Heaven and Earth Converge! Ancient Legends Descend! As spiritual energy revives once more, where will Earth’s creatures turn? Legendary mythical beasts emerge one by one, while Earth’s creatures let out a final roar, struggling to rise again in this world where the strong prey on the weak! Journey through the Realm of Darkness, don the chains, and become the pet of the proud and exquisite Dark Queen. A great war erupts, and the power of curses corrodes all! Roar—transform into a zombie and return to the battlefield!
Heaven and Earth Converge! Ancient Legends Descend! As spiritual energy revives once more, where will Earth’s creatures turn? Legendary mythical beasts emerge one by one, while Earth’s creatures let out a final roar, struggling to rise again in this world where the strong prey on the weak! Journey through the Realm of Darkness, don the chains, and become the pet of the proud and exquisite Dark Queen. A great war erupts, and the power of curses corrodes all! Roar—transform into a zombie and return to the battlefield!
Chapter 1: This World! Here I Come! Darkness—it felt like just a moment, yet it also felt as though it had lasted for centuries. When Gu Xiao’s consciousness returned to his body, he didn’t even know where he was. His face was blank, his eyes vacant. After all, he remembered that he had died; the scent of death still lingered in his heart, yet here he was, awake once more. The cold night breeze drifted through the window, gently ruffling the tips of his hair. Before him stood a computer with a blue-glowing screen, and the scent of wooden desks mingled with the smell of paper filled his nostrils and settled deep into his lungs. Countless images flashed through his mind, but only for an instant. By then, Gu Xiao had fully regained consciousness and stared in shock at the empty office. The 150-square-meter office was furnished with ten desks, computers, printers, and stacks of paper, along with pen holders on each desk. The jarring sense of the modern world caused a sudden tightness in his chest, and his eyes widened in disbelief. Through the transparent glass, he could clearly see the bustling, vibrant city below. Though this wasn’t a first-tier metropolis, a sense of familiarity from his memories instantly welled up within him. The glowing computer screen, the familiar desk, and the clean, tidy walls—as Gu Xiao turned his head with difficulty, his face a mix of shock, anticipation, and trepidation, he fixed his gaze intently on the computer. His palm touched the mouse again—warm to the touch, both comforting and yet strangely unfamiliar. A white arrow began to move across the screen, and when it reached the bottom right corner, a notification appeared. It left Gu Xiao feeling as if his chest were constricting; his face flushed crimson, and his eyes were filled with nothing but deep shock. April 4, 2016. As for the day of the week that followed, it was no longer a concern of his; he simply stared at the numbers before him, his face frozen in utter shock. The sound of car horns on the city streets at night reached his ears, and only then did Gu Xiao realize with certainty that he had returned to that familiar yet unfamiliar city from twenty years ago. His eyes went blank as he stared into space, yet the memories in his mind began to churn. August 4, 2016—a date no one would ever forget. It marked the convergence of two worlds, the beginning of evolution, and at the same time, a nightmarish hell that would never fade. In four months, the two worlds would officially merge, but this process had already begun three months ago—only no one knew it yet. Night! He was alone in the office—clearly working overtime. An ordinary company, an ordinary job, and a seemingly ordinary man. Thud... After everything clicked into place, his body went limp as if it had lost all support, and he slumped back into his chair. Gu Xiao tried to force himself to calm down, but the more he tried to suppress his emotions, the more his heart raced—he felt as if he’d taken a powerful stimulant. He could even hear his own heartbeat pounding clearly within his chest. It was April now; the time had not yet come. Only in May would the two worlds begin to merge, and it would not be until August that they would truly fuse together to form a new world. His pounding heart and frenzied nerves were making Gu Xiao involuntarily excited and agitated, yet his reason told him he had to calm down. His frayed nerves made even his footsteps feel strangely agitated. Gu Xiao walked to the bathroom, his trembling hands quickly turning the faucet handle. Whoosh—water gushed through the spout, filling the air with the sound of rushing water. Splash... He cupped his hands repeatedly to scoop up the icy cold water, splashing it over his face in an attempt to calm his restless heart. He was an orphan, born and raised in this city. Though he appeared to be an ordinary person, he had spent five years living a life far from ordinary. Five years of a life of killing—from the initial thrill and sense of being a badass, to the gradual numbness of his heart, and finally to sheer boredom. He had quit, stepped out of the darkness, and returned to the city that had given him birth and raised him. He found an ordinary job and became an ordinary person. He entered the trade at eighteen, left at twenty-three, and now, at twenty-six, he remains single. Though his life as a hitman lasted only five short years, it shaped him for a lifetime. Calm, composed, and aloof, he has repeatedly tried to fit into this ordinary world. To a man who treated life as a game, his aloof and unapproachable nature made him seem like an outsider in this ordinary world. Though he tried desperately to fit in, three years had passed, and the fact that he was the only one working late on this night showed that he still hadn’t quite succeeded. The smooth, spotless mirror reflected the face of a man with a classical, handsome beauty—a face that seemed aloof and cold, as if incapable of laughter or speech. This sight stirred a faint sense of self-satisfaction within him; it was simply his nature. His black hair was already streaked with water, and large droplets were falling from his handsome face. As he looked at his reflection in the mirror, Gu Xiao’s lips curved slightly into a faint, mischievous smile. This world! Here I come! Whoosh! With a flick of his sleeve, he turned off the faucet and strode out of the company. Meanwhile, on a desk in the ninth-floor office, where a computer screen still flickered with light, lay a pristine white sheet of paper, its surface still bearing faint traces of water damage. Resignation Letter! Those three words stood out starkly at the top of the white sheet. Beep, beep! Walking along the bustling street filled with honking cars, Gu Xiao gazed around with a look of nostalgia, then looked up. Only a solitary, bright moon hung in the sky; there were no stars scattered across the heavens. In this heavily polluted air and this brightly lit city, the stars seemed to have become nothing more than a distant memory. In the city at night, a man in black stood gazing up at the sky with a look of nostalgia and rapture on his face, drawing the attention of the beautiful women passing by. Especially his handsome, enigmatic face and his tall, dignified posture—they were a sight that made the hearts of these young women flutter. Whispers of “Look, that man is so handsome—he looks like he stepped right out of a painting” drifted to their ears from time to time. Some of the women even blushed, hesitating and shifting their feet on the spot, as if longing for a dreamlike romance that could begin at a moment’s notice. Unfortunately, the man did not wait for these beautiful women who had just mustered the courage to approach him. He left only the sight of his tall, slender figure receding into the distance, followed by a series of regretful sighs. Yet, these women immediately pulled out their phones, opened their favorite messaging apps, and began frantically searching for people nearby, hoping for a chance encounter straight out of a fantasy. Alas, no matter how rapidly their slender fingers swiped across the screens, the profile pictures of their fantasies never appeared, and sighs of regret and frustration continued to rise. Meanwhile, Gu Xiao, who had already walked far ahead, heard the sighs behind him and couldn’t help but let a charming, confident smile curve his lips. No man could remain unfazed in such a situation; a sense of triumphant confidence would inevitably well up within him. He returned once more to the house he cherished—an old-fashioned two-story building, not some high-rise apartment. As the black iron gate swung open, a cheerful, urgent bark echoed from the small courtyard. Woof, woof, woof~ A plain yellow mutt, as if on a stimulant, rushed straight to Gu Xiao’s feet, wagging its tail frantically, its tongue darting in and out of its mouth as it rubbed against his pant legs. At that moment, a mist of longing welled up in Gu Xiao’s eyes. He crouched down, hugging the dog tightly as it licked him frantically, a joyful smile spreading across his face. He hadn’t given it a name; he simply used the term most rural people use for dogs: Banliu~. Clang—the iron gate slammed shut. With a smile of nostalgia, Gu Xiao walked back into the house, occasionally reaching out to give the dog’s smooth head a firm pat. Instantly, the mutt he’d raised for three years wagged its tail as if it had been given the greatest reward in the world, darting anxiously around Gu Xiao. Its gentle, lively eyes looked at him as if begging for more, hoping for a few more strokes. Dogs are humanity’s most loyal companions. They don’t ask you to buy this or that; as long as you come home and give them a few extra head rubs, they’re overjoyed as if they’d been given a shot of adrenaline. Even if they don’t eat well or live in poor conditions, they’ll never leave your side. This two-story house had quite a few rooms, but apart from the one he lived in, the rest were empty. With a creak, he opened the door he remembered so fondly, and a clean, tidy bedroom came into view. "Woof woof~" A voice filled with excitement and pleading suddenly rang out. Gu Xiao turned to look and saw it crouched outside the door, wagging its tail and gazing at him with a pleading expression. It didn’t dare come in; without its master’s permission, it wouldn’t dare. In ordinary households, dogs aren’t allowed inside. Once this becomes a habit, no matter how great the temptation, it will always look to its master, pleading to be let in. This is humanity’s most loyal friend, one that will never betray you. “Come on in,” he called out with a cheerful wave of his hand. Instantly, the dog crouched outside the door, wagging its tail excitedly as it darted inside, rubbing against his pant legs nonstop and glancing up at him from time to time, begging for a treat. Seeing this, Gu Xiao couldn’t help but chuckle. “This silly dog is still just as silly as ever,” he thought. He bent down, reached out, and ruffled its head before standing up and walking into his bedroom. This was a living room, with an adjoining room serving as the bedroom—the two spaces had simply been opened up into one. As he walked, a tail followed him from behind, but Gu Xiao made no move to stop it. Once inside the bedroom, Gu Xiao surveyed the surroundings with a serious expression. He then drew the curtains tightly, locked the door, and walked over to the double bed. Creak, creak... The double bed, which looked heavy but was actually quite light, shifted slightly, revealing the dust-covered floor beneath. Seeing this, Gu Xiao pulled a black, non-reflective dagger from his thigh. Ssssh... The sharp blade pierced into the crack in the floor, and he pried it open with force. Hum~ The floor, which had appeared seamless, actually lifted up, revealing a makeshift iron ladder welded together from rebar rods. At that moment, the mutt behind him saw this and suddenly leaped backward, then lunged forward again, staring intently at the pitch-black basement below, wary of any danger that might harm his master. Seeing this, a warm feeling washed over Gu Xiao. This dumb dog was just the same as ever—truly a clueless mutt. Though he thought this to himself, he couldn’t help but reach out an arm to hug it and plant two firm kisses on its head. “Other people’s dogs all have names, so I’ll give you a more imposing one too.” Seeing the clueless mutt still staring warily at the pitch-black basement with its pair of yellow-brown eyes, Gu Xiao couldn’t help but feel a bit annoyed. What a dummy. Even so, Gu Xiao couldn’t help but ponder aloud, “In Chinese mythology, the God Erlang had a divine dog named Xiaotian. What should I name you?” At this thought, Gu Xiao felt a bit of a headache coming on, and he looked at those still-clueless eyes with a worried expression. “How about you’re called Xiao Tianquan too? I hope you’ll grow up to be just like the mythical Xiao Tianquan, and that your master will become someone every bit as great as Erlang Shen.” Unable to think of a better name, Gu Xiao couldn’t help but cheerfully make the decision on his own.
