Pain—the agony of having her dantian forcibly cut open, her spiritual root dug out, and her heart meridian severed by Wei Xiangyuan—caused Murong Zhao’s very soul to tremble with hatred and torment.
Her eyes snapped open. Before her lay a verdant bamboo grove; she was reclining on a rocking chair beneath the swaying bamboo.
Am I not dead?
In an instant, a flood of memories surged into her mind. Murong Zhao’s eyes widened in disbelief.
She had indeed been killed by Wei Xiangyuan, the sect master of the Profound Heaven Sect, who had dug out her spiritual root and severed her heart meridian. Yet her divine soul had not perished. Instead, she had been reborn into the body of a young girl from a hundred years ago—a girl who shared her name.
The original owner of this body had been abandoned at birth. Noticing her beauty, an old brothel madam had taken her in. At three, she was taught to read and write. By five, she cleverly escaped and, through a twist of fate, ended up as an unpaid servant at the Profound Heaven Sect.
Later, she spontaneously awakened her spiritual root. Without telling anyone, she secretly devoured books while cleaning the library pavilion, gleaning all her cultivation knowledge from their pages.
At thirteen, several female disciples jealous of her beauty severely injured her and threw her into the Death Forest, a place teeming with demonic beasts.
On the brink of death, she was saved by Chen Qingyang, the third prince of the Kingdom of Fengyun. Chen Qingyang promised that once she turned sixteen and came of age, he would request an imperial decree for their marriage.
Having never felt warmth from anyone before, the original owner’s heart was completely captured in that moment.
Over the next three years, she strategized and assisted Chen Qingyang, who had been sent by the emperor to guard the border, in quelling the border conflicts. Her efforts forced the enemy kingdom to sue for peace, earning Chen Qingyang the title of “God of War.”
What she didn’t know was that Chen Qingyang had initially saved her only because he coveted her beauty. Later, he tolerated her because her extraordinary intelligence could aid him. In truth, the one he had always intended to marry was Jiang Anya, the eldest daughter of the Guardian General’s estate in the Kingdom of Fengyun, whose influence would benefit him.
Jiang Anya was the original owner’s only friend and, aside from Chen Qingyang, the only person she trusted.
Today, when Chen Qingyang entered the palace to request the marriage decree, she shared her joy with Jiang Anya. It was then that she ate the pastry Jiang Anya had personally made and handed to her—a pastry laced with Spirit-Destroying Pills.
Caught off guard and unprepared, she instinctively protected her dantian, only to have the formidable destructive power of the Spirit-Destroying Pills shatter her heart meridian, killing her.
As the original owner succumbed, Jiang Anya gloated, “Zhaozhao, Chen Qingyang entered the palace to request a marriage decree—to marry me. I absolutely will not allow any other woman by his side.”
It was only then that the original owner realized Chen Qingyang and Jiang Anya had been deceiving her all along.
Ironically, just three days earlier, the original owner had discovered her true identity: she was Murong Zhao, the lost crown princess of Chiyue Kingdom—the only nation on the Cliff Valley Continent ruled by a female emperor. Yet, for Chen Qingyang’s sake, she had refused to return.
In her heart, the parents who had abandoned her at birth, no matter how noble their status, could not compare to Chen Qingyang, who had saved her life.
She had forsaken wealth and honor, only to be met with betrayal. Thus, the original owner died with bitter resentment.
It turned out the original owner also had some connection to the Profound Heaven Sect.
However, she had been the lowest of unpaid servants, while Murong Zhao had been the Profound Heaven Sect’s all-element spiritual root genius—the most remarkable talent since the legendary prodigy Yun Xiu.
Murong Zhao was speechless. She strongly suspected that the name “Murong Zhao” was cursed. How could both of them be so miserable?
A hundred years ago… At this time, Wei Xiangyuan was merely the master of a single peak, not yet the sect master of the Profound Heaven Sect, the continent’s number one sect.
Wei Xiangyuan, I, Murong Zhao, have returned. The debt for digging out my spiritual root will be repaid by you—from a hundred years ago.
Moreover, Chen Qingyang, you should not have deceived and betrayed Murong Zhao, who was wholeheartedly devoted to you. And Jiang Anya, you should not have used her and then cruelly caused her death.
Raising an arm, a slender, pale hand shielded the sunlight filtering through the bamboo leaves. The simple movement sent a shudder of pain through her body.
She pushed aside her thoughts and quickly examined her body, for from now on, this body would be hers.
The original host had consumed a pastry containing a whole Spirit-Destroying Pill. Instinctively protecting her dantian had resulted in damage to her meridians and heart meridian, leaving her body in a shattered state. Fortunately, however, her spiritual roots remained unharmed, and her cultivation was still intact!
After an internal scan, Murong Zhao was astonished to discover that this body, like her own, possessed all-element spiritual roots! Even the secret of her spiritual roots, unknown to anyone else, was identical.
Suppressing her shock and confusion, survival was now her top priority.
In her current condition, a single Heart-Protecting Pill would be enough to shield and repair her heart meridian, saving her life. With an additional Restoration Pill, the damage to her meridians could be mended with some careful adjustment, ensuring no impact on her future cultivation.
“Violet-Gold Space!”
Murong Zhao silently called out, and a violet-gold portal appeared in her consciousness—a space bound to her soul, its physical form a violet-gold peony-shaped pendant.
She was an orphan, and for as long as she could remember, she had worn this pendant. During a life-and-death trial, she had soul-bonded with the Violet-Gold Space.
However, the Violet-Gold Space contained only endless black soil. By nature, she was lazy, diligent only in cultivation, with no particular interest in planting. Thus, she had always used the Violet-Gold Space as a storage space.
Inside, she had stored various belongings accumulated over the years, and elixirs were naturally indispensable.
With a thought, a sixth-grade Heart-Protecting Pill appeared in her hand. Murong Zhao struggled to feed it into her mouth, the simple movement causing her body to ache as if being torn apart.
The pill melted upon entering her mouth, a cool energy rushing straight to her heart meridian. The medicinal power formed a barrier, repairing the severely damaged heart meridian.
The residual, rampaging energy of the Spirit-Destroying Pill was isolated outside the heart meridian. Within a few breaths, her heart meridian was restored to its original state.
Without hesitation, Murong Zhao took out a Restoration Pill. Although the original host had protected her dantian, leaving her spiritual roots unharmed, her meridians were shattered beyond recognition. Without repair, cultivation would be impossible.
The optimal time for repair was immediately after the meridians had just fractured, allowing for complete recovery—exactly the condition of this body. Murong Zhao felt a sense of relief; she had no desire to become a cripple.
As the Restoration Pill entered her mouth, she carefully channeled spiritual energy to mend her meridians. A quarter of an hour later, Murong Zhao exhaled a turbid breath and sighed in relief—her body was fully restored.
Her sharp gaze suddenly turned toward the direction of the rockery in the courtyard. The moment her body recovered, she sensed someone watching her from beside the rockery. Yet, when she looked, there was nothing there, and her spiritual sense detected no one.
Apart from the original host, the only other person in the courtyard was her maid, Qingdai, who was out on an errand today.
Murong Zhao narrowed her apricot-shaped eyes. Even if the original host’s cultivation was inferior to hers, with the addition of her powerful soul, she could not have been mistaken—someone had indeed been there.
Who was it?
She had sensed no killing intent. Could it be someone from the Scarlet Moon Kingdom? Three days ago, the Prime Minister of the Scarlet Moon Kingdom had come to fetch her, saying he would return in three days.
But if he had come, why hadn’t he shown himself? When had he arrived? If he had been there all along, had he simply watched as Jiang Anya caused the original host’s death?
Murong Chao withdrew her gaze, calming her mind as she pondered her current situation.
She reached out and touched her chest, the smooth, rounded texture beneath her fingers startling her. She then pulled out a purple-gold peony-shaped pendant from around her neck.
Huh? Why did this pendant look exactly like her solid purple-gold spatial pendant?