The Eternal Dungeon.
The most strictly guarded prison in the Great Desolate Kingdom.
Where the most notorious criminals and villains, and powerful enemies of the kingdom were imprisoned for eternity.
No one, no matter how invincible they were before entering the Eternal Dungeon, had ever escaped from this ultimate prison with their lives intact.
It was the symbol of the kingdom's dignity and a deterrent for other powers in Eastern Desolate.
On the deepest floor, within one of the dark and cramped cells, a young man, probably in his mid-twenties, sat in cross-legged atop of a rotting straw bed. His eyes were clenched shut, as if sinking deep into a meditative trance.
The young man finally opened his eyes after a long time had passed. His eyelashes fluttered as they parted, and his deep black pupil shrunk and dilated, adjusting his vision to the cramped prison cell's severe darkness.
Letting out a deep sigh, a frown marred his handsome face as he did so. He wore nothing but a plain gray prisoner robe, a stark contrast to his regal bearing and noble appearance.
"Sigh… I've never thought that being a traveler could be this hard. I must be the unluckiest dude among the Earth Transmigrator Camp."
As he walked out of the cell, the chain attached to his ankles went taut, dragging the iron balls attached to its end.
A faint trace on the ground resembling a trail left behind by a snake slithering through the dessert could be seen under the illumination of the eerily glowing moss.
The sound of rustling chains and a heavy thing being dragged echoed in the dark chamber like in the horror movie.
Li Changseng was his name, a soul from Earth who died young due to a terminal illness. That was the extent of his memory of his past life. He didn't remember much about himself or how he lived his life in the past, but he was somehow able to recognize the bizarre phenomena he got himself into.
Reborn in another world.
Something that he subconsciously knew as a popular trope in fiction works back on Earth.
His start wasn't actually that bad. No, it could be said that he was born with a golden spoon. As the eldest prince of the Great Desolate Kingdom, he was destined to inherit one of the most prosperous kingdoms in East Desolate.
Alas…
Despite coming from a royal lineage with numerous Saint-level powerhouse ancestors, Li Changseng was only born with poor talent in cultivation and the lowest grade of profound meridian, making him barely able to practice cultivation, and his progress in cultivation was as slow as a snail. So he inevitably became a subject of ridicule among the nobles and royals.
Of course, they weren't brave enough to show it on the surface, as they were still afraid of the possible repercussions in case he really inherited the throne from the old king.
In fact, no one was actually optimistic about Li Changseng.
Compared to his little brother from another mother, the second prince, Li Tianji, he was nothing but a speck of dust.
Li Tianji was believed to have been born under the sovereign star; his talent in cultivation was earth-shatering, as he was born with top talent in cultivation and top-grade profound meridian, and his intellect was hailed to be on par with the most erudite scholar.
At age seven, he had cultivated the peak of body refining and broke through to the meridian opening at eight years old. He reached the Profound Core stage at twelve, and now, around his twentieth, he was already one step away from the Purple Palace realm.
Ordinary cultivator would need to cultivate more than ten years of cultivation to reach meridian opening realm and another twenty to fifty years to break through to spirit gathering realm.
As for profound core realm, not everybody was qualified to cultivate to this stage. A mid-grade profound meridian and decent comprehension were the basic requirement for a cultivator to at least have a chance to reach this stage after a hundred years or so.
So, it wouldn't be exaggerated if he were to be known as the most promising genius in Eastern Desolate.
So, given the choice between his younger brother and him, it became obvious to whose side would the majority of nobles and court ministers placed their supports on when they battle for the throne commenced.
Even Li Changseng himself thought so. He had given up competing with his little brother from an early age and only wished that he could live safely and comfortably in the future, far away from court politics and bloody royal struggle.
Rather than fighting a losing war against Li Tianji, Li Changseng had even planned for an early retirement in the remote territory, playing the role of a useless and idle prince.
Unfortunately, fate had a different plan for him.
Just a month ago, the old king's health collapsed all of a sudden, forcing him to retreat from the court and spend most of his remaining days in bed.
To fill the void of power, instead of the competent Li Tianji, the old king made an incredulous decision before his last breath to choose Li Changseng as the next king, despite the fierce objection of the palace courts.
Dissatisfied by the late king's decision, Li Tianji staged a silent coup d'etat with the support of the majority of the courts, overthrowing Li Changseng from his throne with a thunderous method.
Originally having almost zero political power, Li Changseng only held the supreme seat for a week before being replaced by Li Tianji.
Then, he was secretly imprisoned in the deepest level of the Eternal Dungeon, while publicly, the government announced that he had died due to unprecedented grief over the sudden departure of the old king.
Of course, anyone with a modicum of knowledge about politics knew that the truth most likely differed from the official announcement, but no one was bothered to question the fact.
After all, Li Tianji had always been considered the next king by the majority of the Great Desolate Kingdom's citizens and officials alike from the beginning.
And to stabilize his ruling, whether he wanted it or not, Li Tianji had to eliminate Li Changseng, even if they were blood siblings.
Li Changseng would either end up rotting in the Eternal Dungeon for all his life, being a victim of the devilish and cruel criminal inside the prison, or dying in the hands of the assassins that would sooner or later come to reap his life.
That was the fate of being the loser in the game of thrones.
"No, I still have hope! Although it showed up late, I finally got my golden finger!"
Li Changseng's black eyes flickered with fervor, staring at the floating game-like status window in front of him with irrepressible excitement.
---
Name: Li Changseng
Cultivation: First Level of Body Refining
Physique: Low-Grade Profound Meridian
Comprehension: Poor
Innate Ability: True Longevity
Items: Life Scripture (Soul Bound)
Martial Skill: None
---
He had waited for his cheat code for almost twenty-five years and almost gave up.
Who knew that as soon as he entered the Eternal Dungeon, the system was triggered, and it gave him two priceless rewards: an innate ability [True Longevity] and a treasure of heaven and earth [The Life Scripture] before it fell back into its slumber.
Both rewards perfectly complimented each other: True Longevity, true to its name, gave Li Changseng infinite lifespans and inexhaustible vitality, while The Life Scripture enabled Li Changseng to see another person's or living being's lifespan and transfer his lifespans to another being regardless of their state of cultivation.
He could also freely take back the lifespan he had bestowed whenever he wished it, and when he died, the bestowed lifespan would also disappear along with him.
"Although it looks useless at first glance as it only gives me infinite lifespans without providing me the necessary strength to be worth such a long lifespan, it's actually the perfect ability for me right now!"
The Eternal Dungeon wasn't known as "The Monster's Den" for no reason. The majority of the villains imprisoned in this place used to be invincible powerhouses.
As the Eternal Dungeon had existed way longer than the Great Desolate Kingdom itself—most likely since the far ancient era—this wretched containment housed many mighty existences who were likely to be at the end of their lifespan.
"I can make a deal with them! Whether they were criminals, devils, or demons, they wouldn't be able to resist the temptation of prolonging their lives! As long as they are greedy for life, I can get supreme exercise or martial arts skill from them, I can even make them my subordinate!"
With that thought in mind, Li Changseng began his search for a suitable target to strike his first deal with.