Chapter 75: Three Lifetimes of Reincarnation—In This Life, I Wish to Become a Demon

Perhaps, the endings and fates of everything are hidden within hidden opportunities, yet our young hearts fail to perceive them. By the time we think the story will unfold as we wish, we no longer even have the right to remember.

There was endless darkness all around, with no end in sight. Liu Yi couldn’t tell whether he was in heaven or hell. He looked at his own body—had he died? But after death, one should go to the netherworld and drink the Mengpo soup. Why was he here? And what place was this? It was filled with darkness, yet it seemed as though power existed everywhere in that darkness.

Suddenly, a voice came from the darkness—familiar, warm, and full of nostalgia. It said, “You’ve arrived.”

Liu Yi turned sharply toward the source of the voice. It was him—Nie Ren.

Before him stood a man dressed in black armor. The material of his clothes seemed to be some kind of leather, but whenever he moved, it made a metallic sound. The man had distinct features—broad eyebrows, fierce eyes, a high nose, and a robust build. He wore black gloves and held that familiar sword—the “Sorrowful Dream” sword.

Liu Yi said, “I know you. You’re the Nie Ren who fought against Pangu.”

The man called Nie Ren suddenly smiled and nodded. “Of course. You surely know me, because you are me.”

Liu Yi stepped back abruptly. “What did you say?”

Nie Ren waved his hand lightly, and a stone table and two stone chairs appeared out of thin air. He continued, “Sit down. I’ll tell you everything you want to know. Perhaps, after hearing it, you’ll feel the urge to be revived.”

Liu Yi sat down gently and asked, “Where is this?”

Nie Ren also sat down and looked around. “This is in your dreams. Since you still have dreams, I am here.”

Liu Yi asked further, “What did you mean by what you just said? That I am you?”

Nie Ren looked at Liu Yi and replied, “Seven thousand years ago, I fought against Pangu and Nüwa. You must have seen it all—because of those four red jades on you.”

Liu Yi quickly looked at his neck, but there was no trace of the red jades. Seeing his reaction, Nie Ren smiled slightly. “There’s no need to look. That jade has already seeped into your blood. The dreams you’re having now are created by it.”

Liu Yi asked urgently, “Is that jade really that mysterious? What is it?”

Nie Ren sighed. “Seven thousand years ago, I fell in love with the sacred maiden of the divine race created by Pangu and Nüwa. Her name was Tian Nu. But Pangu, fearing my power, resolved to eliminate me. Eventually, he found an excuse to attack me.”

He paused for a moment before continuing, “What you saw in your dreams was the excuse Pangu used to attack me—gods and demons cannot fall in love. With the help of the Dragon Emperor, I defeated Pangu and Nüwa. But when I learned that Tian Nu was reincarnated in the mortal world, I fell from heaven.”

Liu Yi asked curiously, “Who is the Dragon Emperor?”

Nie Ren placed the ‘Sorrowful Dream’ sword on the table and said, “It’s this… Eight thousand years ago, Pangu created the heavens and earth and brought forth the first guardian beast—the Dragon Emperor. But Pangu lacked control over his power at the time, and as a result, he created a dragon with equal divine strength to himself.”
Liu Yi stared at the ‘Sorrowful Dream’ sword, feeling an overwhelming sense of familiarity.
Nie Ren continued, “Every living being has selfish desires, even gods. How could Pangu allow a dragon as powerful as himself to exist? Driven by his own greed, he turned against the Dragon Emperor.”
“The Dragon Emperor didn’t resist, because it was Pangu who created it. It believed Pangu must have his reasons for killing it. But in the moment of its death, it finally understood that it was killed due to the god’s greed. The Dragon Emperor left behind a sorrowful curse—wind howling, clouds weeping, the earth trembling. I shall become an eternal sword of sorrow, drinking your blood with the flow of time.”
Nie Ren paused for a moment before continuing, “Later, the god used his own power to recreate other guardian beasts such as the Heavenly Dragon and the Fire Phoenix. But no one knew that the most powerful of these guardian beasts had turned into the most sorrowful curse in the world—the ‘Sorrowful Dream’ sword.”
“And I was born with the emergence of the god’s heart demon. I am that heart demon. I obtained the ‘Sorrowful Dream’ sword and also fell in love with the holy maiden created by the god and Nüwa—the Heavenly Maiden. Yet fate decreed that I would suffer through three lifetimes of reincarnation.”
“In my second life, I became Wei Ling Feng. Fate seemed to have planned my path. I met the Heavenly Maiden from my past life—Qiong Yese from the Kunlun Immortal Clan. We fell in love. But how could two people be together amidst the suffering of three lifetimes? Eventually, with everyone else’s interference, we returned to the cycle of reincarnation.”
Suddenly, Nie Ren stopped and asked, “Do you know who I became in my third life?”
Liu Yi shook his head violently. “How could I know?”
Nie Ren stretched out his black fingers and pointed at Liu Yi. “You, Liu Yi.”
Liu Yi was shocked. He quickly shook his head. “No, how… how is that possible?”
Nie Ren continued, “Fate has arranged everything. You will meet the Heavenly Maiden again—her three reincarnations, namely Jillian in this life.”
Hearing Jillian’s name, Liu Yi’s heart ached terribly. He suddenly remembered what Jillian had said before dying: “Scholar, if one day Jillian dies, please don’t be sad… Look at the warm sunlight, the vast sky, the snow falling among the flowers, and listen to the wind and smell the fragrance. The world remains just as wonderful. Jillian’s departure hasn’t taken away your world. Please bury Jillian deep in your memories, will you?” Thinking of her words, his heart hurt even more.
Liu Yi stood up abruptly and shouted frantically, “No… I refuse fate’s arrangement. I won’t accept it.”
Nie Ren also stood up gently and said, “Does your heart ache? Do you want revenge? Those who once stopped us, those who took everything from us—don’t you want to kill them? Hypocritical gods, so-called good and evil.”

Liu Yi turned his head sharply, his eyes blood-red. “I think so, but I’m already dead. What right do I have to think about how to kill them?”
Nie Ren’s voice suddenly hardened. “No, you’re not dead. You’ve obtained my ‘Lanlifina Qing’—that jade. It has fully penetrated your blood. What flows through your veins now is the blood of the true demons, the blood of fury. If you wish, I’ll teach you the ‘Lanlifina Qing’ techniques and the ‘Four Sorrowful Styles’ to help you be reborn.”
Liu Yi looked at Nie Ren. “Why help me like this?”
Nie Ren replied calmly, “You are me, and I am you. There are no two separate beings here. What I want is revenge. And you have perfect swordsmanship and a perfect body. You can achieve what I desire.”
Liu Yi suddenly stepped back. “You want me to become a demon.”
Nie Ren continued, “The blood of true demons already flows through your veins. We have always been demons; that’s undeniable. Are you afraid? Don’t you want to change your fate and take control of your own life?”
Liu Yi shook his head violently. “I’m not afraid. All I want now is to kill those who took away my family and love, as well as that god who’s always controlled my fate. I refuse to be manipulated anymore. I’ve lost everything. All that remains in my heart is hatred. I want revenge… revenge…” His voice faded into silence.
Nie Ren suddenly burst into wild laughter—filled with sorrow and bitterness. “Let’s end the suffering of three lifetimes. Pick up the sword. I’ll teach you everything I know.”
Liu Yi slowly walked toward the sword, reached out, and firmly grasped ‘Sorrowful Dream.’ By now, sorrow had pushed the hatred in Liu Yi’s heart to its peak…