The Mingwu Emperor stood rooted to the spot, staring blankly as he glanced down at the coarse black clothes on his body.
Then he raised both hands, repeatedly checking this weak yet vibrant body.
It felt utterly absurd.
His last memory ended with that brutal battle in the Azure Star Sea.
Under the crushing pressure of Shuyan's domain, he had burned himself away, yet remained powerless to resist defeat.
In the end, he had sunk completely into darkness. That should have been an unchangeable ending.
But now.
The warm sunlight overhead, the breeze brushing his skin, the solid ground beneath his feet, and the weak yet real flow of blood and vitality within him.
I... came back to life again?!
This was different from waking from his long slumber last time.
This time, he had been utterly reborn.
He had lost the tremendous power to move mountains and fill seas, along with the imperial body that had borne countless honors.
Though frail, his newborn body was like an untouched sheet of paper, possessing an indescribable purity.
Like a tender sprout breaking through the soil in early spring, it brimmed with vigorous life.
This was a vitality he had never experienced even at his peak.
He instinctively took a deep breath. Pure air filled his lungs, so real it was intoxicating.
So, who was it?
Who possessed the power to defy fate like this and pull me back from eternal oblivion?
His first thought was of General Ye Ming, his utterly loyal and most trusted subordinate and kinsman.
Back then, Ye Ming had also awakened him from his long slumber.
But the moment that thought arose, it was crushed by the cruel memories surging up.
He had seen it with his own eyes.
To secure the faintest chance of survival for