A thick mist perpetually hung in the Valley of Silence, a name that now sounded ironic. Long ago, it was here that a mid-tier White Stream Sect once stood, where a child named Ba Bel first found his destiny. However, sixty years ago, this valley became the epicenter of a war that marked the beginning of the Age of Darkness. Since then, the Valley of Silence slowly became known as the Valley of Skulls, holding millions of buried corpses—silent witnesses to ambition and bloodshed.After decades of neglect, today, the Valley of Skulls once again became the stage for a great battle. Under a fiery twilight sky, an orange-red glow enveloped the mountaintops and barren trees. A middle-aged man stood firm. His hair, which should have been entirely gray, was only partially whitened among strands of black, reflecting his true age of 101 years, despite his appearance being only in his 50s. The man was Ba Bel, bearing the title of Demon Emperor, standing alongside his only trusted disciple, Zhou

Ba Bel felt the final sting in his back, warm blood gushing from the treacherous stab. Darkness began to creep at the edges of his vision, engulfing the desolate Skull Valley. "Ah, so this is what death feels like?" he whispered to himself, a barely audible final thought.Excruciating pain pierced every nerve, yet, strangely, it slowly faded along with his consciousness. He surrendered."Mother, Father, Master... I'm coming home!" He murmured softly, trying to suppress the roar that threatened to escape his constricted throat. "At least I succeeded in avenging my sect. There are no regrets left."A voice argued in the corner of his mind, a familiar voice, his own. *Are there truly no regrets? Who are you trying to deceive this time, Ba Bel?*A series of scenes flashed through his mind, like a quickly unfolding film reel. Thousands of battles, dozens of intrigues, a century of power and solitude. Then, a glimpse of a woman's face, so beautiful, yet he couldn't recall her name. A bitter

The Golden Pagoda Inn was quite modest, a two-story building offering twenty rooms for rent. Wong An reserved a room on the second floor and ordered several dishes to be eaten in their quarters.“Bel’er, you’re still growing, eat plenty,” Wong An said, serving some vegetables and fish and giving them to Ba Bel.For the past few days, Wong An had only been able to give Ba Bel dried bread, so this time, he instructed Ba Bel to enjoy the savory dishes.“Thank you, Master,” Ba Bel respectfully acknowledged Wong An when the vegetables and fish were given to him.Wong An marveled at Ba Bel's ability to use chopsticks at the age of five. Usually, only children from noble families were proficient with chopsticks at Ba Bel’s age. Neither spoke a word during the meal, as it was one of the etiquettes Wong An had taught Ba Bel: never to speak while eating.Every nightfall, Wong An would begin to cough lightly. Ba Bel watched Wong An with concern, but his Master claimed he was fine, even though Ba

“Twin Crane Dance”As Wong An evaded his opponent's spear attack, he immediately retaliated with two incredibly swift thrusts. The attacks succeeded in injuring his opponent, though not fatally.Ba Bel furrowed his brow, observing Wong An's concentration was somewhat divided, as Wong An was still coughing even while fighting his opponent. If Wong An had been fighting during the day, this battle might already be over with Wong An emerging victorious, given that his opponent underestimated him considerably and revealed several weaknesses.Ba Bel's attention then shifted to Ling Tong; the red-haired man's battle with two high-level martial artists was demolishing parts of the Golden Pagoda Inn.“Ling Tong is either still concealing his full strength, or his physical condition prevents him from using his complete abilities,” Ba Bel thought, observing the fight. Witnessing Ling Tong's combat prowess made him realize that Ling Tong possessed greater skill than his own master.“First Brother

After the Master and Disciple left the Golden Pagoda Inn and walked back to the Earth and Sky Sword Sect, they encountered no significant obstacles. Only attacks from wild beasts and attempted robberies, all of which Wong An was able to overcome.After a three-day journey, Wong An and Ba Bel finally arrived at a valley formerly known as the Valley of Solitude. They saw a Black and White Gate inscribed with 'Earth and Sky Sword Sect'.“Bel’er, look,” Wong An said, pointing towards the Earth and Sky Sword Sect Gate. “That is what you will someday call home. The place you return to after an adventure or a mission.”Although named the Earth and Sky Sword Sect, life within it was like a bustling city with a myriad of activities. Throughout their journey, Wong An recounted the history of the Earth and Sky Sword Sect to Ba Bel for three days and three nights, before the Master and Disciple finally reached the Sect Gate.Wong An explained that the Earth and Sky Sword Sect itself was said to h