A harrumph echoed. The black silhouette converged as flower petals began raining on the desolate land. A light fragrance wafted across the world, leaving one with a floating sensation. A figure stepped out from the void, and the dark world suddenly lit up as if the moon had emerged from its concealment.

It was a woman dressed in a black phoenix-plume dress fastened with a dark gold silk belt. Stars seemed to move whenever her dress swayed, and the belt made her waist look as slim as if one could wrap one’s arm around it. She wore a thin red veil layered above her dress that obscured her smooth skin. Her black hair cascaded like a waterfall down to her waist, adorned with a solemn jade hairpin. A light breeze tugged at her hair, making her look ravishing. Her face was absolutely gorgeous. She had eyebrows like the high mountains, a nose resembling sculpted jade, lips as vivid as a crimson cinnabar, and a snowy complexion.

Despite her delicate features, she didn’t come off as weak at all. If anything, she exuded a frigid aura. The world seemed to pale before her lofty and proud gaze.

She slowly descended from the sky. With every step she took, a faint ringing filled the air, and a blood lotus blossomed beneath her foot, only to dissipate swiftly afterward. Nine vague figures flickered behind her; they resembled the woeful sighs of living beings or the adulation of countless devils, but in any case, they heaped great pressure on those standing in her presence. Even Pimosh’s breath was taken away by her captivating beauty, causing the ritual to temporarily halt.

The Heavenly Devil Empress gazed down on Zu An and said, “You were goading me, but I’ll let you have your way this time. So, am I beautiful?” 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Zu An stared intently at the gorgeous Heavenly Devil Empress with widened eyes.

It was not the first time men had gawked at her senselessly. The Heavenly Devil Empress scoffed in disdain. This man is no different from the others. I overestimated him.

But Zu An suddenly called out in astonishment, “Daji?”

The Heavenly Devil Empress was stunned. “What?”

Zu An took a moment to compose himself before replying, “I have a maid who looks just like you. Her name is Daji.”

He was shocked because the Heavenly Devil Empress looked just like Daji! It wouldn’t be apt to call Daji his maid as they had a special contract. In a sense, he could be considered Daji’s master. But saying that out loud could irk this Heavenly Devil Empress, so he called her his maid instead.

The Heavenly Devil Empress hadn’t expected to hear such an answer. She sneered, “That’s quite a crude way to draw attention.”

Zu An replied, “It’s not a lie. I do have such a maid.”

Questions surfaced in his mind. He knew that two people wouldn’t share the same appearance by sheer coincidence; rather, there had to be a connection between them. Could this mean that Daji’s previous incarnation was the Heavenly Devil Empress? But how did she lose her soul and become a valkyrie in the Keyboard System?

“Say whatever you want, but you would be naive if you think I’d spare you over this.” The Heavenly Devil Empress was starting to lose her patience. This man is pathetic. Why did Tushan Yu fall in love with someone like that? Why does he look so valiant in her memories?

Tushan Yu was her subordinate, and she had the power to infiltrate the hearts of others. She could read Tushan Yu’s memories to some extent. That was what piqued her interest in Zu An, going to the extent of even revealing her true form. / But it had become evident to her that Zu An was just a shameless braggart. Tushan Yu had been fooled. No wonder people said that a woman in love couldn’t be trusted.

“I can prove it.”

The Heavenly Devil Empress was about to burst Zu An’s heart when she heard those words. “How can you prove it?”

“I can summon that maid.”

“Are you trying to fool me into releasing your restraints, so you can launch a counterattack?” the Heavenly Devil Empress scoffed. Is this fellow a fool, or do I just look naive to him? There’s no way I’d fall for such a crude trick.

You have successfully trolled the Heavenly Devil Empress for +444... +444... +444...

Zu An chuckled. “There’s no need for that. I can summon her right now.”

He summoned Daji. A woman who looked identical to the Heavenly Devil Empress appeared. The two women stared at each other; they felt as if they were looking into a mirror.

Pimosh’s eyes nearly popped out. He even misread the incantation, causing the ritual to come to an abrupt halt. He had scoffed earlier when he heard Zu An’s words, thinking that no woman would fall for such old-fashioned words, let alone the Heavenly Devil Empress. That brat is just asking to be slaughtered.

But the world was truly funny at times. Zu An was really able to summon his maid, and his maid looked identical to the Heavenly Devil Empress. The only difference was that the Heavenly Devil Empress was dressed in black, whereas his maid was dressed in white.

Are they sisters? Or is this some kind of feint? Pimosh, as one of the top three asuras, had fought in many battles against the Celestial World, and that had greatly broadened his horizons. He could tell that the woman was not an illusion, but a real, living person. The only thing that baffled him was the woman’s lack of soul.

The Heavenly Devil Empress was shocked as well. Seeing her doppelganger shocked her so much that an inner demon nearly popped out inside her. “Who is she?”

Zu An sighed. “Didn’t I just tell you that she’s my maid? I’m her master.”

The Heavenly Devil Empress’s face darkened. It was uncomfortable for her to learn that someone who looked identical to her was subservient to someone else. Who knows what kind of weird things he does to his maids?

But that was the least of her worries now. She understood that there must be a connection between them, considering how identical they were from head to toe. Is she the future me, or perhaps me from another world?

“Where’s her soul?” The Heavenly Devil Empress also noticed the anomaly.

Zu An shook his head. “I don’t know. She was like this from the time I met her. Other than not having a soul, she’s no different from other living beings. That’s also why I wanted to ask you about this. You devils specialize in devouring souls.”

The Heavenly Devil Empress' earlier crushing of the Asura War God Lozento’s heart was just a feint. In truth, she had devoured his soul, and that was what led to his death.