Final Life: I Will Become a Goddess

Crimson lightning sears through my flesh, awakening every nerve in my body in a moment suspended in life times. I've failed. Heaven's Judgement is burning away my life once more.

I was so close this time. My eyes seek a friendly face but I only see the face of my most bitter enemy, Qin Tao, smirking as I turn to ash.

"No one will celebrate your destruction more than I, Li Mei!"

I stand outside the world, engulfed in cold darkness. My soul weakly pulsing with light as a system window appears before me. 

[System Alert: FINAL LIFE. Are you ready to begin? Yes or No.]

Is it really the last time? I could just decline and fade away, ripped away from the fabric of reality like my existence means nothing. 

Qin Tao's face floats before my memory and my hand clenches into a fist so hard my soul trembles with rage. 

All this pain won't be for nothing. I will become a goddess in this cultivation world. I will avenge my past selves and destroy all those who abused me. If I must die, then all who get in my way will burn with me.

I press the yes button. The system alert windows poppinng up as I feel myself pulled away into the ether. 

[System Alert: Final Life beginning. Hard Mode Activate. System prompts minimized.]

[Hidden Achievement Unlocked: Heaven's Destruction.]

[Ending Unlocked: Goddess Route] 

***

[A demonic beast has been roaming the cvountryside and devouring villagers. The Heavenly Sect in charge of these lands is offering a bounty for slaying the beast. If you slay the beast you can claim the spirit stones they offer or defy the edict against diablic practices and claim its core.

Objective: Slay the demon beast.]

***

My heart feels like it'll burst. I can barely see the beast, but I smell him. All I can do is pray the talisman I prepared is powerful enough. I don't have the raw strength for a prolonged fight. If I catch it off-guard and activate the talisman, I'll win. I'll claim the beast core that'll give me the strength to make them all pay.

I'm frozen, watching it and trying not to shiver too loudly. 

Something deeper in the cave that I can't see or hear makes the beast shift. It's no longer sleeping. It's sniffing the air. Beneath the mangy patchwork of dark fur, I can see a sliver of shiny scale. Its claws scrape across the cavern floor – tiny sparks disrupting the dull blue illumination of the cavern crystals. 

The beast shifts up onto its hind legs, exposing its belly to me. I don't see anything but darkness on its belly. It's not armored there.

This is it. If this works… if this works…

My hands tremble as I raise the slip of parchment to my lips. A kiss to activate my life power pulsing within the talisman. I don't have time to think, it's now!

The cavern shakes around me as the beast ferociously roars. Its head turning towards me in recognition of the intrusion. My eyes widen as I fight the instinct to retreat. The parchment flies from my hand as I hurl it at the beast's exposed belly. It pulses with a sickly red and black energy as the sigils ignite across the soft flesh.

"No. Fall, Heaven's take you, monster," I growl.

It surges forward appearing in a burst of smoke and something else. I pull a second slip from my sleeve and brace myself for impact.

A foul sticky odor assaults my senses as the beast collapses in front of me, its eyes wide a murderous as it stares at me – a hole in its middle. I wait for it to stop moving, the system stopped telling me when my enemies die several lives ago. I've learned that lesson.

Blood gurgles from its open jaws as it dies in a final rattle. I pant as it stills and all life fades from its eyes.

My knees give way and I'm on the cavern floor again. My prize is there. All those nights of preparation paid off. I've won. I've finally won but I can't stop shaking. 

The work hasn't ended. I must pry the magical core from the rancid flesh of this hideous demon beast. I wrap my face with a cloth and get to work with my knife. It's taxing work and I haven't the stamina for finer butchery. I lose track of time.

"What do we have here?" A male voice calls from behind me.

I clutch the core to my chest. No, no, no. The heavenly sect found me already. They'll take it away and burn me for my cultivation practice.

"I killed the beast. It's my prize for the bounty," I hide the tremble in my voice with indignation. I can manage that much.

I turn to face them as they flood the cavern with magical light. I wince at the change. Two handsome men in white robes with grey belts glare at me as a third prods the fallen beast. I step back, shrinking away from them.

I remember those robes. I remember the night these people, the Celestial Mountain Sect, appeared on my family's estate. When they slaughtered my entire family.

No mercy was given. No one but me survived. No matter how many times I've relived this life, this is always the outcome.

It isn't safe for me here. I have to run. My eyes search for the exit – did they block the way out? The system won't help me escape. 

An older man with a blue belt stands at in the way of the tunnel I came in through.

I move towards it, still clutching the core to my chest.

"A scrawny little thing like you? No way you killed this beast." The men scoff.

Covered in mud and gore with my pale skin and soaked hair, I must've looked like a ghoul myself.

"Believe it or not. I did," I refuse to be meek this life. My defiance attracts the attention of the older man at the tunnel. I see his gaze focus on me and the core I hold.

"Come little sister, tell us what happened." The older man beckons me to him. I try to place the name to the face, I don't remember him or the others as anyone of importance. 

He's almost an arm's length away, I can make a break for it. He reaches for me and I try to sprint past but he catches my arm.

I panic, a parchment slip slides free of my sleeve into my right hand as he pulls me to a stop.

"Little sister. Give us the core and we'll make sure you're safe."

I can't trust this man. I don't want to die. 

"Eviscerate." I mumble in the old dialect. The sigils on the parchment spark that ghastly red.

The man's eyes widen as his grip on my arm tightens, realizing what I hold. He wrenches my right hand up – to stop my talisman from igniting but it's too late.

My hateful life energy explodes above us, violently impacting against the ceiling throwing my would be capture and me apart. I see a spark of fear and disbelief in his eyes as I scramble up to my feet. He's alive, I can't smell anything but the monster's corpse and blood. Mine and his.

"Senior!!!"

When did the cultivators get so close? I have to run. I can't let me drag me to face judgement.

"Don't let her get away! Catch her!!!"

I feel them on my heels, their heat seeking me. I don't have the strength, but I need to try.

I hear the voices, more are outside. They're too close.

I run into the darkness, praying it'd swallow me whole.

My body aches. My lungs burn. My heart is a frightened bird cornered by a serpent. I trip and crash into the ground. Jolts of red pain run up my legs and shoulder.

The footsteps are louder as they surround me. I don't look up at them as I try to scramble up again. I can't put the core down. I can only use one arm… and they grab it tightly, twisting it behind my back. All my fight to stand gets me shoved roughly back down.

"Let me go!" I shriek as they push more of their weight down.

"Bind her hands and gag her, quickly!"

I'm an enraged kitten as they overpower me and everything goes dark. It was a perfect plan. It was going to work but I was caught. Is this really the fate of any diabolic cultivator in this world? I just don't want to suffer anymore. Why can't they just let me go?

"Stop struggling." A voice rasps in my ear, it's that of the senior. "You're making it worse."

My face is hot and I thrash wildly, impotent in my attempts to defend myself from the man pressing me down. A new fear flashes through my mind.

Heaven's help me… please don't…

But I'm suddenly weightless as I'm carried off to somewhere. I can't see or speak. A sharp pain on the back of my head sends me into a fitful abyss of unconsciousness. I can only pray that when the light returns, I won't be opening my eyes for truly the last time.