Chapter 1: The Abnormal Rebirth Pill

Amidst the cloud-shrouded, heaven-piercing giant peaks, beams of multicolored light erupted into the sky. Countless warriors, clad in various armors and wielding diverse weapons, charged toward the summit in wave after wave.

At the center of the peak, a dragon that existed only in myths was wreaking havoc. It was a dragon with wings—hideous, sharp-angled, and emitting violent roars from its gluttonous, blood-stained maw, its pressure weighing down upon the world. It was a dragon; it was a Yinglong!

As its razor-sharp claws swept through the air, the warriors in its path were transformed into a rain of blood, as fragile as tofu.

This Yinglong was massive, its power surging and overwhelming!

A pair of blood-colored dragon eyes, each the size of a millstone, flickered with fierce light, as if filled with endless rage, staring fixedly at two figures ahead.

The two figures were burly and tall, their muscles like coiled dragons, appearing immensely powerful. Both stood around two hundred centimeters in height, their bodies suffused with a mysterious, supernatural glow. They carried divine weapons and wore exquisite armor, appearing quite enigmatic.

Despite their massive frames, they were already covered in blood, countless small wounds oozing crimson. Though the situation was dire, the dragon's might surrounding the Yinglong remained as tangible as a physical force; the weapons swung by the warriors moved as if through water, their speed slowed several times over.

This was a domain—the Yinglong’s domain!

And the heaven-piercing peak was the Yinglong’s lair!

The blood-stained sky, the battlefield littered with severed limbs, the neighing of warhorses, and the cries of the fallen—even the breeze sweeping across the sky carried a thick, metallic scent of blood, as if it were a hell on earth.

Yet, none of the people on the battlefield paid any heed to this, continuing to charge without fear of death. Some warriors rode horses, brandishing spears and halberds; some charged at a slow pace; some archers fired cold arrows from afar; and there were shield-bearers holding battered shields, pushing forward at the front...

The intensity of the battlefield meant nothing to the soldiers; it was as if they were all simply marching to their deaths.

Lin Mu was one of the members participating in the raid on this super-boss.

Leading a portion of his territory's soldiers to challenge this transcendent boss was a matter of helplessness.

He still held many attachments to the guild he had previously belonged to. Many friends had treated him very well. After leaving the company's guild, he had struck out on his own, becoming a small lord. Although he couldn't become a regional hegemon, he was quite proud of his life within his territory, unlike the wandering adventurer players.

A month ago, she—someone familiar—had found Lin Mu, hoping he could send troops to help her faction raid the greatest boss on Yinglong Peak: the Yinglong.

She was practically a childhood friend. Having joined the company for many years, it was thanks to her that he had remained unscathed under the covetous eyes of those wolves and tigers.

Over these many years, much had happened—bitterness and helplessness, as well as joy—things that could not be easily spoken of.

Even after he left the guild, many people still looked out for him from the shadows. If he could do something within his power for her, he would do it. Moreover, raiding this great boss was also a form of glory!

As a well-known lord of a county city near Yinglong Peak, he had thought he understood this boss well, but when the actual raid on the Yinglong began, the cruel reality shattered his ambitions completely.

It was like a great mountain, impossible to climb, impossible to conquer, and killing it was nothing more than a daydream.

But human effort can overcome anything. After the two super-historical generals were deployed, combined with the players' reckless charges and the use of those treasures as a distraction, the results had finally begun to show.

Looking at those high-tier generals and strategists, Lin Mu sighed inwardly.

Behind the massive body of the Yinglong lay its lair, where countless treasures shone with a lethally attractive light.

People are greedy. Tempted by countless treasures, they treated their own lives as mere grass, being harvested crop after crop.

The battlefield where Lin Mu was located was on the east side of the Yinglong’s body. Although the treasures in the lair were quite far away, his cultivation had reached a certain level, and he could see quite far. While he couldn't see all the treasures in the lair, the most eye-catching object in the center was a golden, dragon-shaped mysterious entity floating in mid-air—it was a token.

Lin Mu thought of a legend: a legend from the ancient era about a god-tier village-building token that could forge a supreme territory.

It was said that the imperial capital of the Great Han Dynasty was established using a god-tier village-building token.

For some reason, an impulse surged in Lin Mu’s heart: "This is a god-tier City Heart, a village-building token to establish a god-tier village! I must obtain it! I must!"

An indescribable temptation suddenly filled Lin Mu’s heart, thoughts emerging incessantly, as if his very soul were being seduced.

Having become a lord once more, Lin Mu had studied many secrets, as well as the history and rumors of the Mythical World.

Lin Mu stood his ground, suppressing his mind. He did not charge madly like the other players, but instead ordered his divine archers to attack the boss.

"Mythical World" was a mysterious virtual online game that had appeared out of nowhere.

Rumor had it that its virtual reality level reached a legendary 100%... it was quite mysterious.

At the beginning, many people didn't believe it, but as time passed, players gradually discovered many secrets, and a magnificent world was revealed before the eyes of the world.

Now, many people were frantically entering this game, and Lin Mu, having spent years in it, also knew many secrets.

Lin Mu was now a full-time lord player, farming, training troops, building cities, and developing his influence... while also dreaming of killing a boss and having it drop divine artifacts.

After several system updates, the death settings in "Mythical World" had become extremely cruel.

Upon death, a player would be sent through the Underworld’s Reincarnation Hall and reduced to a "white body"—their level, skills, and backpack items would all vanish. One could only purchase back their previous levels, skills, or items by using gold coins and other such things. Of course, the cost was enough to drive one insane. Countless players had complained and filed reports, but it was useless; the system had not changed in the slightest.

Dying once was like losing everything; such a setting meant that one death could send you back to square one.

Yet, even with the cruel death penalty hanging over their hearts like a sharp sword, they, as the "natural disasters," still charged forward one after another to engage the Yinglong in melee combat. Only they knew the true cost of their gains.

Lin Mu knew how monstrous this hegemon of Yinglong Peak was and understood the difficulty of raiding it. If not for the arrival of the two super-generals, he would have certainly backed out.

In the land of Shenzhou, what did it matter if the number of players was as numerous as the hairs on an ox? They could not act like ants and break a dam. A single super-general capable of fighting ten thousand could make a massive faction retreat; this was a common occurrence!

In the Mythical World, numbers did not tell the whole story!

...

The sunset faded, the morning sun rose, and time passed in cycles. He didn't know how long it had been, but the military strength of Lin Mu’s territory had been completely exhausted, as had the ordinary troops of the other factions.

The noisy summit had become terrifyingly quiet.

The battle was incredibly tragic. His stamina was already in the red, his body was exhausted, his hands were trembling, and his weapons and equipment were damaged, their durability bars flashing red.

The blood on his body had congealed into clumps, messy and foul-smelling.

Lin Mu didn't know how many times he had dodged fatal blows, nor how many pills and food items he had consumed. In short, he ate when hungry, and consumed recovery pills when his stamina was gone...

Finally, in this life-or-death struggle, the battlefield changed...

The behemoth in the center of the battlefield was also on its last legs, and of the two super-general figures, one was gone, leaving only one burly figure leaning on his weapon, breathing heavily.

Lin Mu stared intently at this burly general, a flash of regret crossing his eyes.

After the sacrifice and payment of countless people, this boss had finally been brought down.

"Ding!" A pleasant system notification sound nourished his blood-stained ears.

"—System Notification: Lord Lin Mu, after endless hardship, you have achieved victory in the 187th battle. Gained Reputation +18,700, Combat Power +5, Leadership +100, Martial Arts +1."

The system's notification sounded as usual. As a commander, there would be system rewards after a battle victory, but Lin Mu remained calm.

Lin Mu turned to look at that familiar, graceful figure and smiled slightly. He was very much looking forward to seeing the attributes of that mysterious token.

There were not many players left on the battlefield; they were mostly the elite subordinates of her family. The area around him was empty; everyone had sacrificed themselves. Many factions had suffered huge losses to raid this boss.

The wealth in his hands was not enough to resurrect them; he could only let them start from scratch. However, he would compensate them slowly; he had the confidence to do so.

Additionally, Lin Mu also knew that some people were secretly poaching his subordinates; he had heard that many players had already secretly changed their allegiances.

Lin Mu didn't blame them... those with different paths cannot make plans together! People climb to higher places, and water flows to lower ones! These were very simple truths.

Perhaps in the eyes of some, he was just a subordinate, cannon fodder, a stubborn person, a small lord living in a corner...

After killing the boss, it was time for the most exciting part: dividing the loot—no, dividing the boss's drops and the treasures it guarded.

...

Lin Mu, however, felt no such excitement. He was merely a drop in the ocean among the cannon fodder of all sides, dispensable in the eyes of some. As for the so-called division of loot, he didn't value it at all. Being able to participate in such a glorious battle was, for him, an experience and a harvest.

The gain of 1 point of Martial Arts was already quite good!

The influence of his territory was very weak in the whole of China. He developed slowly and cautiously, and in the eyes of some, he was not worth worrying about.

"Today, thank you all for your full support. Once the loot is counted, I will surely reward you handsomely! I hope it can make up for everyone's losses today," a familiar voice came.

Lin Mu smiled indifferently. That was fine; if there was compensation, only a fool would refuse it.

The heroic figure collected the items dropped by the boss into her treasure ring, and finally, she and the others walked into the coveted lair.

Lin Mu did not follow them in, but walked near the mountain-like corpse of the Yinglong.

The items dropped after the Yinglong's death had all been collected, and even the Yinglong's corpse had been harvested until only bones remained.

Lin Mu did not harvest it; he just gazed at it slightly, as if he had let go of some obsession in his heart, and his face slowly relaxed.

Looking at the remains of the Yinglong, endless emotion surged in Lin Mu’s heart. Weakness is a sin; you are, and so am I!

Looking at it, Lin Mu couldn't help but feel a touch of emotion, and he sat cross-legged.

Lin Mu, sitting cross-legged on the ground, suddenly saw a ray of light.

"Hmm, what is that?" Suddenly, the huge skeleton turned into a ray of light, slowly condensing into a pill the size of a thumb, floating in the air, looking incredibly supernatural.

Lin Mu was also startled by this sudden change.

He walked over excitedly, reached out to take the pill in his hand, and was astonished.

It must be a good thing; he hadn't made this trip in vain. He put it into his backpack.

"What treasure did you take? Hand it over immediately!" A disgusting, familiar, and effeminate voice rang out behind Lin Mu.

Lin Mu glanced sideways. An acquaintance. This guy was a core player of Lin Mu’s former company guild, a Xuan-tier general who had some grievances with him and was also a lackey for certain people.

"What treasure I have is none of your business! Get lost!" Lin Mu had been feeling a bit down, and seeing this trash made his mood even worse. His tone was not as peaceful as usual.

"You traitor, if it weren't for the boss warning us not to trouble you, you would have died countless times already. You still haven't changed your habit of having sticky fingers. It's fortunate the guild expelled you, otherwise you'd just be a rat dropping, ruining our reputation!" The general’s tone was sinister and grating.

"Hmph, whether my hands are clean or not is not for a slanderer like you to judge. You are not worthy of speaking to me, get lost!" Lin Mu hated this hypocritical person who didn't live up to his name; it was as if they were born enemies, and they didn't get along at all.

Lin Mu turned and left. His goal had been achieved anyway, and he felt that the item he had just obtained was very mysterious; he wanted to go back and study it quickly.

He wouldn't reach out to ask for those treasures; even if they were divine artifacts, he didn't care for them.

However, he wouldn't hand over what was in his hands, and she wouldn't ask for it either.

As for these hypocrites, they were just strangers. Lin Mu wasn't afraid; he just didn't want to be bothered.

"Hehe, I couldn't beat you before, but now you are seriously injured and lack stamina. Killing you is like slaughtering a dog. Go to hell!" After Lin Mu turned around, the man whispered while fiercely stabbing with his smooth, sharp thin sword. The sword pierced through his back and out his chest. Gurgling blood poured out, soaking his tattered chest armor. He hadn't expected him to be so shameless as to launch a sneak attack from behind.

But given his character, he was capable of anything.

Lin Mu couldn't support his body and knelt on the ground.

"You lucky bastard, you killed me once before, costing me most of my assets. Now I've finally taken my revenge. Haha, you have today too. What 'Eighteen Divine Generals,' just floating clouds. Hmph, a mere ant. If it weren't for the boss's restraint, you would have died a thousand times over. This sword finally settles the hatred in my heart..."

Lin Mu didn't speak. He turned around indifferently, gently picked up his spear—the blade of which had snapped off—and gave a disdainful smile. Then, suddenly, Lin Mu threw it fiercely. The black spear turned into a streak of light, piercing through the man's chest like lightning.

Lin Mu’s movements were clean and swift, done in one go. The man didn't even have a chance to dodge.

"You, you..." His life force fading faster than Lin Mu’s, he stammered, wanting to speak, but he had no chance. He collapsed to the ground in unwillingness, his life force completely extinguished. His wide-open eyes were quite terrifying.

"What happened? Quick, use this Earth Soul Talisman!" An anxious voice rang in Lin Mu’s ear, but Lin Mu, whose consciousness was beginning to blur, couldn't hear it clearly.

He didn't know what happened afterward. Lin Mu’s eyes were unfocused, everything was blurry. Was he finally going to die?

In a daze, Lin Mu seemed to hear a sigh.

From the moment the game started until now, he hadn't died once.

Lin Mu had often heard of the terror of the Reincarnation Hall, but thanks to his own technique (cowardice), he hadn't fallen once since "Mythical World" opened. This time, he was finally going to die...

"Ding!"

"—System Notification: Lord Lin Mu, you have fallen. Your soul is returning to the Underworld’s Reincarnation Hall. Detected that you have a [Rebirth Pill] in your personal backpack. Do you wish to use it?"

Huh? He didn't seem to have obtained a resurrection-type pill worth a thousand gold. How could he suddenly have this? Lin Mu couldn't figure it out.

Could it be that mysterious pill?

Lin Mu remembered the pill that the Yinglong skeleton had suddenly turned into. It was incredibly supernatural and should have extraordinary effects. He didn't expect it to be a resurrection pill. After resurrection, there shouldn't be any losses, right!

Based on his experience, this pill should be one of the rare items in legend that could exempt one from the punishment of the cycle of death.

Everything is destined. He didn't expect to be lucky enough to obtain such a pill.

In his chaotic state, he silently recited: "Use!"

Suddenly, he felt as if the pill emitted endless chaotic light, enveloping him. He felt very comfortable, as if bathing in the warm sun.

He seemed to have forgotten all pain and joy, falling into a deep sleep!

He felt as if he had turned into a small boat, drifting along a mysterious river...

In his daze, Lin Mu seemed to hear the familiar system notification sound, but the specific content was all blurry...

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This is my first time writing a book. It's not very good, please forgive me! This book is about hegemony, and the protagonist will recruit beauties from the history of the Three Kingdoms! I hope everyone will cast some recommendation votes, and you can also add the book to your bookshelf. These are very important for a new book. Thank you!~

Please add to your collection, please vote!

(End of chapter)