I, Konoha's Sage of Life - Chapter 173: Could It Be an Inside Job?

Some crowns are forged in blood. Others are drowned beneath it.In a city strangled by smoke and silence, where children are shackled to machines and shadows rule behind gilded masks, Keiran is just another forgotten soul—until the mark appears.Buried beneath the factory’s foundations lies a world long erased from history. Ancient oaths whisper through stone and water, and something older than memory begins to stir. As Keiran is drawn deeper into the abyss, he uncovers a legacy not meant for mortal hands—a crown shattered in defiance, a flood sealed by sacrifice, and a power that demands a price.Hunted by tyrants, haunted by echoes, and bound to secrets he never asked for, Keiran must choose: drown in the tide of what came before, or rise against the current and reclaim what the world was forced to forget.But the deeper he goes, the more the truth unravels…And beneath it all, something still breathes.

There was once an immortal cultivator fighting for the fate of human beings. Unfortunately, he failed that time; but fortunately got another chance as he was reborn once more as a human, on the earth of 5,000 years ago. With a second chance, he not only would embark on the road of saving all mankind, but also would retrieve his human nature on the new journey that would last for 5,000 years.

- Description from Novelupdates

Lu Qingshan, a renowned player ranked in the top ten of the Sword Cultivators’ leaderboard in “Nine Heavens,” had been reincarnated into the very game world for which he had always strived. Sword Cultivator, a class in “Nine Heavens,” known for dealing the highest damage but also having the least amount of health, leading to their nickname “Brute.” In this life, Lu Qingshan had still chosen the path of the Sword Cultivator. However, this Sword Cultivator seemed a bit too stable???

Baek Ain is your typical lazy guy.

He graduated from university at age 22 with a random degree he chose out of boredom and stayed single because fate decided so until that event happened.

“What? Where Am I??”

After a horrible incident, Ain transmigrated to another world. Or precisely to be a villainous and mobs character.

He died countless times because of the world's protagonists, gathering hatred toward them.

“What the fuck! What do you mean I stole your wife? I've been single since coming into this world!!”

“Hero, please save this world.” A goddess is begging me to save her world from the Demon Lord.

“Wait... Begone thot! That Demon King is my younger sister from 69th Transmigration.”

“How dare you!”

A beautiful heroine is hugging me from behind, wishing to accept her feelings.

“Shoo, Heroine! I don't need useless baggage with me. Side characters are better than you!”

And so, Ain's journey began to end this shitty transmigration cycle.