In a cold and silent stone hallway, illuminated by wooden torches on both sides of the walls, hurried footsteps of multiple people could be heard.
A group of men sprinted, torchlight flickering on their shadowy figures as they moved through the stone corridor.
The group approached the room at the end of the hallway and they charged into it. In the middle of the room stood a man, little less than six feet tall, firmly holding a golden bracelet in which a red gemstone shone brightly on their tense faces.
The room was lit by a single ball of white light, fixed to the ceiling. The ball gave off just enough light to illuminate the entire space.
The red gemstone shone under the room's light, drawing the attention of the group to it. The moment the group of men saw the bracelet in the man's hands, greed flashed in their eyes and intense hatred filled the hearts of the men facing the holder of the bracelet.
Suddenly, one of the men from the group yelled, "Julian! You slaughtered thousands just to get this bracelet. Today you will pay for your sins! Hand over that bracelet and the treasures you obtained in this place and we shall leave you with an intact corpse! "
"I have been chasing after you for decades after you killed my descendants, today you have finally been surrounded! Give up, you have nowhere to run to demon!" Another spoke, hatred burning like a blazing fire in the man's eyes.
Hearing this, Julian's gaze was unmoved; his body stood still as a monolith. The group of men chasing him also stood still; on guard against him, not knowing what he would do next.
A few moments pass, and a mocking grin formed on the face of Julian. He let out a low, cold laugh,
"Hehehehe"
His adversaries became wary, as someone spoke, "Be careful everyone, this wicked demon is at the last moment of his life, he will surely attack desperately to find our weakness and escape! "
Julian's laugh died down as the mocking smile on his face disappeared, his expression turning bitter. He pondered in his mind, "A thousand years ago, I was transported in this strange world of cultivation... only a delusional teen at the time, I thought I was the chosen one and got myself into perilous situations, losing everything. I was captured, tortured and turned into a slave and suffered for 400 years. But my luck turned around and I achieved greatness at the age of 800!"
Julian then spoke to the group of men, "I have lived for a thousand years, I regret not capturing every opportunity I got! But I shall still struggle to the end! "
Hearing his words, the men became alert. One gripped his sword tightly, ready to pounce, another took a step forward ready to take on any attacks.
"Give up, you demon! We have blocked all your ways of escape. Today is the day you die!" A person suddenly spoke up.
Yet Julian did not attack, his body still shone under the light of the room, unmoving.
A piercing white light enveloped him, and he thought, "The Celestial Bracelet, an artifact of that legendary person. It allows a person's soul to regress through time! If this myth is true, then I shall have another chance at reaching the true end of cultivation!"
Seeing the light emanating from the body of Julian, fear gripped the hearts of the men facing him. "Stop him!", someone from the group yelled, but it was far too late as the light vanished the instant it came, and Julian disappeared from his position without a trace.
...
A cold night wind blew on the face of a fair young man, who looked to be in his mid-teens. The young man was unfazed by the cold and kept gazing at the full moon hanging in the sky.
The young man muttered quietly under his breath, "Blackstone city– the place I transported to a thousand years ago... I've really travelled through time!" His face was expressionless, but he clenched his fists in excitement.
"I had reached Rank 7 in my previous life, yet I was surrounded and nearly died. I finally have a chance to change my fate!", he spoke with determination in his voice.
And at that moment– it all hit him. A thousand years of memories surged through his young mind, the sheer pain causing him to almost faint. Blood trickled out of his nose, dripping down his face staining the wooden floor crimson.
Julian nearly collapsed, but caught himself at the last moment. Clutching his head tightly, he thought, "My mind can't take all my memories, I must... not faint." Intense pain assaulted his brain as he forced himself to stay awake.
"I can't let my mother notice anything unusual! Otherwise she might try to kill me even sooner." Julian suddenly remembered who his mother truly was.
The moment he thought about his mother, the door to his room swung wide open, as he heard a worried voice spoke to him. "Julian, you mustn't stay awake for so long, I know you are excited for tomorrow as you will finally get the chance to cultivate, but you should go to sleep soon."
Julian kept his bloodied face away from his mother's eyes, and spoke in an excited tone, "Yes I know mom, I am excited for tomorrow! I will go to sleep soon, don't worry about it.", his cheeks lifted slightly under the dim light —his silhouette giving the illusion of a bright smile.
Noticing this, Julian's mother smiled as she turned around and left the room chuckling as she went, closing the door behind her.
The moment his mother left the smile on his face disappeared, replaced with a cold and expressionless face. "In my last life she had been part of a cult. She tried to sacrifice me so that she could become stronger through a ritual, but I escaped.", he thought. But he quickly dispelled his thoughts– all of this would happen years later and by then he would have already become strong enough to defend himself.
"Blackstone city... its main source of income is Blackstone– a material for refining weapons of war, found abundantly in its mines"
Heh
"Though the mines had been run dry and eventually the city had to be abandoned, the real treasure lies in its depths, I must get my hands on it before anyone else this time!"
Thinking about his plans, Julian felt a wave of satisfaction. But the lingering pain in his head was growing heavier. He pushed the thoughts aside and carefully wiped away the traces of blood from the floor.
He then pulled out a rag from beneath his bed and cleaned his face. After making sure nothing looked suspicious, he slumped down and let his tired body rest, finally falling asleep.