Chapter 1. Prologue

"Am I dead now...?"

Even a zombie would die if its head was severed. How much more so for a human?

Thud!

The Wind-Thunder Axe slipped from his blood-soaked hands and fell to the ground. The axe, which he usually wielded as lightly as a ruler, now felt as heavy as a thousand catties.

Yan Haoding looked down at his hands.

His hands, bound with chains, were completely crushed. It was a wonder how he managed to hold and swing an axe as large as a human body with such hands.

Clank!

The broken chains fell to the ground.

"I knew this would happen."

The bitterness made him forget the pain. With these hands, he wouldn't even be able to hold chopsticks, let alone an axe.

But he had exchanged his hands for the head of the leader of the Evil Lust Sect, the most notorious of the Three Teachings. That should be enough. Of course, both he and the other were now in a state where they couldn't even pick up a bowl of rice.

"Is he dead?"

Yan Haoding turned his head.

An old man was sitting against a small rock. He was Murong Jun, the leader of the martial arts alliance and the head of the righteous faction.

"Didn't you see his head fly off?"

"I didn't see it."

Yan Haoding frowned. Upon closer inspection, Murong Jun's eyes were extremely cloudy. He had gone blind due to excessive use of inner energy and severe internal injuries.

As he walked up to Murong Jun, he collapsed.

"It's all over."

"You've worked hard."

Yes, you've worked hard.

To eliminate the Evil Lust Sect, the righteous and the black factions joined hands. The deep-seated hatred and distrust between the two groups, which had lasted for hundreds of years, were enough to be extinguished by the Evil Lust Sect's heinous actions.

Those heinous actions, and the unprecedented alliance, would end today.

And so would his life.

"Are you alright?"

"…Well, more or less."

"Of course, you're the first person to be called the Grandmaster of the Black Path. You must be that good."

That good...

Yan Haoding didn't mention that the Evil Lust Sect leader's final blow had severed his heart meridians. He was barely keeping himself alive with a meager amount of inner energy, but he knew he wouldn't last much longer.

"What a surprise. Why are you praising me?"

"I'm just stating the facts. If it weren't for you, we could have destroyed the black alliance ten years ago."

"If that had happened, you would have been wiped out before today."

"True. As the saying goes, 'A wise man's horse can turn into a blessing.' I never thought we would benefit from you."

Yan Haoding chuckled.

After a moment of silence, Murong Jun spoke.

"Why did you make that choice?"

"What do you mean?"

"You weren't originally from the black faction, were you? If you had joined our side, you could have become a renowned master. Why did you go to the black faction and become their leader?"

"Why are you bringing this up now?"

"I want to clear up my curiosity before I die."

Murong Jun's voice sounded strangely hollow.

Yan Haoding sighed as he looked down at him.

"How long can you hold on?"

"Less than half an hour."

Damn.

Under normal circumstances, he could have instantly assessed someone's physical condition. His heart meridians were severed, and his true energy was depleted, making his senses dull.

'So this guy is done for too.'

This feels so bitter.

"Any last words?"

"My life is my legacy."

"True to the leader of the martial arts alliance."

"So, what's your answer?"

"It just happened that way."

Of course, there was a reason. But he didn't want to talk about past events in front of a dying man.

Murong Jun smiled.

The smile of a blind man gave an inexplicable sense of melancholy.

"You're true to yourself."

"I'll see you on the other side."

"Thank you."

Indeed, people change when they're about to die. Both of us.

"And."

"Hmm?"

"I'm sorry."

"What for?"

"…"

"Pretty anticlimactic…"

Thud.

Yan Haoding's eyes regained their strength.

"Kwek!"

Yan Haoding spat out blood. The smell of the blood was foul.

He looked down at his chest. A tiny needle, barely visible to the naked eye, was embedded there.

'A Cow Hair Needle?'

Lifting his trembling head, Yan Haoding saw the face of the old man, now covered in blood. The old man's face, breathing heavily, looked particularly dark.

Yan Haoding's eyes turned red.

"Jiang Guan…!"

The head of the Sichuan Tang Family and the deputy leader of the martial arts alliance.

Yan Haoding had clearly seen Jiang Guan's chest pierced by the Evil Lust Sect leader's Yin Huang Finger. Even if it had missed his heart, the force of the finger wind should have ruptured his heart meridians. How was he still alive?

No, why did he attack me?

"I'm not asking you to understand."

Yan Haoding glared at Murong Jun.

Murong Jun spoke with a bitter voice.

"Who will stop you when I'm dead? The current righteous faction… can't stop the Black Emperor City."

"Cough!"

"I'll apologize in the afterlife. Let's go together."

Damn, you would have died anyway.

His severed heart meridians finally snapped. The extreme poison from the Tang Family's Gut Rupture Powder caused his inner energy to evaporate and his internal organs to dissolve. The pain was so intense that he couldn't even scream.

Damn, to use such a potent poison?

Thud!

Yan Haoding knelt down.

At the same time, Jiang Guan fell. Having completed his final mission, he was the first to die.

"Why…"

The words slipped out without him realizing.

A sense of guilt appeared on Murong Jun's face.

"I'm truly sorry."

Yan Haoding's eyes grew increasingly cloudy.

'Why is the end always so miserable?'

When things could be bad, they become worse; when they could be good, they turn out to be just okay.

It was always like this. Despite his legendary martial arts, he never became the best in the world. When he thought he had made it, he ended up being the leader of the black faction.

A life full of responsibilities but never reaching the top.

Still, he had lived his life to the fullest.

'Leader, you need to properly apologize in the afterlife.'

* * *

"May the glory of the family last a thousand years, and may the gods bless us…"

The voice, clear and melodious, echoed in a steady rhythm.

'Hmm?'

Beyond the soothing tone, a heavy fragrance could be smelled.

'What is this? Did I come to a temple?'

But it's not a Buddhist scripture being chanted.

"May you continue to protect us so that the glory of our family may last a thousand years."

With a clear voice, the surroundings came into focus.

Yan Haoding opened his eyes.

'Huh?'

All around him, people were kneeling and bowing.

Yan Haoding blinked.

'What's going on?'

But why?

This place felt strangely familiar. The people's attire, the ancient and simple altar, all seemed like something he had seen before.

Then, someone tapped him from behind. Without thinking, Yan Haoding turned around.

His mouth dropped open.

"Ah?"

A boy, still bowing, lifted his head. The boy's face turned pale.

The boy gestured frantically, as if telling him to bow quickly.

But Yan Haoding couldn't do it.

"Zhiping?!"

The solemn atmosphere instantly dissipated.

The air rapidly cooled. But Yan Haoding was too shocked to notice.

The boy in front of him.

With a mischievous face and star-like eyes, this boy was his younger brother. The brother who had died along with the family in the massacre twenty-six years ago was now standing before him.

'Is this a dream? An illusion?'

No, it couldn't be. He wasn't the type to confuse reality with dreams or illusions.

Even if it wasn't reality.

Though their relationship had broken down, the appearance of a family member he had longed to see in his dreams stirred intense emotions deep within him.

"Zhi, Zhiping!"

Yan Haoding pulled the boy into a tight embrace.

Confusion appeared on Yan Zhiping's face. He thought this man had gone mad.

The boy whispered quickly.

"Brother! Don't do this! We'll get in trouble!"

"Damn it!"

The warmth and the subtle trembling reaction.

It was definitely his younger brother. Yan Haoding's vision blurred.

"Brother! Brother! Ah, why are you doing this…"

Then.

"Haoding."

Yan Haoding's body stiffened.

His brother's face and voice were just as he remembered. And the voice he was hearing now.

Letting go of Yan Zhiping, Yan Haoding slowly turned around.

A middle-aged man stood in front of the altar, glaring at him with a terrifying look.

"What are you doing?"

It wasn't a harsh reprimand or a question. Just a calm voice with an unbearable weight.

As a child, he had found this voice terrifying and hateful. He had avoided the family member whose voice he didn't want to hear.

"Father?"

The middle-aged man, Yan Wei, frowned.

The way his son stood up and walked over was very different from his usual behavior. His eyes were filled with despair, disbelief, surprise, and excitement.

It was quite an impressive moment. His eldest son had never made eye contact with him since childhood. A boy who had never been able to stand up straight due to the oppressive pressure.

"Father!"

Yan Haoding ran towards Yan Wei, ready to embrace him.

Yan Wei's hand moved.

In one swift motion, he grabbed Yan Haoding's wrist and applied force.

Thud!

'Gulp!'

Yan Haoding fell to his knees. The energy flowing through his wrist had drained the strength from his legs.

"To cause a disturbance during the ceremony, are you in your right mind?"

The voice, which had once chilled his spine, now sounded warm.

Yan Haoding lifted his head.

Confusion appeared on Yan Wei's face as he looked down at his son. Yan Haoding's face was filled with sorrow.

Why is my eldest son acting so strangely today?

"I'll deal with the disturbance after the ceremony. Go to the study and wait."

His usual cold tone.

But the response was different.

"Yes!"

Isn't that a bit too confident?

Yan Wei, rarely flustered, turned away, and Yan Haoding stood up and looked around.

Everyone participating in the ceremony was looking at him. The eyes of about twenty people were filled with confusion.

Yan Haoding's face, which had been smiling as he looked around, suddenly stiffened.

'Wait a minute.'

He was so moved that he hadn't realized how strange this situation was.

He looked down at his chest.

The Cow Hair Needle was gone.

'Am I not dead?'

Not only that.

'No, not just not dead…'

As he looked around again, surprise appeared on Yan Haoding's face.

'This is my past?'

He examined his hands and body, ran his fingers through his hair, and looked at his clothes.

Yes, this was his body, but not his body. His body, trained through countless battles, was full of scars and calluses.

The slender build and clean hands were clearly the body he had in his youth.

"Unbelievable. Is this really possible…"

"What are you mumbling about!"

Yan Wei finally lost his temper. Yan Haoding, looking embarrassed, bowed his head and left his place.

As he left his place, he looked around again.

"…This is really my home!"

One of the seven great families, known as the highest noble houses in the martial arts world.

The Iron Family, which, despite having only fifty years of history, had a presence equal to the other six great families.

Yan Haoding, the eldest son of the Bishan Yan Family, had returned.