When I opened my eyes again, the first thing that greeted me was the unbearable stench of sweat, mud, and rusted iron.
The smell was so strong it made my stomach twist.
Cold chains clinked around my wrists as rough hands shoved me forward. My body staggered along a muddy road that stretched toward the distant northern border. The sky above was grey and oppressive, like a giant stone pressing down on the world.
"Move faster, you trash!"
A guard kicked me in the back.
My knees slammed into the mud. Pain exploded through my body, and the prisoners around me burst into cruel laughter.
"Look at him!"
"Isn't that the Fifth Prince?"
"Prince? Hah! More like a dog!"
The voices echoed in my ears as a violent headache struck me.
Suddenly—
A flood of memories surged through my mind.
Images, emotions, experiences… none of them mine.
Yet somehow, they were.
I clutched my head as the memories merged.
My name is Chen Sheng.
Thirty years old.
Former CEO of Chen Group.
In my previous life, I built a business empire from nothing. Money, power, influence—everything was within my grasp.
Until the day I died.
That morning, I was doing my usual exercise run.
Then I saw her.
A small girl crossing the road.
And a speeding truck was rushing toward her.
There was no time to think.
I pushed her out of the way.
The last thing I remembered was the sound of screeching brakes and blinding headlights.
Then darkness.
And when I opened my eyes again—
I was here.
In another world.
Inside another man's body.
The Fifth Prince of the Divine Frost Empire.
But this prince's fate was worse than death.
The memories told a cruel story.
The Fifth Prince had once been talented. His cultivation potential was above average among the royal family.
But talent in a royal court was not a blessing.
It was a threat.
His brothers feared him.
So they destroyed him.
First, they secretly crippled his meridians.
Then they framed him for stealing treasury funds.
As if that wasn't enough, they accused him of embezzling drought relief silver meant for starving citizens.
And finally…
They spread rumours that he had defiled his own royal sister-in-law.
Three crimes.
Each one is punishable by death.
Yet instead of executing him directly, the emperor made a different decision.
Exile.
The Fifth Prince was stripped of his title and sent to the northern border as a forced labour prisoner.
Three years of hard labour.
Most prisoners didn't survive three months.
I slowly raised my head and looked around.
The guards escorting us wore iron armour engraved with frost patterns—the symbol of the Divine Frost Empire.
Beyond them stretched a vast wasteland.
Jagged mountains pierced the horizon like broken blades. A chilling wind swept across the plains, carrying distant roars that made the air tremble.
This was the Northern Demon Frontier.
The most dangerous region in the empire.
I sighed quietly.
"If this were ancient Earth… maybe I could still survive."
But this world was different.
This was Xuanjin Continent.
A land ruled by cultivators.
Here, strength decided everything.
The strong soared through the skies like gods.
The weak were trampled like ants.
Cultivators absorbed Spirit Essence from heaven and earth, refining it within their bodies to ascend through nine great realms.
Mortal RealmFoundation RealmCore RealmNascent Soul RealmOrigin RealmSaint RealmCelestial RealmDeity RealmMyth Realm
Each realm is separated by an enormous gap.
A single Core cultivator could slaughter hundreds of mortals without effort.
And me?
I clenched my fists bitterly.
I was only Level 2 of the Mortal Realm.
Barely stronger than an ordinary farmer.
At best, I could circulate a tiny thread of qi through my body.
At worst…
I would die here before ever touching true power.
The guards pushed us forward again.
"Faster!"
One of them sneered.
"Once you reach the frontier, you'll all become demon bait anyway!"
Demon bait.
The words made several prisoners tremble.
The Northern Frontier was constantly attacked by demonic beasts from beyond the mountains.
To the empire, prisoners were nothing more than disposable tools.
Suddenly—
A strange sound echoed inside my mind.
DING!
A mechanical voice rang clearly.
"Myth System successfully activated."
I froze.
The world around me seemed to stop.
The guards… the prisoners… the wind…
Everything faded.
Only that voice remained.
"Host detected: Chen Sheng."
"First-time activation reward granted."
"Reward: One Myth Summon."
"Reward: One Random Lucky Draw."
My heart began to pound.
A system?
A cheat ability?
I wasn't hallucinating, right?
Before I could think further—
A glowing blue circle appeared in the air before me.
The ground trembled slightly.
Ancient symbols formed within the circle, rotating slowly like stars in the night sky.
The air was filled with an overwhelming aura.
"Random Myth Summon Initiated."
"Drawing from Ancient Mythological Entities…"
The light grew brighter.
Brighter.
Brighter.
Then—
A figure stepped out of the radiance.
He looked no older than a teenager, yet his presence was overwhelming.
Golden armour covered his body.
A red silk ribbon fluttered behind him.
In his hand was a blazing spear.
Two golden rings hovered near his arms.
His eyes burned like twin suns.
The guards around me froze.
One dropped his sword with a loud clang.
"W–What… is that?!"
The young warrior landed lightly before me.
Flames flickered around his feet.
The system voice echoed again.
"Summon Complete."
"Myth Hero: Nezha"
"Title: Third Lotus Prince of the Heavenly Realm."
"Cultivation: Unsealed."
"Initial Loyalty: 40."
My mouth slowly fell open.
Nezha.
From Chinese mythology?
The legendary child god who fought dragons and challenged heaven itself?
The warrior looked down at me.
His sharp gaze scanned my body.
Then he snorted lightly.
"So… you're my summoner?"
His voice carried arrogance, yet also curiosity.
"Hmph."
"You look weak."
"Fragile."
"Pathetic."
He twirled his spear casually.
"But I suppose I've served worse masters."
I swallowed.
Then the system voice spoke again.
"Warning."
"If summon loyalty drops to 0…"
"The summon will kill the host."
Cold sweat ran down my back.
Great.
So my cheat could also kill me.
Nezha stretched lazily and looked toward the guards.
His eyes glowed faintly.
The guards instinctively stepped backwards.
One of them shouted nervously.
"Attack! Kill the prisoner!"
Several soldiers drew their swords.
But Nezha only chuckled.
"With trash like this?"
He raised his spear slightly.
The air exploded with fire.
In the next instant—
BOOM!
A wave of scorching heat blasted across the road.
The soldiers were thrown backwards like broken dolls.
Dust and flames filled the air.
Silence followed.
My heart pounded wildly.
So this was power.
Real power.
I slowly clenched my fists.
The Fifth Prince might have been destroyed.
But I was different.
I had a system.
I had mythological heroes.
And if every enemy killed gave me experience—
Then this world…
Would become my battlefield.
I looked toward the distant capital of the Divine Frost Empire.
My brothers believed they had buried me here.
But they had no idea what they had created.
The Fifth Prince was gone.
What rose from the mud today…
Was something far more dangerous.
A man who commanded the power of myths.