Chapter 40: The Reborn One

Inside the pavilion, at Fang Can's feet lay the heads borrowed from the shoulders of Li Qunfan and others.

Watching the blood stain the ground everywhere, Fang Can still frowned with some discomfort.

After all, this was his first time killing someone; it was inevitable he felt some unease.

But it didn't matter; there would be plenty of people to kill in the future, and killing them would eventually make him accustomed to it.

Kicking these heads aside with his foot, Fang Can changed his inner lining into a golden-threaded soft armor, strapped a precious sword to his back, grabbed a stack of tickets, tied a suitcase and some dry rations with cloth strips, slung a map over his back, and then entered the pitch-black tunnel.

With his departure, the entire pavilion was empty once more, leaving only several lifeless corpses stuck with blood lying on the cold ground.

And within the tunnel of the Tiger Fiery Gate, following the pitch-black passage, Fang Can groped his way outward in the dark.

A few minutes later, reaching the end, he pushed open the stone wall above; the brilliant stars of the deep night sky filled his eyes.

Even he could not have imagined that in just a single day, he had forcibly graduated from the Tiger Fiery Gate.

As for the reason... since he was not the party involved, he still didn't quite understand it.

But one thing was certain: this favor must be repaid when the opportunity arises, otherwise he would be unworthy of the other party's wholehearted assistance.

In the pitch-black depths of late autumn, with the evening wind blowing, Fang Can stopped thinking further and, according to the memorized map, headed toward the city outskirts.

After all, having run away this time, the Tiger Fiery Gate would likely issue a wanted order to capture him; if he failed and was caught again, the two of them meeting then would probably be somewhat awkward.

Several hours later, as the morning light of the second day shone, four guards were already kneeling before Yang Duan.

"Gate Master, this subordinate failed in guarding, allowing that thief Fang Can to kill three guarding disciples and flee with the sect's valuables."

"No need to worry about him."

Yang Duan waved his hand and said lightly, "The war with the Borderline Huaxing Sect is urgent; battle may break out at any time. A mere small thief like him cannot cause any trouble."

"After this busy period is over, issue a bounty order to capture him within the Liangzhou Realm of the Tiger Fiery Gate."

"Moreover, the Great Competition of the Nations will begin in two months; if we can secure a good ranking from it, it will also benefit the whitewashing of the Tiger Fiery Gate."

"Yes, Gate Master!" the four guards answered in unison.

Within the Liangzhou Realm of the Great Yan State, inside the Robbery Jianshan, disregarding her sick body, Jiang Ningan had already rushed back to the sect through the night.

In a pavilion located atop a high peak, surrounded by clouds and mist, the current Zhang Sect of the Robbery Jianshan, Hearing Liu Qingmeng, emerged from seclusion and, looking at her most talented disciple, furrowed her willow eyebrows and said:

"Ningan, this time I only sent you to the Misty Cloud Pavilion; how did you get injured?"

"Reporting to Master, this disciple encountered two strange matters on this journey; my injury is also related to these events." Jiang Ningan, with a serious expression, briefly recounted everything that had happened in the present world.

Hearing Liu Qingmeng, knowing her disciple's nature and that the other would not joke, grew even more solemn.

But seeing her face, Jiang Ningan said, "Master seems not surprised?"

Hearing Liu Qingmeng did not answer, only slightly lifting her head, admitting she had expected it all along.

After all, if modern precision instruments can detect it, how could various strange people and events in this Mind-Only World go unnoticed?

Is the Mind-Only Martial Way such an inconvenient thing?

"You shall rest and recover here for now; as for the other world..."

Clad in white robes, with sword intent vaguely rising to the sky in her eyes, Hearing Liu Qingmeng said, "Wait for your master to give it a try!"

"Fang Tian Di! I will surely kill you!"

Inside the Blazing Sun Martial Arts Hall, under the gentle morning sunlight, the youth suddenly leaped from his bed, thick killing intent condensing in his eyes.

But after seeing everything around him, he froze again.

Before him was a familiar room, with furnishings exactly the same as several years ago.

"Did I... get reborn?" the youth stared blankly at his own hands.

Those were rough hands covered in calluses, caused by years of hard sword practice, completely unlike the pristine white of a body reforged after stepping onto the Ascend to Heaven Path.

Everything before his eyes was like a dream, making him feel as if he were living in a dream.

"But if all this is true!" the youth tightly clenched his palms, his whole body trembling with excitement.

The youth's name was Yuan Dang; in his previous life, during his peak, he had been a martial arts expert who had taken three steps on the Ascend to Heaven Path, but unfortunately, he encountered the even more monstrous Fang Tian Di, Fang Can!

That fellow emerged like a comet, and like a great sun, he overshadowed all eternity, leaving countless geniuses breathless.

If it were only this, it would have been fine; after all, as long as they lived their own lives, there was almost no intersection between them.

But this fellow Fang Tian Di was addicted to lust; while in the Shed Mortal Flesh Realm, he still disguised himself well, but after stepping onto the Ascend to Heaven Path Realm, as his power expanded, evil desires filled his mind.

Guided by endless evil desires, that fellow established the Crystal Palace, forcibly ordered the Heaven's Secret Tower to create the Peerless Beauty List, and filled his harem with the top three thousand women from the list.

That year, a solar eclipse occurred; within seven days, all three thousand peerless beauties in the Crystal Palace lost their virginity.

And his senior sister... also...

Thinking of this, Yuan Dang was overwhelmed with grief and indignation, barely managing to suppress the surging emotions in his heart.

As for his cause of death before rebirth? Because his senior sister was captured, he was so angry that his cultivation body was completely lost, and he died with blood flowing from his seven orifices.

"Fang Tian Di... hehehe, since I have been reborn now, it should be I, Yuan Tian Di, suppressing the world! You built the Crystal Palace; can't I build one?" Yuan Dang laughed wildly as if in a delirium.

But as he laughed, a small matter came to mind, freezing his face in place.

Sure enough, as he reached his hand downward, the second brother that should have grown in the future was now completely empty.

"Croak! My second brother!!!"

Accompanied by a scream, Yuan Dang then remembered that in his youth, to advance further on the martial path, he chose to cut off his own genitals.

Unless he stepped onto the Ascend to Heaven Path, he would remain in a useless state for the rest of his life, let alone a Crystal Palace.

After being lost in thought for a while, Yuan Dang finally regained his composure:

'No rush, no rush; I still remember the "Everyone Has Merit Practice" published by that dog thief Fang; even those with mediocre talent can enter the Ascend to Heaven Path Realm with just one year of hard practice, let alone me?'

Thinking of this, Yuan Dang finally breathed a sigh of relief, but suddenly heard the clanging of gongs and drums inside the martial arts hall, 异常 lively.

With a loud bang, the door was shoved open forcefully, and a young man shouted:

"Junior Brother Yuan, you're awake! Hurry out—the disciples of the Tiger Fiend Gate are here to collect rent again. Master wants us to seize this rare opportunity, draw up our formation, and welcome them by engaging in a mutual exchange of techniques."

"Tiger Fiend Gate... disciples?" Yuan Dang's expression froze. As the young man spoke, he suddenly remembered what day it was.

Today marked his first—and only—meeting with Fang Can.

For from this day onward, he would not even qualify to see the other man once, able only to hear news of Fang Can from others' mouths.

As Fang Can rose from being Fang Can to Great Hero Fang, then to Saint Fang, and finally to Fang Tian Di, his status climbed step by step, while Yuan Dang himself fell step by step into the dust.

'If that is so, then let the change begin today!' Yuan Dang vowed silently.

(End of this chapter)