Rewrite the myth and become the Taoist!

Chapter 319 The Last Dump Truck, Abandoned Pawn, The Strongest Cheat in History Goes Online!
……

Ding dong.

Congratulations! Your eventful life has been described as a golden life in "The Holy Sword: The Flame".
You carry the spirit of heroes throughout history and the flame of hope, and with the grand destiny of humanity, you raise the armies of "Torchbearer" and "Heavenly Punishment".

Slay the corpse of destiny, unite your heart with heaven and earth, and step into the realm of True Martial Soldier Master.

You are the Sword Master of the Martial Arts Hall, stationed at the Tongtian Mountain, silently protecting the human race for a hundred years. During this time, you defeated Arhat Bodhisattvas, suppressed the Ten Fiends of the Great Wilderness, destroyed evil dragons and corpse demons, and slew all gods.

In your old age, you drew your sword to prove your Dao, and the Holy Sword and the Flame of the Dao were transformed into the "Supreme Divine Weapon," finally allowing you to ascend to the third heaven.

You are ranked 378th in the Returning to Emptiness Heaven—the Lord of the Dao-Proving Soldiers!
You are known in the Martial Arts Hall as the "Sword Saint Who Slays the Mandate of Heaven for Eight Hundred Years," and are worshipped by the Great Wilderness Human Race for all eternity across the seven continents.

The sword you forged, "Sacred Sword of the Way: Fire of Life," is a sacred sword wielded by successive emperors. It is engraved with mountains, rivers, the nation, and the people, bearing the destiny of humanity. Wielding this sword is like the burning will of millions of people, carrying the overwhelming momentum of the past and present. All demons and monsters that stand in your way will be reduced to ashes under the torrent of destiny.

This sword's true name is—Xuanyuan!
Note: This rule cannot be upheld by anyone other than a saint or emperor.

……

"With the help of heroes throughout human history, I was able to forge the sword of fire, Xuanyuan... This divine sword of the heavens should be the key to my victory."

Ning Xunqiu looked thoughtful as he read the Heavenly Evolution Book and saw that life had come to an end.

With a thought, he took out the Xuanyuan Sword.

Countless figures flashed by like a revolving lantern—armored soldiers roared amidst blood and fire, a commoner wielded his brush in the smoke of battle, an old farmer gripped his hoe tightly, and a child raised a torch. Thousands of figures transformed into golden-red streaks of light, all disappearing into the long sword that hung in the void.

"Chong-"

The Xuanyuan Sword suddenly emitted a clear and melodious dragon's roar, and three feet of crimson flames rose from its blade.

Ning Xunqiu's sleeves fluttered wildly in the shockwave, and dense inscriptions appeared on the spine of the sword, like a vow etched by millions of people with their blood.

He reached out to grasp it, but the hilt suddenly emitted a blinding golden light, and a searing pain shot through his hand.

"This sword can only be wielded by saints and emperors? You're quite stubborn..."

Ning Xunqiu, the Shadow of Heaven, chuckled as he stared at the charred burn marks on his palm, carefully recalling the key information of this life.

"Gui Xu Tian has actually been driven into a deep slumber by the human race..."

"And the Xuanyuan Sword, like the burning flame of will of millions, carries the overwhelming power of the past and present... It is dedicated to destroying demons and monsters, and slaying all gods..."

"Try it."

"Now that the swordsmith is dead, I need someone to wield the sword."

One good brother has fallen, it's okay, thousands upon thousands of brothers will rise up.

Ning Xunqiu had no intention of taking any risks and picked up his pen to continue rewriting his life.

The Heavenly Evolution Book began to flip through its pages with a rustling sound.

……

My name is Ning Xunqiu. I'm thirty-three years old, with a modestly successful career and a fulfilling life. I'm enjoying a chilled drink while admiring the leisurely and bustling night view from the rooftop.

[Then someone tagged me. I checked my phone and found people on the forum talking about how wonderful it would be to travel back to ancient times and be an emperor...]

[Ding dong! The founder of the Time Traveler Alliance is giving away a special treat today, inviting you to travel through time and experience the dramatic life of the Holy Emperor. Do you accept the invitation?]

My face was full of disdain.

Even an emperor couldn't afford this glass of iced happiness in my hand. Anyone who wants to go back to living like an emperor is a pervert. If this were a virtual game, I might reluctantly consider it.

[If I actually traveled back in time, with my current practical skills, I'd be dead within three days of leaving modern society.]

[The founder of the Transmigrator Alliance, a netizen, actually offered me a "Heavenly Dao Cheat," and even made guarantees. The transmigrator compensation terms include: a harem of three thousand beauties, a cloud of fierce generals under my command, an aura of dominance that commands the respect of heroes, and the ability to embark on the path of cultivation, fly through the sky, burrow through the earth, shatter mountains and split seas, and achieve immortality.]

[Are you interested in doing this?]

"Are you sick? Are you serious?"

I scoffed, not even bothering to ask about any cheat codes, and immediately blocked the founder of the Transmigrator Alliance. I turned off my phone, swirled my wine glass, and savored a sip of chilled bliss.

【Cool! 】

This kind of life, even a god wouldn't trade it for.

Therefore, over the years, I have always obeyed traffic rules, never traveled by plane or cruise ship, gone to bed early and woken up early, run every day to exercise, ate a healthy diet, and occasionally helped elderly ladies cross the street. A good person like me, God will surely grant me a long and healthy life!!

Just as I was secretly pleased with my life's plans, a dump truck suddenly shot out from the high-hanging moon and hit me, sending me flying.

Blood splattered across the sky.

【What the hell?! ???】

[Disregarding martial ethics, this is the thirty-third floor...]

[Another version of myself has traveled to an unknown, forbidden world...]

Its name is Guixutian.

I stood there, bewildered, gazing at the unfamiliar surroundings, as if I had forgotten something important.

[Xia Zhou Tian is the second eternal kingdom where humanity emerged from barbarism. The Great Xia is its monarchical state, founded by the Human Emperor and established over 100,000 years ago. Yet, this nation that unified the world has ultimately succumbed to decay.]

In just three thousand years, the hearts and minds of the people have crumbled, and the rulers of the Great Xia Dynasty have been incompetent and foolish, unable to mediate the wars.

[Under its rule lie eight hundred vassal states, who, for the sake of spiritual vein resources, harbor mutual hatred and engage in bloody battles.]

Powerful nations annex weaker ones.

The war lasted for a full three thousand years!

I was born amidst this chaos of war. My father was a prince from a medium-sized country. He was unfortunate; as a young man, he was sent away from his homeland to another powerful country as a hostage to sue for peace.

[His father, being of weak power, had to be cautious in his words and actions. When he first arrived here, he was met with coldness from the nobles and princes, but he greeted them with a smile. As a result, he made some drinking buddies here, including hostages from other countries and noble sons from this country.]

One day, the son of a powerful family spilled wine on his lapel, and laughter erupted at the banquet. The father looked down at the dark stain spreading across his lapel, his eyelashes casting a shadow on his face.

When he looked up again, his smile was brighter than anyone else's, and he even poured the other person a full glass himself.

They drank and made merry together, but the father's ambitions were never extinguished in this "land of pleasure."

On one occasion, the young master presented his father with a seductive dancer at a banquet. The father did not like her, but could not refuse.

【One year later.】

I was born by accident.

I am that "son of the dancer."

[The eldest son of the hostage.]

In this age of moral decay, people were divided into six classes: kings, nobles, warriors and teachers, farmers and artisans, merchants, and slaves.

[Slaves, being descendants of foreigners or criminals, were objects that could be given away. Through the young master's arrangement, my mother was freed from slavery and became my father's concubine.]

This was, in fact, a blatant humiliation for the father, who was of noble birth. The mother, a dancer, was happy; she only had twenty years of youthful beauty, but now she had given birth to a legitimate son for a prince of the country, ensuring her livelihood after her beauty faded with age.

I was caught in the middle. I never felt any fatherly love growing up. I could vaguely see the disgust in his eyes, yet he had to act like a loving father and filial son in front of others.

But my mother loved me very much.

[A new military leader emerged in my father's country, and the nation's strength gradually increased over the next ten years, elevating my father's status accordingly.]

After my father left, my mother constantly talked to me about what it would be like to be a "princess" in the future—a luxurious house, beautiful clothes, a large retinue of servants, and most importantly, the "respectful" gazes of the crowd.

[I was six years old that year. My classmates verbally insulted my mother, calling me a bastard. I fought back against them, but how could I, so weak, possibly defeat them who had been bathing in medicinal baths since childhood?]

I was in excruciating pain, my face bruised and swollen, and I dragged myself home. My mother glanced at me and scolded me for fighting with those kids. I froze, cold sweat pouring down my back from the pain. I realized I had more than just superficial injuries.

They used underhanded tactics.

My mother didn't seem to care at all, simply mentioning that there was some medicine in the room and telling me to apply it myself. She then rushed out, hurrying to attend my father's banquet… That banquet was very important!! More important than my life!!

At night, I lay in bed, my body aching all over, applying medicine to my wounds alone. I endured the pain, gritting my teeth, determined not to cry out—I realized that I was merely a "wealthy and luxurious" possession to my mother.

The pain in my body is nothing compared to the pain in my heart.

Because I didn't seek medical attention in time, I caught a cold during the night, which ultimately damaged my lungs and internal organs. Now, whenever I'm exposed to wind, I can't stop coughing.

My father's friend found a doctor, who examined me and said that this kind of damage to my very foundation was incurable; if left untreated, I would only have twenty years to live.

Mortals cannot consume precious medicines, and the legendary "elixir of creation" is something even the rulers of small countries are not worthy of taking.

Upon hearing this, the father chose to give up.

I calmly accept my fate. I still have one path: to drag my ailing body to the level of a warrior with great perseverance, tempering my internal organs, and thus this serious illness will heal itself without medicine.

However, this is a dead end.

[No hero throughout Xiazhou's history has ever achieved this. A foundation ten thousand feet high begins from the earth; the first step in human martial arts is refining "Origin Blood," which is a life-or-death ordeal for my body.]

Not just once, but countless life-or-death situations.

Every time I attempt to refine my source blood, my body experiences excruciating pain, as if cut by a knife. If my mind relaxes, the source blood goes berserk, compounding my injuries and making my life or death uncertain.

Even though I consume mild, low-grade spiritual seeds day and night, I dare not use them to temper my body. Naturally, my father would not part with precious spiritual seeds, giving them to a useless person like me who cannot cultivate martial arts.

[A hostage from another country, seeking to curry favor with my father, sent me a maidservant of similar age to take care of me.]

The maidservant had no name or surname; I called her "Xue'er." She was an orphan from a vanished country. We were born very similarly, and she was my possession.

[Having tested her at this age and found she didn't have the same ulterior motives as her father, I decided to rely on her for support. I didn't use the manipulative tactics I learned from my father, but instead treated Xue'er with sincerity, respect, and as an equal.]

This is the only thing of value I have.

Soon, Xue'er was moved by my sincerity and became my confidante.

Despite contracting tuberculosis, I insisted on going to school every day to observe my classmates practicing martial arts. I then went home and taught Xue'er martial arts. Driven by my father's guilt, I managed to obtain a considerable amount of precious medicinal resources to provide for Xue'er.

Soon after, my father left me in this country forever.

[His father hosted banquets daily, subtly leveraging the resources of his other hostage friends to build influence. With their help, he successfully bribed the soldiers of Jin, allowing him to return to his own country.]

He is the eldest son of the legitimate wife, and his father is critically ill. If he returns, he will become the ruler of the country.

Those banquets were preparations for ensuring today's flawless outcome.

I looked at my mother, whose face was filled with confusion.

Clearly, both my mother and I were abandoned by my father.

Through the efforts of my father's friend, renowned scholars from a hundred states were invited to the palace to persuade the King of Jin to accept my father's place as a hostage remaining in the "Kingdom of Jin."

"Although becoming a hostage has significantly increased my access to precious medicines, I have a bad feeling. The King of Jin is one of the seven hegemonic states among the eight hundred vassal states, yet he was persuaded so easily? Is he using this as an excuse to back down?"

【Why? 】

Three years later.

[I am nine years old. Xue'er has good talent and quickly sensed "Qi and Blood". She strengthened her Qi and Blood to the third Blood Barrier. The final step is to activate her potential, condense her source blood, and become a "Strongman Realm Martial Artist" of the first level of martial arts.]

[The first level of martial arts: Warrior Realm, Brave Warrior Realm, and Samurai Realm.]

A strongman can become a centurion, a warrior can become a vanguard, and a samurai can become a lieutenant general. Martial arts are the only chance for ordinary people to rise in this era.

[And I can barely temper my Qi and Blood once a month, so reaching the third level of Qi and Blood is still a long way off.]

Soon after, Xue'er brought back bad news.

[My father reigned as King Yuan for three years. He worked diligently to strengthen the state and, driven by a desire to avenge the national humiliation, initiated a war against the State of Jin. In March, the renowned Yuan general Zhuang Jun led a large army to defeat the Jin's 200,000-strong force, capturing seventeen of Jin's sacred cities in one fell swoop.]

The Yuan Dynasty was my father's country.

"We have to leave immediately!" I realized, and my face paled with shock.

When two countries go to war, the hostage is killed first.

[My father disregarded my safety and deliberately provoked a war between the two states. As a hostage, I am bound to incur the wrath of the Jin state. In fact, my death might provide my father with an excellent pretext to continue annexing the Jin state.]

I quickly grabbed my mother and Xue'er and prepared to leave the State of Jin.

However, the State of Jin has already made a mistake once. There is already a troop of elite armored soldiers outside. Among the hundred states, those who can be called elite must be warriors who have condensed their primordial blood.

Xue'er has just broken through to the Warrior Realm...

I'm in despair.

Meanwhile, my father's friend, acting as a backup, dispatched over ten elite warriors to escort me out of the encirclement. Upon learning this, the Prince of Jin was furious and ordered a warrior general to lead three thousand cavalry to bring me, the hostage from the Yuan Kingdom, back to the capital.

More than ten assassins died in the pursuit. My mother, father, friends, and I decided to split into three groups. Xue'er took me and we fled into the wilderness to escape the three thousand cavalry of the Jin Kingdom.

I traveled all night, my injuries flared up, and I fainted. When I awoke, I was in a speeding carriage, with three thousand Jin cavalry blocking our way. I watched as the warrior surrounded Xue'er and me.

【Boom! 】

A bolt from the blue struck my mind.

At this moment, I awaken to my latent wisdom, which overlaps with my memories of the nine years I spent in the State of Jin. I only want to unleash a torrent of curses.

"You fucking bastard, you really have no sportsmanship!! You transmigrated here just to kill me?"

"Wasn't this supposed to be a Holy Emperor template? How did I transmigrate into an ancient hostage?"

"And what about that compensation clause for transmigrators? A harem of three thousand beauties, a multitude of fierce generals under your command, and the ability to embark on the path of cultivation, fly through the sky, burrow through the earth, shatter mountains and split seas, and achieve immortality?"

"It's a scam! It's all advertising fraud!"

"I told you time travel was risky!! Where's the cheat code?"

[I mentally scoffed, but because of my memories of this life, I took a quick deep breath to calm myself, looking at Xue'er who was standing in front of me, sword in hand, protecting me.]

[In my memory, the warrior general of the three thousand cavalry of the Jin Kingdom was a commander of troops with "medium-level inherited spiritual weapons," capable of condensing ten-zhang-long battle spirits from the three thousand soldiers. Even if the Heavenly King himself came today, the two of them would have no chance of escape.]

Just then, a cold system notification exploded in my mind.

【Ding dong! 】

Congratulations! You have successfully escaped from prison, returned to your homeland, and taken your first step towards becoming the Holy Emperor.

[Achieve the purple achievement "Hidden Dragon Ascends to Heaven"]

[The Holy Emperor is rewarded with one chance to randomly summon a mythical figure. Do you wish to draw immediately?]

"Stop spinning! Draw it now!!! Hurry, hurry, hurry!" The illusory bronze roulette wheel spun wildly on my retina. I roared inwardly as I watched the Jin warrior raise his blade against Xue'er.

【boom--!】

The world fell into a deathly silence. A wisp of gray mist seeped from the crack in the wheel, instantly withering and turning the wild grasses that passed through it black.

【Bang! 】

A clean-cut young man with his hair tied up appeared out of thin air, wielding a broken sword. He deftly parried the butcher's blade, causing the Jin warrior's hand to split open, blood dripping down the blade and splattering a blinding red on the ground.

"How dare you! Who goes there?!"

The boy grinned.

【“Suffocating Wind - Flying Swallow Thirteen——”】

……

(End of this chapter)