I was the Demon King of the Seventh Hell, destroyer of celestial dynasties, master of the Void Maw. Now I’m trapped in this pathetic shell—a girl named Lina, born without a shred of spiritual talent, cursed to live under the boot of her so-called family.

They beat me. They starve me. They laugh when I crawl through the dirt after being shoved by my cousin Rina, her silver pendant gleaming—the mark of a low-tier cultivator. 'No spirit, no worth,' she spits. 'Even the pigs are smarter than you.'

Tonight, I kneel by the well, hands raw from scrubbing clothes, when I hear them whispering. 'We should drown her. She’s bringing shame to our bloodline.'

I look up slowly. My fingers tighten around the hem of my dress. A whisper slips from my lips—one of the old tongue. The shadows stretch unnaturally toward them.

Rina freezes. 'Why… why is it so cold all of a sudden?'

I tilt my head, smiling. 'You wanted to see what’s beneath the well? I can show you. All you have to do… is jump.'

The wind howls. The grimoire beneath the pig shed pulses with dark light.