I Became The Pope, Now What? - Chapter 117: 117. Into The Mountains

“Any who don the title of 'king' or anything of the sort in my presence is nothing more than an ignorant fool. This is my land and I shall be reclaiming it soon. I am Cacophony, the Vampire Empress!”As those words left her lips, every cell in my body reacted. It was unreal—no, it was otherworldly. Her beauty, her power, and her overwhelming arrogance. It might've been then that I realized that my normal life had ended.How did it come to this?Ah, it was curiosity. Yes, a deathly curiosity brought me to that graveyard that day.It was there that I stumbled upon her coffin. I had absolutely no clue what I was doing then, and even now I have no idea what possessed me to touch it—that single moment changed the course of history for the entire world. I found myself delving into a completely unknown world.Should I regret it? Maybe. But the truth is, I don't.Exploring the world’s hidden secrets, forging unexpected bonds, and living alongside the revived empress—it’s exciting.“Even if it's wrong, I think I'm going to enjoy every moment of it.”

In a world governed by cultivation and power, Li Tian was once a formidable warrior, feared and respected. However, betrayal led to his untimely death. Reborn in a new realm, he awakens as a 17-year-old bastard child of a powerful family, ridiculed and ignored by those around him. Retaining the memories of his past life, Li Tian is determined to seize this second chance.As he navigates the treacherous waters of his new existence, Li Tian finds himself entangled with numerous captivating women, including his alluring stepmother, Xu Fang, and his charming fiancée, Zheng Wei. With a system that reveals his hidden desires and offers him tasks to complete, he must confront his inner struggles while forging bonds and gaining strength.Will Li Tian rise above the stigma of his birth and carve out a destiny worthy of his past glory, or will the shadows of betrayal continue to haunt him? Join him on a journey of self-discovery, love, and conquest as he seeks to transform from a mere bastard into a legendary figure of the cultivation world.

For as long as he could remember, life had always been cruel.A young man in his early twenties—his name now lost to the past—was dealt a life filled with misfortunes.A cold, empty apartment, a soul-crushing job, and, finally, a terminal diagnosis.With nothing left to live for, his only comfort had been escaping into the fictional world of Path of the Elemental Sage, a story of heroes, magic, and survival.But fate had other plans.When death finally came for him, he didn’t fade into nothingness.Instead, he awoke in the world he had only read about—a world of chaos and danger where death lurked around every corner.The air smelled of magic, the sky was filled with possibilities.{«[Status Window]»}[Name: Lyrium Blackwood][Age: 16][Rank: D-][Skills: None][Elements: None}At first, confusion filled his mind.Who was Lyrium Blackwood?Why was he here?And why did this body feel so different?But as his memories returned, so did the realization: this wasn’t some blessing or second chance.He wasn’t reincarnated as the protagonist.No destined savior.No cheat abilities.No grand fate.He was just another mob, a face in the crowd meant to exist and die without leaving a mark.But this young man—the one who had left his old name and life behind—wasn’t the kind of person to roll over and accept his fate.“This world is dangerous. The protagonist isn’t the only one fighting for survival here,”he muttered, his red eyes deep and sharp.Unlike the naïve characters in the story, he knew the stakes.He’d read the web novel.He’d seen the carnage, the betrayals, the disasters that wiped out entire cities.And if there was one thing he refused to be, it was a pawn in someone else’s game.“I don’t care about glory. I don’t care about saving the world. All I care about is surviving—no matter what it takes.”Lyrium Blackwood wasn’t planning to live quietly or avoid danger.The only way to survive in this brutal world was to rise to the top.To be strong enough to stand above both heroes and villains.Using his knowledge of the story’s events and his iron will, Lyrium sets out on a relentless path to surpass the protagonist.Whether through clever manipulation, brutal training, or sheer desperation, he’ll climb higher and higher, leaving nothing to chance.But the deeper he gets, the more he realizes that this isn’t just the story he once read.As fate pushes him closer to the heart of the narrative, Lyrium begins to suspect that his reincarnation wasn’t an accident—and the world itself might be watching him.“I don’t care who or what stands in my way. If the story wants to kill me, I’ll rewrite the ending myself.”----------------------------------I apologize for any mistakes in this story, as it’s my first attempt at writing a novel.

The hellhound is a legendary beast known for its fierce loyalty and formidable power, serving as a guardian of the underworld. During a cataclysmic cosmic conflict between gods and devils, the hellhound is tragically killed as collateral damage, his life extinguished in a battle far beyond his control.Millennia later, the hellhound is reincarnated as a human, awakening in a world that has forgotten his true nature. Retaining his past abilities, he must now attend a prestigious academy for those possessing supernatural powers, designed to train the next generation of guardians and warriors.As he navigates the complexities of human emotions and relationships, he must also confront the remnants of his past life. Whispers of the cosmic conflict still linger, and dark forces are at play, threatening to disrupt the fragile balance between realms. In a world where alliances are fragile and danger lurks around every corner, he must learn to embrace his identity as both a hellhound and a human.