Volume One, Chapter Three: Awakening the Supreme Divine Bone

Three days later.

Boom!

A powerful aura erupted from the cave, accompanied by a thunderous roar. Some low-level spirit beasts passing by were so terrified by the pressure emanating from within that they nearly lost control of their bowels.

*Swish!* Those peach-blossom eyes snapped open. A cold, sharp glint flashed through her clear irises, and the corners of her mouth curled upward.

Great Spirit Master!

It was quite unexpected. Her spiritual consciousness, just as it had been in her previous life, had combined with the power of a Great Spirit Master to break the third seal on its own. What surprised her even more was that the original owner’s spirit bone was actually of the supreme divine grade.

Spirit bone attributes are categorized into gold, wood, water, fire, earth, wind, ice, and lightning. Some people can only cultivate one attribute, while others can cultivate three; the quality of a spirit bone depends entirely on how many attributes it possesses. A supreme divine spirit bone, however, can cultivate all eight attributes simultaneously.

A supreme divine spirit bone might not appear once in a millennium. If word of this got out, people would undoubtedly stop at nothing to seize it. Fortunately, the Linglong Tower had opened, allowing her to use its power to place a seal on her spirit bone, making it appear to others as nothing more than an ordinary dual-attribute spirit bone.

"Congratulations, Master," an ethereal voice echoed in Zhaoyan's mind.

"Qibao, you've awakened!"

Zhaoyan said with pleasant surprise. Qibao was the artifact spirit of the Linglong Tower. In her previous life, it had fallen into a deep slumber to help her withstand the heavenly tribulation. She had not expected it to wake so soon.

But soon, Zhaoyan noticed something wrong. "Qibao, where is your physical form?"

"Master, my soul was damaged. For now, I can only reside within the Linglong Tower."

A flash of hatred crossed Zhaoyan's eyes. *Bai Mengli, Shen Che! Prepare yourselves to face my wrath.*

"Qibao, it’s alright. As long as we are alive, that is what matters."

"Bai Mengli and Shen Che dared to plot against you. Master, we must not let them get away with this."

"Rest assured, they will undoubtedly die!"

That pair of peach-blossom eyes was filled with raging murderous intent.

***

There was another major matter to attend to. She had not forgotten how she had fallen off the cliff.

The original owner’s foster father had wanted to sell her to an old lecher to pay off his gambling debts. Her foster mother, though vicious, was at least rational; knowing the girl carried the blood of the Yun family, she dared not let her be defiled. However, the foster father had taken advantage of the mother's absence to sneak her away. On the road, the original owner found a chance to escape, but was chased by a group of people and fell off the cliff in her panic.

Only Zhaoyan knew that it was Yun Zhaoyan herself who had lost the will to live.

A vicious foster mother, a gambling-addicted foster father, a lecherous brother—and a broken girl. Who would want to live under such circumstances?

Since she had taken over this body, she would be the one to exact its vengeance.

The night in Qingyun Village was exceptionally quiet. But the silence was broken by the sound of cursing coming from a small courtyard.

"With the Yun family coming soon, the priority is to find that little wench!" The woman’s voice was filled with anger and urgency.

That little wench was their family’s cash cow. If she died, it would be troublesome. Although the Yun family ignored her, she still possessed their bloodline. If she died at their hands, it would be the end of them.

"We’ve been looking for three days. She’s probably already been eaten by wild beasts."

The man’s voice, slurred with drink, drifted out. *Smack!* A crisp sound followed as the man received a solid slap.

"Isn't this all your fault!"

"H-how can you blame me for this?"

The two began to argue again. Just then, a male voice, sounding about twenty years old, interrupted: "Father, Mother, stop arguing. Dead or alive, we must find her. That way, even if someone from the Yun family comes, we’ll have an excuse."

The two immediately fell silent.

"Son, what do you suggest we do now?"

"Naturally, I suggest I deal with all of you."

A familiar voice came from outside the door. The group felt a flicker of joy, but it vanished instantly, replaced by fury as they turned toward the entrance.

That damn little wench had finally returned. She had kept her on edge for days! If she didn't flay her skin off, she wouldn't be He Cairong!

A figure in red emerged from the darkness, looking like a blooming mandara flower—seductive yet dangerous. The woman’s peach-blossom eyes flashed with bloodthirsty intent, her red lips curving upward. Her peerless beauty was both demonic and celestial, mesmerizing and soul-stirring.

The group stared, stunned.

Yun Zhaojun, the legitimate daughter of the Yun family, was known as the greatest beauty of the Four Stars. As her twin sister, Yun Zhaoyan naturally shared the same face, but due to years of working in the fields, she had been thin, dark-skinned, and covered in scars, bearing no resemblance to a beauty.

But seeing the woman before them, no one would doubt she was Yun Zhaojun. Was it really Yun Zhaoyan?

He Cairong and her husband exchanged glances, a bad premonition rising in their hearts. Could it be that the eldest daughter of the Yun family, Yun Zhaojun, had arrived?

Liu Xiaofu, however, had eyes full of greed. How had Yun Zhaoyan become so beautiful? His body reacted instantly, as if every cell had been ignited. Only one thought occupied his mind: to pin Yun Zhaoyan beneath him and take his pleasure.

"Are you really Yun Zhaoyan?"

Watching the lecherous glint in Liu Xiaofu's eyes, Zhaoyan felt a wave of nausea. In the original owner's memories, this Liu Xiaofu had always tried to take advantage of her; he was truly repulsive.

Seeing his fat hand reaching for her face, Zhaoyan’s expression hardened. She channeled her spiritual energy and struck out with a palm, moving with lightning speed.

*Bang!* Liu Xiaofu crashed into the stone table nearby, shattering it into pieces.

*Pfft!*

Liu Xiaofu spat out a mouthful of blood and, after one look of disbelief at Zhaoyan, passed out cold.

He Cairong and Liu Dafu were terrified to see their precious son sent flying by a single strike. They became even more convinced that the woman before them was the eldest daughter, Yun Zhaojun. After all, they had raised Yun Zhaoyan for eighteen years and knew her better than anyone. Even if Xiaofu’s talent was poor, he was still an intermediate Spirit Master. That little wench didn't even have a spirit bone—how could she have sent him flying?

The two exchanged a look and fell to their knees before Zhaoyan with a *thud*. "We did not know the Eldest Miss had arrived! We beg you, in your magnanimity, to forgive our son just this once."

Zhaoyan raised an eyebrow. This old hag took her for Yun Zhaojun?

The spirit spring water had indeed been worth the soak. Not only had her skin cleared up, but even the scars on her body had vanished. Combined with her cultivation, it was only natural they would mistake her for her sister.

Since that was the case... a bloodthirsty smile tugged at the corner of Zhaoyan’s mouth.

"You lost my sister?"

Sweat drenched them both. Their faces turned pale; it was exactly what they feared most.

"Eldest Miss, please let us explain! It was the Second Miss—she was too mischievous and accidentally fell off a cliff. It really has nothing to do with us!"

"But the villagers have been helping to search. The Second Miss is blessed by fate; surely she will be fine."

He Cairong spoke with extreme deference, a stark contrast to her usual shrill, sharp-tongued demeanor. Zhaoyan almost wanted to applaud her acting skills.

Zhaoyan let out a cold snort. He Cairong had relied on her past service in the Yun household to become the village chief of Qingyun Village. Whenever the Yun family’s steward came once a year to drop off spirit stones, even if he left immediately, it served to bolster her reputation.

Her prestige in the village was high, which was why the villagers had been searching day and night at the bottom of the cliff.

"Oh? But my sister’s life-token in the Yun family shattered three days ago."

"Furthermore, as far as I know, the Yun family sends one hundred thousand spirit stones every year. Why is it that the news I received is that my sister had endless laundry to do, endless farm work, was whipped from time to time, and was often starved? And now, you have caused my sister’s death."

"Tell me, for abusing the bloodline of the Yun family, how many lives do you have to pay for this?"

Zhaoyan spoke as if recounting someone else’s story, yet her calm tone carried a faint, chilling murderous intent.

The two turned as pale as parchment and collapsed to the ground.