Journey Begins

The years had been harsh to Zhang Xiaofan. His departure from the Shadow Embrace was not by choice but by necessity. Betrayal within the faction had forced him to confront the ugly truths about the organization he had once served. They had grown too corrupt, too consumed by their hunger for power. What began as his mission to maintain balance had become a fight for survival against those who sought to silence him for his defiance.

He left quietly, vanishing into the shadows he had mastered so well. With no faction to call home and no allies he could trust, Xiaofan embraced the life of a wanderer. His path was his own now, free of the chains of loyalty to any power but himself.

Yet, freedom did not bring peace. The weight of his past clung to him, a constant reminder of the lives he had taken and the countless battles he had fought. The world, as he saw it, was a perpetual cycle of chaos. Despite this, his cold heart found moments of strange solace—in the quiet of the wilderness, in the whispers of the wind, and in fleeting encounters with strangers who saw only the shadow of the man he was.

Whereas, In her domain Ning Ying watched over the Chengtian Continent with an all-seeing gaze. Her connection to her descendants remained strong, yet she rarely descended into the mortal realm. Over centuries, she had learned to temper her interference, allowing the world to unfold naturally.

But Zhang Xiaofan intrigued her. There was something different about him, a man who had rejected the extremes of light and shadow to walk his own lonely path. Ning Ying was not one to be swayed by mortal affairs, yet she found herself drawn to his story. She sensed the flickers of something deeper within him—strength, pain, and an unspoken yearning for redemption.

Her memories of encounter with the shadowy savior surfaced, though she did not initially connect the man to that moment. Now, with her curiosity growing, Ning Ying decided it was time to step.