Ren Zu awoke slowly.
When he opened his eyes, the world around him was an infinite green.
There was no sky—only an endless, luminous expanse of emerald. The ground beneath his feet was soft, almost like living moss, yet firm enough to support his weight. It felt as though the entire space were a boundless green ocean…
A faint fragrance invaded his nostrils, unmistakable to anyone who had once possessed half of it.
The distinctive scent of the [Sky Poison Pearl].
He took a deep breath.
Who could have imagined that such a vast world existed inside the pearl?
But that was merely one of the basic powers of this Celestial Profound Treasure.
The [Sky Poison Pearl] ranked fifth among the Seven Celestial Profound Treasures. Among its primary abilities were: the power to cure all poisons under the heavens—even those that affected the soul—, absolute purification and refinement, the detection of rare treasures in the vicinity, an almost infinitely vast internal storage space… and, of course, the ability to release poisons.
At its peak, the pearl could unleash the Heaven-Piercing Thought-Splitting Poison, second only to the Myriad Tribulations Poison, yet still capable of slaying gods and devils alike.
However, after the death of the Poison Spirit, the pearl could only emit greatly weakened toxins. Its original power would never be restored…
…Well.
He had plans to fix that later.
His eyes calmly scanned the surroundings with calculated composure. Piles of treasures lay scattered here and there: profound crystals, ancient weapons, pills sealed in jade boxes, rare scrolls, precious herbs.
Everything Yun Che had accumulated over years of plundering, stealing, and sheer outrageous luck was stored here, kept with the utmost care.
But none of it held his attention for long.
His gaze continued to wander…
…until it stopped.
Floating just a few meters off the ground in front of him was a girl.
She appeared to be twelve or thirteen years old and wore a small, dark-red dress—elegant and slightly old-fashioned, clearly designed for a young lady. Her petite, delicate, and beautiful body remained perfectly upright in the air, floating without any visible support, as though gravity had simply chosen to ignore her. The hem of her skirt rippled gently in the void, revealing two snow-white, tender legs like freshly fallen snow. Barefoot, her feet—delicate as lotus petals—remained exposed, the pale toes seemingly carved from flawless white jade with almost unreal perfection. Yet nothing about her figure compared to her hair: intense crimson strands fanned out around her head like a living cascade of blood, flowing over her shoulders as she hovered—beautiful and menacing at the same time, possessing the hypnotic sheen that belonged not to an ordinary child, but to the ancient, disturbing presence of a malevolent demon disguised in immortal form…
The moment his eyes landed on that silhouette, his heart jolted violently.
"How can there exist… such a beautiful girl…?" he thought, his pulse racing without permission.
Her beauty was not ordinary—it was an absolute monstrosity, the kind capable of stealing distracted souls. Had he not seen her with his own eyes, he would never have believed someone so young could radiate such dangerously hypnotic charm. Like a crimson demon with a face of white jade, every feature was beautiful to an extreme degree, and they harmonized in an almost impossible way, forming a perfection that bordered on the unreal. He tried to find words to describe her… and failed. Even though she stood right before him, a deep part of his mind insisted that she could only be an illusion given form—because, on some instinctive level, he simply did not dare believe that such a perfectly impossible face could exist in this world…
He had never imagined he would be affected so profoundly in the depths of his soul merely by a person's face. The girl appeared to be only twelve or thirteen years old at present. If she grew up further, that would be… simply unimaginable! Perhaps then, she could cause chaos with nothing more than a smile…
She possessed a pair of exceptionally black demonic eyes that shimmered mysteriously whenever she blinked.
Well… the descriptions in the original story really did justice to reality.
Jasmine was, indeed, a breathtaking beauty.
Even more so than his own wives—something he had to admit, albeit reluctantly. Of course, in his eyes, his wives remained the most beautiful… and objectively speaking, they weren't far behind her either.
But still…
Jasmine's appearance was impossible to ignore.
And here he thought he had developed some immunity to jade-like beauties since being reborn in this world…
Ren Zu slowly emerged from his reverie. His deep, unfathomable black eyes narrowed slightly toward the floating girl.
With a calm, low voice completely devoid of surprise or reverence, he asked:
"Who are you?"
Silence.
Jasmine remained motionless in the air, her long red hair rippling gently as though submerged in an invisible river. Her pitch-black eyes—so deep and sharp they seemed to contain dead stars—locked onto him for a long moment. There was no movement on her small, perfect face, yet something in her expression flickered, as though the sight of this man had momentarily left her speechless…
She stared at him as if trying to decipher an enigma that made no sense.
Then her soft, rose-colored lips moved.
Her voice emerged cold, sharp, and laden with an arrogance that did not belong to a girl who appeared so young.
"Jasmine."
The word fell between them like a thin blade.
Ren Zu did not react immediately. His eyes remained fixed on hers, analyzing every detail: the slight contraction of her pupils as she spoke her own name, the almost imperceptible flash of confusion and irritation that crossed that abyssal black gaze…
He tilted his head slightly—a subtle gesture conveying controlled curiosity.
"I've never heard of you. And what exactly are you doing inside my [Sky Poison Pearl], Miss Jasmine?"
The question came out calmly, without accusation, yet carried a natural authority that made the surrounding air feel heavier.
Jasmine snorted. Her eyes narrowed further, and she crossed her delicate arms over her chest, the dress rippling softly with the motion.
"This pearl originally belonged to my disciple…" Her voice was icy… but a faint crack ran through it: "And now… it has fused with yours. Technically, two identical Divine Profound Treasures should not be able to exist in this world. The only plausible explanation I can think of is that the Sky Poison Pearl was originally split into two halves.
That would explain why my disciple could never unleash its true poison… and it also explains what happened now. The moment you approached… the other half was drawn to you. And then… it fused…"
She paused, her lips curving into a cold, humorless smile.
"In other words, since I was recovering inside the pearl that belonged to my disciple, I ended up here as well."
"…" Ren Zu raised an eyebrow. He had expected her to react with far greater arrogance—perhaps even attempt to suppress him, as she had done with Yun Che in the original story upon first meeting. What a disappointment… though it made sense. Jasmine had likely already realized that his strength was far from ordinary; moreover, her current position was delicate. He was, technically, the savior of her "disciple" and, at the same time, her last hope if she wished to reconstruct a physical body. All of this undoubtedly made her far more cautious about how to act.
"I see. That's a very reasonable theory…"
Jasmine shrugged as though it were merely a minor inconvenience.
"This princess has already answered your question." Her black eyes flashed with a mixture of arrogance and something deeper—perhaps curiosity, perhaps caution. "Now it's your turn to answer this princess's question."
She floated slightly closer, closing the distance between them without touching the ground. The dress rippled like living mist. Her eyes—two black gemstones capable of piercing the soul—locked directly onto his.
An impeccably charming gaze.
But also a razor-sharp blade, driven deep into the heart and soul.
"Who. Are. You?"
The question hung in the air like a verdict.
Ren Zu did not answer immediately. He simply observed her for a few more seconds, as though weighing every word before speaking. Then, with the same absolute calm, he said:
"Hm? Oh, right! It was rude of me to ask who you were without introducing myself first. I am currently the Demon Emperor who rules the Illusory Demon Realm. You may call me Ren Zu…"
Jasmine showed no surprise whatsoever upon hearing his name. She remained silent for a moment, various thoughts passing through her mind…
"Hmph." Finally, she snorted, turning her face slightly as though annoyed by something trivial. Her delicate arms crossed beneath her chest as she spoke with her usual arrogance: "In any case… you saved my disciple. …This princess acknowledges that."
Her eyes returned to him, cold and proud.
"So listen carefully." Her chin lifted slightly higher: "This princess owes you a favor."
Ren Zu merely tilted his head faintly, observing her calmly.
"I only did what I believed was right. There's no need to thank me or repay me for it…"
His voice was calm, almost gentle, carrying no trace of arrogance or expectation. As though saving someone's life were something trivial—a passing gesture that did not warrant reciprocation.
Jasmine stared at him for a long moment.
Her black eyes traced every line of that perfect face: the jawline, the curve of the brows, the calm, profound light in his gaze. Until now, her impression of him had already been… surprisingly positive. But in that instant, her evaluation rose another level. He truly showed no falsehood when he spoke those words, and possessing the spirit to heal others without demanding anything in return was something exceedingly rare.
She could not help but silently compare him to her own disciple, who had almost never used his medical skills in such a selfless way. With Yun Che, there was almost always some benefit involved… or thinly veiled interest in whatever beautiful girl had caught his eye…
She opened her mouth to say something, but before any sound could escape, Ren Zu's brow furrowed slightly.
His eyes fixed on her with sudden intensity—as though he could see through flesh, through spirit, straight to the deepest core of her soul.
"Hm? Miss Jasmine, there's one question I've wanted to ask since the moment I saw you… How were you poisoned by the Absolute God-Slaying Poison?"
Jasmine froze.
Her eyes widened—just a fraction of a second, but enough for him to notice.
The air around her seemed to stop.
The ethereal wind within the pearl ceased.
Even her red hair stopped rippling.
She stared at him as though he had just torn away a layer of her soul with bare hands.
"You…"
Her voice came out low, almost a hoarse whisper.
"…how do you know that?"
Ren Zu kept his gaze locked on her, unblinking, without altering the calm, controlled tone he had maintained since entering this space.
"It's not as complicated as it seems."
He took a slow step to the side—as though merely strolling through the green dimension—but his eyes never left hers.
"A poison capable of corroding the soul… that forced you to hide inside the [Sky Poison Pearl] to slowly purify it… that prevents you from using your full strength without triggering a devastating backlash…" He paused, tilting his head slightly: "…there is only one poison in the world that meets all these criteria simultaneously: the Absolute God-Slaying Poison."
Jasmine felt her breath catch in her throat.
Her small fists clenched so tightly that her nails dug into her translucent palms.
Ren Zu continued, his voice low and devoid of any boastfulness, as though he were simply stating an obvious fact.
"Though, to be fair… there are a few other possibilities. But each would leave different traces—traces that any self-respecting physician could identify… The moment I laid eyes on you… I knew. There is no mistaking it."
"…!!!!" Jasmine's black eyes widened even further. For an instant, she seemed unable to breathe.
She remained in absolute silence.
Her red hair completely stopped moving.
The ethereal wind of the pearl seemed to have vanished.
Then, in a voice so low it nearly dissolved into the surrounding green void, she murmured:
"…Who are you… really?"
Ren Zu smiled—a small, almost gentle smile, yet laden with a depth that made her heart tremble.
"Didn't I already say? I am Ren Zu…"
__________________________________
(A/N: We've hit 900 Power Stones! 🎯
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