C1 Rebirth after the Disaster!

Dusk descended.

A black chill swept mercilessly across the Devil Dragon Mining Area, the air thick with the stench of death.

"Qiao Gao, don't hold it against me for burying you right here. We've suffered a mining disaster, and the outside is teeming with ferocious demonic beasts. It's impossible for me to take your body back to Great Flame City."

That voice... so hauntingly familiar, as if he had heard it somewhere before, and it was growing louder and clearer.

"Wasn't I dead? Why can someone still call out to me?"

Qiao Gao felt like he was choking, his face smeared with foul-smelling mud and sand, his body as if it had come apart at the seams. His head throbbed with excruciating pain as memories flooded his mind like a relentless tide.

"Quiet, Shieh Longtai, you fool. Just bury that waste Qiao Gao and be done with it. Your yells could attract the Scorpion Tail Tiger, and then we'll all end up buried alongside him!"

A deep, malevolent voice carried from afar, laced with an unmistakable threat.

The agonizing pain in his head soon ebbed away, and Qiao Gao, having assimilated all his memories, sprang from the Chaos Tombs with a fish-like flop. His eyes snapped open, glinting with a fierce, starry coldness.

"I'm not only alive, but I've also somehow fused with the memories of the Myriad Tribulation Pill Monarch, revered across the Nine-heavne Ten-earth?" Qiao Gao was both stunned and relieved, yet his brow quickly furrowed in concern. "Why am I still so weak? It appears I haven't fully purged the Scorpion Tail Tiger's venom from my system."

"The Myriad Tribulation Pill Monarch, a supreme figure in alchemy, his skills unmatched in the Nine-heavne Ten-earth, was held in high esteem, with Peerless Experts at his beck and call. Tragically, he was betrayed, his powers destroyed, and he was condemned to labor in the Origin Ancient Mine by the Nine Heavens Imperial Clan, reduced to nothing more than an alchemical tool."

"In his final act, the Myriad Tribulation Pill Monarch gambled with death to concoct the 'Nine Death Reincarnation Pill,' which granted him a new life through reincarnation. Alas, the Nine Heavens Reincarnation Pill was fraught with peril, and the Myriad Tribulation Senior ultimately perished. Now, by some twist of fate, I have inherited the memories of the Myriad Tribulation Senior."

"Myriad Tribulation Senior, may you find peace. From this day forward, I am Myriad Tribulation. I vow to avenge you and carve my way back to the Nine Heavens, to exact vengeance upon those so-called saintesses who once enslaved you!" Qiao Gao declared with a fierce resolve, his eyes blazing with determination.

As thoughts of revenge consumed him, Qiao Gao couldn't help but question why he was inexplicably targeted by a Scorpion Tail Tiger. This was no simple coincidence; someone was clearly out to get him.

Surveying his surroundings, Qiao Gao realized he was in a dark, icy mine, not particularly large, with a handful of Flowing Cloud Academy students nearby. They were a disheveled bunch, each absorbed in their own silence—some tending to their weapons, others meditating to regain their strength.

"The corpse is transforming! Run for your lives! Qiao Gao has become one of the undead!"

In a sudden burst, Qiao Gao leaped from the grave. Shieh Longtai, who had been shoveling dirt, was terrified out of his wits, his face draining of color as he stumbled and tumbled away from the Chaos Tombs.

The Devil Dragon Mining Area, an ancient and eternally forbidden zone, was rife with dark and dreadful tales. Even the outskirts, where they now stood, were not free from its chilling past. Legends spoke of times when the mines thrived, yet many miners met their demise, their bodies amassing into hills, some steeped in corpse poison, morphing into ghastly, decaying creatures...

The faces around him paled, as if they were staring down their doom, and they fled without hesitation. They knew they were no match for the formidable, toxic undead, not even the weakest among them.

Qiao Gao reached out and grabbed Shieh Longtai by the shoulder. Shieh Longtai's body went slack as if struck by thunder, and he fell to his knees, pleading in a panic, "Qiao Gao, it's me, your loyal friend Shieh Longtai! Please, don't eat me. My flesh is too fatty and wouldn't taste good at all."

"I'm not dead, so how could I have turned into a corpse?" Qiao Gao couldn't help but chuckle at the absurdity as he helped his steadfast friend to his feet.

Shieh Longtai's familiar and rotund face drew close to Qiao Gao, his eyes lighting up with excitement. "I always said you were destined for greater things. You haven't even begun to soar, and yet you're no mere flash in the pan."

The others, realizing that Qiao Gao hadn't succumbed to death, shot him a cool glance before sheathing their weapons and settling down to rest. They needed to conserve their energy before the Flowing Cloud Academy's rescue team arrived.

"Lucky as stepping in dog crap, he is," Bai Tianyu muttered with a sneer, as he polished his gleaming battle knife. "Surviving the Scorpion Tail Tiger's deadly venom!"

"How dare you speak ill of Qiao Gao, Bai Tianyu!" Shieh Longtai's face reddened with fury, his ample flesh quivering with each word. "I saw you plant that Scorpion Tail Tiger egg in Qiao Gao's tent. It's no wonder the beast went after him!"

"You're the one to blame!" Shieh Longtai accused, jabbing a finger at Bai Tianyu.

Qiao Gao gave Bai Tianyu a dismissive glance from afar, his mind swiftly replaying the moments before he lost consciousness.

As it turned out, this group of students, Qiao Gao included, were undergoing the Flowing Cloud Academy's entrance trial on the outskirts of the Devil Dragon Mining Area. Passing this trial was the only way to gain official admission into the academy, which also sorted students into elementary, advanced, and Elite Classes based on their performance.

From what Qiao Gao remembered, the area around the mining zone was typically devoid of demon beasts, more commonly frequented by wild wolves, brown bears, and the like. The appearance of a top-tier Rank One demon beast such as the Scorpion Tail Tiger was highly unlikely, making it an ideal location for the entrance examination.

However, the sudden intrusion of the Scorpion Tail Tiger had thrown the new students' camp into disarray, causing the camp to collapse into chaos as everyone scattered. Amidst the panic, Qiao Gao and his peers had found this mine to take refuge in, biding their time until the Flowing Cloud Academy's instructors arrived for the rescue.

While fleeing for his life, Qiao Gao's back was viciously struck by the Scorpion Tail Tiger's tail, which whipped like steel. He collapsed from the poison and passed out as soon as he made it into the mine. His close friend, Shieh Longtai, mistakenly believed Qiao Gao had breathed his last and was about to bury him.

"Shua!"

At Shieh Longtai's words, all eyes in the mine turned sharply to Bai Tianyu. If Shieh Longtai's claim held true, then Bai Tianyu was responsible for bringing the disaster upon them, nearly costing their lives in the Devil Dragon Mining Area—a grievance as serious as life and death.

Hostile glares bore into Bai Tianyu, and a few of the male students' bodies even pulsed with formidable Origin Energy. The tension in the mine was palpable, like a drawn sword at the ready.

Bai Tianyu's face darkened, particularly when he sensed several strands of Origin Energy rivaling his own. He rose abruptly, his towering frame blocking most of the view in the mine, creating an almost tangible pressure. He barked, "Shieh Longtai, stop your baseless accusations. Are you aware of the consequences?"

"Shieh Longtai speaks the truth. You did steal the newborn Demon Beast Egg from the Scorpion Tail Tiger!" Qiao Gao interjected suddenly, his eyes gleaming with icy certainty as he pointed directly at Bai Tianyu.

Bai Tianyu was taken aback, clearly not expecting Qiao Gao to boldly confront him, a stark contrast to his usual timidity. When their eyes met, Bai Tianyu felt a chill of dread, as if he were the prey of the Scorpion Tail Tiger, sending shivers down his spine.

Qiao Gao, now with the memories of the Myriad Tribulation Pill Monarch integrated within him, moved with an effortless grace that carried the Pill Monarch's commanding presence.

"What's happening? Why am I, of all people, afraid of Qiao Gao, the nobody?" Bai Tianyu was both shocked and enraged, fighting back the fear clawing at his insides as he scoffed, "Nonsense! Where's your proof?"

With a cool, dismissive glance at Bai Tianyu, Qiao Gao stated calmly, "Why don't you all come a bit closer to him? Do you catch that distinct, foul odor? That's the scent of the Scorpion Tail Tiger, evidence that he's been in close contact with the beast."

Angrily, a group of students closed in on Bai Tianyu, their gazes hostile as they accused, "He definitely reeks of a very peculiar stench!"

Shock and anger rippled through the crowd, Bai Tianyu's face paled as he was hit by a wave of panic. "Could he possibly know the truth?"

Yet, Bai Tianyu quickly regained his composure after the initial shock and suspicion. Digging in his heels, he retorted, "You got swiped by the Scorpion Tail Tiger, and now you're carrying its scent. That stench on me? You're the one who passed it on!"

Qiao Gao let out a cold laugh in response, "Still trying to talk your way out of it, huh?"

"Take a good look at his palm, everyone. Notice any strange patterns? Those are the demonic markings from the Scorpion Tail Tiger Demon Beast's eggshell. Even though the Scorpion Tail Tiger cub hasn't hatched, the eggshell is etched with protective markings!"

"You stole the Scorpion Tail Tiger's egg, triggered the demonic pattern, and got your palm scorched. But here's the kicker—the Scorpion Tail Tiger that stormed the new student camp wasn't after me; it was after you because it could sense the demonic imprint on your palm!"

Qiao Gao laid out the facts without pausing for breath.

"Demonic mark? What are you rambling about? That's utter nonsense!" Bai Tianyu hid his injured hand and stumbled back, his face betraying a hint of panic.

"Real or fake, let's have everyone here be the judge!" Qiao Gao then produced a demonic beast egg from his clothing.

The crowd scrutinized the egg intently and, sure enough, the demonic pattern seared onto Bai Tianyu's palm matched the eggshell's markings perfectly. The looks they gave Bai Tianyu grew stern.

But at the sight of the demonic beast egg, Bai Tianyu's face contorted with greed, and his eyes gleamed covetously. With a malicious grin, he reached out, "So the demonic beast egg is still with you. Give it here."

Simultaneously, the other students participating in the assessment caught sight of the egg and their expressions turned greedy as they began to converge on Qiao Gao.