At the top of a mountain, panting heavily, Li Shen gazed at the horizon. Dawn was breaking, but for him, this new day would be his last. Suddenly, numerous footsteps echoed from behind. He turned around to see seven people standing there, all clad in elegant robes, armed with swords and other weapons.
"Did you really have to go to such lengths because of the egg?"
He spoke, holding a small egg in his hand, shimmering with rainbow hues and radiating a sublime power. A faint chuckle emerged from the group of cultivators.
"An egg? You possess one of the mystical eggs that could destroy the world, and you think the Seven Clans would let you walk free? Spare your jokes for others. Hand over the egg, end the contract, and destroy your cultivation. Only then will we let you live, Li Shen!"
The speaker was an old man, Jian Wu, the Sword Saint of the Azure Sky Clan. To Li Shen, he was a despicable figure, though undeniably powerful.
"Seems there's no reasoning with ancient monsters."
Even so, the situation was dire. The elders before him were the pinnacle of existence in the upper realm: Fen Hua - Blazing Spear of the Crimson Flame Sect, Lei Zhang - Thunder Guardian of the Stormbreaker Hall, Yin Mei - Phantom Lotus of the Silent Shadow Pavilion, Guo Liang - Mountain Titan of the Earthshatter Clan, Lan Xue - Frost Empress of the Glacial Moon Sect, Bai Tian - Void Walker of the Celestial Void Sect.
The world hadn't witnessed such a concentration of power since the last war against the Celestial Demon over a millennium ago, and five of the seven here had fought in that battle. And now, the eighth emerging power, Li Shen - the Divine Beast Tamer.
"Come! Don't think you'll get what you want without paying a heavy price!"
In the next instant, eight auras beyond human comprehension exploded as the battle reached its climax once more. Li Shen slammed his free hand on the ground, chanting.
"Celestial Invocation, Thousand and One Nights!"
A circle appeared beneath his palm, and countless beasts of all ranks emerged from the summoning, like a raging river amidst a storm, charging forward.
They were met by an equally overwhelming array of secret techniques from the ancient monsters before him. The mountain began to crumble, the skies trembled, and storms gathered, darkening the heavens.
Even from the impact alone, Li Shen's body shook, blood dripping from his mouth and eyes. He was stronger than his opponents—if not for their combined strength. Even someone like him knew victory was out of reach.
Still clutching the egg, he fell to one knee, supporting himself as his Qi was drained at an alarming rate. But that wasn't the problem. In the next moment, he felt a chilling aura behind him.
Void Walker. He hadn't earned that title for nothing. The space behind Li Shen split open, and a dagger emerged, plunging into his right shoulder from behind. The dagger was infused with an immense amount of void Qi, causing Li Shen's beast Qi to circulate erratically.
"Void Walker!"
He roared in fury, spitting out a large amount of blood. The continuous summoning of monsters ceased, and the seemingly endless beasts vanished into golden Qi particles.
"Finally..." The voice belonged to Yin Mei, a strikingly beautiful woman despite her age, though now drenched in blood and riddled with cuts, like all of them. Lei Zhang had even lost an arm. Seeing this, Li Shen laughed loudly.
"Don't think I'll give you this power. You old monsters are already corrupt; you're no longer the heroes of the past. I know what you do!"
"Well, well, it doesn't matter whether you know or not; you'll die here along with your knowledge," Jian Wu replied, breathing heavily.
"That's where you're wrong. If I have to go, at least I'll rid the world of the plagues infesting it!"
As Li Shen spoke, he raised the egg before him.
"DIE!"
"He's going to destroy everything! Stop him!" But time seemed to pause. The vast amount of Qi from the egg and the remaining Qi in Li Shen began to merge within the egg, emitting an intense, multicolored light.
And then, everything went white. He no longer felt any pain; there was nothing. He tried to sigh but couldn't.
"So, this is how it ends?..." His tone was filled with sorrow and regret. "I tried my best, but when I uncovered how the world worked, it turned against me. The ancient monsters couldn't accept my rapid rise to their level in less than 300 years. And I was marked... If only there were another chance..."
In the background of this white void, Li Shen saw something—a round object with various colors. It was the egg he had held before dying. He tried to reach for it, but as he extended his hand forward, he opened his eyes to see a strange ceiling, his hand stretched upward as if trying to grasp it.
"Oh! The young master is awake! Call the doctor!"
He turned towards the voice. It was a young maid, her face filled with worry.
"Young master, are you alright?!" She was a girl with long brown hair, green eyes, and a beautiful face, probably around fifteen. Shen tried to speak, but soon after, a sharp pain struck his head. Clutching his head, he let out a muffled scream and fainted once more.
He didn't know how long he had been asleep, but it didn't seem like much. He woke again, feeling a cold cloth on his forehead and an old man, whom he somehow knew was the clan's doctor, examining him.
Along with this, memories began to flow into Shen's mind—memories of the life of the young man whose body he had possessed? The boy was also named Li Shen and came from the Li Clan, a small beast-taming clan in the lower realm.
"You had a dangerous fever, young master, but fortunately, it's subsiding. I recommend you avoid any exertion for the time being," the doctor said. He was an old man with a kind face and a long white beard.
Shen, still trying to adjust to everything, nodded and spoke, "Thank you, Doctor Yang."
The doctor looked at Shen for a few moments before standing up. "I'll have your medicine brought later. For now, try to rest. You're lucky to be alive after what happened."