Eternal Rebirth: I Ascend with Every Death

The wind howled like a chorus of lost souls as Li Tian stood at the edge of the abyss. The Chasm of Yanluo stretched into nothingness before him, an endless void of darkness that seemed to devour the very air around it. The walls of the pit were jagged, carved with ancient runes that flickered like dying embers, whispering secrets long forgotten. The scent of burning metal and rotting flesh mingled in the air, thick and suffocating, clawing at his senses.

Li Tian exhaled slowly, his grip tightening on the worn hilt of his sword. The system's interface flickered erratically in his vision, displaying a warning in crimson text:

"Warning: Domain of the Abyss detected. Proceed at your own risk."

A gust of wind rushed up from the depths, carrying with it a distorted voice, neither human nor beastly.

"Come… deeper…"

A chill ran down his spine, but he forced himself to move forward. Each step sent loose pebbles tumbling into the darkness below, swallowed by silence before they ever hit the bottom. The weight of the air grew heavier, pressing against his chest like an unseen force, resisting his presence. He swallowed his unease and stepped onto the cracked obsidian path leading deeper into the abyss.

Then, the ground trembled.

A hiss, deep and reverberating, slithered through the darkness. Li Tian's breath hitched as two glowing crimson eyes snapped open within the void. The air vibrated with an unnatural energy as a massive shape coiled upward, scales darker than the abyss itself. The Abyssal Serpent emerged, its armored body shifting like liquid shadow, its jagged fangs dripping with venom that sizzled upon contact with the ground.

"Flesh… untainted… I shall correct that." The serpent's voice was a guttural whisper, slithering into his mind like an insidious echo.

Li Tian barely had time to react before the beast lunged.

He dove to the side as the serpent's fangs slammed into the ground where he had stood a moment ago, shattering the obsidian beneath it. Rolling to his feet, he slashed at the beast's side, his blade carving a deep gash into its scales—but the wound sealed instantly, as if the blade had never touched it.

"Regeneration?" Li Tian cursed under his breath. "That's just unfair."

The system chimed, its voice eerily calm amidst the chaos:

"Corruption: 5%. You cannot win like this. Die and adapt."

His blood ran cold. What?

Before he could process the words, the serpent's tail lashed out, striking him square in the chest. Pain exploded through his ribs as he was hurled across the cavern, crashing into the jagged wall. A sharp gasp escaped his lips as he felt something crack within him.

He barely had time to recover before the beast struck again. Its fangs pierced his chest, and agony flared through his body like liquid fire. His vision blurred, and his limbs went numb as his blood pooled beneath him.

Then—darkness.

---

He gasped awake, his body whole, his breath ragged. He was back at the chasm's edge.

The serpent coiled before him, watching, waiting. Its crimson eyes gleamed with amusement.

"You are not normal, are you? Let's test your limits."

Li Tian's heart pounded as realization set in. The system… it's using death as training.

The system chuckled darkly.

"Corruption: 10%. You are beginning to understand."

The battle resumed.

Again and again, Li Tian died. Each time, he awoke stronger, faster. He memorized the serpent's patterns, its attacks, its weaknesses. Every death refined him, sharpening his instincts like a blade honed against stone.

After the twelfth death, he finally saw his opening.

The serpent lunged, and Li Tian feinted left—then pivoted midair. His blade flashed, driving into the beast's skull. This time, the obsidian armor cracked. The serpent let out a shriek of true pain as its body convulsed.

Now!

With a final, earth-splitting strike, he cleaved the beast in half.

The serpent's dying words slithered into his mind: "You… are… the vessel…"

Its body dissolved, leaving behind a swirling vortex of black and crimson.

Silence.

Then, from the portal, a voice emerged—deep, ancient, knowing.

"Find me, vessel."

Li Tian's breath hitched. His hands trembled as the system's interface glitched, displaying an ominous message:

"Mission Update: Unravel the Abyss."

He took a step forward, drawn into the unknown.