A Record of Ash & Ruin: The Grieving Lands - Chapter 7Book 3: : The Guide

Notice: This story contains R18+ themes, including violence, sensual and sexual content, blood-related addiction, and dark psychological elements. Reader discretion advised.I died in a library, crushed under centuries of forgotten knowledge. Fitting.Now I’ve woken up in a coffin, starving, undead, and very much not human.They call me a Fledgling—a bottom-feeder vampire barely above a ghoul. I’m weak, hunted, and tethered to a world straight out of a cursed tabletop campaign. It’s a classic fantasy realm—elves, knights, guilds, and dungeons—but twisted by a dark, rotting magic. The moon shines red, the gods are silent, and every town smells like fear.To make matters worse, I’ve been bound to a LitRPG system called the Blood Codex.Level up by draining blood.Unlock skills by embracing your monstrous nature.Resist Corruption... or don’t.There's no prophecy. No chosen one nonsense. No noble title. Just fangs, rot, and whatever I can steal, trick, or kill to survive.But the deeper I sink into this world’s underbelly, the more I realize something is watching me through the system. The rules are breaking. Dungeon bosses are going mad. Entire towns are disappearing.And I think I’m supposed to fix it… or maybe finish the job.

Synopsis: Yang Chen, the inheritor of the divine throne of Hades, was separated from his family at a young age and sold to a foreign assassin organization. Enduring the darkest of worlds, he eventually returned to his homeland incognito. Intending to live a low-profile life as a street vendor selling lamb skewers, fate took an unexpected turn when he married a well-known local corporate CEO. Hoping for a quiet existence, he found himself drawn into the role of a guardian knight due to the presence of beautiful women from various walks of life. As he navigates through these connections, his past experiences and former comrades resurface. Inadvertently, he delves into the world of cultivation in China and uncovers the essence of this world.

A Mysterious continent, with many powerful sect and countless strong one. Juvenile Zhou Heng with a mysterious black broken sword, from the original stone town out into this world of war. Ascended the throne of the world with only a sword in hand.

- Description from Novelupdates

Some people begin their lives with the odds in their favor but end up failing miserably.

Lin Jingzhe, having suffered many losses and setbacks, returned to his eighteen-year-old self just before failing his college entrance exam.

Business opportunities were everywhere in the early 1990s when the Chinese economy started taking off.

Now, this golden age would be his.

- Description from Novelupdates