He restarted one lifetime.
The young man was filled with anticipation, hoping he could walk an entirely different path.
But hunger, illness, and the pain of parting through life and death swiftly tore apart the young man's ambition, forcing him to see reality clearly.
The happiness he had never realized in an era of peace was completely stripped away in this lifetime. He exhausted himself just to stay alive, and only then did he understand just how blissful his first life had truly been.
Unlike the children of his generation struggling in the countryside, he had an exceptionally capable family that took him away from the village, gave him a good education, and granted him knowledge and experience that seemed ordinary but were, in truth, things countless people could never hope to obtain.
The experiences of his second life had told Yun Ye profoundly that behind every matter, there was inevitably a deeper reason.
And... people's joys and sorrows were never shared.
In the modern era, who knew how many people had been cast into the dust of the times? They knew nothing and had no skills. After only a few years of schooling, they had no choice but to leave and work to support their families, and more often than not, they had only one destination: sweatshops.
The environment shaped one's character. It was impossible not to smoke, drink, or dye one's hair, so whenever such people appeared online, they were inevitably branded vulgar and inferior.
People's joys and sorrows were never shared.
In his previous life, Yun Ye would never have noticed a group of online lower-class people. Much less would he have tried to understand why such a group had appeared. He would simply have assumed that they were a bunch of social parasites with nothing better to do after stuffing themselves full.
Only after Yun Ye himself became one of the lower class and lived such a life did the world lift a layer of gauze before his eyes.
Though thin, it was a veil he had never once tried to lift...
"Brother, I'm no good at dealing with people. Help me, please. We can make a lot of money. I'll give you half when the time comes."
The youth said this to the honest, down-to-earth man.
The man scratched his head. "All right, but I don't want the money. Take it and take good care of Cui Lian."
Then.
The youth saw only the man's corpse.
He had been beaten to death with clubs. Every bone in his body had been smashed, and he had died horribly. The things he had been taking to sell were gone as well.
Yet afterward, the youth encountered no trouble... Perhaps the man had not said anything before he died.
The youth stood there for a very, very long time. Blood had filled his hands. He spread them open and stared blankly at the wounds where his fingernails had pierced his palms.
He had never been so furious. The urge to grab a cleaver and hack someone to death refused to fade for a long time.
But in the end, he still did nothing.
What would revenge change?
He would merely be beaten to death with clubs.
Cui Lian would not have a good ending either.
He had promised to treat the man's younger sister well.
And as an ordinary mortal, he could choose only one of two things: revenge or supporting the family.
Scene after scene flashed past.
Yun Ye quietly watched the story unfold.
After struggling to survive for several years, Xiao Ye Village was reduced to ashes beneath the flames.
The farmer, now a young man, also died while clutching his child, having accomplished nothing.
Revenge, or supporting the family?
Choose one?
No. That was a choice available only in the peaceful modern era.
In this world, neither was permitted.
"..."
Yun Ye watched as the scene entered the third lifetime.
In this lifetime, he understood the rules. He was cautious and careful, never taking risks, and gradually grew stronger as time passed.
Until he entered an isolated secret realm. Only then did his fangs emerge, and he transformed into a hunter, repaying the gift the Aristocratic Clan had given him in the previous life.
Yun Ye closed his eyes as countless emotions surged within him.
Killing Tong Yuan and dealing with Shi Baiyan.
Would revenge end there?
No.
As long as this environment existed for even one more day, his fury could never cease!
"My path?"
"Does that even need to be asked?"
"I am Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is me!"
La la la la!
It was as though countless holy voices were singing!
Boundless light pierced through this mindscape. Yun Ye opened his eyes and found himself once again at the center of the Gold and Silver Array.
The only difference was that a radiant sword was slowly emerging from his chest.
A holy anthem that washed the soul resounded throughout the world.
This was a song only Dao Artifact Wielders could hear. The world was celebrating the birth of a new greatness.
As an artifact that established rules, only a path utterly different from those of the past was worthy of being proclaimed to the world.
In other words, from the past until now, no Dao Artifact had ever upheld an ideal like his.
"Of course, it's also possible they were destroyed."
Yun Ye abruptly grasped the Dao sword. Several pieces of information flooded into his mind, and the radiance scattered, revealing the Dao Artifact's true form.
It was a strange sword that reflected the sky above and illuminated the earth below. Its hilt was formless, made of flowing water and flame. Two ribbons of water and fire fluttered about, exceedingly mystical, as if they were no ordinary water and fire.
"Tomorrow and Tomorrow Authority Dao Sword!"
The information that appeared from nowhere let Yun Ye know the Dao Artifact's true name.
Because of this, he also understood the sword's authority.
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh."
The Book of Reincarnation appeared and turned to its newest page. The Dao Artifact's image was reflected upon it.
Lines of text and an introduction appeared.
'Dao Artifact: Tomorrow and Tomorrow Authority Dao Sword.' 'Range: White Stone Town.' 'Rating: Rank E.' 'Resonance: 0.' 'Rules: Not set.' 'True Name and Tomorrow: The team you lead will continuously increase in courage and conviction through practice. The effect depends on the completeness of your ideals.' 'True Name Authority: Can cleave apart all authorities and concepts. The specific effect is determined by the proportion occupied by the group you represent. The fire ribbon is for enemies, and the water ribbon is for allies.' 'Introduction: The weak question the world, gathering the strength of the weak into one body and lighting the sparks that ought to shine. You do not betray the common people, and neither do the common people betray you.'
A Dao Artifact was the extension and codification of a path.
Yun Ye's Dao Artifact had basically two abilities.
These were the true-name abilities of the Dao Artifact. Every Dao Artifact possessed several abilities derived from its true name.
But the true strength of a Dao Artifact always lay in its ability to establish rules.
That was the essence of a Dao Artifact.
Yun Ye closed the Book of Reincarnation. He did not establish rules immediately, because he did not know what rules the Tomorrow Dao Artifact could establish. If he set the wrong one, the consequences would be catastrophic.
"So-called Dao Artifacts are born from the heart and resonate through the heart. The stronger the resonance, the mightier the Dao Artifact."
"The radiance of your path shines upon the world. Your sincerity is plain to see!"
"Second Trial cleared!"
"Third Trial, Retreading Ten Tribulations, beginning..."
While Yun Ye was still thinking, the white mist around him did not stop. It carried him toward a new trial ground.
Thus, Yun Ye arrived beneath a sky flying blood red. Battle flags fluttered from the earth, countless soldiers lay dead, and shattered armor and weapons could be seen everywhere.
The scenery here was bleak indeed. A ferocious war had taken place.
"Is this the ancient battlefield from the First Trial?!"
Yun Ye was astonished. He could make out some clues. Although there were many differences, the atmosphere was far too similar.
The setting of the First Trial was probably the result of this place, countless years later, after most of its traces had been worn away.
Yun Ye did not know what he was supposed to do, so he prepared to walk around first.
But the result was strange.
He wanted to move, yet everything felt extremely heavy. He had a strange sense of being separated from this world.
The feeling of not fitting in made him feel that something was wrong.
In the distance, seven people were sweeping through the battlefield, delivering finishing blows to soldiers who had not yet died. Among them, a youth in a silver cloak and armor spotted Yun Ye and frowned. "After the Grand Sacrifice, there's actually still a cultivator here?"
He waved his hand.
Two ancient cultivators nearby attacked. Sword light flashed, and two flying swords tore through the sky, drawing deadly white streaks.
"So this is the Ten Tribulations trial? Another battle?"
Yun Ye glanced at the Divide Authority Dao Sword in his hand. He immediately gripped it and easily knocked the sword light away.
The flying swords struck by the Dao sword rapidly lost their spirituality, leaving both ancient cultivators astonished by the abnormality.
"Dao Artifact!"
The Silver Armor Youth had only just spoken the words when white light suddenly pierced through the space, and countless cracks spread outward.
"What in the world is going on?"
Yun Ye was startled to discover that he was at the center of the anomaly—or more precisely, the Dao Artifact in his hand was.
Whoosh, whoosh.
In the end, space collapsed.
"Third Trial, failed..."
Words appeared in the air, but they too were incomplete and extremely unstable.
The white mist exploded.
Yun Ye briefly lost his footing. He instinctively wanted to enter Netherworld Hell and use the weightless environment to escape, but then realized he was not high in the air and gave up.
He landed steadily.
Yun Ye discovered that he had arrived in a great hall. It was extremely dilapidated, with dust everywhere.
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