Prologue

Fairy Star was an enormous celestial body for spiritual cultivation, its landmass uncannily resembling a graceful maiden in dance, hence the name Fairy Star.

After hundreds of thousands of years, the land had shifted, and Fairy Star now looked more like a burly man—though none of the cultivators dwelling within the planet were aware of this transformation.

In the Nameless District of the Left-Hand Region on the Fairy Continent, a disfigured woman was being dragged by three sinister, shadow-clad cultivators into a chaotic burial ground. One burly middle-aged man pinned her by the throat atop a mound of earth. No matter how she struggled, she was powerless—the difference in strength was simply too great.

The man clutching her throat turned to a youth holding a skull. "Are you sure this woman's physique is extraordinary?" he asked.

The young man nodded, the skull in his hand floating as green ghostfire flickered in its eye sockets. "No mistake. This is a treasure I acquired from a Golden Core cultivator’s cave mansion. It cost the lives of thirty-six pairs of virgin boys and girls to consecrate it. Since it directed us to this woman, her constitution is certainly unusual."

"Ha! Excellent. Even though her face is ruined, her figure is first-rate. Even if she has no special constitution, it doesn't matter. At worst, I'll refine her into a corpse puppet and fit her with a new head."

High above, an invisible, intangible will streaked toward them at tremendous speed. In its wake, another terrifying willpower pressed forward with the force of a collapsing sky—one pursuing, one fleeing.

"If occupying the magpie's nest was not enough, you now seek to annihilate me completely. Wait—I will return to my peak and reclaim all that is rightfully mine!" The leading will thundered with fury, and in despair, sensed the woman struggling below.

"A Profound Yin Constitution? Heaven has not severed my path! Who would have thought such a rare body would appear in this remote land!"

Back in the burial ground, the middle-aged brute stuffed a fingernail-sized pill into the woman's mouth, laughing obscenely. "The harder you resist now, the louder you’ll scream soon."

Just as he began to tear at her clothing, the masked figure among them suddenly spoke. "Enough. The two of you are no longer of any use. You may die now."

The middle-aged man and the youth froze in shock. Before they could react, a wrenching pain tore through their chests—as if ants were gnawing at their hearts, a nightmare blend of itching and agony.

The brute glared at the orb in the masked man's palm, its surface riddled with tiny holes. "So, you, the leader of the Hong Sect, resort to such treachery... I curse you—!"

Before he could finish, he died, blood streaming from his seven orifices, his corpse a ghastly sight. Countless red motes flew from his mouth into the orb in the masked man's hand.

The young man, pale as death, dropped the skull he was holding. Enduring the pain, he crawled to the masked man's feet, pleading, "Master, I'll be your dog! Spare me! I can find you countless women with rare physiques for your cauldron—spare me, please!"

A flash of sword-light answered him, severing his head in an instant. Yet little blood flowed; once more, tiny insects flew into the orb.

The masked man strode to the brute's corpse and stabbed its head to be sure of his death. "Only by my hand can I be certain you're truly dead. The Corpse Yin Sect is not to be trifled with." He tossed out two talismans, burning the bodies to ash, then finally turned to the disfigured woman, now succumbing to the drug.

Her mind clouded, the supreme will from the heavens descended and took over her consciousness, assuming command of her body.

When she opened her eyes, they were dazed and almost devoid of human emotion, bewildered by her new state. She felt her entire being consumed by a desire known as lust, which rapidly eroded her final shred of reason; her gaze grew ever more vacant.

She could only obey the primordial call of life’s origin, compelled by instinct alone. Suddenly, she lunged at the only remaining male.

"Hey! Damn it, isn’t she just a mortal? How is she so strong?"

The masked man’s disguise fell to the ground, revealing a handsome young face now as disordered by desire as his mind.

"From this day forth, you belong to me, Zhou Xuanhong."

...

Beyond Fairy Star, in the endless reaches of space, ripples shimmered in the void as a purple-black cosmic skiff burst forth from the surface of space like a ship from water.

On its deck stood a man and a woman. The woman held a swaddled infant who made not a sound; his eyes, however, betrayed none of a baby's innocence, but the intelligence of a cunning and bewildered adult.

The man grinned. “This planet looks promising. Let’s leave my son, Zhou Xianxiang’s child, here. Whether he lives or dies is his own fate—he’s only himself to blame for being so dull-witted.”

The woman shot him a look. "As if you’re all that gifted. Our Hong’er may have dull talents, but he’s clever and no fool."

Lifting the baby above his head, the man declared, "Of course! We started as mortal thieves and clawed our way up to Domain Lord. May our son inherit those fine qualities. Heroic virtue is unrealistic here—only cunning and ruthlessness can ensure survival in the Immortal Realm! Hong’er, may you become as formidable as your father, or even surpass me. I’ll be waiting for you to outwit me and steal this Domain Lord-class skiff. Hahaha!"

With a great laugh, the man hurled the infant down to Fairy Star, sending him crashing into a garbage dump in the Nameless District of the Left-Hand Region.

As the skiff departed, the couple continued to bicker. "Really? Couldn’t you have dropped him with a wealthy family? That dump is filthy!"

"You foolish woman, of course my son must start from the lowest rung!"

In the garbage heap, an old beggar scavenging for scraps wandered over and sighed, "If you can’t raise a child, don’t have one. What a waste of life..."

...