The Canglan Continent.
In front of the Cliff of Northern Desolation, the most perilous of the three great forbidden lands, a young man with black hair and dark eyes leaned against a massive boulder. He was drenched in blood, his chest heaving violently. Within seconds, a pool of crimson had gathered at his feet—a stark sign that he was at the end of his rope, his life force nearly extinguished.
If not for the boulder supporting him, he would have collapsed long ago.
Before him, a sea of people swarmed the horizon, sealing off the very sky. The elite forces of the entire Canglan Continent had gathered here. Ancient monsters from the strongest sects had emerged, and even legendary figures rumored to have passed away long ago stood atop the peak. Any one of them possessed the power to shake the world.
And they had only one target: Ye Lingyun, the Nether Demon Emperor, one of the ten Great Emperors whose name made everyone tremble in fear.
Whoever could take him down would ascend to the heavens overnight, gaining power, status, treasures, and divine favor!
"Ye Lingyun! Surrender peacefully and stop this futile struggle! You have fallen into demonhood. Hand over the Exquisite Pagoda, let us cripple your cultivation, and return with us for judgment! Perhaps then, we might spare your life!" Roars erupted from the crowd, voices shaking the mountains with self-righteous fury.
Ye Lingyun looked up and sneered, his eyes filled with supreme irony.
"Bah! You hypocritical bastards! You're nothing but fools being used as tools by that old dog, Mo Xuanye!"
"Besides, there is only one Exquisite Pagoda. There are hundreds of you—who gets it? How will you divide the prize?"
As the words fell, the crowd stiffened. A mix of awkwardness, anger, and suspicion flickered in the eyes of the gathered masters as they began to eye one another with wariness.
"Vile youth, how dare you!" A middle-aged man in crimson-gold battle armor stepped forward, his voice booming like a bell. "Ye Lingyun, sowing discord is not the act of a gentleman. If you persist in your delusions, today shall be the day you die!"
"Hahahaha!!" Ye Lingyun burst into laughter as if he had heard the world's greatest joke. He slanted his gaze toward the man. "A gentleman? Are you even worthy of that word?"
His eyes flashed with cold light. "Song Yunfeng, great Sect Master... if your father hadn't begged me to save you a hundred years ago, your bones would have rotted in the belly of a spirit beast. How are you even alive to bark here like a dog?"
"Actually, I take that back. A dog at least knows gratitude. You? You are less—than—an—animal."
"You... you..." Song Yunfeng trembled with rage, his face turning pale and then ashen. He pointed a shaking finger at Ye Lingyun but could not utter a single word in rebuttal.
"Yunfeng, why waste words on a dying man?" A gentle voice rose. Beside Song Yunfeng, a man dressed in snow-white robes with a horsetail whisk stepped forth. He looked like an immortal sage, his tone warm but his words lethal. "Ye Lingyun, do you still not understand? Your protective master, Feng Yueyao, has entered seclusion and refuses to see anyone. Today, no one can save you!"
At the mention of "Feng Yueyao," Ye Lingyun gave a self-mocking smile. He thought of his Empress Master—the woman who loved to tease him, who seemed unreliable and eccentric, yet always jumped out to shield him the moment he caused trouble. In the end, after that great catastrophe, she had severed all ties with him.
He had thought that even if the heavens collapsed and the whole world wanted him dead, that figure would surely appear here.
But she didn't.
So be it. Feng Yueyao had the grace of a teacher to him. Saving him was a favor; not saving him was her right. He didn't blame her.
Returning to the present, Ye Lingyun let out a smile of utter derision: "You pieces of trash think you can kill me?!"
Suddenly, cold light coalesced in his fading pupils. His blood-stained fingers gripped the edge of the boulder, and a shattering aura erupted from his body. Glowing streaks of blood appeared on his skin.
"Not good! He's self-detonating his Origin! Retreat! Fast!" The gathered masters paled, dropping their masks of justice as they scrambled back, frantically summoning their strongest treasures for protection.
Spirit power backfired, meridians snapped, and agonizing pain surged through him. Ye Lingyun lifted his distorted face and looked toward the horizon, toward the direction of Feng Yueyao's empire. He whispered softly, "Master... if there is a next life... I wish to never be your disciple again..."
BOOM!!
A colossal explosion shattered the sky. Crimson mist filled the air, and flames scorched the heavens of the Northern Desolation, sweeping away the greedy masters who had shouted for treasure.
Canglan Continent, a thousand years ago.
Ye Lingyun's consciousness slowly returned. 'How am I not dead? I clearly detonated my Origin...'
He snapped his eyes open, realizing he was lying on a soft bed. The warmth of the quilt told him he was alive.
[Ding! Congratulations to the Host for gaining a new life!]
A cheerful, mechanical system voice rang in his mind.
"System! You're alive too! We've been reborn! Yatta!" Ye Lingyun grew excited. "Did you make this happen?"
[Not at all, Master!] the System replied with a puzzled mechanical tone. [Regarding this rebirth, even this System is completely baffled!]
Ye Lingyun rubbed his chin, thought for a moment, and then shrugged. "Forget it. It must be because I am a blessed man of destiny!"
System: [Shameless!]
Ye Lingyun surveyed the simple yet clean stone hut. He recognized it as his residence back when he was an outer disciple of the Phoenix Sect. It was under the System's guidance that he had once saved the hunted Saintess, Feng Yueyao, in a secret realm, becoming her disciple and rising to the top.
He checked his current cultivation: Ninth Level of the Body Tempering Realm, just one step away from the Qi Refining Realm.
The cultivation levels of this world are: Body Tempering, Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Spirit Severing, Void Refinement, Body Integration, Tribulation Transcendence, Saint, and Emperor.
[Ding! Host awakened. Distributing Beginner Binding Reward—3x Bone-Washing & Blood-Changing Pills!]
With a thought, three white, fragrant pills appeared in his hand. He swallowed them all at once. The warmth surged through his meridians, and his aura skyrocketed.
First Level of Qi Refining! Second Level of Qi Refining! ... It didn't stop until the Fifth Level of the Qi Refining Realm.
Ye Lingyun exhaled a breath of turbid air. Though this power was nothing compared to his peak, his eyes burned with ambition. In this life, with his memories and the System, he could return to the Emperor Realm even without Feng Yueyao!
"The Exquisite Pagoda, the Seven-Colored Glazed Fruit, and Mo Xuanye..."
This time, he wouldn't be the pitiful disciple who waited for a master who never showed up. Those who owed him... he would collect every debt with interest!