NshedRana

In his past life, Zheng Yun was just an ordinary student—weak, powerless, and bound by the chains of mortality. But fate had other plans. He died and was reborn into the Rana World—a realm of endless slaughter, where power was the only law and weakness was a death sentence.

His first 300 years were a nightmare. He suffered, bled, and drowned in agony. Fear became his shadow, pain his closest companion. He was hunted, betrayed, and crushed beneath the boots of the strong. But he did not break. He learned. He adapted. He endured.

By 700 years, the man who once feared death had become a legend of terror. Brutal. Cunning. Manipulative. Pragmatic. His emotions were long dead, his conscience erased by centuries of war and betrayal. He saw through the falsehoods of morality, embracing absolute self-interest. He did not seek justice. He did not seek revenge.

He sought domination.

But fate was not done with him yet.

One day, he was betrayed once more—not by an enemy, but by the very world itself. When he should have ascended beyond mortality, the heavens rejected him. His soul was shattered and cast into the cycle of reincarnation once more.

And when he awoke again…

He was Zheng Yun, once more—a youth at the very start of his journey. But this time, he was different. He remembered everything. The suffering. The betrayals. The power. The truths hidden beyond life and death.

This time, he would not climb step by step. He would seize the world in his grasp.

In the brutal world of Rana, where ancient beasts roam, where cultivators wield heaven-shattering power, and where empires rise and fall in an instant…

A renegade has returned.

One who fears nothing.

One who trusts no one.

One who will burn the heavens if it stands in his way.

Let the world tremble. Let the gods cower. Zheng Yun walks the path of insanity once more.

Renegade Insanity

The first light of dawn crept through the paper-thin windows, casting golden streaks across the room. Zheng Yun stirred, his breath slow and steady, as if caught between the remnants of a dream and the weight of reality.

The world outside was waking—soft murmurs of the wind rustling through the trees, distant voices of merchants setting up their stalls, and the rhythmic chirping of birds greeting the sun.

He rose from his bed and stepped toward the window, pushing it open with quiet reverence. A gust of morning air brushed against his face, cool and crisp, carrying the scent of earth after night's slumber.

He let his eyes wander across the distant horizon, where the sky met the rooftops in a seamless embrace of blue and gold.

Then, in a voice neither loud nor soft, he spoke—his words lingering in the air like poetry.

"The past is a shadow that walks behind me, but the future is a sun that rises before me. Let my steps carve a path that no fate can erase."

He closed his eyes for a moment, letting the words settle within him, then turned away from the window. Today was not a day for lingering in memories. Today, he would move forward.

The marketplace was alive with movement—fabric billowing in the wind, the scent of fresh bread mingling with the sharp tang of ink and parchment, the voices of traders calling out their wares in rhythmic melodies.

Zheng Yun strode through the bustling streets, his eyes set on a small shop tucked between larger storefronts. Its wooden sign bore three carved symbols, aged but still legible:

He stepped inside, the scent of aged parchment and burning incense greeting him. Behind the counter, an old shopkeeper sat with an expression of quiet wisdom, his fingers absently tracing the rim of a porcelain teacup.

Without preamble, Zheng Yun spoke.

The old man's gaze lifted, sharp as a blade, studying him in silence. Then, with a slow nod, he reached beneath the counter and retrieved a small wooden box.

He opened it, revealing five stones, each pulsing faintly with an inner light—deep crimson, speckled with veins of gold.

Rana Stones. Rare, powerful, infused with the essence of the earth itself. They were not merely tools for cultivation—they were foundations upon which the strong built their destiny.

Zheng Yun reached out, his fingers grazing the surface of the stones. A faint warmth tingled against his skin, as if recognizing the one who sought their power.

Zheng Yun handed over the coins without hesitation.

The shopkeeper studied him once more before placing the stones in a silk pouch.

"These stones will amplify your cultivation, but they will not guide your path. That, young man, is for you alone to decide."

Zheng Yun accepted the pouch with a nod.

The sun hung high in the sky as Zheng Yun stepped beyond the city gates. Before him stretched an endless road, winding through valleys and mountains, disappearing into the unknown.

He exhaled slowly, the weight of the stones in his pouch grounding him.

A new city awaited. A new chapter.

The wind whispered through the trees, carrying with it a single unspoken promise—

Destiny belonged to those bold enough to seize it.

Without looking back, Zheng Yun took his first step forward.

The Dawn of a New Path