Morning came like a soft breath, carrying with it the warmth of sunlight that slipped through the carved windows of the Vermilion Savannah Chamber.
Wei Ji's eyes fluttered open slowly, the weight of sleep lifting from him like a heavy cloak. But what greeted him made the entire world pause.
A woman lay before him, her body curled lightly, her features softened by slumber. Her breathing was steady, her lips faintly parted as though whispering to a dream.
Wei Ji froze.
He had seen countless faces in his life—faces of goddesses, saints, empresses, women of beauty so fierce it carved nations into madness—but this one… this mortal girl's face left him utterly spellbound.
Her skin caught the faint light in such a way that it seemed almost luminous, her lashes casting delicate shadows on her cheeks. She looked fragile, not like the unyielding figures of immortals he once knew, but fragile in a way that drew the soul in, as though one wrong touch would shatter her yet one right touch might complete her.
Wei Ji's breath unconsciously slowed. His heart tightened in his chest.
Then, that warm peaceful moment was immediately broken. From her pores, some faint threads of dark miasma seeped like smoke curling from hidden fire. The room became heavy, the warmth he felt immediately faded, and Wei Ji's eyes hardened. He now recognized who she was. This… This is…
"Celestial Demon Empress… Lu Shaohua," he said.
He reached out, his hand hovering just above the dark miasma, wanting to touch it, to feel the depth of its corruption. When he did, he immediately realized what this meant.
"She's improving quickly after awakening the celestial demon heart. Already… she's about to reach the second stage of Body and Qi Infusion cultivation…"
His chest tightened with urgency. He had to grow stronger, faster than her, or all would be lost.
Wei Ji withdrew his hand. But just as his fingers pulled away, something unexpected happened.
Her hand somehow reached out. Light fingers brushed his wrist, weak but holding. She didn't wake—her eyes remained closed, lashes trembling—but a faint murmur slipped past her lips.
"…so warm. Don't go…"
Wei Ji's mind went blank. He stared at her, flabbergasted.
"Did she…?"
Her brows furrowed lightly as if she were pouting in her dream. Then, in the softest whisper, she breathed again.
"I said… don't gooo…"
Wei Ji froze like stone. He couldn't believe what he was witnessing… This is the Celestial Demon Empress? The one who will one day burn sects, topple kingdoms, and scatter the heavens?
For some reason, he couldn't help but stare at her. So… human. And even though I didn't want to admit it, her face was admirable—the way it breathed life without trying.
Suddenly, he snorted. Ugly? Wasn't that the rumor? That she was cursed, twisted, hated for her looks? Hah. Nonsense. Either those fools spread lies, or… maybe this dark miasma shrouding her twisted their eyes whenever they saw her.
Still, it didn't change the truth. This mortal woman… would become that Celestial Demon Empress.
Wei Ji forced himself to step back, shaking his head to clear it.
"How long have I even been asleep? A million years… and I forget how good it feels. Maybe the reason I'm feeling strange is because of my long sleep."
He rose to his feet, his body remembering what rest felt like. He turned his eyes back to her. She hadn't moved. Had she been like this the entire time? S
Wei Ji was about to leave when he paused. His foot halted mid-step. He sensed something.
He narrowed his eyes and crouched, pressing his palm against the wooden floor. His vision dimmed as his spiritual sense opened. Beneath the chamber's still air, a flicker of strange light glimmered. Like a star trapped in the earth.
"What is this…?"
He lifted his gaze toward Lu Shaohua. Slowly, steadily, he pressed his fingers into a seal and released a wisp of spiritual qi. It floated like a thread of mist, slipping into her chest. Wei Ji closed his eyes, his senses plunging into the depths of her consciousness.
And there—he saw it.
A lotus.
Its petals, though faint and ghostly, shimmered with holy light deep within the shadows of her soul.
Wei Ji's heart thundered. He raised both hands, forming seals rapidly, pulling gently on its image. The lotus stirred, rising slowly like it answered his call.
Then, he froze. His eyes went wide.
"This… this is…"
The lotus unfolded. But its petals were faded, its glow hollow.
"Seven Holy Lotus…" His voice trembled. "Or… the Seven Rebirth Lotus…"
An immortal treasure. Something that could rewrite life, defy death, turn corpses into breathing bodies again. For such a thing to exist here, in this weak mortal world, was unthinkable.
But at a glance, Wei Ji saw it—its power was gone. Every petal was wilted. The light was already hollow.
"All spent?" His face twisted.
His gaze snapped to Lu Shaohua. "She… used them already? All seven?"
Memories and stories pieced together in his mind. Each rebirth, each return from death, eating away at the lotus' strength.
He gritted his teeth. He became disappointed.
"Damn it."
The treasure, priceless beyond measure, was now an empty husk. And worse—this explained why her Celestial Demon Heart had awakened. Why fate had tied him here.
Still feeling a heavy feeling on his chest, he decided to pull his spiritual qi back sharply. Then, his eyes lingered on her face.
"Shen Flame Kingdom…" he muttered bitterly. "You must be tied to a sect. But it doesn't matter. I need strength. Faster. Before this demon catches my cultivation level."
Wei Ji turned away and slipped out of the chamber without a sound.
The corridor outside was not empty. Several women stood waiting, draped in fine silks, their faces painted with fear and worry. Concubines of the Han Family young master. His concubines.
Wei Ji's brows drew down. His first thought was cold. Should I throw them all away?
But they saw him and dropped to their knees at once.
"Young Master Han, please forgive us!"
Their voices overlapped, trembling.
Wei Ji's face remained dark. "Forgive you? Who told you to do that to her?"
Silence.
His teeth clenched. If I had been late… the Celestial Demon Empress would have awakened fully.
"Servants!" he barked.
The guards rushed in, weapons clattering at their sides.
Wei Ji pointed at the kneeling concubines. "Take them away."
The guards hesitated only for a moment before obeying, though shock filled their eyes. Young Master Han—known for his debauchery—had never looked so grim.
As the concubines were pulled back, tears filled their eyes.
"Young Master, we thought… we thought you hated her! Chen Shaoqing was the one you wanted! We thought—"
Wei Ji cut them off, his voice like iron. "Listen well. She is my wife. Not just someone. My wife. No Chen Shaoqing…"
The concubines froze, staring at him in disbelief.
His gaze sharpened further. "If even one of you harms her again… all of you will vanish from this household."
They broke into sobs, their bodies trembling. The guards dragged them away, and Wei Ji finally exhaled. His heart remained hard, but his thoughts were heavy.
He turned, finding another guard still waiting in the hall.
"You. Where is my attendant?"
The man hesitated. His eyes darted toward his fellows before answering.
"Young Master… something happened to Attendant Wu."
Wei Ji frowned. "What do you mean, something happened?"
The guard swallowed. "He was found at the Black Wood Pavilion. Alive, but… not moving. His eyes were the only thing that could move. The physicians and doctors… none of them can explain it. They call it hopeless."
Wei Ji froze. His mind flashed back to that night. His own hand, his own rage, striking Wu down when he tried to block his path here.
His jaw tightened. His mistake. His burden.
He straightened slowly, his tone sharp but controlled.
"Carry him here."