Supreme Ruler Dena stared at Yuan, her eyes widening in surprise. Though she had offered to become his servant of her own accord not long ago, being asked by him now felt entirely different.

She opened her mouth only to close it without a response, repeating this several times, as if dumbstruck by it.

Supreme Ruler Grant and Lev stared at her with puzzled faces, wondering why she was suddenly hesitant on accepting Yuan’s blood when she’d asked for it recently.

After a moment of silence, Supreme Ruler Dena closed her eyes and sighed, "If I am going to prove myself, I must do it alone, or it’d be pointless. I also don’t want to hear any excuses from her later, so I cannot accept your blood now."

"..."

Yuan fell silent for a brief moment before a small smile tugged at his lips.

"For some reason, I knew you’d say something like that," he said, not surprised by her rejection in the slightest.

"Although it’s a reckless—even foolish thing to do, I respect your resolution."

Supreme Ruler Dena silently nodded before turning to the woman.

"I am ready to play your game," she said.

"Good luck, little girl."

The woman extended her arm toward Supreme Ruler Dena, and at her command, the overwhelming mass of poison surged forth, instantly engulfing her petite figure.

"Ahh!"

Supreme Ruler Dena immediately screamed in agony. While the poison normally caused no pain when absorbed gradually, this was an entirely different matter, as she had just been forced to endure over a thousand years’ worth of the Demon God’s Ordeal in a single instant.

For Lev, who could only survive a few weeks in Death Paradise before his evolution, this amount would’ve instantly killed him... thousands of times, at that.

As for Supreme Ruler Grant, who could easily survive a few hundred years, it would also instantly kill him over a dozen times at once.

Supreme Ruler Dena’s screaming lasted only a few seconds before she fell silent, as if she’d perished.

"Did she die already?" The woman wondered aloud in a somewhat disappointed voice. "I had a little expectation for her, considering her talents as an incomplete being."

Soon, the last traces of condensed poison vanished into Supreme Ruler Dena’s body.

Her body went limp, and she began to fall from the sky like a lifeless doll.

Seeing this, Yuan went to catch her body.

Upon examining her body, he was relieved to know that she was still alive. However, the poison also hadn’t been fully consumed, so her life was still in danger.

"She’s still alive? I guess I had underestimated her a little," the woman suddenly remarked. "But let’s see if she can make it to the end."

"Why are you calling her incomplete?" Yuan asked her.

The woman stared at him in silence for a brief moment before responding, "I guess I can entertain you for a bit since you’ll be staying with me for an eternity soon."

Then, she continued, "The vast majority of people in this world haven’t yet fully completed their transformation, hence why they are incomplete."

"And judging by your sense of superiority, I can assume that you are a complete demon, right?" Yuan asked.

The woman offered a silent smile.

Yuan suddenly recalled his encounter with Demon Emperor Carnage, along with the mention of the so-called ’Ancients.’

Demon Emperors had once been believed to stand at the pinnacle of their race, yet that was far from the truth. Above them existed the Ancient Demons, known in the Demonic Realm as Supreme Rulers.

However, even they were not the true apex. Beyond them were the Ancients—beings fundamentally different in nature, and the undisputed peak of the demon race.

Even Supreme Ruler Dena, who was hailed as the strongest demon in history, wouldn’t be able to hold a candle to a true Ancient.

"Are you what they call an ’Ancient’?"

Wanting confirmation, Yuan asked the woman.

"Is that what they call us these days?" The woman responded with nonchalance. "We were once known as Transcendents, perfect beings who have passed God’s trial."

"God’s trial? Are you referring to the Demon God?"

"That’s right," she replied. "That unhinged god who is the only being above us Transcendents—and the one who brought about the Great Cataclysm."

Unmasked hatred and rage flashed within the woman’s eyes as she mentioned the Demon God and the Great Cataclysm.

"What is the difference between a demon and a Transcendent? Aren’t you just a demon with a stronger bloodline?"

"Hahaha!"

The woman suddenly burst into uncontrollable laughter, her voice echoing wildly as if she had just heard the most absurd joke.

"Just a demon with a stronger bloodline? You really know nothing about this world, huh? Well, I can’t really blame you since most people in this world don’t know their own origins, either."

The woman stopped laughing and stared at Yuan with a serious expression.

"Listen carefully, human from another world," she said, her voice turning cold and grim. "I am nothing like a demon."

"Demons are merely humans who failed to ascend—imperfect beings, incomplete... failures."

An arrogant smile touched her lips as she continued, "I, on the other hand, am still human—one who surpassed humanity itself. I am a transcendent... a perfect human!"

Yuan’s eyes widened at the revelation that demons were originally human. However, it wasn’t entirely unexpected. As he’d come to understand them more, he had noticed subtle hints, such as their humanoid forms, and how those with purer bloodlines bore an even closer resemblance, some nearly indistinguishable from humans.

"Then—"

Just as Yuan opened his mouth to speak, Supreme Ruler Dena, who had remained as still as a corpse, suddenly jolted awake.

A violent surge of power erupted from her body, unleashing a shockwave that blew Yuan away.

"Oh?"

The woman muttered under her breath, her gaze sharpening as it settled on Supreme Ruler Dena, who hovered just slightly above the sea surface, her face devoid of all expression.

However, the woman frowned a moment later.

"Something isn’t right..." she mumbled.