Thinking of this, he gazed into the distance. In the far-off haze, a massive dome could be vaguely seen, covering a region. The figure couldn't help but sigh once more, a flash of green light, and he turned into the wind and left.

A moment later, a giant skull appeared in the sky. The skull was enormous, shrouding the heavens, with two golden points of light for eyes. An indescribable aura enveloped the entire area—cold and deathly, evil yet noble—as it looked down upon all things in the world, slowly sweeping its gaze across this region!

All information was taken in at a glance. The golden eyes paused briefly at the site of the death knight's destruction, seeming a bit puzzled, then swept back again!

Still unable to find any trace, the skull let out a cold snort.

"Boom!" Ashen-black flames fell from the sky, turning the place into a sea of fire.

Chapter One: Reincarnation

Yunya Mountain · Dayan Temple

Yunya Mountain is high, with clear waters and mysterious scenery. However, being close to deep mountains and secluded valleys, there are naturally many tigers, leopards, wolves, and jackals, making it somewhat risky to live here.

At this moment, the world was vast and hazy, autumn rain falling continuously, the fields invisible, everything a blanket of white. On a small hill, the slope was covered with pine and cypress trees, and among them stood a temple, moss-covered and exuding an ancient, simple atmosphere.

Rain pattered down. In front of a deity statue, a middle-aged man took out three sticks of incense, bowed several times, and placed the incense in the burner. He respectfully said, "Spirits above, the current abbot Edward Clark is injured and unconscious. Please protect him, so that before the rites are passed on and the incense continues, he does not become a wandering ghost..."

Wisps of blue smoke rose from the three sticks of incense. The middle-aged man prayed for a moment, sighed, and continued, "...Alas, in truth, this only delays things for a few days. The lord's summons cannot be ignored!"

The name Dayan Temple sounds grand, but it was actually built by a householder Taoist, Charles Bennett. It is said that Charles Bennett was enlightened by a true immortal and entered the immortal sect, but unfortunately, his fortune was thin and he did not become immortal. He returned to build this temple, married, and had a son.

This son married a virtuous wife and had a daughter. The son inherited some simple talismans and became a householder Taoist in the nearby Qingtian Village, but perhaps all the family's luck had been used up.

Once, while gathering herbs in the mountains, he encountered a tiger and was killed. Charles Bennett arrived in time to slay the tiger, but his son and daughter-in-law were already dead. His granddaughter, frightened and chilled, left Charles Bennett in tears, realizing he was growing old. Later, he took in a disciple, who inherited the temple after his death, only for this misfortune to occur.

The middle-aged man stood in silence for a moment, bowed again, sighed, and left. As soon as he stepped outside, he ran into someone at the door. John Harris braked abruptly, steadied his legs, and his body swayed, unable to help but sigh—his body could no longer handle such exertion.

Standing opposite was a young girl, beautiful and delicate, her hair simply tied, dressed in a plain skirt embroidered with a few plum blossoms. Before she could speak, she was already slightly out of breath, coughing several times.

Her gaze swept over and landed on the incense burner on the steps. She said, "Cough... Mr. Harris, with senior brother so ill, you should use the mountain vine essence to make him some nourishing soup!"

Seeing her cough repeatedly, her pale face devoid of color, John Harris couldn't help but twitch at the corners of his mouth.

The girl before him was Charles Bennett's granddaughter, Alice Bennett, frail since childhood.

John Harris was originally the steward and cook of Dayan Temple. The temple had once flourished, but after Charles Bennett grew old, it gradually declined, and in recent years, incense offerings had dwindled.

Mountain vine essence was one of the temple's few assets. The young lady was frail and needed it to strengthen her body. Every use meant less for the future, so he was usually reluctant to use it. But seeing her cough so much, her face tinged with blood from coughing, he felt truly distressed. After a moment's thought, he sighed, "Alright, I watched you two grow up. I'll use the mountain vine essence to make some soup for the boy to nourish him. But every bit we use is a bit less, and you'll need it in the future too!"

John Harris was only middle-aged, but his temples were already gray, clearly worn down by life.

Seeing Mr. Harris like this, Alice Bennett's eyes reddened. She quickly turned away so John Harris wouldn't see, and said, "I'll go check if senior brother has woken up."

Inside a side hall of Dayan Temple, on a somewhat shabby bed, a boy of fifteen or sixteen lay pale and unconscious, eyes tightly closed, his handsome features faintly visible. It was late autumn, and he wore a long robe, covered by a quilt patched many times.

Alice Bennett gently squatted by the bed, tear stains on her face, softly caressing the boy's cheek, murmuring, "Senior brother, you must pull through. Without you, what will I do?"

As she spoke, tears rolled down her pale cheeks. After sobbing for a while, she turned to wipe away her tears and left. Not long after, the sound of prayers, interspersed with coughing, drifted from the main hall.

Only a few minutes after she left, a point of black light suddenly appeared in the hall, flashing straight into the boy's forehead.

The boy's whole body trembled, his face contorted in pain, his mouth open as if to shout, but not a sound came out.

A moment later, above the boy's body, a tortoise shell appeared, shrouded in black mist, with fine threads hanging down like dripping water from the eaves, unceasingly. Within, countless tiny black characters bombarded down.