Di Yan [Reborn]

Before being reborn, Ning Yan was Ning Fei Xie, the overbearing Demon Emperor of the Southern Wasteland. He did as he pleased and made countless enemies, yet believed he had never wronged two people. One was Yuan Xing He, now the sect leader of Kunlun. The other was Fang Jue Chen, the disciple he had snatched from Yuan Xing He. Back then, after Yuan Xing He invited him to work together on deducing a Heaven-grade cultivation technique, he discarded Ning Yan like trash, then used their work to secure the position of Kunlun sect leader. In a fit of rage, Ning Yan attacked Kunlun with his sword and took away Fang Jue Chen, then the foremost young cultivator of his generation and Yuan Xing He's most prized disciple. Ning Yan personally raised Fang Jue Chen into a formidable figure among the demons. Before ascending to face his tribulation, he even revealed his vital weakness to Fang Jue Chen so he could defend himself against the righteous sects' planned assault. But the day before Ning Yan's ascension and tribulation, Fang Jue Chen ran him through the heart with a sword. A little disappointed, Ning Yan used the demonic clan's supreme treasure, the Yuan Chen Jade. His soul traveled a thousand miles and possessed a recently deceased youth, allowing him to be reborn. Starting over and rising from humble beginnings had its own appeal. He even met a little fox spirit named Lin Xue Chu, who clung to him all day long. Ning Yan had always thought his heart was long dead, but the affection in the little fox's eyes was unlike anything he had seen from Yuan Xing He or Fang Jue Chen. So in the end, Ning Yan kept him by his side. Ning Yan devoted himself to breaking through the boundaries of the world and ascending. At last, one day, his name became famous. Fang Jue Chen, now the Southern Wasteland's Imperial Lord, abducted him. Dressed in an imperial robe embroidered with dragons, Fang Jue Chen looked as handsome as ever. He stood beside the crystal coffin containing Ning Yan's previous life's body and asked in a deep voice, "So you knew all along and deliberately let me kill you to pass your tribulation?" Ning Yan looked up at him. "You've become an emperor. What more could you want?" Fang Jue Chen asked, "What would have happened if I hadn't killed you back then?" Ning Yan smiled faintly. "Perhaps the demonic realm would have gained an empress." Fang Jue Chen said, "It's not too late now." Ning Yan replied coolly, "The Southern Wasteland's Imperial Lord is Ning Fei Xie. What does his empress have to do with me, Ning Yan?" Fang Jue Chen's eyes turned bloodred. He clenched his fists so hard he nearly crushed the bones in his hands. That winter, as snow fell thickly, Yuan Xing He also arrived on a flying crane, looking every bit the immortal. "Ning Fei Xie, you once said that if you could live your life over, you might join Kunlun." Ning Yan laughed freely, put an arm around Lin Xue Chu, and strode away. "What Ning Fei Xie said has nothing to do with Ning Yan." Later, Ning Yan ascended and became an emperor. Lin Xue Chu, now a nine-tailed celestial fox, embraced him with his nine soft tails. A purple immortal mark adorned his brow, and he looked stunning and otherworldly as he asked leisurely, "Ning Yan, do you only like me for my face?" Ning Yan opened his eyes and gazed at him with a faint smile. "I like your beautiful tails too. Is that enough?" Theme: The path to the Great Dao stretches endlessly, and the journey is boundless.