“What place is this?”

Li Wan slowly opened his heavy eyes, gazing upon a room that felt both strange and oddly familiar. The walls were adorned with characters formed by double happiness, and red satin ribbons decorated the space. Inside, there was a bed, a table, and a dressing table meant for a woman. The distant sounds of gongs and drums hinted that this might be a newlywed’s chamber.

“What’s going on? Didn’t I die?”

Just as Li Wan attempted to rise, a sharp pain surged through his head, causing him to slump back onto the chair. He cradled his head as memories from not long ago flashed before him like a revolving lantern.

The lights had just come on, and the gongs were deafening. In the ancient ruins, he had boldly slain the holy king of the demon clan and retrieved the long-lost treasure of humanity, the “Zhi Bao.” He had earned the title of king and married his beloved Tang Leyin, creating a tale worthy of eternal singing.

But who could have predicted that joy would turn to sorrow? On the day of the grand wedding, the very brothers who had once sworn to fight alongside him in the wilderness had conspired against him with treachery instead.

“Brother Wan!” In the chaos, he saw his newlywed wife, trembling in a pool of blood, her neck pressed by the traitor's sword.

Once an invincible Li Wan could only watch in rage as helplessness consumed him.

“Hand over the Archaic Tower. In light of our previous friendship, I might spare her life.”

The traitor’s expression was cold, just as it had always been when confronting Li Wan.

Tang Leyin was Li Wan’s only weakness! “Brother Wan, goodbye.”

Just as Li Wan was about to surrender the Archaic Tower, Tang Leyin offered a sad smile, her body swaying lightly, a beauty extinguished.

“Ha ha ha, Youkuang, though I die, you will never get the Archaic Tower!”

In his grief and fury, Li Wan poured out his last strength onto the nine-layered Archaic Tower, and in an instant, terrible light filled the world.

“Ha, you ultimately die by my hand.”

Youkuang slightly lowered his head, pain flickering in his eyes as he clutched Tang Leyin's corpse and fractured reality to escape.

Li Wan knelt on the ground, his long hair scattered and dancing with the wind, a self-mocking smile breaking across his face. “Leyin, if there is a next life, would you still marry this heartless man?”

As the excruciating pain gradually subsided, Li Wan regained his composure and scanned his surroundings. Although this room was indeed a bridal chamber, it was definitely not the one he had shared with Tang Leyin.

“Leyin!”

Li Wan hesitated for a moment before calling out, but there was no response.

“What on earth happened?”

He attempted to probe with his divine sense, only to perplexedly find that he could feel nothing of its presence. Wanting to summon his true energy, he internalized his vision, only to discover that his once vibrant dantian was now but a parched pool, indicating a complete loss of cultivation. Oddly, however, a nine-layered ancient tower floated above the dry basin.

“Isn’t this the Archaic Tower retrieved from the ruins?”

The Archaic Tower was a treasure of humanity, one of the reasons for the betrayal he faced.

Li Wan re-examined his surroundings, the familiar feeling growing stronger. He seemed to recall something and stepped out of the room, finding himself in an exquisite courtyard adorned with orange lanterns and green bricks draped with willow trees.

A sense of déjà vu flooded his mind.

“This seems like the place I entered the family as a child. This place should have been burned to ashes long ago.”

Distant memories awakened.

In Jiangcheng, the Lin, Liu, and Li families stood prominent, with the Liu family leading. Li Wan was the sole son of the renowned Li family head. Such a status should have promised immense glory, yet fate had played a wicked joke on him—his dantian had inexplicably faltered, leaving him unable to cultivate. Not even half the family's resources could uncover a remedy.

For an ordinary person, being unable to cultivate might not be significant, as the chance of becoming a cultivator was but one in ten. Nevertheless, Li Wan’s noble identity became a fatal shackle.

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“The future head of the Li family is an incapable waste!”

Whether intentional or not, such derisive remarks spread far and wide, and he sank into despair, living a shadowy existence.

Coincidentally, Lin Cui, the eldest daughter of the Lin family, had reached the terrifying peak of postnatal cultivation at the tender age of sixteen, becoming the center of admiration, in stark contrast to Li Wan.

It was only as Li Wan approached adulthood that the demon clan launched an unprovoked invasion. A grand war loomed, and the powerful guardians protecting the Li family perished in the fray. Losing their guardians, the once-mighty Li family began to decline, nearly losing their status among the Three Great Families due to the scheming Liu family.

At that time, the Lin family, initially intending to watch from the sidelines, suddenly received a marriage proposal from the Liu family—the intended bride was none other than Lin Cui.

An ancient saying goes: when rabbits die, foxes mourn. Realizing the gravity of the situation, the head of the Lin family made the decision to solidify an alliance with the Li family, yet not in a typical manner—he demanded that the Li family marry into theirs.

Of course, the Li family, grasping at a lifeline, dared not refuse.

As a waste and the son of the family head, Li Wan became the best candidate for this forced marriage.

Looking back at the past filled him with melancholy. Those formidable beings from his childhood now seemed no greater than ants.

“Is that person’s illusion magic?” Li Wan mumbled, a flicker of hope igniting within him as he slowly moved to explore other parts of the courtyard.

“Tap, tap, tap.” At that moment, the sound of footsteps echoed as a slightly portly middle-aged man approached, his expression one of despondency.

But Li Wan was utterly stunned.

“Father!”

Under the faint moonlight, the slightly pudgy man bore an uncanny resemblance to Li Wan’s father, Li Zhen, who had died over a thousand years ago—even the mole at the corner of his eye was identical.

Could it be the effect of illusion magic?

Though Li Wan entertained this thought, his body acted on its own, stumbling forward into Li Zhen’s embrace.

A torrent of regrets, yearning, and guilt from a millennium coalesced, instantly shattering his psychological defenses; he could no longer think of anything else.

“My foolish child…” Li Zhen managed to force a faint smile, tenderly stroking Li Wan's back.

“I’m so sorry. This is a decision made by those old fools, and your father can do nothing to help you. Oh, by the way, did you use the Qingxian Powder?”

At these words, Li Wan was engulfed in confusion.

He recalled that the Qingxian Powder was given to him by the clan’s elder, meant to compensate for the losses of his marriage into the family.

At that time, Li Wan had been grateful to the elder, only to realize afterward that it was a deadly poison.

He had almost crossed into the realm of death, saved only by the tremendous efforts and sacrifices of the Lin family, yet he was subsequently left with lasting repercussions that affected his later cultivation.

One lingering confusion had remained: if the Lin family looked down upon him, why did they save this waste?

It would be long before he understood.

If he had died, the alliance between the two families would undoubtedly unravel, providing the Liu family with the excuse to propose marrying Lin Cui, plunging the Lin family into crisis.

The people involved in this incident had long since perished, and Li Wan had never shared it with anyone. If everything happening now was indeed the result of illusion magic, it was too far-fetched.

Suddenly, Li Wan was struck with a wild thought. Taking a deep breath, he recited the answer he remembered giving at that time, “The medicine was indeed used, and its effects were quite remarkable.”

“Wan’er, your father didn’t take it. I can only secure this little bit for you now.”

Li Zhen gently pulled Li Wan into his embrace, his heart aching.

This reaction…

Was just like back then. Though it felt unbelievable, could it be that he had been reborn?

Had the Archaic Tower brought him back?

Li Wan’s face lit up with joy, but out of caution, he asked some questions only he would know, to which the Li Zhen before him answered without hesitation.

This truly is his father! Li Wan was overwhelmed with elation, managing to calm himself after a long moment, his gaze resolute as he said, “Father, there’s no need for self-blame. The elder and the others were merely forced by circumstance.”

As he spoke, a hint of coldness tinged Li Wan’s voice.

He remembered before his rebirth, when his father had been offered as a "gift" to the Liu family to appease them in the face of their impending destruction. Sadly, the next day, the Liu family still annihilated the Li clan.

Li Zhen froze, sensing an unfamiliarity in the son before him, who seemed more confident now.

“My child has grown up.”

He displayed a smile of satisfaction, though his expression soon darkened. “This is the Lin family; your father cannot linger here too long.”

Li Wan smiled faintly. “Father need not worry. I have my own opportunities; marrying into the family is not a bad thing.”

“Hmm…” A bitter smile appeared on Li Zhen's face as he departed.

Having accepted the reality of rebirth, Li Wan gazed at the endless night sky outside, clenching his fists. “This time, I will leave no regrets.”

Li Wan took out a small porcelain vial from his pocket, his smile turning sharp.

Just as he was lost in contemplating his next steps, someone pushed open the door and entered.

“Where is the son-in-law?”

The newcomer was a monkey-like butler, his face twisted as if the entire world owed him.

“Miss has tasked me to inform you that she won’t be returning tonight.”

“Let me add a bit more. The miss will have matters every night from now on. You should understand your value and abandon any untimely thoughts.”

“The Lin family does not raise waste. Since you cannot cultivate, you shall come with me to chop firewood, and you may as well stay there.”

“In conclusion, you are not permitted to leave the estate without permission. Understand?”

The butler's tone resembled that of instructing a newly hired servant, lacking any hint of respect.

Li Wan vaguely recalled that this butler had often bullied him after his marriage, nitpicking on various faults, and his first act after gaining strength would surely be to eliminate this pest.

Yet a millennium had passed, and now, facing this person again, his heart remained calm, perhaps even amused by his past cowardice.

“What are you dawdling for?”

The butler glared.

Li Wan parted his lips. “While I'm in a good mood, I suggest you make yourself scarce.”