After being reborn, you must first reconcile with your ex

Above the Central Continent, under countless terrified gazes, humanity’s last hope, “Martial Saint” Shangguan Xue, plummeted from the sky.

Battered and bruised, she mused, ‘Thank goodness I wore red; the blood won’t show.’

“Cough…”

Coughing up a mouthful of blood, Shangguan Xue looked around, only to see familiar faces now lifeless corpses.

Hovering before her were the culprits: some human, others merfolk—half-human, half-fish—and even the twisted, indescribable Nightmare Clan.

This was a war, and Shangguan Xue’s side had been decisively defeated.

The pair who struck her down consisted of a man and a woman; the man, Hao Jin, had led this horde of monsters and demons, allied with various human noble families, in their assault on the Central Continent.

Hao Jin, his blue hair flowing freely, raised his crimson spear, which pulsed as it drank fresh blood, and spoke with an air of righteous indignation and unwavering justice.

“You people,” he declared, “have defied the natural order, wreaked havoc upon the world, and allowed those born lowly commoners to cultivate like noble families. Your crimes are unforgivable; you deserve nothing less than death…”

“Oh, just shut up,” Shangguan Xue retorted, casually wiping her face. ‘If I got a dollar every time I heard someone spouting nonsense right before I died, I’d have four dollars by now.’

“…What?” Hao Jin, his victory speech abruptly interrupted, displayed a flicker of confusion.

“Indeed, it’s quite strange, but it has happened four times,” Shangguan Xue affirmed, nodding profoundly in understanding of his confusion. “However, only three of those times involved you.”

“Huh?” Hao Jin grew even more bewildered.

At this moment, the silver-haired woman behind him impatiently patted his arm, urging Hao Jin to dispatch Shangguan Xue swiftly, lest the night grow long and dreams emerge.

Yet Shangguan Xue granted Hao Jin no opportunity to strike; in the very next second, she drew her blade and slit her own throat. Along with the gushing blood, a bizarre smile blossomed on her face.

This Martial Saint, who had dominated the world for years and was hailed as the “foremost close-combatant under heaven,” left her enemies with an enigmatic message.

“We shall meet again… in the next cycle.”

****

Bang! A fierce gust of wind, carrying a torrential downpour, slammed against the window of a small hut, startling one of the world’s most powerful individuals—”Martial Saint” Shangguan Xue—awake.

Throughout this world, only those who had reached the pinnacle of cultivation, the Creation Realm, could be termed a “Saint.” The Creation Realm, from its weakest to strongest stages, was further divided into Minor Attainment, Major Attainment, and Peerless Perfection.

Shangguan Xue was precisely one such Peerless Perfection expert of the Creation Realm.

Startled awake from her midday nap, Shangguan Xue stared at the window, taking several minutes to regain her bearings.

One moment she had been standing before Hao Jin; the next, she found herself back in a stormy midday, twenty years in the past.

“I’m back…” she murmured. ‘Failure was, admittedly, expected.’

Shaking her head helplessly, Shangguan Xue flicked her finger, igniting a spiritual candle. Under its flickering light, she picked up paper and pen to sort through her tumultuous memories.

‘Counting my transmigration from Earth to this world, this is already my fourth rebirth.’

With a sigh, Shangguan Xue muttered to herself.

‘Ugh, I’m almost forgetting what Earth was like. All I remember is listening to my boss spout nonsense in a meeting right before I died.’

‘He should really be grateful I can’t go back, otherwise, I’d have long since chopped that bastard down with a single stroke. Meetings, meetings, always these damn meetings!’

Grumbling twice, Shangguan Xue continued to write furiously.

‘My subsequent three rebirths were all connected to Hao Jin, who gathers all of humanity’s destiny. This man is a Child of Destiny, the Chosen One…’

‘And judging by his actions, he also seems to be a transmigrator, though I don’t know which country he’s from.’

‘If he’s from the same homeland as me… then that means he’s an illiterate scoundrel!’ Shangguan Xue, who hailed from China on Earth, cursed under her breath.

‘The first time, he led the Xiye Dynasty, allied with the Merfolk and Nightmare clans, and defeated us. I ultimately died in battle.’

‘The Child of Destiny for humanity, allied with foreign races to attack humanity. What kind of scum is this guy?’ She couldn’t help but let out a cold laugh.

Her face etched with disdain for Hao Jin, she continued to organize her memories through writing.

‘The second time, I tried to strike first and eliminate him in his infancy. As a result, I suffered a backlash and lost my life instead.’

‘Heh, to be able to cause a backlash against me, a Peerless Perfection expert of the Creation Realm, means someone helped him… And they weren’t from this world; they were from the heavens.’

‘The third time was just now…’

Shangguan Xue, lost in the depths of her memories, stopped writing, her pen hovering above the paper. A moment later, ink dripped from the nib, blooming into a blot on the page, yet it failed to rouse her from her reverie.

Not until the wind and rain once more slammed against the window with a resounding crash did she finally emerge from her memories, resuming her writing with swift, flowing strokes.

‘In this life, relying on the advantage of rebirth, I proceeded cautiously, step by step, seizing every opportunity, and finally gained an advantage.’

‘Alas, what a pity; the final decisive battle was still lost.’

Although she said this, Shangguan Xue’s face showed no trace of dejection; instead, it held a hint of joy.

‘The good news is, through this life’s trials and probing, I’ve gathered ample intelligence and also found a way to defeat the Child of Destiny.’

‘Now, I already have a plan for victory…’

‘The only problem is, I need the cooperation of my four ex-girlfriends.’

Then Shangguan Xue repeatedly banged her head on the table with a “thump, thump, thump,” her eyes filled with utter despair.

‘Ugh, this is going to be incredibly difficult. We’ve all broken up, and I was the one who initiated it… I’m a little scared.’

Theoretically, as the strongest cultivator in the world, Shangguan Xue should have nothing to fear.

But the problem was, all four of these women were also Peerless Perfection cultivators of the Creation Realm, making them among the strongest in the world.

If the four of them decided to beat Shangguan Xue, she would have no choice but to meekly endure it.

‘If I had known, I wouldn’t have broken up with them back then…’ At the mere thought of it, Shangguan Xue felt utterly exhausted.

But then she reconsidered; Hao Jin’s actions had not only led to her own death but also to the deaths of all four of them in battle, and indeed, the suffering of all humanity.

A sudden flash of inspiration struck Shangguan Xue, and she abruptly lifted her head, nearly spraining her neck.

‘So, I’m not seeking them out for my own sake, but to ensure their survival, and to prevent Hao Jin from wreaking havoc upon the world!’

‘This is a noble spirit of self-sacrifice and boundless love! They have no reason to condemn me!’

‘Hmm, if I’m lucky, maybe I can even get back together with all four of them!’

‘To be honest, it’s been many years since we broke up, and I really miss them… Mostly, I’m just craving them.’

Thus, Shangguan Xue, emboldened by newfound conviction, persuaded herself. Then, on the paper, she wrote: “First Step: Reconciliation.”

‘Hmm, to convince them to reconcile, I must appeal to both reason and emotion,’ the Martial Saint mused, her brows knitting together. ‘Which one should I approach first?’

‘Perhaps I should start with Shi Ledong, who will be the most difficult to persuade…’

‘After all, the beginning is always the hardest; once the most challenging part is resolved, the rest might be easier.’

Encouraging herself with these thoughts, Shangguan Xue clapped her chest, resolved to set off immediately.

With a swift strike of her palm, Shangguan Xue’s wooden hut instantly shrunk into a small bundle. She carefully put away this spiritual treasure, then conjured a heavy blade, two arms’ width across, into her right hand.

Wielding her innate spiritual artifact, the “Hegemon Blade,” Shangguan Xue channeled her spiritual energy to tear open space, creating a path to Shi Ledong’s abode: the Sun Palace.