The wind howled like a demon famished over the arid plains of the desert, whipping up red dust and spinning it into frantic spirals. The sun, an unrelenting sphere of fire, baked the cracked earth under its merciless rays.
Shuu ~
The wind, cold and relentless like an executioner's blade, lashed Jin's tattered robes. He, the once-revered prince of the Sacred Spring Empire, was now nothing more than an exiled specter, condemned to wander the inhospitable expanse of the Mortal-Immortal Desolation Land.
The Mortal-Immortal Desolation Land was a place where nature itself seemed to conspire against existence. Rumors held that these lands, once fertile and lush, had become a mosaic of deep cracks, like open scars on the world's skin. The dust, fine and red as dried blood, covered everything, suffocating life and obscuring the sun. The air, thin and laden with a nauseating metallic scent, scratched the throat and burned the lungs.
Enormous skeletons of animals rose like gigantic remains, their desolate flanks marked by landslides and deep ravines.
These skeletons seemed scattered throughout the desert. Jin speculated that a cruel battle might have occurred here. Some skeletons were whole, white as the bones of an animal long dead; others, broken and twisted, resembled tree branches snapped by a gale. They were scattered across the landscape, mingled with red dust and the remnants of rusted armor.
"Strange..."
Jin walked quickly despite the severe injuries covering his body. This place was frightening and served as a constant reminder of the fragility of life, of the mortality of all beings, even the most powerful.
"That damned emperor! Those vile guards! I hope the Heavens send a calamity to destroy that Empire," Jin muttered loudly, cursing as he recalled recent events.
Jin was the twenty-ninth son of the Emperor, a cultivation prodigy with talent surpassing even his older brothers. But his meteoric rise had been cut short by a terrible accusation: Soul Possession.
A group of elders, the Guardians of Heavenly Law, accused Jin of not being the true prince but a demonic cultivator from the Blood Purification Cult, using the prince's body to spy and gather information about the Empire. This was considered a horror and blasphemy for the Empire: a demonic cultivator possessing the body of the twenty-ninth prince of the Sacred Spring Empire. It was a heinous act even to contemplate.
And Jin's father, the Emperor? Jin's real father had died long ago... The one sitting on the throne was an emperor from another clan who had usurped power. Thus, it was naturally advantageous for him to expel a prince who was not his son and who possessed demonic talent.
Despite Jin's protests of innocence, he was found guilty. His cultivation base, the core of his strength, was destroyed, sealing his fate. He was exiled to the Mortal-Immortal Desolation Land, a place serving as a prison for the most heinous criminals and traitors of the Sacred Spring Empire, where spiritual energy itself was scarce, making any form of cultivation extremely difficult.
The accusation of soul possession was almost correct, but the truth was far more complex. The true prince, named Li Mu, during a deep epiphany, had accidentally come into contact with a soul fragment. This "Soul Fragment" was, in fact, the soul of Jin from Earth in the 21st century. After Li Mu touched the "Soul Fragment," his body was invaded by Jin's soul.
Seeking possession of the body, Li Mu's and Jin's souls entered a "Spiritual Battle" for control. But strangely, Jin possessed an exceptionally strong soul and completely destroyed Li Mu's soul, merging with his body. However, Jin had no memory of Li Mu, and his personality was vastly different from that of the true prince. This, along with the fact that Li Mu had fallen into a coma for a week, aroused the suspicion of his servants, who quickly reported the incident to the Guardians of Heavenly Law, who, in turn, informed the Emperor.
The Emperor launched a detailed investigation, but the Guardians of Heavenly Law could not prove anything. Nevertheless, taking into account Jin's strange and abrupt personality change, they still accused him of being a demonic cultivator by the Emperor's order. And that is how he found himself in this situation.
But that didn't matter anymore… He had a trump card.
"Heavenly Talisman."
[Name: Jin]
[Fate (Jin): 50]
[Bound Land: None]
[Gachas: 5]
[Congratulations on becoming the first master of the Heavenly Talisman!]
[By developing your power and creating your own Empire, you can summon infinite possibilities through the Talisman and obtain various rewards against the heavens. The next Gacha spin will be available in 10 years, and this number will periodically increase along with the reward levels.]
A golden panel appeared in Jin's mind. When he transmigrated, he could already feel this object within his soul. He hadn't used the gachas before for fear that some supernatural phenomenon might occur, alerting the Empire's officials.
'Use Gachas.'
Immediately afterward, an illusory roulette appeared before him.
The roulette was black and white, and its surface was covered with infinite sinuous runes, spinning extremely fast, leaving his mind somewhat dizzy. After this strange sensation of confusion, Jin turned his attention to the rewards.
[Congratulations! You have been gifted: Dantian Restoration Card!* Can restore the user's destroyed Dantian.]
[Congratulations! You have been gifted: 10x Zifu-Grade Spiritual Veins! Spiritual Veins are implanted in the ground and can improve spiritual energy in an area of 10,000 miles! This energy can sustain cultivators of the Zifu Realm!]
[Congratulations! You have been gifted: Void Taoist-Grade Puppet Core* A computational core that possesses the Language of Runes and can be programmed!]
[Congratulations! You have been gifted: Primordial-Grade Xuan Mirror* A mirror capable of transporting objects from one space to another. Can be integrated with a Puppet Core!]
[Congratulations! You have been gifted: Low-Quality Spiritual Mine* Capable of producing up to 1,000,000 Low-Quality Spirit Stones in one year!]
[Congratulations! You have been gifted: Items of a Deceased Void Taoist Realm Cultivator* Random items from a deceased cultivator!]
Suddenly, a plain white card, a brown orb with several runes spinning around it, a small ball of purple light, a three-meter-tall mirror, and a golden cloak with a simple ring appeared. The items floated around Jin, neither falling to the ground nor seeming tangible, as if distant and untouchable.
Jin quickly grabbed the plain white card and tore it apart. His body floated in the air as intricate patterns swirled around him, the sky seemed to turn golden, and a fiery light overflowed from his body.
In an instant, Jin's body returned to its peak state, even surpassing his previous abolished cultivation realm by one stage.
Jin's face was flushed as he clenched his hands, now entirely free of injuries.
"This feeling of power… I feel like I can easily destroy 1,000 miles around me. And yet, I'm only in the second stage of Divine Transformation."
Quickly calming himself, Jin grabbed the ring, dripped his blood onto it, and discovered that it contained a space of 500 cubic meters. Although this wasn't large for the cultivation world, it was still sufficient for his current needs.
Pointing his finger at the items around him, almost all of them quickly disappeared into his storage ring.
The ball of light floated gently around Jin.
"How do I store this?"
Jin's hand was reaching out for the ball of light, but it unexpectedly disappeared into thin air as if erased from existence. Jin's face turned pale, thinking that perhaps the ball of light had some hidden mechanism. This ball of light was the puppet core, and its power was at the Taoist Void Realm. It was unlikely that Jin could resist if any defensive mechanism were activated.
"Damn."
Jin's aura surged to the heavens, creating immense pressure within a 1000-mile radius around him. The nearby monsters were instantly pulverized, exploding into a mist of blood. The aura of a cultivator in the Divine Transformation Realm was already a considerable power in the Mortal-Immortal Desolation Lands, and these small monsters had no chance of resisting.
But the aura disappeared as quickly as it appeared. Jin laughed at himself, realizing the foolishness of his reaction. The white ball of light was in his sea of consciousness, where his soul resided.
"Hahaha."
"Whatever... Let's find a city to occupy and bind to the Talisman."
Jin smiled as he flew southward, where the aura of death and spiritual energy seemed more intense.
...
Yang City, Mortal-Immortal Desolation Lands.
"Attack!"
"Die, Wild Beasts!"
"All for the Order of Yang City!!"
A middle-aged man, clad in silver armor that covered his entire body except for his face, shouted as he wielded his sword against a beast resembling a giant armadillo.
"General! Our troops have suffered terrible losses! These Wild Beasts are about to break through the last gate!"
The young soldier's face was filled with pure terror. His body was covered in severe wounds and on the verge of collapse. The only thing keeping him standing was the hope of saving the city.
"RETREAT!"
The general's expression was grim. This wave of Wild Beasts was much stronger than the previous ones. Even with his cultivation at the Zifu Realm, he was powerless in this situation. His last option was to detonate his cultivation base to delay the Beast King and buy time for the women and children to flee the city.
"HAHAHAHA! You puny humans will become nothing but living pills for my cultivation!"
A massive beast, resembling a dragon with a lizard's body, was at the rear of the beast swarm attacking the city walls.
"Die!"
The middle-aged general charged swiftly toward the beast. His body was completely red, as if about to explode at any moment.
"Have faith in Emperor Jin, gain eternal life! In the territories of the Jin Empire, who dares to cause conflict!?"
A thunderous voice echoed for 1000 miles around. The wild beasts that were mercilessly slaughtering the cultivators instantly exploded into a bloody mist.
The Beast King's eyes, which previously laughed in disdain, were now filled with fear and terror. Its body tried to move but was completely paralyzed as if a strange energy had restrained it.
Jin hovered in the air above Yang City. His mere presence caused all living beings within a 1000-mile radius to freeze.
"Restrain."
Suddenly, golden metal chains wrapped around the colossal body of the Beast King, like a frog swallowing a cricket. It was notable that the Beast King, being at the Golden Core Perfection Realm, could be considered a formidable force in the Mortal-Immortal Desolation Lands. However, before Jin, it was nothing more than insignificant dust.
"This Junior greets the Immortal."
"This Junior greets the Immortal."
"This Junior greets the Immortal."
Hundreds of cultivators and mortals in the city, relieved from Jin's pressure, knelt to the ground and lowered their heads, their voices echoing in all directions.
"Do not worry... This Emperor was seeking a place to settle. Consider this a small karma between me and this city."
Upon hearing this, some cultivators were overjoyed. To suppress a Beast King so easily, this immortal must be at least in the Nascent Soul Realm. There had never been a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator in Yang City's history; the most they had ever seen was a Golden Core cultivator.
The general, who had previously intended to sacrifice himself, felt as if he were in an illusion. At such a critical moment, an unknown cultivator appears and saves everyone, announcing his intention to settle in the city... It was simply a crazy dream or a cruel joke.
What he didn't know was that Jin had been waiting for the most critical moment to appear and gain maximum prestige. He even invaded the sea of consciousness of some beasts and controlled them to attack more ferociously. His future empire would begin here, so it was necessary to make a glorious entrance and gain a reputation as a hero. This would make it easier to earn the loyalty of his future subjects.
"Please, Immortal, accept the main mansion of our Yang City as your residence! Even if it is modest for someone of your stature, it might provide some comfort." General Yang, now out of his stupor, quickly offered the most luxurious dwelling in the city to this unknown cultivator.
"Do not worry. I will also give some small assistance to restore this city." Jin spoke briefly while glancing sideways at General Yang. With a wave of his hand, the city's destroyed walls and buildings began to reconstruct themselves, returning to a completely new state. The wounded cultivators and mortals were also instantly healed.
"Wow!"
"Only an Immortal can do something like this!"
"This Junior thanks the Immortal!"
The cultivators and mortals thanked Jin. Being natives of the Mortal-Immortal Desolation Lands, they knew that angering someone as powerful as Jin could mean their annihilation. Even a simple insult could lead to the complete extermination of the city, and no one would seek justice for them. Such was the way of the Mortal-Immortal Desolation Lands; there was no right or wrong, only the strong and the weak.
"Just a small thing."
The middle-aged general sighed internally as he watched Jin flying toward the grand palace at the center of Yang City. He knew the Mortal-Immortal Desolation Lands were cruel to the extreme and could not judge whether Jin had malicious intentions. Even if he did, Jin was imposing, and the general could do nothing. After all, the strong ruled, and the weak either obeyed or perished.
"Being weak in these lands is truly a sin..."
...
Inside the luxurious mansion, Jin sat in the lotus position in the small cultivation hall within the palace. He was deeply reflecting on whether to choose this city or search for others in better conditions.
"Heavenly Talisman."
"Bind Yang City."
Finally, casting aside all hesitation, Jin made a rational and logical choice, deciding to remain in this city rather than search further. His decision stemmed from a lack of time. It had been a week since he last performed a gacha, and he had spent nearly five days searching for a city that met his minimum requirements. Yang City was the first to do so. Unfortunately, he couldn't do much more; the Desolate Lands were simply enormous. He estimated that in his previous life, he could have easily traversed his home planet in mere minutes given his current speed.
Moreover, he didn't know if someone from the empire might come after him or if there were hidden threats. Therefore, it was necessary to increase his strength as quickly as possible.
Becoming stronger quickly was the ultimate priority.
[Name: Jin]
[Fortune (Yang City): 200]
[Bound Territory: Yang City]
[Gachas: 0]
Without any spectacle of lights or strange effects, the city's name simply appeared on the golden panel before him.
Sigh.
Seeing this, Jin sighed internally. Although he had bound the city and obtained its fortune, he did not receive any new gacha chances... But that did not matter now. What he needed to do was develop the city and its forces while also increasing his own cultivation.
"General Xu, come to my residence." Jin's voice, imbued with a hint of pressure and majesty, resonated throughout the city.
Two days had passed since Jin's arrival in the city, and he wanted to gather more information about it, such as the number of inhabitants, cultivators, spiritual stones, and other details.
"This Junior greets the Immortal."
General Xu, the same who fought in the previous battle, was the city's supreme commander following the death of the former Sovereign of Yang City. The former Sovereign, a cultivator at the Early Stage of the Golden Core Realm, had died after being gravely injured in a battle against a rogue cultivator. Shortly after his death, the Beast King launched a crusade to destroy Yang City and refine everyone into living pills.
"Give me details about Yang City and the forces surrounding it."