prologue.

In a vast expanse, a figure emerged, clad in tattered dark robes that revealed glimpses of a tightly fitted dark armor underneath.

The armor bore a meticulous inscription of a golden dragon, which was also etched onto the mask that covered half of the figure's face.

The figure's armor bore various dents, evidence of countless battles, and his body was adorned with numerous injuries, causing blood to drip and stain his already blood-soaked robes. It was clear that he had endured a great fight.

The surroundings reflected the aftermath of a fierce battle, with countless buildings reduced to rubble.

Standing amidst this destruction, the figure faced a colossal demon, who knelt before him.

In the figure's left hand, he held a dagger, while his right hand pierced through the heart of the gigantic demon.

The figure, his hands still piercing through the demon's heart, spoke with a tone tinged with sadness, "Gui Wang, this need not to have ended this way if you had surrendered earlier."

It was evident that the figure did not wish to kill Gui Wang if there had been another choice.

"Mwahahaha!" Gui Wang, the demon, laughed out loud, unaffected by the hands still impaling his chest. His eyes showed no fear of death, only burning hatred as he retorted, "I will never surrender to your dogs of the heavenly court. I would rather die than submit to you."

The warrior gazed at Gui Wang, his expression resolute. "Then you leave me no other option," he declared, forcefully jerking his right hand, buried deep within the demon's heart.

A soft thud resonated as Gui Wang's colossal demonic body fell lifeless to the ground, a gaping hole in his chest.

Suddenly, a voice echoed in the warrior's mind:

###

Mission accomplished, target deceased.

Reward: 100,000 EXP points.

###

Ignoring the voice, the warrior's focus remained fixed on Gui Wang's heart within his grasp. It appeared ordinary, like any other heart, but pulsed with immense demonic energy.

Sighing, the warrior muttered to himself, "So, this is the demonic heart."

Suddenly, he jerked his head away from observing the heart he held in his hands, his attention drawn to a sudden movement in the distance.

With a swift motion, he released a scream, "Who is there, show yourself right now" he said gripping his dagger tightly in his left hand, he assumed a defensive stance.

Clapping sounds echoed through the air as a figure emerged from behind one of the buildings that had managed to escape the destruction caused by the battle between the warrior and the demon Gui Wang.

The figure wore long white robes, possessed piercing blue eyes, and boasted flowing white hair that cascaded down his back, along with a lengthy beard that reached his chest.

Despite the wrinkles etched upon his face, evidence of the passage of time, one could still discern the remnants of a once-handsome man.

Fixing his gaze upon the warrior, the old man's lips curled into a wide smile as he continued to applaud.

Confusion clouded the warrior's face as he addressed the old man, uttering the word "Master?" in surprise. "Master, what are you doing here?" he inquired, his astonishment evident.

The old man chuckled, his laughter echoing through the air. "Master?" he repeated, his amusement evident. "Hahahaha! Do you truly believe I am your master? How pathetic!" His gaze shifted towards the lifeless body of Gui Wang, lying nearby. "Both of you were mere pawns, tools I utilized to fulfill my ambitions."

Shock washed over the warrior upon hearing these words. He vehemently shook his head in disbelief, refusing to accept the truth. "No! No! No! I don't believe you! You are not my master!" he exclaimed, his head still shaking vigorously in denial.

The old man burst into laughter upon seeing the warrior vigorously shaking his head in disbelief. "Hahahaha," he chuckled. Then, his voice turned taunting as he said, "You are pathetic." However, his tone suddenly shifted to a serious one as he demanded, "Hand over the eternal essence heart and die peacefully."

The warrior was taken aback by this request. He looked at Gui Wang's heart, still pulsing with demonic energy, and asked, "What eternal essence heart? Are you referring to this demonic heart?" He lifted Gui Wang's heart in his hands.

Upon seeing this, the old man's eyes gleamed with greed. "Yes! Hand it over," he insisted.

The warrior shook his head and replied, "No, I won't hand it over to you. Tell me what you are planning to do with it." His gaze remained fixed on the old man.

"There is no need to know. Just hand it over already and allow me to grant you a peaceful death," the old man angrily retorted.

"You'll have to kill me first," the warrior declared, a flash of golden light appearing in his hands as the heart vanished.

Furious, the old man exclaimed, "Why are you making things harder?" But then, his voice took on a playful tone as he added, "You were going to die anyway, so I don't mind killing you to get it." With a flash of white light, a broad golden sword materialized in his hands.

The warrior assumed a defensive stance, gripping the dagger tightly in his left hand. Another flash of golden light produced an identical dagger in his right hand.

With a war cry, the old man rushed towards the warrior, flames forming on the body of his sword as he slashed it forward.

Using the shadow step technique, the warrior swiftly dodged the attack, leaving behind three afterimages.

Undeterred, the old man swiftly changed direction and unleashed another attack on the warrior.

The two of them clashed for a prolonged period, with the old man gaining the upper hand. The warrior had just finished his battle with Gui Wang and hadn't had time to recover, so it was expected that the old man would have the advantage.

Despite accumulating various injuries, the warrior fought with unwavering intensity.

After some time, they separated, their eyes still locked on each other.

The old man wore a surprised expression as he remarked, "Interesting. I knew you had many secrets, but I never expected you to be a shadow ability user." A playful smile appeared on his face as he continued, "Who would have thought that my good disciple is indeed a cultivator of the demonic path?"

"I am not your disciple!" the warrior angrily shouted in response.

The old man burst into laughter upon hearing this, but his tone quickly turned cold. "I must admit, I am impressed by your strength. However, it is unfortunate for you that you have already sustained numerous injuries and have been weakened by Gui Wang. You are no match for me," he declared.

Without any delay, the old man's grip tightened on his sword, causing it to grow in size.

The sword expanded at an astonishing rate, quickly doubling its original size in just a few breaths.

With both hands firmly holding the enlarged sword, the old man's body began to pulsate with energy.

Despite the increased size, the weight of the sword seemed unchanged, but the power radiating from the old man was undeniably terrifying.

The warrior, witnessing this, understood that the old man intended to end the fight with his next move.

Dark energy began emanating from the warrior's body, enveloping him in a protective cloak of shadowy armor.

Within moments, the warrior found himself trapped within a cocoon made entirely of dark energy.

Meanwhile, the old man had already prepared for his attack. He charged towards the warrior, wielding the gigantic sword, which now blazed with intense flames.

In a matter of minutes, the old man closed in on the warrior, who was encompassed by the cocoon of dark energy.

With a swift motion, the old man raised the oversized sword and swung it with immense force, colliding with the dark energy cocoon.

An earth-shattering explosion echoed as the sword struck the cocoon, filling the air with blinding light.

The shockwave unleashed by the explosion reduced the remaining buildings to rubble, engulfing the surroundings in a cloud of dust.

Amidst the chaos, the warrior and the old man remained in the epicenter of the explosion.

They stood within a massive crater, created by the sheer impact. The old man's sword had returned to its original size, now deeply embedded in the warrior's shoulders, forcing him to his knees.

The earlier explosion had caused the dragon-inscribed dark armor and mask to crumble, revealing the warrior's handsome, youthful face.

Blood dripped from his wounds, staining his mouth, as he lifted his head to gaze at the old man, whose pale face bore a satisfied smile.

The warrior's voice trembled weakly as he questioned, "Why? Why did you do this?"

The old man let out a wild laugh and replied, "Isn't it obvious? With the eternal essence heart, I will improve my cultivation and use it to become immortal when the time comes."

The warrior remained silent for a moment, absorbing the old man's words.

Seeing the warrior's silence, the old man laughed loudly. "Hahahaha! Have you finally accepted your fate?" he asked, a grin on his face.

The warrior smiled and replied with a weak voice, "I may not be able to defeat you, but I will ensure your plans do not succeed."

The old man laughed even louder. "Hahahaha! You are on the verge of death, so how do you plan to achieve that?" he taunted.

Suddenly, a flash of light appeared in the warrior's lifeless eyes. His dying body seemed to regain a surge of energy as his hands lunged forward and grabbed the old man's hand that held the sword buried in his shoulder. With a sudden scream, he exclaimed, "Like this! Longwei, activate the temporal reversion!"

The old man was surprised by this turn of events. However, after a moment of nothing happening, he laughed again. "Hahahaha! Longwei, activate the temporal reversion? What is that, your last resort?" But before he could finish his words, a white vortex suddenly materialized behind him.

Despite his struggles, the old man was pulled into the vortex by its powerful suction force.

After the old man was sucked in, the vortex did not disappear immediately. The warrior collapsed, and in his hands, an ethereal golden dragon spirit materialized.

Looking at the dragon spirit with affection, the warrior muttered weakly, "Longwei, it is time for you to move on without me." He then made a sealing hand gesture with his weak hands.

A golden light flashed after the sealing gesture, and the ethereal golden dragon spirit transformed into a small round golden orb.

Staring at the golden orb, the warrior whispered, "Longwei, I entrust the mission to you now. Find the fated one and guide them through." With that, he threw the golden orb into the vanishing vortex.

The warrior weakly smiled and muttered, "Indeed, I am not the fated one. It seems the old lady was right." As his body disintegrated into dust.

# #

A/N

Skill Name: Temporal Reversion

Skill Description: Temporal Reversion is a powerful ability granted by the Assassin System. When activated, it creates a vortex of time and space capable of swallowing a target and transporting them back into the past. However, this skill comes with a significant sacrifice for the host of the Assassin System, as it results in their immediate demise upon activation.

Skill Mechanics:

1. Vortex Creation: Upon activation, the host of the Assassin System generates a swirling vortex that engulfs the target and draws them into the temporal rift.

2. Time Travel: The vortex transports the target through the fabric of time and space, sending them backward into the past. The exact destination or period cannot be predetermined by the host.

3. Sacrificial Activation: The activation of Temporal Reversion is a one-time use skill that leads to the immediate death of the host. The immense strain of manipulating time and space is too much for the host's body to handle, resulting in their ultimate demise.

4. Limitations: Temporal Reversion can only send the target back in time; it cannot bring them forward or alter the course of events in any way. The host has no control over what happens to the target once they are transported, and their fate is sealed upon activation.

Usage and Strategy:

1. Last Resort: Temporal Reversion should only be used as a final, desperate measure when all other options have been exhausted since its activation leads to the host's death.

2. Strategic Elimination: The primary use of this skill is to remove powerful adversaries or threats from the present timeline by sending them back into the past.

3. Unpredictable Consequences: The repercussions of altering the past can be vast and unpredictable. The host must consider the potential butterfly effect and unintended consequences of the target's arrival in a different period.

Note: Altering history can have wide-ranging implications and may result in unintended consequences. The ethical considerations and potential risks of using such skill should be carefully weighed and considered by the host before activating Temporal Reversion.