A Fortuitous Encounter (1)

Who would you name if asked to pick the strongest person on the continent?

It was one of those endless debates that flared up not just on the Continental Unified Gallery, but constantly in everyday conversation across every tavern and plaza.

Some would name the Messiah Empire's legendary Swordmaster. Others would swear by the Kingdom's Archmage.

Another might cast their vote for the Princess of the Demonic Realm, while someone else would argue for the Hero who had vanished without a trace.

Depending on where a person hailed from—their birthplace, their background, their allegiances—their idea of who reigned supreme differed completely. Even so, there was no denying that each of those candidates wielded world-shaking might.

Unbeknownst to most of the civilized world, an absolute monster resided within the enigmatic land known as the Central Plains.

Because the Central Plains maintained an aggressively isolationist border policy compared to other nations, almost no information trickled out to the rest of the continent. Even so, not even their iron curtain could block the reach of the dimensional Gallery.

Rumors originating from the Gallery were notoriously untrustworthy. They were, by definition, completely unverified.

Above all else, the notion of the legendary Heavenly Demon wasting her time lurking on an internet forum was inherently ridiculous.

Why would a supreme martial titan who brought every warrior in the Central Plains to their knees and unified the entire Murim bother browsing the Gallery? And spending hours upon hours doing so, no less, posting low-effort shitposts day in and day out?

Because of exchanges like this, the Gallery's users universally wrote off "Heavenly Demon" as either a committed roleplayer or an archaic boomer.

In truth, people from the Central Plains who browsed the forum were almost entirely ignorant of the foreign terminology and slang used in the Western kingdoms. The Gallery was equipped with auto-translation magic, but proper nouns, cultural jargon, and internet slang could not be seamlessly converted into the vocabulary of an isolated realm.

It was a byproduct of their region's deep-seated isolationism, though ironically, that very isolation drove an exceptionally large percentage of their population onto the forum to satisfy their curiosity.

Shortly after that exchange was posted, wild rumors spread that the Emperor of the Central Plains had been assassinated, and forum access within the empire suddenly became completely unrestricted.

Thanks to that incident, the general sentiment among users shifted to mild bewilderment: Wait, could she actually be the real Heavenly Demon?

As time marched on, the Heavenly Demon gained legendary notoriety across the forum. As a cranky old boomer utterly consumed by her online persona, that is.

Some users remarked that if the genuine Heavenly Demon ever caught wind of this imposter, she would have torn the person's internal organs to shreds and subjected them to death by a thousand cuts. It was an understandable reaction, considering that nearly everything the account posted was pure drivel.

The prevailing consensus was that nobody could possibly write that much nonsense unless they possessed an ungodly amount of free time.

"How utterly bewildering. Why does not a single soul believe me?"

And sitting in seclusion, the genuine Heavenly Demon stared at the glowing holographic interface with an incredulous pout.

Skin as radiant and porcelain-white as freshly poured milk, framed by full, tender lips. An exquisite face of ethereal beauty, and voluptuous curves that even the dark folds of her flowing black martial robes failed to conceal.

Yu Sowol—the supreme existence reigning beneath the heavens as the singular incarnation of the Demonic.

And today, she was hard at work shitposting on the Gallery.

"When This Lady hath laid out the truth in plain sight... Tsk, tsk."

Yu Sowol clicked her tongue, yet not a shred of genuine irritation showed upon her peerless features. If anything, her gaze shone with keen amusement. After all, browsing the Gallery was her one and only indulgence.

People might wonder why a legendary figure of the Heavenly Demon's stature would waste her days slumming in an anonymous internet forum, but at the end of the day, she was still human. Even after crushing every martial peak in the Central Plains and claiming the mantle of the Peerless Master Under the Heavens, supreme victory had brought only stifling, suffocating boredom.

She was simply too overwhelmingly powerful. So transcendent that challengers ceased to exist altogether. Out of utter boredom, she had declared a period of closed-door cultivation and retreated deep into the desolate mountains.

"Fufu. These wretched insolents whom I could chew to pieces and spit out without blinking... Daring to mock This Lady."

This was the thrill. The sheer novelty of faceless fools spewing absolute rubbish behind the shield of anonymity.

Back at the Cult's headquarters, the vast majority of disciples couldn't even summon the courage to meet her eyes. To them, Yu Sowol was the singular, absolute Sovereign Under the Heavens. They were too busy trembling in reverent awe to breathe in her presence.

The Gallery, however, was completely different. Fortified by complete anonymity, random strangers hurled unprintable insolence directly into her face. Occasionally, crude remarks verging on outright sexual harassment were tossed her way, but Yu Sowol let them slide with magnanimous indulgence. They were just faceless nobodies who didn't know any better.

Though in truth, my heart aches to cross blades with the masters of the Western Realm...

Still, she couldn't deny that a small sliver of pride felt bruised. Whenever the continent's strongest warriors were discussed, her name was invariably omitted.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Other realms maintained open borders and dynamic trade, allowing the fame of their champions to echo across every corner of the world. The Central Plains, by contrast, remained trapped like a frog at the bottom of a well due to its rigid isolationist policies.

She had once entertained the idea of setting out on a personal crusade to the West, but her closest retainers had fallen to their knees, pleading frantically against it.

—You cannot, Cult Leader! If the Sovereign of Heaven departs in person, boundless chaos will ensue!

—And why should that be?

—If you leave your throne vacant for long, unrest will grip the flock, and the treacherous sects of the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠righteous faction will strike in our moment of vulnerability! And above all else...!

—Above all else?

—Those arrogant western barbarians ought to cross mountains and oceans to crawl before your seat! Why should our Supreme Sovereign demean herself by traveling to their doorstep?

—Hmm. There is wisdom in thy words.

And so, the Heavenly Demon had yielded to the persuasive counsel of her trusted strategist, Mano. In reality, Mano's private calculations were far more pragmatic: the moment their Cult Leader clashed with foreign monsters, the delicate balance of power would spiral into catastrophic ruin. Zhongyuan's internal conflicts weren't even fully settled yet; if they dragged foreign barbarians into the fray, the hard-won hegemony of the Demonic Cult might collapse overnight.

Shortly after, an intriguing complaint popped up on the forum, but Yu Sowol ignored it. Venting like that happened all the time.

After that, she remained secluded in the Cult's sacred grounds, stepping out briefly only to deal with the meddling Emperor before returning to her peaceful daily routine. Shedding the revered mantle of the "Heavenly Demon" to simply trade petty insults with strangers as the mortal "human" Yu Sowol was an intoxicating joy.

Then, after gaining a sudden stroke of martial enlightenment, she entered deep secluded cultivation—only to slam headfirst into an entirely unforeseen crisis.

"Cough!"

Splaaat!

A violent coughing fit seized Yu Sowol's throat, expelling a thick ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠pool of pitch-black blood across the stone floor. It was an alarming volume of gore.

Wiping the crimson from her trembling lips, a grim expression darkened her features.

To think that This Lady would suffer qi deviation...

It was true. In the midst of pushing her cultivation to unprecedented heights, she had succumbed to demonic backlash.

Some might scoff at the notion of the supreme sovereign beneath the heavens suffering qi deviation, but in reality, it was a crucible of transcendence. Like a cicada attempting to shed its exoskeleton—where success meant rebirth and failure meant certain death—it was a tribulation that spared no mortal. Not even the Heavenly Demon was exempt from the laws of the universe.

My internal energy... is surging far too violently.

The Heavenly Demon was strong. The problem was that she was far too strong.

Yu Sowol looked down at her hands. Fine cracks, like a fragile spiderweb, spidered across her porcelain skin, threatening to shatter into dust at any second.

Her mortal vessel could no longer withstand the boundless, raging ocean of qi surging within her dantian. It was tearing itself apart from the inside out.

To overcome this catastrophe, she had only two choices: forcibly compress and tame the rampaging qi, or consume a divine celestial elixir to neutralize the violent excess.

Yet despite ceaseless attempts at the former, her internal energy only swelled with greater ferocity, refusing to recede by even a fraction.

The heavens are the heavens, and the earth is the earth...

And even in this dire state, she kept browsing the Gallery. In truth, she had half given up. As long as her internal power continued to balloon unchecked, it was only a matter of time before this wretched fleshly container exploded into mist.

Living on borrowed time, she emptily tapped a few words into the forum interface.

"Fufu."

Yu Sowol let out a faint chuckle. Her gaze softened into a mix of pity and exasperation, as if looking at a pair of hopeless simpletons.

To think that in her final, desperate hour, her only solace was an anonymous forum. Beyond self-mockery, a pang of hollow shame pricked her chest.

The more agitated her emotions became, the harsher the qi deviation battered her meridian pathways, but she had already achieved a state of serene detachment.

Is this truly the end for me...?

She decided to browse the board one last time. She had never been fond of dying in quiet, lonely isolation. To leave behind some trace of her existence until the bitter end was a natural human instinct.

Before penning her final farewell, she clicked on the newest thread pinned at the very top of the feed. It was written by a newly registered fixed-handle user—the same poor bastard who had been mocked earlier by a dwarf asking if his head was an anvil.

"—?!"

The moment her eyes processed the post, Yu Sowol's pupils blew wide. The breath caught violently in her chest.

The attached image clearly displayed a pale, radiant plant bearing delicate, crescent-shaped petals.

C-Could that possibly be...?!

Even if the Heavenly Demon had spent her life obsessing over martial cultivation, she possessed profound knowledge of rare botanicals. Born and raised in the sacred halls of the Demonic Cult, she had consumed every miraculous spiritual medicine known to mortal kind. She had been taught how to refine and harmonize their essences into her meridians, making her understanding of legendary herbs rival that of master alchemists.

Could it truly be the Crescent Moon Spirit Grass? Without a doubt!

The Crescent Moon Spirit Grass.

A supreme spirit herb unrivaled in its ability to quell raging, turbulent internal energy.

To the current Yu Sowol, whose meridians were tearing apart from uncontrolled qi, it was more desperately needed than the elixir of immortality itself.

Without a second's hesitation, she fired off a comment. Blessed with sensory perception vastly superior to any mortal, her fingers moved like lightning, instantly seizing the first comment slot.

"Y-You wretched, thieving curs...!"

Claiming the first comment proved entirely meaningless. Within seconds, a ravenous pack of hyenas had caught the scent and swarmed the thread with lucrative offers.

Yu Sowol fumed with fury, but her anger quickly dissolved into icy despair. The competition was overwhelming. She had already sent a direct trade request through the interface, but Wild Grylls had yet to accept it.

How pathetic I have become.

A self-deprecating smirk curled her pale lips. To think she would resort to such undignified scrambling in her final moments. But it was maddeningly unfair. She had yearned to perish in glorious combat against a worthy adversary, not wither away into dust through such a pathetic, unglamorous death.

The raging internal energy surged beyond her ability to suppress, and the remaining sand in her hourglass began trickling away at terrifying speed. Just as Yu Sowol lamented her bitter fate and prepared to close her eyes for the last time...

A lifeline dropped straight from the heavens. Yu Sowol's eyes blew wide in sheer disbelief.

Why? Of all the countless bidders clamoring on the forum, why choose her?

Her mind raced, but her reflexes were instantaneous. She struck the prompt without a second's delay.

The moment she accepted, a square holographic dialogue box manifested directly before her eyes.

A short greeting populated the blank space. Casual, slightly breezy, yet undeniably courteous.

Yu Sowol cleared her throat instinctively and swiftly composed her response.

To her profound relief, Wild Grylls was not some uncultured brute. Inwardly, the Heavenly Demon breathed a heavy sigh of relief.

The Gallery was a cesspool. Countless wretches hid behind anonymity to bare their ugliest greed without shame. To discover such integrity amidst that filthy swamp felt like stumbling upon a lone, pristine rose blooming in the mire.

Because she was currently secluded in deep meditation, her available possessions were limited. But the moment she returned to the Cult's headquarters, she intended to grant him anything his heart desired. Even as the feared Sovereign of the Demonic Path, she never forgot a debt of gratitude. If he wished it, she would gladly impart the Cult's most treasured secret manuals.

The Heavenly Demon paused, thoroughly baffled. He desires only such trivialities?

What did he take the Crescent Moon Spirit Grass for? It was an incomparable celestial herb that any master in the world would pay mountains of gold to obtain.

It was certainly doable. Yu Sowol turned her head toward the shadowy corner of the cavern.

A stack of esoteric manuals recording her personal martial enlightenments, a massive supply of Inedia Pills, and her cherished personal blade. Two of his requirements were already met. While she possessed no flint or tinder in the cave, alternative methods existed.

"Good grief."

If that was the case, imparting the art of Samadhi True Fire was entirely out of the question. Yu Sowol quickly moved on to practical solutions.

Yu Sowol's anxiety flared. As her internal energy swelled hotter, cold sweat poured down her brow. To make matters worse, an active trade window remained open for only three minutes; if time expired, neither party could initiate another exchange for twenty-four hours.

"Ah..."

How could a young man(?) possess such upright sincerity? Yu Sowol felt a profound wave of emotion wash through her heart.

In her darkest, most desperate hour, she had encountered a fateful benefactor.

Neither when she first stepped into the martial world nor when she unified the entire Central Plains had she ever experienced such warmth. It felt as though the entire world had grown luminous; though she sat within a pitch-black cavern, her communion with Wild Grylls burned as bright as the morning sun.

Ah. This is no time for sentimentality!

Snapping back to reality, Yu Sowol frantically gathered her sword and a pouch of Inedia Pills—items she would no longer need once she crossed into the next realm. Having frequented the Gallery, she knew the trading interface well: simply grip or touch the designated items to register them.

She confirmed instantly. The other side must have done the same, as the prompt immediately shifted.

Yu Sowol didn't even notice the message. The moment the Crescent Moon Spirit Grass materialized in her hand, she stuffed it into her mouth and swallowed it whole.

Though she felt immense guilt toward Wild Grylls, her life hung by a thread. The instant the medicinal herb slipped down her throat, she closed her eyes and immediately entered deep meditation.

Just as she had anticipated, the moment her meridians absorbed the herb's divine essence, the volcanic inferno tearing through her core began to cool and stabilize. Even Yu Sowol herself was stunned by the miraculous efficacy. If this momentum held, she could shatter her mortal shell and ascend to the next realm.

Relief washed over her, but she didn't allow her focus to waver. She would not let this miraculous salvation be squandered.

Just a little more... Just a little more...!

Wuuuung—

As she guided the surging currents through her meridians, Yu Sowol's slender body slowly levitated into the air.

Her lustrous ebony hair drifted weightlessly, and a faint, ethereal glow began to emanate from her pale skin.

Crrrack!

Like a nascent bird cracking its shell from within, a wondrous transformation gripped her entire vessel. Though her body had already undergone Body Cleansing long ago, she was now experiencing that sacred process anew.

The fractured, spiderwebbed skin flaked away into dust, revealing pristine, jade-like flesh beneath, while her bone structure and musculature realigned into an idealized divine form. It was the realm of Transcending the Demon—a state free from every trace of worldly corruption. In the Central Plains, it was revered as the supreme pinnacle: the Profound Realm.

Swish—

Yu Sowol's eyes slowly parted. The gaze within held none of the dread of someone who had stared into the jaws of death.

Serene as an unruffled lake, soft as a spring breeze, her deep black irises carried boundless tranquility. The Heavenly Demon, Yu Sowol, had shattered her mortal shell and stepped once more into the light of the world.

"Phew..."

A long exhale escaped her lips—a breath laden with a whirlwind of complex emotions. Looking down at her hands, she beheld skin as flawless and radiant as carved white jade. Slender, delicate fingers of peerless beauty.

A triumphant smile naturally blossomed upon her lips. Yet how could she ever repay such a debt?

Ah. Goodness. I never offered my gratitude!

Yu Sowol hurriedly reopened the Gallery. By now, the active trade channel with Wild Grylls had long since expired. The only option left was to write a post on the public board.

Even after ascending to the Profound Realm, the human Yu Sowol had not vanished. If anything, the opposite was true. Because she ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had met a true benefactor in her direst moment of vulnerability, her human warmth had only grown more vibrant.

She desperately wanted to repay him. But how could she even begin to balance such a debt? In her entire life, she had never been on the receiving end of grace. She had accumulated countless blood feuds and mortal grudges, but genuine kindness was entirely foreign to her.

Her heart fluttered with uncharacteristic excitement, and a gentle smile carved itself across her lips—a reaction she herself remained blissfully unaware of.

The mighty Heavenly Demon had actually addressed someone with the honorific "honored sir"—a term of supreme deference. A handful of stray comments quickly popped up beneath the post, but none belonged to the one person she was waiting for.

Yu Sowol waited, and waited, and kept on waiting, staring at the screen for her benefactor's reply.

Yet even after several minutes had passed, Wild Grylls had not left a single word.

"...Why dost thou not answer?" she murmured, a trace of hurt coloring her voice.

It had only been a few minutes, yet to her, every second felt like an eternity.

Could it be... that he is offended because I failed to thank him immediately?

Yu Sowol's worries grew heavier by the second.

Meanwhile, at that very moment, Wild Grylls was elsewhere.

"ROOOAAAR! Bark! Grrr! ROOOAAAR!"

"WHOA! Holy shit!"

He was currently running for his absolute life, pursued by a feral beast. Contrary to the Heavenly Demon's fretful assumptions, he was in no position whatsoever to be checking the Gallery.