“Yes!” Zhuo Duyong exclaimed. He had been smiling and mumbling to himself the whole way back from the mission. Now that they had returned to the cult, he was giggling in the main gathering hall. While this wasn't out of character for this Head Priest, he had startled everyone when he randomly cheered out of nowhere. Nobody judged Zhuō Dúyǒng, though, as even with his sudden outburst, he was still the most normal out of the Head Priests. They were in a cult anyway; how ordinary did you expect people to be?
Zhuō Dúyǒng is a member of the Cult of the Almighty, a cult worshipping a being called the Almighty One. Despite its… name… it's a decent power overall. Many criticize the faith of the Cult of the Almighty for being an obvious sham, but those who did buy into the preachings were generally able to make something of themselves. One zealous member, in particular, climbed up the ranks the fastest in the cult's history—our very own Zhuō Dúyǒng.
Zhuō Dúyǒng cleared his throat out of embarrassment and then addressed the crowd of his subordinates. "You all completed the mission to an exceptional degree. Well done. Wait for me to report this to the Mighty Ones, then you will receive your rewards. Disperse." Zhuō Dúyǒng announced. With his words and the wave of his hand, all the men following him left in various directions.
Zhuō Dúyǒng was brought in as an initiate from a young age. The cult usually didn't allow children because they were like dead weight, but he was born with a heavenly gift. Zhuō Dúyǒng has the Star Gazing Eyes, said to be passed down to people who share a bloodline with a divine master who could 'See past man and through the Earth to observe the stars.' While Zhou Duyong couldn't do that much, he could see better than even the keenest men as a child. As he aged, he trained his sight to new heights and was nicknamed Owl Eyed Zhuo by local towns and forces. He used this sight to complete missions and make achievements for the cult. As the only child ever accepted into the cult, who could have killed him with the rest of his village, he felt he had to prove himself and be useful, or he might end up meeting his neighbors in spirit.
He had just completed a mission with overwhelming success, more than required or expected. Zhuō Dúyǒng was ready to be promoted and be given a seat with the other elders. Zhuō Dúyǒng was carrying a burlap sack tied close with thick rope. The crimson blood of his victim, Zhang Shan of Xing Palace, died the bottom of the bag a similar color. Zhuō Dúyǒng was hiding his joy, gleefully walking to the throne room. Zhuō Dúyǒng got to the large, black, and purple doors, cupped his hands, bowed, and announced himself. "High Priest Zhuō Dúyǒng greets the Cult Elders and Master Great Demon!"
"..."
"Cult Elders?" he asked. "Master Great Demon?".
Great Demon was the title of the cult's leader. He never gave his name to his followers, only telling everyone to refer to him as Great Demon. No one but the elders had seen his face; he was always wearing a mask. From what Zhuō Dúyǒng had learned from his years in the cult, the Great Demon and the elders had appeared to the first Head Priest a hundred years ago. After that, they collected treasures and recruited stronger people to help lead the cult. Zhuō Dúyǒng had become a Head Priest quickly, but he was a particular case. All the other Head Priests were the original Head Priests recruited by the Great Demon and the Elders. There used to be more, but many died trying to obtain enough merit to be given a seat with the Elders.
Zhuo Duyong didn’t know what to do. He knew he shouldn’t enter with permission, but someone would have answered by now. He couldn’t remember the last time even one elder was missing. He decided to take a peek. It was unlikely they would be there and not answer. Zhuō Dúyǒng slowly cracked the doors open, just enough to see someone.
“Huh!?” Zhuō Dúyǒng pushed the doors open the rest of the way to see all the empty seats. The empty seats were odd, but not enough for him to react in such a way. What made Zhuō Dúyǒng do so was the absence of almost everything of value used to decorate the throne room. Zhuo Duyong didn’t know what to think. Had they been robbed? No one should be able to achieve such a feat, but what other reason was there for the throne room to be empty?
After some thinking, he noticed a small piece of paper on the Empty Throne, which sat on a platform against the back wall, with stairs leading up to all three remaining sides like a half pyramid. Zhuō Dúyǒng walked over to the steps and hesitantly walked up them. When he reached the top, he picked up the note and began to read.
"Sorry, got bored. There is no Almighty One; we made it up. Take care. -the Great Demon & the Elders," it read.
"..."
"How could this be!?" Zhuō Dúyǒng exclaimed. Zhuo Duyong quickly composed himself. He didn’t feel this was real, and if he let everyone in the cult know, it might cause panic. But who would play such a prank? The Great Demon and the elders were too serious, and no one would dare impersonate them. Even the signature of the Great Demon was too accurate, as well. Zhuo Duyong took another look around the bare throne room.
“It would take too much effort to do all this for a prank. So then... fuck. All this time and effort just to be a whim from some stronger masters…” Zhuo Duyong sighed. “And what do you mean ‘We got bored’!?” Zhuō Dúyǒng lashed out, destroying a chair with a punch. He looked around the empty room again, and then he began to realize something.
Did they really take everything in the throne room? Thinking this, Zhuo Duyong realized something. Zhuō Dúyǒng ran to the cult treasury. The treasury was a large room filled with all kinds of resources. Weapons, artifacts, spirit stones, and anything of significant value piled up to the ceiling. He blasted through the doors. Empty. Then he ran to the cultivation library. An extensive archive of every manual, technique, and art the cult created, obtained, or stole. The shelves are complete; they can barely find space for more books and scrolls before he left for his mission. The Elders were even thinking of having it extended to fit more. Similarly to before, Zhuo Duyong burst through the doors without hesitation. Empty. Zhou Dúyǒng could no longer control himself. All the years he had dedicated himself to the cult, although originally out of self-preservation, he built a feeling of intimacy with it. All his work and the missions he completed were for nothing. Zhou Duyong went into a berserk fury.
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
Fwoosh
…
Ren Yi was Zhuo Duyong’s right-hand man. After a long, successful mission, Rén Yi participated in his favorite pastime: reading boy-love romance novels. Novels were mainly a luxury for mortals since cultivators didn't have much time outside cultivation, but Ren Yi always made sure to make time for reading here and there.
Fwoosh
"AH!" Ren Yi screamed in surprise, throwing his book into the air. He turned to see High Priest Zhuo behind him. He began shooting off excuses at high speeds. "Oh... uh... High Priest Zhuo. I was looking at the sect's primary cultivation art to see if I could find insight and deduce a new method. Of course, this is not to say that it needs improvement, but variety can also be an essential weapon in our arsenal. I remember when I was fighting Liú Hán of the-"
Crack
Zhuō Dúyǒng swiftly grabbed him by his neck and effortlessly crushed his throat. His fury was far from quelled despite killing one of his most trusted subordinates. He was too mentally disturbed, going around killing all the remaining members of the cult, hoping to wash the stain of his lifelong embarrassment away. Screams could be heard, one after another, throughout the entire cult.
…
Zhuō Dúyǒng sat down at what was left of the cult. He had killed every last member. Fighting the other high priests left him with countless injuries. He had to use all of his trump cards and secret techniques to kill them. He even burned some of his vitality in the last fights, where he had to fight two High Priests simultaneously. After everything, he didn't have much time left, and he would soon succumb to his injuries and breathe his last breath. He struggled to pick himself up, and he went to sit under what was left of the cult gate. The frame of the gate remained, but the doors to the cult had long been blown to pieces. Now, it was just a square archway with a sign on it. He looked up at the sign, "Cult of the Almighty." The sign that he had once revered. He shook his head and let out a pitiful laugh.
"My anger is gone, my energy spent, and my worries relieved," he remarked. "Now I can die with dignity."
Crack... Thud...
The sign on the gate was loose. Zhuō Dúyǒng died to a sign.
…
"Your god, Yu Quan, has arrived!!" Yù Quán screamed as he awoke in his new body. "Wait- Shit!". Yù Quán rubbed his sore body, riddled with holes, gashes, bruises, and blood. "God, this hurts so bad. I'm transmigrating; aren't I supposed to end up in this world's version of me or some deadbeat son of a noble family or something?"
Initializing...
The sudden voice startled Yù Quán, "Huh?... Oh, it's just my system. I can't wait! I'll use it to be the most overpowered person in this world!”
Beginning Setup...
Removing injuries...
Yù Quán let out a sigh of relief. "That's better."
Injecting memories...
Yù Quán spent some time living Zhuō Dúyǒng's life. “Cult of the Almighty? The Almighty One? Great Demon? Did a 13-year-old edge lord head the cult?” After his immediate reaction to the naming skills of the people behind the cult, Yù Quán took some time to comb through Zhuō Dúyǒng's memories before the cult and the time leading to his end.
"What a... pathetic ending. I'll make sure to burn incense for you in the afterlife." Yù Quán said while making prayer hands. “So this is a cultivation world, huh?”
Yu Quan was surprised at Zhuo Duyong's cultivation level. Yu Quan found four realms in his memories: Qi Focusing, Body Tempering, Foundation Laying, and True Qi Refining. Each realm can be divided into several stages, each divided into nine levels. Seeing Zhuo Duyong was in the Foundation Laying realm, he was happy to receive a shortcut.
Removing cultivation...
"Wait, what?... No, System stop!"
Yù Quán felt all of the power and energy he initially felt disappear. He went from being a powerhouse to a regular human in seconds.
"I think I'm having withdrawal symptoms..." he said weakly.
Setup Complete, Welcome to Murim.
“So, this place is also called Murim? That's... a bit basic. Maybe there will be other continents or a higher realm.”
Main Quest: Get Revenge on the People Behind the Cult of Almighty
Time Limit: 10 years
Quest Reward: ???
Failure Penalty: Permanent Death
"From his memory, that doesn't seem like it'll be easy. The only people who could have done what they had done were true masters. But, at least I'll have a godlike system to help." said Yù Quán.
"System! Open shop!"
Error: There is no function called "shop."
"Uhh.. okay. Then, open the gacha system."
Error: There is no function called "gacha system."
"...Heavenly pill furnace?"
No.
"God-level cultivation method?"
No.
"Disciple Cashback System?"
No.
"Inheritance of the Poison God?"
No.
"Demon Purification Pot?"
No.
"Black Book that contains the legacy of the Demon God?"
No.
“...How did I get a useless system AND get stuck in the "System with Attitude" trope?”