All Erik wanted was to die and go to heaven... he didn't want to suffer at the hands of his rivals anymore. But unluckily for him, he had transmigrated straight into danger.
"Ahhhhhhh!"
Erik's scream rang out across the corpse pit as he was chased by the savage creature. Not because he was afraid, but because he didn't want to let his viewers get bored.
"Is this what interrupted my private double cultivation session?!!"
A comment suddenly popped up in the livestream. Many were surprised to find they could send messages through the strange broadcast that had suddenly appeared on their artifacts. They had all thought it was just a recording, but they quickly realized it was something more.
"This kid is really foolish. Can he not even use a movement skill to shake off this lowly beast!!!"
Another comment appeared.
"Don't you have eyes? He looks no different than the corpse on the ground, how do you expect him to slay it!"
"Haha, this is quite the spectacle."
"This looks like it's happening right now..."
"Indeed. What sort of divine artifact is this kid using to create such a mysterious transmission?"
"This old man does not know, definitely it must be a treasure worth a fortune."
The comments kept pouring in one after another. Soon the word spread about a strange broadcast that would instantly appear when one activated the divine record artifact.
Many people who possessed this artifact immediately turned it on. And almost instantly whatever the artifact was supposed to display vanished, replaced by the strange broadcast rumored about.
"This must be some sort of punishment orchestrated by a powerful senior."
"Yes it does like it."
"What did such a poor soul do to deserve this?"
Many people believed this was a punishment, and truly it looked like it. The comments kept coming in — some with sympathy, others with amusement — wondering how long the weak youth could survive.
Through the system, Erik was able to read some of the comments while he ran, screaming like a madman, which only incited the fury of the creature even more.
Erik knew that the adrenaline he was burning through would soon give out, and he would surely die in the jaws of this creature, thus failing the system quest.
His stomach was growling and his head was hurting. In that moment, fragmented memories that didn't belong to him surged forward once more. The name "Zhan Feng" echoed in his mind — the original owner of this frail body — along with how he had ended up in a body bag and dumped in this pit.
Zhan Feng had been the heir to a small province, but due to an accident and loss of funding, the family collapsed and his father fell into heavy debt. When Zhan Feng was still a child, he was sold to the Night Rivers Sect to repay that debt.
When the sect head and elders discovered his unusually large dantian, they immediately took him in, filled with high expectations. They couldn't wait for him to reach the proper age to begin cultivating and become their shining star.
But reality played a cruel joke as Zhan Feng was completely unable to cultivate when he came of age.
The sect head and elders tried countless ancient techniques, expended priceless treasures, and even searched forbidden ancient ruins for a solution yet there was none.
With his vast dantian, he could easily amplify high-grade techniques far beyond his level and greatly increase the power of even the lowest-rank skills. This was the main reason the elders had invested so heavily in him. Alas, it was all in vain.
They made him an outer disciple, since they couldn't simply throw him away after spending so much. What if one day he suddenly became able to cultivate? They couldn't bear the risk.
Because of the special treatment the head and elders had shown him, the other disciples his age grew deeply envious. When they all reached sixteen — the age to begin cultivation — they discovered that Zhan Feng still couldn't cultivate, while they could. The elders then relegated him to a lowly outer disciple position.
Now they were going to walk all over him.
From then on, whenever the disciples were punished by elders for poor performance in cultivation techniques, or simply when they felt angry, they would seek out Zhan Feng and beat him mercilessly.
And when they were done, they would apply a special cream on his wounds. The bruises would vanish, but the pain remained. When Zhan Feng tried to report it, the elders brushed it off as nothing more than a childish prank.
Some seniors discovered what was happening, but instead of stopping it, they paid to join in. Zhan Feng went from a human being to a living punching bag.
Even when some elders found out, they dispersed the crowd, only to secretly enter and torture him themselves. The sect head had forced them to waste priceless treasures on the youth, causing a huge loss, so they harbored deep hatred toward him.
Since the group knew the elders had discovered their actions, they decided to play one last cruel game. That night, they whipped Zhan Feng half to death, tied him inside a body bag, and threw him into the corpse pit near the sect.
They knew the Rank 1 Demonic Beast would surely come to feast on the corpses. They planned to return the next day, just to check if he had somehow survived.
In that half-dead state, plus the lack of oxygen in the bag, the original Zhan Feng sadly lost consciousness and passed away. Then Erik entered and became the new Zhan Feng in this world.
Zhan Feng's legs burned as he stumbled through the corpse pit, the torn burlap sack still clinging to his shoulders like a ragged cloak. The memories of the original owner played his mind in fragments... the beatings, the screams, the cream that erased bruises but not pain, the final whipping before they tied him up and tossed him here like trash.
But there was no time to dwell.
The Corpse Devourer Wolf's guttural growl shook the air behind him. Its heavy paws slammed into the muddy ground littered with bodies, sending rotten flesh and bones scattering.
"Ahhhhhhh!"
Zhan Feng screamed again, voice raw and theatrical, even as terror clawed at his chest. This scream too wasn't purely from fear, he needed to keep the stream entertaining. Boring content meant no viewers, no sudden bonus rewards from the system. In his previous life, systems, especially those with brutal penalties, often hid bonus rewards. So right now, the system was his only hope.
Through the translucent blue screen floating at the edge of his vision, comments continued to flood in.
"This youth is truly courting death! Running like a headless chicken instead of using any technique!"
"Indeed, this old man has never seen such a pathetic display. Is this some new form of punishment from a hidden expert?"
"Haha, look at how the Corpse Devourer Wolf is toying with him. The beast still hasn't even used its full strength yet!"
The wolf lunged. Its massive body, patchwork fur matted with ichor and bone spikes glinting under the crimson-tinted sky, closed the distance in a single powerful bound. Jagged teeth snapped inches from Zhan Feng's back.
He twisted desperately, nearly tripping over a half-rotted arm. Pain exploded in his side as a claw grazed him, tearing shallow gashes across his ribs. Blood welled up hot and sticky.
'Shit… this body is too weak!' he gasped inwardly, old Erik's streamer instincts mixing with the new memories. "If I had even a basic movement technique…"
*Ding!*
[Livestream Viewers: 47 → 186 (Rising rapidly!)]
[Ding! Hidden Quest: Stream for five minutes.]
[Ding! Reward Received: Low-grade Qi Recovery Pill (x1) ]
The notification flashed, followed by a small glowing pill materializing in his palm. Zhan Feng didn't hesitate. He shoved the pill into his mouth mid-sprint, the bitter taste exploding on his tongue. A faint warmth spread through his battered body, easing the burning in his lungs and dulling the pain slightly.
"What was that he just swallowed?!"
"It seems like a Low-grade recovery pill."
"Tsk, tsk… I see through the prearranged scheme."
The comments kept on pouring in and the wolf remained relentless in its pursuit. It roared, its barbed tail whipping like a flail, smashing into a nearby corpse sack and sending decayed remains flying. Greenish mucous and wriggling worms splattered everywhere.
Zhan Feng's heart hammered in his chest. The thirty-minute quest timer in the corner of his vision ticked down mercilessly: 24:47 remaining.
The wolf charged again, jaws wide enough to crush his torso. Zhan Feng dove sideways, rolling through the filth of the pit.
The beast's claws raked the ground where he had stood, gouging deep furrows. He scrambled to his feet, breathing hard. He also noticed that the bleeding on his body slowed, but the beast was already turning for another attack, eyes glowing with hungry green light.
Zhan Feng's mind raced. No cultivation. No techniques. Just a weak, beaten up, malnourished body and a system that demanded he perform live.
'The system rewards!!'
Almost instantly he pulled the system window up with his mind.
*Ding!*
[System Awakening Rewards.]
Zhan Feng skimmed through all the rewards as he desperately search for a weapon or a skill that he could learn instantly. 'But even if I find a skill, with this body inability to cultivate it. What I'm I suppose to do?'
His best option now was to find a weapon or at least something that would help him out in his situation. Unable to patiently scan through the rewards as it was somewhat many. Zhan Feng instantly picked an items which description instantly download in his head.
The item was a flower, the Scarlet Spring Hibiscus.
His leg stepped on something hard. He glanced down and grabbed it immediately. It was a bone fragment, and the tip was coated in dried, darkened blood. The tip jagged enough to serve as a crude blade.
He backed toward the edge of the pit while continuing his "performance" to his audience.
'If I die here on my first stream… the rivals back on Earth would be laughing their asses off,' he muttered in his head bitterly.
It made his tighten unconsciously.
This was supposed to be his second chance at life and not a pathetic end in some nameless pit.
A cold certainty settled in him.
The Corpse Devourer Wolf crouched, preparing to pounce for the kill.
He knew that if he died here today, there would be no second chance.
The timer read: 22:53 remaining. The stream viewer count kept climbing steadily.