Luan Ling considered the matter for a moment before speaking.
“Seeing is believing. I want to take a look at the palace you mentioned first.”

Cen Yingyu nodded. “That was my intention as well. It’s just…”
Her gaze shifted toward one corner of the hall. “Your friend seems rather difficult to communicate with. He woke up earlier than you did and has been trying to dismantle my formation. Since that’s technically your body, I thought it might be better if you were the one to talk him down.”

Who on earth could talk sense into that guy…

Luan Ling silently complained, but still took responsibility. The moment she pushed the door open, she was nearly blinded by Si Zhuo’s mental assault.

“It’s you! If you blind yourself with your own eyes, don’t blame me!”

Luan Ling held her forehead and forced herself upright. Si Zhuo had indeed stopped setting things on fire—but instead, he’d begun using her body for underhanded tactics. Whether a mortal body could withstand that kind of strain was… questionable.

The thought had barely crossed her mind when she turned and saw Si Zhuo crouched in the corner, breathing heavily, his face dark with fury. If she weren’t standing in the doorway, he would’ve already rushed out to beat Cen Yingyu senseless.

Understandable. A domineering demon dragon who’d ruled the skies and seas—how could he possibly tolerate being humiliated like this?

“Move.”

He stood and tried to pass her.

Luan Ling quickly grabbed his arm.
“Alright, alright. I know you’re furious, but listen to me. There’s a good chance we’ve just found a way to switch our bodies back.”

And more importantly—if he went out fighting right now, he’d be doing it in her body. He might feel satisfied, but if she got switched back into a completely wrecked, battle-damaged mess, she’d be doomed.

At the words switch back, Si Zhuo stopped. He shot a murderous look at Cen Yingyu, who was watching from a distance, and listened as Luan Ling briefly summarized what she’d just learned.

“See?” Luan Ling said earnestly. “This could be our chance. If we cooperate, switch back, and then each go home, it’ll be the perfect trial.”

Si Zhuo let out a cold snort.
“So you still want to go back to a place like that.”

Luan Ling replied calmly, “What else would I do? The Empress doesn’t like me, and neither does Luan Yu, but I don’t have anywhere else to go. I was born in the Heavenly Palace. Going back is only natural.”

Si Zhuo paused for a second—but said nothing.

From Luan Ling’s perspective, a god born of heaven naturally belonged there. Whether or not there was family… for gods, that mattered less.

He brushed past her.
“Then what are we waiting for? Let’s see the palace.”

Luan Ling was about to answer when she suddenly remembered something and turned back to Cen Yingyu.

“Oh no—what about the fishhead?!”

Cen Yingyu smiled faintly. “Him? He’s still unconscious. I didn’t expect him to be so fragile after turning into a fish. The same spell seems to affect him far more strongly.”

…Forget it. Dealing with the evil here came first.

Luan Ling and Si Zhuo followed Cen Yingyu toward the abandoned palace. They hadn’t even arrived yet when Luan Ling felt a deep, ominous unease crawling up her spine.

She turned to Si Zhuo.
“Do you feel that? That wrongness in the air?”

He looked at her flatly.
“The stench of shit is practically coating the entire palace. You think I wouldn’t notice?”

“Can you be a little more refined?!” Luan Ling snapped. “And it’s not even the same kind of smell, alright?!”

Cen Yingyu: “……”

These two were supposed to be gods?

Noticing her gaze, Luan Ling offered her a polite smile.
“Sorry about that. He started it. Blame him.”

She pointed at Si Zhuo.

Cen Yingyu smiled faintly. “I understand.”

In truth, she understood nothing at all. She could sense the demonic aura with this body, but she couldn’t detect any so-called stench.

They really were different from all the others who had come before.

This time… maybe the palace could truly be cleansed.

As Luan Ling and Si Zhuo approached the palace gates, both frowned instinctively. One was forcibly concentrating his spiritual domain; the other radiated heat so intense that even Cen Yingyu felt the urge to step back.

It was Si Zhuo who opened his perception—
and Luan Ling who unleashed the flames.

“I can sense their positions,” Si Zhuo said, turning to Cen Yingyu. “Do you know healing magic?”

She hesitated. “I’m not sure. I learned a bit from the imperial archives. It works on minor injuries for ordinary people, but I’ve never tried it on cultivators like you.”

“That’s enough.”

Si Zhuo moved first—by shoving Luan Ling forward.
“Use my body to lead the charge.”

Luan Ling laughed. “Didn’t need you to tell me. Your body’s basically a furnace—perfect for roasting evil spirits.”

She pushed the door open. Cen Yingyu followed. Si Zhuo brought up the rear.

The power of an innate god was astonishing. Luan Ling barely exerted herself—just stepping inside made visible and invisible spirits shriek as if burned alive. The air crackled with sizzling sounds, and Luan Ling swore she could smell something scorched.

Si Zhuo, meanwhile, controlled the spirits, herding them together so Luan Ling could incinerate them in one go.

Cen Yingyu had never fought such an easy battle. By the time they reached the inner halls of the palace, she felt as though she were dreaming.

“Your fire truly can burn anything.”

Luan Ling raised her hand. Flames danced obediently across her palm, as if they had always belonged to her.

Before the body swap, manipulating natural elements like this had been nearly impossible for her without preparation. Now, it felt effortless.

Si Zhuo felt it too—an unprecedented clarity. His awareness seemed to merge with the surroundings, as though he had opened a heavenly eye. Even without sight, instinct guided every judgment.

Together, they worked seamlessly. When the condensed mass of shadows was burned away completely, the sky above the palace seemed to brighten.

“It’s dawn,” someone murmured.

They stepped out just in time to see the sun rising.

“I’ve never really looked at the sky from this angle before,” Luan Ling said quietly, gazing upward.

Then suddenly—

Her body jerked, as if seized by an unseen force.

She thought there was still an enemy inside the palace—but the next moment, everything went black.

---

When Luan Ling woke again, she was still in a palace.

But not the ruined one in the mortal realm.

This was the Heavenly Palace.

She was back.

She sat up abruptly, lifted her hands, and stared at them—hands that were unmistakably her own. After a stunned pause, she waved her hand, summoning a floating mirror.

Her face stared back at her.

She’d returned to her own body.

The figure in the mirror smiled blankly at first, then burst into joy. Luan Ling scrambled out of bed and ran barefoot toward the door—

—but after only a few steps, she slowed.

Her smile faded.

This wasn’t Qilin Hall.

This was the Heavenly Palace.

And there was no one here to share her happiness with.

…Fine. She’d go to Qilin Hall. Life was easier there than at home.

With a wave of her hand, she tidied herself up and reached for the door.

The moment it opened—

She saw the person she least wanted to see.

“Heavenly Empress…”

Luan Ling instinctively stepped back. Her gaze fell on the hem of the Empress’s robes, and reflexively she began replaying everything she’d done recently. The more she thought, the heavier the pressure in her chest grew.

The Empress despised her—understandably so. She was a wild child the Heavenly Emperor had brought back without explanation. But beyond disdain, the Empress was mercilessly strict. From childhood to now, any moment of slackness or misstep was met with punishment.

Luan Ling had tried to resist. But even as a god, she was nothing compared to someone who wielded the authority of the entire Heavenly Court. In all these years, she had never once seen the Empress smile—only cold indifference and simmering displeasure.

“Where did you go?” the Empress asked.

Her voice was flat, emotionless. Yet the moment she spoke, Luan Ling’s heart began to pound.

“I… dealt with some evil spirits in the mortal realm. And then… I returned.”

“You were supposed to be punished in the Heavenly Palace. Why were you in the mortal world?”

“That’s because—!”

Luan Ling tried to explain, but didn’t know where to begin. Body-swapping alone would take forever to explain, and punishment or not, she and Si Zhuo had received it together.

“…If you want to punish me, then do it,” she said suddenly. “No matter what I do, it won’t change your mind anyway. You don’t actually care, do you?”

She looked up at the Empress.
“When you gave me ten lashes without asking questions—were you truly punishing my so-called misconduct? Or were you just looking for an excuse?”

“How dare you,” the Empress said coldly. “Allowing you to remain in the Heavenly Court is already mercy. And you speak to me like this?”

Luan Ling laughed bitterly.
“As if I ever wanted to stay here! I was born conscious in this place—do you think I chose this life? If you dislike me so much, just throw me out! I barely know the Heavenly Emperor anyway. I’m not your child—and I might not even be his! I don’t even want the surname Luan!”

She’d wanted to say this for a long time. That unreliable “father” had dumped her on the Empress and disappeared. Who decided she had to bear this identity? She didn’t want it.

The Empress said nothing.

She raised her hand—and struck Luan Ling across the face.

Luan Ling had sensed it coming, but couldn’t avoid it. Her cheek burned. She covered her face, staring at the Empress, words caught in her throat.

“You have already accepted the cultivation of the Heavenly Court,” the Empress said slowly. “Whether you wish to be Luan Ling or not, you no longer have a choice.”

She stepped closer.
“You represent the bloodline of the Heavenly Palace. You should set an example, not fraternize with others. I’ll ask you one last time—do you admit your fault?”

Forced back step by step, Luan Ling’s expression grew calmer, firmer. The fear drained from her eyes.

She lifted her head and smiled.

“I did nothing wrong. And you aren’t the real Heavenly Empress.”

The Empress froze.

“A true Heavenly Empress would never punish me with something as crude as a slap. She doesn’t seek to humiliate me—she believes I genuinely deserve punishment.”

Luan Ling raised her hand.

Flames burst to life in her palm, surging toward the Empress.