A towering figure stood in the sky, his battered body covered in wounds, his disheveled hair giving him the appearance of a devil. In his trembling hand, he gripped a giant red sword, its brilliance dimmed by the weight of his exhaustion. Anyone who looked closely could see it—this man was on his last leg.
Above him, the heavens loomed, where a mountain-sized sword of pure, white energy materialized. Ethereal and unyielding, it radiated divine might, pressing down on him with unbearable force as it descended toward the earth below.
On the ground, countless people dressed in simple white tunics stared upward, their faces pale with terror. Many had fallen to their knees, hands clasped as if in prayer. But if one listened closely, their prayers were not for the gods—they were for the man in the sky.
"Wen Ran, please protect us!"
"Oh, great Wen Ran, slay the heavens for us! We are not guilty, yet we are sentenced to death!"
Desperate cries filled the air, their voices reaching toward the heavens, pleading for salvation. But the man they prayed to stood on the brink of collapse. His body trembled uncontrollably as a bloody red light erupted from his sword, painting the sky in its furious glow and enveloping the entire world in its energy.
"This sword…" Wen Ran's voice thundered across the heavens, his words laced with defiance. "I shall send it back!"
He roared, his gaze burning with unyielding disdain for those who called themselves gods. Even as his body faltered, his will refused to bow to the heavens he deemed unworthy.
"Foolish mortal!"
A thunderous voice crashed from the heavens, carrying such overwhelming power that the mountain peaks in the valley below shattered instantly. The sheer force of the words sent shockwaves across the land, and countless observers coughed up mouthfuls of blood. Some collapsed where they stood, their bodies unable to withstand the divine pressure, while others simply faded into death.
Even Wen Ran, who stood like a god himself, staggered under the crushing weight of the voice. His knees buckled slightly, his body trembling as he was slowly forced closer to the ground.
But his eyes burned with unyielding resolve. Something only a man with countless years of battle experience would possess.
"If I have to sacrifice myself, so be it!" Wen Ran's voice boomed, his defiance shaking the very air. "This world shall know peace, and I, Wen Ran, shall protect my loved ones!"
As his words echoed, his aura surged, crashing upward like a raging tide. The oppressive power from above wavered, and the massive, white ethereal sword in the sky began to tremble.
"Impossible!" the voice from above roared, its tone laced with shock and fury. The weapon that had once carried absolute control now quaked as if it were struggling against its master's will.
Wen Ran's body shot into the sky, his crimson weapon blazing like a sun. The brilliance of his aura eclipsed everything, drowning the heavens in red light. With a single swing of his sword, powerful enough to shatter mountains, he unleashed a devastating strike at his target.
"I have slain countless gods throughout my life," Wen Ran roared, his voice filled with unrelenting fury. "And you will be no exception!"
His aura erupted in a storm of blinding red light, shaking the heavens themselves as his sword hurtled toward its mark.
With a thunderous BOOM, the sky trembled as Wen Ran's strike landed. The massive white sword above cracked slightly under the might of the Godslayer. For a fleeting moment, it seemed as though victory was within his grasp.
The people below erupted in cheers, their hope rekindled as they gazed upon the godlike figure battling the heavens. Wen Ran stood tall, defiant against the divine.
But fate, like a coiled serpent, strikes when least expected.
A towering figure soared into the sky, his long black hair flowing like a river of darkness. His handsome face radiated an aura of calm power as he came to a stop beside Wen Ran.
"Xiao Zhi!" Wen Ran's voice trembled with surprise. "I told you to stay with the people and protect them! Why are you her—?"
Wen Ran's expression froze, his breath caught in his throat as a sharp, searing pain spread through his chest. A cold white sword pierced his rib cage. His eyes widened, a storm of disbelief and betrayal flickering deep within them. He looked at the man, his mind struggling to grasp what had just happened.
"W-Why?" he whispered, his voice barely audible. Deep emotional pain and confusion filled his gaze as he looked at the man he trusted most.
The white sword in the sky, now unopposed, loomed ever closer, its devastating presence threatening to obliterate everything in its path.
"I want to live..." Xiao Zhi's voice cracked, his lips trembling as tears streamed down his face. "They promised me I could become a god. So please, Ran-ge... rest in peace for me."
With a sharp twist of the blade, he drove the sword deeper, shattering Wen Ran's heart. Blood sprayed into the air as Wen Ran's body convulsed. His heart stopped with deep regret, and he plummeted toward the ground.
Yet, Wen Ran didn't die. His gaze remained fixed on his brother's disappearing form as it fled into the sky.
Years of cultivation had forged his body into something extraordinary. Though his heart was destroyed, his unmatched power meant he could eventually reforge it. But there was no hope anymore.
As he fell, his voice roared across the heavens, his final declaration echoing like a curse through the universe.
"This world, my family… all about to die alongside me… I curse you, gods! You are the only ones to blame! But heed my words…" His voice thundered, rippling across the cosmos, his power touching something unknown.
"Take care of my brother well… because even in death, I will haunt you if you harm him."
The universe seemed to ripple in response as if the very fabric of existence quivered under his rage.
Wen Ran's eyes fluttered closed as the massive sword pierced through him, its devastating force splitting the planet in half. The world he fought so hard to protect was consumed in a blinding supernova, its immense power erasing countless lives in an instant. The renowned Godslayer, Wen Ran, was wiped from existence, lost to time for the next million years.
...
[Rise up and fight again]
In the endless void of darkness, Wen Ran's soul shivered. A strange voice echoed through the emptiness, stirring him from his eternal slumber. Its tone was impossible to place—neither wholly male nor female. It was like a whisper in the cosmos, yet powerful enough to jolt his fading consciousness awake.
He was nothing more than a wisp of spectral light adrift in the infinite expanse. But now, for the first time in eons, he felt himself stirring, as though some long-forgotten part of him was waking.
Who dares call to me? he thought heavily, his soul weighed down by exhaustion. He tried to return to the void, to drift back into the nothingness.
[Do you wish to slay the gods again?]
Those words struck him like a thunderbolt, igniting a flame long thought extinguished. Wen Ran's spectral form trembled, his attention snapping to the voice. Slay the gods...
If I had one more chance… If I could rise again, I would never lose. I would raze the very heavens to ash just to see them burn.
[Will you accept another chance at life?]
He paused, taking a moment to contemplate the offer. What's the price you're asking for? Wen Ran's mind remained sharp despite the haze of slumber. After countless years fighting gods, he knew all too well—nothing in the world came for free.
[______]
The voice spoke words so profound, so unfathomable, that Wen Ran's very soul shivered in response. And yet, without hesitation, he answered from the depths of his heart.
Yes. Give me this chance.
[Congratulations!]
Suddenly, Wen Ran's mind exploded with a barrage of messages.
[You have successfully formed a pact with a system's messenger]
[You shall soon be reincarnated into a new body of a dead person in a new world]
[You have received an SSS Rank Cultivation System]
[Good luck on your journey!]
With those final words, Wen Ran's soul was pulled by a mysterious power, spiraling through a vortex of light and energy. When his eyes opened again after countless years, he found himself lying on a cold, unfamiliar floor.