Azure Heaven Realm — An Expanse of the Cultivation World.
At the eastmost direction of the Azure Heaven Realm was the Countryside, a vast region where numerous lower-ranked Sects and ordinary Cultivators lived, far away from the territories controlled by the major Sects and powerful Clans.
The Spiritual Energy in this region was considerably weaker compared to the central regions of the Realm, making it difficult for powerful Cultivators to remain here for long periods of time, but it was still sufficient for ordinary Cultivators to establish their foundations and pursue the path of Cultivation.
Because of its distance from the stronger regions, the Countryside was also considerably less dangerous for ordinary people, although Demonic Beasts and other dangers could still be found throughout the wilderness surrounding the villages and smaller towns.
Among the many places scattered throughout this vast region was a certain forest, and deep inside that forest, two people could be seen carrying dead bodies on their shoulders while the rain washed away the blood staining their robes. Their destination was the massive corpse pit located only a few steps ahead of them.
While they walked, one of them suddenly spoke, "This is the fifth one today, just how many of them will die like this?" His voice carried worry and sadness that came from the deepest part of his heart.
The person beside him held a small ball of firelight inside a glass lantern in one hand while carrying the dead body over his other shoulder, and as he looked ahead, he spoke in a voice that was almost devoid of hope, "What can we do? If not for the help of those strong Cultivators arriving to save us, all of us would have died long ago." He sighed after speaking, his expression remaining heavy as he continued walking.
While they were talking, they eventually reached the corpse pit, and just in front of them was a massive hole filled with countless corpses that had been thrown inside over the past several days. Without wasting any time, both of them threw the dead bodies they were carrying onto the pile.
But the moment they did, a sudden scream tore through the entire area.
"AHHHHHHHHHH!" The scream seemed to come from the very centre of the corpse pit, and the moment the two men heard it, their eyes widened in horror as they saw a hand slowly emerging from between the countless corpses lying at the centre of the pit.
It didn’t stop at the hand. Immediately after the scream, the corpses surrounding that area were suddenly thrown in every direction, and from within the pile of dead bodies, a figure that was supposed to be dead slowly stood up while gasping for breath.
"Hah! Hah...Huff!" The figure panted heavily while looking around in confusion.
Both men immediately fell backward onto the ground, their hands and legs trembling from fear as the one on the right side pointed toward the now-standing corpse, "B-Brother Shen, I-Isn’t that the dead body we threw here a few days ago? H-How is it standing up?!"
"H-How is this possible? H-He must be a Demon! A Demon possessing that dead body! L-Let’s run, Brother Chen!" The moment those words left his mouth, both men immediately turned around and started running. They didn’t need to be told twice, because they knew very well how dangerous a Demon possessing a dead body could be.
However, they had barely taken a few steps when a shadow suddenly appeared above them, making both of them instinctively look upward. The moment they did, they saw the possessed dead body already descending toward them.
Before they could even process what was happening, the figure suddenly vanished from their sight. The very next moment, Chen felt a sharp pain at the back of his head, but before he could even understand what had happened, his body dropped to the ground with a THUD.
Seeing that, Shen’s eyes widened in horror as his mind went blank and his entire body came to a stop while he stared at Chen’s limp body. Tears immediately began flowing from his eyes as his trembling voice came out.
"B-Brother Chen..." Before he could say or do anything else, a voice suddenly came from his right side, making him turn his head.
"Where is this place? And...what did you say about Demons?" Shen stared at the seemingly possessed dead body that was now speaking, and the moment he heard those words, his entire body went numb because there was now no doubt in his mind that this was some kind of Demon.
The next moment, his body simply dropped to the ground beside Chen’s unconscious body.
The shock of seeing a dead body moving had already been too much for him, but now that the same dead body was actually speaking, his mind and body both seemed to reject the very idea of escaping. His body eventually gave up under the overwhelming fear, causing him to lose consciousness.
On the other hand, the supposed possessed dead body looked at this strange reaction with confusion, "What in the world is going on here? After dying, I felt like I was in some kind of dark place...but suddenly I am here?"
He questioned himself while looking around the area, only to see a dense forest surrounding him in every direction, with the corpse pit being the only clearing in the area. The strong smell of blood coming from the pool of blood inside the corpse pit reached his nose, and the moment he smelled it, his stomach immediately turned.
"Uaagh!!"
He instantly vomited.
After a few moments, he used the rainwater falling from the sky to wash his face before walking toward the two unconscious men lying in front of him. When he had suddenly woken up in this strange environment, the first thing he had heard was the word Demon, which had immediately alerted him, causing him to rush toward the two people with all his strength without thinking about anything else.
But before he could get any answers from them, a simple smack to the back of Chen’s head had knocked him unconscious, while Shen had collapsed without him even touching him.
He looked down at his own clothes, which appeared somewhat old and worn from their condition. He was wearing a long red-colored cultivation robe that reached down to his ankles, with a loose-fitting upper layer covering his torso and a pair of loose martial trousers underneath.
’Shouldn’t I be dead? How am I even alive? And if I am somehow alive, where even am I?’
Just as he was questioning everything in his mind, a strange mechanical sound suddenly rang through his ears.
[Paradox Sign-In System Initiated]
[Host: Qing Lan]