’So this is what it feels like to be powerful.’

The Demon God on the battlefield, though wreathed in Demonic Qi, still shone with a blinding light. Her radiance was so overwhelming that for Song Wanning, everyone else vanished from sight.

She was like the strongest being in existence, a blazing sun hanging high in the sky, her brilliance impossible for anyone to rival!

Song Wanning had taken the wrong path in her past life, casting aside her great path for the sake of a trivial romance.

Even after her rebirth, her mind was still set on revenge, and then ascension.

When it came to her own power, she had always been driven by circumstance—either to protect herself or to protect the Song Family.

But now, she wanted to pursue strength purely for its own sake!

With no ulterior motives.

She, too, wanted to be like the Demon God, to stand above all else!

This desire made her heart pound wildly. The frantic beat was the only thing she could hear, and brilliant fireworks seemed to explode before her eyes.

...

An unknown amount of time passed, and both sides were exhausted.

Only three Heavenly Gods remained, clinging to life as they lay collapsed on the ground. The Demon God was also exhausted, yet she stood tall on the summit, unyielding as a world-shattering greatsword.

Suddenly, a Heavenly Tribulation descended from the sky.

Song Wanning didn’t even have time to react before her vision suddenly went black.

In that instant, she tasted death once more.

It was the shadow of her past life.

’Who isn’t afraid of death?’

’I just want to live.’

...

When she opened her eyes again, she was met with a scene of utter desolation.

The vast mountain was devoid of life; not a single creature, not even a blade of wild grass, could be seen.

Song Wanning’s heart was a tangle of complex emotions. So, that legendary figure hadn’t died in the siege by the Heavenly Gods after all, but under the Heavenly Tribulation.

Worse, to eliminate her, the Heavenly Dao had even arranged for those so-called "children of fortune" to wear down her strength...

’How despicable!’

Song Wanning silently clenched her fists, her heart filled with indignation on the Demon God’s behalf.

Just then, a spectral figure suddenly materialized beside her.

The figure wore a familiar smile, its eyes twinkling with the shattered light of a starry river.

She stared at Song Wanning with curiosity, her voice tinged with excitement. "To think I’d run into one of my own. How rare."

"I am Song Wanning. It is an honor, Senior!"

Song Wanning immediately bowed in thanks. Without the Demon God’s help, dealing with the Divine Beast Egg would have been far from easy.

"Don’t be so formal. We’re all family here," the Demon God said with an easy smile, casually sitting down to one side. She patted the ground. "Sit."

"Alright."

Song Wanning sat down and blinked, feeling that something was very strange.

The Demon God in private was a world apart from the one on the battlefield; it was truly difficult to reconcile the two images.

"You find it strange?"

The Demon God tilted her head, a wide smile on her face as she looked at Song Wanning.

"Don’t mind it. I’m just a wisp of Divine Thought that the Demon God forcibly extracted before her death. Naturally, I can’t compare to the presence of the real Demon God."

She was the Demon God, and yet she was not.

"The Demon God truly fell?"

Song Wanning’s heart sank. The moment she saw the "Demon God," she’d thought that perhaps the real Demon God was still alive here, merely suppressed.

But the reality was disappointing.

"Yes."

The Demon God’s Divine Thought sighed. "Who could’ve imagined the Heavenly Dao would be so treacherous? It went as far as to raise so many Heavenly Gods just to eliminate her."

She huffed coldly. "But that damned Heavenly Dao didn’t get off easy. At the very last moment, the Demon God self-destructed and completely shattered it!"

"The world you’re in now is just a Heavenly Dao Fragment from back then. It was a true Pyrrhic victory for the Heavenly Dao!"

If the Demon God hadn’t acted fast, even this wisp of Divine Thought wouldn’t have been left behind.

But a Divine Thought isn’t a Divine Soul. It can’t bring someone back from the dead. In fact, it gradually weakens with time until it vanishes completely.

Billions of years have passed, and for this wisp to still exist is a testament to the original Demon God’s immense power.

"Why did the Heavenly Dao target the Demon God?"

Song Wanning was puzzled. ’Could it be that the Demon God was just like me—a foil for some protagonist?’

"Hah."

The Demon God’s Divine Thought seemed to recall something and gave a cold smirk.

"It was because the Demon God found her own origin, and her Dantian formed a new world. The Heavenly Dao Rules of this new world were so complete that they threatened the position of the original Heavenly Dao."

"It couldn’t tolerate a new Heavenly Dao appearing in its domain, and it was terrified of losing its control over the Demon God."

Simply put, the Heavenly Dao felt its position was threatened by the Demon God. It couldn’t allow any being to exist beyond its control.

But bound by its own Heavenly Dao Rules, it couldn’t act against the Demon God directly. So, it personally created numerous Heavenly Gods and guided them to confront her.

Finally, under the pretext of punishing the Demon God for "destroying the world," it brought down a Heavenly Punishment, intending to obliterate her.

Unfortunately, it underestimated the Demon God’s power, and in the end, it was a case of "mutual destruction."

"So that’s how it was?"

Song Wanning’s brows furrowed, her feelings growing even more complex.

Like everyone else in the world, she had once been filled with respect and reverence for the Heavenly Dao, believing she was growing under its protection, her heart full of gratitude.

But having died once, she came to realize that the Heavenly Dao was not the same in every world. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

Some might be benevolent, dedicated to all living things. Others might only care for themselves, reveling in the thrill of manipulating and controlling everything.

And as living beings, they all seemed to be puppets of the Heavenly Dao.

If the Heavenly Dao decrees your death at the third watch, King Yan himself wouldn’t dare keep you until the fifth.

People like her, who were granted a second life, were as rare as a phoenix’s feather...

"I sense an aura on you that is similar to the Demon God’s."

The Demon God’s Divine Thought spoke suddenly, her gaze a mixture of nostalgia and bewilderment.

It was as if she were looking through Song Wanning, trying to see that long-ago figure who stood above all else.

"Within your body, I sense two completely different powers. Does this trouble you?"

With a single sentence, the Demon God’s Divine Thought had pinpointed Song Wanning’s greatest problem.

Demonic Qi and Spiritual Energy coexisted within her body. They were at peace for now, but she wasn’t sure how long that state would last.

Her decision to enter the Demon God Tomb this time, for instance, had been influenced by the Demonic Qi in her Sea of Consciousness.

As long as the Demonic Qi remained, the darker impulses in her heart could be easily stirred, even influencing her decisions.

She was devoted to the Song Family. Without the influence of the Demonic Qi, she might not have entered the Demon God Tomb so decisively, since there was no guarantee when—or if—she would be able to leave.

If she was delayed, the Song Family might suffer the same fate as before.

But driven by those emotions, she had entered.

Song Wanning fell silent for a moment. This was a hidden danger, one that needed to be dealt with as soon as possible.

"Please, Senior, help me."

She turned her head and looked intently at the wisp of Divine Thought.

Seeing this, the Demon God’s Divine Thought chuckled softly. "Tell me what you have in mind."

"Do you intend to become a Demon Cultivator, or will you persist on the path of a Spirit Cultivator?"

In the eyes of the Demon God’s Divine Thought, Song Wanning was a born Demon Cultivator. It was a shame she was practicing spirit cultivation.

She was curious what Song Wanning would choose. After all, given her current location, any intelligent person would know that choosing to become a Demon Cultivator was the obvious answer.

But Song Wanning simply gazed back at her, her expression earnest, her eyes filled with an ambition and desire the likes of which she had never shown before.

"I want both."