Chapter 1

The gnawing pain still lingered when I opened my eyes.

Inside the conference hall, Lily sat at the head seat. Her long golden hair glinted under the candlelight as she gently stroked her swollen belly.

I froze for a second, realizing I had been reborn.

Memories of my past life flooded back—two months ago, Lily had returned suddenly pregnant after going out, claiming it was a "miracle", a Chosen One born from the toxic mist. Everyone had believed her.

A year later, the creature was born.

She called it the "Divine Child", but its eyes were pitch-black, its mouth lined with sharp fangs.

It needed to feed. At first, it preyed on ordinary people, then later on ability users.

That day, I had just returned from a mission, covered all over in wounds.

The moment I stepped through the base gates, a piercing whoosh cut through the air behind me.

Lily's personal guards ambushed me, broke my limbs, and dragged me into that room.

Lily stood in the doorway, holding the "Divine Child" in her arms.

"Chu Men," she said softly, "you always said you’d do anything for me, didn’t you?"

She set the creature down inside the room and closed the door.

The monster pounced, starting to gnaw at my legs, working its way up to my chest.

An ability user’s extraordinary vitality let me stay conscious long enough to watch it devour my heart.

Lily stood outside the reinforced glass window, watching with a gentle, resolute expression.

Amid the agony, the purple crystal core I’d accidentally obtained on this mission brushed against my blood, turning into a streak of violet light that burrowed into my forehead.

Then came a pain more agonizing than being torn apart, followed by endless darkness…

"Chu Men?"

Lily’s voice jolted me back from my thoughts.

She tilted her head. "What were you daydreaming about?"

In my past life, her soft, tender words would always make my heart race. Now they only filled me with revulsion.

"My apologies, Leader. I was distracted."

She smiled warmly, then glanced around the hall. "I’ve called everyone here with wonderful news—my child, the Chosen One, has entered a period of rapid growth!"

"But its growth requires massive resources." Lily’s voice turned delicate. "Deep within the Ten Thousand Poison Abyss grows a fifth-order spiritual grass, translucent white all over, capable of accelerating the divine fetus’s growth. Chu Men, would you go there for me?"

Here it comes.

In my past life, I’d agreed to this request. I’d ventured into the Ten Thousand Poison Abyss, returned grievously injured, my power greatly diminished—and in the end, I’d become the first third-order ability user to be sacrificed.

Every gaze in the conference hall locked onto me, filled with disdain and mockery.

I was about to refuse when a sudden hum echoed in my mind.

It was the purple crystal core!

It had come back with my rebirth, sending a stream of information—it was the World Purification Divine Core, able to absorb all toxic mist energy.

The more poisonous the place, the stronger the poisonous beasts I killed, the faster my power would rise!

The Ten Thousand Poison Abyss was no death trap for me. It was a treasure land.

"I would do anything for you, Leader!" I quickly changed my words.

The looks in everyone’s eyes instantly turned to contempt and sneers.

"Brother Chu Men is truly our base’s hero!" Johns, Lily’s favorite consort, spoke up abruptly. "The Ten Thousand Poison Abyss is a place where even fifth-order experts face certain death. For you to risk yourself for the Leader is truly admirable!"

His face wore a smile, yet his eyes brimmed with sarcasm, clearly waiting to relish my predicament.

"Thank you for your concern." My tone was calm. "I will come back alive."

Johns’s smile froze for a moment.

"I believe in you." Lily reached out and took my hand. "Chu Men, you’ve always been the one I trust most. When you return, I’ll hold a feast to honor you myself."

Her gaze was soft enough to melt water, but all I felt was the urge to retch.

"I understand."

I lowered my head, pulled my hand free, and turned to walk out of the conference room.

As I passed the personal guard unit that had killed me in my past life, my face remained impassive, yet I struggled to contain the killing intent raging in my heart.

I was only a third-order ability user. The base held three fourth-order users and ten third-order ones. Now was not the time to strike.

I had to grow stronger.

The Ten Thousand Poison Abyss lay thirty kilometers north of the base.

Beneath its entrance roiled thick purple toxic mist, dense as boiling liquid. Ordinary humans would mutate into venomous beasts within a second of stepping foot here, and even ability users had to exhaust great strength to resist the mist’s corrosion.

But the World Purification Divine Core in my mind grew warm.

It craved to absorb the toxic mist’s power.

I jumped down.

Purple mist surged over me in an instant, a stinging sensation spreading across my body—yet soon the sharp pain melted into coolness.

I could feel my strength rising, the bottleneck of the third-order weakening.

Three days passed.

By noon on the fourth day, I found the spiritual grass growing atop a cliff, guarded by a peak third-order giant scorpion.

After a brutal battle, I slew the scorpion and absorbed its energy.

Crack!

A cracking sound echoed inside me. I had broken through to the fourth-order!

The surging power within made me feel capable of defeating everyone in the base, yet I forced myself to stay calm. I carefully plucked the spiritual grass and left the abyss.

Rather than risk fighting the others here and now, it would be far sweeter revenge to level up alone, let Lily give birth to that monster, and watch my enemies—even Lily herself—be devoured by it.