Chapter 1: Background and Character Introduction

[The following section is optional. Due to the overlapping and complex nature of the worldbuilding and story, it is prepared specifically for readers who may find it difficult to understand.]

[Main Plotline] The female lead infiltrates the Great Cen Dynasty to avenge her fallen kingdom—suddenly, demons appear in the human realm to hunt her down—the female lead temporarily sets aside her path of revenge and utilizes the male lead to find the truth behind why she is being hunted—the female lead discovers there is a specific reason why she will fall into the Demon Realm—the order of the Human, God, Demon, and Demon realms is in chaos.

[Worldbuilding]

Humans, Gods, Demons, and Spirits coexist. The four realms are parallel worlds; unless a space-time gate is opened, there is no travel between them. At the beginning of this story, the description focuses only on the Demon Realm and the Human Realm. The God Realm is relatively mysterious, while the Demon Realm has shown signs of destruction following a bloody war with the God Realm a million years ago.

The Human Realm can be divided into the Surface World and the Inner World. The Surface World is the world where ordinary people live, unaware that demons exist in this world.

The Inner World is the domain of sorcerers who slay demons and exorcise evil. Many high-ranking officials in the Great Cen Dynasty are from the Inner World. However, because the space-time gates are closed, the current Human Realm is a peaceful era where sorcerers are generally not needed, causing them to be in a state of gradual decline. The appearance of the female lead magnificently changes this situation.

However, there is also open and secret struggle between sorcerers. Sorcerers with high cultivation are called Immortal Venerables; therefore, there must be absolutely no interference between the Surface and the Inner worlds.

If a child is born with the recognized qualification of a sorcerer, they will be sent to the Xingjia Academy at a certain age to learn suitable magic techniques.

[Types of Human Realm Sorcerers]

Talisman Master—Uses talismans to seal demons; they are not combat-oriented sorcerers.

Summoner—Can summon demons of equal power from other realms to sign contracts, but the summoned being must pay a corresponding price.

Demon Slayer—Combat-oriented sorcerers who use weapons to slay demons; they are the vanguards on the battlefield.

Puppeteer—By implanting manipulation needles into the body, they can seal another person's soul within the needle and subsequently control their consciousness.

Illusionist—Creates realistic, illusory scenes that plunge people into terrifying hallucinations; these cause mental damage but cannot cause physical harm to the body.

[Main Character Introductions (Contains minor spoilers)]

[Yun Jiuge]

Background: In her first life, she was a modern mercenary; in her second life, she was the Ninth Princess of the Northern You Kingdom; in her third life, her soul possessed the body of a Great Duke in the Demon Realm—she was originally a High God of the God Realm but later fell into the Demon Realm; upon returning to the human realm, her physical body was consumed, and her soul attached itself to the eldest daughter of a First-Rank General. She has sworn to avenge the destruction of Northern You.

Personality: Cold temperament, resourceful, proud, occasionally black-bellied (scheming), and frequently complains to the Heavenly Fox. Initially, she only wanted to overthrow the Great Cen Dynasty to avenge Northern You, but she later discovers that many secrets are hidden within her.

[Cen Nanyao]

Background: The Third Prince of the Great Cen Dynasty and a general stationed at the border. Yun Jiuge's father, the King of Northern You, was his biological uncle and the vanguard general who destroyed the Northern You Kingdom. In the latter half of the story, he becomes... He places great importance on his fourth brother, Cen Xuanmo, and often helps him solve difficulties in silence. Born a warrior, he fought Yun Jiuge during their first meeting, leading to an inextricable bond.

Personality: Aloof, cold and ruthless, a killer of many. He will stop at nothing to achieve his goals. Beneath his glamorous exterior lies a hidden, black-bellied side unknown to others.

Demon Realm

[Heavenly Fox]

Background: One of the Five Kings of the Demon Realm and the son of the Fox King. XXX is sealed within his body. He is inseparable from Yun Jiuge and always steps forward in her moments of danger; he can be described as Yun Jiuge's most loyal sidekick.

Personality: Loves to fight injustice and often refers to himself as "This Great Demon Lord." He believes demons are the most noble existence in the world and frequently complains about Yun Jiuge's actions. He appears somewhat frivolous on the surface, but in reality, he sees everything clearly. He returned to the human realm alongside Yun Jiuge.

Original Form: A massive white-furred fox, with a bright red, orthodox Fox Clan crest engraved on his forehead.

[Ba Shiyu]

Background: The God Realm's God of War nine thousand years ago; born for war, died for war. He rebelled because of war, yet he also fell into the Demon Realm because of war, subsequently ruling the Demon Realm and becoming the new Demon Emperor.

To Ba Shiyu, nothing in heaven or earth is more important than Yun Jiuge; to him, Yun Jiuge is the final light.

Personality: To the outside world, he is cruel and bloodthirsty; the fear and awe of the Demon Emperor are deeply rooted in the hearts of all demons. His smile, gentle and soft, only appears before Yun Jiuge.

[Mo Hua]

Background: In the God Realm, he was Ba Shiyu's comrade-in-arms. Later, he fell into the Demon Realm along with Ba Shiyu and is known in the Demon Realm as Emperor Mo Hua, considered the second ruler of the Demon Realm. He controls the overall situation and knows many secrets. His seemingly ruthless methods are actually all for the sake of protecting those important to him. He admires the strong and follows the strong; he is the mastermind behind sending Yun Jiuge back to the human realm.

Personality: Unpredictable and hard to read, but actually meticulous. For the sake of Ba Shiyu, he is willing to become an enemy of the entire God Realm.

[Lang Qianye]

Background: One of the Five Kings of the Demon Realm and the son of the Wolf King.

Personality: Ruthless, insidious, and cunning. He is very good at reading the political situation and will use any means necessary to achieve his goals. He loves Yun Jiuge, loving her so much that he is willing to slay ten thousand demons for her. He is a tragic figure who lives for love and dies for love.

Great Cen Dynasty of the Human Realm

[Cen Xuanmo]

Background: The Fourth Prince of the Great Cen Dynasty; in the latter half of the story, he is titled a King.

Personality: Gentle, discerning between right and wrong, and proficient in both civil and military arts. Among the four princes, he is the one most favored by the Emperor and most trusted by the officials and people.

He fell in love at first sight with the Ninth Princess of Northern You, but alas, they were separated by the realms of life and death. Three years later, he encounters Yun Jiuge and is attracted by her temperament, resolving never to give up again. He loves Yun Jiuge.

[He Lian]

Background: The second son of the He merchant family in Jinzhou Prefecture, and the Left Grand General of the Sixteen Guards of the Southern Bureau in the Great Cen Dynasty. The person he trusts most is his elder brother, He Rufeng. However, because he is too powerful, he has many enemies. To protect He Rufeng from being targeted by his foes, he rarely contacts the He family and lives in Jinghua City year-round. He is very interested in Yun Jiuge, and the two have crossed blades several times.

Personality: Aloof and always decisive and efficient. He Lian never shows his true intentions or deep emotions. He is actually never impulsive; he plans every step carefully and is highly strategic.

Paired Blade: The Miaodao "Qianqiusu" is actually a demon-slaying blade that can harm the forms of demons, spirits, and ghosts. (The He family ancestors were a generation of sorcerers, so like He Rufeng, he possesses a constitution that attracts demons.)

[He Rufeng]

Background: The eldest son of the wealthiest man in Jinzhou Prefecture and He Lian's elder brother.

Personality: Loves beautiful women and frequents places of pleasure. He is highly skilled in business, never hesitating, and is more ruthless than anyone when playing tricks. Once he wants something, he must have it, yet he does not linger on things for too long, including Yun Jiuge. He was once exceptionally obsessed with her, but after learning that Cen Xuanmo liked her, he let go quite readily.

He is a good friend of the Fourth Prince Cen Xuanmo and the elder brother of He Lian. He is always worried that He Lian, whose beauty surpasses that of women, will be snatched away by a fox spirit. Later, due to some words from Yun Jiuge, he decides to follow Cen Xuanmo to the capital to find He Lian. Yun Jiuge is often dragged into a series of troublesome incidents because of his constitution that attracts demons.

[Ye Bo]

Personality: Possesses a transcendent, immortal aura and is occasionally black-bellied; he is revered for his mannerisms of a fallen immortal.

Background: An official under the Secretariat's institution, the Sitian Platform, holding the rank of Third-Rank Director of the Sitian Observatory; his identity is more than just that. He was already the Director of the Sitian Observatory when Cen Nanyao was born, yet his appearance has not changed for over twenty years. Cen Nanyao secretly calls him an "old demon of a thousand years."

He is loathed by Cen Nanyao because the fact that Murong Feng would become the Empress Dowager all stemmed from his divinations.

He is a powerful sorcerer whose spiritual power is on par with the unsealed Heavenly Fox, guiding Yun Jiuge step-by-step toward the path of strength.

If Mo Hua is the one who pulled the string that caused the crisis of Yun Jiuge's return to the human realm, then Ye Bo is the one who helps her untie the knot.

[Si Chen]

Background: An official of the Secretariat, which manages the imperial archives and books; a Junior Secretary of the Third Rank. He is under the jurisdiction of the Sitian Platform and is a subordinate of Ye Bo.

Like Ye Bo, he is a sorcerer of profound cultivation, but he also possesses a mysterious identity.

Personality: Upbeat and cheerful, always wearing an inscrutable smile, and possessing keen intuition.

[Tian Shuisheng]

Background: The seventh son of the King of Nanyao.

Personality: Taciturn, always appearing sickly, possessing an understanding of life and death, and attempting to resist his own fate. He is very stubborn, though his heart is actually quite fragile.

He has been physically weak and sickly since childhood, and due to his lowly origins, he is not well-received. Later, he is sent into the palace by the King of Nanyao to investigate the mystery of the Emperor's serious illness. He has some grievances with He Lian, and later Yun Jiuge becomes involved in their affairs. He holds a small amount of hostility toward Yun Jiuge but is attracted by her elegance.

[Murong Feng]

Background: The Empress Dowager of the Great Cen Dynasty, the literal ruler of the world, exercising absolute power. As the mistress of the inner palace, she is ruthless and rules from behind the curtain. She uses cruel methods, yet fails to protect the Great Cen Dynasty.

At the age of ten, due to Ye Bo's divination, she was sent into the palace to marry the Emperor to bring good luck. She was titled Empress Xiande, and a year later, the Emperor passed away. Cen Yuan succeeded to the throne, and she became the Empress Dowager; thus, she fears Ye Bo significantly. She believes Yun Jiuge is a threat to the dynasty and targets her at every turn.

[Qing Hua]

Background: Yun Jiuge's maid in the human realm; her identity is...

Personality: Ba Shixue calls her a "single-celled organism," but she is actually very clever; she only plays dumb to remain by Yun Jiuge's side.

[Mo Xian]

Background: The youngest daughter of the Left Prime Minister and a concubine of Cen Xuanmo.

She is an extremely proud person and is highly trusted by the Empress Dowager. Because Cen Xuanmo likes Yun Jiuge, she constantly attempts to frame Yun Jiuge; she is an antagonist.

(Character introductions are brief and will be gradually added and modified as the story progresses.)