“Ahhh!”
“Monster! There’s a monster!”
In the lush green fields, a three-eyed beast trampled over fleeing villagers, toying with them as though they were ants.
“Father, help me! Father!”
A ten-year-old girl tripped over the ridge of the paddy and fell hard into the mud, crying out to the man running in the distance.
The beast had excellent hearing. Catching the human’s desperate cry, it turned its head maliciously and roared at the girl.
“F-Father…”
The girl’s legs had already gone weak. She lay frozen on the ground, trembling.
Each time the giant beast took a step, the earth trembled. Its foul-smelling black foot lifted high, seemingly admiring the human’s terrified expression before slowly pressing down.
Suddenly, a sturdy man six feet tall gripped an iron shovel and stood in front of the girl. His expression was fierce as he glared at the beast. Yet to the creature, that show of defiance was no different from an ant shaking a tree—utterly futile.
Seeing the man return, a companion who had run far away shouted, “Old Lin, run! It’s just one girl! Save your own life!”
Old Lin glared at the beast and raised the shovel high.
“Father, run! Don’t worry about me!”
The girl was shaking all over, but still pleaded for him to escape.
“Niuniu, your father will never abandon you!”
“Father!”
The beast was in no mood to watch their sentimental father-daughter scene. It stomped down with a heavy thud.
Puchi—
The sharp shovel stabbed into the bottom of the beast’s foot, drawing an ear-splitting roar of pain.
Whoosh—
All of a sudden, the weeds in the fields sprouted thick, long vines that twisted wildly through the air, wrapping tightly around the beast’s limbs.
A bright flash of red streaked across the green fields. Vines followed behind her like obedient soldiers, pulling back with tremendous force to topple the beast.
Father and daughter were dumbfounded, too shocked even to breathe.
That streak of red landed before Old Lin. A crisp, clear voice spoke:
“Old man, lend me your shovel.”
Before her words had even faded, the shovel in his hand had already flown into the grasp of the rushing young woman.
Old Lin blinked, then hurriedly picked up his daughter and soothed her.
“Niuniu, don’t be afraid. Father’s here.”
Normally silent and reserved, the man was now overflowing with fatherly love. The little girl clung to him and cried loudly in relief.
Meanwhile, the enormous beast, stronger than anything they had seen, tore through the binding vines in a fury. With a deafening roar, it bellowed at the woman in red.
“Your breath stinks. How disgusting,” the woman muttered, covering her face with her sleeve and furrowing her willow brows. She truly hated these ill-mannered beasts that dared breathe on her.
The beast understood human speech and, enraged, swung a massive hand down at her.
The woman gripped the shovel tightly, lightly touched the ground, and leapt effortlessly past the descending palm. With a swift motion, she swung the shovel backhanded across its hideous face, snapping its head to the side. Then she formed a hand seal—the plain iron shovel shimmered faintly with golden light, and following her movement, it sliced clean through the beast’s left arm.
“ROAR!!!”
The creature howled in agony, thrashing wildly. The woman dodged its attacks while rapidly forming more seals with one hand. The vines that had briefly fallen still suddenly writhed back to life, surging through the beast’s body like spears. They pierced its flesh and sprayed blood across the fields.
Boom—
The beast crashed to the ground. The woman leaned on the shovel and exhaled softly.
This body was indeed far weaker than her former one.
Her spiritual power was depleting fast.
She glanced at her pale palm, where intricate golden patterns flickered faintly.
Tch.
It seemed even maintaining a human form with just a few wisps of her soul was quite strenuous.
“Thank you for saving our lives, Immortal Maiden.”
Old Lin came forward with Niuniu in tow and bowed deeply.
The woman helped him up casually, waving a hand.
“No need for formalities. It was but a small effort.”
“May I ask your honored name, Immortal?” another villager asked, stepping forward now that the beast was dead. “Would you do us the honor of visiting our humble village so we can properly thank you?”
“Bai Yuheng.” She waved her hand dismissively and smiled.
“Thank you for your kindness, but I have other matters to attend to. I won’t trouble you further.”
Ignoring their pleas to stay, she turned to leave—
But just then, a golden glimmer appeared within the black mist surrounding the fallen beast. Bai Yuheng’s eyes narrowed sharply.
“Get back!”
The villagers scattered in fright.
Bai Yuheng struck first, charging toward the beast’s head. Within the swirling black mist, that golden glimmer seemed to sense something familiar—it tried to escape but was restrained by the darkness.
The black mist reanimated the beast’s body. From its wounds sprouted sharp spikes; its eyes glowed crimson. From the stump of its arm grew a new limb of black fog, blocking her strike before flinging her backward.
Using the vines, Bai Yuheng twisted in midair to avoid another blow. Though the creature had three eyes, they were useless for sight; instead, its hearing was unnaturally sharp. It could sense the faintest rustle of her movement.
Bai Yuheng quickly formed an amplification seal and shouted to the fleeing villagers,
“Make noise! Distract it with sound!”
Old Lin and Niuniu exchanged a glance, picked up stones, and began banging them against broken tools.
Others followed suit—stones against stones, branches shaking, wood clattering. Individually the sounds were faint, but together they created a cacophony that dulled the beast’s hearing and slowed its movements.
Seizing the moment, Bai Yuheng vaulted onto its shoulder and drove the shovel hard into its ear.
“ROAR!!!”
The beast snatched her in one enormous hand. All three eyes glowed red as it squeezed, intent on crushing her to pulp.
Bai Yuheng formed a fire seal. The creature’s grip loosened, but it still held fast as it raised her toward its gaping maw.
The stench hit her like a wall. She frowned deeply.
So rude—eating people without even a word.
The black mist curled around her, drawing her closer to those foul jaws.
But Bai Yuheng’s lips curved into a faint smile.
Got you.
“Primordial Heaven and Earth, all things return to one—seal!”
In an instant, her red robes flared like fire. Golden light burst forth, banishing the black mist. The beast let out a shriek before disintegrating into dust with a thunderous crash.
Bai Yuheng landed, coughing up a mouthful of blood. A wisp of golden light floated before her, looking almost pitiful.
She wiped the blood from her lips and said coldly, “Come here.”
The golden wisp trembled in fear and darted into her forehead at once, as if afraid she’d scold it again.
The villagers stared in stunned silence, barely daring to breathe.
Boom—
The gold light flared brightly, forcing them to shield their eyes.
When it faded, the wounds on Bai Yuheng’s body were closing, and the golden patterns on her palm grew deeper.
Excellent.
What a fortunate turn of fate.
Now that her soul fragment had returned, her human form would be far more stable—and her cultivation had partially recovered as well.
Bai Yuheng’s heart lifted in joy.
She recalled the great war between gods and demons a century ago. She had used a forbidden spell to seal the demons within the Four Directions Mirror, sacrificing her own body to do so. Her spiritual form was nearly destroyed—if not for the Sect Leader and elders of Tianyan Sect, who protected her remnant soul, she would have vanished completely.
That fragment of soul, without thought or memory, had drifted for a hundred years.
Recently, the demon-sealing formation had weakened. Drawn by resonance, her remaining essence had merged with the scattered soul fragments, allowing her to regain a body and partial power.
However—
Bai Yuheng gazed at her reflection in the stream, momentarily dazed.
The mortal world had changed; the war between gods and demons was a hundred years past. The face staring back at her was unfamiliar—a youthful girl of fifteen or sixteen.
Back then, she had been a gifted young cultivator. By the time she attained enlightenment and ascended as the revered Emperor Hengluan of the Immortal Realm, she was long past youth, her appearance transformed by her ascension.
She gently touched her face, nostalgic. Compared to her mature, detached former self, this lively, spirited visage was far more pleasing.
After washing her hands, she turned and found the villagers still watching her.
“Is there something else?” she asked, puzzled.
An old man scratched his head sheepishly and asked if she would join them in the village to celebrate.
Bai Yuheng quickly declined.
“I truly have other matters. We shall meet again if fate allows.”
She wasn’t making excuses—she really did have business.
The Four Directions Mirror sealing the demons was kept on Tianyan Sect’s Mount Wangxian. To investigate, she had to go there.
Conveniently, Tianyan Sect was now recruiting new disciples. To avoid alerting anyone, she decided to use her old mortal name to enter the sect and investigate quietly, revealing her identity when the time was right.
This monster hunt was, in fact, part of the entrance exam for new disciples—whoever captured the most demons within the allotted time would advance.
After bidding farewell, Bai Yuheng paused at the sight of the ruined farmland. The villagers thought she had changed her mind and tried to invite her again—but she quickly formed hand seals. The fields trembled. Before they could react, the destroyed rice shoots lifted and straightened, fully restored to life.
“An immortal! A true immortal!”
The villagers, who had despaired over their ruined crops, burst into tears of gratitude and knelt on the ground.
When they looked up again, their savior was already gone.
Bai Yuheng exhaled softly as she ascended the long stone steps toward Tianyan Sect. Good—she had made it in time.
Each step carried her through a flood of memories.
The towering jade gate, inscribed with the characters “Tianyan Sect,” pierced the clouds. Crowds of new disciples gathered at the entrance. On the high platform above stood a great incense burner, its last stick of incense burning low.
Snap—the ash fell.
Dong—a deep, resonant bell echoed from the misty immortal peaks, rolling across the mountains.
“All right. Those who returned within the allotted time, step forward.”
The crowd stirred—some smiling, some sighing.
As those who passed stepped up to the first platform, half the people were eliminated.
Bai Yuheng swept her gaze across the colorful crowd, then up toward the great hall atop the mountain. A voice rang out again:
“Now, place your sect-issued spirit bracelets upon the stone in front of you.”
She complied, placing her bracelet into the groove of the floating stone. A red light flashed—the bracelet recorded every demon slain, their levels, and related deeds. A disciple stepped up to record the results.
The young woman looked at Bai Yuheng’s record and gasped.
“Whoa! You caught this many? And they’re all high level!?”
Bai Yuheng smiled and nodded politely.
The disciple began scribbling furiously, her eyes widening further the more she wrote.
“Okay, everyone, hand in your records and rest to the side while we tally results.”
“Senior brother!” the disciple cried, rubbing her sore eyes and wrist. “I can’t finish—there’s too much! Help!”
The supervising immortal approached, took the record scroll, and glanced at the spirit stone. Forming a quick seal, he copied the data to paper.
“Qing Luo, if you don’t study harder, you’ll fail the Copying Technique course again,” he said mildly.
Qing Luo flushed red and nodded frantically.
But then, the spirit stone began spewing out sheets of paper uncontrollably.
In an instant, a thick stack piled up.
The once-calm immortal blinked, stunned, staring at the seemingly frail young girl before him.
Pressing his lips together, he asked cautiously,
“All of this… was done by you?”
Bai Yuheng blinked and nodded.
“Mm.”
“Impossible!”
“No way! She looks so thin I could lift her with one hand!”
“Exactly!”
The onlookers who had been watching in disbelief burst out indignantly.
“How could she possibly slay that many demons in one incense stick’s time!? Look at her—she doesn’t even look strong! It’s a miracle she wasn’t eaten!”
Their laughter rippled through the crowd.
The immortal frowned. “This is a sacred place. Silence.”
“Immortal Master, you should investigate! There’s no way this girl didn’t cheat!”
“Right! We demand fairness!”
The commotion grew, as if her guilt were certain.
“Enough noise! What disgraceful behavior!”
A figure stood upon a white crane, descending like a deity.
“Who dares to cheat? If anyone did, I, Dongxuan, will be the first to punish them!”
Author’s Note:
⚠️ Reading Tips ⚠️
1️⃣ The female lead is an overpowered expert returning to a beginner’s world. Early stages show limited power, but she’s still insanely strong.
2️⃣ The story features multiple character arcs, slow-burn plot and romance, and an ensemble-style narrative.
3️⃣ The heroine is emotionally detached and can seem cold. Once dignified and gentle, she’s now a cheeky little actress skilled at playing dumb. The male lead is dark, possessive, and utterly amoral—driven only by his obsession with her.
Everyone has flaws; no one’s perfect.