The morning air at the Gu Clan's main residence felt colder than usual. A thin mist shrouded the front courtyard, hovering low as if reluctant to leave the earth. The horses pulling the main carriage whinnied softly, their breath puffing white in the cold air, as if sensing that this journey was no ordinary one.
Gu Tian Li stood tall before the main gate. His long black robes billowed gently in the breeze. His face was cold, yet his eyes held a burden that could not be shared.
Before him, Ming Yue clutched her elder brother's arm tightly. Her face was filled with unconcealed anxiety.
"Brother… are you sure you want to go alone? Can't you take me too?" Ming Yue's voice was soft, almost breaking. Her eyes welled up, her lips trembled as she fought back her emotions.
Gu Tian lowered his head slowly, gently touching his younger sister's head. "The place I'm going to is not safe, Yue'er. If something happens to me… the Gu Clan still needs a successor. And you are one of the best candidates."
"But I don't care about that… I just want you to return safely," Ming Yue whispered, her tears falling one by one onto Gu Tian's arm.
Gu Tian sighed. Then he handed her an old jade pendant, shaped like a small dark spiral. "If you miss me, hold this tightly. As long as this is intact… it means I'm still alive."
Ming Yue clutched the pendant as if holding a piece of her brother's soul.
The atmosphere suddenly fell silent. Several Gu Clan elders bowed their heads, moved by the tenderness they rarely saw from a figure like Gu Tian, who in his previous life was a demon known for his coldness and cruelty.
Soon after, the main carriage began to move slowly. Iron wheels rolled over the cobblestone path, leaving behind the grand house that now felt even quieter.
The bamboo forest surrounding the outer part of the Gu residence sighed softly in the breeze, creating a soothing melody of nature. The chirping of small birds echoed, creating an illusion of peace.
This illusion of peace might soon be shattered.
The journey lasted for two days without significant obstacles. But as the group began to enter a narrow valley on the northern border, signs of danger began to appear.
The horses whinnied loudly and stopped abruptly. The once clear sky filled with stars turned cloudy, and the air around them grew tense. Light footsteps could be heard from behind the trees, followed by dark shadows leaping out from behind rocks and bushes.
Gu Tian, who was sitting on one of the escort carriages at the time, narrowed his eyes. His instincts screamed. Something was wrong.
"Stop," he said softly but firmly.
The carriage driver turned around, confused. "What's wrong, Young Master?"
Gu Tian did not answer. He got down and stood on the ground, closing his eyes for a moment to sense the spiritual fluctuations around him. The intruders' footsteps were too light. Too… trained.
"Impressive instincts… It seems you really have returned to the past, Demon Tian Li."
The deep, hateful voice emerged from behind the mist. A man with long white hair, wearing blood-red robes, appeared with calm steps. Behind him, more than twenty masked cultivators stood with a bone-chilling murderous aura.
"Han Lian," Gu Tian Li murmured, his lips curving into a cold smile.
Several Gu Clan elders immediately became alert. Gu Zhong, one of the combat elders, stepped forward with a serious face. "Reverse Blood Sect? What do you mean by attacking during a sacred journey to the Imperial Tournament?"
Han Lian chuckled briefly. "Sacred? A rotten clan like yours doesn't deserve to speak of honor."
His gaze sharpened, locking directly onto Gu Tian.
"You… I know you. In this era, no one knows who you really are. But I have seen you destroy our sect in the future. Your demonic aura is unforgettable."
Gu Tian's eyes flashed sharply. "So you were also swept up in the currents of time…"
Han Lian smiled vengefully. "And this time, I will reverse fate. Now, I will be the one to destroy you."
Gu Tian stepped forward. "If you want revenge, come when you are strong enough. Now, you are just wasting my time."
Han Lian raised his hand. "Kill everyone, except Gu Tian. He is mine."
The battle broke out. The night sky was filled with the light of spiritual techniques, the boom of explosions, and roars of anger. Gu Tian activated the Demonic Shadow Formation, his body transforming into a dark purple silhouette that moved swiftly among his enemies.
Three elders from the Reverse Blood Sect attacked him simultaneously. But Gu Tian's movements were difficult to catch. He slashed, struck, and crushed without hesitation.
In one move, he snapped an opponent's neck, then crushed another's spiritual core with a dark, glowing palm.
Han Lian stepped forward, challenging him directly.
"I will make you regret daring to return to the past."
Gu Tian sneered. "I have regretted it for a long time… I have discarded the shackles of regret and even pity. What remains unbroken are the shackles of fate."
The fight began, blow after blow shaking the earth, creating cracks in the ground and storms of energy. But just as they were about to reach the peak of their battle, Han Lian suddenly retreated.
"It's not time yet," he said, leaping onto a high rock. "I will come again, Gu Tian. And I will make sure you die by my hands."
And in an instant, the members of the Reverse Blood Sect began to disappear slowly into the mist.
Gu Tian stood in the middle of the ravaged battlefield. Blood dripped from the corner of his lips.
"Hahahaha… I will repay all of this twice over from what happened in the future. Han Lian!"
The night wind carried away ashes and fragments of earth, as if witnessing the oath being uttered.
Some Gu Clan members shivered, not only from the cold air but also from Gu Tian's words that sounded like a curse from a time they did not yet know.
"What does he mean… the future?" whispered one of the young disciples, trembling.
But no one dared to ask. They knew Gu Tian was no ordinary man. And the world he saw was not the world they knew.
That night, the group rested in the valley. Healers were busy treating wounds, while the elders set up protective formations.
Gu Tian sat cross-legged on a large rock, gazing at the starry sky. The wounds on his body had not yet healed, but the wounds in his heart… were much deeper.
"I must become stronger," he murmured softly. "Or everything will repeat itself…"
The wind in the valley blew colder than before. Gu Tian clenched his fist. In his mind, Ming Yue's face appeared, hurt, crying, and then disappearing in the flames of the future.
"Han Lian… if you could return… then others can too."
"Young Master."
Gu Zhong's voice broke the silence. The old elder stood behind him, his face covered in wounds and dust.
"We lost five people. Three guards and two young disciples."
Gu Tian looked at him, then nodded slowly. "Bury them with respect. We don't have much time to mourn."
Gu Zhong frowned. "Young Master… what did Han Lian mean by 'the future'? Are you—"
"It's not time yet, Zhong," Gu Tian interrupted coldly. "When the time comes, you will know. Now, we must move. The Imperial Tournament awaits."
Gu Tian then thought about how Han Lian could have returned to the past without being severely affected by the shackles of time. He felt that fate itself had caused all of this. And if fate could be defied, then the time to defy it had arrived.
The night grew later. Gu Tian lay on the grass and looked up at the sky. The constellations seemed calm, a stark contrast to the war raging within him.
"I will make sure these shackles of fate or time are shattered… and that Eternal Sovereign must also perish by my hands."