Ode to Death

Chaos Era, Year 1814.

Olie City.

Xia Lun walked down the street, the gazes of the surrounding townsfolk fixed upon him.

"Look, it's that adventurer!"

"I heard he was the one who defeated the dragon and brought back the Dragonblood Grass, curing the plague in the city."

"He’s quite handsome… and so young too."

"Is he really that strong? That bald giant next to him looks tougher, doesn’t he?"

"Rumor has it he’s blessed by the Goddess—a true hero…"

...

"Captain Xia Lun, you’re famous now," Moke remarked with a sigh.

"We were the ones who gathered the Dragonblood Grass, so why is all the credit going to Xia Lun?" Liyana grumbled, clearly displeased. She longed for attention too, especially from the cute girls in town.

She had already noticed the adoring looks many girls were giving Xia Lun.

"Because Xia Lun was the one who single-handedly took down that Crimson Dragon," Musen said, unbothered by the recognition.

Aina remained silent, her eyes fixed on Xia Lun’s back, her thoughts unreadable.

"Being famous… isn’t a bad thing. It means more commissions will come our way." Xia Lun clenched his fist, his expression full of determination.

"Eh? Really? I thought you were the type who didn’t care about fame," Liyana said, surprised.

"If I have this reputation, then I must live up to it—with the strength and conviction to match." Xia Lun’s gaze was resolute. "Reputation is a weapon too. We should use it to push ourselves further."

"Typical Xia Lun," Liyana muttered. "Born with the soul of a hero."

After Ankula developed the cure for the plague and mass-produced it based on the formula, the city quickly returned to normal.

With no immediate commissions, Xia Lun and his party decided to stay in Olie City for the time being.

Angelie, deeply grateful for Xia Lun’s contributions—and perhaps eager to befriend him—insisted they stay at the lord’s manor, treating it as their own home.

Free food and lodging? Liyana wasn’t about to refuse, especially with Lady Ankula around.

If Xia Lun objected, she’d throw a fit.

As his childhood friend, she knew a few of his weak spots.

...

The outskirts of Olie City.

What was once an elegant estate now lay in ruins, reduced to charred debris after Angelie ordered his soldiers to burn it down.

Beneath the wreckage, beneath a corpse turned to charcoal, a broken magic circle emitted a faint glow.

The ashes of the corpse slowly seeped into the circle.

BOOM—

The rubble above was suddenly blasted away by a surge of dark energy.

A slender figure gradually emerged from the magic circle.

Below the neck, the body was emaciated—a desiccated husk, skin stretched tight over bone, resembling a mummy stripped of its bandages.

Above the neck, a skeletal ram’s skull rested, pale soulfire flickering in its hollow eye sockets.

This grotesque creature looked frail, almost pitiful. No one would guess it was an eldritch deity from beyond this world.

Death Praise stiffly turned his head, surveying his surroundings before murmuring, "Success… the ‘Goddess’ didn’t notice."

Even the "Goddess" wouldn’t expect him to descend through such a crude, incomplete magic circle—and at an altered time, no less.

Not to mention, the summoner had been a complete amateur in magic.

For a being like him, this was the ultimate humiliation, a complete surrender of pride.

But it was worth it.

His world had been annihilated by the "Goddess." An endless tide of insects had devoured everything. He was the last of his kind, the sole survivor.

Death Praise bore no hatred toward the "Goddess." On the contrary, he was grateful.

For his race, death was the greatest destiny—the most glorious end. They lived only to seek the most meaningful death, to witness the sublime radiance of their final moments.

Suicide was disgraceful, condemned by their kind… but dying for their people? That was the noblest death of all.

The "Goddess" had elevated his entire race to transcendence.

So Death Praise was not here for vengeance.

He was here to repay her.

The "Goddess" and the natives of this world might never understand his actions, but Death Praise didn’t care. He would act according to his conscience.

Whether he slaughtered every living being in this world and killed the "Goddess," or she destroyed him instead—both were equally beautiful outcomes.

But right now, he lacked the strength to repay her.

First, he needed to regain his power.

Death Praise slowly lifted his head, sensing the presence of countless living beings ahead.

He would seize that place first—make it his stronghold—then slowly consume this world.

Raising a skeletal, branch-like finger, he flicked it, and a black robe wrapped tightly around his withered form.

Like a specter, he drifted toward Olie City.

...

Xia Lun, who had been strolling through the marketplace, suddenly stopped, his expression turning grave.

Beside him, Aina tensed, halting mid-step.

"What’s wrong with you two?" Liyana, oblivious, glanced between them in confusion.

"Nothing. Just lost in thought," Xia Lun said, shaking his head lightly.

For a fleeting moment, he had sensed something—an eerie presence entering the city.

The aura had been so faint he almost dismissed it as imagination… but Aina had reacted too. It wasn’t just him.

Better not to worry Liyana.

"Aina, what about you?"

"Lost in thought," Aina replied coldly.

"You two… even your daydreams are in sync?" Liyana rolled her eyes. She almost teased them about being "like husband and wife," but knowing the proud mage’s temperament, she wisely held her tongue.

"Come on, let’s go! I want to visit the tailor’s shop… Xia Lun, Aina, you’ll come with me, right?" Liyana asked, turning to Aina.

Xia Lun sighed inwardly. Every time he accompanied Liyana to places like this, misunderstandings followed.

And Aina? She didn’t seem the type to care about such things. Surely she’d refuse.

"Fine."

Aina’s answer caught him off guard.

Liyana gasped in delight.

"Really? Aina, you’ll come? Perfect! I’ll pick out the best outfit for you!"

Recommend Series

The Bullet Chat Claims I’m Devoted, While I Level Up With My Alt Accounts

The Bullet Chat Claims I’m Devoted, While I Level Up With My Alt Accounts

e, Immortal Body, Transmigration, System, Progression Fantasy, Academy Setting, Third-Person Perspective. Alternate Title: Transmigrating into a High Martial World and Reading Live Comments. Bad news: I transmigrated. This is a terrifying high-martial world, and my original, pathetically weak body fell into a coma and never woke up. Good news: I got a Popularity Points system upon arrival. I can see live comments and even create an unkillable alternate identity. Starting out, the alternate identity has all stats at 1. The system tells me that to grow stronger, I must participate in the plot, gain popularity points to allocate stats and grow stronger, and ultimately awaken my original body. And so, carrying my original body on my back, I officially entered Huaqing Academy, where the story's protagonist resides. From that moment on, Chen Guan kicked the original plot to pieces. Live Comments: [Doesn't anyone find this mysterious coffin guy creepy? He can summon indescribable grey misty hands.] [Is this guy a hero or a villain? What kind of onion became a spirit?] [By the way, does anyone know who's in the coffin? Shouldn't the debt for saving his life be repaid by now?] [According to unofficial histories, the person in the coffin was Chen Guan's first love. Their love was once passionate and earth-shattering, but they were separated by life and death due to worldly circumstances. What a star-crossed pair.] ... Years later, the world knew of a demon god born from a coffin, shrouded in grey mist, impossible to gaze upon directly. His foremost divine emissary often wielded a scythe, reaping lives like the god of death. As war approached, facing former friends and a boundless sea of enemies, Chen Guan merely raised his scythe. "Would you like to dance as well?"

Poor Talent? I Bought a Year of Cultivation for One Dollar!

Poor Talent? I Bought a Year of Cultivation for One Dollar!

ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!

Regretting After Being Forced into Marriage by a Yandere Tycoon

Regretting After Being Forced into Marriage by a Yandere Tycoon

ng to die together with you." Lin Xuan is dead, his body thrown into the river by his scumbag lover and her accomplice. She, the president of the Su Group, is decisive, ruthless, and ice-cold. For three days and three nights, she had his body fished out of the river, and without hesitation, she kissed the bloated corpse of Lin Xuan. She laid down beside him in a cold coffin, their fingers intertwined, a smile lingering on her lips as she closed her eyes. The noble and cold-hearted woman, only bending for one man—Lin Xuan. Lin Xuan, with his golden finger, is reborn and returns to the day of his wedding to the treacherous woman. Su Qiang comes to steal the bride. Lin Xuan's eyes light up, eager to pledge his loyalty on the spot, but instead, her kiss transfers a glass of drugged wine into his mouth, causing him to pass out... 【Male Protagonist with Single Female Lead】【Yandere Tycoon】【Action-Packed】【True vs. Fake Heir】

I Am Unaware That I Am the Peerless Martial God

I Am Unaware That I Am the Peerless Martial God

lity and could only live as an ordinary mortal. He only wished to live a peaceful life. Yet he didn't know— The dog he adopted, because it ate his food, became a legendary demon king. The kitchen knife he casually forged became a peerless divine weapon, causing numerous experts to fight desperately for it. The young disciple he took in became an immortal lord that led an era, due to cultivating the techniques Ye Feng taught him. Even the skeletons he looked down on the most were ominous demon kings that suppressed countless worlds. Many years later, looking at the void shattered with a punch, Ye Feng murmured to himself: It turns out the peerless kings were myself all along...