Behind the door was an empty room.

The only thing in the room was a Furnace used for Alchemy.

The Furnace rested on four legs, its surface covered in lifelike dragon engravings that seemed to writhe.

Beams of light from the Furnace’s rim converged in the center, suspending a single bead.

The bead appeared translucent, yet a wisp of black qi swirled within its dim depths.

Song Wanning frowned. The bead didn’t look like anything good. Its aura, in particular, was disturbingly familiar to her.

’Is this a Demon?’

A shock went through her, and her expression changed drastically as the aura around her began to roil uncontrollably.

Even the rims of her eyes turned a deep, scarlet red.

The memories of her descent into madness shattered the barriers in her Sea of Consciousness, crashing down on her with overwhelming force.

Her Divine Soul was thrown into turmoil, and blood rushed to her head.

PFFT—

Song Wanning violently coughed up a mouthful of black blood, staggering back against the wall.

Her slender fingers dug into the coarse white wall, leaving deep scratches as blood began to seep from her torn skin.

Oblivious to her scraped and bleeding fingers, she desperately tried to suppress the malevolence stirring within her heart.

In her previous life, these people had driven her to madness. Corrupted by her Heart Demon, she became a monster, neither human nor demon, and a public enemy hunted by all.

She was forced to hide, constantly on the run.

But they spread a rumor that the Song Family was colluding with the Demon Clan, inciting a great host to assemble and besiege her family’s home.

Even knowing it was a trap, Song Wanning had no choice but to walk right into it.

They accused her of being a remorseless, bloodthirsty killer.

They accused her of targeting Ye Chuxue, of forcing Gu Qingyuan into marriage...

She was unable to defend herself against the flood of accusations.

Nor did she want to.

She had never been a good person to begin with, and she had never hidden her malevolence.

’I just wanted Ye Chuxue to die!’

When she ultimately lost, she blamed no one but herself for not being skilled enough!

But those people had wantonly insulted and slaughtered the members of the Song Family—her parents, the clan elders, the younger generation...

Not even the innocent children escaped.

Song Wanning finally broke down, crying and begging Gu Qingyuan to make them stop.

Gu Qingyuan remained unmoved, so she turned to plead with Bai Yang.

He was her most beloved disciple, the child she had raised with her own hands. He was like her own son...

But as she looked at him with hope in her eyes, Bai Yang plunged his sword into her chest.

Even now, she could still remember Bai Yang’s cold, indifferent gaze.

"From the moment you targeted Chuxue, you were no longer my master!"

Her younger disciple, An Ze, clapped and cheered from the sidelines, calling her a "Demon" over and over.

Even the timid and indecisive Lu Nanfeng only wrung the hem of his robes, telling her, "Master, Junior Sister Chuxue is truly a kind person. You shouldn’t have hurt her..."

The Longsword was thrust deeper into her body.

In that moment, a frenzied hatred completely consumed Song Wanning.

PFFT—

Song Wanning coughed up another mouthful of blood. The Demonic Qi hidden deep within her Divine Soul surged back with a vengeance, enveloping her and desperately burrowing into her very being.

’Even after being reborn, the Heavenly Dao still wants to force me onto the Demon Path.’

’By what right?’

’Why should I be controlled by the Heavenly Dao?’

’Why am I the damn bitch, while Ye Chuxue gets to be the pure, white snow on a mountaintop?’

Her eyes flew wide, and she bit down on her lower lip, not relaxing her jaw even as blood began to stream from the wound.

’I, Song Wanning, will be the sole master of my own life!’

A fierce light flashed in Song Wanning’s eyes. With a sudden grab, she snatched the bead from above the Furnace, pulling it into her palm from across the room.

Thick Demonic Qi swirled madly, scrambling to pour out of the bead and into her.

Instead of retreating, she pressed forward. A crazed glint in her eyes, she popped the bead directly into her mouth.

The bead instantly erupted in a brilliant flash of light and shot down toward her Dantian.

Boundless Demonic Qi erupted from it, completely overwhelming her.

*

「Immortal Realm, Wuji Sect.」

Mu Xuzi was in the middle of a game of Go with his friend Wang Yang when the hand he was using to lift a white stone suddenly paused.

"To think someone has entered my Medicine King Sect’s Inheritance Hall."

With a wave of his hand, a Water Mirror materialized in mid-air, projecting the figures of none other than Song Wanning and Ye Chuxue.

"Back when we found the passage to the Spirit Realm, my Medicine King Sect relocated there overnight, leaving only our palace halls behind in the Lower World."

"Hundreds of thousands of years have passed. At last, a fated successor has arrived."

Mu Zixu’s eyes brightened. He stroked his beard, feeling a sense of deep satisfaction.

"During the Ancient Times, a great war shattered the Yao Xu Realm. The once-whole Great Thousand World was rent in two, creating the Spirit Realm, a place rich in Spiritual Energy."

"I heard your Medicine King Sect relocated its entire sect back then."

Wang Yang placed a stone on the board and smiled faintly.

"I never thought that after all these years, you would still be able to find a successor in the Lower World. How interesting."

During their relocation, the Medicine King Sect had encountered a spatial storm. More than half of the disciples had perished, a truly tragic price to pay.

His friend Mu Zixu often spoke of the incident, filled with endless regret each time.

Even after ascending to become an immortal, it remained a weight on his heart, and he felt he had failed the disciples of his Sect.

The memory clearly resurfaced for Mu Zixu as well, and he sighed softly.

"Indeed. Finding a successor in the Lower World proves that the legacy of my Medicine King Sect was never meant to vanish from it!"

He set down the stone in his hand and began to study the two figures in the Water Mirror intently.

’The Medicine King Sect’s relocation not only cost the Lower World its inheritance, but it also led to the death of more than half of the Sect’s disciples. The memory was a constant pain in his heart.’

’Now that this fated opportunity has arrived, I must choose the most outstanding successor and restore the Medicine King Sect to its former glory!’

But...

Wang Yang frowned, his expression shifting slightly. "Why does that one look as though she’s been possessed by a demon?"

Those who are trapped by a Heart Demon are destined to have no future on the Immortal Dao.

Mu Zixu’s brow twitched, and a flash of displeasure crossed his eyes.

"How did someone like that even get into the Inheritance Hall? She can’t even control a mere Heart Demon, yet she hopes to receive the inheritance of my Medicine King Sect?"

"Wishful thinking!"

His voice was dripping with disdain. He then turned his attention to Ye Chuxue, who was shown in another part of the image.

Before Ye Chuxue was a long table covered with all sorts of Spiritual Medicines.

To one side lay a Pill Recipe, which detailed how to process each Spiritual Medicine.

Different ingredients required different preparation methods. Some needed to be peeled, while others required their root fibers to be preserved.

Furthermore, their decoction times all varied.

To say nothing of the fact that some Spiritual Medicines had mutually antagonistic properties, yet had to be forcibly fused into a single Elixir Pill. This was an extreme test of a Cultivator’s control.

And this was only the simplest stage of refining the ingredients. The requirements during the actual Alchemy process were even more stringent.

Thus, those who could create High Rank Elixir Pills were few and far between, and the status of a Pill Master was exceptionally revered.

Ye Chuxue was diligently studying the ingredients before her. Though she coughed from time to time, it didn’t seem to affect her concentration in the slightest.

Mu Zixu stroked his beard in satisfaction. "This child is quite promising. Despite her grievous illness, she remains devoted to the Alchemy Dao. I can also see she has great spiritual aptitude. She would make an excellent successor for the Medicine King Sect!"

Moreover, for some unknown reason, he felt a natural sense of affinity just by looking at Ye Chuxue.

In contrast, he felt an instant dislike for the one surrounded by Demonic Qi.

’Whether it’s her possession by a Heart Demon or the karma of slaughter that clings to her, she is unfit for such a great responsibility.’