Chapter One: Night Dawn Mystery

Tonight, the stars and moon were shrouded, the pitch-black sky pressing down upon the earth with an invisible sense of oppression.

A bitter wind raged, whistling sharply through the empty mountain valley. In the endless darkness, only a single flame guarded the last sanctuary of purity.

Lying beside the campfire, Ye Xixuan instinctively wrapped himself tighter in the beast-hide blanket. The flickering firelight danced upon his young yet delicate features. Wisps of soft black hair fell across his brow, and though there was some dirt smeared on his cheeks, it could not conceal the pale, tender quality of his skin—one glance was enough to see he was a scion raised in nobility and comfort.

On his exposed left wrist was a black bracelet. At first glance, it looked like an ordinary piece of metal, utterly unremarkable, yet in the dim corner, it faintly glimmered with a strange halo.

In a haze, Ye Xixuan’s long lashes trembled, his eyes slowly opening. The firelight that met his gaze seemed in an instant to transform into a sea of blood, jolting him awake. Immediately afterward, two completely distinct sets of memories surged into his mind.

One belonged to a distant past life; the other was from this life, and was etched far more vividly and painfully.

“Tianling City, the Ye Family…”

Tianling City was ranked among the top three cities of the Celestial Soul Empire, the largest city in the central region. The Ye Family was the city’s most powerful soul master clan—though its legacy stretched back only two centuries and was not as ancient as those top soul master sects, within the family resided a Title Douluo-level expert.

Yet even such a powerful family was annihilated overnight, so swiftly that even the Lord of Tianling City failed to notice in time.

Only Ye Xixuan was saved, thanks to the combined efforts of his elders, who exhorted him to flee to Shrek Academy in the southeastern Celestial Soul Empire for sanctuary, to continue the family’s bloodline and honor.

He had only recently awakened his martial soul—a powerful weapon, mutated for the better, with innate full soul power. This made him the family’s hope.

A soul master born with full innate power, at the tenth rank, possessed a physique far stronger than the average adult.

Barring unforeseen incident, Ye Xixuan would need at most five days to reach Shrek City and the safety of Shrek Academy. Yet, driven by searing pain and hatred, he unexpectedly awakened memories of his past life, piercing the mystery of his own birth. The shock to his spiritual sea caused him to collapse deep within the Tianling Mountains.

All memory ceased there.

"You’re awake?!"

At that moment, a delighted, clear voice called out. Its melodious sound made Ye Xixuan’s body tense instantly. He turned in a swift motion, crouching with his left hand pressed to the ground, his face wary as he glanced behind.

His pitch-black eyes were as deep as an abyss, his entire aura seeming to merge with the darkness, cold and unfathomable as death.

From his chest, black demonic patterns spread outward, snaking over his limbs and face, giving Ye Xixuan a demonic, intimidating aura.

The Ye Family had secured its place in Tianling City for over a century, relying on the powerful dark-element martial soul passed down through its line.

Any elemental martial soul was already considered top-tier, exceedingly pure and high-level in nature. Martial souls of tangible elements like fireball or nether lightning were, by comparison, less impressive.

Ye Xixuan’s martial soul not only fully inherited the dark element’s attributes but manifested in a unique form.

His martial soul was his own shadow. More precisely, it should be called the Shadow of the Heart Demon—so intrinsic that it could even be classified as a body martial soul. After all, a shadow is part of one’s body, their counterparts on different planes.

The demonic patterns across Ye Xixuan’s body were a gifted ability awakened with his martial soul, named the Heart Demon Mark. This alone spoke to the strength of his gift.

This innate power amplified all his attributes, not only physical ones like strength and speed, but also the prowess of his martial soul and soul skills.

The Shadow of the Heart Demon was not a beast martial soul, yet the Heart Demon Mark granted him an ability akin to beast martial soul possession—and even more potent. Once he obtained soul rings in the future, this advantage would only grow.

The Shadow of the Heart Demon possessed qualities of body, element, and beast martial souls, making it a rarity among martial souls. Yet before he could mature, the Ye Family suffered its tragic annihilation.

Following the direction of the voice, Ye Xixuan saw the newcomer.

A girl of about ten years stood before him, her long black hair tied into a ponytail cascading down her back, her budding figure wrapped in a pale blue martial outfit. Her dark eyes were large and lively, her nose tall and delicate, her face perfectly oval—though still young and tender, she exuded an aura of ethereal grace that made one feel instantly drawn to her.

She held a bundle of dry branches in her arms. Startled by the oppressive aura of Ye Xixuan’s martial soul, she froze. A bright yellow ring of light instinctively rose at her feet, and blue vines swiftly unfurled from her body, spreading over the rocky ground.

"Blue Silver Grass…"

Ye Xixuan’s gaze lingered on the girl’s face and the unmistakable Blue Silver Grass martial soul. Memories of his past life surfaced, and he began to have a faint suspicion regarding her identity.

Perhaps fearing she’d frightened him, the girl set down the branches and withdrew her martial soul. She hurried to his side, concern flooding her features.

"Little brother, why did you come to the Tianling Mountains? You were lying unconscious on the road all alone. Where is your family?"

"I have no family left. Only myself remains," Ye Xixuan replied softly, lowering his gaze. Having gradually digested the memories of two lives, his temperament had become much steadier, and he no longer reacted as intensely as before.

The girl’s eyes reddened as if recalling something, and she hugged Ye Xixuan tightly, not caring in the slightest about the demonic patterns covering him like the tattoos of a fiend.

"I have no family either."

"Thank you for saving me. My name is Ye Xixuan. What is your name, sister?"

Touched by her innocence and kindness, Ye Xixuan relaxed, withdrawing his Heart Demon Mark and confirming his suspicions.

"Ye Xixuan—a lovely name," the girl said, loosening her embrace. Sharing in his sorrow, she brushed away a tear and smiled, a radiance that seemed to outshine the world.

"My name is Tang Ya, from the Tang Sect of Heaven Dou City."

Though he had been prepared, hearing her introduce herself still left Ye Xixuan momentarily stunned.

Tang Ya of the Tang Sect…