Awakening in Desperation, System Descends
Skywood Village, located about a hundred miles east of Heavenly Phoenix City, was originally a peaceful settlement that made its living by harvesting the unique "Ironheart Wood" from the Blackwood Forest behind the village. Ironheart Wood was as hard as iron and served as an excellent material for making low-level soul tools and furniture, while also providing a modest yet stable source of income for the Li Family.
However, just three days ago, the Li Family's steward team that had gone to Skywood Village to collect the quarterly tribute, along with a Spirit Elder clansman sent to Heavenly Phoenix City to report, had all vanished without a trace. This unusual situation immediately alerted the upper echelons of the Li Family. In the current sensitive era when the Qiu Family was eyeing them like a tiger watching its prey, any slight disturbance could signify a larger conspiracy.
Eventually, following a family resolution, Young Master Li Xuansheng led the investigation in person. On one hand, this served to temper the future heir of the family; on the other hand, Li Xuansheng's strength as a level-49 Spirit Ancestor, paired with his mutated top-tier Martial Soul Divine Phoenix Halberd, sufficed to handle most emergencies. To ensure nothing went wrong, the family even dispatched Gu Yi, an elder from the Offering Hall, to accompany and protect him.
Gu Yi was a level-87 Spirit Douluo whose Martial Soul was the Gale-Splitting Eagle. Excelling in speed and offense, he was one of the most reliable outsiders recruited by the Li Family and remained utterly loyal to them.
Led by Li Xuansheng and Gu Yi, the group of over a dozen people pushed their horses hard and arrived outside Skywood Village by noon the following day.
Before even entering the village, an ominous premonition lingered in Li Xuansheng's mind. It was too quiet. Although it was midday, there was no cooking smoke rising from the village, no barking dogs, and even bird calls were pitifully sparse. Only the wailing of the wind blowing through the Blackwood Forest made the atmosphere appear exceptionally desolate.
"Be careful, something's wrong." Elder Gu Yi wore a solemn expression. Far more experienced than Li Xuansheng, he keenly sensed a faint, pervasive murderous intent hanging in the air. He signaled the team to disperse into a defensive formation while shielding Li Xuansheng, his soul power quietly circulating.
Li Xuansheng nodded, taking a deep breath as soul power flowed steadily through his body. Although his Martial Soul, the Divine Phoenix Halberd, had yet to be released, a scorching and sharp aura already flickered around him. He waved his hand, and two Li Family guards cautiously stepped forward, pushing open the heavy, ironwood village gates that stood ajar at the entrance.
The sight inside the gates caused everyone's hearts to instantly plummet to rock bottom.
Dozens of corpses lay scattered across the open ground inside the village. Among them were the previously dispatched Li Family stewards wearing the family's standard attire, their modes of death extremely gruesome as most had been killed by a single blow, leaving chilling fluctuations of soul power lingering around their wounds. More numerous still were the villagers of Skywood Village—men, women, the elderly, and even several children. Terror and despair were frozen on their faces, clearly massacred when they were completely incapable of resistance. Among them was the level-35 Spirit Elder clansman who had come to report; he had fallen closest to the village entrance, appearing as though he had wanted to break through desperately to deliver the message, only to be ruthlessly intercepted.
Fresh blood soaked the ground, and the air carried a suffocatingly thick stench of blood.
"Scumbags!" A young Li Family guard cursed in rage, his eyes splitting open. Those who had died were not just villagers, but clansmen flowing with the same blood!
Li Xuansheng felt a chill rush from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head as fury and coldness intertwined. Although he had experienced family struggles and sparred with others, this was the first time he had witnessed such cruel, large-scale slaughter targeting civilians and clansmen.
"Young Master, it's the Qiu Family's Bone-Eroding Force!" Elder Gu Yi crouched down, inspecting the wound of a Li Family steward, and his expression turned extremely ugly. "This is a vicious soul skill cultivated only by core members of the Qiu Family. We've fallen for it. This is a trap!"
As soon as his voice fell, a sinister voice rang out from all directions of the village like the cry of a night owl, carrying teeth-grating banter:
"Hahaha... Not a slow reaction, Old Eagle Gu. Unfortunately, realizing it now is far too late."
A powerful soul power pressure surged like a tidal wave, instantly enveloping the entire Skywood Village. The sky seemed to dim slightly, and the air grew viscous, making breathing difficult.
Li Xuansheng let out a muffled groan, feeling his chest as if crushed by a massive boulder while even the circulation of his soul power stagnated somewhat. The guards beside him fared even worse; the few with weaker cultivation instantly turned pale as blood spilled from the corners of their mouths.
Elder Gu Yi stepped forward abruptly, the soul power of a level-87 Spirit Douluo erupting fully as cyan soul power radiance condensed behind him into the phantom of a giant eagle, attempting to withstand this terrifying pressure. He stared fixedly at the top of the largest Ironheart Wood tree at the village entrance, his voice carrying a trace of incredulous shock:
"Qiu Wanhe! It's actually you!"
An old man clad in dark purple robes had appeared atop the tree canopy at some point. The old man's face was withered, yet his gaze was as sharp as a falcon's, surrounded by nine soul rings—two yellow, two purple, and five black! The nine soul rings of the optimal configuration fluctuated slowly, and the terrifying aura belonging to a Titled Douluo stemmed precisely from this.
Qiu Wanhe was one of the core elders of the Qiu Family, a level-94 Power Attack System Titled Douluo with the title "Bone-Eroding".
"Did a mere Skywood Village actually warrant you, a Bone-Eroding Douluo, coming here in person to set an ambush?" Gu Yi's heart sank to the bottom. He knew that today would likely not end well. With the enemy dispatching a Titled Douluo, their target was definitely not just this small team; they were likely aiming for Li Family Young Master Li Xuansheng!
"The Li Family brat has decent talent, and I hear he even possesses Twin Martial Souls?" Qiu Wanhe licked his lips, his greedy and cruel gaze locking onto Li Xuansheng. "Stifling geniuses, especially geniuses of a hostile family, is always a pleasure. As for you, Gu Yi, you are merely an ant to be crushed along the way."
"Take the Young Master and run!" Gu Yi roared, burning his soul power without hesitation as his momentum surged once more and his seventh soul ring flashed violently. "Seventh Soul Skill, Martial Soul Avatar!"
The giant Gale-Splitting Eagle let out a piercing shriek that could pierce metal and shatter stone. Its size expanded once again, and with a resolute momentum, it lunged toward Qiu Wanhe atop the tree. At the same time, the eighth soul ring behind him also lit up, clearly intending to fight desperately to win a sliver of survival for Li Xuansheng.
"Grandpa Gu!" Li Xuansheng cried out in alarm.
"Go!" Gu Yi roared without looking back, his voice hoarse. "Remember, survive! Tell the patriarch that the Qiu Family... has torn off their masks!"
"Want to leave? Too late!" Qiu Wanhe smiled chillingly. His figure flickered, vanishing on the spot like a ghost, and the next moment he appeared right before Gu Yi's Martial Soul Avatar as his fifth soul ring flashed. "Fifth Soul Skill, Bone-Eroding Ghost Hand!"
A massive purplish-black ghost hand formed from chilling soul power appeared out of thin air, carrying an aura that corroded everything as it grabbed toward the Gale-Splitting Eagle.
Boom—!
The two powerhouses collided instantly, their churning soul power destroying all the surrounding houses and trees into smithereens.
Li Xuansheng's eyes were red. He knew Elder Gu Yi was trading his life to buy them time. Suppressing his grief and anger, he grabbed a dazed guard nearby and shouted, "Let's go!"
The remaining seven or eight Li Family guards snapped out of it as well, clustering around Li Xuansheng and fleeing desperately toward the direction of the Blackwood Forest outside the village.
However, just as they rushed out of the village and entered the edge of the Blackwood Forest, dense sounds of breaking air and battle cries erupted from both sides.
"Kill! Leave none alive!"
Dozens of soul masters clad in Qiu Family attire charged out from the forest, led by two Spirit Saints, while the rest were mostly at the Spirit Emperor and Spirit King levels. They had evidently been lying in ambush here for a long time.
"Protect the Young Master!" The Li Family guards cried out with bloodshot eyes, meeting the enemy without fear of death.
The battle erupted instantly. The radiance of soul skills flashed frantically among the trees, accompanied by endless explosions, the clashing of blades, and screams.
Wielding the Divine Phoenix Halberd with its blade burning in golden flames, Li Xuansheng lashed out with a single strike, sending a charging Qiu Family Spirit King flying along with his martial soul. His strength far surpassed his peers, and the might of the Divine Phoenix Halberd was even more tyrannical; for a short time, no one could get close to him.
Yet the enemies were too numerous, and their strength was generally superior to theirs. Li Family guards fell one after another, their blood staining the soil of the Blackwood Forest red.
Fighting and retreating, Li Xuansheng gained several wounds on his body. He grew extremely anxious inside, unsure of the situation on Elder Gu Yi's end, while the encirclement before him grew increasingly tight.
Just as he forcefully repelled a Spirit Saint's attack, his old strength spent and new strength not yet generated, a fatal sense of crisis struck abruptly from behind!
Another Spirit Saint had silently slipped behind him, a poisoned short sword in hand thrusting directly at his heart!
"Young Master, watch out!" The nearest Li Family guard roared, throwing his body in front of Li Xuansheng without hesitation.
Splat!
The short sword pierced right through the guard's chest.
"Litong!" Li Xuansheng's eyes split open in agony.
The guard named Litong used his last ounce of strength to grab the Spirit Saint, shouting to Li Xuansheng, "Run... Young Master... You must... survive..."
Boom! The Spirit Saint shattered Litong's corpse into pieces.
Watching his clansmen die for him, Li Xuansheng only felt a buzzing in his mind as an unspeakable sorrow and anger rushed straight to the depths of his soul. At the same time, the deepest part of his spiritual world, a shackle that had been sealed for a long time, seemed at this moment to be shattered by this extreme emotional impact!
Countless chaotic and complex memory fragments surged into his consciousness like a breached flood embankment.
Was that... another world?
Tall buildings, bustling traffic, a planet named Blue Star, a country called Huaxia... He was a young man who had just graduated from university, and with a passion for history, joined his mentor's provincial archaeological institute... His greatest hobby, in his spare time, was immersing himself in the bizarre worlds constructed by various extracurricular novels... Douluo Continent... He had even joked with colleagues that if he could time-travel, which character would he summon...
And then, there was that archaeological accident... While exploring a newly discovered ancient tomb, the burial chamber collapsed without warning... Heavy stones fell, and darkness took his vision...
And then... he was born into this world similar to Douluo Continent through reincarnation, became the young master of the Li Family, and spent fourteen years... Until this moment, at the juncture of life and death, under extreme stimulation, the memories of his past and present lives completely merged!
At the very moment when these memories merged and his consciousness became dazed—
[Ding! Detected that the host's spiritual threshold has reached the critical point, and the soul origin is stable, meeting the binding conditions...]
[The Douluo Summoning System begins binding...]
[10%... 50%... 100%!]
[Binding successful! Hello, host. I am the Douluo Summoning System, and I am very happy to serve you.]
[Detected that this is the host's first binding, the beginner's gift pack has been issued to the system space, please check and receive it.]
A cold and mechanical electronic voice sounded clearly in the depths of his mind.
Li Xuansheng gave a fierce shudder, and the memories of his past life and his present situation instantly cleared. Without the slightest panic, as a seasoned novel enthusiast, he almost immediately understood his predicament—the standard equipment of a time-traveler, the golden finger had arrived! And there was a beginner's gift pack!
"System?" he called out eagerly in his mind.
[Present.] The cold electronic voice responded.
"Open the beginner's gift pack! Quick!" Li Xuansheng roared inwardly while instinctively wielding the Divine Phoenix Halfero to parry the flying soul skill. This was his only hope!
[Ding! Successfully opened the beginner's gift pack!]
[Congratulations to the host for obtaining:]
[1. Summoning Points: 200 points!]
[2. Level 96-98 Summoning Card × 1!]
[3. Free forced name change / bloodline addition opportunity × 1! (Limited to this summoning use)]
Level 96-98 summoning card! Li Xuansheng's heart shook violently! Gu Yi the honored elder had used his life to barely hold back Qiu Wanhe, who was only at level 94. If there was a super Douluo above level 96, the immediate crisis could be resolved instantly!
"System, what functions do you have? How does summoning work?" He suppressed his excitement and quickly asked.
[This system can consume summoning points to summon characters from the Douluo Continent series of novels and related derivative works. The summoned characters are absolutely loyal to the host.]
[The strength of the summoned characters is determined by the system, and their identities will be rationalized after descending.]
[Summoning points can be obtained by completing tasks, host level improvement, killing, occupying territory, subduing forces, and other methods.]
[Current summoning level: Level 1. Summonable soul power level: Level 91-94 Titled Douluo. Consumption per summon: 150 summoning points.]
[The host can use summoning cards to summon within a specified range, unaffected by summoning level restrictions.]
[Additional function: You can consume one-third of the summoning points required for the corresponding summoning level to forcibly add the 'Li Bloodline' to the summoned character or change their name.]
The system succinctly and clearly introduced the core functions.
"Check my attributes!" Li Xuansheng gave the order without hesitation.
A light blue light screen, visible only to him, instantly unfolded before his eyes:
· Host: Li Xuansheng · Age: 14 years old · Soul Power: Level 49 · Martial Soul: Divine Phoenix Halberd (Main), Heavenly Heart Ring (Secondary-Hidden) · Soul Rings: Purple, Purple, Purple, Black · Summoning Points: 200 · Summoning Level: 1 (0/5) · Items: Level 96-98 Summoning Card × 1, Free Forced Name Change / Bloodline Addition Opportunity × 1 · Tasks: · Main Task · Family's Rise (Uncompleted) · Side Task · Survival in Dire Straits (New): Survive the pursuit of Qiu Wanhe and his subordinates. Reward: 200 summoning points.
In the short moment while he was checking his attributes, the Li Family guards around him had all fallen, leaving only him, surrounded by two soul sages, more than a dozen soul emperors, and soul kings. Further away, in the direction of the village entrance, came a heaven-shaking explosion and a tragic cry from Gu Yi the honored elder full of unwillingness, and then, the powerful aura belonging to the Gale-Splitting Eagle, like a candle in the wind, rapidly extinguished...
Grandpa Gu... has also sacrificed himself.
Endless desolation and killing intent surged in Li Xuansheng's heart, but he forced himself to calm down. The meticulous observation and logical thinking cultivated by his past archaeological work came into play at this moment.
"System, are there any reconnaissance skills? Can I view the specific information of the enemies?" He asked quickly in his mind while tightly gripping the Divine Phoenix Halberd, watching the slowly approaching enemies with vigilance.
[The host can use basic reconnaissance skills for free.] The system responded.
"Initiate reconnaissance! Scan all enemies around!" Li Xuansheng immediately ordered.
With a thought in his mind, data refreshed rapidly on the pale-blue light screen, locking onto every Qiu Family Soul Master present:
· Target 1: Qiu Wanhe · Identity: Qiu Family Core Elder · Soul Power: Rank 94 · Martial Soul: Bone-Eroding Ghost Hand · Title: Bone-Eroding Douluo · Soul Ring: Yellow, Yellow, Purple, Purple, Black, Black, Black, Black, Black · Status: Lightly injured (Soul Power consumption at about forty percent), killing intent locked onto the host. · Threat Level: Extremely High (Fatal) · Target 2: Qiu Lie · Identity: Qiu Family Deacon · Soul Power: Rank 78 · Martial Soul: Flame Blade · Soul Ring: White, Yellow, Purple, Purple, Purple, Black, Black · Status: Intact, high fighting spirit. · Threat Level: High · Target 3: Qiu Han · Identity: Qiu Family Deacon · Soul Power: Rank 76 · Martial Soul: Ice Palm · Soul Ring: Yellow, Yellow, Purple, Purple, Black, Black, Black · Status: Intact, aura is cold and gloomy. · Threat Level: High · Target 4 to Target 17: Qiu Family Soul Masters (Soul Emperor and Soul King ranks) · Soul Power Level: Ranging from Rank 58 to Rank 68 · Martial Soul: Various tool and beast martial souls · Soul Ring Configuration: Uneven, mostly not the optimal configuration. · Status: Intact, forming an encirclement net. · Threat Level: Medium (High collective threat level)
Looking at the reconnaissance results, Li Xuansheng's thoughts raced. Although Qiu Wanhe was lightly injured and had consumed quite a bit, his Rank 94 strength could still easily crush him to death. The encirclement net formed by two Soul Saints and more than a dozen middle- and high-tier Soul Masters was definitely not something he could break through right now.
Fighting head-on meant only one dead end.
The only chance of survival lay in the summoning card within the beginner gift package!
He no longer hesitated, his consciousness sinking into the system space, locking onto that card flowing with brilliant radiance.
System, use the Rank 96 to 98 summoning card! At the same time, use the free chance to add the Li Bloodline to the summoned character! Li Xuansheng roared in his heart. He had to ensure that the summoned powerhouse was thoroughly bound to the Li Family!
[Ding! Successfully used the Rank 96 to 98 summoning card! Starting random summon...]
[Summoning in progress...]
[Ding! Congratulations, host, for successfully summoning the Rank 98 Power Attack System Super Douluo -- Chen Jianjun!]
[Identity rationalization: He is the guardian of a secluded branch of the Li Family, traveling outside for years to seek a breakthrough, and upon sensing the young master's crisis, he has come specifically to rescue him!]
[Li Bloodline added successfully! Chen Jianjun has automatically identified himself as a member of the Li clan!]
Almost the instant the system prompt fell, a sharpness indescribable in words, like a sleeping ancient god awakening, erupted abruptly from the depths of Blackwood Forest!
This aura was fierce, pure, and domineering! It seemed capable of slicing through all obstacles in the world, and even space was about to be severed by it!
Qiu Wanhe, who had previously been confident of victory and slowly closing in, changed expression drastically. His charging figure came to an abrupt halt, and he stared in horror toward the direction the aura came from. Those Qiu Family Soul Masters surrounding Li Xuansheng felt as though an invisible sharp sword was pressed against their throats; one by one, their faces turned pale, their soul power circulated poorly, and even the martial souls in their hands trembled slightly.
Hum--!
A clear sword hum resonated through the heavens and earth.
The next moment, a figure appeared before Li Xuansheng as if through teleportation.
That was an elder in green robes with an archaic appearance and eyes containing an unspeakable vicissitude and sharpness within their warmth. He stood there, his figure not particularly tall, yet he seemed to be the center of the entire world. There were no flashy soul rings displayed around him, but that restrained sword intent, sufficient to make heaven and earth lose their color, already explained everything.
He first glanced at Li Xuansheng behind him, who looked slightly disheveled yet had firm eyes, nodding slightly with a trace of an elder's care and relief flashing in his eyes. Immediately after, he turned around, looking calmly at Qiu Wanhe, who was treating him as a formidable enemy.
"The Li Family, Chen Jianjun." The elder spoke indifferently. His voice was not loud, yet it clearly entered everyone's ears, carrying an unquestionable majesty, "Those who harm my young master shall die."
As his voice fell, a long sword about three feet in length, crystal clear throughout and seemingly condensed from endless killing intent and righteousness, quietly hovered at his side. Nine soul rings slowly emerged upon the sword body -- Yellow, Yellow, Purple, Purple, Black, Black, Black, Black-Red!
The soul rings of optimal configuration, especially that last one, the alluringly blood-red 100,000-Year Soul Ring, brought a visual impact and soul deterrence that caused the hearts of all the Qiu Family members present, including the Rank 94 Qiu Wanhe, to skip a beat!
"Seven... Seven Kill Sword?!" Qiu Wanhe's voice carried a trace of uncontrollable trembling, and the ferocious smile on his face had long since been replaced by boundless terror, "Impossible! How could the Li Family still have someone like you..."
Chen Jianjun did not give him another chance to spout nonsense; he merely pressed his fingers together like a sword and made a gentle sweeping motion toward Qiu Wanhe.
"Eighth Soul Skill, Move Mountains and Fill Seas."
There was no earth-shattering momentum, only a black sword beam condensed to the extreme, seemingly capable of devouring even light, that silently tore through space and instantly appeared before Qiu Wanhe.
Qiu Wanhe's soul almost left his body. Burning his soul power, he frantically urged his ninth soul skill, expanding the Bone-Eroding Ghost Hand to its limit in an attempt to block it.
Screech--!
It was like a hot knife cutting through butter.
That ninth soul skill, which condensed his lifelong cultivation, was as fragile as paper in front of that seemingly unremarkable black sword beam, being split in two. The sword beam swept past, its remaining momentum unchecked.
"No--!" Qiu Wanhe emitted a despairing and resentful howl.
Blood burst forth!
(Chapter One End)
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