"Su Ruo, considering all you've done for me before, I ask one last time, where is the Hua Yun Jue!"

The narrow room was filled with the flickering light of candles. A man in a purple silk robe, adorned with a jade crown, sat within. His long hair flowed gracefully around him, but his handsome features twisted into a terrifying grimace when he looked upon the person before him.

"Want to know?"

The corners of his mouth twitched into a smile, revealing a face that was breathtakingly beautiful. When he smiled, it was incredibly charming, however, his flesh had been pierced by ten or so lengths of dark iron shackles, blood continuously dripping from the wounds. On the ground were traces of divine engravings, but as soon as the blood landed, they vanished completely.

That smile, stained with mottled spots, seemed quite eerie and ominous.

The Hua Yun Jue was obtained by chance, but for some unknown reason, the news spread that those who practiced this cultivation technique of Wa Mei could become existences beyond heaven.

Having evaded assassins and the envy of thousands, she never expected to encounter her groom's skin-changing deception on their wedding night.

The man seemed not to have noticed the mockery in her smile. Upon hearing this, a glimmer flashed in his eyes and his face softened slightly: "As long as you are willing to tell me, I promise I will never let you suffer this skin pain again!"

"Haha!"

The man suddenly laughed out loud, his long hair flying, tears streaming even faster: "Bah! Even if you grind me to dust, I'd never tell you this shameless wretch!"

"Click"

The man clenched his right fist and shattered the man's shoulder blade with a sickening crunch. "You won't talk? That's fine! Have a look at this!"

The man glared at him. The air of indifference he usually wore seemed to falter when he saw the object materialize in the man's hand.

It was a creature resembling a spider, but with a pair of small wings on its back. It was jet black, and its eyes bulged out. That...that was a Yuchi!

The man's keen perception detected the anomaly. A deeper smile spread across his face: "You recognize it? This is a yōchi, a demon specifically used to search souls, capture spirits, and plunder memories!"

That Yaocui had a small pair of pincers under its belly, specialized in absorbing brain marrow. Right now, it was aimed at the person and eagerly poised to strike.

The man's hands moved, and the demon instantly flew toward him...

A deafening roar suddenly shook the sky, followed by a torrent of thunder. The screams of terror were swallowed whole: "Ahhh— Duan! Mu! Rong! Zheng!—You'll die a terrible death!—Ahhhh—"

For millennia, the fairy and demon realm of Xianmo had never experienced a spirit rain. Suddenly, a violent storm raged...

Tianxuan Continent, Huoyun Country, General's Mansion, Subordinate Quarters.

"Mother, mother, it hurts, so much...."

A skeleton, thin as a rail, lay on the stone bed with his eyes closed. His brows were furrowed and his face was purple, his jaw still twitching unnaturally, as if in immense pain.

"Ah—Pff—"

She closed her eyes and let out a sharp cry, then spat out a mouthful of deep red...and that was it.

A middle-aged woman outside was hiding by the window, watching. Seeing that it was quiet, she couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, walked in and sniffed under her nose to confirm that there was no breath, then waved her handkerchief and went to report happily to her master.

Shortly after, the person on the bed suddenly opened their eyes!

Those eyes were sharp as arrows, seeming able to pierce through a person. They glinted red, filled with a hateful desire that sent shivers down one's spine just from looking at them.

Under that thatched, wind-blown roof, I closed my eyes, and when I opened them again, everything coalesced. All I could feel was curiosity as I sat up. This... is salvation?

No! Humans couldn't have lived after being soul-searched by the demon Chi.

Suddenly, a sharp pain in the head, an overwhelming and chaotic surge of information flooded my mind. If not for a strong enough soul, I estimate that these informations would have overwhelmed me completely!

It took a full incense stick of time to digest the information in her mind. Su Ruo, the celestial maiden, was stunned... This was rebirth?

This is the Heavenly Profound Continent, a place never heard of before. The master here is Su Qingmo, the legitimate son of the Great General of Huoyun Kingdom. He was born into nobility but unfortunately, due to his innate constitution, he couldn't cultivate. His own younger brother, though sharing the same mother, was only a useless four-spirit quality!

The biological mother passed away at an early age, the favored concubine was elevated to the status of a secondary wife, and the general father was stationed outside the pass all year round. The general's mansion was controlled by the secondary wife!

The younger brother and sisters lived in the elder son's room, but the eldest son could only live in a dilapidated shed. Otherwise, there would be no medicine to treat his illness.

Su Ruo took a look at the situation. She was as thin as a stick, her meridians were blocked, and toxins had invaded her body. She was truly weak!

However, his eyes swept across the rickety table ahead and landed on a cracked bowl. He couldn't help but sneer. That concubine was quite capable. Even Tiancao, a poisonous herb hard to find even in the fairy and demon realms, had fallen into her hands!

Before she could overthink her current predicament, footsteps approached from afar and grew louder. Su Ru hastily lay down, regaining the look of someone on the brink of death just moments ago.

"Really dead?"

I can't deceive you anymore, that medicine was personally delivered by me and watched as you drank it down. I even sniffed your breath!

"Ah, well, death is a release at least!"

"Lower your voice! If Madam hears you, watch out for your tongue!"

"Alright, have you reported back to your wife? Are we burying him directly in the graveyard, or finding another spot?"

"Of course!" The two pushed open the door and walked in, their voices now clearer: "Throw it into the burial ground! This was ordered by Madam herself!"

"The general came back and asked what happened?" a slightly younger voice inquired.

"What can we do? If we go out and mix with ghosts, we'll be killed! Anyway, the general isn't here. Whatever happens, it's all up to the mistress!" Some middle-aged women spoke with a sharp tone.

As the two spoke, they walked to the bedside. The younger one looked at Su Qingmo's purple and blue face and sighed.

The middle-aged woman then took out a sack: “Come on, help me stuff it in, or we’ll be seen when we go out!”

If Su Ru had wanted to, she could have given the two of them a good scolding. But on second thought, she realized this was a perfect opportunity to leave.

To seek revenge against Duan Murong, relying on my current strength, I don't know how long it will take to cultivate. Moreover, this congenital meridian blockage requires extremely rare and precious spirit herbs. This place has such thin spiritual energy; how could any spirit herbs grow here?

So, they let the two of them into a sack and carried them out.

The firewood shed is next to the kitchen, and if you want to go out the back door, you have to pass through two small courtyards.

Although she was in the sack, Suero could still clearly see the road outside.

As the grains of sand sifted through the bag, Suo Ru felt comfortable and closed her eyes contentedly. It had been... a long time since she’d felt this warmth… so long!

But just then, a muffled groan suddenly came from the front, causing Su Ruo's heart to skip a beat and an inexplicable unease filled her.

The middle-aged woman walked quickly, but after all she was old, and soon slowed down a lot.

You little bastard, give me the stuff!

"Hey, still holding on? You bunch of idiots, beat them to death!"

"Hmph, I'll just see how long you can last!"

That youthful, reckless voice came, accompanied by muffled grunts. Su Ruo felt her heart ache even more deeply.

A middle-aged woman walked past, unconsciously bowing to the older gentleman. Su Ruo also got a clear view of the person being beaten by Nian and his servants. It was her own flesh and blood younger brother—Su Che!