The cool mountain breeze flowed through the forest, leaves rustling in tandem. The moon glowed softly, illuminating the cliffside.

There, nestled between the trees, was a hut. Or perhaps a house. It had seen its time of riches,and fallen to disrepair over the years. One could tell that it was, once upon a time, recently treated; but now, it was only part of the forest.

Maybe because he wished to not be seen, or because Gong Yinghui was not paying attention, there was man leaning against the door.

"Master!" He yelped, quickly recognising the familiar face, and surging forwards to help.

But it was clear to anyone who could see, that there was no hope of survival. Blood ebbed down from a flesh wound which cut deep; straight from the heart, to the lower dantian.

What had just been Gong Yinghui reminiscing of the past, was now much more serious.

His master was the great Yan Qingshan, of the Linglian sect. While he was not known across the jianghu in his early years, he was later known as the master of a demon as well.

He Xiaotong.

Gong Yinghui quickly knelt next to his master; and Yan Qingshan grunted.

After all, escaping from the demon lord as a despised prisoner was no small feat.

When Gong Yinghui was still a disciple, his master was always kind; to him, and all his juniors and seniors. He always had a great many admirers, and was famed as a master of the four arts.

But once upon a time, He Xiaotong was his shixiong too.

When he rose as a demon lord, rumors flew across the jianghu; that the great Yan Qingshan, was an abuser. And He Xiaotong only sook revenge.

The dark blood oozing from his shifu's torso, was perhaps one of the many tortures inflicted by that...beast.

He flinched as his master gripped his shoulder with one hand. His other hand was holding his own heart, from where the blood was flowing the most.

"Be quiet. I don't have much long, and I know that. Hopefully I'll be dead before Tong-er finds me," he says in a low whisper.

Ah, Gong Yinghui realises, He always called He-shixiong Tong-er when the sect was still...

He Qingshan continues, "If he finds you, don't take revenge on my behalf for him. I know of the Huayue incident. He floated way too much about it."

Gong Yinghui feels a little embarrassed at the reminder. He had a couple organised at the time, with the other sects.

They had been crushed mercilessly.

"In this house, somewhere, my...records are kept. I want you to burn them, if they aren't destroyed already."

Gong Yinghui freezes for a moment. Which notes was his master referring to???

Yan Qingshan sighs, as if he knew what his disciple was thinking. "Just destroy all of them. Burn the house, and me with it. Or just kill me with Qingling."

Gong Yinghui protested,"But master...!"

He was quickly interrupted. "That, or I die by He Xiaotong's hand as a coward. Which is better?"

"Master, I really can't! I cannot forego filial piety!"

Yan Qingshan sighed deeply again. And let go of Gong Yinghui's arm. "Fine. Just set fire to the house. And hand me a dagger. You do have one, right?"

Gong Yinghui nodded and quickly handed Yan Qingshan his dagger. It was a beautiful one, made by craftsman of great skill. Yan Qingshan has given it to him himself, one of his many last memories of his master.

"Now," Yan Qingshan said, his eyes not looking at Gong Yinghui anymore, and instead at the forest."Set fire to the house, and run away. Do not stay to bury me. The fire will take care of that. Go."

Gong Yinghui got up. He cast one last look at his master, before climbing his sword. He threw a fire talisman behind him. And left, lest he be tempted to try, once more to save a man who was better dead.

____________________

He heard that He Xiaotong was driven mad with anger at losing his prisoner. He floated and cried in equal measure.

____________________

It is necessary, for you to understand, so I will lay down some information for you.

Yan Qingshan, was one of the three masters of Linglian sect. The sect master was soft on him, and he was well known enough across the jianghu to be respected and revered by others.

He Xiaotong was one of his many disciples, with cultivation potential.

He was also the protagonist of The path of the demon lord. A cliche, D grade novel, with many similar summaries to be read everywhere; it would not stand out in a pile, nor would it strike anyone exemplary.

But- Yan Minhui was an avid reader. Something about the novel struck him; whenever he read it at first,it would only bring out praises from him. He would hold it to the heavens!

But then he read more books; he found better ones, and at some point, the author stopped updating.

He never learnt why.

It just became one of the things he had read a long time ago. He forgot about it, and went on with his life.

But somehow, when his untimely death arrived, it was the novel he was transmigrated into; too late to make any difference. The wrongs has already been written into stone by the scum, and he had arrived just in time for the verdict.

This is unfair!, he had screamed at the system, because there was very literally no way to save his skin, Why would you give me a second chance at life, if the only way for me to live even a little while was to be tortured!

[There is nothing this SYSTEM can do to change the outcome. ] , was it's cold, and harsh reprimand. [All user 004 can do is to act his role as the villain. There is no other alternative.]

Not even death?, he asked in the chilled silence.

The continued silence was answer enough.

He wasn't even middle aged when he died. And he wouldn't even reach half the years most cultivators got to live.

At least he got to meet the protagonist? Wrong.

He did get to meet the protagonist. But only to continue the punishment the original goods had inflicted upon the young man. And throw him to the wolves, when the invasion happened. And so many worse things that made his skin crawl if he remembered -

But it wasn't even the worst of the crimes the villain had committed. The one that brought upon revenge was already done a long time ago. All he had to do was wait for the heavens to dole out punishment.

And dole out punishment they did.

But before he died, at least he could give the younger students a better memory than the original goods would have given. That was his only saving grace. So he died, burning along with the house, and the dagger nestled in his flesh, he felt that he had done enough.

Because of that, he very nearly misses the system's merry chime, and the satisfaction of death disappeared, when he once again found himself in the cold dark surroundings he had when he had first died.

"System?", he called out, not knowing what to do.

[Loading assets.....]

Huh?

....

[User verification complete! Welcome, user 004 , to The path of the demon lord! ]

"I've already been through this," he reminded the system. "Remember? As Yan Qingshan?"

The green glowing screen glitched and sparked, and Yan Minhui flinched away, a little.

[This- This SYSTEM WISHES- system wishes to pro- provide the best transmigration experience to the user]

What's - What's happening?!,he screamed internally, as the screen began to disintegrate into pixels, and slow light began to enter within the dreamscape.

"I- System, what's going on?!" He finally asked, as the surroundings began to change into one he had grown familiar with; the Xue house of Xueshan, one of the mountains of Linglian sect- the home of Yan Qingshan!

Quiet static was his only answer as he began to feel faint, and his consciousness faded...

___________________Author notes time!____________

The first 'Xue' I used is as in "Winter" , and 'Xueshang' means "Blood mountain". I hope I named the stuff correctly, since I am pretty new to this.

Gong Yinghui is one of the disciples who joined the sect later, as I will later explain in the story. His sword is "Qingling" as in 'lucky years'.

He Xiaotong, was one of Yan Qingshan's disciples, who was hated by his master. For what reason?

Yan Qingshan was the master of many powerful cultivators, but his methods of teaching were always harsh. Until he had a qi deviation. His temperament became softer.

I think that's all. Enjoy!

When Yan Minhui came to, there was no sign of the system. He was just flat on his back, in a position he had been in many times; straight. The position the medics always put their patients in, if they remained unconscious after the check up.

Which, presumably meant he was alive.

Birds chirped in the fresh morning of the mountain, unaware of the tempest of broken thoughts that filled Yan Minhui's mind.

How am I still alive?! I should be in the afterlife, maybe even in the line for lady Meng Po's soup! This is the second time, I should really not be-

[Welcome, User 00- 004], a mechanic voice chimed.

Immediately on alert, he stiffened and sat up.

What happened? He asked urgently, Why didn't I...die?

[This SYSTEM hopes to provide esteemed user with the benefits,- benefits - benefits of- of-]

[TRANSMIGRATION.], it suddenly boomed, and Yan Qingshan covered his ears.

"What the fuck's going on," he muttered under his breath. This was, or it seemed like, the system was malfunctioning on him. He wasn't even dead! Which meant He Xiaotong would come to catch him again, and enact revenge!!!

Wait, he froze, as he realised exactly where he was.

The Xue house! On Xueshan!

Which meant Linglian sect must've been still- was still fine!

But if he had been transmigrated back in time... At what point? Was it like last time, just before the destruction of the sect? Was there any point, then!

Yan Minhui, also Yan Qingshan, leaned back onto the covers, in a more comfortable position. If he was gonna die anyway again, so soon, why not just get some few winks first.

See, but before he could more than close his eyes,he heard the door being slammed open, with a relieved cry of "Shidi!"

He got up so quickly that he tangled up the sheets. No matter. He would have to pretend he wasn't stuck in the sheets for now.

Because that was the master of Zandoushan.

Xiong Meng.

In his previous life, he hadn't really had a chance to get to know this shixiong. He was rather the bubbly type, and not at all battle hungry like his name implied. But he did always duel with his martial brothers and sisters when he got the chance.

When He Xiaotong sook Yan Qingshan's blood, he was one of the first to stand against him. As harsh as Yan Qingshan was, he had always maintained pleasantries within the sect seniority. Even if he secretly wished to kill anyone, he never let it show. He just wrote it down somewhere, a habit Yan Minhui had continued to release stress.

The moment Xiong Meng caught side of him, he was met with the relief shining through his, oh, big brown eyes.

Xiong Meng was a man of beauty, like many other cultivators of his caliber. His hair, as dark as raven feathers, was tied atop his head, a Guan to keep it in place and mark his status within the sect. His outer robes were ochre, with gold highlights, and his inner robes were darker in shades. His smile was friendly, and he was the teddy bear type.

Truly a friend.

Yan Qingshan struggled to remember manners. He had been in a prison, and died just before that, so he felt that's he deserved some slack. "This Yan shidi greets his shixiong with respect-"

"Oh, drop all the pleasantries for now, Qingshan! You've been in a...what did he call it...ah! A vegetative state for nearly a week! I don't think anyone will mind if you don't refer to them with the titles and all!"

So you switched too downright directness?! At least pretend to maintain pleasantries on your half! Why that intimate,man! He thought, slightly vindictively.

Then he remembered he was not the original goods. And he didn't hate Xiong Meng in the slightest. Where did that come from?

So, instead he said,"Still, this gives no reason for this shidi to forget his status."

Xiong Meng grinned, a goofy smile on his face.

"And for shixiong to not refer to this one that intimately," he added. Xiao Mengmeng was immediately crestfallen, like a pup denied treat.

Yan Qingshan was once again, surprised. Mister fierce was always so soft. He wasn't his girlfriend to be referred to that intimately!

".... I'll come over for tea next week,"Yan Minhui conceded. It came out as a mumble, but Xiong Meng perked up.

"I'll fetch Wen- shixiong!" he says, as he runs out to do just that without even bidding farewell. Yan Qingshan sighs in dismay. Just at what point of the timeline was he?

_________________

Let me tell you of the demon lord, He Xiaotong.

Perhaps one that just lost his the one man he hated the most.

He Xiaotong, howlee in anger and frustration, and all his bottled up agony, at how the man, Yan Qingshan has finally died; of his own accord, not even by his hand!

Yan Qingshan...was first and foremost a despicable man.

Then he was also disgusting.

He Xiaotong did his research; he gathered proof of his traitorous nature, his many affairs, his illicit dealings...!

Only for that bastard to escape before he even drew up the trial.

....

"GAH!!!" He slashed at the nearest tree. It was torn to strips of ribbon in an instant.

"Your highness..." Tan Yusheng warned, his tone on edge. Of something.

He Xiaotong didn't care.

"Agh...!" He grunted as he punched another tree.

Well, it was now snapped in half, the thick bark splintering. It fell backwards.

The Xue house was still slightly intact, if now part of the wildlife. Xiaotong wanted to reduce it to dust as well, or what remained of it. It was now scorched black, a thick layer of ashes surrounding it, and probably in it too.

And somewhere among those ashes, were also Yan Qingshan's ashes, peacefully passed onto the afterlife...!

He Xiaotong very nearly burst a vein.

Tan Yusheng said evenly, "The man is now dead, your highness, there is no use in harming the vegetation..."

Tan Yusheng did know about revenge, so he wasn't really saying it from his heart. But he'd rather not deal with a child throwing a tantrum at the crack of dawn.

So far as he had seen, Yan Qingshan wasn't that much of an asshole. He wasn't even half as rude as He Xiaotong. The lineage of demon lords kept growing, each new one stronger but more childish! What about the times, when one reached the throne of cunning and wits?!

"Why can't I ever get my revenge?! That bastard always, ALWAYS, keeps slipping away, that snake of a man!" He threw, perhaps referring to Yan Qingshan, but he was looking at the heavens.

Oh. A demon looking to the heavens for guidance.

Tan Yusheng absent mindedly began rubbing one of his yaopeis in his palm. Whenever the lord got in a mood like that, the surroundings trees were sure to suffer...

Another tree met its doom to The Demon Lord's fist.

________________Author notes time!_________

I forgot to add it, sorry.

Zandoushan means 'battle mountain'. It's master is Xiong Meng. Meng as in "fierce; ferocious"

Yan Qingshan, of Xueshan. Xueshan means 'blood mountain'. And Qingshan means 'celebration goodness'. Minhui means , more or less, "clever, quick, intelligent."

Wen Gen, of 'Yaoyunshan', Gen as in a root.

He Xiaotong, Xiaotong means 'red sky child '. I felt it suited a man who gets his first camel throwing a tantrum, and not descending from the skies,lmao.

Linglian means 'mound face', so basically 'mound face' sect'.

Wen Gen doubted there was tea strong enough in the world to deal with his headache. But as it was, he imagined sipping one, as he made his way to the Xue house.

The mountain path was well filled with sharp rocks, and it's terrain wasn't very inviting to those who weren't active a day in their life.

But knowing the man Yan Qingshan, he doubted he intended for it to.

After all, he thought ruefully, as he climbed the stairs, and Xiong Meng skipped back to his abode, He hardly likes company.

He couldn't help but despise the founders, just a little. First they chose a place near the opening to the demon realm, and then they also picked hard to climb mountains!

Thank goodness qiankun pouches exist!

________________________

As soon as Xiong Meng left, Yan Qingshan set at releasing himself from the clutches of his sheet.

However, he only managed to further tangle up the sheets, when he heard the tell tale steps on stone, and immediately composed himself.

Why, he thought morosely, must I still remain trapped in sheets?!

This is why, their interactions went this:

YQS: *bows slightly, still on bed* This shidi greets shixiong...

WG: No need for shidi to greet, he is unwell after all.

Wen Gen looks a little closely. Without trying to make a big deal of it, he asked.

WG: Is shidi perhaps...stuck in his sheets?

Yan Qingshan had a reputation at stake. He decided to bullshit.

YQS: Hardly! Why would this shidi be stuck in his sheets.

The system's red screen burst into existence, and struck all its alarm noises, [OOC, OOC, OOC! OO- OO- OOOOOOOOOOO- YA- Yan Qingshan would never say that!]

Yan Qingshan clutched his head in pain, as the alarm bells went off without any tire. He bent forward, his brows furrowed in pain as he forced out a daring and perhaps sulky, "Does shixiong beleive this one to be so incapable?"

WG:...

The atmosphere was so awkward that Yan Qingshan sweated bullets.

Perhaps because Wen Gen was a kind merciful soul, or he hardly cared, he just checked his spiritual veins, and moved Yan Qingshan a little bit, before declaring him perfectly fine and left without another word.

___________________________

Yan Qingshan moved within his 'home', getting prepared like he used to do. This time the system made no noise, for there wasn't anyone to see him.

He turned the house upside, searching for any and all scrolls, and lists, or any sort of record. He had found at least 4 yellow books, and began seriously doubting the originals taste.

He forced himself to look away and focus on the task at hand.

The first time, he hadn't really paid mind to what point in the timeline he was.

BIG MISTAKE.

Most of his disciples were buried by the time he really understood. He had just did as the system told him. After all, he had recently died. He was still trying to recover from shock.

Perhaps it was, in a way, only his and his fault the sect was destroyed.

This time it won't, he promised himself.

And launched himself into the mess of Yan Qingshan's home. The man's house was awfully unkempt for such a 'dignified' and 'moral' individual.

Perhaps he would find something about his past too, somewhere within the mess.....

______________________________

The author's summary for He Xiaotong's backstory, to ease the new readers of "The path of the demon lord" into the story.

He Xiaotong, was a slave child.

He Xiaotong knew his parents, and he remembered them. They were who brought him home, and gave him soft words. They would whisper and joke, and he would giggle uncontrollably.

But then they disappeared, and 'home' did too.

To him, it was as if they were gone, and they were.

The slavers took him in. They hurt him, but they gave him food too. Without food, nothing felt really nice. They told him to stay put, he would stay put. They told him to quiet, he stayed quiet.

But beneath his obedience, he was also a liar. He and Xu Bo, they began to plan. They would beg together, and manage to save some of the coins. They would hide it.

Because they had a dream.

They wished to be cultivators. The two young boys, who were slaves, wished to be powerful. To fly on swords, to reach the top.

They managed to find an opportunity to escape, when they were being taken to another buyer on cart. They set the cart on fire, and managed to run away. They reached the gates of Linglian sect, which sook talent even from the dust. It was not one of the four main sects, but it was the only one which would have even a minimal chance of taking them in.

Where even the poor had a chance.

But the master who selected him, he didn't seem to like him? He acted like the sect master had forced him to take He Xiaotong as a disciple.

He and Xu Bo were separated. No longer together. They hardly met nowadays. Curiosity, and fear of abandonment burned in his veins, but he decided to the best he could as a student. Wait for Xu Bo to reach out. Serve his master to the best of his ability, if he was ever called upon.

But all his hopes were met only with punishment. He would be pushed to perform chores for everyone. He wasn't allowed to refuse, and had to do all by himself.

And Yan Qingshan's envy burned. He would whip whenever He Xiaotong made the smallest of errors. From the four arts to martial arts, the smallest of infractions were met with whiplashes and torture for years and years and forever.

Why was he always so unfortunate? What had he done in his last life to deserve such a fate?

He Xiaotong was also a half demon.

This didn't help him. This didn't affect him. If he was a half demon, he was only further scum to his master, and nothing more.

But when the demons invaded the sect, they asked for 10 of the sect disciples, to be given to them as slaves.

And that was when he was truly, and completely abandoned.

Xu Bo didn't bat an eye. Yan Qingshan was discreetly hiding a smile.

The people he has served over the years, they never cared, did they? They didn't even think that he wouldn't wish to help them. They thought he was a slave still. They didn't think that there was anything higher he could be.

And He Xiaotong was nothing if not revengeful.

__________________Author notes time!!!__________

This is a continuation of ch 2, so remember, it's small.

Also I just lost my network privileges for this month, so updates might not be regular.

Xu Bo, Bo as in 'waves'.