Chapter 79

"You're useless."

A hard, merciless kick drove into the young girl's stomach, sending her hurtling across the dimly lit room. She crashed into the wall with a sickening thud, her frail body crumpling as blood spilled from her lips.

"What did I tell you?" The cold, elegant woman approached with measured steps, her eyes devoid of warmth. "What use are you? You possess Heaven's Pupils, and yet you're still nothing but trash."

She grabbed the girl by the hair, yanking her up before delivering another series of brutal blows. The girl gasped, choking on blood as she endured the punishment in silence, too weak to fight back. The beating continued until she teetered on the edge of consciousness, her body barely clinging to life.

Finally, her mother released her, letting her collapse onto the cold floor.

"You have two days," the woman said, her tone sharp as a blade. "Go there and fix your mistakes. If the prince is not your fiancé by then… you will no longer be of any use to me."

With that, she turned on her heel and strode out, locking the door behind her without so much as a backward glance.

The girl lay motionless on the cold floor, her once-vibrant eyes now dull and lifeless. Her fragile body had finally succumbed—years of relentless beatings had taken their toll, and this time, the damage was beyond repair. She had died.

Yet, even as life left her, her soul did not depart to enter the cycle of reincarnation. Instead, something unnatural occurred. Another soul emerged, intertwining with her own, merging in a way that defied the natural order. What should have been an empty husk suddenly drew breath once more. A faint tremor ran through her fingers, and then her eyes, which had been void of light, flickered back to life—now filled with confusion.

"I'm… alive?" she murmured, her voice hoarse, disoriented.

Memories clashed within her mind—one moment, she had been locked in a brutal battle, wielding her very lifespan as a weapon against the Overlord of Hell, the father of all demons. She had poured everything into that final strike, trading her existence to destroy that monstrosity. Revenge had been hers. Redemption had been hers. She had fulfilled her purpose, made amends for past regrets.

So why was she here?

Her breath came unevenly as she pushed herself up, her mind racing. This wasn't Hell. This wasn't the battlefield where she had fallen.

Where was she? And more importantly… Why had she returned to life?

She scanned the small, dimly lit room, the oppressive walls and lack of windows making her feel like a prisoner. The air was stale, heavy with neglect, as if no one had entered in a long time.

Her gaze dropped to her hands—thin, frail, covered in bruises. A quick assessment of her body told her everything she needed to know. This wasn't the body she was used to. It was weak, malnourished, and riddled with injuries that spoke of prolonged abuse.

With a frown, she muttered, "Heal."

A spell she had long since perfected, one that should have been effortless, yet the moment she attempted it, resistance pushed back against her command. The energy flow was sluggish, unnatural—wrong. It was as if the very fabric of reality refused to obey her.

Her eyes narrowed as realization dawned. This wasn't Earth. More than that, this wasn't even the same universe.

'Troublesome.' She exhaled sharply, closing her eyes as she extended her senses outward, trying to grasp the unfamiliar forces at play. 'I spent millions of years mastering the laws of my old world… No, I didn't simply master them—I surpassed them.'

But this new world? Its laws rivaled those of her former home, equally vast and complex. However, to her, the underlying patterns were all too familiar. They followed the same fundamental principles—different expressions of the same cosmic truths.

It only took her a moment. She had already deciphered them.

The laws she had once mastered in her past life were called Daos in this world. That revelation made things infinitely easier. It only took her a few moments to recognize the patterns between her old world's laws and the foundational structure of this new realm. With that understanding, mastering every single Dao became effortless.

With a flick of her fingers, she cast her spell again—this time, unhindered. The effects were immediate. Her injuries vanished in an instant, but the spell didn't stop there. It reinforced her fragile body, strengthening her physique multiple times over, refining it into something far superior to what it had once been.

She exhaled, stretching as newfound power coursed through her veins. "A new life…" she murmured. "I was content letting everything die with me, but… I suppose I'm curious. What does this new life have to offer?"

A relaxed smile spread across her face as she floated effortlessly into the air. Her pupils flickered, then shone with an ethereal glow—the Heavenly Pupils had awakened.

Her gaze turned outward, piercing through layers of reality itself. "A cultivation world… Interesting." Her lips curled upward as she took in the structure of this reality. "Oh? It looks like people here create their own laws… or should I say, Dao?"

She pondered for a moment before a slow, eager grin spread across her face. "I wonder… what kind of Dao I could birth?"

For the first time in eons, she felt free. Free from the burdens of her past life. Free from the chains of her old world. This was a fresh start—a life that was truly hers to live.

***

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the lower realm…

"Anyway, I want to meet your mother. I need the hive's resources to track something down," Lianchen said casually, his gaze fixed on the bee sitting opposite him.

The bee queen hesitated for a moment, still reeling from the sheer pressure of his presence. "Y-yes," she stammered, her mind struggling to process everything that had just happened.

From the moment she first laid eyes on Lianchen, she had been completely overpowered by his Conqueror's Haki. If he had wished to crush her will entirely, she would have stood no chance. Yet, he hadn't. Instead, he proposed an arrangement—one she never expected.

She wanted his seed, and Lianchen… didn't mind giving it to her.

But unlike what she had envisioned, this wasn't a mere transaction. It was a pact.

She would become his follower, bound to him in more ways than one. In return, he would help her evolve—help her surpass the limits of her bloodline. And when the time was right, when she was ready, and Lianchen was old enough, he would give her his seed, and together, they would watch the birth of a hive unlike any this world had ever seen.

A hive of Saiyan-blooded, evolved bees.

All she needed to do now was prove herself worthy of carrying Lianchen's seed. If she wanted to bear his offspring, she would have to be more than just another queen—she had to be exceptional. Lianchen had no interest in weak descendants. His children, even those born of bees, had to be overpowered.

"… Is something wrong with my body?" the Virgin Queen Bee asked hesitantly. She had noticed how Lianchen's gaze occasionally drifted over her chest and lower body. Given that she wore no clothing—her form only partially covered by the fine, golden hairs unique to her kind—it wasn't surprising that he would glance her way. Still, something about the way he looked at her unsettled her.

Lianchen met her gaze with a calm, unreadable expression. "No, I just never saw a bee before."

The Virgin Queen tilted her head before nodding, accepting his response at face value. To her, there was nothing strange about his words.

Without another thought, she stepped out of the carriage and took flight, leading the Dragon Empire Ancestor toward her hive.

As the carriage neared the hive, bees began appearing in swarms, their buzzing filling the air. Under normal circumstances, they would have attacked any intruder without hesitation. However, the overwhelming aura of the Dragon Empire Ancestor crushed their instincts, leaving them paralyzed with fear. Instead of swarming to defend their home, they froze in place, their bodies trembling.

Lianchen paid them no mind. When the carriage finally arrived, he stepped out, his gaze immediately drawn to the massive structure before him. His eyebrow arched slightly as he took in the sight.

The hive was immense, towering like a fortress in the heart of the wilds. It could easily accommodate 50,000 people, making it far larger than any ordinary beehive.

But what intrigued him more than its sheer size was the strength of the hive's inhabitants. The majority of the bees ranged from the Foundation Establishment Realm to the Nascent Soul Realm. Each one possessed enough power to be considered a formidable opponent in battle. A single hive filled with such powerful lifeforms was no trivial matter.

Lianchen turned to the Virgin Queen Bee and gestured for her to lead the way. Without hesitation, she took flight, guiding him deeper into the hive. The Queen Bee, the ruler of this vast colony, had already been informed of his arrival.

She would be waiting.

"What is the meaning of this?" The Queen Bee demanded, her sharp gaze shifting between her daughter and Lianchen. Though her expression remained composed, her unease was palpable.

Her instincts screamed at her—this young human was dangerous. And the fact that the Dragon Empire Ancestor, a being powerful enough to annihilate her entire hive, was reduced to nothing more than a carriage-pulling mount only fueled her anxiety.

Lianchen met her gaze with an indifferent expression, his posture relaxed yet commanding.

"I came to do business with your hive. I mean no disrespect," he stated calmly. However, as he spoke, a subtle wave of his Conqueror's Haki washed over the Queen Bee—a silent warning.

Her body stiffened instantly. Even though he hadn't fully unleashed his aura, her instincts recoiled under the weight of his presence.

"O-oh…" she stammered, beads of cold sweat forming on her forehead.

It took everything in her to maintain her composure. This wasn't a being she could afford to antagonize.

"Then… may I know what kind of business you wish to discuss?" she asked, her voice now far more cautious.