TDG : rise of shadow army

Just as Nie Li and his group were finishing up various details, Nie Li's gaze suddenly turned toward a distant direction. Among the rows of bookshelves, a graceful figure was holding a thick book, looking at him. A head of violet hair cascaded like a waterfall. Strands of hair near her ears were tied with silk threads, adding to her charming temperament.

The evening sunlight shone on her delicate face, making her appear even more elegant and captivating.

Nie Li's heartbeat nearly stopped as he looked at her. For a moment, countless memories flooded his mind. In the endless desert, hiding and fleeing from the pursuit of countless demon beasts, in those life-and-death situations, with Nie Li's keen sense of danger, he saved the survivors countless times and gradually bonded with Ye Ziyun as they got to know each other.

Although Nie Li's cultivation was extremely poor and the gap between him and Ye Ziyun was as vast as the sky, the two had always found their way back together.

That night, Nie Li had touched Ye Ziyun's smooth back, and his deep love for her could no longer be suppressed. Ye Ziyun, under the moonlight, was like a perfect image of a goddess statue—her attractive face, her sinuous body, her smooth and delicate jade-like arms, and well-developed twin peaks… These passionate scenes were deeply imprinted in Nie Li's heart.

Back then, Nie Li never imagined that a beautiful goddess like Ye Ziyun would fall in love with him.

Later, in order to cover for him and help other survivors escape, Ye Ziyun died in battle. Seeing that scene, Nie Li felt as if his heart had been pierced. He still remembered that sharp, agonizing pain. If it weren't for fulfilling Ye Ziyun's wish to protect her family, Nie Li at the time would have certainly followed her in death.

"If it weren't for the mysterious Temporal Demon Spirit Book, I wouldn't have been able to come back to life, I wouldn't have been able to see her again!"

Nie Li took a deep breath, calming his inner emotions. He had always been looking for a chance to get closer to Ye Ziyun, but he didn't want to disturb her. Regardless, since the marriage between her and Shen Yue had not yet been finalized, the current Nie Li felt an urgent need to strengthen his power. Besides, she no longer associated with that useless fool thanks to his brother.

Only by having strength could he deter the Sacred Family and then be able to snatch Ye Ziyun from Shen Yue's hands.

"You guys go ahead first, I still have something to do!" Nie Li said, looking at Du Ze, Lu Piao, Chan Wei, and Xiao Ning'er.

Du Ze and Lu Piao followed Nie Li's gaze. The beauty, holding an ancient book and reading quietly, looked like an elf in the evening—simply perfect. Dressed in a white silk robe, carrying a graceful demeanor, leaning slightly against the bookshelf. Her posture was dignified, calm, and elegant, like a lotus out of the water—holy and noble, making others afraid to profane her presence. They instantly understood what Nie Li wanted to do.

Everyone loves beautiful things. However, when faced with Ye Ziyun, they didn't even have the courage to approach due to their low self-esteem.

Nie Li walked toward Ye Ziyun's direction.

"I bet Nie Li will fail within 15 minutes, the prettiest girl in the class will definitely ignore him!" Lu Piao said, smiling confidently.

"I hope Nie Li doesn't take too big of a hit." Du Ze murmured.

"Darling, I know Ye Ziyun was your friend before, so why not invite her to join us? Brother Nie Li loves her, and I know she misses you from the glances she keeps throwing your way. We only have one life, and we shouldn't waste it on futile struggles," Chan Wei whispered into Xiao Ning'er's ear while gently brushing a strand of her hair.

"I'll let Nie Li take his chance first, then I'll go talk to Ziyun. You're right, I miss her friendship, but… we don't belong to the same world anymore," the young girl said softly, her eyes slightly reddened.

"There, there, don't cry. Ye Ziyun is isolated too, and now you have me, so the conditions are just right for you to reconnect. Besides, knowing my brother, you'll probably be around her sooner or later, don't you think?" Chan Wei reassured her gently. Xiao Ning'er nodded and leaned into his embrace for a moment, while Du Ze and Lu Piao discreetly moved away.

They hid in a corner, watching Nie Li. "He'll probably get ignored by her. The prettiest girl in the class isn't that easy to approach. Even Shen Yue has failed multiple times to get close to her."

Ye Ziyun was quietly reading books at dusk. The scene was so beautiful that Nie Li almost didn't want to interrupt it.

Nie Li noticed that the book Ye Ziyun was reading was actually the Divine Lightning Fire Book.

Ye Ziyun furrowed her brows as she flipped through the book. She was someone with a strong competitive spirit and worked hard, whether in talent, cultivation, or knowledge—she was far ahead of ordinary people. She always carried a bit of pride in her heart, yet she now realized just how large the gap between her and Nie Li actually was.

The contents of the Divine Lightning Fire Book were too profound!

The first volume had been translated, which was fine, but beyond that, the remaining volumes were written in the ancient language of the Snow Wind Empire. She couldn't understand a thing!

In terms of knowledge, Ye Ziyun was indeed more advanced than her peers, but she had chosen the wrong person to compare herself to. After all, Nie Li had been reborn.

Seeing Ye Ziyun holding and flipping through the Divine Lightning Fire Book, Nie Li, understanding her personality well, could naturally guess what she was thinking. He couldn't help but smile as he walked up to her and teased, "So, Student Ye Ziyun is also interested in the Lightning Fire Book?"

Ye Ziyun snapped out of her deep thoughts. Looking at Nie Li, an expression of surprise appeared on her face—she clearly hadn't expected to run into him here. Then again, perhaps it made sense. Nie Li was probably here reading books, otherwise, how else could he possess so much knowledge?

She then recalled her tutor's advice, who had suggested she get closer to the group that had received special treatment in being assigned a personal tutor. She had been seriously considering it, especially since even Xiao Ning'er was part of that group.

"This book is too profound. I've been going through it, but I realized I can't read much of what's inside," Ye Ziyun said gracefully, closing the Divine Lightning Fire Book while maintaining a polite distance from Nie Li.

Even though Ye Ziyun was standing a few steps away, a faint fragrance emanated from her. Nie Li immediately recognized it as her unique body scent, something that fascinated him deeply. That familiar, intimate fragrance was the scent of his memories.

"This Divine Lightning Fire Book is written in the script of the Snow Wind Empire era. The characters from that time are slightly esoteric and difficult to understand. But if you first learn the writing of the Black Gold Empire era, you'll find it much easier to comprehend the script of the Snow Wind Empire," Nie Li said with a smile.

"The words of the Black Gold Empire era?" Ye Ziyun carefully recalled that before the Age of Darkness, there were three well-recorded eras. The most powerful empires of each era were, respectively, the Era of the Holy Spirit Empire, the Era of the Snow Wind Empire, and the Era of the Sacred Empire. The Black Gold Empire was a relatively large empire during the time of the Snow Wind Empire.

Nie Li was well-educated and knew a lot about history; Ye Ziyun couldn't help but feel a bit of admiration.

"But learning an entire era's language just to read this book isn't necessary. Besides, with your aptitude, practicing Lightning Fire cultivation techniques isn't the most suitable for you," Nie Li said, his expression calm—unlike other boys who were stiff and nervous in front of Ye Ziyun.

After all, Nie Li understood Ye Ziyun too well, down to the depths of her soul.

"Oh? Then what cultivation technique would suit me?" Ye Ziyun asked, evaluating the boy before her. Nie Li's knowledge made her feel a little discouraged and disheartened.

"If I'm not mistaken, someone in your family has already used soul force to examine your body. You're currently practicing the Blizzard cultivation technique, so that technique is likely the most compatible with your physique!" Nie Li said with a slight smile.

Ye Ziyun's eyes widened in shock as she looked at Nie Li. He had guessed correctly—her grandfather had indeed used his soul force to examine her body before. But that was a secret known only to a few. After all, detecting the amount of soul force in someone required a detailed examination. How could Nie Li possibly know this?

Seeing Ye Ziyun's reaction, Nie Li knew he had guessed correctly. He smiled and said, "Although your family has already examined your physique, they definitely wouldn't have been able to detect the shape of your soul realm, so the cultivation technique they chose for you might not be the most suitable."

"The shape of the soul realm?" Ye Ziyun frowned, not understanding what he meant.

"How about taking a little time to let me examine the shape of your soul force?" Nie Li asked.

Ye Ziyun lifted her head and looked at Nie Li, thinking for a moment before shaking her head. "No need!" She still maintained a certain distance from Nie Li. If Nie Li's examination method was similar to her grandfather's, it would require physical contact. Ye Ziyun was still cautious around Nie Li.

Seeming to guess what Ye Ziyun was thinking, Nie Li smiled. He knew she was overthinking and said, "Actually, the examination method is very simple. Just get an unused soul crystal and inject your soul force into it. I only need to observe the crystal for a moment to determine the shape of your soul realm."

"Oh? It's that simple?" Ye Ziyun looked at Nie Li apologetically. It seemed she had misunderstood him. A soul crystal wasn't even expensive.

"If you want to test the shape of your soul realm, meet me here at this time tomorrow," Nie Li said before turning around and leaving.

Ye Ziyun stared at Nie Li in surprise. Usually, when boys spoke to her, they would try to prolong the conversation as much as possible, but Nie Li was an exception. What kind of person was he? She realized that she didn't understand this classmate at all.

Nie Li knew Ye Ziyun's personality well. The more he tried to get close to her, the more she would distance herself. There was still plenty of time in the future. First, he needed to leave a good impression, then slowly build their relationship.

Ye Ziyun bit her lip and called out, "Classmate Nie Li."

"What is it?" Nie Li turned his head and asked.

Seeing Nie Li and Ye Ziyun talking in the distance, with Nie Li walking away only to be called back by Ye Ziyun, Du Ze and Lu Piao exchanged glances while Chan Wei smiled at his girlfriend's reaction to the scene.

This sparked jealousy among the onlookers. How many men wished for such an opportunity to talk with their goddess?

Du Ze and Lu Piao looked at each other.

"It looks like we underestimated Nie Li!"

"This guy is hiding his true skills!"

Nie Li was unaware of his brothers' discussion. Hearing Ye Ziyun call out to him was unexpected, and he turned around in surprise.

"Classmate Nie Li, your knowledge of inscription patterns is quite profound. I have a few questions—would that be alright?" Ye Ziyun asked, her bright eyes fixed on Nie Li.

"Of course, go ahead," Nie Li laughed. "I also have a good brother who is very talented in this field. He even found a master."

Ye Ziyun didn't have high expectations. After all, the questions she wanted to ask weren't something ordinary people could answer. In terms of understanding inscription patterns, Ye Ziyun, who was born into one of the great families, was already far ahead of her peers.

She took out two inscription scrolls from her interspatial ring.

Experts usually store their techniques within inscription patterns. By inscribing them onto scrolls, they can activate these inscription scrolls to unleash powerful combat techniques much faster than executing the techniques themselves. However, inscription scrolls are generally very expensive. A simple blank inscription scroll could cost hundreds of demon spirit coins, a bronze-rank scroll would cost thousands, and a silver-rank inscription scroll could exceed 10,000 demon spirit coins. As for gold-rank scrolls, their price was simply unimaginable. The ones Chan Wei had made could only be applied to weapons and armor.

These were extremely valuable items that ordinary people could never afford.

"These two inscription scrolls are Snow Wind inscriptions." Ye Ziyun's pale fingers slowly unrolled one of the bronze-rank inscription scrolls. "These two inscription scrolls seem to have an error in their design, preventing them from being activated, but I can't find the root of the problem."

Nie Li's gaze swept over the two inscription patterns on the scroll and immediately spotted the issue.

Having spent so much time in his previous life inside the Temporal Demon Spirit Book, Nie Li's knowledge of inscription patterns had reached the level of perfection, regardless of the attribute. To him, understanding all kinds of inscription patterns was simple. Fixing two bronze-rank inscription scrolls posed no challenge at all.

"Even if the teachers couldn't determine the root of the problem with these two bronze inscription patterns, given your family background, couldn't you just ask your father for the answer?" Nie Li asked, looking at Ye Ziyun.

In Ye Ziyun's lavender-colored eyes, there was a hint of sadness.

Nie Li suddenly understood. Ye Ziyun had never had a mother since birth, and with her father being the City Lord, he was busy all day. Her grandfather was a Legend-rank Demon Spiritualist, constantly leading his men to explore the St. Ancestral Mountains, eliminating potential crises for Glory City. Naturally, there was no one to help Ye Ziyun.

Thinking about this, Nie Li felt sympathy for Ye Ziyun and said, "In the future, if you ever have problems, you can find me here at this time!"

After saying this, Nie Li's gaze fell on the two bronze-rank inscription scrolls. He pointed at one of them and said, "This bronze-rank inscription scroll contains the 'Icy Wind, Razor-Sharp as Knives' Snow Wind attribute inscription. The structure of the inscription is fine, but this scroll is defective."

"A defective scroll?" Ye Ziyun asked in surprise.

"That's right. The person who made this defective scroll is an expert fraud. If someone isn't observant enough, it's easy to be tricked into buying it," Nie Li said with a laugh. "The 'Icy Wind, Razor-Sharp as Knives' inscription is drawn using the blood of a Snow Wind Spirit Worm. The blood of an adult Snow Wind Spirit Worm is usually a silver-gray color, not this bright red-silver color. I'd guess this was written with the blood of a Snow Wind Spirit Worm larva. Since the larva isn't strong enough, it prevented the activation of the 'Icy Wind, Razor-Sharp as Knives' inscription."

The blood of an adult Snow Wind Spirit Worm being silver-gray while its larval blood was red-silver—Ye Ziyun had never considered that this was the issue.

She had taken this inscription scroll, which couldn't be activated, to several teachers at the school and even to the vice principal, but none of them had been able to find the problem because the bronze-rank inscription scroll was drawn correctly!

This mystery had been buried in her heart for a long time. It wasn't until today that it was finally solved.

Her perspective was therefore incorrect—the inscription itself had no issues, making her attempt to find a problem with it naturally impossible!

The fact that Nie Li could determine this at just a glance—how deep must his knowledge be to achieve such insight? Were the knowledge levels of the teachers and even the vice principal truly inferior to Nie Li's?

A deep admiration for Nie Li emerged within Ye Ziyun as she gradually lowered her guard against him. A person with such vast knowledge probably wouldn't have a bad character, right?

"What about this bronze-rank inscription?" Ye Ziyun pointed to the other bronze inscription scroll. As she showed it to him, she glanced at Nie Li again. He was slightly taller than her, with a chiseled face, sharp eyebrows, and bright eyes—he was rather handsome.

In the past, Nie Li's presence in class had been very weak. But today, as Ye Ziyun began to develop a deeper understanding of him, her heart started to feel a profound admiration for him.

"This inscription pattern is the 'Icy Wind, Sudden Snow' Snow Wind attribute inscription. 'Icy Wind, Sudden Snow' was originally a silver-rank inscription pattern, but the version passed down from the Age of Darkness was incomplete. Later, people attempted to correct it, and in doing so, they inadvertently lowered its rank, turning it into a bronze-rank inscription pattern," Nie Li explained.

Ye Ziyun had her doubts—she had never thought there was such a history behind it. In which book was this recorded? How had she never come across it before?

She then heard Nie Li continue his explanation: "Besides being downgraded to a bronze-rank inscription pattern, their corrections to 'Icy Wind, Sudden Snow' caused a problem with its structure, which often leads to activation failures, rendering it unusable. It just needs a slight structural adjustment."

"Structural changes? How would you modify it?" Ye Ziyun's eyes were filled with doubt. Even her grandfather wouldn't dare alter the structure of an inscription pattern, as those passed down from ancient times were already in perfect form. Although her grandfather was a Legend-rank Demon Spiritualist capable of creating inscription patterns, adjusting an existing one was still extremely difficult.

"Would you mind if I called Chan Wei? He's learning from a master, and I'd like to see if he can identify the issue as well. Do you have a pen?" Nie Li asked, looking at Ye Ziyun.

With a slight movement of her right hand, Ye Ziyun retrieved a silver-horned pen from her interspatial ring, made from the horn of a horned sheep. "You can call him, but he should write on a separate parchment," she said.

"Brother Chan Wei, could you come over for a moment, please?" Nie Li called out.

A bit further away, Chan Wei was surprised by the call, but after exchanging a glance with Xiao Ning'er, who slightly shook her head, he stepped forward alone toward Nie Li. Why is he calling me? Shouldn't he be trying to make the strongest impression himself? he wondered as he approached the two.

"Hello, classmate. How is your tutoring going? Why did you call me, brother?" Chan Wei asked with a smile.

"Hello," Ye Ziyun replied politely. "I don't know why I had to leave the class, but my new tutor is much more helpful for learning than Teacher Shen Xiu."

"I have a little training exercise for you, brother. Do you see this inscription pattern? I want you to correct it. Here, take a sheet," Nie Li said, smiling at his brother before taking the pen.

As Nie Li reached for the silver-horned pen from Ye Ziyun's hand, his finger accidentally brushed against her palm. The soft touch of her skin made his heart race.

She immediately withdrew her hand and suddenly lifted her head, her alert eyes watching Nie Li. She thought he had intentionally taken advantage of the situation, but to her surprise, she found Nie Li holding the silver-horned pen with a dignified expression before handing it to Chan Wei.

Maybe I'm overthinking it… The brief contact had given her an inexplicable sensation.

Chan Wei examined the scroll before starting to note down the corrections he deemed necessary on the sheet Nie Li had handed him. However, instead of merely correcting it, he enhanced the pattern's base structure and reinforced its effects, elevating it from silver rank to gold rank. Nie Li, watching from behind, was completely astonished by how effortlessly Chan Wei handled inscription patterns.

Chan Wei quickly finished the revised pattern.

"Brother, I asked you to correct its structure, not to improve it. I know you're proud of your master's teachings, but now this has become a gold-rank inscription that only incorporates the structure of Icy Wind, Sudden Snow," Nie Li remarked as he took the pen back.

Nie Li then drew a few simple strokes on the white paper, and a more complete version of Icy Wind, Sudden Snow appeared on the sheet, though it seemed less complex than Chan Wei's version. The strokes were perfectly proportioned, as if they had been printed rather than drawn.

Ye Ziyun watched in amazement as Nie Li effortlessly created such a complex inscription with just a few random-looking strokes. This refined version of Icy Wind, Sudden Snow was now even more intricate and difficult to understand, leaving even her struggling to grasp it.

"This is the complete Icy Wind, Sudden Snow," Nie Li said, looking toward Ye Ziyun. "It's a silver-rank inscription pattern."

Then, handing over Chan Wei's version, he continued, "This one is gold-rank, with enhanced effects. But since it's an entirely new inscription pattern, it should have a different name and be registered under my brother's name. Brother, what do you want to call it?"

"Why not Icy Wind, Sudden Avalanche, since the effect is stronger?" Chan Wei suggested.

Nie Li nodded in approval before turning back to Ye Ziyun.

Ye Ziyun's gaze fell upon the adjusted Icy Wind, Sudden Snow inscription, her brows furrowing. The new version had become twice as complex as before. At the moment, she had no way to verify the effectiveness of the inscription pattern unless someone created a scroll with it, and Chan Wei's version was even more intricate.

She had never seen this kind of inscription pattern before!

"This inscription pattern consists of 36 foundational patterns in its structure," Nie Li explained. "It's a stable structure. The previous one was not! My brother Chan Wei's version has 48 foundational patterns, making its foundation stable as well. If they are tested, don't forget to credit my brother for the second scroll," he added, before writing down the name Chan Wei had given to his inscription.

Ye Ziyun let out a doubtful "En." She didn't ask any further, keeping only the modified inscription pattern by Nie Li and the one written by Chan Wei. She planned to have them turned into actual scrolls for testing, to see if they truly were, as Nie Li claimed, a silver-rank and a gold-rank inscription. She still felt a certain level of anticipation for the second one, as it would mean that someone her age had successfully created a new inscription pattern, which would be unheard of.

She then asked for further guidance on some issues she had with Snow Wind inscription patterns and cultivation techniques. Nie Li's answers were calm and fluent. Under Nie Li's guidance, Ye Ziyun eased her doubts about him and admired him even more. How much time must a person spend to have such profound knowledge as Nie Li?

"Classmate Nie Li, thank you very much for your answers. Don't forget our agreement to meet here tomorrow, rain or shine." Before leaving, Ye Ziyun smiled gracefully, like a pearl—beautiful and refined.

That dazzling smile left Nie Li momentarily dazed. Ye Ziyun waved as she left, her graceful and elegant figure drawing his gaze.

Chan Wei, after his earlier intervention, had remained nearly invisible as he quietly observed their discussion.

Nie Li's mood suddenly became even better, feeling quite satisfied with his first conversation with Ye Ziyun.

Just as Nie Li was about to leave, a hand suddenly emerged from the side, grabbing his collar—but it was almost broken when Chan Wei caught it in return.

"You—" Nie Li's eyes landed on the person, and his expression darkened. It was Shen Yue, who recoiled as Chan Wei gripped his hand.

"Let go of him, brother. I won't be polite with him," Nie Li said coldly, glaring at Shen Yue.

"Hehe, you won't be polite with me? Nie Li, you think too highly of yourself. Who do you think you are? Just because you know a few inscription patterns, you think you're so great? You're still far too humble! Stay away from Ye Ziyun, or I'll make sure you regret it!" Shen Yue spat, rubbing his hand as he retreated behind his lackeys.

Upon seeing this, Du Ze and Lu Piao immediately rushed over. At this moment, Shen Yue had about six or seven lackeys beside him, all glaring at Du Ze, Lu Piao, Nie Li, and Chan Wei, the fighting spirit between both sides igniting. Chan Wei made a subtle gesture to Xiao Ning'er, signaling her not to intervene.

Seeing the growing tension, the other students in the library began to distance themselves, afraid of being caught up in the fight.

"What's happening?"

"I heard Shen Yue and Nie Li have a conflict over Goddess Ye Ziyun. Looks like they're about to fight."

"Who is this Nie Li? To dare offend Shen Yue—he's a member of the Sacred Family!"

"Nie Li is crazy; he doesn't know his place! Shen Yue is about to reach Bronze 1-star. How could Nie Li possibly stand a chance against him?"

From Shen Yue's perspective, dealing with Nie Li was easy. He only needed a tenth of his strength to suppress Nie Li! But he re-evaluated his confidence after recalling Chan Wei's strength.

Nie Li looked at the arrogant Shen Yue with contempt. To him, Shen Yue was just a child—he had never considered him a threat from the start! "Even if your entire Sacred Family could barely play with me, who do you think you are, Shen Yue?"

In terms of physical strength and soul force, Nie Li was indeed weaker than Shen Yue. After all, he had only started cultivating the Heavenly God Technique two days ago. But in Nie Li's eyes, Shen Yue's ability to wield his strength and soul force was no different from a primitive human.

"Even though my current physical strength is only 38 and my soul force is 32, it's more than enough to make you faint."

"You think that just because you have the Sacred Family as your backing, you can be arrogant and tyrannical? Having a green soul realm makes you a genius? You're still far from it!" declared Nie Li.

Shen Yue, forgetting his previous hesitation, grabbed Nie Li's collar again while his lackeys slowly surrounded Chan Wei, Du Ze, and Lu Piao.

In an instant, Nie Li's hand was like a steel clamp, gripping Shen Yue's wrist tightly. A sharp, unbearable pain shot through Shen Yue's arm, twisting his face in agony.

"How did Nie Li do that? My strength is obviously greater than his, yet I couldn't even resist?" Shen Yue thought in shock.

In his mind, Nie Li had always been a weakling—low-ranked, with poor innate talent in soul cultivation and a frail physique. Meanwhile, he considered himself the genius of the class, blessed with a green soul realm and having taken all kinds of elixirs from a young age to strengthen his body beyond his peers.

Yet, in this brief clash of strength, he was completely unable to overpower Nie Li!

What kind of demonic sorcery was this?!

Nie Li smirked slightly. Even though his physical strength had not significantly increased, his ability to control his own power was something Shen Yue couldn't even begin to compare with. Nie Li had precisely struck an acupoint on Shen Yue's wrist with the tip of his finger, instantly rendering his arm powerless.

The lackeys who had been ready to fight froze in place, paralyzed by the overwhelming yin intent exuded by Chan Wei, who had learned how to precisely target his opponents with it.

The rest was in Nie Li's hands now, Chan Wei thought, coldly smiling at Shen Yue's trembling pawns.

(Author's note: I hope some of you will appreciate Chan Wei's talent in inscriptions. While reading Tales of Demons and Gods, I felt that this field was somewhat underutilized. So, just as Nie Li has alchemy, Chan Wei has another domain that I find more interesting—somewhat like Fūinjutsu from Naruto ^^.)