Reborn in another world as the Sword Emperor

“Hmm... my head... it hurts so much…”

The boy opened his eyes in confusion, his gaze falling on a luxurious bed curtain. As he looked around in a daze, he spotted a maid slumped over the tea table.

“Where am I? Who... am I?”

The boy muttered to himself. As he thought about his identity, a buzzing noise filled his mind, accompanied by a sharp pain as memories and fragmented information flooded into his consciousness...

...

In that instant, Yun Yi felt like everything had vanished, leaving only an almost boundless expanse of white.

The sensation in his body had disappeared the moment he encountered the power of the emperor. Everything from his past—the things he remembered and the things he didn't—flashed before his eyes like a movie.

“Is this what it feels like to die?”

Yun Yi was no stranger to death. He had encountered it countless times, though he had always been the one to bestow it upon others. He believed he had become quite familiar with the concept of death.

It felt as if he had returned to that place, a realm of darkness and death.

He was an orphan, with no name of his own. "Yun Yi" was a title given to him by his adoptive father—the man who had given him life and death.

Under his adoptive father's care, he had his first full meal, slept on a soft mattress for the first time, and encountered martial arts for the first time, along with the experience of death.

Once, Yun Yi was the most capable assistant to the man he called "adoptive father." After escaping from the place known as "Purgatory," he became his shadow.

At that time, he was like a cold, lethal weapon, his only skill being to kill.

Killing. To be honest, Yun Yi disliked it. The sensation of turning a once-vibrant life into a lifeless corpse was repugnant to him. But he had no choice. He had to do it to survive.

Emerging from a crowd of over twenty thousand, he gained the attention of his adoptive father. He became the organization’s most formidable assassin, feared both inside and outside the organization, known by the name—Shura.

“Shura” was a term that sent chills through anyone who heard it. But little did they know the bloodshed that lay behind that name. Whenever he was alone, he couldn’t help but wonder—was his existence merely to bring slaughter to this world?

His life changed dramatically after a failed mission.

The organization had taken on a significant task. The upfront payment was an astronomical 2 billion U.S. dollars.

Nothing comes easy. This was a truth universally acknowledged. No one would spend such a fortune on a task as simple as having a meal.

The target was the leader of the Chinese Dragon Group—Long Nu.

The Chinese Dragon Group was the most powerful special organization recognized worldwide, and as its leader, Long Nu was undeniably the number one in the world.

The mission failed. Yes, it failed. This was Yun Yi’s first complete failure. The opponent’s extraordinary mental powers and almost superhuman strength were enough to guarantee his defeat.

Everyone else died. All those who had gone to intercept Long Nu perished—except for him.

He still vividly remembered Long Nu’s words as he left, “The Sword of Slaughter? Ha, what a pity. With your talent, you could have reached the realm of the emperor. Unfortunately, you misunderstood the path. The sword path is not a path of slaughter. I do not kill you today because I do not wish for this world to lose a worthy opponent. When you comprehend the true realm of the emperor, come find me.”

The Sword Emperor’s Realm! The legendary pinnacle of the sword path. But is it truly the pinnacle? No one knows, perhaps Long Nu does.

Reflecting on it now, he realized he might have been wrong. The Sword Emperor’s path is indeed not a path of slaughter! The emperor embodies the heavens! Why the heavens? Because they are vast! The path of slaughter is too narrow to grasp the broadness of the emperor.

He knew he had fallen into a false path. Now, it was clear—he was meant to enter the Sword Emperor’s realm. But so what? Life extinguished, all was in vain.

His thoughts drifted back to the moment he was injured.

In a daze, he felt like a walking corpse. The blow had been too great, leaving him, who had always been proud and aloof, at a loss. He had thought that after years of honing his skills through slaughter, he had survived and there would be no one left to challenge him. Who would have thought he would feel like an ant today, needing others to spare him to survive? Long Nu had not looked down on him, yet he had defeated him without taking his life. This shattered his proud heart in an instant.

Exhausted in body and mind, even he succumbed to unconsciousness. Then came three years of sweet memories that still brought a smile to his face.

What kind of girl was she? Pure as water, transparent as jade. No words could describe the feelings she stirred within Yun Yi.

Though she was blind, it was she who pulled him back from the brink of death.

Her smile was beautiful and radiant like the sun. Although her world lacked sunlight, she truly brought him light, brightening his long-dark existence.

During his recovery, he pondered many things. He felt lost about the future. Return? Continue being the dreaded “Shura”? After much contemplation, he made a decision. Since the world believed he was destined for death, so be it. Slaughter? There had been too much of it. His heart was weary; he did not want to kill anymore.

She taught him many things, like how to smile.

That period was when he smiled the most. If anyone who knew his identity had seen him, they would have been utterly shocked. Who would have thought that the feared “Shura” would display such a gentle smile?

He married her, promising to care for her for a lifetime.

The wedding was modest, held in a serene village that seemed like a paradise. They received blessings from the simple villagers.

With the villagers’ help, some run-down houses were renovated, and the missing furnishings were replaced one by one. He was momentarily stunned; how could there be such lovely people in this world?

What followed was a dream he wished he could never wake from. She bore him a healthy baby boy. The cute little boy loved to touch his father’s stubbled face with his chubby hands, calling out “Dad, Daddy…”

At that time, he even forgot his past, forgetting the cold figure known as “Shura.”

But good times never last. If he could return to the past, he certainly wouldn’t have saved that woman.

Suddenly, the woman’s screams pierced his ears, accompanied by the harsh shouts and mocking laughter of men, shattering the peace of the village.

He acted. Though he had no sword in hand, for one who had reached the realm of the Heavenly Sword, this was not a problem.

With a flash of sword light, all the men involved in the incident fell. One of them was a beautiful girl. Her once bright eyes now reflected fear. That fear pierced his heart, suddenly reminding him of his past—the man known as “Shura.”

“Leave here. Today, you saw nothing.”

He carried away the bodies of the men, leaving those words behind, and departed.

However, things never go as planned. The police arrived in that simple village.

He still remembered being taken away by the police, her anguished cries as she held their son, and the villagers’ fearful gazes. He could have resisted; with his strength, he could easily overpower a dozen armed police officers. But he didn’t want to. He didn’t want his dark side exposed to her, even if she couldn’t see.

“Wait for me at home. I’ll be back soon.”

He smiled as he spoke, believing she could feel it.

Then he left. When he returned, everything was gone.

The peaceful village lay in ruins, with police and firefighters searching through the debris for any signs of life. Seeing this, he stood frozen in shock.

He ran back home like a madman, shouting her and their son’s names. But the house had become a pile of rubble...

With a flash of sword light, the tiles and collapsed walls scattered into the air. He saw her.

She had been murdered! As a seasoned killer, he could easily identify the cause of her death, even though her body was burned beyond recognition.

Their son lay beside her. Once a plump little body, he had been charred into a grotesque form. His delicate skin had turned gray and tightened.

He let out a wail, his voice filled with pain, guilt, and sorrow, causing everyone searching for survivors to turn and stare in shock.

This wail lasted an entire day. From its initial clarity to a hoarse whisper, until he could no longer produce sound. Yet he did not stop. Blood tears streamed from his eyes, dried by the wind, only to flow once more, again and again.

Finally, he ceased, with no one daring to approach him within a hundred meters. The deep, unshakeable sorrow and longing he exuded brought tears to everyone’s eyes.

He left with their bodies.

Later, he returned to the organization. His adoptive father expressed incredible joy at his return. It was as if everything had returned to the past, and “Shura” was back. The only difference was that when he was alone, he no longer questioned his existence but whispered the names of a woman and a child repeatedly.

After “visiting” several domestic branches of the organization and using some special methods, he obtained the answers he sought—everything stemmed from him.

With four or more deaths involved, it was classified as a major case. Media exposure brought him back into the public eye. A department head in the organization reported his reappearance to higher-ups. Then, the village was gone.

That department head, who had been eagerly awaiting his reward, was met instead by “Shura.”

Three days and nights. He meticulously sliced pieces of flesh from that department head’s body. The agonizing screams and cries frightened even the wild beasts in the forest.

Eventually, a skinless corpse hung from a telephone pole at the roadside.

He knew that department head was merely an accomplice. The true culprit was the man he had called “adoptive father” for over twenty years.

But he could not strike against him. Not because he didn’t want to, but because he couldn’t.

He knew that aside from him, five other shadows stood by his adoptive father. Perhaps he could easily eliminate any one of those shadows, but if they united, even he would stand no chance. Their powers were infinitely close to that of the emperor, far beyond what his misaligned Heavenly Sword could contend with.

Thus, he learned to endure. Through relentless slaughter, he sought a way out of the false path and hoped to grasp the true realm of the emperor. Yet, the weight of slaughter was too heavy, and his heart could not find peace.

Perhaps his adoptive father had sensed his disloyalty? Although he believed he hadn’t acted too obviously, after following him for over ten years, he understood his adoptive father’s nature well. Better to err on the side of caution. Thus, a task that was essentially a suicide mission was handed to him. He knew he had to act before he lost his chance.

He struck, clearly seeing the disdain on his adoptive father’s face. The sword light flashed, but it was blocked by another multi-colored sword light.

His adoptive father smiled darkly, “After raising you for over twenty years, you bite the hand that feeds you today? Hmph, everything you have is given by me. Since I can give, I can also take away. Now, I shall take the life I granted you.”

The multi-colored sword light flashed again, and the immense power nearing the level of the emperor surged into his body. The gap between the Heavenly Sword realm and the Sword Emperor realm was far too great, leaving him with no room to resist.

But he smiled. Yes, he laughed.

He had never been a reckless person. This was evident from his ability to endure for so many years. Although his adoptive father’s attack came earlier than he expected, once he had acted, it meant he had no absolute certainty but would raise his chances to the highest.

The power of the emperor was indeed terrifying, powerful enough that he couldn’t muster the strength to lift his sword in resistance.

However, if it was merely a matter of pressing a button, he could still manage that.

His left thumb, which had never moved before, gently pressed down on the object he had held in his hand...

“Boom! Boom! Boom!!”

The deafening explosions echoed. Just before darkness enveloped him, he clearly saw a look of panic on his adoptive father’s face, which had always been shrouded in shadows. Countless tongues of fire surged toward him, and he sank into darkness.

Excitement coursed through him. Although darkness consumed him, he felt a surge of emotion. The long-suppressed discontent in his heart was finally released. He avenged her and their son...

In that moment, he felt no fear, no despair. All he felt was a joy akin to rebirth. For a killer, death might be the best destination, right?

Letting go of everything, Long Nu's words echoed in his ears. He understood. In the last second of his life, he comprehended.

Yet, it was all in vain...

The young man endured the pain, and it was a long time before his mind returned to calm. It was then that the young man understood his predicament.

The current master of this body is named Jun Yuxuan, the son of Jun Tianba, the carefree king of the three great empires of the human continent, the Xia Hua Empire. He is 17 years old this year.

Speaking of Jun Tianba, he is an extraordinary figure. On the human continent, almost no one can remain calm after hearing the name Jun Tianba. In the war between the Xia Hua Empire and the Orc Commonwealth, Jun Tianba led only 2,000 men and resisted tens of thousands of orcs from the Orc Commonwealth at the Hengduan Mountains, not allowing them to advance at all! His martial prowess had long reached the Saint level!

The Saint level is the second most powerful rank among the human professions on the continent. Above the Saint level is the God level, but... nowadays, God-level strongmen have almost completely