Like a fish emerging from the water to see the first ray of sunlight, Gu Yan was awakened by a blinding white light.
He slowly opened his eyes and immediately surveyed his surroundings.
He found himself lying on a barren, cracked expanse of land, with nothing but desolation in every direction. The air was dry, and the scorching sun blazed down mercilessly, as if intent on turning the entire land into a wasteland.
"Ah..."
Gu Yan tried to speak, but his throat burned with pain, his voice hoarse and strained.
Struggling to sit up, he realized he was wearing a thin, tattered linen robe, his body beneath it frail and small—no older than eleven or twelve.
Was this a memory? Even earlier than the last fragment of the Great World he recalled?
He reached for a walking stick beside him, gripping it tightly as he used it to push himself up.
Since this was a memory, he had none of his cultivation.
Just then—
The sound of footsteps approached from behind.
But before Gu Yan could turn around—
Thud!
A figure suddenly collapsed at his feet.
?
Gu Yan looked down, his expression shifting instantly.
There, lying beside him, was a man—his face dried and cracked as if baked to a husk.
A cloth pouch hung at his waist.
After a moment of thought, Gu Yan picked it up and rummaged inside, finding a half-empty water flask.
He uncorked it and took a few sips.
As the water touched his lips, a flood of memories about this world surged into his mind.
After a brief moment of absorption—
Gu Yan... froze.
This world was still the same Great World from his last memory.
Only... the era was pushed back by hundreds of thousands of epochs.
This age was known as... the Era of Divine Punishment.
Unlike before, humans in this era were incapable of cultivation.
His previous memory had mentioned that the Great World's cultivation system extended beyond the Grandmaster realm, with five higher tiers: Post-Grade, Earth-Grade, Heaven-Grade, Immortal-Grade, and Divine-Grade.
But in this Era of Divine Punishment—
Every living being born into this world was blessed by the [Heavenly Dao], granted divine power, and ascended directly to the Divine-Grade!
Moreover, they could break through their limits by amassing faith points, advancing to Divine Tier 1, Divine Tier 2, Divine Tier 3... and so on.
That was how it should have been.
Yet... at some point, the human race was stripped of the [Heavenly Dao]'s blessing.
In other words, while every other creature in the Era of Divine Punishment was born a Divine-Grade being...
Humans... became the world's outcasts, the weakest and most defenseless of all, unable to cultivate and left at the mercy of the gods.
With their vast numbers, most deities chose to herd humans like livestock, keeping them as devout followers to harvest their faith points.
The gods had no distinction of good or evil—they acted solely on whim.
But because the number of human followers was finite, and battles between deities could destabilize the world's foundation...
The gods collectively drafted a covenant.
Known as the [Pact of Divine Punishment].
This world had an eight-day week.
For the first seven days, humans lived normal lives.
But on the eighth day...
The gods would unleash divine punishment, its nature varying depending on which deity presided over it.
When calamity struck, unsuspecting humans would mistake it for a natural disaster—only for the gods to descend and "save" them.
Thus, they reaped faith points.
Every eight days, the cycle repeated, with different gods inflicting punishment before playing the savior.
And now...
Gu Yan was experiencing the eighth day—the Inferno Judgment, unleashed by the [God of Burning], which had plunged the world into a living hell.
Returning to the present—
Gu Yan glanced at the flask in his hand, only to find it now completely empty.
Not only that—
Crack!
The flask split apart, crumbling into sand in his palm before scattering to the ground.
Today, 90% of the world's moisture had evaporated.
It seemed intentional—humans withered far slower than everything else.
In the realm of gods, humans were nothing but livestock, bred for amusement.
Yet, the Gu Yan of this memory remained unaware of the cruel, inhumane pact behind the Day of Divine Punishment.
He believed it was simply misfortune—a natural disaster.
The memory began to dictate his actions.
He trudged forward, each step feeling like it might be his last.
But according to his memory...
If he kept walking, he would reach the [Sanctuary]—a haven erected by the gods for humans.
During the Day of Divine Punishment, the Sanctuary offered safety, warmth, clothing, and ample food and water.
Humans were endlessly grateful for it.
Yet, Gu Yan couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to the Sanctuary than met the eye.
......
......
After walking for nearly half an hour,
Gu Yan finally caught sight of the safe point in its entirety.
It was... a small village.
As he stepped into the village, Gu Yan immediately felt all his exhaustion vanish, his wounds gently healed by a soothing ripple of energy.
Soon after,
two villagers dressed in long, water-blue robes approached him, their faces adorned with smiles that struck Gu Yan as eerily unnatural.
A man clasped his hands together, gazing at Gu Yan with pity—his frail frame and pale complexion drawing sympathy. "Poor child, what horrors have you endured in the outside world? Come, you're safe now. The divine will provide you with warm food and water."
With that, he turned to the woman beside him and smiled. "Sally, take this child to freshen up and dress him in the attire of our [Water God Sect]."
"Understood."
Sally stepped forward, her expression gentle as she took Gu Yan's hand and led him away. "This is the safe haven built by the Water God—[Water God Village]. We are all devotees of His Grace."
"You can rest easy now, child. Under the Water God's protection, you are safe."
Arriving at the bathhouse,
Gu Yan's memories no longer interfered with his actions.
Sally smiled at him. "The bathhouse is just ahead. Once you've washed up, pick a set of clothes that fits you from the basket."
Gu Yan nodded.
A short while later,
having bathed and changed into the water-blue robes of the sect,
Gu Yan couldn't help but dwell on the name—Water God Sect.
After learning that this world was nothing but a grand deception woven by the gods,
he no longer believed any deity could be benevolent.
The safe point reeked of strangeness. Gu Yan doubted the Water God harbored any goodwill.
Yet, the version of himself in his memories wore an expression of hopeful anticipation.
Stepping outside,
Sally stood with a little girl, greeting Gu Yan warmly. "All done?"
"Since the two of you are close in age, why not get acquainted?"
"It's almost noon—we can head for lunch now."
Gu Yan shifted his gaze to the girl beside Sally.
And then—
he froze.
The girl wore the same water-blue sect robes, her expression calm, her eyes carrying a maturity far beyond her years.
Noticing Gu Yan's stare,
she spoke in a cool, detached tone. "Hello. My name is... Xiao Leng."
Gu Yan was stunned.
Xiao... Leng?!
Meanwhile, the version of him in his memories was forcibly molded into a dazed, lovestruck fool. "You... you're so cute."
Xiao Leng: "......"
Her expression remained unchanged, though Gu Yan could swear he saw the faintest furrow in her brow.
lities. One day, Qi Yuan was buying groceries when he unfortunately came face-to-face with a monster. Just when he thought he was going to die on the spot, he suddenly heard the monster's thoughts... "This aura, he's definitely not an ordinary master!" "So terrifying, so terrifying." "A fight with my back against the wall, I can't take it anymore." Qi Yuan: Ah, no one told me that my awakened ability isn't telepathy, but rather the stronger my enemies imagine me to be, the stronger I truly become. PS: Zhou Hai in the first chapter is not the protagonist.
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
ap a wealthy young lady? Or else I'll be eliminated by the system? Ye Feng, who awakened the Kidnapper System, originally wanted to live a peaceful life but never imagined he would become a kidnapper of young women. However, after some time, he discovered that all the girls the system ordered him to kidnap were far from ordinary. "Big brother Ye Feng~ You've kidnapped my heart, and now you're not allowed to leave me ever again~" "Ye Feng~ You kidnapped me back then, now it's my turn to capture you♡" "Little Feng, you're mine! You can only be mine!" "Ye Feng, none of them deserve you. Only I love you the most♡" ... This is madness, they've all gone mad! Wait, what? Why are all the girls I kidnapped yanderes?!
for mindless slaughter, this isn't for you.] My name is Ye Shu, and I'm a transmigrator. It seems I'm supposed to be the protagonist, but that feels pretty unlikely. This world has been invaded by a system. The antagonists on the other side have suddenly become pure, flawless saints. The female leads have been force-fed the so-called "original plot," making them think they've been reborn. Now, everyone thinks I'm scum. Including the old lady in my ring. And here I am, in the Monster Beast Mountain Range, braising pork. To put my situation in perspective— It's as if, the moment Xiao Yan stepped into the Monster Beast Mountain Range, the Soul Emperor already knew he would become the Flame Emperor, and Yao Lao had been turned to the enemy's side. I have nothing right now. Oh wait, that's not true. I do have a white-haired loli child-bride who's the Heavenly Dao, and her only skill is acting cute. So, tell me guys... what are my chances of making it to the end?
