Lestes awoke from a slumber that felt as though it had stretched across eternity.
There was a time when he had stood at the very pinnacle of cultivation, a name spoken with awe across countless realms. That era, however, belonged to the distant past. One fatal miscalculation—born of arrogance and overconfidence—had cost him the most precious person in his life.
His mother.
Her death was his burden alone. No passage of time could dull that truth, nor could it be forgiven.
Grief crushed him utterly. His cultivation shattered, the power he had once commanded dispersing like ashes scattered by the wind. Stripped of purpose and strength, his consciousness sank into a deep, deathlike slumber.
Yet time showed no mercy.
It moved on, indifferent and unceasing.
And now, at long last, he awakened.
Cold stabbed into his senses, sharp and immediate.
Lestes opened his eyes to a world frozen in silence. Jagged frost clung to the cavern walls, encasing stone in layers of ice. A faint blue light shimmered across the frozen surface, casting an eerie glow that reflected into his weary gaze.
"An ice cave…" he murmured, his voice rough and unfamiliar in his own ears.
His body felt unbearably heavy—stiff, numb, as though it no longer belonged to him. Thick layers of ice had sealed him in place, encasing him like a frozen tomb. Drawing on what little strength he could muster, Lestes forced himself upright and settled into a cross-legged posture. Each small movement sent sharp pain through his limbs, but he endured it in silence.
Time passed slowly.
Gradually, warmth seeped back into his body. Cracks spread across the ice with soft, brittle sounds before it finally shattered and fell away. Lestes rose to his feet, swaying slightly as he steadied himself, then began walking toward the cave's exit.
Beyond it, a vast forest stretched as far as the eye could see, its canopy shrouded in mist. A towering waterfall thundered nearby, its roar so overwhelming that it drowned out every other sound, leaving the world feeling strangely distant and unreal.
He frowned.
"…Am I forgetting something?"
The sensation lingered—vague, elusive, gnawing at the edge of his mind. After a moment, he pushed it aside.
"Whatever it is, it can wait."
He lifted his gaze to the night sky. The stars above were unfamiliar, arranged in patterns he did not recognise—a silent testament to how much time had passed while he slept.
Though his cultivation was gone, one thing remained untouched.
His soul was still intact.
Immortal.
Though his cultivation had crumbled and his meridians lay empty, his soul remained untouched—eternal and indestructible. At his former height, his comprehension of heaven and earth had reached a level few could fathom. Even now, stripped of power, that understanding had not vanished.
With soul alone, minor divinations were still within his grasp.
Lestes lifted his hand and traced invisible patterns through the air. His fingers moved slowly, deliberately, carving unseen symbols that resonated faintly with the laws of the world. His eyes narrowed as he followed the subtle threads of fate.
"That direction," he murmured at last. "I should encounter someone soon."
He stepped forward, his pace unhurried.
Before long, hurried footsteps shattered the forest's rhythm. Twigs snapped. Breath came in ragged gasps.
A young woman burst through the undergrowth, stumbling toward him. Desperation was written across her face—fear bright in her eyes, strands of hair clinging to her damp cheeks.
"Save me!" she cried. "Please!"
Moments later, three men emerged from the shadows behind her, their pursuit relentless. They slowed when they noticed Lestes standing calmly in their path. Suspicion flickered across their faces as they examined him carefully.
No qi fluctuations.
No visible cultivation.
At first glance, he appeared to be nothing more than an ordinary man who had wandered too deep into the wrong forest.
But this was the Fallen Demon Forest—a forbidden land soaked in ancient blood and lingering resentment. Even seasoned cultivators tread carefully here. For someone to stand unharmed, unguarded…
That was anything but ordinary.
The three men hesitated.
"Please…" the girl pleaded again, her voice trembling as it wavered in the cold air.
Lestes looked at her.
She was striking—refined features unmarred by hardship, a slender yet graceful figure, and eyes that remained bright despite the terror tightening her expression. For a brief, unsettling instant, a foreign impulse surged within him—sharp, intrusive, and wholly unwelcome.
He froze.
Cold sweat beaded along his brow.
Why would such a thought surface now, of all times?
Before he could probe deeper, one of the pursuers stepped forward, breaking the moment.
"Your Excellency," the man said carefully, his tone respectful yet edged with warning. "We advise you not to interfere. We are elders of the Feng Clan. This woman is a traitor. The Feng Clan stands among the greatest powers on this continent. Making us your enemy would not be wise."
Lestes did not even glance at him.
His attention turned inward, sinking into the depths of his own soul.
Then he remembered.
Before falling into slumber, he had battled a terrifying existence—a headless immortal serpent, a creature driven purely by base instincts and boundless desire. Its immortal soul could not be destroyed, so Lestes had sealed it within his own, intending to refine and erase it over time.
But that plan had never been fulfilled.
Now, weakened and newly awakened, the ancient seal had begun to loosen.
The serpent's influence was leaking out.
So that was the source of the intrusive thought.
Troublesome.
The word echoed through his mind, steady and unemotional.
Soul purification would not be simple. It would take time—far more than days or months. Until then, he would need absolute control, iron restraint… and a way to keep the beast sealed within him from overrunning his will.
"Your Excellency!" the man shouted again, his patience thinning. "Once the Feng Clan marks you, there will be no escape!"
Lestes finally looked at them.
His gaze was flat, devoid of fear or interest, as though he were staring at lifeless objects rather than living men.
"As long as you save me," the girl suddenly said, forcing the words past her trembling lips, "I'm willing to pay any price."
That made him pause.
His eyes returned to her, sharp and assessing. He studied her for a long moment before speaking. "Saving you is easy," he said calmly. "The question is—what can you offer?"
She understood the meaning instantly.
Her name was Feng Luochen—the legitimate daughter of the Feng Clan's lord. Her mother had died when she was young, leaving her unprotected. While her father was away, her stepmother had seized the opportunity, moving in the shadows to erase her existence.
She had been betrayed by someone she trusted.
Poisoned.
Driven into the Fallen Demon Forest as a final, desperate gamble.
Her cultivation was crippled.
Her backing was gone.
Her paths had all been cut off.
This was the end of the road—or the beginning of something far worse.
"…What do you want?" she asked softly, her voice barely carrying.
"I want your loyalty," Lestes replied without hesitation. "Become mine. Live. Or refuse—and die here."
Her heart clenched painfully.
A slave's fate was cruel beyond words. Her life, her freedom, even her future would no longer belong to her. Yet death meant something far worse—the end of all possibility, the erasure of every unfulfilled vow.
"I won't turn you into a furnace," Lestes added, his tone calm and matter-of-fact. "You will serve as my maid."
She looked up sharply, shock flashing across her face.
Silence stretched between them. Then she drew a long, steadying breath and nodded."I agree."
As long as she lived, revenge was still within reach.
"Good."
Lestes bit into his fingertip and pressed a single drop of blood onto her forehead.
"Don't resist."
The blood sank into her skin and vanished, slipping past flesh and bone to fuse directly with her soul. An invisible seal took shape, binding itself deep within her existence.
"I've marked you," he said evenly. "From this moment on, you belong to me. My first maid."
Her fate was sealed.
One of the men opened his mouth, perhaps to threaten or protest.
He never had the chance.
His body crumpled to the ground, lifeless.
The other two turned to flee, panic overtaking them—but after only a few steps, they collapsed as well, their bodies hitting the forest floor in quick succession.
"They're not dead yet," Lestes said calmly. "Finish it. Don't damage the bodies. I have use for them."
Feng Luochen stared at him, her heart hammering in her chest.
He's giving me my first step toward revenge, she realised.
And this time, she did not hesitate.