Chapter 1 — The Golden Crow Reclaims Her Fate

My father is the Heavenly Emperor, who governs the nine layers of the heavens and the ten directions of the earth. My mother is the eternal and indestructible Sun Goddess, Xi He. As the youngest Three-Legged Golden Crow, I should have been cherished by my nine elder brothers above all else. Instead, they doted on a mere slug from the mortal realm, even allowing her to impersonate me and commit all manner of atrocities. When my father issued an imperial decree arranging my marriage to the Great Emperor Gou Chen, the girl known as Jiang Rou snatched it from my hands. She stared at me with arrogant, mocking eyes.

“If I, the princess, had not been kind enough to bring you up to the Heavenly Court, by what right would you even lay eyes on an imperial decree from the Heavenly Emperor?”

In my previous life, out of respect for the sibling bond I shared with my brothers, I yielded on every occasion, only to meet a miserable and lonely death. Now that I have been reborn, I am determined to reclaim everything that rightfully belongs to me. I lashed out with a sharp slap that shook Jiang Rou out of her complacency and snatched the decree back.

“A slug that knows nothing of the majesty of heaven or earth—do you truly believe you are worthy of even a glance at the Heavenly Emperor’s decree?”

Above the Jasper Pool, I unleashed the manifestation of the Ten Suns Crossing the Sky, a technique only possible for those of the true Heavenly Emperor’s bloodline. I cast a cold, detached gaze upon the gathered immortals. The uproar of the coming-of-age banquet was silenced by the sharp crack of my palm against flesh; every eye in the hall was drawn to us.

“Jiang Ning, you have incredible gall! How dare you strike the only princess of the Heavenly Emperor!”

The Great Spirit God rushed to help Jiang Rou to her feet, his eyes burning with hatred as he glared at me. I pointed a finger at Jiang Rou’s pallid face, my voice dripping with frost.

“She is nothing more than a plaything from the mortal realm kept by my elder brothers. Does that mean I, the legitimate daughter of the Heavenly Emperor and a princess of the Heavenly Court, am not permitted to strike her?”

The Great Spirit God opened his mouth to retort, but upon witnessing the unmistakable power of my bloodline inheritance, he fell deathly silent.

“Jiang Ning, you truly have broken my heart. I was kind enough to bring you to the Heavenly Court, yet you repay me by impersonating my identity! Today, I shall show you what the true bloodline of the Heavenly Emperor looks like!”

With those words, golden light erupted around her, and a massive totem of the Three-Legged Golden Crow appeared in the air above the banquet. The immortals gasped, their gazes shifting toward me, now filled with open contempt.

“I can sense the aura of the Heavenly Emperor in Princess Jiang Rou’s manifestation! She is the true princess!”

“So, it turns out Jiang Ning is just a slug that the princess brought back from the mortal realm out of pity. No wonder she arrived at the banquet dressed in such shabby rags.”

I watched the manifestation Jiang Rou had conjured, a flicker of surprise flashing through my eyes. My father had once gifted my eldest brother a suit of golden-threaded light armor infused with his own essence; it only required a surge of magical power to activate. Jiang Rou’s smug expression seemed to mock my own past stupidity. My brothers had been so desperate to curry favor with her that they had gifted her such a divine treasure, while I had foolishly clung to the delusion of our sibling bond. Jiang Rou triumphantly gestured toward the Great Spirit God.

“Go, cast Jiang Ning out. From this day forward, she is forbidden from stepping a single foot outside the princess’s residence without my express permission.”

She turned to face the immortals again.

“Today’s events were a failure of my own discipline. This little mortal demon does not know what madness has taken hold of her. I offer my sincerest apologies to all of you on behalf of my father.”

I watched as the Great Spirit God led his celestial soldiers to surround me.

“You have guarded the Southern Heaven Gate for ten thousand years, yet you still cannot distinguish who the true princess is?”

The Great Spirit God’s expression turned instantly awkward, and he froze in place, stuttering.

“I… I…”

Jiang Rou’s face darkened, and she spoke in a chilling, sharp tone:

“The Crown Prince will soon inherit the position of Heavenly Emperor. If you dare to disobey my orders, do you not fear that I will speak of this to my eldest brother?”

The heavy war-halberd in the Great Spirit God’s hand clattered to the ground. He looked at me with deep unease and whispered, “Princess, I am loyal to the Heavenly Court, and I hold no prejudice against you. What happens today is beyond my control; I beg you not to make things difficult for me.”

He turned his head away, refusing to look me in the eye, and signaled for the celestial soldiers to drag me away. I glared coldly at the soldiers encroaching upon me and drew my ceremonial sword.

“I am the youngest Golden Crow beneath the Emperor’s throne. If you lay a hand on me, do you intend to commit treason?”

Seeing their hesitation, I turned to my personal maid standing nearby.

“Go and tell my nine elder brothers to come and take this slug who knows nothing of the Heavenly Court’s dignity away, before she continues to soil the eyes of these immortals!”

My maid looked at me in shock. My nine brothers pampered Jiang Rou to an extreme degree; if they discovered I had struck her, I feared they would retaliate against me tenfold. I raised my voice, infusing it with greater command.

“Are you not going? Or have you, too, been deceived into believing I am the impostor?”

Seeing my fury, the maid finally hurried away in a panic. Jiang Rou looked at me with gloating eyes.

“You little demon from the lower realms, do you truly not understand how much my nine brothers cherish me? They will never forgive you for this.”

I let out a cold, sharp laugh. I only hope they do come. Having returned from the dead, I am eager to meet the accomplices who conspired in my murder once again. Who will not forgive whom remains to be seen!