Chapter One: The Beginning of Tribulation

Bang! Bang! Bang! Urgent and forceful knocks resounded at the door.

Li Yan was in the midst of handling official business; he frowned and said, "Come in."

Black and White Warden entered, their faces filled with anxiety.

Black Warden addressed Li Yan solemnly, "Lord of the Underworld, something terrible has happened. There's a riot in the Netherworld. We can't suppress it."

Li Yan's brows knitted tightly. He had just recently been slandered by the Heavenly Emperor and the Demon King, resulting in most of his powers and magic being sealed. Now the Netherworld was in chaos—something was certainly amiss.

Still, he kept his thoughts to himself; this was not something he could let them know. He simply hurried out with Black and White Warden.

On Ghost Street, all manner of specters roamed. As they appeared, the ghosts launched attacks against them.

Li Yan used his magic to shield Black and White Warden, urging them to run fast, while he stayed behind to clean up the aftermath.

He dispatched the ghost horde with ease, but what he did not expect was that after dealing with the ghosts, members of the Demon and Heavenly clans arrived.

They surrounded and assaulted Li Yan, seeking to kill him.

Li Yan died without ever understanding why things had unfolded in such a way.

After his death, Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha rushed back. He cast a spell in hopes of reviving Li Yan, but Li Yan's three souls and seven spirits had completely departed his body—there was nothing to be done.

All that could be done was to seal his memories and abilities, sending him through ten lifetimes of tribulation, so that he might gradually recover his souls and spirits.

In his first tribulation, Li Yan arrived in the apocalypse.

This world was rife with zombies and bizarre horrors, danger lurking everywhere.

A blood moon hung in the sky, unnaturally red, with blood dripping incessantly from above. The streets were littered with corpses, and the air was saturated with the stench of blood.

Li Yan pinched his nose, cautiously weaving between the bodies as he searched for supplies.

He found little, and instead stumbled upon a large horde of zombies.

"Fortunately, they haven't noticed me yet. There's still a chance to escape."

He crept towards the direction of the safe zone, but had barely made any progress when a few zombies spotted him.

Their eyes bulged, irises an eerie crimson, blood and saliva smeared at their lips as they shrieked with excitement and rushed at Li Yan.

Seeing this, Li Yan's brows furrowed even deeper, his breathing quickened, heart pounding in his chest. He turned to flee, but a glance behind revealed even more zombies.

No matter where he ran, there would be no survival.

It was clear: unless he dealt with them, he couldn't get away.

Prepared as he was, the sight of the zombies drawing closer unsettled him.

He brandished his weapon and fought.

Though he felled the zombies again and again, they always crawled back up.

Li Yan couldn't help but curse, "Damn monsters, can't even be killed!"

After venting, he continued to think of ways to deal with them.

As time passed, his strength waned, and he was eventually bitten.

Blood streamed from his wound, its scent drawing even more zombies.

The horde surrounded him, and searching himself, he found only a single bomb in his pocket.

Li Yan gave a bitter laugh, "If I use this, I'll die here too."

But seeing the zombies growling and closing in, he knew there was no other way.

He detonated the bomb, taking the horde with him.

At the instant of the explosion, both Li Yan and the zombies were blasted to the ground.

Li Yan was torn apart, his flesh mangled. He closed his eyes in agony.

When he awoke again, he found himself lying on the ground. The blood moon still hung above, but all the corpses and zombies had vanished. His wounds were gone as well.

Perplexed, Li Yan scratched his head and muttered, "The bomb went off, but I'm not dead? Where is this? How did my injuries disappear?"

Before he could figure it out, a strange cry for help echoed.

"Li Yan, Li Yan, save me, save me..."

Li Yan was puzzled, "Who is that? How do they know my name?"

He quickly stood and scanned his surroundings, but saw nothing—there was nothing here at all.

Growing more confused, he searched the area.

As he searched, a chilling wind swept through, making him shiver. The temperature dropped, growing colder and colder, and ice began to form on his body.

Still, Li Yan did not give up. Searching further, he found a person crouched in a corner, dressed in red, facing away from him.

Li Yan tapped the person's shoulder, about to ask if it was she who had called for help, but was startled.

Her head spun around abruptly, staring straight at Li Yan. Her eyes and mouth were stained with blood.

She cackled eerily, and before Li Yan could react, seized his throat in a death grip.

She lifted him into the air, glaring fiercely and gritting out a curse, "Li Yan, you deserve to die. Your whole family deserves to die."

Li Yan, unable to understand, struggled desperately, but was choked unconscious.

When he awoke again, everything had changed.

He was still in that space, but the woman in red had vanished, and the scene had shifted.

Li Yan suspected he might be dreaming, but pinched himself and felt pain.

He realized this was no dream, but that he was trapped in some space, needing to find a way out.

Once he understood, Li Yan began to observe his surroundings carefully. The area was desolate, shrouded in mist, with many transparent ghosts devouring one another.

Fearful, Li Yan only wished to leave quickly. He saw that only beside the ghost horde was a door emitting white light.

Left with no choice, he pinched his nose and cautiously skirted the ghost horde, praying silently, "Please don't notice me."

Luck was not on his side. Li Yan was discovered.

The ghosts, upon seeing him, grew excited and flocked toward him.

Li Yan broke into a run.

But just as he neared the door, the woman in red appeared again.

She blocked the door tightly.

Li Yan roared in anger, "Get out of the way! If you don't, I'll kill you!"

The woman remained unmoved, and even conjured clones to entangle him.

Li Yan laughed in exasperation.

Now, the ghost horde had arrived behind him.

Watching the advancing woman and ghosts, Li Yan was uncertain what to do, so he spoke to buy time.

"Don't come any closer! I have a secret weapon!"

He began searching himself, but found nothing.

Li Yan was filled with despair.

The ghosts and the woman seemed to sense this, and began their assault.

They scrambled to burrow into Li Yan's body.

He dodged frantically, grappling with them, but realized he couldn't actually touch them.

In the end, his body was penetrated.

He endured the pain, and in the moment before death, dashed through the white door.

Inside, all the ghosts vanished; nothing remained but a vast expanse of white.

Li Yan breathed a sigh of relief, collapsed to the ground, and awaited death.

Yet, in his consciousness, a voice appeared.

"Congratulations, you have passed the strange selection. You will be transported back to your previous world and granted a special ability for healing and combat. After being sent back, you will have one day to prepare; at night, you will formally enter the apocalypse survival game."

Hearing this, Li Yan cursed inwardly, "I was nearly killed, and now you tell me this was a selection?"

"If only I knew where these horrors were, I'd slaughter them all."

Thinking this, Li Yan asked for information about the strange entities, since his parents had also been selected and never returned.

The more he knew, the better his chances for revenge and survival.

"What exactly are you?"

"Wherever you look, there we are. We are everywhere, capable of anything. We will forever watch you."

Receiving this answer, Li Yan was about to ask further questions, when he was transported back into the zombie horde.

He couldn't help but curse inwardly.

But the situation allowed no time for thought.

Li Yan closed his eyes, formed hand seals, and recited an incantation. As the words rang out, golden light erupted across his body, gathering into a golden array.

Within the array, the zombie horde shrieked in agony; their cries filled the air.

Most were destroyed by the formation, but some powerful zombies remained untouched even as it faded.

The remaining zombies lunged at Li Yan.

He sneered, "Courting death."

He moved swiftly, grabbing zombies one by one and slamming them heavily to the ground.

They scrambled up, only to be seized again. This time, Li Yan decided to give them no mercy.

But he was caught off guard, and the zombies knocked him down...

Once pinned, they began to tear into his flesh.

He screamed in pain, on the verge of death.

At the critical moment, a mantra came to mind—perhaps it could save him.