Chapter 1 — The Beast King's Blood Seal

My elder sister and I were both disciples of the Beast Taming Sect, each granted the sacred right to forge a soul pact with two spirit beasts. A magnificent Fire Phoenix of noble lineage chose my sister without a single moment of hesitation. Only a wretched earthen hound remained, its body covered in festering sores, its breath so faint it seemed on the verge of extinction. Unable to bear watching it die, I forged a pact with it. My sister rode the Fire Phoenix, soaring through the nine heavens and winning the adoration of thousands. I alone walked the earth leading a sickly, mangy hound, spending my years toiling at the foot of the mountain, foraging for medicinal herbs to survive, and enduring the contempt of my peers. Clearly, my innate talent was no whit inferior to my sister's, yet because of this so-called worthless spirit beast, even my qualifications for advancement were stripped away. Everyone told me that if I simply killed the beast, I could be reborn. Yet I stopped them every single time. I would cradle it in my arms, patiently untangling its matted fur, and whisper, "Do not worry. A pact once made lasts a lifetime. Even if you never recover, I will never abandon you." Who could have foreseen that when the beast tide descended, that sickly, festering hound of ten years would rear its head and loose a roar that shook the heavens, transforming into the primordial divine beast, the Heaven-Swallowing Roc? Amidst the churning sea of monsters, I struggled desperately, screaming his name with all my strength through the blinding fog of blood. But he merely lunged forward, lifted my sister from the back of the Fire Phoenix, and carefully settled her upon his own broad shoulders. So he had never been the spirit beast of my pact at all; he was the Guardian Beast bound long ago to my sister’s very soul. So for ten years, the spiritual energy I had exhausted to nourish him had merely been funneled through our pact to nurture her instead. Opening my eyes once more, before me lay only the earthen hound, its tongue lolling out, its body a mass of sores. With a swift twist of my wrist, I drove my sword straight through its heart.

Hot blood spurted, warm and searing against my face. My fingers tightened around the hilt as I coldly shoved the blade another inch deeper, the tip piercing straight through the wildly beating heart. Before me, that wretched hound—the future Heaven-Swallowing Roc, Mo Yuan—let out a soft whimper, its bell-shaped eyes wide with sheer astonishment and bewilderment. It could not comprehend why the master who had gently stroked its fur just a moment ago, swearing a lifelong oath never to forsake it, could now deliver such a merciless, fatal blow. Naturally, I had no intention of explaining. I merely wanted it to die once more.

Ling Ye! What are you doing? A piercing, shrill cry shattered the quiet from the doorway. My elder sister, clad in flowing white robes and a face masked in terror, burst into the room. The moment she laid eyes on the earthen hound lying in a pool of blood, tears instantly streamed down her cheeks, and she threw herself forward to cradle it in her arms. Have you gone completely mad? It is nothing more than a dumb beast that cannot speak; how could you bear to strike such a blow? She wept like pear blossoms drenched in rain, acting as though it were not the dog whose heart had been pierced, but her own. I remained indifferent, silently watching her performance. In my past life, it was this very face that, just as my body was being torn to shreds by a horde of beasts, had gently murmured, Do not blame me, younger sister. If you must blame someone, blame yourself for choosing something so utterly useless and yet daring to compete with me.

I withdrew my longsword, flicked the bright steel to cast off the blood, and spoke in a chilling tone, It is my possession; if I wish to kill it, I kill it. What does that have to do with you?

Ling Hi clutched the dying Mo Yuan tightly, her ten fingers digging deep into its flesh as she let out a heart-wrenching sob, It is dying! How can you be so utterly heartless?

At that exact second, from the fatal wound on Mo Yuan's chest, a thick, pitch-black demonic aura—frigid to the very bone—suddenly erupted with violent force. It was no spiritual energy, but pure, unadulterated demonic power. In an instant, the truth became blindingly clear. A single sword strike had not yet killed it; it had merely torn away the deceptive disguise, exposing its true origins prematurely. A flicker of greed flashed across Ling Hi’s eyes, though she masked it instantly beneath a wave of overwhelming grief. Master! Master, save us! My younger sister has lost her mind! She has killed poor little Ke Lian! Cradling Mo Yuan, she rushed frantically toward the master's pill chamber.

I did not give chase. Lowering my head, I quietly gazed at the weapon still lingering with warmth in my palm. This was my sole magical tool, a low-grade dark iron sword issued by the sect upon my initiation. In my past life, I had cherished it like a precious treasure. How utterly laughable.

Footsteps hurried toward us. The master strode in followed by several elders, his gaze sweeping over the blood-stained floor as his brows locked into a hard knot. Ling Ye, do you know the magnitude of your crime? His deep, stern voice carried an oppressive weight that brooked no resistance.

I raised my head and stared straight into his eyes. What crime has this disciple committed?

Indiscriminate slaughter, utterly devoid of compassion! Though that spirit beast was of humble blood, it was still a living creature! To save it, your elder sister spared no effort, draining her own spiritual energy, yet you turned around and severely injured it. You have completely lost your humanity! The master’s voice overflowed with profound disappointment.

I nearly burst out laughing. Compassion? In my past life, when I was cornered by the beast tide, where were all of you? Ah, of course—at that very moment, you were cheering and praising Ling Hi as she rode the Fire Phoenix to rescue Mo Yuan, hailing her as the sect's once-in-a-century genius and its ultimate hope. And I? I was merely a stepping stone meant to pave the way for her success, my death a matter of no consequence whatsoever.

Master, I replied calmly, according to the rules of the sect, the life and death of a spirit beast bound to a disciple are decided by that disciple alone; outsiders are forbidden to interfere. I killed my own dog, so how does that constitute indiscriminate slaughter?

You...! The master was choked by my retort, unable to find a single word, his face darkening like hammered iron.

An elder stepped forward to mediate, Ling Ye, you were merely temporarily muddle-headed. So long as you admit your wrongdoing and go to the Cold Pool Cavern to reflect in seclusion for three months, this matter can be dropped.

Go to the Cold Pool Cavern? The place was filled with bone-chilling, biting winds; anyone who had never been imprisoned there could never imagine the cruel reality within—it was truly a fate worse than death. In my past life, simply because I failed a breakthrough, I had been locked away in that frozen hell for half a year. Yet now, despite being branded with a vicious and cruel heart, I was only given a mere three-month sentence. It seemed that running a worthless hound through with a sword was, in their eyes, truly a matter of no importance whatsoever.

Very well, I will go, I answered decisively. I needed a quiet place to map out my full revenge. I also needed a sanctuary to quietly cultivate the demonic arts that I had managed to glean from Mo Yuan just before my death in the previous life. Since the path of beast taming led only to a dead end, I would simply tread a different road. Whether I became a god or transformed into a demon mattered not in the least. My only goal was to make those who had once harmed me pay in blood.

Inside the Cold Pool Cavern, gusts of frigid, howling wind swept through like slicing blades against the skin. The damp air carried a heavy, rotting stench so oppressive it felt suffocating. I sat cross-legged upon a stone bed, guiding the thin wisp of spiritual energy within my body along a novel and bizarre circulation route. This was the Demonic Transformation Art, a secret technique I had reverse-engineered from the fluctuations of Mo Yuan’s demonic aura. This cultivation method was tyrannical to the extreme, capable of directly seizing the ambient demonic energy of heaven and earth to convert it into one's own, allowing for a speed of progress far surpassing orthodox cultivation methods. Yet the dangers were equally fatal: the slightest lapse in concentration would cause the demonic energy to flood the entire body, shattering the meridians and turning the practitioner into a mindless monster. In my past life, I would never have dared to entertain such a thought. But in this life, a person stripped of everything has nothing left to fear. The worst that could happen was simply dying once more.

As the technique began to run, delicate threads of black, smoky demonic energy crept through the fissures in the cavern stone and burrowed straight into my flesh. Every single inch of my meridians erupted with a tearing sensation, burning as if scraped by a thousand knives. I gritted my teeth tightly, sweat instantly drenching my garments. Just as I was nearing my breaking point, light footsteps echoed softly from outside the cavern.

I instantly reined in my aura, slipping back into the appearance of a weak, powerless cripple. The protective barrier at the cavern entrance parted, and Ling Hi walked in carrying a food box. Setting it upon a stone table, she spoke in a gentle, soothing tone, Younger sister, you have suffered. I brought some of your favorite pastries. Her expression of worry and deep affection was so subtle and flawless that not a single flaw could be found. If I had not already died once, I surely would have been deceived by her once again.

I remained silent, leaning back against the freezing stone wall and closing my eyes to rest. Ling Hi showed no sign of anger; she slowly opened the box, neatly arranging a series of exquisite pastries one by one. Younger sister, I know you still hold a grudge. But Master only acted for your own good. Your innate talent should not be ruined by a useless dog. Though it is severely injured now, fortunately its life was spared. Once it recovers, I will treat it wonderfully.