My eyes blink open.

  The fatigue that was making them heavy seem to have vanished. And I can tell why when I look around and see the little girl clinging to my hand while asleep beside me. Her long white hair looks immaculate and her small button nose gives her a cute appearance. How long has it been since I was around a child? Too long to remember.

  She may look like she is about eleven years old, but her true age might even be more than my existence. I have lived for at least four hundred years ever since I achieved immortality. I refused to ascend for my kind needed my protection. I kept asking myself, 'Why should I ascend and go keep those lousy gods company when everything I love is here?'

  In the end, it was worth it. I do not regret it at all.

  "Ow!" Xing'er cries out after I unconsciously tug her hair a little too hard. She springs sitting up with a sleepy frown on her adorable face. But when her purple eyes meet mine, they suddenly light up as though something has repowered her entire being.

  "Zhuren!" Xing'er beams grabbing my hand to press my knuckles on her forehead while she is still kneeling. "Please punish me for my failure. You almost died because of my incompetence even after raising me for a thousand years. I deserve the most painful punishment," she says, her tone full of righteousness but more remorse.

  But wait! A thousand years?

  How old was this divine lord?

  I take back my hand without showing any contempt or anger for I have none of those. She is just a god's servant. Why should she be held accountable for the death of her master?

  "Food. I'm hungry," I say as I pull my new broken body to a sitting position.

  "Of course... Here."

  From her storage bracelet, she retrieves a cup and hands it to me. "I collected it as you have always liked it. Please drink it, Zhuren."

  I take the cup from her hands to sniff its scent before I can dare drink it. As much as she was her former master's most loyal servant, I do not trust her at the moment.

  One sniff is enough to make me feel relaxed. Its sweet scent wafts its way through my system, cleaning anything in its path.

  "Do you not like the nectar? I have other snacks you can eat."

  She then starts removing things from her bracelet and arranging them nearly on the ground beside me.

  "S-stop!"

  I sigh inwardly. All this stuff she is easily taking out are expensive pills, herbs, fruits, and others I have no knowledge of. They all emit divine aura which will attract any being around this cave, from beasts to humans, to demons.

  "Xing'er, out these away right now. I'll just drink this."

  With tears in her eyes, she gives a frantic childish nod and stores everything away with a wave of her hand.

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  For a minute, total silence fills the cave as Xing'er watches me drink the cup of nectar. I try to hide it from her by not meeting her gaze. Just like my previous life, I dare not let anyone know that the mighty demon lord has a sweet tooth.

  This nectar tastes too delicious. I want to savor it so that it lasts for a hundred years because of how good it tastes. The time it must have taken for her to refine it should be fully appreciated.

  "Zhuren, drink quickly, I have several pots of it just for you."

  I almost spit out the sweet fluid in my mouth from the shock her words have punched me with. Several pots? A single pot of this is enough for a normal demon or human to live in luxury for a hundred years.

  How rich was this divine lord?

  Quickly, I clear my throat and down what is remaining. Since there is more, I do not need to be so preserved. I'll drink as much as this stomach can hold and then integrate it with my body later on.

  "That tasted good. Thank you," I say handing her the cup.

  Xing'er has frozen. She is staring at me strangely with more tears in her eyes.

  Have I done something wrong? Was I supposed to do or say something else?

  "Wh...what is it? Did you want some?"

  "Zhuren, you have never thanked me before."

  Something cracks. My heart.

  How can this divine lord never show basic etiquette? Now that I have most of his memories, it is possible that he had some darkness in him.

  He has so much blood on his hands that even swimming in the pool of life and death cannot wash it away. The blood of both humans and demons.

  "Ahem! Um... After facing death, I have finally understood that my previous life was unworthy. Now that I have been granted a second chance, I shall correct my bad behaviors. Starting with how I treated you."

  "You...you... Zhuren!" Xing'er emails throwing herself at me. She cries so much that her tears soak through my robes.

  If it was her former master, he would have kicked her several feet away from him.

  I pat her head gently, allowing her to cry to her heart's content.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Several days later after awakening, I finally settle the energy that was causing imbalance in my new divine Dantian.

  Using the memory of the previous owner, the body harmoniously cooperated. But I just cannot bring myself to use any of his techniques while I haven't cultivated my demonic ones in this new body.

  So right now, I have too much power, but zero skills.

  I'll need to put more effort into relearning my foundation technique; the flower of death. It was my own sword technique that I designed hundreds of years ago. It ranked among the best techniques in the demon realm. Like those of my ancestors.

  "Zhuren, Zhuren," Xing'er calls out hopping with excitement from below the rock I stand on. "Look!" she beams lifting her right hand to open her palm. There is a small pebble in it that possesses the color of the rising sun. I do not know what it is but she is too thrilled for me to have the heart to dim her. "Doesn't this look like my fire?"

  So this is why she is so excited?

  Smiling, I say, "Yes."

  She quickly climbs the rock to stand beside me. "Zhuren, this is for you. I'll collect more for you."

  I take the pebble and bring it closer to study it. From the weak spiritual energy it contains, I speculate that this forest, no, this realm we are in has low spiritual veins or its energy is depilated.

  It does not feel like the human realm I remember. So, where exactly is this world?