Rebirth

The Sacred Ancestor Mountain Range stretched on without end. Sunlight slipped through the gaps between the peaks and shone into a deep canyon. A little snow still clung to the mountainside beside it.

It was already early summer, yet the snow and ice had not melted. The cold here lingered far longer than elsewhere. Now and then, the roars of demonic beasts echoed among the mountains.

A magnificent city stood on the plain inside the canyon.

The world beyond the Sacred Ancestor Mountain Range had already been overrun by demonic beasts. The people here had been cut off from the outside world for hundreds of years.

No one in the city knew what the outside world was like. Legend had it that at the height of humanity's glory, there had been thousands of Legendary Demon Spirit Masters and Legendary Fighters, and a vast empire had been established across the continent. But those once-mighty empires had all crumbled to dust, never to rise again.

Thanks to its secluded location, this city had survived the Dark Era better than any other. It still suffered occasional attacks from the powerful Blizzard Demonic Beasts of the Sacred Ancestor Mountain Range, and though it had endured several near-annihilating wars, the city had been rebuilt time and again.

Those mottled city walls were an everlasting monument!

The city was called the City of Brilliance, a name that embodied humanity's hope.

Sacred Lan Academy, Junior Fighter Class.

More than thirty students sat upright, listening to a female instructor teach them about demon spirits. They were all apprentice fighters, students at Sacred Lan Academy in the City of Brilliance.

"I heard the new teacher, Shen, is from the Sacred Family and is a Silver Three-Star Demon Spirit Master!" a few students whispered among themselves.

The students' gazes focused on Teacher Shen. She was tall, and her short, pale-purple dress clung tightly to her curvaceous figure. Her full breasts rose high, and her long legs were fair and shapely. Her makeup was exquisite, making her look beautiful and noble. But her phoenix eyes slanted slightly, and every gesture carried a cold aloofness that kept others at arm's length. A seductive arrogance colored the corners of her eyes and the arch of her brows. The Sacred Family was one of the City of Brilliance's three Peak Families. Shen Xiu was born into nobility and was a Silver Three-Star Demon Spirit Master, so she naturally had every reason to be proud.

As a Silver Three-Star Demon Spirit Master, she would never have come to teach here if her nephew, Shen Yue, were not in this class.

"Demon Spirit Masters and fighters each have five ranks: Bronze, Silver, Gold, Black Gold, and Legend. Each rank is further divided into five star levels."

"Demon Spirit Masters stand above fighters. They are truly noble beings. A Demon Spirit Master can form a Soul Sea in their dantian and incorporate captured demon spirits into it. In battle, they can summon a demon spirit to possess them, granting them immense power. Fighters of the same rank are no match for that power." Shen Xiu lifted her chin slightly, speaking with pride. "Take me, for example. My demon spirit is a Blazing Fox!"

Shen Xiu's face and hands suddenly underwent a drastic transformation. Her eyebrows grew longer and thinner, her face became more pointed, her teeth sharpened, and her nails grew razor-sharp. A red tail sprouted behind her.

"After being possessed by my demon spirit, I can gain the Blazing Fox's strength, agility, and ability to wield fire. Among all demon spirits, the Blazing Fox is a Gold Rank demonic beast, which means I can cultivate to the rank of Gold Demon Spirit Master at most! Of course, once I reach that rank, I can also replace it with a stronger demon spirit." As she spoke of her cultivation, Shen Xiu looked even more pleased with herself.

Shen Xiu's words drew wave after wave of gasps from the students. A Gold Demon Spirit Master was beyond the reach of many of them, even if they spent their entire lives trying.

While Shen Xiu lectured at the front of the class, Nie Li sat in the back, dazed. His soul drifted through the void, with nowhere to settle.

A ray of dazzling sunlight made Nie Li slowly open his eyes. Everything before him left him bewildered and confused.

"Where am I?" Nie Li cried in shock. To his astonishment, his hands had grown smaller, and his skin had become soft and delicate.

Shen Xiu was still droning on at the front of the classroom. Nie Li remembered clearly: this was the year he had first enrolled at Sacred Lan Academy. The female instructor teaching the class was a Silver Demon Spirit Master, arrogant and rude. Because of Shen Xiu, Nie Li had refused to study properly for a long time afterward.

"Have I actually been reborn?" Nie Li was utterly stunned. He had fought to the death against the Sacred Emperor and six Deific demonic beasts, and yet he had never imagined his soul would be reborn, sent back to when he was thirteen!

Nie Li looked to the side. Familiar faces came into view, one after another: Lu Piao, Du Ze—brothers who had shared life and death with him. They were all still alive, though their faces were still so young.

And her... Nie Li looked to his left. Just a few meters away, a flawless, beautiful face appeared in his sight. Her name was Ye Ziyun. Though she looked only thirteen or fourteen, she had already blossomed into a graceful young woman. Her purple hair cascaded like a waterfall to her waist. Her curved brows and limpid eyes shone with intelligence, and when she smiled, a pair of deep dimples appeared at the corners of her mouth.

Though her face still held a touch of childishness, Nie Li knew how captivating she would become when she grew older.

She wore a white silk dress, giving her an indescribably serene and elegant air. Since they were both teenagers in his previous life, Nie Li had been deeply in love with her.

She hadn't died either!

Nie Li was so overcome with emotion that he nearly choked up.

"I've actually returned to the past. Is this real? Am I dreaming?" Nie Li pinched himself hard. The sharp pain told him this wasn't a dream. Then he suddenly remembered something. "That's right, the Book of the Temporal Demonic Spirit! It has to be the Book of the Temporal Demonic Spirit!" He immediately lowered his head to look for it, but the Book of the Temporal Demonic Spirit was nowhere to be found.

Nie Li couldn't believe such an incredible thing as reincarnation could happen to him. It had to be connected to that mysterious Book of the Temporal Demonic Spirit!

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No one knew who had created the Book of the Temporal Demonic Spirit. It was an incredibly mysterious object, and Nie Li had always kept it close. He clearly remembered that when he fought the Sacred Emperor and the six Deific demonic beasts, his blood had soaked into the book.

It must have been the Book of the Temporal Demonic Spirit that brought him back to when he was thirteen.

Seeing all these familiar people, Nie Li sank into distant memories.

He still remembered how, in his previous life, the City of Brilliance had been savagely attacked by the Blizzard Demonic Beasts. Ye Mo, the Legendary Demon Spirit Master who protected the city, had died in battle. Of the hundreds of thousands of people there, only a few thousand had survived. Together, they fled toward the vast desert east of the Sacred Ancestor Mountain Range and began their desperate journey. One person after another died in the desert. He still remembered the day the survivors were surrounded by demonic beasts in the sands. That night, he and Ye Ziyun had sought comfort and support in each other's souls inside their tent.

That night, Nie Li finally held the goddess of his heart in his arms.

That night, silver moonlight draped over them like a gauzy veil. Ye Ziyun's curvaceous body and crystalline skin were like a flawless white jade sculpture. They gave themselves to each other with abandon.

If the City of Brilliance had not fallen, if they had not made that desperate escape, then with Nie Li's absurdly poor talent and fallen family, there was no way Ye Ziyun would have favored him.

But afterward, they were attacked by demonic beasts again. Ye Ziyun died at their hands protecting him. Nie Li could never forget that scene. After surviving countless brushes with death, he made it through the Endless Desert. Though his talent was poor, Nie Li relied on his sharp survival instincts to travel across the Sacred Spirit Continent. He met many people fighting against demonic beasts, encountered countless mysteries, and, of course, found the extraordinary Book of the Temporal Demonic Spirit. Without it, he would never have been able to return.

The mysterious Book of the Temporal Demonic Spirit had actually brought me back to the past!

The City of Brilliance had fallen. His parents, his clansmen, and his brothers had died one by one. Ye Ziyun had also died on the road to escape.

"Now that I'm back, and Heaven has given me another chance, I will never let the City of Brilliance fall again!" Nie Li gritted his teeth, his resolve unshakable. He vaguely remembered that he had just enrolled that year and should be thirteen. Nie Li suddenly wanted to laugh out loud. He was back. It felt so good!

Sacred Emperor, the next time we meet, I'll cut you down and avenge my past!

If the City of Brilliance had not fallen in his previous life, he and Ye Ziyun would have belonged to two different worlds. They could never have ended up together. Their deep feelings for each other had grown while they were fleeing together. Otherwise, with Ye Ziyun's status as the City Lord's daughter, she could never have been with someone like him, a powerless son of a declining family.

And Ye Ziyun's grandfather was none other than the Legendary Demon Spirit Master, Lord Ye Mo!

Nie Li had only learned this later. When Ye Ziyun enrolled, no one else in the class knew who she was.

The City of Brilliance had three great families: the Sacred Nether Family, the Sacred Family, and the Wind Snow Family. They represented the city's highest authority and belonged to the Peak Families. The City Lord was generally chosen from among them. Beneath these three Peak Families were the seven Magnate Families, followed by twenty Noble Families.

Nie Li's Sky Scar Family was among the lowest of the Noble Families. Though it had some standing, it was still far beneath the three Peak Families and the seven Magnate Families.

With Nie Li's status, he was reaching far above his station by wanting to be with Ye Ziyun.

But a determined light flashed in Nie Li's eyes. Now that he had been reborn, was any of this still a problem? His foundation was poor, but with the knowledge from his previous life, improving his talent was entirely possible!

"Nie Li, what are you smiling about?" Lu Piao asked, puzzled. He wondered if Nie Li had gone crazy. He had been grinning foolishly ever since a moment ago, and kept sneaking lecherous glances at Ye Ziyun.

"I'm just happy! Brother, it's so good to see you!" Nie Li excitedly hooked an arm around Lu Piao's neck. It was something they had always done in their previous life.

Caught off guard by Nie Li's arm around his neck, Lu Piao grumbled unhappily, "Hey, Nie Li, who's your brother? You pervert, let go!" Lu Piao struggled in dismay. They had only just enrolled and had known each other for a few days. They weren't close enough for this kind of intimacy!

Nie Li still didn't let go. He grinned and said earnestly, "No matter what you think, in my heart, you're my brother!" Of course, Nie Li couldn't tell Lu Piao that they had shared life and death in his previous life.

At the sincerity in Nie Li's eyes, Lu Piao was taken aback. Nie Li didn't seem to be joking. "You're a weirdo," he said. Still, Nie Li's words had touched him a little.

Lu Piao glanced at Nie Li and lowered his voice. "I know you're probably from one of the City of Brilliance's families, too, but I'm warning you: don't set your sights on that girl. Her background is very noble and mysterious. I heard that when she enrolled, the dean personally arranged her dormitory."

Nie Li smiled faintly. Lu Piao still didn't know Ye Ziyun's identity, but Nie Li already did.

"She's my woman!" Nie Li looked at the beautiful long-haired girl in the distance, his heart utterly resolute. Remembering the passion of that night, a heat rose within him.

But suddenly, Nie Li remembered that he and Ye Ziyun were only thirteen!

When will little Ziyun grow into that mesmerizing, beautiful woman? I'll protect you as you grow up, one step at a time!

Ye Ziyun seemed to sense something from afar. She turned to look toward Nie Li and frowned slightly, a flicker of impatience in her bright eyes. In her view, Nie Li was surely some spoiled young master from a prominent family. He had been staring at her without restraint ever since a moment ago. If he dared bother her, she would make him regret it!

Ye Ziyun didn't want to reveal her identity. She wanted to make friends with her classmates, but that didn't mean she would quietly endure being bullied!