In the Sky Profound World, the Gui Yuan Sect, a second-tier force, located in the Guanghe Prefecture!
On a night of a moonless sky and gusty winds, murder was lurking in the shadows.
Gui Yuan Sect, a second-tier force within Guanghe Prefecture, held an influence that was neither high nor low. However, this very night, without any warnings, they encountered an attack by a group of mysterious individuals clad in black.
The black-clad invaders were powerful and ruthless. No one was spared, be they man, woman, old or young; all were mercilessly butchered. Without any guard prepared, especially being only an insignificant force within a prefecture city, and with limited number of skilled individuals at helm, the Gui Yuan Sect was caught off-guard. The mysterious black-clad men killed most of its disciples in their sleep.
Upon learning this, the sect leader and the elders were furious. They swore to kill these unseen villains. They rallied and fought, but were met with a powerful challenger. They were killed in action within ten moves, dying with eyes opened in disbelieve. The remaining elders also suffered heavy casualties. The entire Gui Yuan Sect was filled with cries of despair.
Meanwhile, as the mysterious men in black were slaughtering the remaining members of the Gui Yuan Sect, deep in the mountains behind the Gui Yuan Sect...
Two figures were seen moving forward and backward through the trees, finally stopping in front of a seemingly withered, towering tree.
Dressed in a powerful purple brocade, with skin as white as snow, willowy brows, and a pair of enchanting purple eyes stood Bai Lianshui, the master of Ye Xiaolong. He did something to the large tree and revealed a hole just big enough for one person.
"Xiaolong, when you hide in here, stay silent. I hope they won't find you."
Even now, Ye Xiaolong's mind was blank. Gui Yuan Sect, supposedly a mid-tier force, was eradicated without warning. The reality seemed too unreal and cruel for him, but the bloody, hot wound before his eyes told him that this wasn't a dream. Everything was real. They were being pursued.
"Master, I won't leave. I want to fight alongside all of you!"
The only reply he got was Bai Lianshui patting his body several times, sealing his acupuncture points. Ye Xiaolong was immediately immobilized and pushed inside the dark hole in the tree.
"Remember! Never seek revenge for me... cough cough... You're an obedient child. Find a place where you can hide your identity and forget your master, forget Gui Yuan Sect. They... they are too formidable for you!"
Bai Lianshui suddenly turned pale, coughed out a mouthful of blood and sprayed it onto Ye Xiaolong's face.
"Master, don't go, I want to be with you~"
Ye Xiao Long could not move at all, he could only stare wide-eyed as his beautiful master Lady Bai sealed the cave entrace, leaving behind a silhouette that gradually vanished from his sight.
Sounds of metal clashing against metal - a fight, could be heard very soon from the distance.
Intermittent voices were heard.
"...Bai Lian Shui, if the young master fancies you, it's your honor. Daring to disrespect our young master, therefore, our young master is rather displeased."
"Now, you can die!"
"Sister Bai Lian Shui from the majestic Guanghe Mansion dying in this wilderness truly brings about a sense of pity. What a shame, really!"
...
Upon hearing the words, Ye Xiao Long's eyes were about to burst open, everything before him bathed in a bloody red hue. With his blood boiling with anger, he forcibly opened the blocked acupoint, clawed his way out of the small hole in the tree, and leapt out.
"Master!"
In an open space within the forest, his master, Lady Bai Lian Shui, attributes in a purple robe, was lying on the ground, blood was flowing from her mouth, she was shaking her head weakly at him.
In despair, Ye Xiao Long shouted, his mind went blank. His most respected master is going to be gone forever.
"Ah, I will kill you all, Master, you cannot die!"
Ye Xiao Long, as if possessed, his eyes blood red, lunged at the men in black.
"Huh, there's another survivor from the Gui Yuan Sect here, kill him!"
Suddenly, numerous swords bathed in radiant light shot forth. Ye Xiao Long felt a chill spread across his body as he staggered and fell to the ground, with fresh blood flowing continuously. Struggling to get up, he felt himself slowly sink into utter darkness.
"Master~ Master!"
A red gemstone that was always hanging around his neck flashed a faint glow that was hard to detect.
"I~ "
...
Abruptly, Ye Xiao Long sprang his eyes wide open, letting out a heartrending, desperate cry, "Beautiful Master, I don't want you to die, I don't want you to!"
In the pitch-black night, a bright moon hung in the sky.
At the Ye Household, in a shabby courtyard on the outskirts, a young man about sixteen or seventeen years old rolled over from his wooden bed, his left hand reaching out, as if to grab something, and then weakly drooping down.
"Where exactly am I? Could this be the Underworld? Why is there a sense of familiarity? Right, where’s my Beautiful Master?"
Ye Xiao Long subconsciously surveyed his surroundings. As the word 'Martial' displayed on the opposite wall entered his sight, his pupils instinctively contracted as if they’d been struck by electricity. An old memory resurfaced in his mind - no one understood better than him the significance of the word 'Martial'.
It was a word that he had once etched with mixed feelings of sorrow and resentment, to self-motivate after being wounded in the combat arena.
I must become an outstanding martial artist in the future!
Wait a minute!
In the next second, Ye Xiao Long’s facial expression changed dramatically. Shaking his head, he said,
"No, no, this is not the Underworld, but the Ye household - it is the 'Martial' character that I etched when I was young."
Under intense excitement, Ye Xiaolong plummeted from the bed.
"Really, everything is real. This is clearly the Ye Residence, my youthful dwelling from the past. However, wasn't the Ye Residence destroyed by demons back then? Is what I see before me all illusion? No, this must be real!"
Ye Xiaolong sank down onto the frosty ground, slight chills crept up on him but he paid no heed, a singular thought repeating itself in his heart.
"I... I'm actually alive and back!"
Ye Xiaolong extended his hands. Maybe due to rigorous labour over time, they didn't resemble a young man's hands at all, his palms were full of thick calluses.
"I, Ye Xiaolong, am actually not dead, and have returned through time. Is heaven helping me?"
Roaring, Ye Xiaolong abruptly seemed to perceive something. He forced himself to suppress his emotions. His shoulders trembling slightly, he was weeping for joy.
Within his mind, scenes thought to have been forgotten for a lifetime flickered nonstop before Ye Xiaolong's eyes.
"My beautiful mentor, maybe it was your blessing that let me live yet again. This life, even if it's fraught with hardship and danger, I must protect you from harm!"
Ye Xiaolong didn't know how he had come back to life. The time he traversed through was exactly the same as his previous one.
"Where is my necklace?"
Automatically, he lowered his gaze towards the necklace on his neck. At this moment, his neck was bare - the bizarre stone he used to carry around had vanished.
"Could it be...!"
A ludicrous thought surfaced.
Back in the day, it was precisely due to this stone that Ye Xiaolong ended up in the celestial world, becoming the Ninth Young Master of the Ye Family. Now that the stone was missing, it felt as though something was lacking deep in his heart.
At this moment, his emotions became more complex.
Ye Xiaolong picked himself up, wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes, and his gaze became firm and persistent.
"I can possess this body again. Those things that once happened, I will never allow them to occur again."
Scenes of the past appeared in Ye Xiaolong's mind, incredibly distinct, and his face distorted with intensity.
Despite being the ninth in the Ye family, within this martial arts family, Ye Xiaolong was neglected due to his low status at birth, unable to enjoy any of the entitlements and benefits the Ye family should offer.
Because his mother was just a maidservant of the Ye family, who bore him during the master's drunken escapade.
Appearing to be a leap from a maid to the master's concubine, starting that night, the master forgot about this maid, who merely received a small courtyard and was totally forgotten. If not for the birth of a male child, the master wouldn't even know the existence of such a maidservant.
Since Ye Xiaolong's mother was a servant of the Ye family, despite inheriting the Ye family's bloodline, he was not well-received due to his mother's status.
In the Ye family, everyone politely referred to him as 'Ninth Young Master,' but when no one was around, constant ridicule ensued. His treatment was no different from a servant, with a nominal rank that made no real difference.
None of his siblings were willing to be friendly with him, wishing he, a low-born, would leave the Ye family, preferably dead, so as to not tarnish the noble bloodline of the Ye family.
In his previous life, Ye Xiaolong led a very miserable existence.
Not only did he face exclusion from his siblings, but he also feared schemes from the Ye family's Madame.
Fortunately, Ye Xiaolong was mentally resilient, because his identity was not originally Ye Xiaolong, but a third-rate university student from the 21st century, also named Ye Xiaolong.
That Ye Xiaolong had his soul shattered in a scheme, and his body was possessed by this Ye Xiaolong.
And this time is the second transmigration for Ye Xiaolong.
The same place, the same identity.
...
Again, Ye Xiaolong sat on the bed, deep in thought.
"Last time, I started as a merchant and gradually became a martial artist. With every step taken, difficulties and hardships ensued. I was fortunate enough to be taken in by a beautiful female master, but sadly, my physical constitution fell short when compared to others. One step slow, always a little behind, I landed myself in a huge disparity. If I continue the way it was in my previous life, my future would still be bleak. Forget about protecting my dazzling master, I might not even be able to protect my sister and mother!"
Ye Xiaolong remembered that not too long after, his sister would fall prey to some disaster during the Immortal Fate Convention, while he himself became bedridden for half a year due to assaults, thus entirely missing the Convention.
"If things go the usual route, my brothers would betray me by tomorrow. Even if I avoid them, they will find other ways."
Ye Xiaolong bit his lip hard, blood bleeding from the corners of his mouth.
This dilemma, like a giant mountain in his path, not one of the numerous solutions worked. Each of the secret techniques proved to be of no use.
For the first time, Ye Xiaolong sadly resigned, "Time is running out. If only I had a month, I might reverse the current situation!"
In this world of Tianxuan, becoming a warrior was a desired dream. The Immortal Fate Convention was one opportunity.
Ye Xiaolong desired not only to change his own fate but also wished to protect his sister, his mother, and his beautiful master.
"Heaven, since you let me rebirth once again, you should at least provide me with an unbeatable power! This is my second life, do you still want me to be obscure? If so, then I quit. You can play your games with someone else!"
Ye Xiaolong couldn't help but roar, his forehead veins popping, making him look terribly grim.
All the anger and discontentment from his previous life erupted within Ye Xiaolong at this very moment.
If Ye Xiaolong had been ignorant of his past life, it would have been better. However, he clearly knew the immortal chance that would arrive in two months would be a life-changing opportunity for both his sister and himself.
Ye Xiaolong really didn't wish to miss this chance, and the current trouble was something he must face - there's no escaping it, you can't avoid the 15th after escaping the 1st.
What should he do to get over this trouble?
...
"Ding, hearing the host's powerful will, the rebirth invincible system is binding!"
"Ding, system bound successfully!"
Suddenly, a cold mechanical voice echoed in Ye Xiaolong's mind, exceptionally clear.
But for Ye Xiaolong at this moment, this voice was particularly grating.
Ye Xiaolong stood there, dumb as a wooden chicken, the sudden voice lingering in his mind. "System, what the hell!"
"God, are you playing me? Why isn't this system bound to me? If I had this system back then, would those things still have happened? You damn God!"
Ye Xiaolong, his mind completely blank, slowly came back to reality, and started to curse in fury. The emotions from his past life had all erupted.
"Ding, host Ye Xiaolong has received an upgrade package!"
"Would you like to open it?"
"Would you like to open it?"
Ye Xiaolong hesitated for a moment. How the hell did this thing appear? With a rueful smile Ye Xiaolong nodded his head. "Open it!"
"In the future, the host doesn't need to shout and scream, just use consciousness to communicate in your mind!"
"Ding, host Ye Xiaolong receives one Marrow Cleaning Pill!"
"Ding, host Ye Xiaolong obtains the cultivation method 'Vajra Unbreakable Body'!"
