Chapter 40: Reincarnator
Inside the pavilion, the heads "borrowed" from the shoulders of Li Qunfan and the others lay at Fang Can’s feet.
Fang Can frowned, a little unsettled by the sight of blood dyeing the floor.
It was his first time killing, after all. A little discomfort was unavoidable.
But it didn’t matter. There would be plenty more to kill in the future. He’d get used to it eventually.
Kicking the heads aside, Fang Can changed his inner shirt for a suit of gold-thread soft armor. He slung the treasured sword across his back, grabbed a stack of bank notes, and tied a suitcase and some dry rations together with a cloth strip. Finally, after memorizing the map, he entered the pitch-black tunnel.
With his departure, the pavilion fell silent once more, leaving only a few lifeless corpses lying on the cold ground, matted with blood.
Down in the Tiger Slaughter Sect’s secret passage, Fang Can felt his way forward through the pitch-black tunnel.
Several minutes later, he reached the end and pushed open a stone panel above him. The vast, brilliant expanse of the starry night sky filled his vision.
Even he couldn’t have imagined that in just a single day, he had "forcibly graduated" from the Tiger Slaughter Sect.
As for why... he wasn’t privy to the details, so he didn’t quite understand it himself.
But one thing was certain: he would have to repay this favor in the future. It wouldn’t be right to let down someone who had helped him so devotedly.
The late autumn night was dark and windy. Fang Can pushed the thoughts from his mind and, following the map he had memorized, headed out of the city.
After all, now that he had escaped, the Tiger Slaughter Sect would likely issue a warrant for his arrest. If he slipped up and got caught again, his next meeting with his benefactor would be rather awkward.
「...」
A few hours later, as the morning sun cast its first light, four guards knelt before Yang Duan.
"Sect Leader, we failed in our duties. That villain Fang Can killed three disciples on watch, made off with the Sect’s valuables, and escaped."
"Pay him no mind."
Yang Duan waved his hand dismissively. "The situation with the Transformation Sect on the border is critical. War could break out at any moment. A petty thief like him can’t stir up any real trouble."
"Once we’re through this, we’ll issue a bounty for his capture within the Tiger Slaughter Sect’s domain."
"Besides, the great competition between nations begins in two months. If we can secure a decent rank, it will help legitimize the Tiger Slaughter Sect’s name."
"Yes, Sect Leader!" the four guards replied in unison.
「...」
Within Jiejian Mountain, in the Liangzhou province of the Great Yan Country, Jiang Ning’an had returned to her Sect. She had traveled through the night, ignoring her injuries.
In a cloud-shrouded pavilion perched atop a high peak, Liu Qingmeng, the current master of Jiejian Mountain, emerged from seclusion. Looking at her most talented disciple, she furrowed her shapely brows.
"Ning An, I only sent you to the Yanyun Pavilion. How did you get injured?"
"Master," Jiang Ning’an began, her expression grave, "I encountered two strange things on my journey, and my injuries are related to them." She then gave a general account of everything that had happened in the other world.
Knowing her disciple’s disposition and that she would not joke about such matters, Liu Qingmeng’s expression grew increasingly solemn.
But looking at her master’s face, Jiang Ning’an noted, "Master, you don’t seem surprised?"
Liu Qingmeng didn’t answer, merely inclining her head slightly, acknowledging that she had anticipated this.
’After all, if modern precision instruments can detect it, how could the various marvels of this metaphysical world fail to notice the signs?’
’Is the metaphysical Martial Dao so inconvenient a thing?’
"For now, just focus on recuperating here. As for that other world..."
Dressed in white robes, a sky-piercing Sword Intent flickered in Liu Qingmeng’s eyes. "Just you wait. Your master shall put it to the test!"
「...」
"Celestial Emperor Fang! I swear I’ll kill you!"
Inside the Lieyang Martial Arts Hall, bathed in the gentle morning sun, a young man shot up from his bed, his eyes filled with a thick, coalescing killing intent.
But when he saw his surroundings, he froze.
The room before him was familiar, its furnishings identical to how they had been years ago.
"Have I... been reborn?" the young man stammered, staring blankly at his own hands.
They were a pair of rough, calloused hands, the result of long years of arduous sword practice—nothing like the flawless skin of a body reforged after stepping onto the Heaven-Ascending Road.
Everything before him felt illusory, as if he were living in a dream.
"But if this is all real!" The young man clenched his fists, his body trembling with excitement.
The young man’s name was Yuan Dang. In his past life, at his peak, he had been a master of the Martial Dao who had taken three steps on the Heaven-Ascending Road. But unfortunately, he had the misfortune of meeting an even greater prodigy: Celestial Emperor Fang—Fang Can!
That man had burst onto the scene like a comet and shone like a great sun, overshadowing all eras and leaving countless other geniuses gasping for air.
If that were all, it would have been bearable. After all, as long as they each lived their own lives, their paths would barely cross.
But Celestial Emperor Fang was depraved by nature. He had hidden it well while in the Transcendent Body Realm, but once he stepped onto the Heaven-Ascending Road, his swelling power fed the wicked desires that filled his heart.
Guided by these endless wicked desires, the man built a "Crystal Palace." He forced the Celestial Secret Tower to create the Top Beauty List and conscripted the top three thousand women on it into his harem.
That year, during a solar eclipse that lasted for seven days, all three thousand beauties in the Crystal Palace were deflowered.
And his senior sister... was one of them...
At this thought, Yuan Dang’s grief and indignation became unbearable, and he barely managed to suppress the roiling emotions within him.
As for how he died before rebirth? When his senior sister was taken, he was so overcome with rage that his cultivation collapsed, and he died bleeding from all seven orifices.
"Celestial Emperor Fang... hehehe. Now that I’ve been reborn, it’s my turn to be Celestial Emperor Yuan and dominate this era! You think you can build a Crystal Palace, but I can’t?" Yuan Dang laughed maniacally, as if in a fit of hysteria.
But in the midst of his laughter, a small detail surfaced in his mind, and his face froze.
Sure enough, as his hand drifted downward, the place where his member, which was supposed to have grown back in the future, should have been was now empty.
"WAAAH! My manhood!!!"
With a wretched cry, Yuan Dang finally remembered. In his youth, to advance further on the path of the Martial Dao, he had chosen to castrate himself.
Unless he stepped onto the Heaven-Ascending Road, he would be completely impotent for the rest of his life, to say nothing of building a Crystal Palace.
After staring into space for a good while, Yuan Dang finally collected himself.
’Don’t panic, don’t panic. I still remember that manual Dog-Thief Fang published, *Everyone Can Practice*. Even someone with mediocre talent only needs to train hard for a year to reach the Heaven-Ascending Road Realm, to say nothing of someone like me!’
At this thought, Yuan Dang finally breathed a sigh of relief. But then he suddenly heard gongs and drums sounding from within the martial arts hall, an unusual commotion.
With a BANG, the door was thrown open, and a young man shouted:
"Junior Brother Yuan, you’re awake! Hurry up and come out! The disciples from the Tiger Slaughter Sect are here to collect rent again. Master wants us to take this rare opportunity to line up and welcome them, to have a friendly spar and learn a few things."
"Tiger Slaughter Sect... Disciples?" Yuan Dang’s expression stiffened. The young man’s words made him remember exactly what day it was.
Today was the day of his first and only meeting with Fang Can.
After today, he would no longer even be qualified to see the man’s face, only hearing of his exploits through others.
From Fang Can to Hero Fang, then to Saint Fang and finally Celestial Emperor Fang... as Fang Can’s status rose higher and higher, he, in turn, sank deeper and deeper into the dust.
’In that case, my new beginning starts today!’ Yuan Dang silently vowed.