Died of Anger, Reborn

"Uncle Xiao Zhan, I came here today specifically to dissolve my engagement to your son."

Her cool voice drifted through the hall, like a razor-sharp blade stabbing straight into Xiao Zhan's heart. He sat in the seat of honor, both hands gripping the armrests like iron pincers, his knuckles white with the effort, as though he meant to crush them. The Misty Cloud Sect's favored daughter, Nalan Yanran, looked down at him from on high, her beautiful eyes full of undisguised contempt, as if Xiao Zhan were no more than an ant in her eyes.

"Th-this really is Old Master Nalan's wish?" Xiao Zhan's voice trembled, edged with barely suppressed alarm. It felt as though a thousand-jin boulder had been dropped on his chest, leaving him unable to breathe.

"No. This is my own decision." Nalan Yanran raised her chin slightly, her expression arrogant. "Xiao Yan is a cripple now. He isn't worthy of me, Nalan Yanran. As a prestigious sect, the Misty Cloud Sect would never accept a useless man as its future sect master's husband."

Xiao Zhan felt a surge of hot blood rush straight to his head like a raging tide. His vision went black, and for a moment he seemed to be plunged into endless darkness. He had devoted years to managing the Xiao Family, building it into a thriving clan, yet now he couldn't even protect his son's marriage. To suffer this public humiliation on top of it—how could he bear it?

"You... you people..." Xiao Zhan sprang to his feet, ready to rebuke them, but a sudden, stabbing pain seized his chest, as though a blade were twisting in his heart. He clutched at his chest, his face turning paper-white as his body swayed out of control.

"Father!" Xiao Yan, standing nearby, was horrified. He lunged forward and caught Xiao Zhan just as he was about to fall, his eyes filled with worry and panic.

Xiao Zhan's lips trembled. He had a thousand things he wanted to say, but all that emerged was a pained groan. His pupils suddenly dilated, his eyes filled with fury and unwillingness. His body gradually stiffened, then crashed heavily to the floor, sending dust flying.

"Father!" Xiao Yan's anguished cry echoed through the hall, filled with such grief and despair that it seemed capable of shattering the entire room.

Xiao Zhan felt his consciousness fading like water flowing away. His son's heart-rending cries came from somewhere far beyond the horizon; before his eyes was Nalan Yanran's cold, merciless face, devoid of pity. His heart brimmed with fury and resentment. He hated that he was powerless to protect his son; he hated how unfair fate was. Yet he could do nothing to change this cruel reality...

"Beep—beep beep—"

A shrill honk cracked like thunder, jolting Xiao Batian out of his stupor. He snapped his eyes open to find himself driving a car, with a huge truck barreling straight toward him like a furious beast!

"Bang!"

A deafening crash exploded. Xiao Batian's world spun, as if the entire world had flipped upside down. The tremendous impact engulfed him like a raging tide. Then endless darkness closed around him like thick ink, and his consciousness sank into chaos...

"Am I... dead?"

After sinking into darkness for who knew how long, Xiao Batian felt his consciousness slowly return, like dawn breaking. He tried to open his eyes. A hall of antique elegance gradually came into view, with carved beams and painted rafters, its ancient charm as though it had crossed over from the river of history. He was lying on a simple wooden bed, surrounded by people whose faces showed a mixture of concern, curiosity, and every emotion in between.

"The clan head is awake!" someone in the crowd cried out in delight. The words were like a pebble dropped into a still lake, sending ripples through the hall.

Xiao Batian looked around in bewilderment. Everywhere he looked, he saw unfamiliar faces. Suddenly, a vast and complicated flood of memories surged into his mind: he was Xiao Zhan, clan head of the Xiao Family in Wutan City, a Da Dou Shi with three sons. His youngest, Xiao Yan, had once been the clan's dazzling genius, a brilliant new star that lit up the entire Xiao Family, but now...

"Holy crap! I've transmigrated? And into Xiao Zhan?" Xiao Batian's mind was a storm-tossed sea, and he was utterly stunned. But he had nerves of steel. On the outside, he forced himself to remain calm and showed not a crack.

"Father, how are you feeling?" A handsome young man leaned toward him with concern. His clear eyes shone like stars in the night sky, full of deep worry for his father.

Xiao Yan! Xiao Batian recognized the protagonist at once. According to the memories he had just received, Nalan Yanran had come to break off the engagement, and her words—sharp as a blade—had angered the original Xiao Zhan to death. Then he had transmigrated into this body.

"I'm fine..." Xiao Batian—who should now be called Xiao Zhan—slowly sat up. Only then did he notice that, besides the Xiao Family members, several strangers were also in the hall. One girl in white stood out in particular. Her graceful figure was like a white lotus blooming in the snow, and her bearing was cool and refined. She was none other than Nalan Yanran!

"Now that Uncle Xiao Zhan is awake, we can continue our discussion," Nalan Yanran said coldly. Her voice was as wintry as the wind, without a hint of warmth. She showed not the slightest remorse for causing Xiao Zhan to collapse.

Xiao Zhan narrowed his eyes and studied the arrogant girl. She was indeed breathtakingly beautiful: her skin was as smooth and pale as white jade, her features as lovely as a painting, her beautiful eyes like a deep lake alive with light, her nose straight and her lips cherry-red. But her imperious manner, like that of a queen enthroned above everyone else, was deeply unpleasant. In her eyes, everyone else seemed no better than ants.

"Ding!" A crisp chime rang out, carrying a mysterious undertone, like a summons from another dimension. "Suitable host detected. The 'More Children More Blessings System' is binding..."

The sudden mechanical voice burst inside Xiao Zhan's mind like a bomb. He was so startled he nearly leapt off the bed again. The voice was cold and mechanical, yet it carried an unquestionable authority.

"A system?" Xiao Zhan's heart filled with wild joy, like a lamp suddenly lighting up in the darkness. He was a modern man, after all. Having grown up on novels and movies, he knew exactly what a system meant: a miraculous aid that could defy fate and carry him to the peak of life!

"Binding successful! Host: Xiao Zhan. Cultivation: Five-Star Da Dou Shi. Children: three. Detected a 'Chosen Protagonist' among the host's children—Xiao Yan. Special reward triggered!" The mechanical voice rang out again, like an impartial judge announcing Xiao Zhan's "lucky prize."

"Starter gift pack delivered to the system space. Contents: Profound Tier High Grade cultivation technique, Burning Heaven Technique, as blazing as a raging fire and filled with boundless might; Earth-tier Low-grade Dou Technique, Dragon Flame Palm, which roars like a dragon and sends flames surging in every direction; one 'Zong-Breaking Pill,' an invaluable treasure that can carry a cultivator straight through a bottleneck and into the Dou Zong realm; three Seventh-Tier 'Yin-Yang Profound Dragon Pills,' whose miraculous effects can bring the dead back to life and restore flesh to bare bones; and one million gold coins." The system detailed the gift pack's contents, every word a beautiful note playing in Xiao Zhan's mind.

Xiao Zhan fought down his excitement. His feelings were as turbulent as a stormy sea, but on the surface he remained calm, like a master who concealed his true strength. A Zong-Breaking Pill! It was practically a legend in the cultivation world. In the original story, such pills were exceedingly rare, treasures every cultivator dreamed of but could scarcely obtain. He couldn't believe the system had given him such generous gifts right off the bat. This was a windfall from heaven!

"System, what can you do?" Xiao Zhan asked silently, his voice full of anticipation and curiosity.

"This is the More Children More Blessings System. Each time the host takes a wife and has children, he will receive generous rewards. The stronger the wife and the higher her talent, the greater the reward, like digging up a treasure buried deep underground. The greater the talent of the host's children, the more the rewards will increase as well, like reaping a bountiful harvest." The system explained patiently. Though mechanical, its voice carried an undeniable charm.

A flash of light gleamed in Xiao Zhan's eyes, like a star suddenly flaring in the dead of night. Wasn't this system openly encouraging him to build a harem? At the thought of the original story's graceful and peerless women—some gentle as water, some nimble as foxes, some cold as frost—each one a work of art painstakingly carved by the heavens, his heart surged like a churning sea.

"Uncle Xiao Zhan, have you made up your mind yet?" Nalan Yanran's impatient voice cut through his dreamlike thoughts like a shrill whistle, dragging him back to reality.

Xiao Zhan took a deep breath, steadying himself with its weight. This was no time to lose himself in fantasies about the system. He had to focus on the crisis right in front of him. He glanced at Xiao Yan, standing beside him with his fists clenched so tightly his knuckles had gone white. Those clenched fists seemed to hold boundless fury and resentment, and Xiao Zhan immediately knew what to do.

"Niece Yanran," Xiao Zhan began slowly, his voice steady and powerful, echoing through the hall like a great bell. "The two family patriarchs personally arranged this engagement all those years ago. Now you want to end it with a casual word. Doesn't that show a little too much disregard for my Xiao Family? Wouldn't that make us seem like soft persimmons for anyone to squeeze?"

Nalan Yanran gave a cold laugh, as chilling and piercing as a winter wind. "Uncle Xiao Zhan, you should be realistic. Xiao Yan can't even gather Dou Qi anymore. He's a cripple without the strength to fight. Meanwhile, I'm already a Three-Star Dou Zhe, and one day I'll become the Misty Cloud Sect Master, with power over all. The gap between us will only grow like a chasm. We're simply not in the same league."

Xiao Zhan noticed that Ge Ye, the Misty Cloud Sect elder behind Nalan Yanran, was watching him with a gaze as keen and threatening as a falcon's. According to the original story, Ge Ye was a powerful Dou Ling, with unfathomable strength. The Xiao Family really was as helpless as an ant before him.

But the Xiao Zhan standing here now was no longer the same man who could only endure in silence under pressure! He seemed to have been reborn, radiating an entirely new presence.

"Fine. Since you insist on this, niece Yanran..." Xiao Zhan suddenly rose to his feet, standing tall as a pine. A mighty aura surged from him like a rising tide, spreading throughout the hall. "Then the engagement is dissolved! My Xiao Family doesn't go looking for trouble, but we're never afraid of it!"

The hall erupted in an uproar, like a massive stone thrown into a calm lake, stirring up towering waves. The Xiao Family members could hardly believe their ears. They stared wide-eyed, their faces full of shock and confusion, as though they had just heard the most unbelievable thing in the world.

"However," Xiao Zhan continued, his gaze sharp as a torch as he abruptly changed tack, his voice ringing with conviction, "it won't be the Misty Cloud Sect breaking off the engagement. My Xiao Family will be the one to cast you off! From this moment onward, the engagement between Xiao Yan and Nalan Yanran is void. We are a great clan, and we would never want a daughter-in-law as arrogant, rude, and blind to everyone but herself as you!"

"You!" At his words, Nalan Yanran's face turned livid, like a sky darkening before a storm. She had never expected Xiao Zhan to pull such a move. It was completely beyond her expectations, leaving her at a loss.

A cold glint flashed in Elder Ge Ye's eyes, sharp and icy as lightning in the night. "Clan Head Xiao, think carefully before you speak. The Misty Cloud Sect isn't to be trifled with. Don't bring disaster upon the Xiao Family over a moment of pride."

Xiao Zhan was undaunted. He held his head high and met Elder Ge Ye's gaze, his own eyes firm and resolute, as if he could pierce through any obstacle. "What, is the Misty Cloud Sect going to force a sale? The engagement can be ended, of course, but my Xiao Family must be the one to propose it! We may not be a top-tier clan, but we have our own dignity and backbone. We won't let anyone walk all over us!"

"Fine! Very well!" Nalan Yanran trembled with anger, her cheeks burning red as flames. "Xiao Zhan, you'll regret what you said today! Let's go!" With that, she flung back her sleeve and turned to leave, her hurried, disordered steps betraying her anger and panic.

"Wait!" Xiao Yan, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke. His voice was still youthful, but it was filled with unwavering resolve. "Nalan Yanran, I'll remember the humiliation of today. In three years, I'll go to the Misty Cloud Sect and challenge you myself! I'll show you that I'm no useless man like you say!"

Nalan Yanran turned back and glanced at Xiao Yan with disdain, as if he were a worthless ant. "A useless man is a useless man. Give yourself three years, and you'll still be useless. I'll be waiting. Let's see what kind of waves you can stir up then!"

After the Misty Cloud Sect people left, the Xiao Family hall fell silent, as if time itself had frozen. Everyone stood quietly, all eyes fixed on Xiao Zhan as they waited for his next instructions. Their gazes held both hope and worry.

"Everyone, go," Xiao Zhan said, waving them away with an easy, composed gesture. "No one is to speak of what happened today. Our Xiao Family has just weathered a storm like this. We don't need any more trouble."

Once everyone had filed out, only Xiao Yan remained in the hall, standing quietly in place. He seemed lonely, yet his stubborn figure also held an air of defiance.

"Father..." Xiao Yan's lips moved. He began to speak, then swallowed the words back down. His eyes were full of tangled emotions, and his hesitant silence revealed his uncertainty.

Seeing this, Xiao Zhan gently raised a hand and patted his son's somewhat thin shoulder. His eyes brimmed with encouragement and trust, and his voice was steady and firm. "Yan'er, I believe in you. You've had extraordinary talent and a resilient spirit since you were little. These three years will transform you completely. Three years from now, you'll make that proud girl look at you in a new light. You'll show her that the sons of the Xiao Family are no ordinary men!"

A flicker of emotion crossed Xiao Yan's eyes, like a shooting star streaking across the night sky—bright and fleeting, yet burned deep into his heart. He nodded firmly, his gaze full of determination. "Don't worry, Father. I won't let you down! I'll give everything I have to the Three-Year Agreement. I'll make Nalan Yanran pay for what she did today!"

After Xiao Yan also left with determined steps, Xiao Zhan immediately returned to his room. The room was arranged with simple elegance, yet now it seemed to be the starting point of his journey into a new world. He eagerly closed his eyes and focused his mind on the system space.

"System, retrieve the Zong-Breaking Pill!" Xiao Zhan silently commanded, anticipation and excitement in his voice.

In an instant, a purple pill wafting with a rich medicinal fragrance appeared in Xiao Zhan's hand. It was perfectly round, its surface shimmering with mysterious light, as if it held boundless power. Without hesitation, Xiao Zhan tipped his head back and swallowed it whole.

In an instant, a violent surge of energy exploded within him like a raging tide! Xiao Zhan felt his meridians being scorched by a blazing inferno. Pain lanced through him, but he clenched his teeth and endured it. Dou Qi surged madly through his body like a wild horse breaking free of its reins. His cultivation climbed higher and higher under the force of that energy!

Six-Star Da Dou Shi... His already vigorous Dou Qi grew even denser, flowing through his meridians like tangible mist.

Seven-Star... Dou Qi surged like a rushing river, roaring without end.

Eight-Star... The force seemed about to burst his body apart, but he held on through sheer determination.

Nine-Star... His Dou Qi reached a critical point, on the verge of breaking through to a new realm at any moment.

Dou Ling! When those two words rang through Xiao Zhan's mind, his vision suddenly brightened, as though a new door had opened before him.

Yet even after he broke through to Dou Ling, the energy showed no sign of weakening. Instead, it surged with even greater fury, crashing against the higher realms.

One-Star Dou Wang... His body began to change in subtle ways. His muscles grew tighter, and his strength soared.

Three-Star... Dou Qi howled through him like a gale, making his aura ever more terrifying.

Five-Star... Even the air in the room seemed to warp under his aura, and the furniture began to tremble.

Seven-Star... His power crashed over him like a landslide and a tsunami, inspiring awe.

Nine-Star... Xiao Zhan felt as if he were caught in a vortex of energy, in danger of being swallowed at any moment.

Dou Emperor! When those two words rang in his mind, Xiao Zhan's entire body was wrapped in purple light. It blazed so brightly that it seemed capable of illuminating the whole room. His bones cracked and popped as his muscles repeatedly reshaped and strengthened, as if he were being forged anew. His aura grew more and more terrifying. The furniture shook violently, as though submitting to his immense power.

One-Star Dou Emperor... His strength rose once more, as if he had climbed to a new peak.

Three-Star... His power seemed endless, filling him with the bearing to look down on the world.

Six-Star... The furnishings in the room could no longer withstand the force and toppled one after another.

Nine-Star... Xiao Zhan felt as though he had merged with heaven and earth, becoming the master of this world.

Dou Zong! When those two words finally rang true in his mind, Xiao Zhan knew he had embarked on an entirely new journey.

When the violent energy finally stabilized, slowly receding like a tide, Xiao Zhan opened his eyes. Two beams of solid light shot from them like swords, carrying a fierce aura. They pierced straight through the air and bored two small, deep holes into the hard wall, as if leaving behind unusual marks carved by time.

"So this is the power of a Dou Zong..." Xiao Zhan closed his eyes slightly and carefully felt the surging Dou Qi within him, as unceasing as a mighty river. Power coursed through his body, every wisp of Dou Qi seemingly capable of destroying heaven and earth. With the slightest movement, he felt as though he could shift mountains and fill seas, as if he had become the master of this world.

Suddenly, Xiao Zhan's brows creased slightly, like a ripple appearing on a still lake. He sensed several unfamiliar auras approaching the Xiao Family at high speed, quietly as ghosts.

"People from the Jialie Family?" Xiao Zhan's lips curled into a mocking smile, full of disdain and certainty. "It seems they heard I was angered unconscious and couldn't wait to take advantage of the situation and grab themselves a bargain."

He swiftly drew in his overwhelming, heart-stirring aura, like sliding an incredibly sharp sword back into its sheath, and cleverly suppressed his cultivation to its original level of Five-Star Da Dou Shi. This was no time to reveal his true strength. The Soul Hall lurking behind the Misty Cloud Sect was a powerful, mysterious viper hiding in the darkness. If he rashly exposed his Dou Zong cultivation, he would only invite greater trouble and drag the Xiao Family into an abyss of no return.

"Clan Head! This is bad!" Just then, a clan member came running in a panic, his steps stumbling and his face full of terror. He shouted, "The Jialie Family has gathered at our front gate, and they're demanding an explanation!"

A cold glint flashed in Xiao Zhan's eyes, as icy and sharp as winter frost. "Come on. Let's go see. I'd like to find out what tricks the Jialie Family is planning today."

At the Xiao Family's front gate, Jialie Bi stood with more than a dozen clan members, looking aggressive and hostile. Their faces were unfriendly, their eyes filled with greed and provocation. Quite a few Wutan City residents had already gathered nearby to watch the show. They whispered among themselves, gossiping as if they were waiting for a performance to begin.

"Xiao Zhan, I heard that the Misty Cloud Sect girl angered you unconscious?" Jialie Bi said in a sarcastic, mocking tone, like a snake flicking its tongue. "Looks like the Xiao Family really is finished—like the sun setting in the west, with all its glory gone."

Xiao Zhan's expression was as calm as still water, yet his gaze held an indisputable authority. He asked evenly, "Patriarch Jialie, what brings you here today? You haven't come to deliberately provoke my Xiao Family, have you?"

"Nothing much. I just came to remind you," Jialie Bi said with a sneer, his laugh as shrill and sinister as a night owl's cry. "Your Xiao Family can't even deal with a little girl anymore. What right do you have to keep your place among Wutan City's three great families? You might as well give it up now. Don't sit on the latrine and block the hole."

Xiao Zhan's lips lifted into a meaningful smile, tinged with mockery and coldness. "Jialie Bi, do you think my Xiao Family is weak and easy to bully?"

Before his words had even faded, terrifying pressure burst from Xiao Zhan like a surging, roiling tide. It lasted only an instant, yet felt like an invisible mountain crashing down on Jialie Bi. Jialie Bi felt as if he had fallen into an icy pit, the blood in his body frozen solid. His knees buckled, and he nearly dropped straight to the ground, his face filled with terror and despair.

"You... you..." Jialie Bi's eyes widened as he stared at Xiao Zhan, his voice trembling like a leaf in the wind. In that fleeting moment, he had seemed to see a ferocious beast awakening from an ancient abyss. Its savage, terrifying aura had made his very soul tremble.

"Get lost," Xiao Zhan said blandly, though his gaze held an unquestionable authority, as if his words were the law of the world. "If you dare cause trouble at my Xiao Family again, you'll bear the consequences. Next time, it won't be settled so easily."

Jialie Bi's face shifted through a whole palette of colors, turning green, then white. At last, he gritted his teeth and led his clan members away, slinking off like a beaten dog. He couldn't understand why Xiao Zhan had suddenly become so terrifying, as if he were an entirely different person.

After returning to his room, Xiao Zhan let out a long breath, as if expelling all the tension and oppression he had felt. He had released only a trace of his Dou Zong pressure, yet that had been enough to cow Jialie Bi with ease. The sensation of wielding immense power and controlling the situation at will was wonderful, like a peerless musician plucking a single string to create a soul-shaking melody.

"System, show me my attributes," Xiao Zhan silently commanded.

In an instant, a light screen appeared before Xiao Zhan, dreamlike and dazzling:

[Host: Xiao Zhan]

[Cultivation: One-Star Dou Zong (concealed as Five-Star Da Dou Shi)]

[Technique: Profound Tier Mid Grade Gale Art (upgradeable, like a seed with limitless potential, waiting to blossom into an even brighter light)]

[Dou Technique: Profound Tier Low Grade Mountain-Splitting Palm (upgradeable, like a sword not yet fully sharpened, with tremendous room to improve)]

[Wife: None]

[Children: Xiao Ding, Xiao Li, Xiao Yan]

[System Points: 0]

Xiao Zhan stroked his chin, a glint of sly anticipation in his eyes. "Looks like I need to find a wife as soon as possible. Queen Medusa, the peerless beauty of the Snake-People Tribe, graceful and mysterious; Yun Yun, the Misty Cloud Sect Master, elegant as a celestial maiden; Ya Fei, the Mittel Family's auctioneer, alluring and intelligent... I can't let a single one of these goddesses from the original story slip away! I'll bring them all into my arms."

A glint flashed in his eyes like a shooting star streaking across the night, brilliant and resolute. "But first, I have to help Yan'er recover his talent. Yao Lao should already be in his ring, right? He'll be the greatest support for Yan'er's rise. I have to make sure that opportunity comes to pass."

Thinking that he had become Xiao Yan's father, gained a system, and reached the Dou Zong realm, Xiao Zhan felt as if he stood at the pinnacle of fate, looking down on the shifting winds and clouds of the world. His heart filled with boundless anticipation for the future.

"The Soul Hall? The Misty Cloud Sect? Hmph." Xiao Zhan snorted, his voice full of disdain and dominance. "Once I, Xiao Zhan, have grown strong, I'll crush them all underfoot! I'll show them that my Xiao Family isn't a soft persimmon they can bully at will, and that I'm no lamb for them to squeeze!"