"Heavenly order, I am tired of your rules. This time, I will break the order and ascend beyond godhood and immortality," said a man with striking beauty, holding a black sword in his hand as he bellowed with defiance.
The heavens responded to the challenge with a deafening roar. Clouds twisted violently, revealing the face of a three-headed lion, and in the center, the face of a ferocious dragon emerged.
The roar was powerful, sweeping through everything in its path, but he stood there unmoved, his hair and clothes fluttering wildly in the wind.
The sky darkened like night. Lightning cracked across the heavens, a response to the immense pressure and divine power gathering above.
Yet he did not falter, "COME!!!" he shouted.
He flew at the speed of light, clashing with the Heavenly Order.
For three years, the battle raged on. His body was torn apart, and blood poured from his eyes and body.
"I guess I failed," he whispered with a smile as he lay on the ground.
"You are strong, human cultivator," a voice echoed from above.
"But this is the price for defiance. So, you must perish for your actions."
Then, a powerful golden-red lightning bolt struck down at him. Seeing the incoming attack, he closed his eyes without regret.
His body disintegrated, erased on the spot. His vision slowly faded into darkness, and at last, he died.
The sky returned to normal, as if no one had ever fought there. But the ruined land below told a different story.
Feeling something strange, he couldn't help but open his eyes. He found himself floating but sinking in a vast sea filled with nothing but darkness.
"Is this the afterlife? Hmph, as if it would give me a second chance," he scoffed.
After challenging the Heavenly Order, there was no way it would ever allow him to reincarnate and stir up trouble again.
"I was so close…"
"I was so damn close," he muttered, his eyes red with frustration as he continued to sink deeper into the sea.
His body felt numb, and all he could do was voice these thoughts inwardly.
"I'm already at the ninth stage and so close to ascending the Heaven Breaker Tribulation… but alas," he sighed.
"Challenging the heavens is truly no joke. If only I were given another chance..." His eyes turned serious.
"This time, I'll prepare myself. I'll make sure to become..." His vision suddenly blurred, his voice weakening.
"The..."
"Go..."
"od... of..."
He never finished his words, as he finally drifted into slumber.
Beneath him, where there was only deep darkness, a glowing light suddenly appeared. He continued to fall, and was drawn toward the shining hole.
Meanwhile, in a forest, a young man lay on the ground wearing tattered clothes. He looked malnourished and weak, as if he had died from starvation.
Then, without warning, his body twitched. First a slight tremble, then a strange sensation like ants crawling all over him, until suddenly, he sat up with his eyes wide open.
He choked, as if trying to vomit something, but nothing came out. His breathing was heavy and strained.
"Damn, what happened?" he muttered, then paused as his eyes fell on his hand, covered in dirt.
"What the..." he whispered, turning it over and inspecting it closely.
"Didn't I die? How do I still have a physical body?" Damien said in confusion.
He glanced at his tattered clothes and slowly tried to stand, but his body felt incredibly weak. Even so, he forced himself up through sheer willpower.
He checked himself from head to toe, still in shock, "Don't tell me I... I..." he paused, narrowing down the conclusion.
"Transmigrated?" he whispered, staring at the trees with a dazed look.
Then his eyes lit up with delight, "Heavens, oh dear heavens, you're actually giving me a second chance? Aren't you afraid of what I'll become?" Damien said with a scornful grin.
After taking a step, he felt his legs shake and give out, causing him to kneel as he frowned.
"This body is so weak," he muttered.
Just as he was about to stand again, a flood of memories surged into his mind like crashing waves.
Moments passed before his mind finally calmed. He opened his eyes, now fully understanding why he was here.
His name was still the same, Damien Castro. He had been born in an orphanage, and when he turned ten, he ran away.
Every child in that place was tortured, and each day felt like a nightmare just to survive.
After wandering around for two years, he became a beggar, asking strangers for food and money. Eventually, he was recruited into a group of beggars.
He worked with them for three years. When he turned fifteen, he decided to venture into the Verdant Forest, the very place he now found himself in.
But because of his weak body and constant hunger, he lacked the strength to defend himself. He was chased by numerous beasts, lost his way, and eventually died from starvation.
"What a foolish kid, going in without a plan is really stupid," He scolded, but it felt like he was just scolding his self.
Sitting down with his legs crossed, he closed his eyes and began to cultivate, hoping to regain some strength and fortify his body.
After all, this forest was filled with wild beasts running rampant.
This time, he didn't use any cultivation technique. He simply drew in the surrounding energy to strengthen his skin and nourish his blood.
After more than an hour, he felt his body begin to recover. But it was still skeletal and frail, as he hadn't eaten anything for weeks.
"The Qi in this place is so thin. This must be a lower realm or an abandoned world from the Thousand Star Domain," he said, feeling a deep sense of frustration.
It was clear that it would take him a long time to gather enough power to challenge the heavens again.
Suddenly, a loud growl echoed behind him. From the bushes, a big bad wolf leapt out, its body radiating with killing intent.
Turning around slowly and seeing the beast, his eyes turned cold, "A low-level beast dares to target me?" he said with disdain.
The wolf, sensing it was being underestimated by a mere human, snarled and charged forward, leaping through the air to pounce on him.
As it closed the distance, the wolf felt a surge of delight. The human wasn't moving at all, just standing there, frozen in fear, or so it thought.
But suddenly, a fist came crashing down with incredible speed and force, landing squarely on the wolf's face.
Bang!
The beast was sent flying, tumbling across the ground. But Damien didn't stop there.
With a cold glare, he dashed forward and stepped firmly on the wolf's back, forcing a painful groan from its throat.
Without hesitation, he raised his fist and delivered a powerful hammer strike, shattering its skull in a single blow.
Seeing that the beast was dead, he collapsed to the ground, drenched in sweat. His breathing was rapid, and he was completely exhausted.
"This body is unbelievably weak. Luckily, the technique was used at full strength. If it wasn't, I would've been the one dead," he said, gazing up at the sky.
What he had used earlier was a low-level technique, one he could no longer remember the origin of since he had learned so many over the years.
It was called the Ironburst Fist, a technique that focused Qi into a powerful, concentrated strike.
Although it was only a mortal-grade technique for cultivators, it was still highly effective.
If he had proper Qi circulating in his body, the strength and impact would have been at least ten times greater.
The technique worked by gathering internal Qi into the fist before release. Upon impact, the Qi would burst outward, creating a shockwave for explosive damage.
What he used earlier was pure strength, which was why it took him some time to finish the beast.
"The heavens must really want me to live. You even offered me food when I needed it the most," he laughed, preparing to butcher and cook the wolf.
But just as he was getting ready, something suddenly happened.
[You have killed a beast, completing the requirement for this system]
[Hello Host]
"What kind of skibidi toilet is this," he frowned with surprised.