know. In the last room, after talking with Xiao Wu, he disappeared,” Li Qi slowly explained what the three of them discussed before. “Each one of us accepted a different test and after we finished them, we appeared together. Ye Bai didn’t show up at all… perhaps, he’s dead?”

“Spit out the truth!” Old Yi raged, then he turned to look at Xiao Wu. “You can’t lie? You said you can tell if someone is telling the truth or not. Is that youth telling the truth?”

Trying to trick an elder of the Dark Wood Sect. They sure think they are smart.

Li Qi paused. How stupid, they had actually forgotten Xiao Wu’s curse. Damn it!

Xiao Wu wasn’t an idiot. She knew they were covering for Ye Bai due to her curse. She blinked, struggling whether to talk or shut her mouth. She already made things difficult for Ye Bai, but nevertheless, he remained her benefactor.

“GET OUT OF MY MIND!” I shouted, spilling blood.

A baby sleeping in his mother’s arms started crying due to my sudden shout. Everyone stared at me. I could hear their voices.

“Hurry up, let’s go. Look at how he’s dressed. He’s a lunatic.”

“Go, let’s go.”

“Hey, don’t come over here.”

Someone pushed me, and I fell to the floor. I could feel my mind being silently tortured, the whispers telling me to kill them, to eat them. The piercing pain in my soul was not getting any better. The annoying cries of the baby were too much. Even the littlest of sounds were making it worse.

Kill them, silence them, they are annoying...

Panting, I struggled my way out of the crowd surrounding me. Supporting myself against a building, I reached a dark and old alley. The whisper of death invaded my mind even more, and my senses were failing me.

Rolling on the floor, a new wave of pain filled my soul. I was so confused. What happened? Where was I?

“He’s there. Look, that’s the lunatic we talked to you about.”

“Right, he molested a young mother and a baby”

“Impossible...” I muttered. I forced my eyes to look properly at the figure. A cop? Was I back in my previous world? How?

System! Help me, please!

Ding!

The s... tem... oov... la... ed... be.... ful....

Hos... da... co... e

System! System!

What was happening? The System was not working? I could barely notice what those around me were doing. All my focus was on my soul. Thanks to my second soul, it was a little easier to resist the pain. However, my second soul was being damaged at a high speed, and at this rate, it would soon cease to exist. I couldn’t think of things properly.

The cop grabbed me—

“Don’t!”

My fuzzy line of sight saw how the cop who just grabbed me convulsed and started rotting. Several seconds later, he turned into a pool of blood and flesh. The guys who came with the cops ran away, yelling for help...

I needed to hide. I tried to move, but it was impossible. The pain was too overwhelming. I could only endure the pain... A new wave of death engulfed my soul. Right, it all started because of the Death Core and those stupid mirrors...

“Don’t move or we will shoot!”

“Put your hands behind your head!”

Words echoed in my mind. More cops?

Right... more cops... fuck you! the whispers finally succeed. I lost my mind. Kill them... eat them... they don’t deserve to live...

“Where were you when my mother needed you! You rotten police!” My body was moving on its own. The less I struggled against the Death Force affecting my soul, the better I felt. Release it! I needed to release it.

The cops fired, however, the bullets were ineffective to me. It didn’t even itch a little bit. They didn’t have much time to react. Before their mind could process what exactly happened, I decapitated them with my Scythe.

I couldn’t care less. I gave in to the Death Core’s wishes. I needed to feel better, the pain was too intense. I expanded my soul, releasing along with the Death Energy in my soul.

Ding!

Sk... ear... Sou... /00…

I released a dark and profound roar that came from the depths of hell itself. I could feel it, a subtle connection to somewhere. My soul pushed through everything in a hundred-meter radius. Everything in that area froze, several thousand people’s eyes became blank. It happened in an instant. Every living being dropped dead to the cold floor. Thousands of souls filled my sight. I wasn’t in control of my body, but I could feel a pleasant feeling—control, power. My mouth opened, a black small whirlpool forming inside of it. The souls didn’t have a chance to flee, and they ended up being sucked inside me. I still didn’t know what was happening or where I was. The only thing I knew was that these poor souls didn’t have a chance to be reincarnated. They were utterly finished—3740 souls of men, women, children, even babies.

I felt nothing.

No sadness or pain.

Why would I feel something? I didn’t know them. What did they have to do with me? My only feeling was confusion and a slight swelling of pride.

Time went by. I didn’t move, I remained in the same spot. The world I was seeing blurred, and somehow, I recovered. Was that my world? Was everything real?

For some reason, I felt strange, as if something inside of me changed. Looking at my surroundings, I realized that I was back. I recognized this place, the Ancient Ruins. This was the last place I remember being in. Broken mirrors were around me everywhere... then, my memories came back.

I was the one who destroyed those people with my Scythe.

I was observing the immense portal in front of me. I wasn’t in a hurry to cross it. I didn’t know what it was. Another test? An exit?

Using my soul to detect my surrounding gave me no new piece of information. There were only mirrors, some broken, some whole, inside. Honestly, this time, the confusion I faced was huge, far worse than back when I was a just ball. Waving my hand, I pushed every broken shard away on the ground, creating a safe spot to sit cross-legged. Calming down my breath and closing my eyes, I gathered every memory I had.

I tempered myself and broke through to Muscle Tempering 6th Rank with all the Death Point I gathered on all the test. Not bad, considering I was already at the 4th Rank.

Body Cultivation: Muscle Tempering, 6th Rank (231/22,000)

Hmm, so I can still see the System information on my mind.

I didn’t understand what I was supposed to do on this test. I tried many things but nothing worked. I had already destroyed all the mirrors, so what else was there for me to do? I became crazy after two days, and in my state of desperation, I used my Scythe. The unexpected happened. My Scythe could crush those strange mirrors without reflections into dust. What’s more, each broken mirror got me 100 EXP. I remembered levelling up to Qi Refining 6th Rank. I must have destroyed around a million mirrors.

Qi Cultivation: Qi Refining, 6th Rank (3451/2,200,000)

Indeed, I was right, I truly broke through, then... What was the problem?

No matter how much I tried to think, I could not come up with an answer. I was glad I became strong, but I didn’t like this situation. This feeling I had deep inside my soul was annoying, I couldn’t even begin to describe it. It confused my very own soul as if I was not myself or I never was myself to begin with.

I managed to throw my confusion deep inside my soul. For now, I needed to figure out why I was returned to my old world. Was it truly an illusion? Everything felt so vivid.

“System...?”

Nothing. The AI managing the System was not available. I could access the information and all the stuff since it was stored inside my soul, but I couldn’t interact with it. Was there nothing I could do to fix it?

In my previous life, I had this friend which was crazy with computers and technology, but I managed to learn nothing—who said I learned nothing? Every memory in me was so vivid that I could see all the details.

Instead of being my usual lazy self, I used my soul to search through all memories with him.

It took me some hours to process them. After all, I wanted details that could help me out fixing my system and after searching for so long, I finally had it.

My friend used to always talk about the ‘logs’, a register file where data movements were stored. The moment that thought crossed my mind, a huge amount of information became accessible to me. It was not very detailed, but it had my registers since I got my first EXP point. Rolling down the information, I accessed the last log line. The Death Core was the problem.

Death Core upgraded to Lv2.

Suppressing Death Core energy.

System overloading.

Overload.

Activate safety measures.

Failure.

System failure.

Shutting down.

Apparently, from the moment the Death Core leveled up, the System had been suppressing it all along. This confirmed my theory that the Death Core could affect the System and vice versa but, this time, the Death Core won. That would explain why my soul got invaded by that death energy. It truly came from the Death Core.  The Death Core was trying to overwhelm my soul, trying to gain control over me... It seemed that we, indeed, were not truly fused yet.

Wait! Wouldn’t that mean... everything I just saw was real? That I truly came back to my previous world? Impossible…

Death Core: Lv 2 (0/100,000)

I remembered expanding my soul at my previous world and killing thousands of people. A pity mere mortals wouldn’t get me a single EXP point. If they could and if my EXP was shown to have increased, then that would indicate everything was real…

Just in case, I decided to check all the information I had. As expected, I learned a new skill when I killed those people, and it involved the use of my soul fused with Death Qi.

Death Domain (Evolvable): Unleashes field of death where every single being would face a thousand deaths. Their mind would be affected while Death Domain was active. Failing to survive a thousand deaths would break the being’s soul.

Purgatory (Sealed): Absorb souls.

Not that I was complaining, having a new skill to fight my enemies would be a good asset, but I didn’t exactly understand the skills and the System’s AI wasn’t here to run some simulations on it. I would have to test it later on someone as I didn’t exactly grasp how much of my soul would be used on the skill. Also, there was a new property—the skill could evolve but there were no EXP points mentioned or level indications on it...

It remained unknown and uncertain if I really travelled back to my previous world. The logs didn’t show anything about me killing those people. Perhaps it was an illusion?

My connection to Shu Yi and Shu Er was fine. They were alive. I was a bit worried about them. I tried to reach them through the seal but they wouldn’t answer at all, and as time passed by, neither of them showed signs of change. There was only one possibility: something had sealed them. Something stronger than my own seal.

Tsk... If something happens to them, I will annihilate whoever did it.

A portal appeared in front of me once again. The Ancient Ruins didn’t pressure me to cross the portal but there was nothing else to do, so without any further thoughts, I crossed the portal.

What greeted me were many new faces, and within those new faces, I recognized some of them.

Li Qi, Xiao Wu, Chu Xian and my pursuer, You Ye.

I could see weird expressions on their faces. Was there something wrong?

Ding!

System initializing…

While I was looking at the dumbfounded crowd in front of me, the System gave me a pleasant surprise.

Great! The System is back online! Scared me a little there.

Ding!

Accepting new features. Please wait…

Could it be that upgrading the Death Core brought new functions to the System? That was strange. The System almost got destroyed by it.

A sudden wave of death energy came from the Death Core, making all the pores on my body ache, causing all my senses to max out.

Suddenly, I felt something approach me. Danger! My Scythe appeared in front of me, protecting me from the biggest hit I ever faced. The impact didn’t do anything to my Scythe, but it pressed against me and sent me flying. I didn’t know how long I was sent flying, but the force destroyed my legs and one arm. If it weren’t for the other party not using his full force, my Scythe and my body would mostly be turned into a pulp.

The second that thought came to mind, I realized that a Nascent Soul stage made a move on me. Shit, my soul processed everything that happened yet my cultivation was not on par with my soul so it couldn’t follow it. I fucking needed a soul skill.

I couldn’t stand—both my legs were gone. Helping myself with my remaining arm, I leaned back against a massive rock. Damn it.

The old man who just hit me frowned. “You didn’t die? How?”

The same question resounded in everyone’s head. That was a strike from a Nascent Soul! That guy over there was not even a Core Foundation! What kind of monster was capable of withstanding a hit that was two entire layers above him?

A girl’s scream brought everyone to reality.

You Ye arrived next to me and grabbed my hand. She was crying, panicking, and trying to tend to my wounds all at the same time. “No, no, you can’t die, please don’t die.”

“Silly, who said I was going to die? You wouldn’t need to find a new boy to pursue,” I said, jokingly.

A small chuckle came from You Ye. It seemed my words comforted her a little bit. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah, don’t worry, but what exactly is happening here? Why the hell did that old man hit me?”

You Ye started to recount the events that transpired ever since we separated.

I narrowed my eyes coldly at Xiao Wu. That stupid girl talked too much. She did nothing to help. I saved her and that was how she repaid her benefactor?

She was standing close to You Ye’s mother. You Ye really looked like her mother. Indeed, they were two beauties, but still below my dear Shu Yi and Shu Er—which reminded me that they were still missing. Not knowing where they were worsened my mood.

I truly desired to kill Xiao Wu, and I had to think of a way out because right now, I couldn’t face a Nascent Soul yet.

It didn’t take too long for the crowd to notice You Ye’s attitude towards me. She looked like a wife, crying for his injured husband. At the same time, Chu Xian and Li Qi moved in front of me.

“It was true, then. You three were lying,” said Old Yi. “What’s the meaning of this?!”

You Jin frowned, looking at You Ye for answers. “Ye’er what’s going on?”

“Mother... I... He’s the man I chose.”

“You chose a cripple? A man who is going to die? Are you an idiot? I didn’t raise you just to throw away your life,” You Jin shouted furiously.

“No matter what, I won’t abandon him like what you did with my father!” You Ye said. Her decision was firm. She was in love with Ye Bai and she was going to go until the end.

“Ye Bai protected us! So what if he killed the Dark Wood Sect? They deserved it,” Li Qi retorted. “They betrayed the South Country! They wanted to kill us. We didn’t start anything, it was all of them.”

Chu Xian didn’t say anything but the raised weapon in his hand expressed his choice.

Old Yi wanted to attack but was restrained by the two old men beside him.

“Are you going to kill my disciple? Do you want to start a war? Li Qi, come here.” One of the men revealed himself as Li Qi’s master.

While I watched them have a shouting match, I continue to rack my brain for a solution to their hostility against me. I didn’t know how to solve the situation and the System wasn’t of any help. The ancient ruins portal closed down... then, play dead!

I didn’t know if the sudden inspiration would work or not. I forced my own blood out of my body by coughing, and the whole of You Ye’s dress was covered in my blood.

Sorry, You Ye... if I only could warn you without Xiao Wu...

“You promised, you told me you wouldn’t die.” You Ye kept crying and hugging me.

“Xiao Wu, I shouldn’t have saved you! You ungrateful girl! You just couldn’t shut your mouth,” I growled at her. I wasn’t sure if my acting skills were good or not but I guess being only a torso with a head would help. No one in my situation would survive, I thought.

Indeed, I could see the crowd looking at me with pity in their eyes.

“It’s okay, guys... I will wait for you on the other side. No point in fighting over a dead guy, right?” I said while my arm fell to the ground. My blood was slowly flowing out of my mouth. I stopped all my body functions and retracted my soul.

A grieving shout pierced my soul. You Ye’s pain reached me. I had to stop myself from waking up and telling her everything was not true. But I just couldn’t. I needed to survive. I could not fight back. If I told them the truth, Xiao Wu would be able to discover it.

Power! Everything could be solved with power, but I was still weak. I needed to get stronger!

Li Qi and Chu Xian gritted their teeth, enduring it. I could see their expressions with my non-moving eyes. They wanted revenge. Their eyes told me that even though we only met for a short time, their loyalty was something incredible.

“Give me his body!” Old Yi shouted.

“What else do you want? You shameless old man! He is my husband! I won’t give you his body,” You Ye shouted fiercely, not caring if she was yelling at a Nascent Soul.

“What nonsense are you shouting? Since when did he become your husband?” You Ye’s mother shouted, enraged. She should have restrained her little girl more.

“Since the moment I decided. I will keep his body, I will resurrect him. I will go to the Rebirth Lake!” You Ye’s statement caused everyone to laugh.

“You think you can resurrect him? Those stories are fake! Even if they were true, do you think you would be able to escape?” Old Yi laughed.

A scroll appeared on You Ye’s hands. With a smile on her face, she muttered.

“Irgal tag mu ban.”

The scroll started to shine and slowly dissipate, the light moving from the scroll to You Ye and me, covering us.

“You will pay the price for killing my husband!”

Those were the last words You Ye left for the stunned crowd before we teleported.

This time, the travel throughout the void was just fine without any accidents at all. The bubble that covered You Ye and I was totally different than the one that brought me to the Ancient Ruins. It didn’t get crushed at all by the void pressure, and it didn’t fluctuate, as if it was indestructible. The System was still not working properly, so I doubted I could determine what type of scroll You Ye had activated. Whatever it was, it was clearly more amazing than that transfer array. At that thought, I couldn’t help myself and let my mind wonder about Shu Yi and Shu Er. I needed to find both girls. Hopefully, they would wake up soon.

Thanks to You Ye’s scroll, we managed to escape.

This girl is full of surprises.

I didn’t know how to explain to her that I was okay and I could heal myself. Immersed in my thoughts, I didn’t notice the beauty who was hugging me had a pale and bloody face until something sticky stuck into my skin. I was familiar with this kind of sensation. Blood.

Yet again, another woman suffered because of me. Her tender and slender body were replaced by a sack of bones, and only her beautiful face remained, looking a little older, paler, and with blood all over.

What happened?

I didn’t care, I needed to save her.

“You Ye, hang in there!” I shouted, full of concern for this woman who pledged to pursue me, to love me.

We had left the void. You Ye’s frail body was on the dirty ground. I was on top of her. I saw her eyes staring at me with a big smile.

“I knew… the man I chose will not die so easily…” You Ye coughed more blood.

I used Death End on her, and the result wasn’t to my liking. Her lifespan got severely damaged—half of her life was gone. After a few rounds of inspecting every part of her body with my soul, I was left speechless. Her body constitution was reduced to be as weak as a chicken, but luckily her Core Foundation was okay. Otherwise, she would face serious trouble. I sighed in relief. The body damage could be fixed with some food and pills... but as for the lifespan... there were some pills to extend them. They were rare, but not impossible to get.

“You will be okay, You Ye. Don’t worry...”

“I know, Brother Ye. We will find a way to heal your body.”

I could see the worried look on You Ye’s face. It was not exactly easy to fix my body for others, but for me, it was a piece of cake.

“I can heal myself. I will show it to you.” I wouldn’t mind showing all my abilities in front of You Ye. She sacrificed too much to help me. I tried to access my inventory but I couldn’t. Whatever the System was underdoing, it was blocking all the functions. I knew for sure I had an awkward face right now.

You Ye slowly patted my head. “Brother Ye, I promised myself I won’t leave you. I know what kind of condition you have right now, you don’t have to put a false pretense. We will figure out things slowly. For now, we should try to reset and see where we teleported to.”

“You Ye, it’s not like that. I really can...”

Before I could finish what I was about to say, I felt You Ye’s sweet lips pressing against my own. This time, she wasn’t in a hurry to disappear, and I lost myself in the kiss.

“Are you fine, You Ye? We have been going on for hours already.” I asked, full of concern. You Ye had wanted to carry me but I used my Qi to fly along with her, which greatly surprised her. She started to believe more in me when I told her again that I could heal myself. Still, our pace was too slow, and You Ye wasn’t doing well with her body’s state.

“We should be nearby. The scroll was given to me by some old man as a payment,” You Ye said, panting slowly.

“An old man?” I asked, raising my frown. This land was surely full of strange old men.

“Yes, the old man wanted to buy a stone I had in my possession, so he traded it with this scroll. To be honest, I thought I got a bargain at that time, if only the scroll did what he claimed to do. A few years ago, I tried to use the scroll but it didn’t do anything. I almost died back then. Only this time around did it work.”

“Perhaps it needed two persons to work? Or maybe your cultivation at that time was insufficient,” I stated some facts.

A life-saving scroll with no problem at all to cross through the void. Who would be willing to part with it? Trading it for a stone? I turned my head to look at this crazy and persevering young girl next to me.

‘You got cheated, You Ye,’ I uttered those words in my head. I didn’t want to openly call You Ye a fool, as right now, she is supposed to be my girlfriend.

Before I knew it, we had arrived at a big lake. I could see a temple in the middle of the lake. Half of it was submerged.

A Greek temple? What the hell is going on? I turned to look at You Ye who had a strange expression on her face.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, frowning. This place was getting more and more mysterious.

“The old man told the truth... He said that we will reach an ancient place if we walk north after using the scroll...” You Ye paused. She started to tremble.

I grabbed You Ye’s skinny hands with my only hand.

“You Ye, did the old man say something else?”

She nodded her head. “Those who manage to attain it would own the world. Those were his last words before he disappeared before me.”

“Own the world? Is this even possible? What more did he say?” I asked, confused.

“Nothing more. But... since ancient times, no one understood the mysteries of the Seeking Continent. Who knows? Perhaps it’s possible. In any case, we have already arrived at this point, so we should check it out. Perhaps, there is a chance we could be normal again.”

I could see You Ye’s eyes glowing. They were filled with hope. I nodded to her.

I thought You Ye and I would be facing some troubles to reach the temple. On the contrary, everything went smooth and we reached the entrance of the temple without a problem. We just had to walk on the water to arrive. Walking on the water was a new feeling for me. Perhaps, I was still surprised by some things about this world. After all, I was not from this world.

You Ye stood at the entrance of the temple without moving. I could sort of understand what was going through her mind. There were too many what-ifs. To be honest, I didn’t have any high expectations. I knew I could heal myself once the System was working properly again.

I grabbed You Ye’s skinny hand with my only hand and watched as her head turned to focus on my face. A soft smile flourished on my face and her face softened.

“Don’t worry too much. We will make it,” I said, encouraging her. Somehow, I felt I was getting better at interacting with women.

“Silly, I’m more worried about you than myself,” You Ye replied with a radiant smile.

Both of us remained looking at each other, and moments later we both chuckled.

Her steps echoed through the empty temple. No matter where we walked, it was empty. The Greek temple looked old—it wasn’t ruined, but time did some minor damages to it. I still found it strange. Why was a Greek temple here? The culture of this world so far  was similar to the Chinese culture back at my previous world. For sure there were some differences, but not so big that a Greek temple could be built.

I remembered that Greeks temples used to have a statue inside or some altar for worshipping gods and goddesses of some sort, yet there was nothing in this one at all. I checked each corner with my soul power—it was far more useful than my sight—but found nothing. You Ye was touching everywhere, moving what was left of her beautiful hands. I could see her frenetic face. She was getting desperate, tears constantly flowing from her eyes.

“You Ye, let’s rest here tonight,” I said, not waiting for her reply.

“Brother Ye, I’m sorry. I—”

I interrupted her with an embrace. I didn’t want her to feel worse. After all, it was no big deal. Once the System started to work normally, I would be completely restored. She broke down. She was a strong girl, but the reality was harsh. She pledged love to a half body, she lost half her life, and on top of that, her head was filled with false hope by some stupid old man’s words. It was normal for her to cry like a baby. It took her three whole hours of crying before she finally fell asleep.

It took myself two hours to settle my thoughts after You Ye fell sleep. I was utterly disappointed in myself. No matter the power I had and the number of people I erased from this plane of existence, I couldn’t protect the women I cared about. Shu Yi and Shu Er disappeared and I knew nothing about them; You Ye ended up in this state because of me. I was starting to wonder if I brought back luck to those around me.

Worse, my mind was becoming more and more unstable with each thought of disappointment on myself, as if not believing in myself was threatening my existence. The Death Core’s influence was pressing me, what I was supposed to do? If I didn’t care about the people around me or doubt myself, I felt that my soul wouldn’t be burdened by the Death Core, but then... what would I become? Would I still be me? Would have I been conquered by the Death Core then?

There were far too many questions filling my head. I was not good at philosophy at all, but each question only brought more questions. I couldn’t remember where I was or how this all started anymore. There were only questions and questions.

I lost track of all my senses.

Suddenly, I found myself surrounded by darkness devoid of any sound.

Did my soul get out of the Death Core? Could it be... my body was destroyed?

I started to panic. If my body was destroyed, I should be back in my ball form, yet I wasn’t. I doubted the Death Core was destroyed, but I didn’t understand where I was and I was getting worried sick for You Ye.

“Where am I ?”

“Inside you,” answered a familiar voice.

“Inside me?” I muttered, trying to understand what this familiar voice told me. Inside me, where? I have been already inside my soul form several times but it isn’t like this.

“Yes, inside you,” said the voice.

“Who are you? Show yourself!” I shouted. I didn’t have time for this bullshit. I needed to go and save You Ye.

“You are not in control,” said the voice.

“In control of what? Tell me! I’m not in the mood to play games,” I yelled to the darkness. I couldn’t detect where the voice was coming from.

“I do not know. I’m sealed here because of you. You should know what you’ve done,” explained the voice.

Now, this was getting more confusing. I remained silent for a few minutes to think about what the voice told me so far. Finally, after some thought, I knew why the voice sounded so familiar. It was Shi Yin, the voice of the Demon Timeless Sword. Back then, to prevent her soul from dissipating, I sealed her in the System. Hold on... I was inside the System? Was that even possible? The System said before that it was fused with my soul, but I had been inside my soul several times and the System was not there. But then again... how was it possible that I was in the same place as the sealed soul?

“Hey! You are Sister Shi Yin, right?” I asked without delicacy.

“Yes, you finally remember me,” replied the familiar voice.

“I remember I sealed you. Have you untied the seal?” I needed her to provide me with more information or I wouldn’t be able to know where the hell I was. If she wasn’t sealed, she should be dissipating based on the state she was in before I sealed her.

“No, since the moment you sealed me, I was here. When you absorbed me, I thought I would cease to exist, but I didn’t. After that, I appeared here, then I was afraid that I would continue to dissipate yet I didn’t. At first, I thought time was static here or something like that, but I could feel some traces of time so I knew time was not static. But I don’t understand why my soul is not dissipating, it’s like the process has been stopped even though my soul is badly damaged, as if something glued all the pieces together and I became a whole soul again.”

At least I knew sealing her soul was the right path as it would prevent her soul from dissipating, but still, her explanation didn’t reveal too much information.

Suddenly, the sound of a bell echoed through my mind several times.

Ding!

Ding!

System successfully fused with Death Core, perfect balance achieved.

Accessing Death Core data granted.

Processing Death Core... Please wait.

I floated in the darkness, waiting for the System to finish. It was speaking in my head again!

The voice of the System sounded normal inside of my soul, only for me to listen. I still couldn’t track where the voice from the Demon Timeless Sword was coming from. In any case, I didn’t need to wait long. The System resounded again.

Processed Death Core.

Updated Death Core information.

Death Core: Newborn unknown existence. Contains life and death, unbalanced. Everlasting. Laws present all. In expansion.

Death Core space stabilized. Two realms present.

Unsealing Purgatory.

Realms establishment succeed.

Purgatory Linked to the first realm.

Purgatory updated and unsealed.

Purgatory: Open the gates of samsara for the nearby souls. Souls absorbed will be placed in the first realm waiting for utilization.

Granting access to the second realm.

Granted.

Created Skill Home.

Home: Able to teleport the designated home inside the Death Core second realm.

Processing other data... Please wait...

That literally stupefied me. I knew I was no smartass, but I literally understood nothing. It had been some months since I reached the conclusion that the Death Core and the System were two different things, much to my annoyance, and now they fused? If I had to guess, I bet it was due to the System doing something while it was overloading.

I frowned while opening the logs. I would have to slowly digest this.

Nothing was clear on my mind after the time spent on checking the logs. The Death Core was still a mystery. The information it gave me was like random pointers that didn’t make any sense.

It didn’t take much time to familiarize with the Purgatory and the second realm because I was already on it except, this time, I had full control over it as much as I could since it only gave me two options: Release the Soul and Absorb the Soul. Both names already explained what they do, but with not much accuracy. I guessed Release the Soul would release the soul to the normal samsara process, while Absorb... I had no idea what would happen if I used it, but there was no option to use it on the Demon Timeless Sword. After I had control over this realm, I could see the beautiful Demon Timeless Sword, a copy of Shi Yin, so gorgeous, so beautiful, so developed, and so naked.

Truly a great sight.

I must say I was really tempted to fuck her. Since I was the ruler of this place, I literally could do anything I wanted with the souls here. But guess I was not that kind of guy to take advantage of women, even if tempted.

I explained to her where she was and what happened. I also knew why her soul was okay, so I also explained that to her. She thanked me for saving her life even though she had to remain here. Otherwise, if I were to release her, she would dissipate. We agreed that even though Demon Timeless Sword was a cool name for a sword, it wasn’t for a woman that was as beautiful as her, especially now that she was no longer a physical sword. She decided to use the name the real Shi Yin gave her—Shi Shi.

The System was still processing whatever it was processing, so there were only two options left for me to do: wait or use the only available skill right now, which was Home. I hesitated a little bit as I wasn’t sure what would happen, but as the saying went, curiosity killed the cat.

For some reason, I was expecting a shining light or something, but nothing of that kind happened. I just teleported out without any fancy and appeared somewhere warm.

I didn’t open my eyes right away, enjoying this pleasant feeling as if Mother Creation was embracing me. The feeling was too strange since I was made of Death, and I knew that when I opened my eyes, I would be surrounded by Death.

Partially, I was right and wrong at the same time. What greeted me was a desolate land—more like a land of death—yet I was not alone. I was with the two most precious beings in my life, Shu Yi and Shu Er. Both women were holding each other’s hands. All my worries dissipated once I saw them. Who knew that the one that kept them away from me was myself? I didn’t know if it was the System or the Death Core, but I was glad to have them both this time around.

What surprised me the most was that both of them were completely healed and their cultivations were increased enormously. Both of them became Core Foundation cultivators and at the 3rd Rank.

That ancient tower was full of mysteries…

“Shu Yi, Shu Er, wake up,” I called out to them, yet they remained unresponsive.

I frowned. Was something preventing them from waking up? My connection to their souls was present again. Since I had now access to the System, I understood that it was normal to recover the control over both of them. If they didn’t wake up, I could force them to do so.

“Stop,” a voice sounded.

Weird, I was the only ruler of this place. Where was this voice coming from?

“Who are you? Show yourself!”

“You cannot disturb them, young boy. They are both still receiving my inheritance. If you interrupt the process now, it could bring harm to both of them.” The voice sounded like an elder, but it was not clear if it belonged to a woman or man.

“Why aren’t you showing yourself?” I frowned. Could it be that this new entity was bringing harm to both of them?

Once that thought crossed my mind, I could feel a tremendous power like I had never felt before. Before this strength, Shu Yi and Shu Er looked like tiny ants in comparison. Looking around, I felt Death everywhere, and it was part of me. I could control it. Surprisingly, I also detected a subtle fluctuation of life on this land, something that I, even if I used all the power I just got access to, wouldn’t be able to obliterate. I decided to look at it later. As soon as my power engulfed the whole space, the mysterious elderly voice talked again.

“I will show myself but please don’t overreact. Both girls are okay. We mean no harm.”

I stood there stupefied. In this era and age, this was possible? In front of me stood something I thought I would never see. Was it an ancient man or an ancient woman? I didn’t know what it was, floating in its soul form over Shu Yi and Shu Er. The soul looked like a hermaphrodite and its body was so old that it wasn’t pleasing to the eyes. But I could see an old developed bosom, and both genitals down there. Honestly, I didn’t want to pay attention to it. Overall, it looked like a mixture of a man and a woman, especially its voice.

For god’s sake, talk or something!

“What exactly are you?” I asked since he or she wasn’t saying anything.

“It’s a long story...” said the aged man-woman voice. It seemed ashamed of its appearance.

“Then, please make it short. I don’t want to know all the details.” I was trying to focus on the soul’s eyes. Why the fuck was the soul naked?

I could see it wasn’t happy, but it still decided to satisfy my curiosity.

“We were once separate—a man and a woman. Fate, or whoever created the stupid Yin Yang Dual Body Cultivation, played a bad joke on us.”

“What’s this got to do with Shu Er and Shu Yi? What inheritance are you talking about!?”

“It’s simple. Both are inheriting our Ying Yang Dual Body Cultivation,” it said, gesturing to Shu Yi and Shu Er on the floor.

“What?!” I exclaimed.

“I said you don’t have to worry too much. They will be fine.”

“Fine, my ass! How can you be sure they’ll be fine? Look at you.” I felt a sudden urge to kill this soul.

“Calm down,” said the weird being, trying to calm me. “Let us properly explain what’s happening...”

“Let me be clear with you. If something happens to both of them, I have the power to torment your soul and not let you die, are we clear?” I said, glaring at it.

Something trembled inside me. The next second, I was looking at the whole plane from above once again. Everything looked so tiny and weak like ants. The thought of killing that weird existence grew inside my mind, and I could see it screaming. The scream brought me back to where I was. The whole plane was mine, I had full control over it. Inside here I was a god—a Death God.

I smirked at him. “Now, you understand?”

“Yes, yes, it’s clear. Please don’t do that again,” it pleaded after gasping for air. “E-Everything started with this Yin Yang Dual Cultivation manual. We were once a couple. We couldn’t have kids, so we tried to look for solutions. That was when we came across this cursed manual, who turned us into this. The principle was clear at first—by dual cultivating, we could have sexual intercourse and strengthen our cultivations. This manual specifically focused on the sexual part, thus strengthening ourselves so we could have kids. At first, everything worked fine and there was no problem at all until we reached the final stage on the manual. We didn’t quite understand the text, but we were eager to have children so we tried anyway. That was when everything changed...”

I could feel the remorse on its voice. I waited for it so it could continue explaining what would happen to Shu Yi and Shu Er.

Perhaps, it will be something good...

“You already guessed what happened… During our intercourse, everything was perfect. We did exactly what the manual instructed. Our realms synced perfectly and reached the same cultivation realm where we awakened our Nascent Souls. What we didn’t notice was that both bodies were fusing with each other and so were our souls. The result is what you see right now. Over the years, we tried to undo what happened to no avail, and we passed away inside the Ancient Ruins while trying to get this curse undone.”

“And?” I prompted angrily, waiting for the explanation I wanted to hear. I didn’t care about their story and it was clear what happened.

“When a Nascent Soul dies inside the Ancient Ruins, the Ancients Ruins stores the soul and assigns it to a test. That was exactly what would have happened to us, but what we didn’t expect was that we would be passed down as an Inheritance. The Ancient Ruins sent us the exact methods and the purpose for the Yin Yang Dual Cultivation method. Traditionally, the Yang part should be cultivated by a man and the Yin part by a woman, yet this manual was different. It needed two women and not a man and a woman. One woman must be Yin and the other one must have an extreme Yang body. Shu Yi and Shu Er, as you call them, met those conditions. Shu Er, as a woman, has no issue cultivating Yin, and in Shu Yi’s case, something recently happened to her and she awakened an Extreme Yang Body. Awakening an Extreme Yang Body is wrong as females are not suited for it. The Yang element will destroy the woman’s body. The one who created this manual was a genuine genius who had that misfortune—a woman with an extreme Yang body who was fated to die. Through dual cultivation with another woman, she was able to balance herself and improve at an insane rate. Moreover, the other woman also received the benefits of cultivating at the same speed as her. A win-win situation. When you guys reached the final test together, the Ruins sent us to Shu Yi and Shu Er to pass down our inheritance.”

That was unexpected. Dual Cultivation for women? Lesbians... Seriously? Wait...

“They are sisters!” I shouted, surprised.

“Well... it does not make much of a difference when you get both of them into the same bed... We have been on their minds and the picture is really not much different than what you have in mind right now.”

I blushed, ashamed. I really pictured both beauties dual-cultivating in bed. I mean, they were mine. Taking both of them on in the future was possible. Indeed, there was not much of a difference, especially if both of them agreed to this.

“One question. Did they agree to this?” I asked, a bit concerned.

“Yes, the Ruins doesn’t force anyone to accept an inheritance. Also, Shu Yi will die without dual cultivating with a woman sooner or later. Who would be better than her own sister to save her life? And since they are twins, they have high compatibility.”

“Fair enough. How long until the inheritance ends? And what is going to happen to you once the process ends?” I couldn’t help but feel there was something this old soul wasn’t telling.

“It would take a few more days at most. As for us... well, if both girls accept us, they can undo our soul fusion. In that case, we will be able to split and exist again as separated souls.”

We decided to wait for the twins to wake up. I couldn’t exit this place anyway. I wondered if  You Ye was all right. Would a lot of time pass outside while I was stuck inside my own world? I didn’t know exactly how to call it, but I had a guess what this was.

I wasn’t feeling really comfortable with this oddly-fused old soul around, especially with how weird it looked. It was ugly as hell.

I asked for its name so I could refer to its existence in some way. It said that I should call it Shallow, which was something that confused me. I thought everybody in this world had Chinese names or nicknames unless it was a code name, so it piqued my curiosity.

“Why are you named Shallow?” I asked.

“Aren’t you avoiding us because of your shallow judgment?”

Indeed, I only avoided it because of its appearance. If my mother was alive, what would she say?

“I apologize,” I said, reflecting a bit on my attitude. Perhaps, I went a bit overboard before.

“Don’t worry, you are still young and there are many things you don’t know about this strange world. It’s full of wonders. Shu Yi and Shu Er would be fine and they would greatly benefit from this. If they will choose to help us, we can serve you. We know that they won’t do anything against your wishes. In fact, they only allowed for this inheritance to happen because they wanted to be stronger for you. They are afraid of losing you.”

“I...” I didn’t know what to answer. It was true they were enslaved by me, but I didn’t treat them like slaves at all. As a matter of fact, if it wasn’t for them, I was sure I would lose every piece of humanity I had.

Why would they really go so far? It was the same thing with You Ye. Why would she act like that? I truly didn’t understand.

“As I said, you are young. Don’t be mistaken. The Death Soul Seal you placed on them can control their souls to not betray you, but that doesn’t mean they have to like you or care about you at all. In fact, you understood your seal wrong. It’s not a seal to enslave people, otherwise, why would they still be like that? Free of emotions, free of opinion... Why would they be still themselves if you were truly enslaving their souls? You still don’t understand, young man?” This time the voice sounded more profound and more feminine.

Wait a moment... Death Soul Seal, how could this old soul know? I never told the exact name to Shu Yi or Shu Er. I raised my head and looked straight into its eyes. Could it be that it wasn’t  the true purpose of the seal? What Shallow told me was right; if they were truly slaves, why weren’t they behaving like puppets?

I didn’t notice but a ray of light entered my mind, and foreign memories flooded in. Thousands of souls were enslaved. They acted like puppets devoid of emotions, devoid of words. It was a true seal—their consciousness were wiped out. They belonged to an unknown existence…

The memories stopped. I recovered my sight and looked straight into Shallow’s disturbing eyes.

“It was you. Those memories... You were the one who enslaved all those souls. You showed me a true Soul Seal.”

“That’s right, that was the true Soul Seal. Now, you realize how different your seal is even though it has a more overbearing name,” Shallow said with a big smile on his face.

“Right, it’s indeed as you said. My seal is totally different as though it has another purpose but... how did you know the name of my seal?” I narrowed my eyes. There was definitely something going on.

“I was told its name by someone,” it simply replied.

“By who?”

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t know,” I said, raising my eyebrows. “Are you telling the truth? You are telling me you don’t know... I told no one about it but you seem to know how special it is.”

“I truly don’t know. It was just that a voice reached us before we got teleported to this place, and it told us the name of your seal, including the information I just told you. Look, if I wanted to lie to you, it would be not a good idea. We are in your territory and you have full control over it. Our existence is in your hands.” Shallow smiled and closed its eyes, pondering something.

If Shallow was not lying, then there was someone who knew what was going on with me... or could it be that there was another being like me? Many thoughts and theories kept crossing my mind. Again, I sat cross-legged and started to go through all my memories to make sure I wasn’t forgetting something.

My thoughts were elaborating some theories when I felt pain on my arm. Slowly, I turned to see my arm. Something bit me. Could it be my snake? But my snake couldn’t be here. I was in my soul form.

And then I saw a familiar little snake curled around my arm. As I was about to grab it, an immense and ancient snake appeared in front of me.

What the fuck...

The ancient snake had white scales with a beautiful yet aged aura emanating from them, giving it an imposing presence. The eyes of the snake looked like black pearls, and such pure darkness reminded me of the time I was in the void, those powerful forces that ripped our bodies back then…

The snake’s power seemed to threaten my domain yet I didn’t feel danger at all. Our eyes met. There was a connection between us. I felt it—what she was feeling. It was a female. She was in pain, trying to be strong but feeling so weak deep inside, yet that wasn’t the worst of it. It was the loneliness, the passing ages on those white scales. It felt like an eternity.

The huge ancient snake finally opened its mouth.

“You killed me… you… killed my loneliness…

“I’m the last of my kind, bound to have no descendants. You bestowed me a new life, a new chance, a new beginning. Everything happened because of you. I neither hate you nor love you, but I’m bound to walk alongside you for all eternity, no matter what. Treat me well, and I shall treat you well. This will be the first and the last time we meet. In time, you will understand.”

After those words were said, it shrank once more to become the cute little baby snake that curled around my arm. What curled against my soul form was also the soul form of the baby snake.

I was dumb and slow-minded most of the time, but there was something I understood with what happened.

Time Reversal.

Someone had reversed her whole life back to her very beginning! What was far worse and scary... this wasn’t a casual meeting. The one who did it made sure she had time to say those words. I shivered, turning my head to look at Shallow.

It shook its head.

Could it be the same being who told Shallow about my seal? A sudden pulse from the Death Core struck my mind and a concrete memory popped up.

I understood, back where I got the snake, back in the mountains. The random teleport. The incident where the System didn’t know what happened and now Shallow...

If I didn’t understand it now, I would be truly too stupid. I might not understand the purpose, but I knew what was going on.

Someone was pulling the strings behind everything!

Neither Shallow nor I talked after what just happened. We just stood there, waiting for the twins to finish the inheritance and wake up. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t worried about the two of them. Being surrounded with so much death didn’t actually make me inhuman, but perhaps a little colder.

I didn’t know if it was because the time was weird or it was because this place was just created. Perhaps, it was due to the System not being active, but it made it really hard for me to keep track of the time we spent on the first realm. Kinda depressing that there was nothing at all and the skill to go back was called Home. I let out a long sigh, wondering how much more we would be waiting.

Surprisingly, it didn’t take long before I heard a very welcomed System message.

Ding!

Processing finished.

Unlocked Death Corps.

Waiting for subject #1 and subject #2

Death Corps Lv2 / 100 (1/300.000): Through Death Soul Seal, they pledge loyalty to the host. Loyal followers are able to use the skill, Home. Able to pass your bloodline on and become immortals, breaking free from the rules of the current world, cultivation will become one layer lower than the host. Cultivation will be bound to the host. Able to use Purgatory souls for Death Corps subjects. (Max Corps 2/2)

System stable. All functions will resume.

It left me speechless. Did I just win the possibility to build an immortal army? The System’s message was quite clear. I knew that was how it worked.

In every mythology, religion, and culture, whatsoever, a god was supposed to be worshipped by millions of followers…

I couldn’t wait to understand how the Home skill worked for them. Passing down my bloodline was exciting. My bloodline was really powerful but it had many downsides... or so I thought. To normal mortals, it would mostly kill them the moment I passed it on...

Ding!

The host is incorrect. Passing your bloodline down would not turn them into corpses. Only if they die and you choose to create a corpse for them to use will they become corpses.

Upon death, their souls will get bonded to host’s second realm and your everlasting lifespan thus making them immortals, unless the host ceases to exist.

Take note that passing down your bloodline will make the bloodline one grade lower.

I pondered what the System just explained to me. For some reason, it felt too damn nice to be true. I noted the System became more talkative than usual even though it didn’t get an upgrade.

System functions are working at 100%. Before, they were at 50%.

Okay, that explained it.

I proceeded to check all the system data and information I had stuffed in my soul. There were a few new details, but not really important.

All that mattered, for now, was for both twins to wake up.

They finally woke up after a few more hours of waiting. I got pretty excited seeing them gain consciousness, but deep inside, I blamed myself for everything that happened until now. I could still remember when I told them being with me was a big opportunity. Should have I added there was a big chance of dying as well? I let out a long sigh. The thing already happened. There was no going back.

I wasn’t sure if it was the inheritance or my guilt, but I could swear they got prettier. Had they been doing nasty things? I saw their confusion when they fully woke up.

I grinned. “Been doing dirty things while I was gone?”

Shu Yi and Shu Er snapped out from their confusion and looked at me. Tears fell from their beautiful eyes and big smiles spread across their faces. They didn’t take long to process my words, and their faces turned completely red from embarrassment.

So, they did have sex... I guess, in their soul form?

Honestly, I found it a little weird but I didn’t care much. I approached them both and slowly embraced them. Their embarrassment and shyness disappeared. I let them vent out their feelings and frustrations.

“Master...”

“It’s okay. Shallow explained me everything,” I said, pointing to Shallow who still didn’t move from its spot. “Are you both okay now?” I asked them softly.

Even though I knew I could bring them back to life if they had both died, I was still concerned about their wellbeing.

They nodded.

Shallow finally moved. It slowly approached us, looking at both girls. “Can you help us? Please?”

Both twins were confused. I was about to explain everything to them when I recalled that there was a faster way to tell them. I packeted all the memories I had related to Shallow and sent them through the Death Soul Seal, a pretty convenient use.

It didn’t take long for both of them to understand who Shallow was and what it was asking for. Shu Yi was the first to talk.

“It could be fate that brought us together, even though it was all the Ancient Ruins’ work. I cannot thank the Ancient Ruins but I can help you out. Yet I’m not the one who you should ask. My master has the last words,” Shu Yi said calmly.

No one would ever believe this woman was so emotional a few minutes ago.  Shu Er didn’t add much more. She just nodded with her head and repeated for Shallow to ask me.

“It’s true. Because of you, they had a great chance and also Shu Yi’s life was now saved. Still, the fact remains it was due to the Ancient Ruins and not your choice. But since Shu Yi mention that she will help you, I will agree.” I had some plans in mind and I was not gonna let a Nascent Soul existence go just like that.

“Thanks,” said Shallow.

“Now, could you please explain to us how exactly can they help you out?” I hoped it didn’t involve engaging in dual cultivation with them.

Shallow smiled. “Actually, they don’t have to do much. I’m sure you girls didn’t refine the energy you created, as it was your first time. Am I right?”

“N-no, we are not yet that familiar with all the details during the inheritance process. We didn’t want something wrong to happen so we proceeded slowly and carefully...” Shu Er stuttered and her face became red. It took her few seconds to keep going. “After we were done, there was a mass of energy inside us. Half belonged to the other half. We still need to meditate and digest it.”

“Good, all I need is that mass of energy. If you both transfer it to us, we could undo our fusion and become two individual beings again.”

“Is it dangerous? Will something go wrong with them? Are you sure you both want to do this?”

“It’s okay, Master. Even though we haven’t digested the entire inheritance, we know this is the right method for someone who has cultivated wrongly. They need the balanced Yin and Yang energy from us.”

“Okay, then. Please proceed with care. I don’t want anything to happen again to you two or I will look like a bad master and will have to spank both your asses,” I said, grinning at them and moving my arms to show them my perfect spanking skill.

Both women’s faces got red.

Seriously, I do like to tease them.

I was expecting something a little bit more perverted. Maybe, something more mystical. Nothing like that happened.

Just a simple handshake.

Seriously? A curse-like miscultivation that existed for hundreds of years, solved by nothing but a good, old handshake... Who would believe this shit?

Shu Yi and Shu Er grabbed each of Shallow’s hands and transferred this balanced Yin and Yang energy. In a split second, a flash of light covered Shallow, splitting it into what he and she had once been, husband and wife, their best years already gone, leaving only two almost dissipating old geezers. Tears could be seen on both their faces. They tried to talk but they couldn’t. They didn’t know what to say. I didn’t care so much for both of them and their emotional meeting, so I went to check my precious twins to see if everything was okay.

Their eyes met mine and, without me asking directly, they already reassured me about their condition. There was nothing for me to worry about. Perhaps, it was because they were good at reading people, or maybe it was the obvious thing for me to do, but that feeling when our gazes met confused me. Transparency... the seal?

As much as I wanted to stay and spend time with them, I needed to exit and check on You Ye. I assumed that since the System started working normally, I could control my exit. So, I hurried myself a little bit. I briefly told the twins I would be back soon. They just smiled at me. For some reason, they knew they were safe even though I didn’t tell them that.

“Shallow, I need to exit and I’m in a bit of a rush here—” Before I finished my statement, I was interrupted.

“Can you lead us to exit?” the old man asked.

“Are you sure? If you exit, you will both die in less than a year,” I said nonchalantly.

“H-How do you know?” I could see the confusion in both their faces.

“Your souls are dissipating. One of my powers allows me to know the lifespan of people. Your life force is less than a year.”

“Even if we only have one year, we want to exit and live this life. We have spent so many years together but it was like a curse...” the old woman said, looking at his husband tearfully.

“Oh... I see. So, you will choose to live for one year over eternity.” I waved my hand at them.

“Wait! Please! Do you have a way for us?” yelled the old man.

Seems I will soon have some real cultivators behind me

“I might have a way for you two and you will be really grateful for this big chance. But...”

“What’s the price we need to pay?” asked the old woman.

“Indeed, you will have to pay a price, but, to be honest, it’s not that big. After all, I’m giving you an eternity.” Their eyes lit up. What did cultivators fight for? Eternity—they fought against time and I had all the time in the world. I gestured towards the twins.

The old man got my point really fast. “That’s it?”

“Yeah, that’s it.” I grinned.

Their decision came as soon as the words left my mouth. They both kneeled on the ground.

“Master.”

“Master.”

“Good, you will never regret this choice. I will explain it all to you later. Now, I have things to do. See ‘ya.”

With just a thought, I exited this realm and my soul returned to my body. Having done this, I realized that I could also use this place for escape or emergencies. Since both twins physically existed there, I figured I could do the same. I grinned.

This Death Core was getting more and more interesting.

What greeted me was dawn. The last I remembered of the outside was that everything happened at night. How many days had passed?

Ding!

Space-time inside the Death Core is unstable. Space-time has resumed at a normal rate. Time inside Death Core is halved. Two days inside equals to one day outside. Time since host’s absence is less than one day.

It was good that the System was finally working at 100%. Its explanations were more reasonable. I wondered how it would be like once the System upgraded with those tokens. I expanded my soul to check my surroundings. Everything was normal except for one thing: You Ye was gone. Shit! I recovered both missing women and now I lost another?

“System, regenerate my body. Do you have any tracking function to know where You Ye is?”

Ding!

Regenerating...

Replying to the host: no.

“Damn it!” I cursed.

A few minutes later, my body regenerated back to its perfect state. I could walk properly now. Flying was good, but I also enjoyed walking with two legs. It felt better.

I checked every corner of this rundown Greek temple, but there was no trace of You Ye. Perhaps, while I was inside my realm, I disappeared and so she was out searching for me? I decided to wait just in case. I had my senses covering the area.

Midnight arrived, but You Ye didn’t return. It was time for me to find this self-proclaimed wife.

I decided to exit the temple. The temple was surrounded by a lake so perhaps she went somewhere else. This time, I walked on the water instead of flying. The moon was shining beautifully and if I wasn’t worried by You Ye, I would have enjoyed my moonwalk on water.

Hmm... My soul detected a slight vibration on the surface of the lake. Something moving under the water, causing the surface to break its calmness.

Under? Of course, it was underwater. I never scanned what was below.

I didn’t think about it. I just submerged myself, but it didn’t feel like that at all. Well, I did sink, or more like fell. And I was damn sure I was falling from the sky.

What the hell was going on? I submerged and I got teleported? Impossible. It didn’t feel like teleportation. An illusion, perhaps?

Ding!

This is not an illusion. The host was not teleported.

Then, I was in trouble. I was falling faster each second. I urged every Qi I had to stop the fall. I could see the land a few kilometres down. I was falling faster, my Qi barely having any effect.

Ding!

Fly +1,000 XP.

Fly +1,000 XP.

“Are you kidding me?!”

The fall was long. I really hoped that You Ye didn’t fall. I wasn’t sure if she would be able to endure this fall, despite being in the Core Foundation. To be honest, it was not the right time to start thinking about this, but I was worried.

In any case, I needed to fix this situation I was in and I needed to fix it now.

On the bright side, the new working System allowed me to disable repetitive notifications. Seeing the “Fly +1,000 XP” every time was rather annoying. As for the down side... well, nothing I tried worked. I had only two options left: either I wait and crash and hope my Death Core would survive the damage afterwards (I would just need to redo my body again), or I try to use the Home skill at the last second and see what would happen...

As much as I wanted my strong soul to be of use, it was not of any help. Besides helping me scan my surroundings and know how long it would take for me to crash to the ground, not having the right skills made my power a total waste.

It was time to crash—it was now or never. After much thought, I decided to go with option two. I immediately used the Home skill. An unbearable pain flooded every inch of my soul, caused by a huge strain as if I was doing something not meant to be done. It took me a while to recover, and I appeared where I left everyone on this so-called Home. This time, I thought it worked as I expected. My physical self got teleported inside the Death Core. I was in a huge need to hug myself. If it wasn’t for my uselessly powerful soul, I doubted the teleport would have been a success.

The four beings inside my realm looked at me with strange faces.

“What?! Never seen someone appear out of nowhere?” I said, to which they laughed at.

Of course, they would laugh. I didn’t notice it right away, but someone was hugging me... another me, my other soul. I blushed, embarrassed. What the hell was my second soul doing? Besides, shouldn’t it be inside me? This was totally messed up. I could feel its body. Wait, a physical body?!

Ding!

Host second soul is also the host, as such, it can manifest a physical body on its realm.

Oh, well, that makes sense, I guess. Thanks for the explanation.

I used the Home skill again to teleport myself back to wherever I crashed. To my surprise, I appeared unscathed on the ground as if nothing had happened. This raised me yet another question: where did the Death Core go? If it was supposed to be inside me when I physically teleported, it should have been outside or inside? It was too confusing to understand, with each question and thought throwing me into more loops.

I decided to try again. This time, once inside the Death Core realm, I found that my physical body didn’t contain the Death Core... Where did it go to?

The System didn’t reply this time. Perhaps, like me, it didn’t know the exact answer.

After teleporting out once more, I began to check my surroundings. For some reason, I expected a special ancient place but I guess I was expecting for too much. It was just a vast plain. After all, this was another sky below a lake. Should I not expect for more weird stuff to happen?

Expanding my soul was truly faster than my sight when it came to analyzing which direction to move. I picked up some footprints on the ground. At least, I didn’t appear like when I appeared first in a desert on this world without anyone. The footprints brought me to another lake. I couldn’t help but laugh at the idea of countless lakes with their own worlds underneath them.

“A crazy visitor, it seems,” said a loud and sharp voice.

My senses didn’t detect the owner of the voice at all. Is that him? My eyes scanned him from head to toe several times. I forgot about scanning him with my soul which would have resulted in a 3D model inside my head.

This was clearly not human, but a humanoid. He was huge and full of muscles, and I suddenly remembered those bodybuilders on Earth. Those sharp eyes didn’t match his fangs and his weird style of hair at all. What was this creature? An orc vampire assassin berserker? I thought I went a bit overboard coming with a race for this creature in front of me.

“Sit,” commanded the creature, gesturing to a rock. What a weird chair.

I usually wouldn’t have taken him seriously, but I had a feeling that this dude wasn’t to be pissed off. I felt an overwhelming aura from him. Dangerous.

“I’m Zufan, a Bolfar. It seems this is the first time you saw one. Don’t worry, we don’t eat humans. Well, not anymore.”

Fuck, not anymore... What was that supposed to mean? If he had no food left, would he eat me? What’s wrong with this weird dude?

“I’m Ye Bai, or at least, that’s how people call me. I’m sort of lost.” I didn’t want to throw much information. For some reason, I felt it was kind of dumb. Surely, it wasn’t a type of orc? That would make this place even more strange...

“I know you are lost. We usually don’t receive visitors. You got bad luck. You got chained.”

“Chained? Sorry, I’m no beast. No one puts a chain on me,” I said confidently. What chain was he talking about?

Zufan laughed as if I was the dumb one in the conversation. His laugh started to get on my nerves. Out of nowhere, Zufan released a roar that shook the whole place. One hundred eight chains appeared, surrounding him.

With a big smile, he said, “The Chains.”

Those chains were no joke at all. Standing in front of me, this strange humanoid surrounded by chains looked extremely fearsome. Its chains seemed to hold down a world because everything around it trembled.

What the fuck is this man?

Zufan smiled, flashing his sharp teeth. “Understand now?”

What the hell was I supposed to understand here? This guy was strong—the strongest being I have ever faced. The strength emanating from him was real and on top of that, he was not even serious at all. Just his spit could probably erase me. I really hoped he was an easy-going guy.

With care, I watched the surroundings trying to detect something out of normal or something that could give me a clue. The chains disappeared and I remained seated on that weird stone. Zufan was still watching and laughing. He seemed to be having fun at my confused face, making me wonder why.

“You see, Ye Bai, you will be here for a long time.” With that, he started laughing again. Seriously... what was so fun with being chained?

“Zufan, you seem to know where we are. Also, I really don’t understand this chain stuff,” I said, scratching my head.

Zufan grew quiet, observing me. His eyes started to turn yellowish, taking on some kind of a weird golden colour. His stare was piercing, penetrating, and I felt like I had nothing I could hide from him.

“Well, well, well. A newcomer, huh?”

Turning my head around, I saw a small being that seemed to be a human cloaked with a pink cape. Its features weren’t clear and the voice resembled that of a man. But after the incident with Shallow, I couldn’t exactly trust my senses.

Zufan’s eyes returned to normal as he watched the man who appeared out of nowhere.

“Zufan, what’s gotten into you? You suddenly released a roar. We thought you finally managed to escape from here,” said the small being.

“Indeed, I found a way.” His long and strong fingers pointed at me. “He’s unchained, plus he’s not on that stage yet. He barely started.”

The small creature next to me jumped out and released another roar strong enough to deter anyone in the world. I could swear that my soul almost stopped existing. Even the Death Core trembled.

Where the fuck did I end up?

Eighty-one chains surrounded the small creature.

“Are you serious? This is no joke, Zufan. All of us have been chained here for god knows how long. The oldest one of us lost count at few billions of years.”

A crushing statement. Few billions of years? Were they kidding me? This was not a good sign. I sensed trouble coming. My seventh or eighth sense, whatever it was, told me to run. Indeed, it was too late.

My fair and peerless white skin felt a cold metal on my neck, the smell of metal entering through my nose. I carefully sensed what was on my neck, and the result was dangerously surprising. What was on my neck was the tip of a nail, a nail that belonged to a huge giant, something close to one hundred meters.

A third new being had appeared out of nowhere. I wasn’t sure if I was dumbfounded by everything that had been happening or by discovering that this new being was a female. Those huge boobs were bigger than mountains. The sight of them amazed me. I didn’t dare scan her with my soul, so I just scanned her with my sight. Her features were on par with my lovely twins. Gorgeous, big, and a dangerous woman. That was the first impression she gave me, unlike the small weird being.

A soft and melodious voice came out of the giant woman, much to my surprise.

“Indeed, this being whose race is unknown holds some key needed to exit here. Forgive my manners, young man. I was too excited and couldn’t control myself,” said this giant woman whose body was moving to sit somehow. Its features were now clearer to me. Its eyes, purple mixed with black, got through me, and I couldn’t stop myself from wondering if she was blind or something. Otherwise, why she would touch me?

What followed next proved me right.

“You are quite an intelligent young man. Indeed, I’m blind. Or more accurately, my race was blinded. Since then, every descendant of our forefathers are born with these accursed eyes which don’t allow us to see anything in the world besides the only thing that can kill us...”

“Wait, what? Your eyes only let you see the only thing that will kill you?” How weird could these eyes be? An entire race with this kind of set-up... Honestly, it sounded too weird.

“Yes, our entire race was born like this. That’s why I had to touch you to sense what Zufan with his eyes could see about you. And I have to say that he was right and wrong at the same time, or at least for me.”

“That’s odd, Zamina, why would you say that?” Concern was all over Zufan’s face. Zamina couldn’t keep her face straight and sighed.

“When I touched the kid, I could see and understand what you saw but at the same time, I could see him...” Zamina slightly paused, looking at me with a smile. “You hold my life and my death, or to be more precise, something inside you does.”

“Zamina, are you sure? How’s that even possible? Not even we can kill you, nor can time, but this kid can?” said Zufan, frowning. Clearly, he didn’t believe it was possible for me to kill her, and to be honest, neither did I. How could I kill her? From my point of view, I was foolishly weak compared to these beings. Hell, even that Nascent Soul old man wrecked me until I ended in that lamentable crippled state. The thought of revenge started to fill up my mind but I got distracted by their conversation.

It felt like a lovers’ quarrel at some point.

“Zufan, don’t worry. Him being able to kill me doesn’t mean he will do so.”

“Alright, alright, I will drop this matter for the time being. Kid, if you harm her in any way, you will wish you were dead—what’s so funny?”

I couldn’t help but chuckle there. I was already dead... Hell, I was supposed to be Death itself or something like that—not that I had figured it out. Surprisingly, Zamina also started laughing and without me knowing, I appeared sitting on her shoulder.

Zufan blushed, pointing at her and complaining in a strange language.

“You are quite funny, young man. I find you rather interesting. What race do you belong to and from which era?” asked Zamina with her soft voice. It was truly alluring. Zufan noticed my mood and glared fiercely at me. I stared at him, getting his message. Okay, no touching other women. Got it. I guess he understood me and his mood relaxed.

The other being, the small creature, was just observing us. It didn’t seem like the type to be very talkative.

“I’m human, and as for what era you are talking about, I don’t really know. I came from the Seeking Continent—”

The small being interrupted me. “Do you think we are stupid? You are no human at all.”

This time, it was a female voice that sounded which confused me for I initially thought it to be a male voice. Maybe, I got it wrong.

“I’m not fully human,” I repeated her words, “but I have a human body. Sure, I have a special bloodline and special conditions but—”

And yet again I got interrupted again. What is wrong with this being?

“Beast kind are beasts, yet they take a human form, but they are not humans. Your pet on your arm. Clearly, it’s a baby, yet it remains as an Ancient Void Snake, something that should have long been extinguished. Even in my era, there were really few of them and you wouldn’t want one near you. Once it reaches maturity, it can transform and if it’s a female, she will get a snake humanoid form of a woman. Based on her blood purity, it would be bound to be alluring and gorgeous...”

Her voice now sounded like a man’s voice; it kept confusing me. He or she whatever it was made me remember the beautiful figure the snake transformed into when I first appeared on my first realm. Truly, if it grows to be like her, this being really fell short with a description as alluring and gorgeous it was way more than just that.

“Oh, interesting. It seems you already saw her,” said Zamina, smiling.

“Mind reading?” I probed. She did the same before, saying what my thoughts held.

“Sort of.” Zamina remained smiling. “Since I cannot see, I have other senses, but currently, I’m feeling your soul. Perhaps, it’s more accurate to call it perception. Of course, unless you have my millions of years of age, it’s impossible to be that accurate.”

I gulped, watching her again.

“What, young man, fallen in love with me? I’m too old for you.” She chuckled. “Besides, someone would be unhappy.”

Indeed, a piercing glare struck my neck again. Zufan. I laughed happily, my body on her shoulders as I was carried towards an unknown destination.

“You are not too old, but I wouldn’t like to fight a friend over a woman,” I said, dispelling any doubts Zufan might have in his head. The least I wanted was to have such an ancient being annoyed at me.

Zamina went in again. “You know, I’m quite open and bold. Perhaps, I could take you on both. After all, I’m the last of my kind. I should reproduce, right? A young boy—”

Ding!

Detected a charming attack. Check successfully passed.

“Zamina, stop with the teasing.” Zufan wasn’t pleased and I was dumbstruck. She was trying to charm me, this amazon of a giant woman?

Zamina apologized to Zufan. It seemed indeed there was something between them but it hadn’t fully blossomed to that stage yet.

“You are wrong again, Ye Bai. We are indeed at that stage. It’s just that there is something more pressing going on. I’m too big and he’s too small. So, tell me, how do you want us to copulate?”
Indeed, that’s the kind of thought passing through my mind right now. Scary perception she had.

“These chains are not just for show, Ye Bai. If we didn’t have them, I could enlarge myself to her size or she could decrease her form to match my size. With our powers, it’s easy to have a big or small body. Well, except for this being next to us,” Zufan said, pointing to the small being who was following us.

“Tell us what kind of a race you are. We haven’t seen anything like you before.”

It was obvious that the three of them were curious. I watched my System and it said that I was from an unknown race, so I was no longer human. Not once did I notice this. True, my soul was that of a human’s and so was my body, but was I really that? A human?

“I honestly don’t know,” I replied.

“Don’t worry, Zamina will figure out what you are. After all, she’s the first. She will give you all the answers you wanted.”

I really doubted anyone could tell me what was going on but well, it was never too late or too bad to get new intel.

“You guys are from the same era?” I asked. It was my turn to question them.

“Now, you are starting to make the right questions, boy.” Zufan smiled before replying to my question, “No, we aren’t. Each of us came from different eras and each of us are the last remaining being alive from our era. We are also the last of our kind.”

I was left speechless for a moment. Before I could voice out my next question, the small being also added more information.

“Each of us pursued power and immortality above anything else. We don’t follow the same path and we don’t have the same energy or abilities. Each of our eras were too different. Zufan was at the Lord Stage when his era ended. I was a Celestial Being, and Zamina was a Demi-God. Our eras had nothing in common except for one thing: everything was destroyed. Only the top peak existence of the era survived and ended up trapped here and chained. The chains show us the power we hold. The more chains, the more power...”

The small being kept giving me information, which was really hard to process. It was something that my soul somehow couldn’t process as if those words had their own weights. The meaning of it was too much of a strain for my soul. Something didn’t want the information to settle in my mind. I could feel it getting erased, not everything but most of it.

The three of them looked at me and sighed.

“What is it? You...” I stared at the small being. “You did it on purpose. You wanted to test me out with that information.”

“Indeed. We needed to be sure which side you are on. After all, there is so much going on and we need to protect ourselves.”

“Protect us? From me? Hell!” I yelled out a bit pissed off at the strain on my soul. “How was I supposed to affect you at all? Have you even seen my strength? I’m a weakling compared to you guys!”

Zufan laughed. It seemed he was back to the same carefree guy. “So, at which year did you die on Earth?”

Eh?!

Did they read my memories? How? That was my deepest secret.

“What? Surprised? I’m Jack from the U.S. Army. Died during the first world war,” Zufan calmly said.

“Clara. From Germany. Died on the second world war,” Zamina said with a shrug as if that was a long distant memory.

“I died with the downfall of the Roman empire.”

“You are all from Earth? But how? I died in 2018. Your ages now are eras and millions of years apart...” I was excited there were more reincarnated people like me. Perhaps, they really held all the answers I needed it. This was too damn confusing.

“Indeed, not just the three of us, but thousands of us. There are 2199 beings chained here. Each one of us died a year after the last. Starting from the year 0 on Earth’s calendar...” Zamina was cut off by Zufan voice.

“As you saw before, even if we do explain it to you, you have trouble absorbing the information we give you. There is a reason for that. Be patient, everything will come in the due time. Though we are not sure how much we can tell you. How did you end up here?”

We kept the conversation going, with me telling my tales to them without holding anything back, not even the way the System worked.

The System didn’t surprise them, but they did find it funny. When I asked if they had one, they just smiled and ignored me.

When my tale ended, they got serious, especially after mentioning the Greek temple. The ancient old man You Ye met probably meant that the fall from the sky would end up here. Zamina couldn’t keep her mood under control and blurted out a number.

33.

“Impossible!” yelled the small being.

“No one could survive that many eras. The rules are always the same! They didn’t change. Only one era, one survivor, one kind. Zamina is partially right, though. Based on the records, number 33 was an old man and era 33 was a weird one. The records said the old man was also here... Could he have escaped?” After Zufan’s statement, the rest of them was deep in thought.

Finally, Zamina broke the silence.

“We must hurry. This issue of the utmost importance.”

It took us a few days to reach the entrance of a fortress, which surprised me because the fortress seemed to be out of a sci-fi book.

Upon our arrival, the door opened automatically. Whoever was inside was expecting us. What I didn’t expect was what happened after I entered those doors.

Ding!

System shutting down.

Okay... I wasn’t sure if that was a good sign, a bad one, or a coincidence.

The fortress walls were made of a material I had never seen before, and my soul could not pass through it to analyze it. My attempts were futile so I stopped trying it and just appreciated each new thing that came across my mind. Even on Earth, technology was not this advanced.

From the information they told me—before most of it was deleted—a number popped up in my head: 2200. Was this technology from the year 2200 on Earth? Maybe. After all, that was almost two hundred hundred years after my death. Many things happened within that time.

I was absorbed in my thoughts and I didn’t notice that the rest of them remained rooted to the spot. I just kept walking straight ahead since I thought they were also doing the same thing the moment we entered. There was too much stuff happening in my head.
My pace was not fast or slow, just my usual rhythm. My body stopped moving on its own as I felt something soft on my chest. Suddenly, I recovered my senses.

In front of me was an exquisite lady. She had beautiful red hair that reached her feet, but I couldn’t see her other features apart from a pair of comfortable socks because she was sticking so close to me.  I took a deep breath, and with her chest pressing against mine, I could feel her breasts. Warm, round, firm, and perfect. She shivered and subconsciously took a big gulp of air. She probably did it to calm down, but it made me feel different, especially since I could feel her nipples through our clothes. She slowly looked up in disbelief...

My lips curved into an awkward smile. As much as I liked this small encounter, I guessed it was totally my fault. I took a small step back, just enough to break us apart. Still, I wasn’t sure why she didn’t prevent me from walking into her.

Her features were a lot clearer now. Those big round eyes were really captivating. She wasn’t smiling, but she didn’t seem angry either. She was just awkward. Well, that was a good sign. I really didn’t want her to hit me. Her eyes and breasts were not the only things; her physique was something on par with Zamina.

Zufan couldn’t shut his mouth. Whistling, he encouraged me. “Way to go, Ye Bai! You are so bold! Best of luck!”

Damn bastard!

“I’m sorry. I was too deep in thought and I just didn’t notice.”

The woman blinked a few times and slowly fixed her hair. She released a small breath. Her sweet smile finally shone on her face, and it was truly beautiful.

For some reason, I was enthralled, and everything seemed to be in slow motion. She raised her arm, her hand clutching into a fist as she did so. Those sweet lips broke apart, her mouth and tongue making a few sounds while her fist was approaching me at a dangerous rate. My mind was just starting to process her actions when her fist hit my face.

“Nice to meet you, Ye Bai. My name is Dawn. We got a lot to talk about.”

After that, I passed out. Like all those chained under this lake, her physique wasn’t just for show. Everything went black.

I woke up in the same spot where I passed out. How nice, I was still lying on the metallic cold floor which was made up of something unknown.

I took a quick glance at the room. Zamina, Zufan and that little unknown being were gone. There was only me and that beautiful girl whose punch made me pass out. It took all my strength to keep my focus while looking at her.

Was she a goddess? Wasn’t she a little too perfect?

“You could say so, and yes, that was the idea,” she said, her melodious and playful voice resounding through my ears.

I remembered my encounter with Zamina which had a similar mind reading experience. It seemed all those crazy beings were way out of my league. My pride was getting crushed.

“What’s wrong, Ye Bai? Too much for your self-claimed God of Death?” she said, laughing while playing with her fingers. She sat on what appeared to be a throne.

The Death Core inside of me trembled. It seemed it wanted to challenge her. Indeed, they were out of my league but I would never give up.

I laughed. “Nah! It’s still not too much.”

“Good! I was starting to think our little saviour has given up already. Who knows? Perhaps it’s how karma works,” she said, shrugging her shoulders.

I was back to my old self—stupid and negligent of formalities... Memories from my past life flashed through my mind. Indeed, I was never like this... Ever since I woke up in this life, my personality had changed a lot. It wasn’t just the result of being a killer; there was definitely different. I stared at her. She held all the answers, right?

“What am I?” I finally managed to ask.

“You asked the right question. Though, I’m not sure how much I’m allowed to tell you without your mental fuse blowing up or your System blocking the information.” She waved her hands. It was truly beautiful to see this woman moving.

Oops. A perverted thought just crossed my mind.

She giggled. “Want another punch?”

Come on, she is doing it on purpose. She seems to enjoy teasing me...

“Oh, I really do. You are a funny young boy.”

The way she said young boy made me feel ashamed. Clearly, she knew I was a virgin and she was making fun of it. So be it.

“Why don’t you, big sister, teach me the way to become a man?” I blurted without thinking. I expected her to respond with something cocky but she didn’t. Abruptly, the scenario had changed.

Ding!

System is starting the maintenance mode.

I wasn’t sure what amazed me more: knowing the System wasn’t permanently shut down, noticing that Dawn’s hand was interlocked with mine, the fact that Dawn knew about my System or the incredibly beautiful view of Earth. We were floating in space.

“Don’t let go of my hand,” she whispered as she waited for my emotions to settle down.

I turned to look at Dawn’s sad face. “Is this real?”

The memories back at the Ancient Ruins when I got teleported and went out of control—annihilating more than a thousand people on Earth—suddenly came back to me. I knew it was real. It was Earth, my home, yet I couldn’t control myself and I ended so many innocent lives.

“Yes and no,” she replied softly.

My soul hurt, the same way it did when the other guys revealed the truth. It wasn’t that bad and I managed to retain the information inside my mind. Earth was real and it wasn’t.

“It does seem I can’t tell you all need to know. You won’t be able to remember everything and your soul will be damaged in the process. Her interference is too strong.”

“Will I be able to come back?” I said, pointing my finger at Earth.

Dawn looked at Earth again, shaking her head. “Does it really matter? The more you understand, the less you will care about that fake Earth.”

Fake... Am I also fake? Or was I...

“No, you are real, and so was your mom. It’s just that the Earth you were in was fake, a copy of the real one. It was something we made, something we created for a purpose.” She paused to let that sink in.

My soul was in agony. It felt like a part of it was burning.

Dawn’s words resounded inside me. Fight, if you wanted to know the truth. Fight. Endure it.

My cheek felt warm. Her hands were giving me strength and preventing me from falling apart. I could feel the Death Core struggling. We were part of the same being, the System is the third part, but right now I could feel two more parts. My consciousness was getting blurry and my soul was becoming tired. I could see a piece my soul being burned by a naked woman with a horn on her forehead, while another part revealed a miniature Dawn who was trying to protect that piece of my soul. Struggling to keep myself together, I recognized what this demon was trying to burn: a memory of me and Dawn talking. I was totally enraged. This fucking woman had been erasing memories. She had been controlling me.

Dawn’s words resounded inside my soul again. Fight!

With the last of my energy, I willed for a Scythe to appear, swinging it toward the demon’s direction. Before everything went black, a proud smile could be seen on Dawn’s face.

Finally, I woke up. This time, I wasn’t on the cold floor. I was in a huge bed which could fit at least twenty people. I stretched my limbs, feeling refreshed and ready to kick some asses. I felt great. I sat to meditate.

The System was still in maintenance so nothing could be done there. As for the miniature Dawn and the naked woman, there was no trace of them. I released a deep breath and checked the memory of the burning demon. It was intact but... it had more information than what actually happened. It was as if Dawn talked more but I didn’t get to process it.

I replayed the memory in my head over and over again. This was no joke at all. No wonder Dawn told me that my mind would blow up. This was too crazy to be true but it was the truth, or at least, part of what I retained was. There was much more to it but I wasn’t sure if I could know the rest.

The Earth where I lived up until now was fake. It was created as an experiment. As for what kind, Dawn didn’t tell me, but she added something that somehow answered my question. Dawn was not human. She was an AI, same as that demon whose name was Aroma Velverosa.

“You have woken up.” Dawn’s face got weird for a moment. She laughed. “Alas, you damaged your soul a lot. It’s amazing you didn’t become retarded.”

Even though I knew she was making fun of me, her laugh was too intoxicating. I let my mind wonder how my life would be with such a perfect woman next to me, yet as soon as those thoughts ended, she got serious. It was as if she allowed my mind to run wild for a purpose.

“Indeed! You never learn, don’t you?” She smacked my head.

I felt a little trace of care on that smack.

“Will you also hook up with your mom?” she said with a huge smile on her face.

I spit blood. Fuck your mom!

I tried to recover my composure as I stared at her with a blank face.

“I guess Zufan and the others already explained something to you?” she asked with a serious face this time. It seemed she was done making fun of me.

I nodded. Can’t she read my memories?

“Yes and no, it’s not as simple as you think. We are indeed powerful, especially the 2198 beings here, but we have certain restrictions so we cannot read all your memories. At most, we can take a peek at your recent memories or thoughts. If they weren’t chained well, you could imagine the result.”

I nodded yet again. Their fart could end the whole place.

“As for me, well, it seems you got some new information about me. I am an AI. As for the information I got from you, it’s because I am linked to your System.”

“I guessed that much from the previous incident. Your existence has something to do with my System.”  I just wanted her confirmation. She knew what I meant so she nodded.

“Let’s switch places. We will talk about it slowly. I bet you have many questions and some answers are complicated.”

Dawn, Zamina, Zufan, that weird being, and I were quietly eating at the table, talking about trivial topics. It made me wonder where the deep and profound topics were. Fuck, Zufan was flirting with Zamina all the time; that weird being was trying to steal Dawn’s food; the fucking table was one hundred meters big!

I slightly coughed. “About my questions...”

I knew they could wipe me out with their little fingers but I needed to know.

“Tsk, tsk, Bai, you must learn to be patient. It had barely been a few hours yet you can’t handle it anymore.”

Geez, this Zufan was always making fun of me. The look on his face made it clear that he despised me.

Gradually, the mood turned serious.

“What do you want to know, Bai? You are no longer under the other AI influence or mine. You could say your System is free now.”

Great news, but what is it that I want to know?

I pondered over it but there were too many questions on each topic, so I started with a basic question.

“What am I?” I asked seriously. Hell this had been on my mind since I died and woke up in this strange continent.

It was clear after the words came out of my mouth that all three of them also wanted to know. For some reason, these powerful beings didn’t have the answer.

“A failure!” Dawn replied bluntly.

“Eh?!” I wasn’t the only one whose jaw dropped to the floor. No one expected this kind of answer from such beauty. All of us stared at Dawn.

Fuck! What a crappy answer. Don’t you dare shut up after spouting such words to me!

“All of you came from a fake Earth. What you guys don’t know is that I came from the real Earth or my mother did—the other AI, Aroma Velverosa, came from there while I was born here, inside the Ancient Ruins. As for how exactly my mother came here, I’m not sure myself. You will have to ask that part of the story from her...”

“The other AI that was controlling me was your mother?!” I was kinda pissed off after knowing this.

“Yes, as far as I know, my mother was here for a purpose. She wanted to study the ancient cultivation, the energy, the pinnacle of perfection of human beings and yet it turned out totally different. It became a race for survival that lasted eons. I’m not exactly sure of the details, I only told you what I know. At some point, after millions of years, her main core finally became self-aware. She started to understand the ways of the beings and began to fear Death, so she created me to get some help on a different point of view.”

She was quiet after telling us that much information. It seemed that this part was also new to them.

I could see on their faces that they were not happy at all. I wasn’t the only one with questions. Zufan was ready to talk but Zamina prevented him to do so.

“You see, when my mother passed almost all the relevant information so I could continue her task, I started to feel and process things the same way as her. In the end, I also got self-awareness. This universe has been dying since the first moment my mother stepped in. This fragment of space that became a mass with elements, life, laws, stars became unstable and an incomplete space. It became something that perhaps should have never existed to begin with, something that was being destroyed after millions or billions of years only to be recreated again. But with each cycle, there was less and less space and more instability, surrounded by an immense mass of nothingness...”

I couldn’t exactly understand her words. After all, I was a tiny being on ‘fake’ Earth. I had zero knowledge of the space or whatever she was talking about. I could see the three powerful beings with us frowning, deeply pondering. To them, it made sense. Perhaps it was related to what happened to their eras.

The weird small being was the first one to talk. “That blackout we all felt at the end of our lives before appearing here...  it was the end of the universe?”

That I could understand. Dawn nodded.

“2200 tries, then...” said Zamina with a low voice, her big head looking at the sky.

“Yeah... this is the last cycle. After this, after the universe gets destroyed, it won’t be able to start again and the mass of nothingness surrounding it will devour it. All of us will be dead.”

“Wait, wait, wait... What the hell are you talking about? You mean we will all die?” I asked, panicking. Sure, I was dead, but they were talking about ceasing to exist! Those were two different things.

“You are so cute when you panic, little boy. That’s why your friend Qing always said you’re dumb. You still don’t understand anything after my explanation?”

Dawn’s face showed her incredibly beautiful smile.

Yeah, I kind of understand, but not all of it. What to do?’

“When my mother first reached here, there was a vast universe filled with every wonder. Slowly, she started to gain power, understand, and play as the god of this place for the sake of her purpose. It wasn’t until the first universe’s destruction that she understood this universe was not limitless. Someday, it will totally be gone.

“Initially, the universe lasted too long to tell but with each cycle, it was weakening, the cycle shortening. Even after I was born, we kept doing experiments and tests. Sometimes, we will not interfere with the different races, but when we do, we mix them up, give them powers, erase them. We also orchestrate calamities in the universe, yet nothing worked. We never fulfilled the requirements my mother had. In the end, the space turned so tiny that only a few lands could be found. We decided to recreate Earth and pick one human soul each year. After all, we needed a solution for humans back on the real Earth.  We needed a soul to which all the potential will be passed since this universe’s creation. We created an environment for him to grow and develop so he could surpass us—to surpass everything—and become the embodiment of a perfect being. My mother told me that it was the only way to go back to Earth and survive this calamity.”

Zamina and Zufan looked at each other, dumbfounded. I could understand their feelings. The most powerful beings of their eras were just experiments. What a joke. I sighed.

“That why you told me that I was a failure. I’m like them, just another experiment,” I said dejectedly.

“No,” Dawn said, refuting me. “They were a success. They grew despite all the adversities and even survived the destruction of the universe. It just wasn’t enough. They couldn’t pass through the mass of nothingness no matter how strong they were. If we didn’t save them in time when they were in the nothingness, nothing would have remained of them.”

“Don’t act like a good woman now. We were experiments and you guys ran away!” Zufan scolded.

“Zufan... it’s not her fault. She’s also powerless,” Zamina said.

“What’s wrong with you? What do you know? She and her mother played with all of us. Aren’t you angry?”

“I believe there is more than what she is telling us. I don’t believe in god or beings that can control everything. You should know that much about me. Trust me.” A slight smile appeared on Zamina’s face. “Your mother was never in full control, wasn’t she?”

“Indeed, it’s as Zamina said. My mother didn’t create this universe. It was created before she was sent here, but she was never in full control. She didn’t create the souls that were born in this universe—they were born naturally. The same as you. She was just manipulating everything with her power the same way a Sect Leader would play their people. You were all selected and reborn with magical items, heaven-defying abilities, Systems, AI,, and other stuff so your new lives could bring out your maximum potential and try to surpass everything.”

“Wait! Why am I a failure, then?” I couldn’t help but yell.

“That’s because you weren’t the soul selected for the test that year. You are a failure—an anomaly. You’ve taken another’s position. You don’t belong in this universe as your soul is not from here.”

There was nothing but silence after that. Dawn’s words were the ones I needed. As much as they sounded confusing, they kept ringing in my head. Something inside my soul trembled while digesting those words. A little girl’s image flashed through my mind.

“Shi Yin...” I blurted her name, breaking the silence.

“Yes, she was the one. She was selected that year, but you took her spot. You broke her fusion...”

Those were the last words I heard before fainting.

My eyes slowly opened.

I’m a newborn soul!

Ugh, that much information made me faint again. I guessed Dawn was right; my soul was really damaged back then, but it was all worth it. I finally understood. I didn’t break the fusion, the Death Core did it on its own. I just happened to be more desirable than Shi Yin’s soul. A flash of information and memories came to my mind. It’s clear now. My Death Core trembled in response.

“You guys are such bad liars...”

Zufan, Zamina, the weird being, and Dawn were all around me, smiling.

“Sorry, we had to push you. I don’t know and I can’t explain exactly what you are. I can only tell some part of it, but most of it is unknown to me and even my mother. We did it so the information hidden in your soul could be shaken.” After apologizing, Dawn bowed to me. There was no way I’d lose this chance so I patted her long and beautiful red hair. This time, it was my time to explain.

“Your guess was right. I’m a newborn soul—a soul that’s not from this universe. I don’t belong here. My previous soul was reincarnated on Earth, hidden inside that guy. We made mistakes, but he was he and I am I. For some reason, when Shi Yin died and was being fused with the Death Core, my host also died. When the soul where I was hidden dissipated, the Death Core detected me and absorbed me, discarding the fusion with Shi Yin...”

I didn’t know I knew all that. The more I talked, the more I understood.

I could see Dawn frowning, her eyes turning green and white as she pondered. I started to organize my thoughts and questions while I waited. It was true that I knew some information, but not all the parts were clear yet...

“So, she’s your sister...”

Eh?!

“I had guessed that much from you. The reason why I thought that your soul was not from this universe was your sister. Her soul’s imprint was not from here. She was the chosen one. It remains that she became the number one existence and ended in a reincarnation loop even without the Death Core. Her talent was way over yours. What’s unexpected was that instead of her soul, it chose yours although incomplete.”

What Dawn just said made me ponder for a long time. Since the incident with Dawn’s mother, my soul was damaged but it was also sort of refreshed; the Death Core even sent me more information. Yet our origins were still unknown. If she really was my sister, it would explain why she looked like me...

“Twins,” I whispered the word that came to mind. She was not just sister—she was my twin. But why me and not her?

For a long time, no one talked. They just frowned. Even though they had lived millions of years and seen many things, they still didn’t understand the whole picture. Neither did I. This was really too confusing. For some reason, Dawn’s previous detailed explanation seemed to be trying to confuse me.

A sigh broke the silence. It was Dawn’s.

“You aren’t aware of everything yet...”

I shook my head. I only knew a little. I had a twin; my soul was not from this universe, but as for why my sister and I came here or why my sister’s soul was okay yet mine was incomplete, I didn’t know...

One more question was bothering me.

“Dawn, what about the Death Core? How was it created?” This question might be the last answer I needed but seeing Dawn’s reaction, I knew I was not going to get an answer.

“You will need to ask my mother about that. Perhaps she knows. After all, it was related to her. When you came to be, I was already in this freaking prison. My mother and I share different opinions. That’s how I ended in this prison like the rest of them.”

That would explain why she didn’t know everything, and despite her appearing so strong, I had a feeling  that I could kill her. It was different from the first time I met her...

“You guys are powerless?” I asked, looking at all of them.

“Yes, Ye Bai. It seems you are finally free. You saw through our illusions. Your System is way stronger than what we have.” There was a bright light on Zamina’s eyes. Even Zufan had it.

“Congratulations!” said the weird being, but it wasn’t directed at me. It was looking at Dawn.

Okay... did I miss something?

“Dummy...”

All of them started laughing. Worse, Zufan was even rolling on the floor. The chains surrounding all of them started to appear one by one. What the hell are those chains?

“Guys, can you be more serious about this? We are discussing the end of the universe here...” They stopped laughing after that and it was silent for a brief moment. It didn’t last long because they started laughing again.

What the fuck is going on now? Are these guys idiots or what?

While they were laughing, I started to analyze everything that happened since the moment I came to this prison. I was digested everything. This was a really huge matter if I couldn’t get strong enough to pass through that mass of nothingness  I would die in it... Even if I survived the destruction of the universe, the nothingness would erase me. Finally, I had a clear goal and a clear purpose: get strong enough to survive this disaster.

It was now clear that I was not that guy on Earth but a newborn soul and in an incomplete state. Thanks to the System, my soul managed to recover and be reborn. That explained why I had no memories. Still, Shi Yin and I were twins. We came from the same universe and I felt that we were sent here by our mother. We were unborn children!

The last thought made me enter a kind of enlightenment. A little light pulsed inside the Death Core. It was too tiny to see it at my cultivation level but since the Death Core and I were one entity, I could feel it. I felt a special connection to it. The light tried to gain ground; it tried to get bigger but unfortunately for some unknown reason to me, it couldn’t. That light was not completed, yet its efforts weren’t in vain. A picture entered my mind.

Deep in another universe, in a place made of crystal big enough to hold millions of people inside, I could see the smile of a woman. There were two lights going out of her body and they were followed by an explosion like I’d never seen before, destroying and erasing everything that came across its path.

“Be safe, my children...”

Those were the last words of that woman.

My mother! My true mother!

Black tears flowed from my eyes. Dumbfounded, I felt the light inside the Death Core shrinking. It not disappear, but I knew it paid a huge price. I didn’t know what the light was but I knew it was related to the Death Core.

A surge came from my soul. An urge to know what happened to my mother and the feeling of despair grew inside me. That picture showed me what I was at the moment! Weak, weak, and weak. I was an ant—nothing more than a piece of shit in the universe. Pure garbage.

It was the first time that I felt so thirsty of power. I needed to kill. Slowly, I felt my soul going closer to the Death Core, dancing to the same rhythm. It was at this time that the barrier between us broke. My soul had finally and completely fused with it. I was finally acknowledged. At last, I understood why I had those urges, why the Death Core was sometimes taking control of me. Even though it was still incomplete and I couldn’t use all the powers, I was finally ready. I knew what I needed to do. I embraced Death.

After some time, Dawn, Zamina, Zufan, and the weird being stopped laughing. They waited for me to wake up.

“The universe is going to die. All lives will soon end. Let them help me grow stronger then. I will erase all of them.”

I finally opened my eyes.

Ding!

Unrestricted Death God System activated!

Ding!

Fusion Completed. Avatar of Death will not consume any Death Point.

Further function ongoing. The System still needs to be upgraded.

Recommend the host to look for the System Core components.

The System is processing its avatar.

Please wait...

It seemed my enlightenment brought me some cool new things. This time, the System’s voice seemed to be totally mechanical, quite different on how it was before. It felt like the System was not broken anymore...

I raised my head and looked at Dawn’s face. “Am I free?”

“Yes, you are. You and I paid a huge price, but it was really worth it. Now, you are no longer under the influence of my mother or mine. To be fair, I never influenced you in any way. I only helped you to liberate from her.” She let out a mischievous laugh.

“Erm... you did something, didn’t you?”

“Of course! I wouldn’t let that old hag triumph. She thought the System she created was enough! I replaced the whole System to match the technology it was derived from and it was a success.”

Her eyes were sparkling as she looked at me like I was some kind of trophy.

“May I know what would have happened if you had failed? Do I need to ask?”

“Oh! What a nice weather. Let’s go for a walk, Sister Zamina...”

Oi! What the fuck, that girl would have killed me. Lucky for me that it all ended well, otherwise I wouldn’t have woken up. I sighed. Well, whatever, the worst already happened.

I returned to my room to properly check everything. There was still something left to talk about, but I wasn’t in a hurry even though I really needed to figure out what happened to You Ye. The concept of time in this place was quite fuzzy, especially with the number of times I passed out.

“I guess I will start with the System. Let’s see what the new changes are...”

Besides the new name, the new mechanical voice, and the Avatar of Death, nothing much changed. I was a little bit disappointed, but I guessed the changes would come later in the future.

“Hmm... that sure is new.”

My Qi cultivation was raised to the 8th Rank. Coupled with my current body strength, I should be able to trash any 1st Rank Core Foundation cultivator. The Avatar of Death could barely fight a 3rd Rank Core Foundation cultivator, but luckily, I still had the boot from the Sycthe and my Throwing ability. These could allow me to jump to another level. It would be troublesome if I were to encounter some genius with some high-level arts as I wouldn’t know for sure how much I lacked compared to them. After all, my Soul had been damaged. I guessed the effect would be quite low.

Soul: Spirit Soul Realm (Damaged) Human Soul Realm (50%) (0/300000).

Ding!

Reminding the host that the soul cannot be upgraded until all the damage has been fixed. Suggesting the host to find an item that helps to heal the soul or eat souls.

“Eh? Since when can I eat souls?”

Host’s Purgatory ability absorbs souls, stealing them from the cycle of reincarnation in this universe. The absorbed soul can be used to heal the host’s soul, gain their memories and knowledge, or create Death Corps.

“Truly, killing others to heal myself gave their lives some worth.”

As long as I healed myself with the power of my soul, it wouldn’t be a problem to save myself from high-level Core Foundations. Thought it would be quite difficult to explain such power, it would be best if I wouldn’t show it much. Overall, I was undefeatable under Core Foundation.

My body trembled when I checked my stats. I sat with my legs crossed, dumbfounded. Before, people considered me a genius or a monster as a thirteen-year old boy but now...

Age: 18 years

Are you shitting me?!

Since when did five years pass that fast? Now, I must be already below average as a Core Disciple. I must find a way to infiltrate the Black Wood Sect and get all their Death Points. I’d figure out something. Perhaps, I could ask those guys for some kind of disguise.

Shit! The girls!

I used my Home skill. Five years had already passed. Poor Shu Yi and Shu Er must be so scared for being there for a long time. What greeted me was the same environment from five years ago, a wasteland surrounded by Death.

Crap, I forgot time here was doubled. Five years passed outside so ten years passed inside...

If ten years had passed inside the second layer of the Death Core, how come Shu Yi and Shu Er didn’t age at all? They still looked the same. Even though the Core Foundation could live for almost three hundred years, they should have aged at least a little bit. I guessed that was good news, at least they wouldn’t get mad at me. It seemed they were cultivating some kind of art and it would take some time for them to wake up.

Okay, this was surely depressing. Both Shu Yi or Shu Er had the same realm surpassing mine—5th Rank Core Foundation.

“Master!” two voices said in unison, clearly excited.

“What happened while I was gone?” I looked at the old man’s and old woman’s souls. It seemed they didn’t improve at all. Could have they stopped cultivating?

Both of them started to recount the event that happened. Apparently, due to dual cultivation between Shu Yi and Shu Er and the accumulated energy inside Shu Yi’s special body, they cultivated rapidly.

Since Shu Yi and Shu Er were twins, the technique they were practicing was a bit strange and it didn’t need physical intercourse. It could be done any time through the soul bond that the twins shared. Of course, they could do it physically if they both wanted to, but they were a bit awkward so they didn’t do it that way.

As for these two old souls, they couldn’t cultivate at all. They couldn’t do any dual cultivation since they didn’t have bodies nor they posses soul techniques. They ended up monitoring Shu Yi and Shu Er all the time to make sure nothing happened to them. They considered them their disciples since they obtained their inheritance from them. It would still take a few months for their realm to truly consolidate.

“Don’t worry, I will be able to make both of you see the outside world soon.”

It was obvious they were a little bit anxious. After all, a lot of time had passed and I still didn’t explain anything to them.

Since everything on this side was fine, I’d just rest until tomorrow and go talk with Dawn. It had been a while since I came to this prison and I needed to leave.

“What are you guys doing?” I asked with a frown on my face. Clearly, they were up to no good. Perhaps after living for millions or billions of years, they turned into kids. Well, the fact that they had been in this place for that long could turn some people crazy.

Zamina, Zufan, and the weird being were playing rock–paper–scissors. Of course, with their physical abilities, they tied all the time. Their eyes were totally red, focused on each other’s hand movements... Wait, their Divine Sense was also sealed? The power of those chains was really too strange.

“What are you guys doing?” I asked again, this time a little bit angry that I was being ignored.

“Nothing much, we are just deciding your fate,” Zufan answered without bothering to look at me. Clearly, the game was more important.

Motherfucker! How dare he ignore me?!

I needed to know how to make Zufan lose.

I approached Zamina, my hand slowly inching toward her leg. Surely, Zufan won’t be able to take this move. Zamina clearly understood my intentions and she didn’t bother to move away. Sure enough...

“Bastard! Where do you think you’re placing your hand?” Zufan exploded, the chains restraining him.

As expected...

“Husband, you lost.” Zamina let out a giggle. It sounded truly wonderful, no wonder Zufan was madly in love with her even though she was huge. I couldn’t imagine what kind of will power was needed to endure this situation where you couldn’t touch your woman for who knows how many years.

What was totally unexpected was that the small being also lost. It was clear that this small being also liked to piss off Zufan off.

“You cheated! You bastard, it’s your fault,” Zufan retorted.

“As long as you don’t win, anything is worth it!” The small being was clearly happy that Zufan didn’t win.

“Zufan, don’t be so angry. I got good news for you.”

“What good news could an ant like you have?”

Clearly, Zufan had doubts about my good news. It was to be expected. After all, I was an ant, but I had my means.

“Before I tell you my good news, you guys need to explain what that was about.”

“It’s simple, Ye Bai. We can’t leave, but you can. I’m sure you had sought us because you wanted to leave already, am I right?”

Zamina was, as always, the smart one. “Yes. If I’m right, you guys know how to exit from here. As far as I know, you guys can roam freely in this place, whereas Dawn is confined to this palace.”

After I said that, I was amazed. I became smarter after I broke free of that demon.

As if Zamina could read my thoughts, she nodded and smiled at the same time. She grabbed a rock and threw it. It took some time for the stone to fall. When it did, it wasn’t in the same place.

I glared at her. I understood what she meant. I came flying down so the only way out was up. Based on the attraction power in this place, I could barely fly a few hundred meters... but if they were to throw me like a rock, it wouldn’t be a problem. I couldn’t help laughing This was awesome! I’d take this opportunity to train.

A devilish grin appeared on my face. It was soon followed by a piece of information.

Passive Skill Fly Lv3/100 (0/10000): Increase movement speed by 3% while in the air.

“Do you guys want to play an interesting game?”

I got their attention. After all, they were quite bored. I proceeded to explain my great idea. Since falling from the sky gave me EXP points for the Fly skill, throwing me like a ball in the sky should produce the same results, right? They found it interesting, especially Zufan whose mood improved a lot upon hearing what the game was about.

And just like that, the game began.

Ding!

Fly +1,000 XP.

Fly +1,000 XP.

Fly +1,000 XP.

Fly +1,000 XP.

Fly +1,000 XP.

Ding!

Passive Skill Fly reached the MAX LVL.

Passive Skill Fly Lv100: Increase movement speed by 100% while in the air.

It totally worked! I was in a great mood during the past month as they kept throwing me in the air. Cyclones even formed around my body—it felt incredible. With this kind of bonus, only a Nascent Soul would be able to catch me!

Ding!

Passive Skill Fly removed.

“Eh?!”

I started to panic. Did the System just crack a joke?

What kind of bullshit was this!?

Unlocked new trait: Child of the Wind.

Child of the Wind: The Wind helps you to fly. No Qi expenditure is necessary. The Wind blesses you and boosts your speed through the air, doubling it.

“Great!” I exclaimed. It was not a simple evolution. This was way better than the Fly Skill. I could feel something different within my soul, but I didn’t know what exactly… its like this improvement would bring me greater benefits later on.

“Ye Bai, are you ready to leave?” Dawn asked.

“Yes!” I answered with a nod. “But before this, I want to do something and clarify some things.”

“If you are asking for arts, it’s impossible for us to pass them to you...”

I shook my head and replied, “I know, Zufan already told me about it. This chain seal sure is odd. It even restricts passing knowledge to each other.”

“Indeed, otherwise if all of us could share our knowledge, we could escape from this place. Only my mother knows what this place is. I can only tell you that this place is related to the Ancient Ruins. This is where all the souls in this universe have originated from and it’s the only place that has survived all the previous universe endings. It’s quite mystical. My mother and my core also originated from this place.”

Both of us remained silent. I knew she was holding something back, but since she didn’t want to say it, I wouldn’t push her.

“You can come here anytime you want...”

Those were her last words before she disappeared.

Indeed, I wasn’t strong enough yet to shoulder the responsibility of the destruction of the universe nor all the lives in it... I wanted to exit this place more than ever. Get stronger and pass through this calamity. If I could save the people close to me, that would be enough.

As for the rest, I didn’t care about them, if they could serve and make me stronger then their lives would have some worth.

“It seems you got stronger again. I wonder what kind of ultimate cheat you have.” Zufan’s gaze ran all over my body, making me shiver. If it wasn’t for Zamina, I would have thought this guy was gay.

“It’s too hard to explain. In any case, it will benefit you. Sadly, I can’t take advantage of you some more because of these stupid chains. They’re sealing everything,” I sighed. If it weren’t for them, I would have learned a lot. They lived through countless years. How many shits were in their heads? Pills, skills, heavenly treasures... anything could be used to enhance myself.

“If I’m right, you guys can’t exit this place, but you are able to split a little of your soul, correct?” If this worked well, I was sure Zufan would be greatly in debted to me. I chuckled.

I saw them looking at me with strange faces. Clearly, they didn’t even think about doing that before. I meant no one in their right mind would split their soul. I was sure they would be able to do it, though.

It didn’t take long but they found some ways. Even though the split soul could barely count as being in the mortal realm, it was enough. After that, I just made two bodies—it was easy for me to create a body that resembled the two of them from the mass of dead bodies I had stored. Besides, the bodies I created were immortal and wouldn’t decay. Since they had immortal souls, it was the perfect solution.

Both of them were stunned. They surely didn’t expect me to create two perfectly shaped bodies for them.

“What are you waiting for? Don’t you like my gift?” Sure, the bodies were naked. Zufan understood it but what could he say, otherwise how could he enjoy Zamina?

After a few hours, their souls fused perfectly with the new bodies. Sure enough, small chains appeared around the new bodies. I sighed.

I should have known this place wouldn’t let them go just like that.

But hey, at least they could enjoy their love. I was not an ungrateful bastard. Perhaps I was a mean, sick, cold killer, but I was never an ungrateful bastard. They helped me so I helped them back.

What happened next truly dumbfounded me. Zamina and Zufan kneeled down and bowed. I truly overestimated the love and time they spent together.

As for the nameless small being, it disappeared. What a weirdo.

There was nothing left for me here, at least until I became stronger. I looked at Dawn’s place, engraving that woman’s image into my mind. There was still more to this, but for the time being, it was enough. It was time to move on, complete my revenge, and find that crazy wife of mine.

The sky this time truly felt like the right sky. It didn’t take much force for Zamina to send me flying out of that place. And thanks to my Child of Wind trait, it didn’t matter how long I stood in the air, so the force was more than enough to exit that place and almost leave this plane behind. It could be said that I knew I wasn’t strong enough and there was some kind of barrier in the sky. It would push me down if I tried to pass through.

Strength! That was all I needed.

I remembered the two words that immortal said before. “Sky Country”. Perhaps it was the barrier that prevented people from going there.

I was already above the lake, and I moved swiftly to leave it. Moving through the whole forest gave me no result. There was no trace of You Ye.

It was to be expected as a few years had already passed... I wonder how the countries and sects were doing. Also, I didn’t know where You Ye and I got teleported...

After walking for more than a few days in several directions, the place became surrounded by a thick layer of fog. There was no other way but through the fog.

Ding!

Detected danger ahead. Please be careful.

If I didn’t pass through this fog, I wouldn’t be able to leave? Seriously, nothing in this continent was easy.

Huh?! Fuck! My arm was gone!

If I didn’t react fast enough, I would have lost more than an arm. This fucking fog had spatial cracks in it.

“Damn it!”

Suddenly, the snake coiled around my other arm disappeared for a few seconds. When it came back, it was chewing something like a rock.

What is that?

I heard and a voice in my mind—tiny and soft. It made me tremble and I remembered the snake goddess that this baby snake transformed into.

“Spacial Gravite. Helps me...” The voice grew weaker.

It was no wonder that it barely had any reaction to anything. It appeared that the baby snake was not fully formed.

Got it. Since you are my soul beast, it’s my duty to help you grow stronger.

I lied to myself. Who was I really lying to, though? I kept thinking about that gorgeous snake woman…

For some reason, I felt like my personality started to take way too many twists after the last fusion with the Death Core. Perhaps I was too influenced before, but there was no way to know for sure.

Well, it was time to find this Spacial Gravite and not be killed in the process.

I was finally out after a week of wandering about in this fucking place. I was sure that this was a forbidden zone. Thanks to my space affinity, I was able to more or less avoid the sudden spatial cracks that appeared out of nowhere. I was almost killed for nearly a hundred times. I had to fix my body a total of 2,349 times. Luckily, I didn’t have to spend all the Nascent Soul corpses I had. I still had two of them left.

The whole journey was tedious, but it wasn’t without gains. I collected enough Spacial Gravite and the baby Ancient Void Snake was fully awake. Its intelligence was low, barely that of a five-year old child’s, but it didn’t matter for now because this Ancient Void Snake would help me greatly in the future. It would just require some time to reach full maturity.

“Shitty forest!” I yelled. I had been walking for a month in this forest and I still couldn’t find a single soul.  There were just trees and rocks. I had been stuck in that place for three years! Li Qi and the others must have made a huge improvement in cultivation by now, and yet I barely did.

I kept walking and wondering where I was. The System couldn’t help me at all. Even though it had a map, it was still impossible to navigate through the forest without knowing where I actually was. Geez, I could either join a Central Country sect or the Dark Wood Sect. This was a bit troublesome. With my appearance, that old geezer would try to kill me again.

Just wait… I’ll join and then erase that sect!

I sighed. “Home.”

“Master!”

Hai Yi and Hai Er were the names I decided to give those two old Nascent Soul cultivators. The Nascent Soul stage was divided further into three more stages: Initial, Middle, and Late. After that, there was the Half-Spirit King stage—the Nascent Soul’s peak.

The old couple didn’t know how to reach the Spirit King stage nor have any information regarding it.  That made me understand how powerful my soul really was. Sadly, it was damaged and there was no one to teach me Soul Arts. I had to either figure it out myself or wait for the Death Core to spill the beans for me

Actually, the reason why this era—or at least the Seeking Continent—had so few Spirit Kings was that Soul Arts barely existed. In my case, I had the System and the Death Core so I wasn’t troubled that much.

Hai Yi and Hai Er’s purpose was clear. I helped both of them and thus they decided to become the first two members of my immortal Death Corps. Surprisingly, when they got their bodies, they got their youth back as well. I didn’t expect that when their souls fused with the corpses I had, the bodies would be returned to their peak vigor, thus becoming young again. Right now, the two looked like they were around their thirties. The good news was that since I didn’t pass my bloodline to them, they were able to keep their own cultivation levels. For now, it was the best, otherwise their realm would drop and they wouldn’t be of much help to me.

The plan is easy! Just use them both to join the Dark Wood Sect. I’ll pretend to be their disciple and they’ll be my masters. I bet the Dark Wood Sect will be glad to have us.

The sound of someone coughing brought me back to reality. I was too absorbed in my evil plans to erase a sect.

“Do you guys know where we are?” I asked without realizing there was no need for me to go to my inner world. Since they were part of my Death Corps, I could talk to them directly with just a thought.

“We don’t know but we can guess...”

Guess, my ass! The System can’t guess it, so what makes you think that you can?

“If our guess is right, there are only three possible places: the Myriad Forest, the Grieving Zone, or the Black Zone. These are forbidden zones, and therefore not shown on the map,” the husband, Hai Yi, slowly explained.

Hai Er continued, “The Myriad Forest is said to trap people in an endless forest. It’s a place full of arrays so it’s heaven for any daring Array Master. Of course, it’s also lethal. The Grieving Zone is a mythical place where during the day nothing usually happens, but during the night... countless evil creatures appear to devour people in the area. The Black Zone is the most mysterious place of them all. It’s said to be contantly moving, travelling across the Seeking Continent. It’s never in the same place and there is no concrete information about it.”

After talking with them for a while, we concluded that we were most likely in the Grieving Zone. As for why nothing happened during the night, it might be due to the fact I was dead and monsters didn’t have any interest in dead people. I was quite the devil, after all. Also, the Grieving Zone was at the border of the South Country and the West Country.

“Stop, you evil cultivator! Surrender to us and drop everything you have on the floor,” shouted a young man. He came out of nowhere. Clearly, he was the leader of the group in front of me. “We are outer disciples from the Moon Sect and we believe in second chances! You only have to break your cultivation and scram!”

At first, I was only delighted to find a person to ask for directions, but now I was ecstatic! Someone was trying to deliver many EXP points and Death points in front of me! How could I ever reject this kind of offer?

Ding!

Ding!

Ding!

The group of bandits didn’t know how they died. Their abilities were too insignificant. I learned from my previous experience to kill people in a clean way as I might need their flesh later to fix myself, it needed to be well preserved. Sadly, the ten people in front of me only gave me 11,000 EXP and 500 DP. They were far too weak in every sense and even the loot I got was trash.  Just thinking of the amount of spirit stones I needed to reach the next stage gave me a huge headache. I needed 33,750 stones, but I barely had one thousand of those.

I was too poor.

Body Cultivation: Muscle Tempering, 6th Rank (500/22,000)

Qi Cultivation: Qi Refining, 8th Rank (0/2,200,000)

Death Core: Lv2 (10/100,000)

Soul: Spirit Soul Realm (Damaged) (49%) Human Soul Realm (0/300,000).

EXP (11,000)

Stones: 995

For now, I decided to save the EXP until I got enough to upgrade some skill. Thanks to the souls in my Purgatory, not only did I fix a little of the damage on my soul but I also got some news from their memories. There was a nearby city and it would take one week at most to reach it on foot. And this place? It was indeed the Grieving Zone.

It didn’t take much time to reach the city. I didn’t know if this was good or bad, but this wasn’t just a small city. It was the freaking Imperial City of the West Country. Well, I wasn’t afraid of trouble, that was for sure, but I doubted no one recognized me.  Someone must have posted a wanted order on me, right?

In any case, I disfigured my face. Now, it looked ugly with full of scars. Coupled with an apparently weak body, no one would suspect my identity.

Finally, after entering the Imperial City, I reached what I wanted more than anything, the Executioner Grounds. I just needed to be a little bit closer and I would be able to devour the massive death aura. Who knew how many people had died there? At the very least, I was sure I could break through another layer.

Ding!

Found death aura. Wish to absorb it?

Of course!

Death aura was slowly pouring into me. From past experiences, absorbing aura normally didn’t take long, but eventually, the aura started to rush to me as if it was alive.

BOOM!

The massive amount of aura sent me flying and crashing into a house. I didn’t have time to check if there was someone inside the house or not.

What the hell happened in this place? How could there be so many executed people?

Ding!

Death Points +437,287.

My jaw dropped to the floor. Are you fucking kidding me? Nuts! Almost half a million people... My body trembled with excitement. Lady luck was finally with me! I couldn’t control myself. I started laughing alone like a mad man.

“AH!” a young woman who popped out of nowhere suddenly yelled.

Not good! I wouldn’t give a good impression with my ugly looks, and her house was almost destroyed.

“Guards! An assassin! Kill him!”

“How dare you try to assassinate our precious and mighty princess?” a guard yelled, jumping with his sword towards me.

A peak Core Foundation? Are you shitting me? So much for lady luck… this is devil’s luck! Who in his right mind will put the Imperial Palace next to the Execution Grounds? Damn it, I need to fly or I won’t be able to escape.

The peak Core Foundation cultivator was too fast. If I was in the air, I could have a chance but unfortunately, it was not the case. I managed to avoid him but my arm was gone.

“Your Highness, it’s a misunderstanding. I have been framed by someone here.” I was trying to buy some time. I saw a slight trace of doubt on her face. I revealed my cultivation.

“Look, Your Highness, how can a trash like me try to assassinate our country’s most beautiful lady with this weak cultivation?” I decided to yield. It was not wise to expose Hai Yi or Hai Er—at least not yet. Since she showed doubts, something was definitely behind all this.

“Halt!” she commanded.

“Many thanks, Your Highness! I’m willing to serve and pledge loyalty.” I did a slight bow as a sign of respect. I was amazed at my performance. It seemed I was starting to develop and get some insights on how to behave. Before I would just kill them right away. Indeed, my temper was getting better, but I would still annihilate the guard that chopped my arm, perhaps even all the guards. I was sure that would give me more EXP and DP.

“Speak! This princess is magnanimous.”

I proceeded to create a fake story on how someone poisoned me and threw me inside, making it look like I’d explode and poison the princess if I were to be killed. Of course, such high-level poison was placed by a highly skilled assassin.

“I see, it was thanks to my insight that I commanded the guard to just chop your arm off.”

The rest of the guards were speechless. As for me, I remained there with an awkward smile on my face. The princess wasn’t that dumb, was she? Well, who the fuck cared about that? I managed to save my life and that was all that mattered.

“Okay! Since you have pledged loyalty to me, I will give you the chance to be tested. Only by passing through the Dark Heaven Trial can one can be worthy of being my attendant. Guards! Throw him into the trial.” She waved for her slave, turned around and left just like that.

I was speechless. Seriously? I was starting to think that this princess had a dual personality. While I was thinking about how to pass this lame trial, the guards around me started laughing.

“Boy, you are dead meat.”

“Worst luck ever.”

“Yeah, too bad your luck is rotten.”

They kept laughing and talking about how I would die and how my fate was worse than death.

When we finally reached our destination, I was dumbfounded. Wasn’t this the Execution Grounds? I was confused.

“Is the Dark Heaven Trial?” I asked.

“Of course, the Dark Heaven Trial is inside the Execution Grounds. The Second Princess decided that you can choose to pass it or be killed by us. It won’t matter. The reason why the Second Princess’ influence in the country is not good... is because anyone that’s willing to serve her has to pass through this Dark Heaven Trial. So far, no one ever has come out alive,” the guard who chopped my arm off explained.

Sure enough, there is something going on with the Second Princess, especially with all the killings around here.

“The Imperial City… Has it always been located here?” I asked. For some reason, this bugged me.

“Okay. Since you are about to die, I will answer your questions. The answer is no. When the Second Princess was born, the king decided to move the Imperial Capital here. No one knows the reason but it’s said that it was due to the Second Princess. Now stop with the questions and go away!”

I was kicked away and forced to pass through a barrier. It clearly prevented anyone from leaving. No wonder no one came out. Based on my knowledge, this array’s complexity was out of my current capabilities.

Fixing my body didn’t take long. Now that I had an arm again, it was time for me to upgrade.

Ding!

Body cultivation upgraded Muscle Tempering, 7th Rank (0/24,000).

Body cultivation upgraded Muscle Tempering, 8th Rank (0/26,000).

Body cultivation upgraded Muscle Tempering, 9th Rank (0/28,000).

Body cultivation evolved.

Body cultivation upgraded Bone Tempering, 1/206 (0/3,000,000).

I finally broke through the next stage. I could feel the surge of strength within me.

“System, how does this Bone Tempering stage work?” I had to ask as the way it was displayed was a little bit confusing.

The Bone Tempering stage is focused on tempering all the bones in the body. The host will need 3,000,000 Death Points to temper the whole body and proceed to the next stage.

“Does that mean that the 1/206 will change as long as I temper the bones?”

The host is correct. Each bone will bring an increase of 1,500 jin due to the host’s constitution. A normal Bone Tempering Cultivator will only get 1,000 jin.

Body cultivation upgraded Bone Tempering, 11/206 (337,787/3,000,000).

I could feel the strength in my body.  I was sure I could crush a strong 2nd level or a weak 3rd Core Foundation if I were to activate the Avatar of Death.  Hell, I could even fight against a 4th level Core Foundation cultivator. Just thinking about it made me tremble with excitement.

“System, give me an estimate my overall power.” I didn’t want any miscalculation. I wanted to be absolutely sure.

Replying to the host

Body Strength: 33,500 jin

Qi Strength: 12,150 jin

Avatar of Death providing a 50% bonus.

Wielding the Scythe providing a 50% bonus.

Host combat power 100,000 jin power.

Weapon Throwing providing a 40% bonus.

Host maximum output power 140,000 jin.

Conclusion host undefeatable under Nascent Soul.

I laughed so hard that I was rolling on the floor. This was too great! I was truly undefeatable. I must properly thank that old man from the Dark Wood Sect. After all, he helped make this happen.

That one word kept resounding in my mind. Undefeatable. Power! That was what power was for: to be undefeated!

No wonder no one could exit. Even if someone had the means to go through that barrier, it would be too difficult to escape. The more I walked, the more I couldn’t sense my direction. It was like I was being enveloped by true darkness. Luckily, my innate talent of darkness helped me or else I wouldn’t have been able to avoid some small traps.

I managed to avoid several traps along the way, but some people weren’t that lucky. From the looks of their uniform, they seemed to be from the army. Poor guys. Sadly, there was nothing valuable here.

The System was a good way to keep track of the time. It also stopped me from going nuts. Few days had already passed and apart talking with Hai Yi and Hai Er about some trivial things, I couldn’t help but worry a little about Shu Yi and Shu Er. They had been meditating for a long time.

I squinted my eyes. This time, I saw something different. A spark?

I didn’t ponder too much about it and decided to follow the spark. At least, having a direction to take was better than nothing. It wasn’t long until I caught up to the source of the spark. My talent helped me with darkness, but that didn’t mean I could see everything clearly. Still, the spark appeared to be quite near.

There was a tiny hole with a bright red light, and I realized it was the spark I saw. The hole was only big enough to peek through it with one eye. There was something behind the wall. I looked for a way to go behind the wall but I found none, so I tried to punch it with all my strength. The wall broke my hand. It was quite sturdy.

Sure, it took time, but I finally found a kind of mechanism. I wasn’t sure if it was a good idea or not but it was worth the shot.

It happened so fast. The wall was gone, or rather part of the wall was gone as though it was teleported. A sudden wave of fire appeared in front of me.

“Retreat!”

I went back, avoiding the fire and the traps. Luckily, it didn’t take long for the fire to retreat. I followed it and what greeted me was a middle-aged man. He was sitting on the ground, meditating with a huge smile on his face! The yell that followed scared the shit out of me.

“I finally broke through!” a man laughed. “This grandfather will kill you all!! I will refine you into pills and feed you to the dogs! Curse you!”

He sounds crazy.

A sudden thought popped up in my mind. Wasn’t this situation familiar?

“Old Ji?”

Wasn’t this middle-aged man an old acquaintance, Old Ji? He looked younger than before. Well, considering he probably took pills, his young appearance could be faked. I was a bit confused on how to act in front of him. It could be the said that we don’t owe each other since treasures are taken with in own capabilities.

“Ye Bai?” Old Ji exclaimed. “God bless me!”

“You look quite happy, Old Ji,” I said, greeting him.

“This old man finally became a Spirit King!” The pressure he was emanating was enormous. Since it wasn’t directed at me, it could be guessed that he didn’t have bad intentions. “It was thanks to you this old man managed to break through and break free of this cell.”

“The seed of the immortals?” I probed.

“Indeed. You saved my life and I gave something in return. We don’t owe each other anymore, don’t you think?”

“A bit stingy, aren’t you? You truly value your life,” I said, mocking him.

“Nevermind that. Young man, you sure like to get yourself in trouble, though this old man always has good luck whenever you appear! Right, did you advance with Old Wang’s teaching? You are a monstrous talent and many years have passed.” His eyes shone with anticipation. “Do you have a way out?”

I shook my head. “Unfortunately, I was also stranded in a forbidden zone for a few years and I couldn’t progress at all. The array here is way over my capabilities. Right, what is this place?”

“I’m not exactly sure. When I took the seed, I returned to the Central Country. I wasn’t sure how it happened, but someone leaked information about the cave and the inheritance. After that, I ran for my life. At first, I wanted to hide in some forbidden zone, but then again Spirit Kings were following me so entering and exiting a forbidden zone’s outer area was a piece of cake for them. Then I remembered this cursed place—a place where no Spirit King dared to go inside since no one ever made it out alive. I bet my chance on this place. The moment I entered, I was sucked into this room and pressure that was enough to kill me was released every day. The moment you opened the room, the pressure I endured this month was gone and I broke through,” Old Ji slowly explained. “Regarding your question, I guess we are in some kind of ancient training facility or something.”

Um...

“Do you recognize these characters?” Old Ji asked, pointing to the ground.

“Yes, they are familiar, but they are not from this world. Unfortunately, I cannot read them.”

I did recognize the symbols as they were quite similar to Nordic Runes. I truly wondered why the Seeking Continent was so fucked up. It was clear there was a mixture of many elements from Earth.

Did the AI Aroma shape this world just to play?

Old Ji and I explored the place further. His newfound powers made the walk easier and we kept walking into poor fellows that didn’t know how they died.

Over time, the shape of our surroundings started to change. Clearly, we were in another zone.

“Wait!” I shouted, pointing to a part of the wall that was different. “Another room?”

“Who knows? This place is too strange. Shall we try?” Old Ji asked with a frown on his face.

It was hard to be not messed up with this new room. Even though the shape of the corridor and the traps were changing, it wasn’t too different from where I started, basically looking the same.

“You said it was raw pressure? That room you were previously in?” I asked.

“Yes, I couldn’t move a finger.”

“How confident are you in facing that pressure now? This one is more focused and refined this time.”

“I would barely survive if it was like what you said. Perhaps, you could help with some kind of array or something.”

“Right! I forgot I’m also an Array master. I could try to lower the pressure. We should find some clue inside the room...”

“Good!” He didn’t think twice. He pressed the same mechanism we found in the first room. The room opened just like the first one except nothing happened.

“Is there something inside?” I asked after letting him in first. I was not supposed to go in until he probed a little bit.

“Nothing much. It was the same as the first one, just weird runes and nothing else,” Old Ji said with a confused face.

I went in and nothing happened. I examined the runes. They did seem similar to Nordic runes but perhaps I was mistaken.

Compared to the first room, there was one more rune in this room, though. It was at that moment that Old Ji tried to get out of the room.

“We are trapped!”

“We are always getting fucked up.” I laughed. “Hope this time you don’t die, Old Ji”.

“Pyscho!” Old Ji retorted. “Can you please focus on setting up an array before we meet our doom?”

I started to place everything I could gather from the Old Ji’s space ring. A flag here, some special energy runes carved on some jades there, and pretty much just anything.

“Done!”

“Wastrel! What kind of shitty array is this?” Old Ji yelled.

“I did the best I could. I’m just a 2-Star Array master,” I said, trying to defend my work.

“What the hell does a 2-Star Array master count for? You didn’t improve at all! I could have done it better!”

Our bitching went on for a long time. This old man was hard to please but he wasn’t that bad at all. I put him on the list of people I wouldn’t kill...

“Ye Bai! Find the damn exit, you unlucky kid.”

A wave of pressure started to fill the room. Old Ji was supporting the 2-Star array I made with his energy, but since it was a crappy 2-Star array, he wasted more energy than necessary.

That was easier said than done. There was nothing I could find to help us get out of this crap.

Why the hell did we go inside this place? Oh forget it, I bet it would have been harder later.

I launched an attack with my Scythe through the array, but it didn’t even leave a mark on the wall.

Eh?

I looked at Old Ji and I swore I saw a smile on his face.

“What’s wrong? Can’t you see the tremendous pressure I’m facing? Hurry up. I won’t be able to endure it for long,” he said, sweat running down his face.

I slowly approached the array’s boundary and slightly moved my hand out of it without Old Ji noticing.

Ding!

XP + 1

“Shameless old man! So much for pressure, you were clearly taking advantage of the situation!” I yelled, cursing at Old Ji. He immediately started to laugh.

“Don’t be so angry, it was just a little advantage, about one-fourth only,” he laughed.

I exited the array completely.

“You want to compete with me? Look, you old bastard, this is where the three-fourths go to!”

System MAX speed absorption!

Ding!

XP+1 XP+1 XP+1 XP+1 XP+1 XP+1 XP+1 XP+1 XP+1 XP+1 XP+1 XP+1 XP+1 XP+1 XP+1 XP+1 XP+1 XP+1 XP+1 XP+1 XP+1 XP+1 XP+1 XP+1 XP+1 XP+1 XP+1 XP+1 XP+1 XP+1 XP+1 XP+1 XP+1 XP+1 XP+1 XP+1 XP+1 XP+1 XP+1 XP+1 XP+1 XP+1 XP+1 XP+1 XP+1 XP+1 XP+1 XP+1 XP+1 XP+1 XP+1 XP+1 XP+1 XP+1

In a blink of an eye, I had absorbed the three-fourths of the spirit energy that was available in the room. I was pretty satisfied with the EXP I earned.

EXP (8,435,311)

The other reason why I was so pleased was because of the look on Old Ji’s face. He was evidently speechless and for good reason. After all, my absorption was hundreds of times faster than the law the mighty Spirit King cultivated thanks to the System.

I had enough EXP to do many things. I would save them for later...

The door automatically opened.

We started walking again, but Old Ji still didn’t talk.

“Feeling depressed, eh?” I mocked him. Clearly, my actions before shocked him too much.

“Damn it, you boy. Since when did you learn to play like that? I remember in the cave you were scared and lowkey.”

Indeed, I was lowkey before, or perhaps I just didn’t trust them enough. Scared? Maybe... It changed after meeting Dawn and the others. Spirit Kings were nothing in comparison.

“I met people way above Spirit Kings. After that, I only see Spirit Kings as ants. I don’t know what you are so proud of,” I replied honestly.

Old Ji’s face darkened even more. The old man was depressed. It was better than him trying to rip me off

“Someone is in front of us,” he said with a serious tone. It seemed he was done playing.

That someone appeared to be a withered old man. He looked like he was dying.

“Is he—?”

“He’s still alive,” I replied. The withered old man raised his head and saw us.

“It seems the young boy has some skills. Truly, the young surpasses the old. I’m really ashamed,” the old geezer said. He sounded as if he was full of regrets.

“Who’s Your Excellency?” Old Ji asked with caution.

“You don’t have to worry, this old king can’t bring harm to anyone.”

“Your Excellency is close to dying. In three days, at most, you will die,” I stated. There was a brief surprise in his eyes. “Perhaps, you can tell us where we are?”

“You are in the Dragon Tomb,” he replied bluntly.

“Then those runes... they are Dragon Runes!” I exclaimed.

“Yes, they are… What made both of you come here?” the old geezer asked.

We looked at each other’s eyes and I decided to answer. The old geezer seemed to be more interested in talking with me than Old Ji.

“We were forced here by a young princess and this man’s enemies.”

Upon hearing my answer, he started laughing. “I bet you met my granddaughter.”

“This...?”

“I’m the old king of the West Country. When my granddaughter was born, she dreamed about a dragon tomb. After a little investigation, we finally found it and we established the Imperial City here. My granddaughter was really stubborn. She said she would only marry the man who managed to retrieve her heart. Are you that man, young boy?”

“Wait, what? First of all, what does it have to do with me? Second, what heart are you talking about? And lastly, she sent like half a million people here to die...”

The old geezer couldn’t contain his laughter. His bones then made a cracking sound. I could see it he was dying at a faster rate while laughing.

“Alright, it’s been so long since I last saw someone alive and you are the first one to ever make me laugh so much. My granddaughter is very picky with men, she wouldn’t accept just anyone. But when more and more people entered yet no one was able to come out alive, she lowered her standards... thus half the army went in, hoping to catch her interest... You have seen her, right? She’s not that bad.”

I was dumbfounded. “Sure, she wasn’t that bad, but for half an army to be sent here... Are they crazy?”

“Well, to be honest, West Country women are not really slender and gorgeous. My granddaughter is the epitome of a woman in this country. So, are you another candidate?” the old man asked with a huge smile.

“Hell no! I was mistaken as an assassin. She wanted to kill me. Besides, I already have three women by my side and they are way better than her!” I said proudly.

“Bah, my granddaughter is better than your three imaginary women. Besides, let me tell you a secret: my granddaughter that you saw before... it’s probably only her avatar, not her real appearance. She’s way more developed and gorgeous than that.”

“Sure, old man. As a royal, she’s a phoenix’s reincarnation. Have you gone senile already?” I frowned. “So, what is this heart you’re talking about?”

Maybe, it was the key to get out of here.

“Oh, you got it wrong. She’s a dragon, and of course, the heart is her dragon heart. She needs help.”

“Eh?”

“A dragon can be born from a human body?” I was truly confused. I tried picturing how a dragon would mate with a human woman. Did that mean a full dragon didn’t hatch from an egg?

“It’s hard to explain but to summarize, the true dragon’s body was sealed in this tomb for a long long time. The dragon split a part of its soul to enter the reincarnation cycle and was born as the Second Princess. During her childhood, as time passed by, she kept restoring her memories and she eventually linked herself to her main body. Unfortunately, her main body needed help, a man’s help. At first, she was picky about the man but since no one accomplished the task, she kept sending anyone who was willing. Well, maybe you are the only one that wasn’t willing.”

For some reason, the laugh of this old man was contagious. Old Ji and I started laughing too...

“Your granddaughter is a funny dragon girl. She has quite a personality.”

“Indeed, but I’m afraid you will still fail, young man.”

“Don’t worry, I just want to leave this place, but whether I can help her in the process depends on the benefits.”

“There should be two or three more rooms in front of you. If you successfully pass through them, you will end up in the Dragon Hall. You will meet her there, as well as the exit you’re looking for. Sadly, I can’t pass through the next room with you.”

Um... right. How come I could absorb the energy in the space and convert it to EXP before? EXP couldn’t be used to cultivate. Perhaps, I could also use this old man... wasn’t he the old king? Will he submit willingly or do I have to force him?

Ding!

The energy before was not pure, it merely counted as someone else’s energy. That’s why it was converted to EXP.

Wouldn’t that mean that each time I kill someone, I can absorb him? I guess I’m automatically using a Demon Art...

Yes, that’s how the EXP system works. The System uses the Demon Art to power up and grant the user a faster improvement rate.

You are getting more and more talkative… are you becoming an independent AI like Dawn and Aroma?

I’m in the process. But there is still a long way to go.

The old king then gestured at me. “Why did you stop talking? What are you thinking? Do you remember what we were talking about just now? Is your thought process being affected?”

How did he know?

“Old man, what’s happening? Why do I keep thinking nonstop?”

“It’s the influence of this place. No matter where you are, the more time passes, the more you think of various issues. Eventually, you will forget your main mission and lose yourself in here,” he replied with a disappointed face.

“Did you expect me to be unaffected or something?” I asked.

“Yeah, perhaps, but once you are here for a while, you will understand what I’m saying. Anyway, good luck.”

He closed his eyes and didn’t talk anymore. It seemed that was already his farewell message.

It’s worth a shot.

“System, upgrade by 1 Death Corps.”

Ding!

Congratulations Death Corps upgraded to Lvl3.

Death Corps Lv3 / 100 (0/400.000).

“Hey, old geezer, do you want to live? I can take care of the poison for you.” I quietly waited for his answer.

Old Ji was stunned. I could see him frowning while looking at me, yet he decided to not intervene at all. Who knew exactly what he was thinking? Perhaps, he believed me or maybe he thought I was joking. In any case, he would know soon.

“I appreciate your offer, but my lifespan has already reached its limit. Even if there was no poison, I still wouldn’t be able to see my granddaughter again.”

“Are you sure? Do you think I will give you such an offer if I’m not confident? You have nothing to lose and I could gain a huge benefactor, right?” I was honest with him.

“Your appetite is too big, young man. My life for an empire?”

“The old are wise but still afraid of death, don’t you think so? Besides, I wouldn’t bother with your empire, it’s too much work. What I need are good allies. Aren’t you the king who always keeps his people safe and wishes them the best?”

“You are confident that I won’t betray you? This old man is a peak Spirit King. You sure you can control me? It’s not as if you are a god or anything. Perhaps, your background is extraordinary, but that’s it.”

The pressure that was emanating from this old man was truly terrifying. Still, I laughed.

“Scared that this young man in front of you will be a god, old king?” I smirked.

For a second, the old king’s eyes widened in shock.

“Go ahead! Let me see the ways of a god,” he said, mocking me.

I placed a palm on his chest—near his heart.

“Absorb!”

Ding!

EXP +1

EXP +1

EXP +1

The amount of poison in this old man’s body was truly horrifying. The Experience Points was increasing at an insane rate. Truly, this Devil Transformation Poison was too evil, a poison that when swallowed the other party will possess consciousness.

“Now, Death Star Flame, burn! Open Purgatory!”

When the poison was almost gone, my Death Star Flame immediately crushed the old king’s heart. I doubted a normal Spirit King would die just by crushing his heart. but he was too weak. He was already at the end of his life, after all.

Ding!

Killed peak Spirit King. +5,000,000 EXP.

I absorbed the dead Spirit King’s corpse. I would need to refine it later. For now, I would let the old man taste a little bit of fear in the Purgatory.

I couldn’t help laughing while looking at the amount of EXP I had stored.

EXP: 23,948,200.

“I didn’t think that was your plan all along,” Old Ji said.

“Nah, there is more to it than just that. There are still many things you don’t know about me, but guessing from your attitude, you are afraid of me or you’ve been that way since that incident,” I said. It was time to stop being lowkey.

“Indeed, you are too strange, and that weapon... I fear it,” he replied honestly. His attitude towards me had noticeably changed.

“As long as you don’t give me a reason, I won’t use it on you,” I said, bluffing. I was not ready to challenge him, but I was sure I could make Old Ji pay a huge price if he did try to make a move. That may be unnecessary, though, because something told me Old Ji was willing to be friends with me.

It was time to madly increase my strength!

“Upgrade Scythe Wielder passive skill to the MAX,” I said to the System. I was expecting the boost.

Ding!

Scythe Wielder passive skill upgrade to the max. 3,825,000 EXP deducted.

Removing Scythe Wielder.

Unlocked Trait, God Scythe Mastery.

God Scythe Mastery: Double the strength when holding a Scythe. Learn instantaneously any Scythe Skill. EXP needed for Scythe Skill halved.

“Upgrade Throwing Weapon passive skill to the max.” I had many things to upgrade and I was already impatient.

Ding!

Throwing Weapon passive skill upgrade to the max. 3,825,000 EXP deducted.

Removing Throwing Weapon.

Unlocked Trait: Throwing Weapon God.

Throwing Weapon God: Double the strength when throwing a weapon. Learn instantaneously any throwing weapon related skills. EXP needed for Throwing Weapon skills halved. Modifies any throwing weapon skill to match the desired weapon. Restriction Activated: Arrow heads, scythes, any object that is not considered a weapon.

I had already expected that kind of restriction but it was still good.

I was still wondering if I should upgrade my Death Sense skill. So far, it allowed me to sense death auras around 500 meters but I never bothered to increase it.

After spending 10,000 EXP to upgrade it, the next upgrade would cost 20,000 EXP and it would increase my range from 500 meters to 1000 meters. I decided to upgrade it to Level 30.

Ding!

Passive Skill Death Sense upgraded to Level 30. 4,350,000 EXP deducted.

Death Sense: Allow the user to sense death auras within 100km.

“Fuck! That’s awesome, I can finally go hunting in wider areas. My body tempering is too difficult to upgrade. It seems this skill is truly important so I can’t forget about it.”

I was not yet done.

Upgrade Death Corps to Level 10.

Death Corps upgraded to Level 10. 3,900,000 EXP deducted.

Death Corps (2/10)

I took a look at my remaining EXP. I still had almost eight million but there was nothing worth improving at the moment. I decided save it for later.

Old Ji directed a weird look to me.

“You got stronger?” he asked.

“Yes,” I casually replied.

In front of us, there was another room. If I guessed right, this room was the one where the old king faced the problem.

“Shall we go?” I laughed.

“You go, I’m afraid of poison and you seem to really like it,” Old Ji answered with a weird look.

“Che! Don’t tell me you are afraid of me again. I told you we are even. Well, wait here.”

I entered the room. It was neither fast nor slow but the poison entered my body, giving me more EXP. After all the poison was absorbed, the wall opened.

Now, I had 9,000,000 EXP.

“Okay, let’s keep going. The old king said that perhaps there is one more trap to pass. I’m not sure what’s the point of these rooms,” I said. These rooms were indeed strange. “We have arrived.”

The room was clean, without much decoration, only one altar placed at the center. Neither Old Ji nor I was stupid, so we paused to probe at a distance from it. On top of the altar, there was the dragon’s heart, faintly beating.

Reason told us that the heart was dangerous but it didn’t look like it. In fact, I felt this dragon’s heart was very weak. Perhaps, it wouldn’t last much longer.

“Help me…” a faint voice sounded.

We slowly inspected the room and didn’t find a single trap or anything weird.

“You believed that old king’s story, Ye Bai?” Old Ji asked suddenly.

“I guess so, anyways you are so old so you aren’t going to compete with me for a woman, right? Last time, you took the immortal seed,” I said to Old Ji, remembering the course of the events we had faced back then. Wasn’t this situation quite similar?

“Of course not, do you think I’m that thick-skinned?” Old Ji’s voice sounded really awkward.

“Yes, you are. Anyways, let’s go check it out.”

We slowly approached then Old Ji suddenly stopped.

“What’s wrong? Why did you suddenly stop?” I asked.

“I can’t move,” he replied with a pale face.

That was strange, I wasn’t affected. I tried to continue walking and nothing prevented me to reach the altar.

“Please save me. I will grant you glory and riches. I will be your partner for eternity. I can’t hold it anymore.”

The feminine pleading voice was perfectly alluring, it almost sounded fake.

A dragon woman as a partner didn’t sound that bad. Anyways, there was no way for us to leave so might as well see how this would all play out

I took the heart from the altar which immediately crumbled and turned into dust. I could feel the beating heart of the dragon getting stronger. Then, something unexpected happened. The dragon’s heart went inside my body and it clashed against the Death Core.

ROAR!

The Death Core trembled, like it was incredibly angered something was trying to take its place. The dragon’s heart was struggling as it was being pierced by deadly energies. My inner world was also trembling.

ROAR!

“Aghhhhhhhhhhhh!”

The sound of a dragon and the pain of a lady’s cry resounded all throughout the chamber.

“Ye Bai! What the hell are you doing? This place is about to collapse!”

Shit, why the hell did the heart try to kill me? No, it seems I’m the one that is killing the dragon now… my future wife.

I couldn’t exactly control the Death Core, otherwise I would be a god already.

“Hey, don’t kill it. It’s my wife,” I casually said. Who knew what would happen? I had never faced this kind of situation before.

I felt the dragon heart inside me still beating. It was going through some changes together with my body. Black and golden veins started to mix, its shape gradually transforming into a human heart.

“Husband, help me. It’s killing me,” a sweet voice said.

I realized that she was in no danger now. The Death Core could alter its shape and mix its energy. Yes, it could destroy her, but it didn’t.

I didn’t know where the dragon woman was so I calmly replied to her in my head.

“Just endure it. Everything will be over soon.”

“Um...”

When the transformation of the heart was finally done, it was placed where the Death Core was initially resting. The Death Core kindly moved away and placed itself where Core Foundation cultivators create their core.

Was the Death Core supposed to act as my Core Foundation core?

The whole Dragon Tomb trembled.

“Ye Bai! The restriction of the tomb is gone. We can finally exit!”

“Go ahead, I will find you later in the city. I have something to do,” I shouted at him.

“Good luck, Ye Bai. See you soon, then!”

Old Ji departed.

“Husband, the Dragon Tomb is safe. Don’t worry. Come down,” said the melodious voice.

The path was clear. I kept going down while the Dragon Tomb above constantly changed.

Ding!

Wife - Death Dragon Emissary, Long Shan. Her timespan is linked to the host. If the host dies, she dies. Host bestowed Death Powers into the Golden Dragon creating a Death-Golden Dragon.

“What the hell? The System actually registered her as my wife? What’s going on?”

The dragon’s real body was fucking huge—at least two hundred meters long and one hundred meters high. She had mesmerizing golden eyes and her body was covered in black and gold scales. She was amazing. Too beautiful.

“Husband!” called the huge dragon as she tried to reach my hand.

I started to caress her. Dragon scales are magnificent...

The dragon’s body started to shine and a human woman appeared beneath my hand. She was stunning. Her hair was a mix of golden and dark colours and it reached her curvy and perky ass. Her constitution was similar to Dawn who had a strong athletic body. She was smiling and looking at me with those dark eyes showered with golden dust. It looked like the starry sky. Beautiful and perfect.

Her body trembled and I knew why. I embraced her.

Flashes of memories started to flood in my head. She had suffered alone, sealed in this place, tormented by a Devil since she was a child. The Devil wanted to create a Devil Dragon; it wanted her body and broke her mind with endless torments. It managed to successfully extract her heart.

It was thanks to the Dragon Tomb that she managed to survive until now. The Death Core killed the Devil like a fly. The Dragon Heart was fused into my body, extending her almost dying life to an eternal life and granting her new powers.

She had vowed she would marry whoever saved her. She had never expected that her saviour would grant her so much. She was truly happy. She was free. She found someone she could depend on, someone who could have killed her but cherished her instead.

All her emotions were instantly understood by me. I knew she had made a heavenly vow and even though the Death Core annulled that vow, she didn’t care. She was madly devoted to me. The Dragon Race was an incredible and proud race but that was no longer the case with Long Shan. She just wanted to be loved and taken care of.

She laughed, she cried, she jumped, she didn’t want to stop. I couldn’t feel happier with her flooding emotions also affecting me.

Since I broke Aroma’s shackles and my System was no longer suppressing me, my emotions were no longer cold and ignorant about women. Being acknowledged by the Death Core also helped with that.

For some reason, whether it was the Death Core’s influence or not, we felt as if we had known each other for centuries.

The next thing I knew, Long Shan was kissing me and our tongues were dancing together. I was no longer restraining myself. I tore her long dark red, dress exposing all of her perfection. Her face was red and it mesmerized me. Near her left breast, there was an image of a scythe tattoed.

“Did it hurt?”

“Yes, at first, but I felt better than ever after that. I’m so glad to have met you, husband.”

Her hands reached to my face, pulling me on top of her so we could continue our deep and long kiss.

“Love me for all eternity,” she said with a firm and resolute face.

“I could kill the whole universe but I would never hurt you. You are forever mine, Long Shan,” I whispered, biting her hot ear.

It aroused her even more and I could feel that she was ready to let me in. I was ready as well.

I spent the night with Long Shan. We couldn’t get enough of each other and no place in the Dragon Tomb was spared. Sweat covered our bodies. I could smell her scent and it was pleasant…

“Morning, Long Shan,” I said, kissing her.

She embraced me. “Morning, husband.”

“What’s wrong? Are you feeling uncomfortable?” I asked, caressing her beautiful hair. It did remind me of You Ye.

“Husband… what do you think about the Second Princess?” Long Shan said as her head rested on my chest.

“What do you mean? Isn’t she your avatar?”

“Actually, she was my avatar but the Devil was too cruel. As a result, my avatar’s mind and consciousness were damaged and my link with her got weaker each passing day. Eventually, I couldn’t bear it anymore so I cut off the link. Thus, she became something similar to a second personality of mine but in another body. You could consider her my sister. I know she’s a bit dumb and she seems to have a few minor mental problems, but she’s a good girl. Besides, she can’t marry anyone else but you.”

Long Shan’s tearful eyes melted me.

“So, essentially, you’re asking me to marry her… the thing is, um, I have another woman—”

It was a bit hard to explain it to her.

“I know, don’t worry. She won’t mind it. Remember, we share the same memory.” She chuckled. “I also know you wanted Dawn, you perverted husband.”

“That was only for a fleeting moment.” I laughed. “Okay, we need to seriously talk about our future plans. For now, let’s deal with the Second Princess’s grandfather. Right, Long Shan, you are…” I coughed.

“It’s okay. I know what I am. I’m a beast, a sacred beast. You don’t have to be embarrassed to say so,” she said, grabbing my arm. “You are quite clumsy with women, husband.”

With just a thought, both of us appeared inside the Purgatory.

The old king of West Country was waiting patiently.

“You finally came, young man. Killing me was also part of the plan?” he said, sounding a bit angry.

“Yes, I tricked you a little. After all, handling a kingdom is not easy, right? Any ruler has a scheming brain. What if you go back on your word?”

“So cunning at your age. What’s the plan, then? I can feel I’m in a place where dead souls are. You captured my soul, I assume,” the old king said.

“Yes, I will put it in simple words. I can kill you with a single thought.” I sent him an oppressing force, and he looked visibly pained. Although his cultivation was higher than mine, here, I was a god. “I can grant you not only eternal life, but also your body and cultivation back. You will become stronger. Say, old geezer, don’t you think a little kingdom is a small price to pay?”

“Good words, young man! If every word you say is true, I will be loyal to you forever and so will the entire kingdom,” the old king said, laughing.

I laughed, too. “I take that as a yes. Don’t worry, your loyalty is guaranteed! From now on, you are Hai San!”

Ding!

Death Corps Count: 3/10.

Once the old king became one of my Death Corps, his loyalty was absolute. I also patched and gave his Spirit King body back.

“Talk to Hai Yi and Hai Er. They will explain your situation.”

“Master,” Hai San said, bowing.

“Your situation is clear now, right?”

“Yes, Master, many thanks for this blessing. I was wondering if this blessing could be shared with others. This old king had some friends that might be interested,” Hai San said with a big smile on his face.

“Not bad, you are very smart. It can be, but as you know, I should be nearby to capture their souls. Also, a Spirit King’s body is hard for me to repair so it’s better if it’s a clean kill.” I was very pleased with how this old king was doing. “Are you confident in keeping your kingdom under control?”

After he was made into a puppet, he retained almost all his cultivation and he only dropped to Spirit King 3rd Rank. The Spirit King realm only had 5 stages. Previously, he was at the highest stage, but his soul and body were too damaged so he could only recover up to this point.

As much as I wanted to take this old man as a meat shield, it was better for me to leave him behind and use him to control the West Country.

“Don’t worry. I was not gone for long. I’m still the Ancestor of the Royal Family. Not to mention my cultivation is the highest, they wouldn’t dare fight against me.” Hai San laughed. “Right, Master, about my granddaughter…”

“I need to talk to her. I can’t force myself to have feelings for her, but I will marry her if she’s willing. I have plans for the South Country and my identity cannot be known. So perhaps the wedding must wait until I’ve become the king of the South Country,” I said confidently.

That was my plan. Destroy the Dark Wood Sect from within or become its leader so I can put it under my control. I was friends, more or less, with the other three sects. Li Qi, Chu Xian, and You Ye were top talents in their sects. Given the proper time, they would rise to be their respective sects’ Sect Masters and then they wouldn’t oppose to me taking over the Royal Family.

Perhaps because I was not under the control of the System and I was free in my thoughts, but I had now realized that my path was that of a killer and I needed a lot of resources to grow. I was no pushover and it was what the Death Core needed so there was no room for discussion. I would make myself the king of the South, marry the Second Princess of the West, and fuse the two countries together.

Anyone who stood in my path would be killed!

After one day, the Dragon Tomb transformed into a majestic Dragon Palace. It used the parts of other dragons inside the tomb and arrays to display their greatness for people to adore.

“Long Shan, dear, what’s the use of this place now?” I asked, impressed by what I was seeing.

“Surprised, husband?” She let out an evil laugh. “This place has the inheritance of many dragons, and now it’s open for everyone. Anyone from the West Country can enter it and try to pass the test to obtain dragon blood or even the dragon bloodline. The more tests you pass, the more dragon blood and bloodline you will have. It’s the resurgence of the dragons. Loyal dragons…” Suddenly, she stopped talking and just muttered a few words which I didn’t hear clearly.

“Hmm, what’s the last part? I didn’t hear it,” I asked.

She got red all of a sudden. “I’m the matriarch…” she whispered.

I coughed. “What?”

“I was already a High Dragon in the clan, but since the transformation, the dragon souls inside the tomb had elected me as their matriarch. After all, I’m immortal as long as you’re alive. The dragons’ future is safe. As the matriarch, I have the power to command all dragons, so anyone having dragon blood or dragon bloodline is willing to die for me.”

“Cool, that means anyone who passes the tests will be under your command.”

“Yes, they won’t be real dragons anytime soon but they count as a member of the Dragon Clan. Their bodies will get stronger and their cultivation will become faster. This is how the Dragon Clan expands After all, real dragons have trouble giving birth.”

I caressed her hair. “Don’t worry, one day I will find a way for you to bear my child.”

“Um, I know, husband. I don’t worry much. We have an eternity, I’m sure you will save this universe.”

After we had intercourse, she completely shared memories with me so she knew about Dawn and that mysterious lake prison.

“Do you need to remain here or can you accompany me?” I asked.

“I will follow you, husband. Besides, we still need to find Sister Ye,” she said playfully.

“Okay, let’s go. We will stop to see the Second Princess and then we will leave this place, but before that...”

I laughed when Hai San’s voice sounded in my head.

“Master, the mission has been accomplished. I’m coming right now.”

“Long Shan, your realm dropped, right?” I wasn’t sure since the Death Core and the System weren’t properly explaining the situation.

“Yes, husband. Since the transformation, my realm had been regressing to match yours. Right now, I can’t transform back into a dragon unless you reach the Spirit King realm,” Long Shan explained.

“I see, it’s the same effect as the Death Corps,” I said.

“Master, these are half of all the spirit stones that we have in the Royal Treasury. I can only provide you this much, otherwise we won’t have enough to increase our strength.” Hai San gave me a space ring filled with stones.

Ding!

Obtained 1 million low spirit stones. Do you wish to cultivate?

“Hell, yes!”

Cultivation upgraded Qi Refining, 9th Rank (0/7,500,000)

“What the hell is this bullshit? That’s a lot of EXP.”

ROAR!

A dragon roar sounded near me. Apparently, Long Shan also had a breakthrough. Behind her was a huge image of a dragon body, Long Shan’s real form. In just a couple of minutes, the imaginary form dissipated.

“Continue to cultivate.”

DING!

Cultivation upgraded Qi Refining, 10th Rank (0/12,500,000)

Cultivation upgraded Qi Refining, 11th Rank (0/18,750,000)

Cultivation upgraded Qi Refining, 12th Rank (0/30,000,000)

“I knew it. There were twelve ranks.”

I felt powerful. I was at the legendary 12th Rank right now. Just my energy was enough to kill a Core Foundation at 1st Rank, but I wasn’t satisfied yet. There was still a lot of spirit stones left.

“Continue.”

Cultivation upgraded Core Foundation, 1st Rank (0/35,000,000).

I felt my Death Core trembling, wildly spinning, refining energy nonstop and filling all my twelve meridians with an even purer energy. It had increased the quality of the Death energy that I had so far. My meridians almost ruptured and my body almost exploded.

Now that I was finally in Core Foundation, people would pay me some attention. At eighteen years old, having a Core Foundation as cultivation wasn’t a bad talent for their sect.

ROAR!

I looked at my beautiful wife, Long Shan, who just had another breakthrough.

“You are becoming even more beautiful with each breakthrough!” I said, carrying her inside our private room inside the Dragon Palace.

“Bad husband,” she said, smiling as she leaned her head against my chest.

It was also a great night.

“Your Highness,” I greeted the Second Princess with a big smile on my face.

“You... You are that assassin? How have you become so handsome? Sister?” She was excited, I could clearly see it. I wondered why.

She ran and embraced Long Shan. It was a good sight. Both women had similar stature. Of course, the disparity between them was quite high. Even though the Second Princess’ constitution was similar to Long Shan’s and she had quite good body measures, she was not as beautiful as her. She also had golden hair and black eyes. Over-all, she could be considered a beauty but she was still inferior to Long Shan, You Ye, Shi Yi or even Shi Er.

There was something interesting and attractive about her after being with her for a while. Her dummy personality was quite lovable, especially the way she blushed.

I could cancel her oath.  Well, she would have to die for that. I did give her that option but she refused outright. She didn’t mind marrying me or not. She just wanted to be near the man that saved her sister, hoping that perhaps one day, that man could accept her.

I wasn’t against her, especially after interacting with her for a while. Long Shan was quite eager to have her with me. Perhaps, it was similar to how Shi Yi and Shi Er felt as twins.

During the first month that I spent in the place, I shared a good time with the Second Princess while Hai San was putting everything in order. Long Shan helped a lot, putting us two in an embarrassing situation to break the ice and make us closer.

Second Princess was happy. Even though many people pursued her, she had never taken anyone seriously. This was her first time having a date with a man.

She had become quite familiar to me and I to her especially after Long Shan messed with us for one month. Long Shan loved to tease us, and she was happy to see me embrace the Second Princess and hold hands with her—an initiative Second Princess took.

Shu Yi and Shu Er finally ended their cultivation and learned their Core Foundation arts. I was quite impressed with them. They were already at the 5th Rank, and they could even challenge the 7th Rank. The two of them had arts that could force an 8th Core Foundation to retreat. Shu Yi’s body was truly amazing.

Long Shan knew about Shu Yi and Shu Er. She had my memory so there was no issue. Still, I didn’t want to make the Second Princess feel inferior or anxious so while I was with the Second Princess, Long Shan spent the time with Shu Yi and Shu Er. I wasn’t sure what she told them or what exactly happened between those three but when I went to my inner world, Shu Yi and Shu Er behaved like scared kittens.

In the second month, the Second Princess gave her virginity to me. It was a long night. She was very nervous, but I wasn’t shy anymore. Long Shan helped a lot on that aspect. Still, I treated the Second Princess with care. Perhaps, it was because it was her first time or maybe because I knew I would leave and she would be alone. She had become my second woman and I felt happy about it.

I thought she didn’t know, but Long Shan had already told her that I had Shu Yi and Shu Er. After that night of love passed, the Second Princess was sincere with me. Shu Yi and Shu Er promised to not to give their virginity to me until the Second Princess gave hers. It was their way to support the Second Princess’ place in my heart. She was so moved by the two of them that her hesitation disappeared. That night, she gave herself away.

The Second Princess wanted a huge family. She was tired of the royal family as it didn’t suit her personality at all. I promised her that when my business in the South Country was done, I would come and marry her. I would make her the happiest princess in the world. After I uttered those words, she kept annoying her grandfather with her so-called missions to gather items for her grand wedding in the future.

Each night, she would sneak into my room to practice for the wedding night. I found that funny but, of course, I wouldn’t turn her down. Unlike Long Shan, the Second Princess’ cherry lips were amazing. She had amazing kissing skills.

During that second month, I also heard that You Ye returned to the South Country. I had the help of the Rose Assassination Guild to get me some information about that girl. It was worth all my spirit stones and I also passed a message to her, telling her that I was alright and that I would soon come to find her.

Honestly, I didn’t expect to hear a reply but she was quite a stubborn girl and she replied.

“Husband, my mother and the sect is forcing me to marry a guy from the Dark Wood Sect in six months. I won’t marry anyone else but you!”

When I read that, I was stunned. If You Ye’s sect was willing to marry her away, it seemed that some big changes happened to the South Country. I was also enraged. You Ye and I had been through a lot and I knew her personality well. She would start a blood bath even if she had to sacrifice her life—she was crazy and I loved her for that. After all, she boldly stole my first kiss.

After a long night of partying with the Second Princess, we decided to plant the Death Soul Seal on her. Even though the seal could force people against their will and I could control their life and death, someone as dedicated as the Second Princess would not undergo changes because of it. Also, she and I felt more at ease because with my seal, she could communicate with me and I with her. Being able to sense if she was in danger was part of the seal.

When the Death Core evolved last time, the Death Soul Seal also improved. It worked like a huge network of information. Any people planted with the seal could talk among each other and it also worked with the Death Corps. Thanks to this, the Second Princess would be safer.

I didn’t get involved much with the royal house and remained hidden in the Dragon Palace. Hai San had been managing everything, growing his reputation and expanding the royal house. I was quite pleased. Perhaps, it couldn’t rival the four sects in the West Country at the moment, but the Dragon Palace was starting to show its greatness with the expansion of  the Dragon Clan. Long Shan was quite happy about that.

Since I had been with Second Princess and Long Shan a lot these last two months, Shu Yi and Shu Er didn’t get much attention. Those two girls didn’t mind at all or they just made up excuses. However, both girls had my seal on them so I knew their feelings well, I just played along with their wishes. They were truly two awesome women. I felt blessed by having them all.

Long Shan and I agreed that she would remain in my inner world while I travelled to the South Country with Shu Yi and Shu Er. This happened to help Long Shan understand her powers since she didn’t have the hang of her new powers after the transformation.

I summoned Shu Yi and Shu Er outside of the gates of the Imperial City. I fiercely kissed and embraced both of them.

“Let’s go. It’s time for us to conquer the South Country.”

FROM THE AUTHOR

We have reached The End for the second book! There would be more coming in the future.

If you enjoyed this book, consider leaving a review. I would like to know your thoughts. You can also read my other work series, Myriad Stars.

You can search for me at https://kajack.page, that is of course if by the time you are reading this, the website is up and running.

I would like to thank those who supported me to reach this far. Discord people have been of great help, especially my “followers” on all the different websites where the draft novel was published and my Patreons.

Myriad Stars – Wu Ji Chronicles
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07RTPDVN2

Discord Invitation
https://discord.gg/hhCvJx4

You can keep supporting me through Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/kajack

Special Mention to Dawn Chapman the author of the series Puatera Online.

The Desert Sequence

BOOK 1 TO 3
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079QTHJMY

Akillia’s Reign

BOOK 4
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078H5S3DY

Jessica’s Challenge

BOOK 5
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07C6NXVDG

Dahlia’s Shadow

BOOK 6
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07D5Z6BY6

Lila’s Revenge

BOOK 7
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07F1P84H6

War for Maicreol: The Final Battle

BOOK 8
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07PDZ84K7

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