First step on the JiangHua World

In the half-moon night, Tian Huo City, once a lively and bustling place filled with merchants, cultivators, and ordinary citizens, had turned into a battlefield of blood and despair. The sky was painted a deep crimson, reflecting the carnage below.

A group of demons, their eyes glowing with malice, swept through the city, their weapons gleaming under the moonlight. They were at the Golden Core realm and Qi Gathering realm, striking down helpless humans with no mercy. "Help!... Help!... Ahh!" The desperate screams of the innocent echoed through the burning streets, but no savior came. One by one, the weak and defenseless were sliced in half, their blood pooling on the ground like rivers of death.

Amidst this nightmare, a man could be seen running, carrying a group of terrified children. He was in the beginning realm of Golden Core, but fear was evident in his eyes. His name was Ling Yun, and his heart pounded with anxiety. He knew the demons chasing them were stronger, reaching the intermediate realm of Golden Core. Even if he fought bravely, the difference in strength was too vast.

"Keep running! No matter what happens, don't stop!" Ling Yun urged, his breath heavy as he sprinted through the ruined city. His robes were torn, his body covered in fresh wounds from the previous battles. Yet, he refused to stop. The innocent children behind him were the future, and he could not let them perish here.

But soon, a group of monsters blocked their path. Their grotesque forms stood menacingly in front of them—each one at the Qi Foundation realm, while one stood at the Golden Core realm. A cruel grin stretched across the demon's face as he stepped forward, raising his weapon lazily.

"Where are you running, you stinky man?" the demon chuckled, his sharp fangs gleaming under the moonlight. Without waiting for an answer, he lunged forward, his sword aiming directly at Ling Yun's heart.

Ling Yun gritted his teeth, summoning his last reserves of energy. He raised his sword and clashed against the demon. Sparks flew as their weapons met, the force of the impact sending shockwaves through the air.

"You can't win against us!" another demon sneered, his voice dripping with mockery. The others cackled, their eyes filled with the thrill of the hunt.

Ling Yun ignored them, his focus shifting toward the children behind him. "Run!" he commanded, his voice firm and unwavering. "You must survive!"

The children hesitated, their eyes filled with tears. "No, Master! We won't leave you! We want to help!" they cried in unison, their small hands gripping whatever weapons they could find.

Ling Yun felt his heart clench. He knew their spirit was strong, but they were too young, too weak to fight against these demons. Without a second thought, he pulled out a jade talisman from his robes. With a swift motion, he crushed it, activating a teleportation array beneath their feet.

A brilliant glow enveloped them, and in the next instant, the children were gone.

However, not all of them had left.

Some children had resisted the teleportation, jumping out of the glowing formation at the last moment. Their eyes, filled with tears and determination, suddenly turned red. The warmth in their gaze disappeared, replaced by something sinister.

Before Ling Yun could react, the remaining children raised their weapons—and drove them straight into his back.

Pain surged through his body as he staggered forward, blood spilling from his wounds. His mind reeled, unable to comprehend what had just happened. His own disciples—those he had sworn to protect—had betrayed him.

As he collapsed onto the ground, he turned his gaze toward the night sky, his mind clouded with sorrow. "Why…" he whispered as darkness consumed him.

…

The city of Tian Huo was no more.

Its once-majestic walls crumbled, its people slaughtered, leaving nothing but a wasteland of corpses and destruction. The demons roamed freely, laughing amidst the ruins, their hunger for blood far from satisfied.

However, on the other side of the world, something changed.

Two children had successfully escaped the massacre. One of them, however, had succumbed to his injuries, his life fading away before he could find safety. The other, a girl with an ethereal beauty, lay unconscious in a mysterious land. Her name was Muan Qing—a prodigy, a talented female cultivator whose destiny had yet to unfold.

But far away from this world, another soul stirred.

…

On Earth, in a modern city where cultivation was nothing more than fiction, a young man sat in his dimly lit room, reading yet another web novel. His eyes were glued to the screen, his fingers rapidly scrolling through the pages. He had always loved stories of reincarnation, cultivation, and power struggles.

"What a stupid protagonist," he muttered under his breath, shaking his head at the character's foolish decision. "If I were him, I'd never make such dumb choices."

But fate had an ironic way of working.

A sudden explosion echoed through the house, shaking the walls violently. Before he could react, a sharp pain pierced his chest. His vision blurred, his breathing shallow. The last thing he saw was the shocked expression of his mother before everything turned black.

…

When he opened his eyes again, the world around him was different.

His body felt strange—lighter, stronger. The air was filled with an unfamiliar yet strangely comforting energy. Slowly, he sat up, taking in his surroundings. Ancient trees stretched toward the heavens, their leaves shimmering under the golden light. A vast mountain range loomed in the distance, its peaks shrouded in mist.

Realization struck him like a bolt of lightning.

He had transmigrated.

His mind raced as memories flooded his consciousness. This world… it was familiar. Too familiar.

JiangHua World.

The very world he had read about countless times in his novels.

And as his memories settled, he felt a shiver run down his spine.

Because he knew the fate of this world. He knew the tragedies that were about to unfold.

And he knew… that he had just entered a world of demons, cultivation, and betrayal.

But this time, things would be different.

This time, he would survive.

This time, he would become stronger.

This time, he would rewrite fate.