The Previous Life of Li Fan

"Li Fan! You little devil! What right do you have to sit at the same table as me!"

"Ugly freak! Pointy mouth and monkey cheeks! It's disgusting!"

"Kill this Thunder Monkeys!"

"You ungrateful idiot!"

The scene shifts from the cave to a Daoist academy. A group of young Daoist disciples from Emei are playing football.

Yes, 'Li Fan' is that 'ball'.

Sword Embryo and Kun floated in the air, watching the 'Li Fan' from his previous life being beaten, rolling around with his head in his hands, surrounded and beaten by a group of Foundation Establishment Perfection disciples. They beat him from the inner hall to the outside hall, and then kicked him from the study to the outside courtyard. They beat him for a full incense stick's time until he was unconscious and lay on the ground as if he were dead. Only then were they picked up by the collar and thrown into the peach grove outside the south courtyard.

Then came the sunrise and sunset. Peach blossoms covered the boy's swollen head, and 'Li Fan,' whose face had swollen from a monkey's to a gorilla's, finally awoke from his unconsciousness. He took a deep breath, groggily looked up at the sky, and remained dazed for a while. He suddenly got up and limped around in the peach grove for a long time before finally finding the gate to the south courtyard. But as soon as he went in, a gust of wind blew him over and tumbled him out.

"You unruly devil, neglecting your studies! You haven't been to class for three days! Emei cannot tolerate a disobedient disciple like you! If you have no interest in your studies, get off the mountain!"

"..."

So Kun and Li Fan looked at the dirty, Thunder Monkeys- like boy in silence for a while, wiped the snot and blood from his face, knelt down at the gate of the courtyard, and curled up into a small ball.

Kun, 'Poor Thunder Monkeys...'

Li Fan, "That's enough, sir!"

Kun used its fins to gently touch the sword-like embryo on its head in a gesture of comfort.

However, the fin struck the sword's edge and was cut...

Kun writhed in pain.

Li Fan, "... Don't ruin the mood, hey..."

The sun and moon flew by, and after kneeling for an unknown amount of time, Cangwu appeared before the boy.

"Alright, this won't happen again. Xuan Yunzi will let it go for the fact that you were absent for three days."

"... Master," 'Li Fan,' his face bruised and swollen, with dried blood smeared all over his face, looked up and asked, wide-eyed, "Did you fuck their mothers?"

"What nonsense!" Cangwu rolled his eyes. "And don't call me master anymore! Wait until you're at the Nascent Soul Stage!"

"They were so ruthless? If I weren't naturally thick-skinned, they would have beaten me to death! That old Xuan Yunzi still has the nerve to say he won't hold it against me? Fine, I'll hold it against you!!"

Li Fan abruptly pulled open his robe, revealing bruises and bloodstains on his body.

"Look at that! That kick to the chest was delivered with real force! It almost killed me! What happened to the first rule of Emei: no killing among fellow disciples! Don't tell me those old turtles were clueless! They were watching the whole thing!?"

Unless some demon or monster raped their mother and then sealed her inside me, Master, causing them to be reminded of their mother's death whenever they see me, I absolutely cannot accept this kind of treatment, damn it!

Cangwu snorted coldly.

"If you insist on asking why, those children are not only all from prestigious families, but also from clans with generations of cultivation. Each one was carefully selected and admitted through examinations. They're probably jealous of you, a lowly Luo Sect demon child, having the opportunity to cultivate by my side. If you truly achieve the Nascent Soul Stage and enter my Xuanmen sect, obtaining the title 'Heaven,' you'll truly ascend to heaven in one step and become their grandmaster-grandfather."

As for the other deans and instructors, perhaps it's because many members of the sect died at the Luo Sect's hands in previous years, including some of their close teachers and senior brothers, that they dislike you so much. They probably hate you just thinking about it, right?

But if you ask me, it doesn't really have much to do with you. That's just how the world is. Might makes right, so they'll bully you because it makes them happy. There's no real cause and effect involved!

But as soon as you can't help yourself and fight back, even if you hurt a hair on their head or draw blood, a group of people will jump out and clamor that their demonic nature is hard to change, that they've raised a tiger to cause trouble, and that they must be eliminated as soon as possible.

There's no reason why; it's simply because they're stronger than you, they don't like you, and they feel free to bully you.

That's how the world is. Even breathing is wrong if you want to cause trouble for someone. Even if I were to intervene, I could only protect you for a time, not forever. If you want to stay in Emei, you'll have to weather this storm yourself. Do you understand?

Li Fan rolled his eyes.

"Holy crap, Master, no way? You're telling me to just put up with this? What happened to the Three Elders and Four Ancestors? What happened to the righteous partners?! You're not even doing anything about this blatant bullying? If this continues, what future does Emei have?! They're not just hitting my butt! They're hitting your face, Master!"

Cangwu also said angrily,

"What utter nonsense! What rubbish are you spouting! True gold is forged through countless trials, and breaking through tribulations is the only true path, don't you understand!"

Our Emei sect forbids disciples from fighting with swords. Your disciple's aptitude is already far inferior to that of other disciples. Now that they are fighting you, they are willingly becoming tribulations on your path of cultivation. Do you understand?

You always ask me to stand up for you over the smallest things. What will you do when I'm not around? Would someone who really wants to kill you choose to do it when I'm around?

A grown man shouldn't whine like a woman! When I was just starting out in cultivation, my senior brothers would hang me up and whip me for four hours every day! You're nothing compared to this! If you want to learn how to fight, you have to get beaten first, understand?

"You couldn't even withstand a few punches and kicks from a few Foundation Establishment cultivators! If you can't even endure this little bit of hardship, what will you do when you encounter even more ruthless and unreasonable opponents? They might just cut you down with a single sword strike, causing your soul to be scattered! What's the point of learning the Dao then! What's the point of exorcising demons! What's the point of taking revenge?!"

Li Fan was about to faint.

"What kind of twisted logic is this?! Master, at least give me some secret manuals or divine skills to protect myself! They're camping out in the woods every day, beating me half to death. I can't even get into school, and I don't know a single word. When will I ever break through to the Nascent Soul Stage?! Master! If you're going to discipline me, at least give me some extra help, some special training!"

"So what if I can't get into the school! There are books everywhere on the Golden Summit. I can learn to read and write by accumulating knowledge day by day and figuring it out slowly. Why do I need someone to teach me step by step? Besides, the times have changed so much that the ways of the ancients have no future. There's nothing worth learning..."

Cangwu huffed and puffed, then thought for a moment, grabbed Li Fan, pulled him up, and shoved a notebook and a peach into Li Fan's arms.

"You want the secret manual, right? Here, take this notebook. If you get any questions wrong or mispronounce any spells, write them down in this notebook. Review it three times a day, and you'll learn something new by reviewing what you've learned before. This is the highest and most correct path of cultivation!"

"Holy crap! Everyone else gets cheat codes and Divine Beast beasts at the start, throwing around amazing skills! And you just give me a notebook of wrong answers? Is this how you teach a student...?"

"Hmph! You haven't met anyone who can't teach a disciple yet, have you? I'm leaving! Remember to come to morning class tomorrow!"

Li Fan grumbled and mumbled, stuffed his textbook into his chest, munched on a peach, and followed Cangwu into the woods.

Then time passed, the seasons changed, and the scene shifted again.

It's still that peach grove.

Two Emei disciples are cultivating.

Of course it's not dual cultivation. Two Foundation Establishment Perfection cultivators, what kind of dual cultivation is that?

It's a martial arts competition.

Or rather, it wasn't a contest, but a one-sided beating.

Li Fan was bombarded by the palm strikes, flying back and forth, but he was indeed tough and thick-skinned. He crashed into the trees, causing peaches to fall to the ground, but he was completely unharmed. He dusted himself off, got up, and charged back up to fight again.

Unfortunately, this 'Li Fan' was really weak, both weak and weak. Even the most basic Pifeng Biyue Palm was used by him in a chaotic manner, with his palm force fluctuating and his Dao Breath leaking out. Sometimes he was powerful, and sometimes he was out of breath. So, without any suspense, he was beaten dizzy by the Daoist boy he was sparring with. He also took a big hit and slammed into a tree trunk with a thud, unable to get up for a long time.

"Senior, I need to go back to my lessons. That's all for today."

The young Daoist priest looked at him with disdain, threw three copper coins out of his pocket, and left in a huff.

Li Fan coughed, spitting out teeth mixed with blood, and rubbed his nose as he picked up the copper coins from the ground.

Then a young Daoist nun floated in, stepping on peach leaves, and coldly looked at the young Daoist boy under the tree.

"I heard there's a demon in the South Courtyard, tough and resilient, who volunteers to spar with people for just three coins a beating. Is that you?"

"... My Li Fan, and I am Outer Sect Disciple the Emei Sect," 'Li Fan' squinted, looking up at the young Daoist nun on the peach branch, whose colors were vibrant but whose features were rather cold. "This nun, I don't accept business from Golden Core level cultivators."

"Don't worry, I won't kill you. I'm just practicing and venting my anger."

The Daoist nun chuckled coldly, pulled a handful of Divine Astral Coin from her sleeve, and scattered them down with a clatter.

Li Fan looked at the money rain falling in front of him, took a deep breath, and held up his index finger, "Don't hit my face."

Then he was punched right in the face and sent flying. He could barely touch the ground as the Daoist nun unleashed a barrage of Ora Ora Ora, leaving him suspended in mid-air for three seconds.

"You slut, you slut, you slut!!! Ahhhhh!!! You slut, ahhhhhh--!!!"

Even the Kun, with its fins in its mouth, was too painful to look at.

Li Fan was speechless. Of course he remembered who this Daoist nun was. Seriously... how could she have such a grudge against Yang Ying...?

After unleashing a barrage of attacks on the human punching bag for quite some time, Yang Ying took a deep breath, composed herself, straightened her clothes, and gracefully departed.

Li Fan was beaten so badly that he swelled up like Thunder Monkeys and collapsed on the ground, unable to move, and almost went into shock.

He didn't know how long he had slept, but 'Li Fan' remembered the Emei Daoist breathing technique. The breath of heaven and earth was inhaled and exhaled through his nostrils, forming a cycle that helped the demon's body gradually recover, dispelling the bruises and swelling all over his body. Then he blinked, shakily got up, burped, and burped out a Golden Core!

"Holy crap... He actually passed the tribulation and formed his core so quickly?!... Who the hell was that gossipy old woman just now?! Did she pay too little?! I swear I won't rest until I get my revenge!!"

Li Fan and Kun, '...'

"Sigh, why are you still dwelling on these trivial matters? Let me help you speed things up."

The sudden sound startled the Kun, making it about to leap away.

But a bloody hand tore through the void, grabbed the Kun's tail, and dragged it into the void.

Countless fragments of light and shadow and memories flash by, the world changes, time flies, and years pass by.

Li Fan's primordial spirit, riding the Tai Sha Sword Embryo, leaped from Kun's forehead, and with a reverse twist of the sword, directly attacked the Blood Hand Meridian.

Bloodhand clearly knew the power of the Sword Embryo, and with a sinister laugh, he released his grip and vanished into the void.

The scene also changed, transforming the Yuan Shen Illusion from the Golden Summit of Mount Emei into the Abyss Demon Devil Domain.

The Moon in the sky was as large as a cartwheel, gleaming with dazzling purple light.

Clearly, this is no longer the world of Tai Chi.

Li Fan lay on the ground, head and body separated, his dilated pupils reflecting the purple moonlight—he was dead.

Hey, you're speeding up way too much!!!

But that smooth wound on the neck... it's from a flying sword...

Then a golden light descended from the void, and the man who emerged from the Sword Light was a tough guy with a resolute aura, sharp features, and a murderous intent. Li Fan had naturally seen this person before.

The seventeenth generation patriarch of the Beichen Sword Ancestor, the Supreme Limitless, the Sword Ancestor Xuantian.

Of course, it's definitely not him.

The timing doesn't match up, and this person is only at the Transformation Stage; that face was clearly sculpted using the transformation techniques of the Tai Su Dao.

But that incredibly powerful Sun Sword Force was genuinely forged from the Sun Sword Scripture, leaving Li Fan momentarily confused.

Could this person... really be one of the direct disciples of the Beichen Sword Sect, the founder of the Beichen Sword Sect?

Who was this god who killed his past life? Was he the same person who killed his clone, the one outside who was enlightened?

Could it be that Brother Yan is really not dead?

In his confusion, the 'Xuantian' deity took out a talisman from his sleeve, casually waved it, and the talisman ignited, revealing 'Li Fan's' soul in the wisps of smoke.

Xuan Tian asked, "Cang Wu's disciple?"

Li Fan gave the middle finger and mouthed "beep beep beep beep".

Xuan Tian didn't mind, and simply nodded, "I am the Sword Ancestor Xuantian. If there is an afterlife, seek revenge against me."

Then he took out a porcelain bottle sealed with cloud-shaped seal script, blew on the Deng Hua Sword, cut off the seal and the bottle mouth, revealing the deep red blood jade of amber silk inside the bottle, stuffed the burning talisman into the bottle mouth, shook it roughly like mixing a cocktail, and poured the mixed liquid in the bottle into the pool of 'Li Fan's' blood on the ground.

Then, 'Xuan Tian' stood with his hands behind his back, staring at the corpse in the moonlight for a while, and said, "Stop playing dead, get up."

Then the pool of blood came to life, transforming into withered, bloody hands that crawled into 'Li Fan's' neck, pulling his head over as well and sticking it to his neck, leaving only a faint red line around the laryngoscope.

Li Fan rolled his eyes, the whites of his eyes and pupils turning bloodshot, as if a layer of red paint had been applied to his retina. Then he rolled over and got up, opening his mouth wide and smiling at Xuan Tian.

'Xuan Tian', however, did not give him a friendly look.

"Lu Ya, you've won. Now let's end this chaotic world."

Then it was as if someone had pressed the pause button. The golden sword energy around 'Xuantian', which was like a stream of fire, stopped flowing for a moment, as if his whole body was being burned in flames.

Li Fan, or rather, the Wisdom Dharma King Lu Ya, cleared his throat with a few "ee-yah-yah" sounds, turned his head, and smiled at Li Fan and Kun, who were watching the show from the side.

"Alright, no need to look anymore. From that moment on, he never uttered a single word of truth."

Li Fan: 'This person is Nangong Seventh Friend? Who exactly is he?'

Lu Ya laughed, "Isn't it obvious? It's the Sword Ancestor Xuantian."

Li Fan, "... What do you mean by showing me all this? Is it because Xuan Tian killed me in my past life that you want to crush my Dao heart? Or are you begging me to spare your life, you bastard?"

Lu Ya was still laughing. "Li Fan, although your mouth is too dirty and disgusting, you have cultivated for two lifetimes and have learned some skills. You are no longer the useless trash that Thunder Monkeys was back then."

So let's join forces, just like before. Haven't we been working together quite well?

Li Fan understood, '... Oh, you not only want to take over and seize my Dao body, but you also want me to willingly merge with you in my Blood Demon Great Path Body, becoming your Blood Demon clone, and giving you all my insights, inheritances, luck, and system cheats? Are you out of your mind??'

Lu Ya with his hands behind his back, circling around the Kun.

"After merging, we'll be one person. What's the difference? It's better than us fighting to the death, our souls scattered, isn't it? Besides, there are many Dao Lords and Demon Princes eyeing us covetously outside. If we join forces, we might not be without a chance of victory!"

Li Fan almost rolled his eyes. 'Victory odds... Lu Zhihui, you've got no way out and you're still pretending to be something you're not!'

Do you think the demons from Hengshan and Nangong have come to your aid? For them, the best outcome would be for Qingyue to be severely injured, or even die in this calamity!

You think you can merge with me, continue pretending to be 'Qingyue,' and fool Cangwu and the Abbot to escape from the grasp of four Dao Lords? Is this the kind of winning strategy your idiotic brain can come up with?? Kun, roll your eyes for me!

Kun rolled its eyes.

Lu Ya nodded repeatedly, then grinned.

"Exactly, the Blood Demon Great Path Body's tribulation caused too much commotion, making it unavoidable. It attracted four Dao Lords to lie in wait for me, which is actually quite a small number!"

If you refuse to cooperate with me, even if I destroy you, you're only at the Transformation Stage. With the abilities of a mere Divine Lord, there's no way you can escape this predicament. Therefore...

"I've already reached the Divine Transformation stage, and I'm just waiting for you to lend me a hand so I can overcome this tribulation, gain some enlightenment, and find a glimmer of hope for survival."

'Are you out of your mind? Damn it! You! You're thinking...'

Li Fan understood the other party's plan.

The other party nodded, and in an instant, 'Li Fan's' face turned into a bloody mess. Then, his heart and lungs were cut open, his true yang heart was dug out, and he held it in his hand and crushed it!

"I'm not human anymore."