The icy rain felt like countless fine needles stabbing Chu Yang's exposed skin, bringing a bone-chilling cold. He trudged through the mud, one foot sinking deeper than the other. The dense canopy obscured the already faint daylight, leaving the surroundings dim. Only the rustling of unknown insects and the faint roars of beasts in the distance reminded him of the perilous situation he was in.
The Demonic Beast Mountain Range.
A Forbidden Land for humans, a paradise for Demonic Beasts.
Every step forward required immense courage. The Spiritual Power within him had long been depleted, and his body felt so heavy it seemed no longer his own. His lungs pulled like a broken bellows, each breath carrying the taste of blood. He knew he was nearing his limit.
"Cannot stop... stopping means death..."
The humiliation from the Deacon Hall constantly replayed in his mind: Chu Xiong's vicious face, the indifferent and mocking gazes of the clan members, finally freezing on Lin Wan'er's resolute, cold eyes and the torn Marriage Contract.
Hate?
Hate!
Overwhelming hatred, like poisonous fire, scorched his internal organs, supporting his overdrawn body to keep moving forward. But beneath this hatred lay a deeper despair and powerlessness. What good was hatred? Without strength, everything was just empty talk.
"Thud!"
His foot caught on a gnarled tree root, and he fell heavily into the cold, muddy water. The filthy mire instantly soaked through his already tattered clothes. He struggled to get up but felt as if all his bones were disjointed, his limbs growing weak.
"Hah... hah..." He lay in the mud, gasping heavily, the rain blurring his vision. The shadow of death had never enveloped him so clearly.
Just then—
"Swish... swish..."
A faint yet dense rustling sound, different from the rain, came from the thicket to his front left.
Chu Yang's body hairs instantly stood on end! A powerful sense of crisis, like ice water poured over his head, made his almost stagnant blood surge again! He violently raised his head, staring fixedly at the source of the sound.
In the darkness, two pairs of eerie green lights ignited, resembling Ghost Fire, filled with cruelty and bloodlust.
Wolves! Demonic Beasts—Gale Wolves!
And more than one!
Immediately following, two more pairs, then three more... a total of five stout, calf-sized gray Demonic Wolves emerged slowly from behind the bushes, crouching low, baring their ghastly white fangs. Saliva mixed with rainwater dripped down, forming a fan shape, blocking all his escape routes!
These were the lowest-grade, first-tier low-rank Demonic Beasts, each with strength equivalent to a cultivator at the third or fourth layer of Qi Refining. However, they were experts at group hunting! For the exhausted Chu Yang now, they were undoubtedly death messengers sent by the Grim Reaper!
The leading wolf, exceptionally large, let out a low "whimper" from its throat. Its ghostly green eyes locked onto Chu Yang, filled with the scrutiny and greed reserved for prey.
Chu Yang's heart pounded wildly, almost bursting through his chest. He desperately tried to mobilize the minuscule Spiritual Power within him, but it was like throwing a stone into the ocean. Only the faint sting from the wound where his fingernails had dug into his palm provided any sensation.
Run? In his current state, he couldn't outrun the Gale Wolves, which were known for their speed!
Fight? Qi Refining First Layer against five first-tier low-rank Demonic Beasts? It was no different from a mantis trying to stop a chariot!
Despair, like an icy tide, drowned him once more. Had his ten years of transmigration, enduring endless humiliation, truly destined to end here in the desolate wilderness, becoming a meal for Demonic Beasts?
He was unwilling!
"Roar!"
The Alpha Wolf seemed to lose patience, letting out a short, sharp growl. It violently pushed off the ground with its hind legs, transforming into a gray lightning bolt, rushing toward Chu Yang's throat with a foul-smelling gale—its speed was astonishing!
The other four wolves attacked simultaneously, pouncing from different directions, sealing off every possible space for evasion!
It's over!
Chu Yang's pupils contracted to their absolute limit. The aura of death washed over him; he could clearly see the sharp, interlocking fangs and the scarlet tongue in the Alpha Wolf's mouth!
No way to evade, no place to retreat!
In this final moment of life, time seemed to stretch infinitely. Scenes from ten years flashed through his mind—the excitement upon arrival, the ecstasy upon discovering his Chaos Spirit Root, the confusion when cultivation failed, the clan members' mockery, the servants' bullying, Chu Xiong's beatings, and Lin Wan'er's cold, heartless face as she tore the Marriage Contract...
"No—!!!"
A surge of unwillingness and rage originating from the depths of his soul erupted like a volcano! He didn't want to die! He couldn't die so ignominiously! He hadn't made those who humiliated him pay the price! He hadn't stood at the peak of this world yet! He hadn't understood the meaning of his transmigration!
I! Will! Not! Yield!
Just as the Alpha Wolf's fangs were about to graze his throat skin, the icy touch already imminent—
【Ding! Detected the Host's extreme unwillingness and desire to survive, meeting the binding conditions for the "Strongest Sect System"...【
【System energy being absorbed... Detected Host's Special Physique, "Chaos Spirit Root"... Energy adaptation...【
【System activating... 1%... 35%... 70%... 100%!【
【Activation successful!【
【Strongest Sect System, at your service!【
【Host: Chu Yang, welcome to the world of the strong!【
A cold, mechanical voice, yet one that seemed to carry an ancient rhythm, exploded in the deepest part of his mind without warning, like the Sound of a great bell!
Immediately following, an indescribable, terrifying energy—vast as a sea of stars, majestic as the beginning of the universe—suddenly manifested, erupting centered on his body!
Buzz—!!!
Centered on Chu Yang, an invisible yet visible transparent ripple spread out violently like a wave!
Time seemed to freeze at this moment.
The Alpha Wolf, suspended mid-air with its fangs almost touching Chu Yang's skin, and the other four Gale Wolves pouncing from different directions, all froze in mid-air, as if held fast by an invisible giant hand! For the first time, extreme terror and confusion appeared in their ghostly green eyes!
The next instant!
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Five muffled sounds occurred almost simultaneously!
Those five ferocious Gale Wolves, without even managing a single scream, were smashed as if by a ten-thousand-ton hammer. Their bodies twisted and deformed bizarrely in the air, then violently exploded! They turned into five masses of thick blood mist, mingling with the rain and shattered flesh and bone, scattering everywhere!
In just an instant, five Demonic Beasts capable of slaughtering mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators were utterly annihilated!
And Chu Yang, at the center of the energy burst, remained completely unharmed.
He stood stunned on the spot, feeling the terrifying power surging and roaring within him like a great river, seemingly endless! His previously depleted Meridians had been forcibly widened countless times, and surging Spiritual Power flowed ceaselessly within them like a tangible liquid! An unprecedented sense of power filled every inch of his body!
He subconsciously raised his hand, looking at his palm. That hand, which had been somewhat pale due to long-term malnutrition, now seemed to contain the power to crush mountains! A faint, Chaos-colored light flowed beneath the skin.
Qi Refining First Layer? No! This power far surpassed his comprehension! He even felt that if he wished, a single thought could cause this entire hilltop to collapse!
This is... the System's power?
"Chaos Spirit Root... so, I am not a Waste Material..." Chu Yang muttered to himself, his eyes blazing with unprecedented brilliance. It turned out he wasn't incapable of cultivation; it was that the Cultivation Methods of this world were simply unworthy of guiding his unique, peerless, strongest Spirit Root!
【Newbie Gift Pack has been distributed to the System Space, please check, Host.【
【Main Quest Issued: Founding a Sect!【
【Quest Requirement: Establish a Sect within one month and recruit one disciple possessing the fate of a "Hidden Dragon in the Abyss."【
【Quest Reward: Sect Basic Construction × 1, Great Emperor Realm Cultivation Experience Card for a Quarter Hour × 1.【
【Failure Penalty: System unbinds, Host's Cultivation Level resets to zero.【
The System's prompt sounded again, cold and clear.
Chu Yang took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the shock and ecstasy in his heart. He looked around at the blood mist still lingering in the air, feeling the real, tangible power within him—a power capable of shaking the heavens and earth.
His gaze, shifting from initial bewilderment and shock, quickly became sharp and cold, finally settling into that of a bottomless, frigid pool.
Ten years of humiliation washed away in one morning!
From today onward, he, Chu Yang, would no longer be the trash that anyone could bully!
The Chu Family? Lin Wan'er? The Azure Cloud Sect?
The shame you inflicted upon me, I will return a hundredfold, a thousandfold!
"Reincarnation Sect..." he softly murmured the name of the Sect he sensed vaguely through the System Quest, a cold and dangerous curve slowly forming on his lips.
"Let it start here."
He stepped forward, no longer stumbling and staggering as before, but with steady power. Every step he took seemed connected to the Earth Veins. He walked toward the deeper parts of the mountain range, where the System indicated the optimal location for establishing a Sect lay.
The rain had gradually lessened without him noticing.
A sliver of light pierced the heavy clouds, illuminating the path ahead of the young man, and also lighting the flame of ambition burning in his eyes.
（Chapter Three End）