The Worst Divine Kingdom in History

Linhai City, No. 3 Middle School.

The awakening plaza for the third-year senior students was packed with people, the clamor almost loud enough to lift the ceiling.

Today was Linhai No. 3 Middle School's annual divine kingdom awakening day.

In this world, coming of age at eighteen was a dividing line.

On this day, everyone had a chance to open up an initial small world within their body and become an exalted demigod.

As long as their divine kingdom was large enough and its initial ecosystem good enough, it could nurture powerful races of followers and generate an unending stream of faith power.

The strong sat high among the clouds, looking down upon all beings and enjoying endless resources and glory.

The weak could only become laborers at the bottom of society, mining in the most dangerous contaminated areas, perhaps even losing their lives.

"Next, third year, class one, Gu Chengfeng!"

At the instructor's shout from the awakening platform, the noisy plaza fell silent for a moment before erupting into thunderous chatter.

"Holy shit, Young Master Gu's up!"

"I heard the Gu Family spent over ten million on high-grade spirit liquid to cleanse his marrow ahead of this awakening. He's definitely going to take off!"

"No shit. He's a direct descendant of the Gu Family. How are commoners like us supposed to compete?"

Under the envious, jealous, and resentful gazes of the crowd, a boy in custom-made casual clothes strode onto the awakening platform, his expression arrogant.

A casual sneer hung on his lips, as if this were nothing more than an insignificant walk down a runway.

Gu Chengfeng pressed his hand against the awakening stone.

The next second, a dazzling beam of dark golden light shot into the sky, forming an illusion of a vast wasteland in midair.

From within the illusion came the faint sound of heavy war drums and deafening roars.

The instructor in charge of the assessment stared wide-eyed, his voice cracking. "S-rank talent! Berserk War God Body! Initial divine kingdom area: eighty thousand square kilometers!"

"Initial ecosystem: heavy metal wasteland!"

"Initial followers: tier-two heavy-armored berserkers!"

The entire plaza fell deathly silent.

Then, gasps rang out one after another.

"Hiss-eighty thousand square kilometers? Did I hear that right? An ordinary person would have to burn incense in thanks just to get ten thousand!"

"He starts with tier-two followers? What the hell are we even playing for? Who could beat him in a simulated battle?"

"Young Master Gu is awesome! Young Master Gu, I want to have your babies!"

Gu Chengfeng withdrew his hand and swept a lofty gaze over the crowd below, his eyes full of disdain.

His gaze lingered for a moment on a cool, aloof girl at the front of the crowd, a flash of burning possessiveness passing through his eyes before he slowly stepped down from the platform.

"Next, third year, class seven, Shen Yueli!"

At the sound of that name, the boys in the plaza became excited as if they had been injected with chicken blood.

A girl in a blue-and-white school uniform, her hair tied in a high ponytail, calmly walked onto the platform.

Her features were exquisitely flawless, and her aloof bearing was like a block of ice that could never be warmed.

Shen Yueli was Linhai No. 3 Middle School's acknowledged school beauty and a genius from a collateral branch of the Shen Family.

She placed her fair palm against the awakening stone.

Soft, silvery moonlight instantly spilled across the entire plaza. A tranquil forest appeared in midair, with faint glimpses of pointy-eared elves leaping through it.

The instructor rubbed his hands excitedly. "A-rank talent! Moonlight Sacred Domain! Initial divine kingdom area: sixty thousand square kilometers!"

"Initial ecosystem: moonshadow forest!"

"Initial followers: tier-one moonshadow elves!"

Though it couldn't compare to Gu Chengfeng's S-rank, elven followers were in high demand in the early stages. Not only could they fight, but they could also produce valuable spirit plants.

Shen Yueli nodded slightly, her expression still unruffled, and quietly walked back into the crowd.

Gu Chengfeng went up to her, a self-satisfied smile on his face. "Yueli, how about our families join forces in the upcoming city-level simulated divine war? My berserkers can hold the front line while your elves deal damage from the back. We'll sweep the field."

Shen Yueli didn't even look at him. She merely said, "Sorry, I'm used to working alone."

Gu Chengfeng had been rebuffed, and his face immediately darkened.

He snorted coldly and redirected his anger elsewhere.

"Next, third year, class seven, Su Bai!"

At the sound of his name, Su Bai, who had been dozing in a corner, abruptly opened his eyes.

He rubbed his messy hair and let out a long breath.

Finally, it's my turn.

Su Bai was a transmigrator.

He had been in this world for eighteen years, and he knew all too well how cruel it was.

His father had gone missing in a contaminated mining area years ago, and no one knew whether he was alive or dead.

His mother had fallen ill from overwork and had been bedridden for years. The family survived on a meager low-level faith subsidy each month.

If he couldn't awaken a decent divine kingdom today, he wouldn't even be able to scrape together enough money to buy his mother the special medicine she needed.

Su Bai stepped toward the awakening platform.

Whispers immediately rose from the crowd.

"Is that Su Bai from class seven? I heard his family's so poor they can't even afford nutrient solution."

"He's pretty handsome, but unfortunately, in this world, good looks won't put food on the table."

"Wasn't his dad's divine kingdom contaminated? I think he died in an illegal coal mine. I doubt Su Bai will fare much better."

Su Bai turned a deaf ear to the gossip.

He walked up to the awakening stone, took a deep breath, and pressed his hand against it.

One second.

Two seconds.

Three seconds.

The awakening stone showed no reaction.

The instructor frowned and urged him impatiently, "Focus and communicate with the chaos space inside your body!"

Su Bai clenched his teeth and desperately poured his mental power into the awakening stone.

At last, a faint light appeared on the awakening stone.

It wasn't the usual gold, silver, or green, but a murky, nauseating gray-black.

An illusion of Su Bai's divine kingdom slowly emerged in midair.

Everyone present froze.

It was a wasteland shrouded in thick black fog.

There was no sunlight, no river, not the slightest trace of green.

Dried dark red bloodstains, ruined debris, and bottomless pits covered the ground.

At the very center of the ruins stood a dilapidated, abandoned school building, its walls peeling and the structure on the verge of collapse.

The entire divine kingdom radiated a deathly stillness that made people's scalps tingle at a glance.

The instructor stared at the readings on the detector, his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets.

He slapped the machine hard, thinking it was broken.

After confirming that the readings were correct, the instructor looked at Su Bai as if he were already dead and mercilessly pronounced his verdict:

"F-rank talent... no, this doesn't even qualify for a rating!"

"Initial divine kingdom area: ten square kilometers! Dead last in the entire school!"

"Initial ecosystem: severely degraded wasteland!"

"Initial followers: none!"

The instructor paused and took a deep breath. Then, as if afraid of getting something filthy on himself, he roared:

"Dark matter contamination index: ninety-nine percent!"

"Su Bai, your initial small world has been severely contaminated by dark matter. It's completely ruined!"

"Nothing can grow! Nothing can reproduce! It can't be purified!"

"Get ready to spend the rest of your life digging in an illegal coal mine!"

An uproar followed.

The entire plaza instantly exploded into noise.

"Holy shit! Ten square kilometers? My family's bathroom is bigger than that!"

"Ninety-nine percent contamination? Isn't that a fucking poison gas canister?"

"I'm dying laughing. There isn't even a single living follower in there, just a pile of broken bricks and tiles. What the hell use is that divine kingdom?"

"His life's over. Send him straight to fill a mine pit so his contamination doesn't leak out and hurt anyone else."

Laughter, mockery, and gloating looks surged toward Su Bai like a tide.

Standing on the platform, Su Bai looked at the pitiful illusion of his divine kingdom, and the corner of his mouth twitched sharply.

Ten square kilometers?

A ninety-nine percent contamination index?

This start has hell mode cranked all the way up!

Just then, Gu Chengfeng swaggered over with a few lackeys.

He looked at Su Bai, making no attempt to hide the mockery on his face. "Well, well, isn't this class seven's 'handsome guy,' Su Bai?"

"An area of ten square kilometers? Tsk, tsk, tsk. My dog's kennel is roomier than your divine kingdom."

Gu Chengfeng pulled a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket and slapped it across Su Bai's face.

"Since you're so pitiful, this young master will show you a way out."

"This is a labor contract for the West Mountain Contaminated Mining Area under the Gu Family. Sign it and go dig ore for my family."

"You won't live more than three years, but at least you can keep your dying mother breathing for a few more days. What do you say? Pretty merciful of me, isn't it?"

The lackeys around him immediately burst into laughter.

"Young Master Gu truly has the heart of a bodhisattva!"

"Su Bai, why aren't you kneeling to thank him? This is the only chance you'll ever get to have anything to do with a Gu Family business!"

Su Bai ignored the paper on his face. He slowly raised his head and stared fixedly at Gu Chengfeng, his gaze as calm as a pool of stagnant water.

Stay calm.

Don't be impulsive.

If I strike now, the school's security guards will definitely beat me to death on the spot.

Just as the tension was ready to snap, a cool voice suddenly cut in.

"Gu Chengfeng, that's enough."

Everyone turned to see Shen Yueli, who had come over at some point.

Her brows were slightly furrowed, and her eyes were full of disgust as she looked at Gu Chengfeng.

Then she walked up to Su Bai, took a talisman emitting a faint silver glow from her pocket, and held it out to him.

"This is a tier-one contamination suppression talisman. It can temporarily suppress the dark matter in your divine kingdom and stop it from harming your body."

Shen Yueli didn't speak loudly, but everyone present could hear her.

"Su Bai, don't sign that kind of contract. As long as you're alive, there's always another way."

The entire plaza fell silent again.

Everyone looked at Shen Yueli in disbelief.

The school beauty actually offered a good-for-nothing something?

And comforted him too?

Did Su Bai save the galaxy in his last life?!

Gu Chengfeng's face instantly turned livid, and his fists creaked as he clenched them.

He had pursued Shen Yueli for so long without receiving so much as a smile, and now she was publicly defending a good-for-nothing who didn't even have ten square kilometers!

"Shen Yueli, what's the meaning of this? You're going against me for a miner?" Gu Chengfeng asked through gritted teeth.

Shen Yueli didn't spare him a glance. "I just can't stand the way you kick people when they're down. His father once saved me, and I'm repaying that debt. It has nothing to do with you."

Su Bai stared at the suppression talisman held out before him and froze for a moment.

He hadn't expected that, at a time when everyone wanted to kick him while he was down, the only person to stand up for him would be the usually aloof school beauty.

He reached out and took the talisman. "Thanks," he said calmly.

Whatever else happened, he would remember this favor.

The instant Su Bai's fingers touched the talisman, it happened.

A cold, mechanical electronic voice suddenly rang out deep in his mind.

[Ding! The host's divine kingdom dark matter contamination index has reached the threshold. Binding conditions met.]

[Hidden system "Ghost Story Creator" activated!]

[Scanning divine kingdom environment...]

[Scan complete.]

[Divine kingdom area: 10 square kilometers (an excellent escape room venue).]

[Contamination index: 99% (a perfect breeding ground for Anomalies).]

[Initial ecosystem: wasteland and black fog (excellent vehicles for fear).]

[System evaluation: Normal living creatures can't survive? Wonderful! Then we won't raise anything alive!]

[Newbie gift pack issued. Host, please check it.]

Su Bai's pupils abruptly contracted.

The system?!

He forcibly suppressed the wild joy in his heart, letting none of it show on his face.

Ghost Story Creator?

Not raise anything alive?

Su Bai took a deep breath, his mind racing.

Common knowledge in this world held that a divine kingdom needed sunlight, spiritual energy, and a source of water for its followers to thrive and multiply.

Pollution was the nightmare of all gods.

But what if... my followers don't need any of those things at all?

What if my followers are monsters born from pollution and fear?

Su Bai glanced at Gu Chengfeng, who was still raging impotently beside him, and an exceptionally eerie smile suddenly curled his lips.

"Gu Chengfeng." Su Bai suddenly spoke. His voice was not loud, but it rang out with particular clarity across the quiet square.

"You said your berserkers were good at fighting, right?"

Gu Chengfeng froze for a moment, then sneered. "What? You, with your ten square kilometers of trash, want to go a round with me?"

Su Bai picked up the labor contract and, right in front of Gu Chengfeng, leisurely tore it to pieces and tossed them into the air.

"Forget the contract. I don't like digging coal."

Su Bai brushed the scraps of paper from his hands, a chilling light flickering in his eyes.

"As for going a round... I hope your berserkers can run a little faster when the time comes."