In the vast expanse of the cosmos was a blue planet enveloped in celestial clouds and veiled by a shroud of translucent gases revolving around a majestic and radiant bright star, the golden sun. As the planet slowly danced through its celestial choreography, not one, but two moons lingered around it.
The larger moon, a pearl-white luminary, dominates the cosmic stage with its radiance, bathing the world below in silvery hues during its nocturnal reign. Beside it, a smaller companion, a celestial sibling, gleams with an ethereal, almost iridescent glow—its presence adding an enchanting duality to the nightly spectacle.
The inhabitants referred to this realm as The Mystical Nexus Realm, and they named the blue planet Etheric Gaia. The planet was comprised of five continents, each of them spanning millions of miles, where a vast amount of creatures lived.
In the southern-most part of the eastern continent lay a swamp called The Eversack Marsh. The air there was thick with humidity, and the atmosphere resonated with the sounds of unseen creatures. Massive ancient trees with twisted roots stood as sentinels, their trunks partially submerged in murky waters. Bioluminescent flora illuminated the outer reaches of the swamp, casting an eerie yet enchanting glow.
The vast and mysterious marsh was comprised of hundreds of regions, each boasting unique qualities shaped by the diverse ecosystems within. Yet, despite the allure of its natural wonders, the absence of human settlements across the entirety of the swamp was striking, except for some small outpost that were constantly besieged by monsters. The complexity and diversity of the creatures dwelling in these shadowed realms deterred even the most adventurous creatures.
On the other hand, this very complexity and diversity made The Eversack Marsh highly coveted by sentient creatures dwelling beyond its borders. To them, the swamp was a living, breathing treasure trove—a sanctuary of rare plants, deadly poisons, ancient bloodlines, and formidable beasts. It promised untold riches for those who dared to venture within, a promise that is echoed even through the Green Gateway, the outermost layer of the swamp.
It was commonly referred to as the Green Gateway due to its lower level of danger compared to the heart of the swamp. This region marked the entry point for those bold enough to test their mettle. Here, under the spectral glow of the two moons, two groups clashed fiercely, their shouts echoing through the twisted branches and dense foliage, blending with the cacophony of the swamp's creatures in the midst of the night.
"Zhong Wu, are you out of your mind? We're from the same sect. The elders won't accept this!" shouted a blonde young woman. Her forehead veins bulged, and yet her frightened expression was evident in her eyes contrary the anger that she was trying to convey in her tone as she addressed the group who stood opposite to her.
Facing her were four young men in their twenties, clad in a peculiar dark red uniform comprising a light robe with loose sleeves and regular pants. The young woman's group sported identical outfits, except for the lighter color of their robes.
Two of young men were able to conceal their features beneath the hoods, even though the hoods weren't fully extended to cover those parts, a testament to the magical properties imbued in this seemingly ordinary clothing.
The man at the very front of the group which seemed like the leader of the group had short, dark green hair, a hint of facial hair accentuating his rugged appearance, and a distinctive golden earring adorned his left ear. The man stood at the center of the group without a hood, and his mocking tone, dripping with contempt, disrupted the air.
"Shut up, bitch. How stupid are you, really?" he sneered, his friends chiming in with laughter, a collective agreement resonating among them.
"From the same sect? Don't tell me you've spent ten months in the sect, and you still think a lowly, untalented outer sect disciple, no different from a servant, is considered as one of us?" he continued, wearing an incredulous expression as if he couldn't believe what he had just heard. To him, the notion of camaraderie that would lead to any form of sacrifice among disciples of the same sect was absurd, be it an outer or inner one it doesn't matter one bit. However, he couldn't voice such thoughts here, surrounded by the other inner sect disciples.
Upon hearing his words and seeing the blatant disregard evident in his eyes, the other two men accompanying the woman couldn't help but tremble, feeling as if their hearts were gripped by an unseen force. One of them appeared to be engaged in a psychological battle within himself, and suddenly, his eyes gleamed dangerously.
He stealthily retrieved a dagger from the back of his pants and thrust it into the back of the other man, who unfortunately happened to be positioned somewhat in front of him, rendering him unable to perceive the impending attack.
Feeling the sharp pain in his back the youth who appeared to be no older than 18 years old turned to look at his "colleague" with a shocked expression. "Huo Jing, you...why?", tremendous amounts of blood made its way into his respiratory tract that he couldn't even finish what he was trying to say and so he just ended it with a single why filled with despair as he fell to the ground with his gaze unwavering from his attacker.
The woman, on the other hand, felt as if she was trapped in some sort of hellish nightmare. She couldn't believe what was happening and was slowly losing hope by the second. Even when intercepted by the inner disciples led by Zhong Wu, she still assumed they'd merely steal their belongings and deliver a beating.
Things escalated far too quickly for her, or perhaps she was the only gullible fool unable to read the room. Her late father had often shared stories about the insanity and bloodthirstiness of most cultivators, but in her teenage dream of becoming an immortal cultivator, she dismissed it as the exaggeration of a worried parent. In the midst of this unpredictable turn of events—at least, that's how she perceived it—she couldn't help but go through this thought process.
Then, her eyes couldn't help but light up one tiny bit as she thought of the other alternative. Maybe Huo Jing is the idiot who couldn't read the room and went overboard? Thinking up to here she couldn't help but remove her eyes from the pitiful disciple who was slowly but surely dying and looked towards the group of the inner disciple.
"Hahahaha, Huo Jing was it?", The man in the lead bellowed with laughter after seeing what happened. "Good, good! You are intelligent I like that, now you know what you have to do right?"
Hearing his carefree laughter as if he was watching a show the woman despaired, even more show when she saw how unperturbed the other disciples who were with him were.
'It seems like I'm the only naive fool here', she thought with a defeated look. Just as she was slowly giving in to her defeat and was about to fall weakly to the ground on her own accord, she saw a dagger swiftly making its way towards her throat.
*Clang*
She raised her right arm and easily deflected the attack coming from someone whom she thought was an innocent disciple from the same sect, someone she considered just like a friend. Seeing the mad and fierce look in his eyes woke her up, directing all of that anger towards him.
She sent a kick to his stomach, which easily landed and sent him flying like a kite. He crashed into the bark of a nearby tree and she immediately fled in the opposite direction, hoping to use the group's momentary pause to reach their sect's outpost in the Green Gateway as it wasn't that far from where they were.
Seeing her run away the group couldn't help but faintly smile at her incessant stupidity thinking she could run from them. Zhong Wu gave Huo Jin who fell one last look before hastily tailing right behind her with a huge grin. "Let's go.", he whispered, and they all ran in the same direction following after her.
The guy who was stabbed was called Lei Yan; he was an outer sect disciple who joined The Red Marsh Sect ten months ago in the last disciple recruitment ceremony. His performance there could be described in one word: average.
Personality-wise, he was somewhat antisocial and always kept to himself. However, only Lei Yan knew that his actual name was Elliot; he was originally from Earth. After his death, he was transmigrated into this world of cultivation one month ago.
He woke up and found himself in a strange forest in the body of a stranger. It was only after going through the memories of the original Lei Yan that he understood he was in a completely new world. And, of course, he also knew how Lei Yan died.
His death could be said to be pitiful and anticlimactic; he was looking for plants in the forest on his own when he suddenly found himself in the middle of a fight between two ferocious beasts: a python and a strange-looking monkey.
Unfortunately, the monsters were too strong that the energy generated by their movements moved whatever there was on the ground at a frightening speed and a small rock made its way into his heart killing him instantly.
Thankfully, the wound healed after Elliot became the main owner of that body, and all that was left of the previous Lei Yan was merely an empty hole in the chest area of the robe he was wearing. All that was left of a person with his own set of dreams, fears, goals, and what have you, was a tattered robe.
"We're both so pitiful," Elliot, or rather Lei Yan now, thought, as a tear couldn't help but fall down from his face to his ears and slowly made its way into the ground.
"Sorry, Lei Yan, but what could I have done? Death was inevitable for all of us as weak Body Forging disciples facing Foundation Establishment inner disciples," uttered Huo Jin after he stood up with a lot of difficulty, grimacing as he felt pain all over his body.
Lei Yan just glanced at him for a second before turning his gaze to look at the brightly lit night sky.
Huo Jin stood up with difficulty and slowly made his way into his direction, and when he reached him, he grabbed the pouch by Lei Yan's waist that was used to store spirit stones and other resources attempting to take it for himself.
Seeing this guy so brazen and unashamedly looting his still-living corpse, Lei Yan couldn't help but become furious even though he was at death's door. He forcefully grabbed and squeezed Huo Jin's arms in an attempt to stop him. Not because he wanted those resources— he who had died previously knew more than anyone that death was coming. He was just so tired of it all and this was his attempt to make one last stand in order not to feel so weak and pitiful even in death.