Death, Reincarnation, and Death Again

Immortal World, Mount Xia

"Yuan Ming, give the Scroll of Life and Death, and I can let you live!"

"Idiot, whether I give it or not, you'll kill me here. Come, don't think I'll surrender, you'll have to kill me to get it!"

Gu Xin charged at Yuan Ming, who had prepared his Ultimate Secret Technique: Inescapable Great Explosion, not realizing the impending doom. Yuan Ming was severely injured with no way of escape. He had been fighting for ten days and ten nights, slaughtering his pursuers until there was only one left. He was missing his left arm and eye, poisoned, stabbed innumerable times, death inevitable. Left with no other choice, Yuan Ming prepared to use his ultimate secret technique to die with Gu Xin.

During this time, Yuan Ming reminisced about his early life. He was born on Earth, in a small town, and by chance, he found a dying cultivator, whose life he saved. As thanks, the cultivator taught Yuan Ming for the few years he had left. Earth had no cultivators, and the energy was scarce, but Yuan Ming worked hard and was finally able to leave Earth and journey through the realms and grow more and more powerful until he was considered a pinnacle cultivator in the Immortal World. That was the beginning of Yuan Ming's cultivation journey...

Gu Xin has always had good instincts, which is the reason he has been able to survive until this day, and those instincts were warning him; however, he ignored them, overwhelmed by greed. He raised his sword and slashed down, lacerating Yuan Ming's chest, but at this moment, his eyes widened and attempted to escape, but it was too late!

*BOOM*

A great explosion occurred, completely leveling Mount Xia, the tallest mountain in the world. A great earthquake occurred, cracking the earth for thousands of meters, killing tens of thousands. Needless to say, they both died. However, Yuan Ming did not expect that his soul would survive and be sucked into the Scroll of Life and Death! The tens of thousands of souls were also absorbed! A great, brilliant light shone and instantly lit up half the world, disappearing as quickly as it came ten seconds later.

Great cultivators gathered around the previous location of Mount Xia, exclaiming, "What happened here! Where is Mount Xia?!" This event became known as "The Great Xia Catastrophe," causing the world to be abuzz for months on end.

...

Tang Sect

"Where am I?"

Yuan Ming was confused... he should be dead, so why does he feel like he has a head ache? He opened his eyes, seeing an unfamiliar ceiling. -Wood?,- he thought, -Why would there be a wooden ceiling?- Information rushed into his mind, making the splitting headache even worse. "AGH!" he yelled. After the pain subsided, he thought, -It seems my name is Tang Ming now... Tang Sect? I'm an inner sect disciple? ...Mysterious Heavens Skill? Hidden Weapons? This way of cultivation is vastly different... but the level seems to be lower. The energy is different too, I cannot use my previous techniques! It seems I must learn diligently, but who is to say that I cannot use knowledge from my previous life to improve upon the Tang Sect techniques? Alright, enough for now... I should master what Tang Sect has for now and think about combination later.-

Yuan Ming had read Douluo Dalu I on Earth and acutely remembered it, because it was one his favorite donghua... but even if he knew, so what? He is in Tang Sect right now, not Douluo Dalu. As for Tang San, he has no time for him, and doesn't want to get involved with him now.

Ten years later, Tang Ming is 26 years old...

"Whew!" -I've finally mastered all the techniques! Be it Purple Demon Eye, Mysterious Jade Hands, or Mysterious Heaven Skill! Now I shall improve upon the techniques with the knowledge of my previous life.- Tang Ming had not attempted to combine his knowledge with Tang Sect techniques, because he knew that there would be consequences of changing techniques without fully understanding them.

Tang Ming, who had kept the name "Ming," was known as an oddball... unlike other inner sect disciples, he made his own weapons, and mastered poison. In his previous life, he had suffered extensively due to poison, but stubbornly refused to learn it... until he died, and most of the reason why he died was because he was poisoned. So at the beginning of his second life, he had deluded himself, thinking, -Although I do not like poison, knowing it will help me when I encounter it, right?- But in reality he respected the art of poison and slowly began to appreciate it, with it becoming one of the main things he spent time on. Most inner sect disciples looked down upon practicing poison, preferring to practice the inner sect techniques. Others mocked him, but he mocked the arrogant and ignorant inner sect disciples in his heart, -A strong poison can kill a great master. A mouse hunts a cat, even a child can kill one who has mastered the Mysterious Heavens Skill with a strong enough poison! One should make their own weapons and master poison and medicine, else one can die without knowing how!-

Tang Ming doesn't have much in common with the Tang Sect. He is a selfish and ambitious person, and although he is grateful to the sect, he doesn't have much of a sense of belonging. As for the General Principles of the Tang Sect, Tang Ming is in agreement, as he had upheld points one and three in his previous life.

First Point: Never let a person you cannot completely trust know how much strength you really possess.

Second Point: What are hidden weapons: employed surreptitiously, a special martial weapon to vanquish the enemy and obtain victory. If the enemy knows you want to use it, like that, it is no longer a hidden weapon, rather an overt weapon.

Third Point: Determine whether the opponent is an enemy. If they are, then aim to kill. If not then show mercy, otherwise you shall only increase your worries. (soulland.fandom.com/wiki/)

Now that he has mastered all Tang Sect Skills, he is perhaps the strongest individual in the Tang Sect, and he will begin to combine the knowledge he has from his previous life with the knowledge he has learnt in this life.

Four and a half years later, and Tang Ming is 31...

Tang Ming was astonished at the profundity of Tang Sects techniques, lamenting at how the energy is not only different but far more scarce in quantity in the new world. He thought, -While combining the knowledge from my previous life with the knowledge of this life, I have realized that, in fact, Tang Sect's techniques are far more profound and intricate than I had initially believed! They could easily reach the top ten in my previous world, perhaps even top five!- Sigh, -Thankfully I wasn't a greenhorn cultivator but a pinnacle cultivator and could still somewhat improve the Tang Sect techniques, but only because of the different perspective I have... if Tang Sect were in my previous world, I would only be able to learn!-

In these four and a half years, Tang Ming has mostly improved upon Mysterious Jade Hands, Purple Demon Eye, and other techniques, but has had great trouble with Mysterious Heaven Skill. Mysterious Jade Hands has become tougher and more dexterous. One could faintly see a red-gold color mixed in, and when it is fully trained, it will become a mix between milky-green and gold-red. Only practitioners of Mysterious Red-Green Jade Hands will be able to see the skill clearly, and those who don't, they can only see a faint milky-green, which is slightly more transparent than the original Mysterious Jade Hands.

As for Purple Demon Eyes, it has become Purple Demon Soul-Peering Eyes. The eye techniques has had a slight improvement in all aspects including qi density, and one can instinctively grasp emotions by looking at an individual's eyes, even if the technique isn't activated. One who has weaker mental power would feel as if stared at by a predator, which the practitioner can only control once they have an excellent grasp upon the technique. In the second level of the technique, the slow-time mental state is even more superior and one can even slightly grasp their opponent's next move in this state. In the third realm, one would be able to see even behind and above themselves at a lower visual acuity in the special mental state. However, there are still blind spots.

The Mysterious Heaven Skill that Tang Ming has had trouble with didn't improve much, except for the a slight improvement in quality; however, it also has gained the affect of slowly improving the body potential, and the longer one practices it, the larger the increase in potential and body strength. The original Mysterious Heaven Skill also had a similar effect of strengthening the physique, however it had limited effect on potential. One should know that the improved technique's increase in potential is minuscule and requires a few years of accumulation to notice a difference, but the change is nonetheless there.

(Other techniques will be addressed later, it is already starting to become an info dump)

Other members of the Tang Sect, even the Sect Leader, do not know Tang Ming has not only mastered all the techniques to a high level, but also improved upon them. If the Sect Leader, Tang Da, knew this, he would immediately give up his position and pass it to Tang Ming!

During his time at the Tang Sect, Tang Ming has not once sought out Tang San. He knew that becoming involved with him in this life would lead to only trouble... and so he ignored him. Initially, he had plans to seek out Tang San should he have no talent, but such a thing was unnecessary, just look at Tang Ming now. He has slain innumerable martial artists from other sects. One day, thousands of invaders warred against the Tang Sect, intending to destroy the severely weakened sect which was a far cry from its former glory. Knowing that he could not escape and wanting to repay the sect, Tang Ming fought and slaughtered...

Tang Ming discreetly killed many strong foes that were wreaking havoc upon the sect, assassinating them left and right, with seemingly no effort...

Many dead bodies littered the battlefield, destroyed buildings collapsed into rubble. Although the Tang Sect had fallen far, other sects were still no match for it, even if several of them allied together.

Although Tang Ming was strong, strong men inevitably fall. Some fall in battle, some by their loved ones, and some by illness and disease. Tang Ming was the last of the three, and, as unfortunate as it was, this disease was incurable. He thought, -How vexing! With my strength, is there nothing I can do?! I am again at the pinnacle, an unparalleled expert! How can this happen?! I refuse to die like this! I shall research a solution! If there be no other option, then I shall stake it upon Hell's Peak!-

And so Tang Ming researched for six years, and he is now 37 years old...

Tang Ming had found out two years ago that the Scroll of Life and Death was nonexistent in this life. Desperate, he searched and searched for a cure, but found nothing...

Tang Ming peered into the depths off of Hell's Peak, unwilling to die due to a disease. He would rather die jump off of Hell's Peak and take a chance at reincarnation than to die an excruciating death, and so he leapt...