Chapter 1: Transmigrating by Imperial Decree

Chapter 1: Chapter 1: Transmigrating by Imperial Decree

A hairdryer, a wristwatch, a loudspeaker, a razor, a mineral water bottle, an electricity meter...

Mundane, everyday items were stored in glass display cases like national treasures in a museum, solemnly labeled with names, serial numbers, dates, and so on.

Li Ye’s gaze drifted from one display case to another, his expression complex and troubled.

Beside him stood a middle-aged man. The name on his work ID read Yang Feng, and his title was Director of the Demon Hunting Bureau.

Yang Feng wore a gentle expression, his eyes never leaving Li Ye. "Take your time, there’s no rush. For your first crossing, we’re not asking for meritorious service, just for you to avoid any major mistakes. It’s like I said: making it back alive is a victory in itself. Li Ye, people who awaken the Space-Time Attribute are one in ten thousand. Being able to cross over is your good fortune, and it’s your chance to change your destiny and become its master.

"For the sake of the country, and for your own sake, do whatever it takes to survive. I know it’s not easy for you, but time is the future. Every day you go sooner means more people can be saved!"

’Make it back alive?’

’What a lovely blessing.’

When someone’s blessing for you is to "make it back alive," then nine times out of ten, just making it back alive is already a luxury. But there was one thing Li Ye agreed with: becoming a Time Traveler was perhaps his only chance to change his fate.

Glancing at Yang Feng, Li Ye didn’t respond, instead continuing to select his Demonic Artifact partner.

That’s right.

Those everyday items displayed in the cases had a single, unifying name—Demonic Artifacts.

They had become sentient.

...

「Three years ago.」

The world Li Ye came from was dominated by humans.

Although wars and disagreements occasionally broke out between nations, the planet as a whole was thriving. At the very least, his home, the Xia Country, was prosperous, and he never had to worry about food or clothing.

But overnight, a suffocating black Demon Qi seemed to descend from the heavens.

An ancient locust tree in the park, a lion in the zoo, a carp in the river, even the family husky... they were all randomly corrupted by the Demon Qi, gaining sentience and unbelievable powers.

These demons, granted intelligence and abilities by the Demon Qi, plunged the world into an apocalypse in an instant.

Order collapsed. Humanity fell from its pedestal as the dominant species to become mere food. The thermal weapons they had prided themselves on had a minimal effect against the suddenly appearing demons.

Every home was in mourning; the Mortal World had become a living hell.

By the time the situation stabilized, the global population of nearly ten billion had been reduced to less than four billion...

Humanity was able to endure because the Demon Hunting Bureau burst onto the scene.

As demons rampaged, Demon Hunters stepped forward to fight back.

The reason Demon Hunters could contend with demons was because of these items corrupted by Demon Qi.

These items were collectively known as Demonic Artifacts. When used, a Demonic Artifact would grant its Demon Hunter user special abilities based on its own Attributes.

...

Li Ye was not a Demon Hunter, but an existence of a higher tier—a Time Traveler.

Demon Hunters fought demons on their home turf and were selected from the most quick-witted and physically powerful agents and elite soldiers—the best of the best.

Time Travelers, however, were a very special group. Their mission was to cross into other universes, capture the Demon Qi that had escaped there, and bring back the fruits of other civilizations for the people on their own world to use.

One could say that the importance of Time Travelers far exceeded that of ordinary Demon Hunters.

On the surface, humanity stabilized the situation thanks to Demon Hunters, but the more important reason, behind the scenes, was the unsung Time Travelers.

They brought back martial arts, Daoist techniques, Witchcraft, Magic, and other such widely applicable Cultivation Techniques from other universes. These Cultivation Techniques gave ordinary people the confidence to protect themselves when facing demons...

However, not just anyone could become a Time Traveler. Crossing space and time required awakening the Space-Time Attribute.

In three years, very few people had awakened the Space-Time Attribute.

Therefore, the Demon Hunting Bureau had almost no room to be selective; they basically used anyone they found. Compared to the hand-picked elite Demon Hunters, the ranks of Time Travelers were filled with all sorts of rejects.

Furthermore, due to the uncertainties of crossing into other universes, the mortality rate for Time Travelers was sky-high. If one out of ten made it back alive, it was considered a miracle. It was more common for only three or four to return out of a hundred.

In the two years since the Demon Hunting Bureau was established, a total of 237 Time Travelers had been discovered. Today, only 8 remain alive...

A harsh environment and a high mortality rate—this was the current reality for Time Travelers.

「Three months ago.」

Li Ye was just an ordinary, recently graduated college student living off the business his parents had left him. During a routine screening, he was discovered to have awakened the Space-Time Attribute and was suddenly made into a glorious Time Traveler.

Now, after a brief three-month training period, he had to undertake his first crossing for a mission with such a high death rate. It would be a wonder if he were in a good mood. But not going wasn’t an option. Demons grew far faster than the Demon Hunters’ methods to contain them. If even one demon became agitated, it could cause massive casualties.

The Time Travelers were in a race against the demons. Either the Time Travelers brought back more Cultivation Techniques to help more people grow strong enough to defend themselves, or everyone on Earth would be slaughtered by the demons.

Every successful crossing by a Time Traveler meant more people would survive.

...

’Survive!’

Yang Feng’s talk of "surviving" might have been just lip service, but Li Ye truly wanted to live. He was still young. He didn’t want to just get a trial package of the transmigration experience, and he certainly didn’t want to die so far away that his soul couldn’t return home.

So, no matter what it took, he had to stay alive and endure for one year in the Otherworld.

That’s right. The duration of each Time Traveler’s mission was one year. The Demon Hunting Bureau anchored itself to the Demonic Artifact worn by the Time Traveler and then, using the coordinates of the Demon Qi that had escaped into other universes, sent the Time Traveler across.

After one year, no matter what the Time Traveler was doing, the Demon Hunting Bureau would initiate the recall procedure. The Demonic Artifact would be recalled, and the Time Traveler would be transported back along with it. To think that a three-month crash course could prepare someone to survive a year in an Otherworld was a joke.

Li Ye had previously objected to the three-month training period. It was far too short; there was a glaring contradiction between the preciousness of Time Travelers and their incredibly high mortality rate. But Yang Feng had brushed him off, saying they had their own unspeakable hardships.

Yang Feng had said that the timing of the crossings wasn’t up to them, and that the three-month training period was already squeezed out with great difficulty.

They had to race against the demons for time. Otherwise, if humanity went extinct, Time Travelers would lose their reason for existing. Besides, longer training couldn’t guarantee a Time Traveler’s survival rate, because no one knew what kind of world they would be facing. Using the Demonic Artifact effectively was more important than long-term training...

...

’Hairdryer. Attributes related to hot and cold air. An offensive-type Demonic Artifact. Too big of a target. Pass!’

’Wristwatch. Attributes related to time. A powerful control-type Demonic Artifact. Too difficult to control. The last few Time Travelers who chose it all failed. Pass!’

’Loudspeaker. Attributes related to sound. An offensive-type Demonic Artifact, but makes too much noise when used. Pass!’

’Menstrual pad. Attributes might be related to blood absorption... Ugh... pass!’

...

Below each Demonic Artifact was a description of its Attributes, the number of times it had been chosen by a Demon Hunter, and the users’ evaluations.

Li Ye walked past these Demonic Artifacts, but none of them satisfied him.

Yang Feng followed him quietly, not interfering or rushing him. A Demon Hunter’s choice of a Demonic Artifact had to suit their own personality, but it also came down to a feeling of affinity. An outsider’s opinion didn’t matter much.

About ten minutes later, Li Ye stopped in front of a display case. He stood there for a full minute before finally saying, "I’ll take this one."

Inside the case was a soccer club’s emblem.

The emblem was shield-shaped and golden, with a crown at the top. On its face, several players stood in a circle around a soccer ball, holding hands.

The Team Emblem looked unremarkable. The record below it read: Times Used: 1. Type: Team-oriented Demonic Artifact. Suspected Effect: Enhances cohesion.

"Why choose this one?" Yang Feng asked, taken aback.

"It’s small and easy to carry." Li Ye turned back to look at Yang Feng and smiled. "You said it yourself, my primary mission on this first crossing is to survive. The Team Emblem is a team-oriented Demonic Artifact. There’s strength in numbers. Relying on a team is obviously an easier way to survive than fighting alone."

Normally, an outsider wouldn’t interfere with a Demon Hunter’s choice, but this time, Yang Feng couldn’t hold back. "Li Ye, how are you supposed to fight demons with a team-oriented Demonic Artifact?

"Demon Qi can sense other Demon Qi. Even if you don’t actively seek it out, it might actively seek you out. After all, the Demonic Artifact you carry is like a great power-up to another demon. Devouring the Demon Qi from your artifact will make it even stronger.

"Li Ye, this is your first mission. I personally suggest you choose a defensive-type Demonic Artifact. It would be more conducive to survival..."

"No need, this one is just fine." Li Ye shook his head with a slight smile. "The Demon Qi has been spreading for three years now. For a rookie Demon Hunter like me, whether I’m defending or attacking when I encounter a demon, the chances of dying are very high."

As he spoke, he pointed to the striking slogans on the wall. "Besides, Demon Hunters have so many restrictions. It’s better to take a different path. Find a team-oriented Demonic Artifact, divide the demon’s attention... maybe I can snatch survival from the jaws of death."

...

1. Minimize the use of the Demonic Artifact. The more it is used, the easier it is to become dependent.

2. Do not repeatedly use the same Demonic Artifact. Repeated use will accelerate the corruption of Demon Qi.

3. Do not choose a Demonic Artifact with a personality similar to your own. Similar personalities are more easily corrupted.

4. Hold fast to your true self. The stronger your will, the slower the rate of corruption by Demon Qi.

5. Avoid choosing slaughter-type Demonic Artifacts as much as possible...

...

The warnings on the wall were striking and conspicuous, visible to anyone who entered and looked up.

These were the principles every Demon Hunter had to follow.

Demonic Artifacts were created through corruption by Demon Qi; they were not Magical Treasures.

In a way, Demonic Artifacts were demons themselves. It was only because of their inanimate nature that they couldn’t directly affect the outside world like a living demon could.

The medium through which a Demonic Artifact affected the world was its user.

When a user utilized a Demonic Artifact, their will would be imperceptibly corrupted by the Demon Qi contained within it. Once they lost their true self, they would become a puppet of the artifact, used by it instead.

Those articles were written from the bloody and tearful lessons of countless Demon Hunters.

Whether they were Demon Hunters or Time Travelers, they were all dancing in shackles. One careless misstep and they would suffer a backlash.

Demon Hunters were backed by the Demon Hunting Bureau headquarters, which could monitor the state of their Demon Qi corruption at any time. Moreover, outside of missions, Demon Hunters had minimal contact with their Demonic Artifacts, so accidents were rare.

But Time Travelers were far away in another universe. They had to rely solely on their own willpower to resist the Demon Qi’s corruption while also fighting the demons of another world. This was another reason for their astonishingly high mortality rate.

...

The life of a Time Traveler was one of near-certain death. No one was willing to discuss matters of life and death with them.

Yang Feng gave an awkward laugh. "A Demon Hunter’s choice also relies on affinity. The fact that you chose it means you have a connection. Time waits for no one. Since you’ve made your choice, get your things in order and prepare to depart! And again, make it back alive. Risk and reward are directly proportional. As long as you come back alive, you’ll have the chance to change your destiny..."