Chapter 01: Reborn?! Again!?

On the colossal St. Ancestral mountain range, sunlight shined through the gap between the mountains into the deep canyons. On the hillside beside the valley, some snow remained.

Although its already early summer, the snow lingers while a few roars of beasts travel from afar on the wind.

The world outside of these mountains was the undisputed domain of magic beasts. The people of the city inside the valley had little doubt but little knowledge of the dangers outside.

There are histories of ages passed where mankind in its glory ruled beyond the valley with thousands of Legend-ranked Fighters and Domon Spiritualists, where humans established many empires on this vast continent. But such times are gone and those empires are barely remembered.

For all the city in these mountains knew, they were the last. Preserved in this valley away from the beasts. Occasionally attacks from Snow Wind beasts brought great destruction, but it survived and the people rebuilt.

The walls became their monument of indomitable will.

This city was named Glory City, and it was called such to inspire hope of a victorious humanity.

In a certain part of the city, at the campus of Holy Orchid Institute, where the Fighter Apprentice class was...

Over 30 young adolescents were at their desks, listening to the female instructor. “I heard that the new teacher, Shen Xiu, is one of the Sacred Family's 3-star rank Demon Spiritualists!”

The teacher had a tall figure, was wearing a lavender dress that wrapped tightly against her body, giving an emphasis on her perky chest. She had a pair of slender white legs and wore exquisite make-up that made her look beautiful and elegant.

Sacred Family clan was one of the pillars of the city, the second richest and most powerful of the entire glory city. To teach in a 'Fighter' novice class was beneath her, but she was here because her nephew is in this class.

“Demon Spiritualists and Fighters have five different ranks, which are Bronze, Silver, Gold, Black Gold and Legend-rank. Each rank is then divided into five levels, from 1-star to 5-star.”

“A Demon Spiritualist is above a Fighter. A Demon Spiritualist can form a soul realm within their Spiritual Core. They have the ability to integrate a captured demon into their soul realm and merge with the demon in combat. This allows them to possess matchless strength, which is far above the strength of Fighters could compete with. Just like me, my demon is a Scarlet Flame Fox.”

Her face and hands underwent drastic changes. Her facial shape became sharper, her teeth and nails also. Finally, a scarlet tail emerged from her back.

“After merging with a demon...” Her lecture continued on with the students of 12 or 13 years old mostly paying rapt attention. Each one hoped they could become a Demon Spiritualist one day, although it was unlikely. Most were from commoner backgrounds, and only the grace of the City Lord gave them the opportunity to study here.

One student had seemingly dozed off. He had orange hair messed up and an orange suit. After a time he slowly opened his eyes, and couldn't help but look confused around him. “Really...returned again...Master...”

Shen Xiu was on the podium stage, droning on and on. As he had remembered from last time this was the same time he had awoken to the first time he had fallen backward in time. He squeezed his fist in frustration.

Had he truly lived that entire life building his forces, cultivating with the best resources and methods from his beginning, only to be reset again? He now sat in the same seat on the same day for the third time.

The first he had been a disappointment who couldn't get stronger due to his city's lack of cultivation manuals for his type of Soul Realm. Everyone had died in a beast wave. After he somehow survived, alone, he had climbed up from that hell and challenged the Sage-Emperor himself, only to lose and awaken back in time.

The next time he had used his 1000+ years of experience as a pinnacle Demon Spiritualist to raise sharply and quickly with a foundation so solid no one could have thought possible. He made sure to spread his wealth amongst his friends and neighbors, and the City was so well enforced with reawakened knowledge who would threaten it.

But he also realized how truly little he knew that time around. His power had acted like a siren and the Sage Emperor's gaze turned towards him before he broke through to the vaunted Martial Ancestral realm. Sacrificing herself, his Master died and Nie li had been sent back again.

“I can't believe I got a 3rd chance to live my life...I lost once more...I made Ye Ziyun cry when I was unwilling to avenge her father, despite vowing too. I won't forgive him anymore, this time he definitely dies, whatever that old guy says.”

Nie Li was deeply lamenting himself...if he had gone all out and paid a bit of price he could have killed the man who had killed his father in law.

Nie Li looked to his side and saw Lu Piao and Du Ze. To his left a few meters away from him, a beautiful flawless face came into his field of vision.

She was Ye Ziyun. Although she is only thirteen or fourteen years old, she already looked slender and elegant with purple colored hair pouring down her back. Her still-childish face had very curious and sharp eyes that spoke of serious and model student.

Although still young, Nie Li knew that it wouldn't be long until she blossomed into a radiant beauty that could topple empires with a smile. Although she was studying incognito, she looked like exactly what she was: a young princess of the city.

In his first life, he had developed a crush on her since he saw her the first day in school. She had always been out of reach until the city was destroyed and the survivors dwindled on the road. Finding comfort in each other they fell in love an exchanged vows, hoping it wasn't in vane. She died because he was too weak.

The next time around he had set her as one of his goals, and with her desire to live up to her father and grandfather's example she respected Nie Li's knowledge of inscriptions and cultivation techniques. He hadn't managed to reunite with her after they split up going to they Dragon Ruins Realm, but he had disappointed her greatly when he refused to fight the Demon Lord who had slain her father.

“This time, I won't let you grieve...I don't care what the price will be...all who stand in my way will die....”

“I can't believe Master used a page of the Temporal Demon Spirit Book that had fused with me and send me back again...”

After lamenting a bit another flower that had been entangled by him caught his eye, Xiao Ning'er...seeing all these faces Nie Li drifted into reverie. He had failed her even more, he had ignored her feelings without rebuking her. Stringing her along hopelessly. If he had to admit to himself, he had been falling in love with her as he had been with Xiyun.

“I managed to change everything, my friends surpassed Legendary Rank, my family became a respected family in the city...why did it all get reset again? I endured and persevered and for what?!”

Some might have given up, but Nie Li didn't consider it for a second. “My last life did work well, but now I know I need to accelerate even faster to save Master, and prevent anyone from grieving again. Knowing all the secrets I discovered in my second life should help take the guess work out of things. So long as there are no complications...”

On the other side of the St. Ancestral mountains, a land written off as dominated by monsters, a thirteen or fourteen year old boy was dying in a pool of his own blood. Several other bodies lay strewn around him.

As the light faded from his eyes, a voice reached him “Suitable vessel located, beginning soul integration...25%...76%...100% Completed. Host Vessel damaged. Allocating Karma to authorize repair. 100% Complete...Warning unexpected side effect of healing vessel, Probable symptom: improved Cardiovascular health and internal tissue integrity. Evaluation: Acceptable.”

The boy coughed as his hair changed color from a dull green to a deep red. Despite having been dieing seconds ago, his wounds had healed and he blinked around as disoriented as one would be. “Where am I?”

“Host has been incarnated into the world of Tales of Demons and Gods. Given that Host is familiar with this work, it was selected for integration for the host.”

“Wait, Tales of...TDG? Why was it selected?”

“Information is made available on a need to know basis only. Since host lacks both need and ability to comprehend even basic 8th-dimensional trigonometric equations, system will simply reply that Host was selected.”

“Okay, fair enough. But, I need to ask is this a reward, punishment, or is there some sort of task?”

“Replying to host: please consider it as a reward, though avoiding suffering is impossible completely. Host is correct in thinking there is some sort of task at hand, to use theological terms there is a karmic/sin imbalance originating in this realm and Host may be the perfect addition to tip the scales back into alignment.”

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“Are you referring to the Sage Emperor, guy?”

“He is a symptom, yes. If the one called Sage Emperor keeps growing it will create...to sum it all up would Host understand “Karmic Tumours” will spread to other universes?”

“I think I get the basis of it. I'm not sure what I can do about it tho. My home didn't have any cultivation...”

“Host doesn't have any specific mission requirements, instead Host will be directed to opportunities where tasks can be completed for 'points' which can then be used in a store. This includes cultivation manuals, martial arts, consumable items and more.”

The young boy, who used to be an adult man, examined the store and whistled.

Lani Seth

Age: 13

Soul Force: 35 (sub-Bronze)

Physical Force: 50

Mental Force: 30

GKP: 700,000

Lani Seth was adapting well enough to his situation. How he got here may have been a mystery, but as it had already happened he decided to act in a decisive manner.

Having woken up in a field of some alien world, it was easy for him accept his previous existence as the dream and this as the new reality.

“How am I going to live? How am I going to defend myself from the horrors of this world? That’s easy.” He formed a plan to head over to the scene of the story already in progress. Main characters in cultivation stories were sometimes like savage sociopaths compared to modern earth society.

Nie Li would hold grudges and favours tightly in his heart. His enemies would be crushed, and his friends would be defended and raised up.

Of all the people in this realm, Lani Seth alone could appreciate Nie Li’s power. “Computer, which time frame am I in? Is this Nie Li’s first or second time through.” The answer was not forth coming as the voice was silent.

This made Lani Seth nervous. The story of Tales of Demons and Gods started followed Nie Li. At first a terrible talent doomed him to a life of mediocrity. Mocked and bullied in school, surpassed and pitied by his friends, Nie Li would watch his home town burn when the monster hordes finally broke through the walls.

From there he would loose his friends and family as the survivors escaped only to dwindle. His childhood crush Ye Xiyun and he would comfort each other and marry while on the run from demons. But even this blissful moments only served to become a knife as Xiyun would die.

Nie Li wanted to vent his rage and helplessness and began a journey to gather strength. Eventually he would earn that strength after hundreds of years of training, battles, and adventures. He would sit on the pinnacle of the cultivation world. But in the end he would fail at the hands of the Sage Emperor, a cultivator who had gone so far as attempting to turn the entire world into cultivation resources.

Tales of Demons and Gods begins with Nie Li being sent backwards in time to his thirteen year old self after falling in his last battle. With the experience and comprehensive knowledge of cultivation he gathered over the years he was like a genius of geniuses and brought his friends to be the first Legendary-Rank demon Spiritualists in 500 years of the city’s history.

The city itself would go from declining into its doom to a new golden age as Nie Li would spread the wealth and knowledge, once he and his benefited and certain elements of society had been removed in a permanent fashion.

Lani Seth sweated. The previous ‘plot’ of the novel is now either history or prophecy. The events perhaps serving as a guide of sorts.

Heaving a sigh of relief was all he could do when the voice eventually responded “Insufficient Data available. Host has yet to come into contact with any individuals, places, artifacts, or rumours which may have been directly or indirectly related to the plot. Recommend Host seeks out clues to provide better evaluations to answer this query.”

Disappointing, but not all unexpected as Lani Seth was infact not in Glory City at the moment. Still the answer may change his plans drastically. He’d probably help Nie Li regardless, but Lani Seth would have to take the lead if he wanted to avoid the destruction of Glory City and the hundreds of years of tragedy that he would share with Nie Li.

“Come to think of it, I don’t even know what year it is. I may have been brought to a previous time period long before Nie Li was born…Computer is right I need to gather clues and for that I need to get to Glory City!”

Fortunately the computer was much more accomadating after that. Missions were being generated which gave Lani GKPs in the store and expanded the Database of the system. The first was to identify his current location, which was satisfied by climbing the tallest landmark he could.

As the computer compared the land scape with Lani’s memory another thought occurred to him. “Is this the webnovel, the graphic novel, or the brief animated series. Because each one of those are slightly different to the other…sigh, yes I can already tell there isn’t enough data to guess that…”

When adapted to the graphic novel, extra details were added and reinterpreted to make the scenes come to life, while with the animated series an entire story block was added for some reason. The dreaded ‘filler’ episodes.

Three days later a skinny, grey haired teenager stumbled down the foot hills of Saint Ancestral mountains vowing to treat the system as his honored ancestor and savior from then on. Lani would have been moved by the sight of a village hamlet, but when he saw a large city with massive straight walls and vaguely eastern architecture he kowtowed on his knees at the sight of human civilation.

“Damn Tears! Let me look upon my new home clearly!” he scrubbed his eyes free.

If you’ll pardon the pun Glory city was before him in all its Glory. Seeing it with his own eyes it was quite impressive. Its founders and decendants believed them to be the last remnants of humanity after the demonic beasts rampaged after a few unlocked their wisdom. The architecture was an eclectic collection as if attempting to preserve differing styles to preserve humanity’s diverse thought.

But now wasn’t the time to admire architecture. When on a long journey the most dangerous point is right before your arrival. Avoiding beast nests and hunting grounds was easy, though Lani had to spend GKPs for a body and mind cultivation manual.

These were something which never appeared in TDG that he knew. Body refinement allowed him to run longer, leap farther, and punch and get punched harder. Somewhat, beasts were born stronger than humans and relied on packs and stealth as much as wild animals from earth did.

At best Lani would be considered a 2-star bronze Fighter by now. That was due to the suitability of his ‘repaired’ body, the excellence of this cultivation training method, and the constant days of activity across heavy terrain to get here. If he had a better diet he might have made it to a 4 star, but more than likely he’ll drop back to a 1 star once his body relaxes and looses the ‘pump’. This was because he hadn’t formed a Dantian in his heart.

Mental refinement polished and strengthened the nerve cells of his body before moving onwards to the brain itself. The first stages increased perceptivity, giving Lani his desperately needed edge in spotting and hiding from the demon beasts on his way. Mental energy was rarely mentioned in TDG proper, and Lani had hopes he could rely on it for an edge in battle.

The ‘normal’ cultivation manuals in TDG all dealt with strengthening the soul and preparing it for integrating the spirit of a demon. A Dantian is formed in one’s soul or about two inches below the belly button.

Of course Lani was tempted to cultivate all three body, mind, and soul, but first he needed to analyze it all properly and make sure he selected the most compatible training methods. Otherwise he could explode himself.

Lani had made his way to the mighty wall. Massive and stout, it looked like gods had redesigned the great wall of china but with European inspirations. Murder holes, portcullises, crenelations on both the 30 meter fighting deck and the 33 meter observation platforms above them gave Demon Spiritualists and commanders a good view of the enemy, and their men.

But it seemed empty, unguarded. The massive door was closed but the smaller recessed sallyport was wide open. As Lani made his way in he saw that the guards were at there post, but snoozing out of the sun. Lani felt sour about this. These guards only had to watch for a giant horde, which they didn’t need to be at the actual post at all.

“I know the security is mostly handled by gold-ranked demon spiritualists and above providing reconnaissance, but this is ridiculous…” was this because of incompetence or had they been told to stand down?

There was another factor Lani had to watch out for. The criminal organization known as the Dark Guild. To Glory city they had been an organized crime syndicate, but Lani knew they were a terrorist organization with ties to a completely different survivor kingdom.

Although the story never out and said it directly, its pretty safe to assume that the Dark guild was responsible for the attack that destroyed Glory city in Nie Li’s first life. In his second life Nie Li had made the city too much of a threat thus accelerating their time table, although Nie Li was able to repel them.

Excitement surged as Lani gawked about with shining eyes. After traveling for ten days alone Lani was jittery at the sight of markets with people. Although, he guessed that this was not Glory City proper, there were still many robust middle-aged men working in rice paddies and grain fields. A strange combination to Lani, but this was a different world.

He did have to marvel at the robustness of these farmers. Unlike most farmers of medieval earth, these fellows were massive. Barrel chested and thick of arm, an earth blacksmith would be put to shame.

These commoners would have been deemed useless to use Spiritual Cultivation resources on, but they would have still received training in Body Refinement, and would become ‘Fighters’ or general soldiers if the walls were ever attacked.

The women were likewise in great shape, despite being commoners from a farming community. They were all slender and moved with a confident grace. No one seemed too skinny nor too fat.

The only thing that marred the appearance of these ‘commoners’ was that their faces seemed either plain or tired. They were clearly used to being out in the weather for a long time as they were tanned.

Several hours past the farming community Lani had made it to the inner wall of Glory city. This one was more symbolic, reminding the people they were protected. The downtown area was where most of the market plazas and non-clan affiliated organizations were.

After walking for a fort-nite Lani snoozed in a tree while he circulated his energy around his lungs, heart, and legs to turn his exhaustion into training opportunity.

Honestly, he didn’t need to as a few simple stretching exercises would do, but he had gotten into the habit of circulating his energy whenever he took a break. He simply couldn’t resist messing with the internal energy every chance he got.

There were a slew of other better reasons, like he needed to get more familiar with such a concept to compete (and surpass) the other youths of his age. He also felt it wise to build good habits and rituals as he moved forwards, and even if it was only a little improvement mosquito meat is still protein.

Lani had stimulated his energy up and down his legs, sensing as he went.

Consulting with the system had yielded some insight on the information it could provide. It could only tell him information he already knew, but it could cross reference such information to provide new results.

His new body’s ability to sense energy which was probably either an evolutionary ability from living in such a world or it was the result of the system healing and ‘improving’ it when his soul was integrated with the lifeless husk.

Either way, the insight he gained from this ability plus anatomical knowledge that anyone with an internet connection might have picked up, morphed into a rather nifty body refinement method.

Inspiration took him one day and he had tried his best to remember as much biological and work out information as he could. Then he did the same for any memory and breathing techniques he could remember.

The result was a list of unnamed folders in his system. Each of these were new cultivation technique which could supplement the existing Spiritualist cultivations (which he had yet to aquire). “If I could be satisfied with being a fighter this would be great, but these are only supplementary in this world. Demon Spiritualists are the true heroic figures in this world…”

This energy sensory perception and the system made for a rather impressive research and development system. But it was limited by his insight, knowledge, and time. All of which he had been running out of as he approached the city.

Now that he was here he couldn’t help but stop and wonder. “What the heck should I do now?”

Lani didn’t want to catapult to the top of the cultivation world, nor was he driven to “crush your enemies! See them driven before you! And hear the lamentations of their women!”

Not completely, anyway. He was incredibly excited to learn cultivation and watch his power grow. He was definitely tempted by the adventurous life.

And, he wouldn’t have kept reading the Web novel, the manga, and watched the animated series time and time again if he didn’t find it charming, despite its flaws.

But as much as he wanted to meet and hang out with the characters and sharing in the adventures he only read about, this world was dangerous. He would like to say leave the main plot line to Nie Li while Lani got comfortable in Glory City chatting up some of the side-girls who Nie Li ignored. There were some problems with such an irresponsible attitude.

Problem 1: Glory City is scheduled for demolition by demonic horde five years after Nie Li entered Holy Orchid Institue’s academy.

Problem 2: Lani had no money, no connections or reliances, and no cultivation.

Problem 3: Glory City is infested with criminal elements who routinely make people with unique knowledge ‘disappear’ and together with Sacred family have been undermining the city for years.

Problem 4: That pesky Sage Emperor hangs like a mysterious shadow outside of time threatening to break loose and devour everything.

Lani, by virtue of reading the story before, knew what was coming. He had no choice but to make contact and support the only person who could stop such a thing from happeneing.

But how to determine that…bmmpf! “Watch where you’re standing! Are you blind?! HUH?!”

Knocked out of his reverie by a rude person, Lani picked himself up off the street in time to see his ‘attacker’ trotting away. He had only said a few rude words in passing and none of them sounded like apologies.

Indignation died as Lani got a look at the fellow. A large whicker basket for a ruck sack was tied to his back and a wide brim bamboo hat covered a heavily tanned face. Several small crossbows were fastened with bolt quivers in the basket ruck sack. The boy was close to Lani’s own age in appearance.

Lani snarled “HEY! You run into people and curse at them for being wrong! Ever hear about an apology? NEH?!” that caught the punk off guard and he reflexively stepped back.

“Ah, calm down, calm down, its only a little bump…sorry I’m in a hurry!” From belligerent to simpering in an instant, this punk truly had little to no shame.

“Well, then! Alright, I’ll let it go with this…” but the punk was already gone. Lani pretended to be flabbergasted, but he felt he found a good lead.

One of Nie Li’s good brothers was Liu Piao. He was one of those honest tramps who’d do more for their friends than they would for themselves. The kind who would toast in a raucous manner in saloons. But now he was in his early teens.

If that was Liu Piao, and he was carrying crossbows for six people, as he rushed somewhere in the afternoon…Than Lani was reasonably certain that Nie Li had already come back! And that means the story’s plot is in progress.

Sigh. Relieved Lani released his breath he hadn’t known he was holding. If this was the former Life where Nie Li wouldn’t have come back, Lani didn’t know what to do. That timeline had been hinted at in the story, but it was a bleak time where everyone kept dieing.

But fortunately, Nie Li had come back now, and brought with him all that knowledge he memorized while being stuck in Time Dilation for hundreds of years.

Looking to make some quick cash for training equipment, Nie Li would go to the enclosed training area and hunt demon goat/deer things. Although they were weaker than their prey, Nie Li would smear special toxins on crossbow bolts to kill them easily.

Lani’s eyes lit up. They would be hunting for about 8 days or so, and near the end Nie Li would encounter…her. That would be the best time to make contact.

And to meet his personal favorite character of the series.  Xiao Ning, of the Winged Dragon Clan.