Ruan Xie is not who is says he is.
Some 7 years later, the year is 1262 from the last heavenly ascension, The battle of Qingyun...
The city was levelled to the ground, the once bustling city of trade and liveliness is now a ruin and a mass grave for whoever was unfortunate enough to be there on that day. But before that...
The demon sect of The Crimson Jackals launched an attack on the palace, killing Empress Qinglong Zi Yan. After the assassination of the empress, the demons sent on the mission were mysteriously slaughtered. Shortly after, the entire country fell into disarray.
The Princess Qinglong Mei Lan disappeared, Rank 4 Hero Ling Tianshu launched her personal counterattack on the Crimson Jackals hideout. The ruthless Ruan Xie happened to not be there that day, he returned to see the sect he spent a century building has crumbled with no one left alive.
In a fit of rage and vengeance, Ruan Xie tracked down Ling Tianshu and blew up the city she was in, killing hundreds.
Two Snake Demons, a young man and a middle aged lady attacked Ruan Xie while Ling Tianshu tried to rescue as many people as she could. The Demons had vine tattoos marking their skin just as Ruan Xie had thorny vines, the demons donned masks of white with smiles on them to cover their identity.
At the center of the destroyed city, Rank 5 Demon Ruan Xie fought the mysterious Rank 5 Demon lady while the masked boy assisted her. Spirit Techniques clashed, the Spirit animals that were brought out by Ruan Xie were killed off by the Masked boy before he could stop him.
Ruan Xie had no choice but to activate his trump card, his most powerful Spirit, The Jackal King. The same Spirit he used to level a city to the ground, he used against the Masked lady. A massive apparation of a red Jackal's head appeared, lunging out and taking the Masked lady out of the fight. "Damn Jackal! My student will be more than enough to kill you!" She shouted briefly as she tried to hold back the Spirit Jackal Ability, she failed and fell into the translucent red mouth of the Spirit, which carried her far away from the fight.
Breathing heavily from summoning the Spirit, Ruan Xie turned to the nuisance that was the Masked boy. He stood on a pile of debris, he wore dark sleeveless robes and had short cut hair that went barely beyond his ear. Gritting his teeth, Ruan Xie cackled and asked "So, I assume you will be the man to take me down? What Rank even are you?"
He stood there, menacingly. He did not say a word, instead he had ignited his Spirit Energy in his right fist which he held up to show Ruan Xie. Rather than the Pink of Rank 3 or the Green of Rank 4, not even the Purple of Rank 5. It was Blue, the Light Blue of Rank 2.
Ruan Xie burst out laughing "You- You expect to kill me with that!?" The masked boy stood there. "Can you even Reap Spirits?? Do you have some kill-all Technique? Do you even have any Techniques?!" He cackled mockingly.
Ruan Xie tried to lift his hands to wipe his tears of laughter, he found himself unable to even move. "What-?" he looked down to see that a blue Spirit Snake was wrapped around him, from his ankles to his shoulders he was unable to move anything.
As he began to lift his head, in that fraction of a second, he was hit by the Spirit Technique 'Hawk Handed Crossbow' one of the most basic offensive Techniques ever, one which is taught in the beginning days of a Spirit masters education. Ruan Xie, completely defenseless, was blasted some 20 meters away before breaking out of the Spirit Snake's clutches and swiftly killed it.
Ruan Xie bled from his shoulders and the corner of his forehead. "You think that's enough to kill me? Come, I will teach you a lesson of regret that your teacher failed to make you learn!" and Ruan Xie brought out his Demonic weapon, a Halberd, purple energy radiated off of it. The two charged straight at each other.
2 hours later..
Ruan Xie lay on the ground bleeding out, his right arm blown off, a massive hole in the side of his abdomen, not to mention all the cuts and broken bones that he had. A pool of blood formed around him, he did not have the energy for his final words as it would appear.
"h-how?" he muttered weakly into the air, next to the pool of blood, the demon sat cross-legged facing him. He finally spoke since the start of this battle "There is no point in 'How'. You were destined to lose and die against me, should you know exactly what my abilities are it would not make the smallest of a difference." He got up, not a single scratch or bruise since the start of this fight, leaned over Ruan Xie's dying body and spoke
"Should you have broken my mask, you would see the big smile I have watching you bleed out slowly, might be even bigger than the smile on my mask. Ruan Xie, you are both weak and pathetic. Just die quicker." And the boy walked off, leaving Ruan Xie, the great Demon of Jackals, to die.
Throughout the fight, Ruan Xie had never once activated his Spirit Ability. Technically, he has never activated his ability in his life at all. You see, Ruan Xie's Ability is the ability to turn back time.
He reached out into the sky with his left hand, making a sign to bring the energy to the tips of his fingers. The blood that was pouring out of him onto the floor began to boil and rise into the air. Collecting and compacting around the singular point right above the tip of his index finger, turning back time brought no benefits apart from knowledge of the future, and Ruan Xie risked angering the Spirits Of Heavenly Strength.
Still, it is because of this ability that Ruan Xie has been able to live as he pleases. Doing whatever he wants and turning back time whenever he faces the consequences.
The blood ball, which was now the size of a marble, ignited with Purple Spirit energy and burrowed into his pores. Condensing his Spirit Essence, preparing for it to move against the River Of Time.
"And yet, he isn't here and I am." The man that was not Ruan Xie stood at his balcony, leaning against the railing and staring at the full moon in the sky. This man Transmigrated from earth into Ruan Xie's body, it was a very awkward morning for him. He retains the memories of the future but for some he is here and not the real Ruan Xie.
His long dark hair flowed and swayed in the moonlight, He could remember everything Ruan Xie did, he felt everything that he did. He wasnt a man that took over Ruan Xie's body, just a man merged with him. He hasnt "Replaced" but more "Added" onto Ruan Xie.
All the hate, anger and most importantly, the fear that the original felt were all still there. Ruan Xie, Both old and new wanted to kill the masked man.