In an immense darkness, a small body floated silently, like a leaf trapped in an eternal ocean of emptiness. Its shape was human, dressed in torn rags, and its presence seemed insignificant before the vastness that surrounded it.
Jet-black hair remained still, in stark contrast to the gravity that seemed absent in this abyss. His eyes were closed, and his face, devoid of emotion, radiated a serenity that only those who had endured countless storms could possess. His relaxed eyebrows evoked the demeanor of a sage, as if time itself bowed to his experience.
Suddenly, a light began to spread in the distance, consuming the darkness like a devouring flame. As it approached, the human figure began to disintegrate into specks of light, mysteriously dispersing just before being engulfed by the radiance.
The man's voice rang out, laden with pain and desperation. He wore a blue martial suit embroidered with cloud patterns symbolizing his status. His face was smooth as jade, with fine features that gave him an exquisite masculine beauty.
His long black hair, falling to his waist, fluttered with the wind's rhythm, reflecting a heroic presence even in the midst of adversity.
However, blood gushed from his eyes, nose, and mouth, forming a crimson puddle at his feet. His movements grew more sluggish, like a flame flickering on the verge of extinguishing.
BOOM!
A flash of light descended from the sky with relentless fury, incinerating the man completely. His heroic figure vanished in an instant, leaving only ashes that blended with the dust stirred by the impact.
From the mist emerged a new figure. Her red hair burned like wild flames, and her robust body radiated overwhelming ferocity. The sharp teeth peeking from her lips gave the impression of a beast lying in wait.
"Damn demon!" the woman shouted, filled with anger and desperation.
Her figure was extraordinary: hair black as night, eyes as deep as a bottomless abyss, and skin as white and pure as the finest jade. She was one of the three renowned beauties of the Southern Border, a being who could attract admiration and jealousy in equal measure.
The wild figure roared. His body immediately transformed into a monstrous beast: a ten-meter hound with deformed wings protruding from its back. His blood-red eyes gleamed with a nearly tangible ferocity as he stared at the woman with murderous intent.
"Sheng Ming You! Today you will die by my hand."
The man's voice echoed with frenzied euphoria, a reflection of his thirst for vengeance. Every movement exuded the rawness and savagery characteristic of cultivators from the Northern Plains.
From his speech to his fighting stance, it was clear that this man was no ordinary individual. He was a Transformation Path cultivator, someone who had mastered the art of adopting the most brutal forms of nature.
"Stop! Ren You Hi, I didn't mean to offend you, please spare my life!"
She screamed in terror and fear, immediately falling to her knees to beg for mercy.
However, Ren You Hi was a newly risen Demonic cultivator. He had emerged from seclusion after a lifetime of cultivation. It was astonishing that someone of rank 6 could fight evenly and even kill rank 7 immortals.
"You deserve death, shameless woman! You turned my peaceful life into a hell."
"It wasn't enough for you to try to steal part of my True Inheritance from Demon Venerable Reckless Savage. Only when I passed the Ascension Tribulation did you retreat."
"Someone like you, who calls herself righteous, deserves to be exterminated!"
Ren You Hi shouted with fury, harboring hatred for those who were not truly just.
By common standards, the difference between a mortal and an immortal was immense—like the difference between heaven and earth. However, Ren You Hi defied all logic in this world. In addition to possessing one of the ten prime extreme physiques, he had advantages since his arrival to this world—the golden finger of every story—a SYSTEM.
Swish
Like a gentle spring breeze, a clean cut landed on Ren You Hi's body. His head detached from his torso, his field of vision tilted, and in the last breaths of his life, he saw a man standing like a spear. His eyes shone like a sword that illuminated the world's darkness.
Like a lizard whose tail had been cut, Ren You Hi gathered all his strength. Desperation filled his eyes. Blood streamed from the corners of his mouth—a completely tragic sight.
The man, with cold eyes, stared at the corpse on the ground. He walked slowly and looked Sheng Min You in the eyes. From his red lips came words spoken in a cold tone.
"Little You Er, are you alright?"
Sheng Min You, emerging from her shocked state, looked into the eyes of her benefactor.
"B...Bo...Bo Qing, Senior Bo Qing!" she shouted, falling back into a state of shock.
Her voice cracked in her feeble attempts to speak. Understanding the situation, Bo Qing knelt and helped the poor woman to her feet.
Ren You Hi, lying on the ground, calmly observed everything. He looked at his enemy's back, and in the next moment, a system notification appeared.
{A major supporting character in the story has been found}
{Beginning synchronization of achievement levels (host is advised not to move more than 6 meters away)}
Ren You Hi smiled internally with satisfaction. His seemingly lifeless eyes stared intensely at Bo Qing, as though the person before him was not the cause of his "death."
"Success! I will finally obtain near-Supreme Grandmaster achievement levels," he exclaimed internally with excitement.
In the future, and throughout recorded Gu world history, there existed advantageous methods to raise achievement levels. In the Grand Era, Dream Path methods were the most suitable to enhance one's attainment level, thereby raising individual combat strength to heavenly heights.
But no path was free of disadvantages. Exploring these dreams carried the risk of losing one's soul. However, countless unfathomable methods existed to reduce those drawbacks. There is no weak Path, only weak immortals.
{Skill package successfully integrated into host's soul}
The system's voice rang in Ren You Hi's mind. His achievement level in the Sword Path leaped through realms. As assimilation progressed, his attainment level skyrocketed absurdly.
Originally, Ren You Hi's sword path attainment was only at Quasi-Master level. After one second—it was at Master level.
Two seconds passed—Grandmaster.
Five seconds later—it soared to Great Grandmaster.
And finally, after ten full seconds, his attainment level was near the peak—Quasi-Supreme Grandmaster.
In the Gu world, achievement levels represented comprehension and depth of one's cultivation path—the understanding of the Great Dao. Throughout history, besides having overwhelming talent, the most important factor to raise attainment levels was time.
Humans had short lifespans—averaging 100 years. But in a world where the supernatural existed, there were methods to extend life. However, most of these came with side effects. The most effective method, of course, was Longevity Gu or Life Span Gu—different names for the same thing.
"I sacrificed so much to reach this point. Now it's time to be reborn—beyond a future chaos," Ren You Hi thought calmly.
With that thought, he triggered the explosion of his Immortal Aperture. With this act, the winds of assimilation began. Ren You Hi was cunning—he didn't leave a single Immortal Gu alive. His soul dispersed into the winds of assimilation, leaving no trace or cultivation resources for his enemy.
Throughout the over three million years of human history, there had been individuals who stood at the peak of cultivation and rank—each belonging to a different Era.
There were two types of Venerables: Immortal Venerables and Demonic Venerables, both at rank 9. Since the appearance of the first Venerable, known as Origin Primordial Immortal Venerable, humans had reigned supreme, suppressing and annihilating variant humans.
"Assimilation winds! This Demonic cultivator is finally dead,"
Sheng Ming You said with slight joy on her face as she moved out of the wind's range and began healing herself—several of her ribs were broken.
On the other hand, Bo Qing slightly furrowed his brow. He didn't know much about the former rank 6, but something inside him was stirred with intrigue.
With such thoughts, he immediately shook his head.
"Just another lost talent. It would've been useful to at least preserve his Extreme Physique body—the main body would've needed it for the future plan," he thought as he sighed.
"Little You Er, you were careless. You lacked the strength to capture his body. Even waiting for him to become immortal, you failed to complete the task," Bo Qing said in a disappointed tone, his cold, sharp eyes fixed on the girl.
"I deeply apologize, Vice Blue Envoy. I failed in the task assigned by Master!" she cried as she knelt.
Bo Qing sighed inwardly. Since returning from the Gates of Life and Death, he had remained, in essence, a split soul of Spectral Soul. But under the influence of a rank 9 Immortal Gu—Love—his main objective had started to shift.
"Ever since Fate Gu was damaged by Red Lotus, souls have been able to wander freely in the mortal world, with a chance to avoid being trapped and move toward the Gates of Life and Death."
"Very soon, the main story will begin. It's a hassle to start over as a mortal, but in this dark space, time flows differently."
Thousands of years had passed in the outside world. Ren You Hi could vaguely sense the movements in the River of Time.
"So many domains beyond Heaven and Earth—it's a pity. The Grand Era is when numerous joint plans from Immortal and Demonic Venerables come into play. But I've always had doubts about Red Lotus and Star Constellation."
"Did they foresee my arrival in this world? Heaven's Will was influenced by Star Constellation's assimilation. She will revive in the future. I am not Fang Yuan—I cannot rewind the River of Time at will."
"Red Lotus, oh Red Lotus… I wonder if I appear in your predictions and what plans you might have to counter my existence."
A slight trace of doubt and bewilderment passed through Ren You Hi's mind. He was aware of his benefits before reincarnation—only a madman like him would choose to be reborn in a world of chaos.
"It's a pity, but thanks to the system, whenever Fang Yuan uses the Spring Autumn Cicada, just like him, the memories will come to me. This is just like the immortal killer move created by Fairy Zi Wei in the original work… a system is truly perfect for me."
He smiled inwardly.
"Heaven's Will favors me, my luck is overwhelming, and best of all—this time, my life will be different. So what if people must die along the way? I'm just a normal person trying to enjoy life and survive in a chaotic world. Living life to the fullest without regrets—that's the true meaning of living in such a world!"
A dazzling glint flashed in his eyes. His opinion of Bai Ning Bing from the original story aligned with his way of life—but the difference was, he wasn't that insane.
Crack Crack Crack
Like strong winds foretelling an oncoming storm, the dark space began to shatter. The walls resembled fragile glass, breaking at the slightest touch.
"A new life begins for me. One life is lost so that I may be reborn. Poor soul that I must replace with my own… but is this selfishness? They should feel honored to give me a body… Jo Jo Jo… this will be fun."