Despite the blinding light from outer space and the mysterious sound still echoing in his mind, Gu Tian found himself standing at the window of his past room, gazing at the tranquil night sky.
The night air of the past was indeed beautiful, still carrying the exact same fresh scent as when his soul first arrived in this world. A deep disbelief still enveloped him; he had truly returned.
For a moment, leaning against the window with his arms folded, he felt the illusion of freedom from the catastrophe that awaited him in the future.
However, that tranquility felt fragile, a pause before the inevitable storm would strike his young body.
Not long after he gazed at the night sky, his young body suddenly felt an excruciating pain.
He collapsed to the floor, enduring the pain by biting his lip until blood dripped onto the floor. His hands clenched so tightly that his own nails tore through the skin, and blood began to flow little by little.
Screams erupted from his mouth, startling the birds resting in the trees, causing them to fly away in disarray.
Gu Tian tried to suppress his screams, opening his mouth to speak with difficulty.
"I-Is this the consequence of the technique I cultivated for 500 years...?"
That night felt long with the continuous torment of pain.
The agony lasted for an hour, causing him to lose a great deal of blood.
His face turned pale and dry, and a large puddle of liquid formed on the floor.
His once white clothes had now turned a dark red, covered in stains.
The overwhelming smell of blood, acrid and with a hint of rust, filled the entire room with an unpleasant aroma.
Gu Tian lay weak and helpless, trying to get up but unable to.
His body could no longer bear it; he felt like he would die for the second time, but he didn't die, he only fainted.
...
Everything was pitch black, no sound, only emptiness.
Sounds began to emerge slowly, like a sword cutting through something.
The smell of blood became noticeable, and a heat began to be felt.
Gu Tian opened his eyes and saw himself in his first life, having killed many people with his soul sword.
They screamed in agony as the sword struck them.
In that scene, Gu Tian smiled as he heard the sounds of innocent human suffering.
Flames raged everywhere, burning down all the buildings in that place.
His vision gradually blurred, and the flashback began to fade.
He slowly opened his eyes, looking around.
He was confused as to why he was on a bed, and the blood on the floor had disappeared.
He felt something on his forehead, reached for it, and it was a fever compress.
Gu Tian sat up slowly, looking around his room, but no one was there.
He began to walk towards the window, his body still weak, his steps faltering as he tried to approach it.
Someone ran towards him and immediately held his body. It was Ming Yue, Gu Tian's 13-year-old younger sister.
Ming Yue and Gu Tian were only two years apart in age.
"Brother! Don't get up yet... your body isn't strong enough. I'm afraid something will happen to you again..." she said with concern and worry, her arm around her brother helping him back to his bed to rest.
Gu Tian whispered softly, almost inaudibly.
"What exactly happened...?" His weak body, pale face, and several wounds on his body made Gu Tian feel like it was the worst nightmare he had ever experienced.
Ming Yue went out to get some medicinal herbs and porridge for her brother.
Ming Yue had taken some herbal medicine and also the porridge.
As she was about to feed her brother the porridge, her brother began to ask her.
"Ming'er... What exactly happened when I fainted?" Gu Tian's voice was weak and soft, his gaze empty, seemingly adding to the pain he was experiencing.
Ming Yue didn't answer immediately; instead, she felt sad seeing her brother so helpless.
With a heavy heart, she spoke to her brother.
"I saw you lying on the floor with some wounds, and I'm not sure what exactly happened," she said in an awkward tone. "But I saw something strange when you fainted. I saw a spiral mark, its shape like broken time."
Gu Tian was slightly surprised by what Ming Yue said.
He felt certain it was related to the technique he had used.
Gu Tian looked at Ming Yue with weary eyes and a pale face, speaking slowly. "Can you help me recover quickly?"
"I... I don't know, but I'm ready to help you, so what help do you need?" Ming Yue said with bright, eager eyes, ready to accept all of Gu Tian's commands.
Gu Tian smiled. He took a piece of paper and wrote something on it that read: "Please find me the 'Mad Blood Seeker' plant. It's located in the western part of Mount Hua."
Gu Tian gave the paper to Ming Yue.
He entrusted Ming Yue to get the plant. After giving her the paper, Gu Tian turned around and rested on his bed.
Ming Yue read the writing and looked at her brother.
She really wanted to ask her brother what he needed that poisonous plant for, but she didn't want to question her weak brother.
She went out of her brother's room, preparing to go to the mountain with a rattan basket on her back and some food for the journey.
With determination, she stepped out of the Gu clan's gate towards Mount Hua.
Ming Yue passed through a bamboo forest; the wind began to whisper among the bamboo stalks, leaving a trail of cold mist on Ming Yue's skin.
She rubbed her goosebumped arms; the smell of damp earth and the bitter aroma of roots filled her nostrils.
After Ming Yue passed through the bamboo forest, she entered the Mount Hua area.
The bamboo forest had turned into tall grasses and large trees.
The journey she had taken was quite far.
Feeling tired and sweaty, she decided to rest under a tree.
Ming Yue began to take out some snacks and water; she began to eat and drink for a while.
While she was resting, she was startled by the appearance of an ice wolf.
Instantly, Ming Yue stood up and ran from that place, running as fast as she could.
She also occasionally looked back to check if the wolf was still chasing her or not.
The wolf ran very fast and was right behind Ming Yue. In just a moment, Ming Yue would be hit by its claws.
An ice sword flashed from behind the trees, freezing the air around it.
The female cultivator landed lightly, her robe fluttering, its floral motifs shimmering like morning dew. The ice wolf roared, but before its claws could touch Ming Yue, the woman had spun around, blocking the wolf's claw attack.
Ming Yue, tired and trembling from being chased by the wolf, stopped with heavy breaths, watching the quite fierce battle between the wolf and a female cultivator who had charming brown hair and beautiful clothes with flower motifs.
The woman told Ming Yue to go to a safe place while she fought the wolf.
The woman's sword moved like a deadly dance; each slash left a trail of ice crystals in the air.
Ming Yue couldn't believe it: her movements resembled her brother's signature move, but more brutal.
As the wolf lunged, the woman instead smiled coldly before freezing the beast's head with a terrifying swing of her sword technique.
Ming Yue watched the fight between the wolf and the cultivator.
Attack after attack was launched, wounding the wolf and causing it to flee.
Ming Yue stared in amazement and curiosity, muttering to herself. "Who is she...? Why is her fighting style similar to the Gu clan's secret technique?" But there was no chance to ask; the sword was already at her neck.
"Brother always protected me when I was little, and now that brother is sick, I'm the one in trouble," Ming Yue's tears slowly dripped to the ground.
She remembered an incident from the past that had scared her, but her brother had always helped her in difficult times, but now she was all alone without her brother by her side.
The woman drew her sword at Ming Yue's neck and asked, "Where do you come from and why are you in the Mount Hua area?"