Reverend Insanity: The Gacha System

The flashback faded, and reality snapped back into place. Li Tianhuan stood on the academy's grand stage, surrounded by swirling mist. The air was thick with tension as the audience watched in silence, unaware of the deadly move about to unfold.

With three deliberate breaths, Li Tianhuan activated his killer move. "Domain Expansion—Malevolent Shrine," he murmured, his voice barely audible over the ambient hum of primeval energy gathering around him.

A crimson light erupted from his body, spreading rapidly across the entire academy grounds. The swirling mist transformed, condensing into jagged red-black stone pillars that jutted out of the ground like a chaotic forest. Symbols etched themselves onto the pillars, glowing faintly with the energy of the Reality Path. The air grew heavy, charged with an oppressive power that made even the elders shift uncomfortably in their seats.

Within moments, the domain solidified, encapsulating the academy in its entirety. The battlefield had been set, a space where Li Tianhuan reigned supreme. The illusions that had been scattered throughout the stage took on tangible form, manifesting as hundreds of crimson swords hovering ominously in the air. Each sword shimmered with an otherworldly glow, their edges razor-sharp and pulsing with the essence of reality.

The audience, both students and elders alike, looked on in stunned silence. Gasps and murmurs rippled through the crowd, their disbelief palpable. Even the Rank 5 elders on the elevated platform found their composure wavering, their expressions shifting from curiosity to outright alarm.

"Who did this? How dare they court death like this?"

"If I find him, I'll turn him into meatpaste!"

"First figure out what this is before you start talking about meatpaste, idiot!"

The elders, despite their bravado, struggled under the relentless assault of the Malevolent Shrine. The Rank 5 elders and Rank 4s could endure, their powerful cultivation shielding them from immediate defeat, but even they were repeatedly wounded by the never-ending rain of swords. Meanwhile, the Rank 3s and below found themselves barely able to defend, their energy quickly depleting as the swords struck again and again with brutal precision.

At that moment, he raised his hand, and the swords responded instantly, aligning themselves in a deadly formation.

The domain's power amplified every construct within its boundaries. Each sword now carried the destructive force of a Rank 3 Gu Master's attack, their lethality heightened by the domain's amplification effects. But Li Tianhuan wasn't finished.

He activated the Multi-Blood Mark Gu, targeting every elder seated on the high platform. Glowing red sigils appeared on their bodies, marking them as prey. The swords trembled in anticipation, their tips pointing toward the marked targets.

The elders' faces darkened as they felt the oppressive weight of the domain. Yan Shu, seated in the corner, clenched his fists but remained silent, knowing better than to act rashly. The air around him crackled with a palpable energy that even he found hard to bear. The other elders exchanged wary glances, their confidence visibly shaken as the domain tightened its grip on the battlefield.

One of the Rank 5 elders, a man with a sharp jaw and streaks of silver in his hair, roared, "This is no ordinary killer move! Whoever unleashed this has mastery beyond their rank. Show yourself, coward!"

The crimson swords hanging ominously in the air responded, launching a wave of coordinated strikes toward the platform. The elders reacted instantly, their own Gu worms flaring to life. A blazing Phoenix Gu, glowing with radiant fire, erupted from an elder's palm, incinerating a dozen swords mid-flight. Another elder summoned a Shield Wall Gu, a translucent barrier forming in front of them, deflecting the next barrage.

Despite their coordinated defense, the relentless assault showed no signs of waning. The domain's amplification made the swords faster, sharper, and more numerous with every passing moment. The Rank 4 elders found themselves on the back foot, sustaining cuts and wounds as the swords broke through their defenses. A particularly large blade cleaved through the air, narrowly missing a Rank 3 elder who stumbled backward, his face pale with fear.

Yan Shu's voice, calm yet forceful, cut through the chaos. "Focus your efforts! This move relies on primeval essence. If we disrupt its flow, the domain will weaken!"

"Easier said than done!" retorted another elder, blocking a sword with a Thunderbolt Gu that sent crackling electricity through the air. His shield cracked under the pressure, forcing him to retreat several paces.

The marked targets on their bodies glowed brighter, and the Multi-Blood Mark Gu ensured that no elder could rest for even a moment. Swords twisted and curved unnaturally, homing in on the glowing sigils. A Rank 4 elder fell to one knee, his barrier collapsing as two swords grazed his shoulders, leaving deep, bloodied gashes.

Yan Shu gritted his teeth, his aura surging. "Strike back, all of you!"

The Rank 5 elders launched a counterattack, combining their strengths. A wave of fire, ice, and thunder surged forward, annihilating hundreds of swords in a dazzling display of elemental fury. For a brief moment, it seemed as though the tide was turning. But the domain responded, jagged red-black pillars rising from the ground to block their attacks, while another wave of swords materialized in the air, poised to strike.

"This is madness!" a Rank 4 elder shouted, his breathing labored as blood trickled down his arm. "It's as if the domain is alive!"

Yan Shu's gaze darkened. "Whoever is behind this has planned meticulously.."

Above it all, Li Tianhuan watched from his concealed position, his cold smile widening as the chaos unfolded below. "Struggle all you want," he muttered to himself, his voice filled with quiet satisfaction. "I am going to go to your steal apretures then your spirit spring"

As he said this, Li Tianhuan opened his system inventory, summoning a Rank 6 Gu that gleamed with an ethereal light. This Gu had been refined meticulously by him, its power unparalleled. He then retrieved another Blood Path Gu—the Blood Essence Gu—which pulsed with a deep crimson glow. As he activated the Blood Essence Gu, a surge of power amplified the effects of his killer move, drawing the apertures of the elders toward him.

The process began slowly, a faint red mist emanating from the bodies of the fallen. The apertures of the defeated elders—vessels of their life force and cultivation—started to collapse and flow toward Li Tianhuan. The energy spiraled around him in a violent storm, converging on the Second Aperture Gu within his possession. The Gu shimmered, greedily absorbing the incoming energy, its translucent surface pulsating as it grew more vibrant with every second.

The battlefield was a scene of chaos. Two Rank 4 elders, their defenses overwhelmed by the relentless onslaught of swords, succumbed to their injuries, their apertures collapsing as their primeval essence was drained. Several Rank 3 elders followed, unable to withstand the continuous barrage or the devastating pull of the Blood Essence Gu. Their lifeforce faded as their apertures were stripped away, fueling the ever-growing power of the Second Aperture Gu.

As the energy absorption reached its climax, the Second Aperture Gu began to glow with a radiant intensity, signaling its evolution. After a tense moment, the process stabilized, and the aperture's aptitude soared to an impressive 98%, nearing perfection.

Li Tianhuan smirked, as he gave the order to kill one of the rank 5 in the back. But what Yan Shu didn't expect was as he was secretly ready to back stab Elder Meng Ruo, behind him there was another person who was trying to backstab Elder Yan Shu, behind Elder Yun Mun there was another person who was trying to backstab him and that was Elder YAn Xiu, they were all bought by Li Tian to the greed they have for becoming Gu Immortal.

Literally there are like "Humans die for wealth, birds die for food".