**Zhou long is dead.**
No one knows what happened after he self-detonated.
But fate has something else planned for him.
**THE SCENE SHIFTS...**
In a distant village...
"Kill them all," said a figure wearing a shabby yet form-fitting outfit. Scars marred his face, and a sword dyed red with blood hung at his waist.
while his chest holds an emblem on it on which the image of a mountain is engraved
Around him was a sea of corpses.
Five more men, all identical in appearance and wearing the same badge, were brutally slaying villagers with their swords. This group of bandits relished killing and robbing without discretion; whether their victims had anything of value was irrelevant to them. They took pleasure in their violence, targeting villages with few or no cultivators who could resist.
Today, the village they invaded was called Hage, situated far from the city. They have received a special bounty from their organization to raid this village.
The organization wants a treasure which is hidden by the village head of this village.
His name is Yun tian. He has 2 daughters and 1 wife.
Usually, this place was alive with the sounds of children playing and traders peddling their wares, with the village guard practicing their drills. The streets buzzed with activity, but today, silence enveloped the town, broken only by the desperate cries for help.
Blood and corpses littered the ground; no child was spared.
In the center of the village stood a large, spacious house, a structure that stood apart from the others. It was grand, even luxurious, compared to its surroundings. This was the home of Village Head Yun tian.
He was a cultivator of level 5 in the qi gathering stage.
Two bandits were attempting to force their way into the main hall. Outside, the corpses of the village head and his wife lay sprawled on the ground, along with a young man in his twenties whose body remained unscathed.
**SCENE RECAP...**
"Please, leave us! You can take my life, but please spare them! I beg you!" Yun tian pleaded, grasping the leg of one bandit.
The bandit, scornfully looking down at him, replied, "Leave you? Hahaha! If we let you go, our boss will punish us. To tell the truth, we don't want to spare you anyway...Hand over that item, I promise to give you a swift death."
"Hahaha!"
Another bandit sneered at Yun tian. "I've heard you have two beautiful daughters. If you let us... 'taste' them, we might consider granting....."
Yun tian's blood boiled at this comment, and he seized the bandit's collar. "How dare you?"
He used his power as a level 5 cultivator to lift him but he is unable to do so.
The bandit, angered, retaliated with a kick that sent Yun tian sprawling.
"We don't have much time. Hand over the scroll."
All the bandits in their ranks were cultivators. Though lacking talent, they were in the 1st to 3rd phases of the body tempering Realm.
They belong to a special bandit organization situated in the black wind mountain.
They are known as black bandits.
Usually, nobody dares to enter that place because it is said that the master of that organization is a powerful figure in the core formation stage.
In the cultivation world, the extent to which a person can cultivate depends on his or her talent in cultivation.
For perspective, a person of average talent starting cultivation at age five or six would take around three to four years to reach the 2nd level of Qi Accumulation. Those with good talent could do it in less than three years, and the exceptionally gifted could achieve it in just two. However, the speed of cultivation ultimately depends on the resources available. An average talent can surpass a gifted individual if the former has superior resources.
**BACK TO THE SCENE...**
"No, husband," Yun tian's wife shouted amidst her despair. She was a normal person. She doesn't know any cultivation method.
"Kill them and search for that item and don't forget about the girls! They must be hiding somewhere in this house!" one bandit ordered.
He continued, "And remember one thing, if we go back without that item boss will kill us."
The other bandit raised his sword, ready to kill Yun tian.
Yun tian is powerless in front of these bandits whose cultivation reaches the body tempering realm.
But the bandit didn't kill him directly. He again asked, "Tell me where is that item? and I promise I will spare you. Believe me."
Yun tian smiled and said, "Kill me if you want but I will never give that item to you. It doesn't belong to you anyway."
The bandit became very angry after hearing him and he raised his sword in a fit of anger and stabbed Yun tian.
Suddenly, a cry erupted from the main hall.
"Nooooo! Father!"
Inside, three figures stood—Yun tian's two daughters, Yun Rong and Yun Ning, and their future son-in-law Xie long. Though he was not their biological child, both Yun tian and his wife loved him as much, if not more, than their own. They even planned to marry one of their daughters to him to create a permanent bond.
Despite being loved, Xie long struggled with his identity. He couldn't bring himself to call them "Mom" and "Dad" as his heart still held onto the abandonment he experienced when he was left to die in the forest. Although he had no memories of his biological parents, he knew they had forsaken him. If not for the kindness of Yun tian and his wife, he would not have survived.
Yun tian's wife, unable to suppress her voice, shouted when she saw the bandits attacking their father.
Xie long doesn't have any cultivation.
Yun tian and his wife always forbade him to cultivate and when he asks about the reason they always tell him the same thing.
"We will tell you when the right time comes. Believe us child it's for your own good."
While the two daughters of Yun tian are talented in cultivation. Without much resources, they solely rely on their talent to reach the cultivation stage they are currently at.
His elder daughter Yun Rong is at level 7 of the qi gathering Realm. While his younger daughter Yun Ning is at level 5 of the qi gathering Realm.
But even their cultivation power combined is not enough to fight those bandits whose cultivation reaches the rank of body tempering realm.
One of the bandits possesses a Level 2 cultivation in the Body Tempering Realm, while the older-looking bandit boasts a more advanced Level 3 cultivation in the same realm.
Xie long held both Yun Rong and Yun Ning close, trying to shield them. Yun Rong, the eldest, was exceptionally beautiful, with perfect curves and shimmering white skin. If both she and Yun Ning wore elegant dresses, their beauty could rival that of kingdom princesses.
Although their cultivation is higher than Xie long's, both of them are very soft-hearted and fragile. They dare not even kill a fly let alone a real person.
Seeing the chaos, the bandits turned their attention to the main hall. "So, you're hiding in there," one snickered before thrusting his sword into Yun tian's abdomen, stopping his breath.
He looked towards the dying Yun tian and said, "I will find that item myself after you are good as dead."
Xie long turned to Yun Rong and Yun Ning. "Stay here, no matter what happens. Don't come out!" He picked up a rod from the ground and exited the hall, tightening the door behind him.
On the other side, Yun tian's wife had already been killed by those bandits.
Xie long roared, "I will kill you bastards!"
"Oh, look! There's one more here!" a bandit exclaimed, kicking Xie long in the stomach before he could raise his weapon.
Xie long fell to the ground, unconscious.
"Hahaaa....."
"Look at him! This piece of junk doesn't have an ounce of cultivation, yet he still tries to play the hero in front of me. He can't even withstand a simple kick from me before going unconscious. It's almost laughable how he fancies himself a warrior."
"Let's end your chapter here," said the bandit, raising his sword.
Before the blade could reach Xie long, he was struck by a flower pot.
When the bandits turned towards the source of the projectile, they found a girl around 16 or 17 years old, hurling objects from the window.
"Leave him alone!" yelled Yun Ning, the youngest daughter of Yun tian, flinging a flower pot at the bandits.
She harnesses her cultivation to enhance both the speed and attack power of these tiny objects. Yet, the bandits stand in the Body Tempering Realm, making these seemingly insignificant projectiles little more than mere flies buzzing in front of their formidable bodies.
The bandit smirked. "Oh, so there are two of you!" he drawled.
He said to another bandit, "He must have given that treasure to them for safe-keeping."
"Boss, look at her," the other bandit chuckled, "even though she hasn't matured yet, she could rival beauties from those cultivation sects. Imagine how stunning she'll be when she grows up!"
Both men gazed at her like hunters eyeing their prey.
"Please, brother, let me taste her first," one bandit implored.
"Why you first? I'll let you have 20% of my shares in exchange for the first chance," the other bandit countered.
"You can have 30%!" said another with a chuckle.
As they engaged in light-hearted banter about who would "taste" Yun Ning first, Yun Rong rushed to her sister, hugging her tightly. "Don't you dare come near my sister! I'll kill you!"
The two bandits found their focus drawn away from Yun Ning to Yun Rong, who proclaimed her fierce protection.
"Bro, I changed my mind! You can have that little one; I'll sacrifice myself for you!" the younger bandit exclaimed.
"No, you're young—that's not fair! You should take the younger one, and I'll take care of the elder one," the older bandit replied, his demeanor shifting toward a predatory intent.
Seeing Yun Rong's innate beauty only fueled their interest. She had just turned 20, a couple of years older than Xie long and three years older than Yun Ning. Her elegance was captivating; even in tears, her beauty shone with an innocence that drew the bandits' gazes.
With malicious intentions, the bandits began to advance toward the door, grins plastered across their faces, ready to claim their prey.
"We will bring that treasure back to boss later after enjoying our time with them. I hope boss can wait for some more time." Said the younger bandit with a mischievous grin.
The older one nodded in agreement.
**PRESENT TIME...**
Xie long's eyes suddenly opened, but he remained still.
Where am I? he wondered. Where is everyone? Did I die? Did I survive? Where are my comrades and that rebel disciple of mine?
He scanned the surroundings and realized two men were approaching the two beautiful girls. Next to him lay the bodies of two people: a man in his fifties and a woman.
He was none other than the Devil King Zhou long.
He reincarnated.
Suddenly, flashes of memories invaded his mind.
"I reincarnated!" he exclaimed inwardly, astonished at the thought.
Was everyone dead? And now only those two stunning women remained? Perfect, while those two fools waste time with them, I'll find a way to escape.
It was the first thought that coursed through his mind.