TDG : rise of shadow army

On the colossal St. Ancestral mountain range, sunlight streams through the gaps between the mountains, casting light into the deep canyons. On the valley slopes, snow still lingered.

Even though it's already early summer, the snow has yet to melt. The cold here lasts unusually long, and the roars of beasts can occasionally be heard.

Nestled on the valley's surface stood a magnificent city.

The world beyond the St. Ancestral mountains has been overrun by beasts. The inhabitants of the mountain range have had no contact with the outside world for hundreds of years.

The people of the city are uncertain about the state of the outside world. It is said that during humanity's most glorious era, with thousands of Legend-ranked fighters and Demon Spiritualists, humans established many empires across the vast continent. However, those empires were eventually destroyed.

Due to its stealthy geographic location, the city remained well-preserved during the dark era. Though they occasionally faced attacks from powerful snow wind beasts in the St. Ancestral mountains, the city had been rebuilt time and again after enduring numerous devastating conflicts.

Those patchwork walls stood as an indomitable monument.

This city is called Glory City, a symbol of hope for humanity.

Holy Orchid Institute, Apprentice Fighter Class

More than thirty students sat attentively, waiting for their teacher to impart her knowledge. These students were a group of apprentice hunters, studying at the Holy Orchid Institute of Glory City. However, one of them was not as he seemed.

Chan Wei had recently been transported from Earth to the universe of his favorite light novel by an unknown entity, who simply told him to do his best to assist Nie Li.

"I heard that the new teacher, Shen Xiu, is one of the 3-star Silver-ranked Demon Spiritualists from the Sacred Family!"

Some students were whispering softly among themselves.

The students' attention was fixed on the teacher. She had an impressive figure and wore a lavender robe that clung tightly to her body, accentuating her lively curves. Her slender, pale legs and exquisite makeup made her appear both beautiful and elegant. Her eyes radiated pride and arrogance.

The Sacred Family is one of the three great families of Glory City. Being of noble birth and a 3-star Silver-ranked Demon Spiritualist, she naturally had reasons to hold her head high.

As a 3-star Silver-ranked Demon Spiritualist, Shen Xiu normally wouldn't come here to teach. She only agreed because her nephew was in this class.

"Demon Spiritualists and Fighters have five ranks: Bronze, Silver, Gold, Black Gold, and Legend. Each rank is further divided into five levels, from 1-star to 5-star.

"A Demon Spiritualist is above a Fighter. We are truly noble beings. A Demon Spiritualist can form a soul realm within their dantian. They have the ability to integrate a captured demon into their soul realm and then fuse with the demon during combat.

This allows them to possess unparalleled strength, far beyond what Fighters can match." Shen Xiu lifted her chin and spoke arrogantly, "Just like me, my demon is a Scarlet Flame Fox."

While Shen Xiu boasted, Chan Wei replayed the words he heard just before being sent here:

"You must support Nie Li because his attempt to defeat the Sage Emperor will fail despite his rebirth. Your existence will never be detected by the Emperor. To aid you on this journey, you will have the power of the Shadow Monarch and a demonic spirit bound to your body. Good luck."

Suddenly, Shen Xiu's face and hands underwent drastic changes. Her facial features sharpened, her teeth and nails became pointed, and finally, a crimson tail emerged from her back.

"After fusing with a demon, I can control its strength and acquire fire-type abilities. Among demons, the Scarlet Flame Fox is a Gold-ranked beast. This means the highest level I can reach is Gold-ranked Demon Spiritualist. Of course, once I become a Gold-ranked Demon Spiritualist, I can replace it with a stronger demon."

As the scene unfolded exactly like in the novel, Chan Wei began to understand Nie Li's growing disdain for the Sacred Family as Shen Xiu continued to speak.

Regarding her cultivation, the pride on Shen Xiu's face became even more pronounced.

Shen Xiu's words astonished the group of students. Gold-ranked Demon Spiritualists were beings beyond their reach. Chan Wei felt a wave of energy shake him from behind. Turning around, he realized he was sitting right in front of Nie Li. Observing further, he saw the adult soul returning to his younger body. Chan Wei quickly turned back toward his teacher, pretending to listen.

"No need to alert him now. I should just go with the flow and join him when the time is right," he thought to himself.

A slight commotion occurred behind him, likely caused by Nie Li searching for his friends, his wife, and the famous Temporal Demon Spirit Book. Then a relative calm returned.

"Now that I'm back, the heavens have given me another chance. I will not let the destruction of Glory City happen again!" Nie Li muttered under his breath, clenching his teeth.

However, Chan Wei heard him clearly since his attention was focused on Nie Li instead of the teacher. Needless to say, that phrase sent excitement coursing through Chan Wei's veins. It was exactly the same line from the novel, meaning as long as he didn't interfere, the story's course would remain unchanged.

Another awkward silence came from behind, though Chan Wei knew exactly what Nie Li was thinking at the moment.

"Nie Li, what are you smiling about?" Lu Piao asked, looking at Nie Li quizzically. He wondered if Nie Li had gone mad since he had been laughing to himself for a while and even looking at Ye Ziyun with a lecherous gaze.

"I'll let you have Ziyun in this story, but you're not getting Ning'er despite the karma you share with her," Chan Wei thought to himself, stroking his chin. Moreover, he sensed a cold energy coming from the front where the girl of his dreams was sitting.

"Just happy! I'm glad to see you, my good brother!" Nie Li declared, enthusiastically hugging Lu Piao. It was a habit from his previous life. After being ridiculously embraced by Nie Li, Lu Piao grumbled angrily, "Oi, Nie Li! Who's your good brother, you gay lord?! Let go of me!"

Chan Wei couldn't help but glance back at the overly manly hug Nie Li was giving Lu Piao, covering his mouth to stifle his laughter. Nie Li didn't release his embrace.

He looked seriously at Lu Piao and chuckled, "No matter what you think, in my heart, you're always my good brother!"

He didn't seem to notice the attention of his classmate sitting right in front of him. Seeing Nie Li's expression, Lu Piao was dumbfounded and couldn't help but exclaim, "Weird!"

"Wait, something's off here. I have memories of this body's Chan Wei, but I don't know the color of my soul realm or my soul force points. But that's impossible; normally, it would've been tested before entering this class," Chan Wei thought, running his fingers through his jet-black hair.

Checking behind him, he saw Nie Li looking toward Ye Ziyun, who turned away toward her friends to avoid his gaze.