C1 I Died Eight Hundred Years ago

In the heart of the Central State Continent, atop the Divine Perish Mountain, stood a grand and opulent complex of palaces.

This vast palace complex was eerily silent, having stood quiet for eight hundred years, its atmosphere as haunting as a hall of the underworld.

Carved into the white jade doors with iron strokes and silver hooks were three large characters:

Shen's Tomb!

Indeed, this was no emperor's palace, but a grand mausoleum!

On the Azure Wood Continent, it was customary to construct elaborate tombs for the departed mighty or emperors, with the grandeur and scale of the mausoleum often reflecting the status of its occupant.

This particular mausoleum was excessively large.

The palaces above ground alone were enough to astound and shock, but beneath them lay an entire imperial city!

The underground city boasted everything from an inner city, outer city, inner halls, side halls, and a main hall, to four surrounding walls and eight grand gates, sprawling over a thousand miles.

Who could this person be, to warrant such extraordinary honor even in death?

At that moment, a team of tomb raiders, all cultivators, had successfully infiltrated the outskirts of the underground Imperial Palace, cautiously making their way deeper.

"Old Zhang, we've been inside for three days now. How much longer until we reach the main hall?" asked a middle-aged man in luxurious attire, his eyes burning with anticipation as he surveyed the lavish surroundings. "I'm eager to lay eyes on the treasures within this palace."

"You think the traps and formations in Shen's Tomb are for show? These are the genuine creations of a Great Sage!" Old Zhang chastised sharply.

"Let me warn you all, no rash actions. Even if it takes a whole year, we cannot afford a single moment of impatience."

"A single misstep, and none of us will make it out of here alive!"

The team fell silent, gripped by a chilling fear, and the middle-aged man's face darkened further.

Yet, no one dared to speak up.

The elder was the only semi-adept formation master in their midst. Without him, they would all be doomed to perish in this sunless tomb.

And they all knew that Old Zhang's words were not an ounce exaggerated.

This grandiose tomb, known as Shen's Tomb, has stood its ground for 800 years. Which cultivator across the land wouldn't covet the mountains of gold and silver rumored to lie within?

Yet, in all these centuries, has anyone managed to remove even a single brick or tile?

The majority of those who dared to plunder the tomb ended up as permanent residents, entombed alongside its master.

Numerous formidable beings met their demise here, and many a legend has been laid to rest within these walls.

And still, Shen's Tomb remains unyielding.

How could Old Zhang not proceed with utmost caution?

But as Old Zhang cautiously led his team deeper, a faint breath suddenly echoed from the central hall of the mausoleum.

...

"Ding Dong, the host's final disciple has successfully ascended to the Great Sage Stage. The Super Mentor System is now reactivated."

Following the mechanical female voice, the body that had lain in the coffin for eight hundred years abruptly opened its eyes!

A brilliant light burst forth from those awakened eyes!

"Have I... been resurrected?" Shen Jun, freshly roused, was evidently bewildered.

"Yes, the host has been deceased for 800 years," the system responded.

"800 years?" Shen Jun was momentarily taken aback, then nearly leapt from his coffin.

"Eight hundred years?! I've been dead for eight hundred years?!"

In the coffin, Shen Jun furiously stomped his feet: "You damned system, you've really played me for a fool, haven't you? Dead for a full eight hundred years?!"

It was quite peculiar for an elderly man, his hair white and face creased with age, to refer to himself as 'young master.'

This man, Shen Jun, was a transmigrator with a twist—he came with a system.

But just when he was ready to make his mark on the world of cultivation, he discovered not only a complete lack of talent for cultivation but also that his accompanying system was a Super Mentor System, designed to teach others, not to enhance his own power.

Shen Jun was nearly suffocated by his frustration.

Despite this setback, Shen Jun uncovered a path that could lead him to ascend to immortality.

The key was to take on disciples!

By accepting eighty-one disciples and nurturing each to reach the Great Sage Stage, he could trigger the system's heaven-defying Fate Altering Program and turn his fortunes around!

With a clear objective, Shen Jun wasted no time. He traversed the Azure Wood Continent, gathering disciples and dedicating himself to their instruction, wholeheartedly aiding them in their pursuit of the Dao.

Even with the aid of the system, Shen Jun spent two full sixty-year cycles gathering eighty-one disciples.

With the requisite number of disciples finally reached, Shen Jun's own lifespan was drawing to a close.

Achieving the status of eighty-one Great Saints was an arduous task.

Despite the system's assistance and the unparalleled talent of each disciple, Shen Jun could not fulfill his objective before his lifespan ran out.

He was left with no choice but to embrace his regrets and enter eternal rest in the underground palace.

As Shen Jun reminisced, the system's voice rang out once more: "Congratulations, host. All your disciples have attained the Great Dao and ascended to the Great Sage Stage. You have fulfilled the Great Dao Oath, and the life-altering Defiance of Heaven Program will now commence."

A spark of excitement flashed in Shen Jun's eyes, his heart thumping wildly.

He had waited over a century for this moment, never imagining he'd undergo this heaven-defying transformation in his tomb.

"Hold on, something's not right," Shen Jun suddenly realized. "I did the math; with each of my disciples being a prodigy and me, their super teacher with a system, the Great Sage Stage, no matter how challenging, should be attainable with serious cultivation in two to three hundred years."

"But I've been asleep for eight hundred years..." The more Shen Jun pondered, the more something seemed amiss, and the more irate he became. He bellowed, "Which scoundrel slacked off, forcing me to lie dormant for eight hundred years?!"

"It must be that kid Wang Hao, always preoccupied with romance instead of progress!"

"Or perhaps Wen Qing, vainly preening herself and skipping my classes every day!"

"System, tell me right now, which fool took a full eight hundred years to become a saint?!" Shen Jun was livid, his beard quivering with rage. "I swear, I'll tan their hide!"

The system remained silent.

Shen Jun was at a loss for words, reminded once again that the wretched system had never really been on his side.

"No matter," Shen Jun declared, waving his hand dismissively. "If I must, I'll seek them out one by one. Then, those blockheads can enjoy a front-row seat to the spectacle. Hahaha!"

The thought of his master perishing eight hundred years ago still infuriated him.

"Dingdong." The system's alert chimed once more: "The Fate Changing Program is about to initiate. Please prepare yourself, Host."

Shen Jun, having waited for this moment for eight hundred years, was vigilant. He quickly focused his mind and positioned himself within the coffin, his body aligned as if his five hearts were facing the heavens.

Simultaneously, the atmosphere above Shen's Tomb had undergone a dramatic transformation.

A colossal vortex appeared overhead, unleashing a powerful suction that drained all the spiritual energy from the surrounding hundreds of miles!

The sky was suddenly shrouded in ominous clouds, with lightning streaking and thunder booming within them. A torrent of spiritual energy swirled in the vortex, poised to cascade down at any second.

It was fortunate that Shen's Tomb was so expansive and built far from any settlements; otherwise, such a fearsome celestial event would have surely drawn the attention of numerous powerful factions.

Boom!

The buildup of energy reached its climax. A torrent of majestic and pure Spiritual Force crashed down fiercely, effortlessly penetrating hundreds of meters of earth to flood Shen Jun, cleansing and revitalizing every inch of his being.

His hair, once white, regained its lustrous black hue, and his skin grew soft and supple.

In an instant, Shen Jun miraculously reverted to the appearance of a handsome young man, no older than seventeen or eighteen.

Exhilarating!

Shen Jun embraced the long-overdue boon with his entire being, nearly letting out a moan of sheer pleasure.