Chapter 1:

In the Magical Beast Forest, inside a small cave barely touched by sunlight, a young man with messy black hair and a handsome face slowly opened his eyes. Pain and shock were evident on his face.

The young man gripped his head tightly, a muffled cry of pain rising from deep within as an endless stream of information flooded his mind. These memories didn't belong to him, yet they were merging into his mind as if they were his own experiences.

"What is happening...?" he muttered to himself, his head throbbing with pain, while the images and memories of the Demon Emperor emerged in his mind.

Finally, after several minutes, the pain began to subside. The young man slowly lifted his head and looked around. "A cave?… And my name... Lin Fan?!" he said in surprise, trying to process what was happening.

At this moment, Lin Fan smiled sarcastically. "Not only did I get a second chance at life inside my favorite novel, but I also inherited all the memories of the Demon Emperor, who was supposed to be the owner of this body! What a stroke of luck."

Slowly, he began to feel his new body more deeply. 'This body... it's much stronger than I thought.' He whispered to himself as a massive flow of energy coursed through his veins. The original owner of the body had undergone a massive change after using Dust of Destruction, that legendary element that reshaped his body to become much stronger.

'Dust of Destruction... the original person refined his body using it. And now, this power is mine. I'm certainly at the sixth stage of the Qi Condensation realm, but my body rivals the strength of a fourth-stage Magical Beast.' He muttered in admiration as he looked at his hands, as if they were completely new to him.

Suddenly, his eyes gleamed as he remembered the rules of this world: "In this world, the strong control the fate of others. The weak... are mere toys." Lin Fan smiled coldly. 'If that's the case, I don't mind playing a little.'

But far away, in the Beast City, events were escalating. The crowds filled the central square, flags waving in celebration of Xiao Mi's wedding to the Fourth Elder of the Yu Family, a man famous for his brutality and cruelty.

Xiao Mi sat in the carriage, wearing a traditional wedding gown. But behind her sorrowful face, conflicting thoughts were racing. 'I trusted Lin Fan... I helped him steal the Dust of Destruction so we could escape together, but in the end, he left me here to face this fate.'

"Xiao Mi, get down." The Fourth Elder ordered coldly, dressed in his luxurious attire. The deep wound on his back, a memento of his previous battle with Lin Fan, reflected his suppressed anger.

Meanwhile, blue flashes illuminated the sky, drawing everyone's attention. The wings of a blue Phoenix, enveloping Lin Fan's body, pulsed with destructive energy. He stepped confidently toward the square, a devilish smile spreading across his face.

"This... Lin Fan?!" The Fourth Elder muttered in shock, fury evident in his eyes.

One of the Fourth Elder's followers, a powerful fighter in the Golden Core realm, seeing his master's reaction, advanced toward Lin Fan with disdain to please him. "Just a weak child..." he muttered before charging swiftly toward him, determined to end his life.

But Lin Fan did not move; he simply watched him calmly. When the follower drew close, it took no more than a single strike. The follower's body was torn apart in an instant and fell lifeless to the ground. 'That was too easy...' Lin Fan thought coldly, staring at the torn corpse. For a moment, he felt a sense of strangeness. This was the first person he had killed after his reincarnation, but he felt nothing. No regret, no fear, no confusion. Only coldness.

'I didn't expect killing to be this easy.' He muttered with slight surprise before his thoughts quickly shifted to satisfaction. Perhaps this was part of the Demon Emperor's influence on him. 'If I'm going to dominate this world, there's no place for the weak in my way.'

At this moment, screams of fear and astonishment erupted from the crowd. Everyone was in utter shock, unable to comprehend what had just happened. "He... killed a Golden Core fighter with a single strike!" murmured one of the onlookers, while the leader of the Xiao Clan felt fear. 'Who is this young man? His power is not to be underestimated.'

The Fourth Elder, on the other hand, looked at Lin Fan with eyes full of rage. "You bastard, do you dare face me? You couldn't defeat me before, so how will you do it now?" he said angrily, moving toward him.

But Lin Fan showed no fear, instead letting out a mocking laugh. "Do you really believe so foolishly that you're a match for me now?"

Before the Elder could attack, Lin Fan shot toward him with speed beyond anyone's imagination. Then, with a single punch to his stomach, the Elder felt pain tear through his insides. Blood sprayed from his mouth as he staggered back in agony.

"Is that all you've got, old man?!" Lin Fan said with a smile, enjoying his newfound strength. Then he continued crushing the Fourth Elder, strike after strike—one to his stomach, another to his face. The Elder retreated helplessly, his body taking the blows like a ragdoll while the crowd watched in stunned silence, horrified by the sight of the ruthless demon in the making.

Despite the thrill of the battle, Lin Fan was slightly surprised at how simple it was to end a life: 'I didn't expect it to be this easy.' But that feeling quickly faded as he continued to show off his power mercilessly.

However, despite his enjoyment of the fight, Lin Fan decided not to kill the Fourth Elder. After the man lost consciousness and his body was covered in wounds, Lin Fan stood over him with an expression devoid of mercy. "That's enough. I'll let you live... for now, because I still need you later." His voice was calm and cold, as though defeating a man like this was an entirely ordinary matter, not worthy of any pride.

He then turned to the leader of the Xiao Clan with a chilling gaze. "Take him to one of the rooms. He's not dead yet, and I don't want any unnecessary deaths right now." The clan leader shivered slightly from the overwhelming power Lin Fan had displayed, but quickly issued the order, unable to object.

At that moment, Xiao Mi rushed toward Lin Fan, tears of joy filling her eyes. "Lin Fan, thank you!" Her voice was filled with gratitude for saving her from the nightmare she had been living. But she didn't yet realize that things could change quickly.

Lin Fan looked at her with a suspicious gaze, and a devilish smile began to form on his lips. "Hah? Do you really think I did this without asking for something in return?" he said to her in a threatening tone, slowly closing the distance between them.

"What do you mean?" Xiao Mi asked in confusion, as she began to retreat slowly. The feeling of relief she had just felt was instantly replaced with fear and dread.

Then Lin Fan leaned in close to her ear and whispered in a low, chilling voice, "I mean, you belong to me... from now on." He didn't give her time to think before his hand descended onto her body, touching her in a disturbing way that sent waves of fear through her.

"Ah!" Xiao Mi trembled with fear and discomfort, then tried to push him away with all her strength. But Lin Fan tightened his grip around her, preventing her from escaping. He reveled in his newfound power over her, while the crowd around them watched in complete shock.

Everyone had witnessed how Lin Fan easily defeated the mighty Fourth Elder, and now they saw how he took his wife shamelessly before their eyes. Shock appeared on their faces, followed by a mix of whispers—some of pity, others of schadenfreude.

Even Xiao Mi's father, though enraged by what was happening to his daughter before their eyes, dared not intervene. With his knowledge of Lin Fan's brutal strength, he knew that any wrong move could lead to the destruction of their entire family.

As for Xiao Mi, she was drowning in shock and unprecedented terror. She had thought Lin Fan was her savior, the person who would help her escape her dark fate. But now, she realized the horrifying truth: she had fallen into the hands of someone even more monstrous than she had imagined.