Chapter 4: Drama

In the boundless void, amidst the endless black expanse, Tao Ran flew on his sword, relentlessly pursuing a rapidly fleeing figure ahead.

The surrounding 'starlight' rays continuously scorched his spirit, while the chaotic elemental storms nearby caused his internal magical energy to collapse and disintegrate bit by bit.

Tao Ran, however, remained unfazed. His will was as solid and unshakable as an eternal iceberg.

After an indeterminate amount of time, the fleeing Nine Heavens Desire Demon, Du Gutianyi, finally slowed down. Clearly exhausted, his body and limbs were disintegrating bit by bit. He turned back, glaring at Tao Ran with a gaze full of venomous hatred.

"Swordmaster Tao Ran!"

Du Gutianyi's face, once handsome and elegant, was now twisted and hideous.

"Do you intend to kill me without leaving any room for mercy today?"

"Isn't that obvious?"

Tao Ran smiled. "I never let the tiger return to the mountain. The demon lord caused a catastrophe in Yuanchong, resulting in the deaths of millions. It's time to give them an explanation."

As the distance between them closed, the sword energy Tao Ran had been accumulating surged, ready to erupt.

Despair filled Du Gutianyi's eyes, but he smiled instead of getting angry, his gaze mocking. "Don't speak so righteously. What kind of saint are you, Tao Ran? In the past twenty years, how many enemies have you eliminated using my blade? We both know about the Cold Abyss Sect, the Hua Ming Sword Sect, and the three thousand enchanters of the Langya Celestial Empire."

"Say whatever you like. My conscience is clear."

Tao Ran's expression remained indifferent, devoid of any emotion. "The demon lord, at least, was a formidable figure. Now that you're facing death, you should show some heroism. Don't make me look down on you—"

Before he finished speaking, a brilliant streak of silver light flashed through the black void. The sharp sword light cleaved Du Gutianyi in two, followed by thousands of flying swords that surged forward, bombarding, cutting, and devouring the last remnants of the demon lord's body.

Du Gutianyi did not resist, his scarlet eyes fixed on the swordmaster.

As his disintegrating body turned into blood flames, they converged into his eyes.

"Are you joking? When you're dead, nothing remains. Who cares about heroism? But this isn't over between us. A cornered rat will bite the cat, a trapped beast will fight back. Hear me, Swordmaster Tao Ran! In the future, you will drown in endless desires, and I will be reborn from your corpse. This is not the end—"

※※※※

The next morning, Tao Ran woke with a start, gasping for breath. It took him three minutes to calm the panic in his chest. Then he frowned deeply, lost in thought.

In his rebirth, he had forgotten the most important thing.

You will drown in endless desires, and I will be reborn from your corpse—does that mean yesterday's anomaly was caused by you, Du Gutianyi?

A cold glint appeared in Tao Ran's eyes, but he soon shook his head and glanced at the clock, seeing it was already 9 AM.

A throbbing ache emanated from his right arm, almost making it feel like it wasn't his own.

Tao Ran knew what this was, a silent bitter smile on his lips. It was the aftereffect of that sword strike; the speed had clearly exceeded this body's capacity.

Although he had performed some basic treatment afterward, without proper acupuncture tools, the results were minimal.

At that time, he foolishly treated this body as if it were his original one.

Tao Ran regretfully tapped his head, then got out of bed and trudged to the bathroom, staring at his reflection in the mirror.

He had almost understood the situation of the original owner while on the school bus yesterday, and he had a rough idea of his current predicament.

The body he now occupied wasn't 'lucky' at all. It belonged to a young man who had lost both parents half a year ago, a pitiful figure deserving of sympathy.

Interestingly, the original owner's background was quite dramatic, to say the least.

—This involved both of André's parents. His father, Li Chunchu, was a former disciple of a prestigious sect in the Eastern world. Twenty years ago, he was expelled and subsequently moved to the USA.

His mother, Elena Wildenstein, also had an impressive background.

She was a member of the Wildenstein family and a direct descendant of the current head, making her the fourth heir to the Wildenstein Holdings Group.

The Wildenstein Holdings Group was one of the most significant enterprises of the Wildenstein family, a prestigious clan ranked among the top fifty in the USA, with a history spanning nearly nine hundred years. They were among the original pioneers of the new continent, holding significant influence in both business and politics.

However, this didn't mean the original owner could benefit from this lineage. His parents' marriage had never been blessed by his mother's family.

Elena Wildenstein had been stripped of her inheritance rights twenty-five years ago due to her marriage.

André, though somehow still listed in the Wildenstein family inheritance sequence, was ignored by them. He had hardly seen any relatives from his mother's side throughout his life.

So now, André was almost alone, without any family to rely on.

He wasn't completely without family; he had an older sister, and there were some relatives on his father's side in the USA.

But from the original owner's memories, those 'relatives' were practically nonexistent.

As for his sister who had returned to the family—

Thinking of Jennifer Wildenstein, images flashed in Tao Ran's mind, causing him to frown deeply, a hint of displeasure flickering in his eyes.