Thunder rumbled as dark clouds blotted out the sun. Curses rang out endlessly within Little River Mountain. Streams of light streaked through the sky. A blazing fire set the entire mountain ablaze, which not even a torrential downpour could quell. The fire raged on for ten days. Eventually, the Little River Mountain was razed to the ground.

Several streaks of light flew back and forth overhead, as if searching for something.

"Have you found her?"

"No."

"Useless trash. A bunch of Violet Palaces, and you couldn't even catch a mortal?"

"But she was in Little River Mountain before the fire started. Her fate sure is special. She's not even at the Qi Refinement realm. The blaze must’ve made quick work of her."

"Little River Mountain stretches three hundred li. She's probably dead."

"Damn it. We can only descend for a limited time! Moreover, there are too many experts in this world, otherwise..."

"An Innate Origin Physique and a Devouring Origin Physique. Two supreme physiques gathered in one person. If we could obtain even one..."

"It's fine. Our mission is complete with her death."

"Even if she didn't die, she'll either starve to death or devour herself to death."

"We even wasted a precious Descent Talisman to kill this little bitch."

As their voices gradually faded, the streaks of light vanished.

Three hundred li of the mountain lay in ruins, covered in the scars of flames. After an unknown period of time, a little girl crawled out from underground. She appeared to be only eleven or twelve years old. Her hair was yellowed, the tips singed by fire. Tattered rags clung to her skin like a beggar’s. Upon closer inspection, they had once been finely made—a dress fit for a princess.

She gazed up toward the sky. Countless stars filled the sky, none of which she recognized. A deep sense of loneliness welled up inside her.

***

Frail and sickly since childhood, she had nearly died at birth. And yet, tests revealed that she possessed an Innate Origin Physique, one of the ten strongest physiques ever discovered. Pure and flawless, it was akin to an immortal crystal, untouched by worldly filth. For this reason, her family doted on her endlessly.

However, she also carried the Devouring Origin Physique, another one of the top ten. If the Innate Origin Physique symbolized purity, untouched by earthly sustenance, then the Devouring Origin Physique devoured everything in existence. The two physiques clashed against each other. Thus, even after reaching twelve, she remained as fragile as an ordinary mortal.

Each day, the family spent obscene sums on foul-tasting nutrient solution to keep her alive. She was grateful for her father and mother, especially the latter—the only one truly kind to her, tolerant of her spoiled temperament. Though, at the same time, she knew they only raised her to make a grand business deal. They hid it from her. The whole clan hid it from her.

The family appeared harmonious on the outside. Everyone treated her like a princess, sheltering her. She basked in their affection, acting willful and spoiled—but she knew it was all false.

On the surface, they adored her, but she could hear their inner voices. Her father would stare at her indulgently, the greed of a merchant appraising his wares lurking underneath.

Her mother, on the other hand, was conflicted. She often held the girl at night, her inner voice full of guilt, endlessly begging forgiveness. Yet the girl felt that her mother had never wronged her.

Her mother fed her, clothed her and endured her little tantrums. Selling her felt normal. After all, she had seen all kinds of people and heard every sort of filth in their hearts. A saintly patriarch who preferred white-haired old men. A lofty frontier official burning with ambition, always plotting rebellion.

Life went on in such a way until she turned eleven. One day, her father came to her excitedly, claiming he had found a way to cure her condition. He said he would take her to seek treatment, but she heard his true thoughts. Her father had found a buyer.

Thus, she boarded the flying ship happily with her mother. Unfortunately, her mother's mood was poor those days. In contrast, she was happy. She had heard her mother contemplate three times whether to take her and run away. Though more often, it was about how the buyer's offer was simply too high.

Disaster struck on the way. A group of mysterious figures attacked their flying ship, resulting in a crash. At that moment, her Innate Origin Physique awakened, bringing her into the nearest Primordial World. Some of the mysterious attackers used talismans to hunt her down, and the rest was history.

***

After the fire swept through, she crawled from the ruins. However, instead of rising and being reborn from the flames, she waited quietly for death.

Curled on the ground, her eyes were vacant. "So... hungry..."

An intense hunger surged over her, but she endured it. "Starving... feels awful."

Even the dirt seemed appetizing at that moment. Nevertheless, she knew that if she took a bite, the pain from her Innate Origin Physique would be ten or even a hundred times worse than hunger. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

The Devouring Origin Physique devoured all things. The Innate Origin Physique rejected all things. These two conflicting physiques formed her existence. Hence, all she could do was wait for a slow death.

After an unknown time, a voice rang in her ears. "This is... No-Food Goddess? What a coincidence to run into her again."

She didn’t budge, as if she hadn’t heard the man’s inner thoughts. After spending over a decade in her clan, her greatest skill was acting and playing her assigned role. Though she was curious about his clear inner voice, she revealed nothing.

The man asked, "What's your name?"

She froze. A name?

She had none. The clan had never named her, for they never intended to register her in the genealogy. Perhaps because she was born to be sold. Others usually called her “Miss Ten,” whereas her mother called her “Little Ten.”

Curiosity flickered across her face as she recalled the man's inner thoughts. "My name is No-Food... Who are you?"

He fell silent for a moment, staring at her miserable state. "No-Food?"

Who would’ve expected that the figure who would one day dominate the Mortal Heart World had such a tragic childhood? He thought to himself, Whoever set fire to the mountain has no morals. Should be thrown in prison.

Somehow, No-Food felt a faint spark of pleasure. His inner voice was strange, unlike any she’d ever heard before.

"You probably haven't eaten in days. I'm in a good mood today. I'll treat you to a meal."

His thoughts reached No-Food, "Too bad, I’m from the future and can’t affect this world. Otherwise, I'd kill someone and host a banquet for her. She’s going to fuse with the Heavenly Pillar and hold it upright, after all. That's a big help to me."

No-Food was stunned. From the future?

She had once heard the clan patriarch and great-grandfather discuss this. According to them, there was a past and present, but no future. Were they telling the truth?

A person's inner voice didn't lie.

Had he truly seen her future self? She fused with the Heavenly Pillar? She helped him greatly?