"Damn you, devil! You murdered my entire family, you even crippled my cultivation, and made me suffer unbearable pain every single day. You fucking demon!"
"This is the end for you, bastard! You won't escape the chaos you've sown!"
"Gu Tian Li, hand over that soul sword of yours the one forged from the lives of the innocent! And we'll make sure your death is painless!"
All the cultivators had gathered on a mountain near the Gu clan's village, the lair of a ruthless demonic cultivator who had slaughtered hundreds of thousands of innocent lives to achieve his goals. The mountain had lost its radiance, its skies blotted out by the oppressive auras of the thousands of cultivators assembled imperial generals, celestial enforcers, young heroes all united for a single purpose: to kill Gu Tian Li.
A man emerged from the depths of the mountain. His long hair flowed loosely in the wind, swaying gently with each breeze. His outer robes, a mix of black, faded brown, and stained white, were tattered and drenched in blood so much blood that the once-green mountain now reeked of iron and death. The stench was so thick it made anyone who breathed it in gag. The blood belonged to the countless innocents he had sacrificed for his ambitions.
This was Gu Tian Li, the infamous demonic cultivator from the Zhang Kingdom on the planet Guitama. Everyone knew of his cruelty.
Gu Tian walked slowly, step by step, calm yet menacing. With every movement, the gathered cultivators instinctively retreated, wary of his next move. No one knew what kind of final attack he might unleash. All eyes were locked onto him, watching with tense vigilance. He stopped at the mountain's edge, standing motionless like a statue, blood pooling beneath his feet. The silence stretched on, thick with tension, until the sun began to set.
As the fading light of dusk dimmed over the mountain, Gu Tian Li finally lifted his gaze toward the vanishing sun. His voice, cold and steady, sent a ripple of unease through the crowd.
"The strong rule as long as they remain unmatched, while the weak are trampled until they die."
He sighed, his face devoid of any spirit.
"Was I truly destined for nothing?" he murmured flatly.
A faint, bitter laugh escaped him. "In this life… will it be the same as the last?"
The crowd exchanged confused glances. His words sounded like deep philosophy, yet no one understood their meaning nor did they believe a monster like him could harbor anything but malice.
Curses and shouts erupted from the masses.
"Your words won't save you, demon!"
"Spare us your useless rambling!"
Hatred-fueled roars echoed through the crowd. Gu Tian remained silent, unfazed. Then, suddenly, a faint, sinister smile curled on his lips. Instantly, the voices died down everyone tensed, bracing for his next move.
"Of course, you wouldn't understand," he said softly. "But remember this don't blindly trust what others say. Even your own family may deceive you. In a world of lies, the only one you can rely on is yourself."
His expression softened, as if weighed down by countless regrets.
"Is this the end of my journey?" he whispered to himself. "Is this really it?"
The atmosphere grew heavier as night fully descended. The cultivators exchanged glances, readying their weapons.
"Everyone, stay sharp! We don't know what this bastard is planning!"
"Prepare yourselves! We attack now!"
Swords levitated, spells crackled, and deadly weapons gleamed all aimed at Gu Tian, ready to end the suffering he had brought upon the world.
Gu Tian paused, then raised his hands as if surrendering to his fate.
"I've failed, haven't I?" His voice was weak, as though regret had finally caught up to him.
Then, he remembered a forbidden technique, one that could send a person back in time. His grim expression shifted into something like relief.
"If this works… in the next life, I'll still be the same ruthless, merciless man."
Gu Tian slowly closed his eyes. A blinding light erupted from his body a power he had stored for 500 years. It illuminated the entire mountain, visible even from the Imperial Capital 70 kilometers away. The common folk there could only pray that nothing catastrophic was about to unfold.
In his final moments, he remembered his past how he had once been a university student on Earth, bullied relentlessly until the day he was beaten to death in a campus bathroom. In those last seconds of his first life, all he had wished for was peace, freedom, and power.
...
Now, in a remote village belonging to the Gu clan, an ancestral ceremony was taking place in a pavilion. Incense burned before three memorial tablets as the clan members bowed in reverence. The ceremony was solemn, and as night fell, they began returning to their homes.
"Hard to believe it's already been five years."
"Hahaha… feels like just yesterday we were taking care of them."
The voices of villagers chatting faded as they dispersed.
The moon cast its glow over the bamboo groves and rooftops, the night serene and quiet. Some clan elders remained in the pavilion, discussing the upcoming awakening ceremony for the clan's children a tradition to identify prodigies who would represent the Gu clan in the Empire's grand tournament, a prestigious event attended by all major clans of the Zhang Empire.
"Our Gu clan is truly blessed this generation. Several geniuses have emerged."
"Yes, but there's one child in particular who intrigues me. You've heard the rumors, haven't you?"
"Of course. That child reached the Qi Gathering Realm at just five years old."
"Not just that, they say his spiritual perception is exceptional too."
The Gu Clan Patriarch listened silently, deep in thought.
"This child… if his talents hold, he might even rival Gu Chun Mei or Gu Fang Sha. Perhaps he could even compete in the Imperial Tournament."
"Hahahaha… Our clan is truly fortunate to have such gifted children!" the Patriarch suddenly exclaimed, startling the elders.
"Must you always interrupt like that?"
"You really are a strange one."
The elders shook their heads, half-annoyed, half-amused.
"Hahaha… My apologies," the Patriarch chuckled. "Well, since it's getting late, let's continue this tomorrow."
As the elders dispersed, a young boy in a small room jolted awake. His breath was ragged as he stared at his hands in disbelief. A gust of wind brushed past him, as if waking him fully.
He rushed to the mirror, his eyes widening in shock.
"D-did it work?" His voice trembled. "I… I really went back in time…"