Zero Hero Points.
Fifty out of two thousand Good Deed Points.
Five out of five hundred Reputation Points.
One out of one thousand Companion Points.
I stared at the translucent panels floating before me with a frown.
"What are all these boxes?" I asked the annoying System.
There were Hero Points, Good Deed Points, Reputation Points, Companion Points...
All of the names were equally terrible.
"Isn’t there something like Evil Points?" I asked. "Why is everything ’hero this’ and ’hero that’?"
The System let out a helpless sigh before beginning its explanation.
"These points are very important, Young Hero. Every time you complete one of the System’s missions or perform a good deed, you’ll earn points."
I frowned.
"And what exactly are these points for? How do they benefit me? If they’re useless, then I’m not interested."
"Young Hero," the System complained, "you really should stop interrupting me."
It cleared its throat before continuing.
"When you complete missions, you’ll earn different types of points depending on the mission. As your points accumulate, you’ll eventually be able to exchange them for rewards."
"What kind of rewards?"
"Weapons, artifacts, cultivation resources, techniques, abilities, and many other treasures that can help you grow stronger."
That finally caught my attention.
So these points could actually be exchanged for power.
Interesting.
I folded my arms.
"Then tell me something."
"Do you have a weapon capable of wiping out all of my enemies with a single strike?"
The System immediately shook its head.
"No."
"There isn’t a weapon like that."
"A true hero shouldn’t possess something so overwhelmingly destructive."
I clicked my tongue.
"Then I’m not interested."
With that, I ignored the System and continued walking.
I had already left the cave behind.
Now I was making my way through the White Forest.
Towering ancient trees stretched toward the heavens, their twisted branches blocking most of the sunlight. The deeper I walked, the quieter the forest became, as though the entire place feared disturbing its own silence.
This place felt strangely familiar.
For three thousand years, I had been imprisoned somewhere within these forbidden lands.
A place no mortal dared enter.
A place hidden so well that even powerful cultivators couldn’t find it.
Had the System not appeared...
I would have remained sealed there forever until my soul completely disappeared.
As I walked through the forest, I quietly sensed the surrounding spiritual energy.
The System suddenly spoke again.
"Young Hero, you can fly with your magic."
"Why are you walking?"
"Because I don’t want to arrive too quickly," I answered coldly.
"I’m not interested in saving anyone."
In fact...
I secretly hoped the demons would have already slaughtered everyone in the village before I arrived. That would save me the trouble of pretending to be a hero.
The System sounded horrified.
"Young Hero, if you hurry, I’ll give you bonus points!"
I remained silent.
Truthfully, I didn’t care much about the points themselves.
What interested me were the rewards those points could buy.
If the System truly possessed powerful weapons and artifacts...
Then perhaps it wasn’t completely useless.
The moment that thought crossed my mind, I stopped walking.
Fine.
If it wanted speed...
I’d give it speed.
I activated my demonic energy.
My body slowly rose into the air.
Then, with a burst of power, I shot across the sky.
The towering trees disappeared beneath me.
The mountains shrank into the distance.
I soared above the endless forest, above the beasts roaming below, above the demons hiding in the darkness.
A smile slowly spread across my face.
Yes.
This was where I belonged.
Above everyone else.
The wind rushed past my face as I flew freely through the sky, and for the first time since my resurrection, I felt a small taste of the freedom that had been stolen from me for three thousand years.
That feeling...
Was truly satisfying.
Before long, I arrived at the village.
From above, it looked far larger than I had expected.
The moment I landed, a thick wave of demonic energy washed over me.
The entire village was shrouded in miasma.
The streets were eerily silent, with not a single villager in sight. Doors hung half open, swaying gently in the wind, making the village resemble nothing more than a forgotten ghost town.
I narrowed my eyes.
Demons.
There were many of them.
Their auras were different from one another, mixed together throughout the village.
Yet despite the overwhelming demonic energy, I could still sense the faint life force of ordinary mortals.
Someone was still alive.
Interesting.
I had only just stepped into the village when I sensed something rushing toward me from behind.
Without even turning around, I disappeared from where I stood.
The attacker struck nothing but empty air.
The next instant, I appeared behind them.
I casually swung my palm.
Bang!
The person was sent flying and crashed heavily onto the ground.
I looked down at them.
A mortal.
A mere mortal had dared to attack me.
"Pathetic."
Before I could finish speaking, more figures emerged from every direction.
They charged at me without hesitation.
All of them were ordinary villagers.
I looked into their eyes.
Their pupils glowed with an eerie purple light.
Possession.
Every single one of them had been possessed by demons.
The demons must have sensed my arrival.
Knowing they couldn’t face me directly, they were using these mortals as disposable puppets.
What a cowardly trick.
I summoned my spiritual sword.
With a single slash...
I struck each villager with the flat of my spiritual sword, knocking them unconscious one after another.
None of them possessed any real strength.
Their attacks were clumsy and uncoordinated.
Even if I stood still, they wouldn’t have been able to injure me.
Their bodies moved like lifeless puppets, completely controlled by the demons hiding in the shadows.
After I dealt with them, the System suddenly screamed inside my head.
"Host!"
"You’re not supposed to knock the villagers!"
"You’re supposed to save them!"
"They’re possessed by demons!"
I shrugged.
"Do you expect your Young Hero to die instead?"
"Can’t you see they’re attacking me all at once?"
"If I die, how exactly am I supposed to save anyone?"
The System hurriedly replied,
"That’s not what I meant!"
"You have enough power to remove the demonic possession without knocking them!"
"You were supposed to free them from the demons controlling their bodies!"
I ignored every word it said.
Saving people had never interested me.
I simply continued walking toward the place where the demonic energy was strongest.
The thicker the demonic aura...
The stronger the demon hiding there.
Eventually, I arrived before a small wooden house.
The miasma pouring from inside was overwhelming.
Without hesitation, I pushed the door open.
Creak...
The room beyond was almost completely dark.
Black demonic miasma drifted through the air like thick smoke, making it difficult for an ordinary cultivator to see even a few steps ahead.
I folded my arms across my chest.
"So..."
"I’ve come to you."
"I’m curious."
"You’ve been hiding this whole time."
"Now that I’m standing right in front of you..."
"What exactly are you planning to do?"
The room fell silent.
Nothing answered me.
Then...
I felt something brush against my ankle.
I lowered my gaze.
A long, furry tail had silently wrapped itself around my leg.
Before I could react—
—or rather, before I cared to react—
the tail tightened.
It lifted me effortlessly into the air until I was hanging upside down.
I simply folded my arms again.
Not even the slightest hint of fear appeared on my face.
Slowly, I turned my head.
Standing before me was an unbelievably beautiful woman.
She had long white hair, crimson lips, and flawless skin.
A third eye rested in the center of her forehead.
All three eyes shone with brilliant golden pupils.
There was no mistaking it.
She was a demon.
"Oh no..."
"I’m so scared."
"I’m just a weak little demon."
"Please... don’t kill me."
I put on a frightened expression, pretending to tremble as I looked at the demoness.
She smiled.
"You..."
"You killed all of my puppets."
"Even if you beg for mercy, I won’t spare you."
She slowly floated closer, her long furry tail still keeping me suspended upside down.
Her golden eyes studied me like a predator examining its prey, while a hungry smile slowly spread across her crimson lips.
"For some strange reason..."
"You smell delicious."
"I don’t usually eat demons."
"I normally absorb their demonic energy."
"But you..."
She licked her lips.
"You smell too tempting."
"I think I’ll devour your flesh as well."
"Oh..."
I continued my miserable act.
"Please..."
"Spare me."
"I’m just a weak little demon."
The System’s voice immediately rang inside my head.
"Host!"
"You have the strength to defeat her!"
"Why are you pretending to be weak?"
"You should fight her!"
"Shut up, System," I replied inwardly.
The fox demon drifted closer until her face was only a short distance from mine.
She slowly opened her mouth.
"I’ll absorb your demonic energy first."
"Then..."
"I’ll enjoy eating the rest of you."
The smile disappeared from my face.
My expression turned ice-cold.
"You..."
"You dare covet this king’s energy?"
My eyes darkened.
"Stupid beast."
In a single instant, my hand shot forward.
Crack!
I grabbed her by the throat.
The tail wrapped around my legs immediately loosened, dropping me back onto the ground.
Before she could react, I tightened my grip.
Her beautiful face twisted in fear.
"W-What...?"
"Wait..."
"That aura..."
"Impossible..."
"You are—"
I didn’t answer.
Instead...
I opened my mouth.
A powerful suction force erupted from within me.
The fox demon’s demonic energy poured out of her body like a raging river, flowing directly into mine.
"No...!"
"My energy...!"
She struggled desperately.
Unfortunately...
It was useless.
Within moments, every last trace of demonic energy had been devoured.
Her body gradually turned into dust before scattering into the air.
Silence returned to the room.
I calmly dusted off my clothes.
"Hmm."
"Not bad."
The System’s cheerful voice suddenly echoed in my head.
Mission Complete!
You have successfully eliminated the evil Fox Demon that had imprisoned the entire village.
Hero Points +100
Good Deed Points +100
Reputation Points +50
I barely paid attention.
What interested me far more...
Was the demonic energy I had just absorbed.
I rubbed my stomach.
"I’m full."
With the fox demon dead, the thick demonic miasma covering the village quickly dispersed.
As I stepped outside, I saw the villagers slowly regaining consciousness.
One after another, they looked toward me before dropping to their knees.
"Young Hero!"
Hero?
They truly have terrible eyesight.
"Thank you for saving us!"
"Thank you!"
"You saved our village!"
The System happily announced another notification.
Reputation Points +500
I folded my arms.
"I didn’t save you."
"I was simply hungry."
"I only came here to absorb some demonic energy."
The villagers looked at one another.
None of them seemed to believe me.
To them...
Their savior was standing right before them.
Just then—
"Help!"
A frightened female voice echoed from the distance.
"Somebody, please help me!"
A young woman dressed in elegant white robes came running toward the village.
Although she looked exhausted, the quality of her robes and the jade pendant hanging from her waist immediately revealed that she came from a powerful cultivation sect.
The System suddenly became excited.
Emergency Mission!
Save Ella Qinglin, daughter of the Sky Blue Sect!
I frowned.
"I’m saving nobody."
The System fell silent.
Author note: my Chapters are super long, I hope that’s not a problem