Later, through Zhao Hong’s account, Chu Feng finally understood the true situation.
It turned out that after Zhao Hong fell into the Hundred Refinements Mortal Realm, though she lost memories of her past, she occasionally recalled fragments.
Before Chu Feng and Wang Qiang met her, Zhao Hong had regained all her memories of her past.
However, upon recovering her memories, she found her talent greatly diminished, far inferior to what it once was.
She believed her reincarnation ritual had failed, and she would never gain the power of the Reincarnation Divine Body in this lifetime.
Thinking of the vengeance she carried, Zhao Hong felt anger but even more frustration.
With her talent at that time, no matter how hard she cultivated, she felt she could never avenge the Reincarnation Sect.
She believed she had let down her family and the expectations of the sect’s people.
Thus, Zhao Hong had no intention of returning to the Reincarnation Upper Realm, feeling she had no face to meet her old acquaintances.
She decided to stay in the Hundred Refinements Mortal Realm unless her cultivation improved, her talent recovered, and she saw hope for revenge.
But after making this decision, Zhao Hong had other concerns.
She realised her condition was unstable. Even with her memories restored, it might only be temporary.
She could soon lose her memories again, lose her sanity, and revert to a vengeful female demon driven only by resentment.
To prevent this, Zhao Hong employed various methods to maintain her sanity, ensuring that even if she lost her memories again, she wouldn’t become a bloodthirsty demon.
She couldn’t guarantee success, and if she failed, she might remain a demon in the Hundred Refinements Mortal Realm forever.
Thus, Zhao Hong devised another, highly risky method tied to her reincarnation ritual.
The power of the Reincarnation Pearl wasn’t as miraculous as it seemed; it didn’t allow infinite reincarnation or rebirth.
Zhao Hong could use its power because it accompanied her at her descent, sharing a bond ordinary people didn’t have.
Even so, she couldn’t use it for infinite rebirth.
Her ability to revive after death in the Hundred Refinements Mortal Realm was due to the reincarnation ritual.
The ritual separated a part of her soul, linking it to the Reincarnation Pearl.
As long as the pearl existed, Zhao Hong wouldn’t truly die.
She believed her memory loss and insanity were likely tied to this separated soul.
If she could undo the ritual and recall that soul fragment into her body, she might return to normal.
However, this was risky. Zhao Hong wasn’t sure if it would work or if she could survive if the ritual was fully undone.
Still, she despised being a demon and didn’t want to revert to that state.
To be safe, Zhao Hong altered the reincarnation ritual.
The modified ritual was what Chu Feng saw—the beautiful past-life Zhao Hong.
The altered ritual was simple.
Taking the Reincarnation Pearl from her would make the past-life Zhao Hong vanish.
In truth, that past-life Zhao Hong was just the separated soul fragment.
Removing the pearl wouldn’t destroy her but would return the soul to Zhao Hong’s body.
Though the ritual was modified, Zhao Hong wouldn’t take the risk unless absolutely necessary.
She had to wait until she lost her sanity and became a demon again, with no other options.
But if she lost her memory and sanity, she’d forget everything and couldn’t perform the task.
Thus, she needed someone to help her.
As a feared demon, Zhao Hong had no friends. Who could help her?
Moreover, the Reincarnation Pearl was a treasure, likely to attract greed.
Only someone trustworthy could be relied upon.
Additionally, there was a more critical reason.
Zhao Hong’s body carried the reincarnation ritual, which, due to a twist of fate, led her to the Dark Night Ghost Forest in the Hundred Refinements Mortal Realm.
Upon arriving, she released the ritual, forming a protective array deep underground in the forest.
This array guarded the ritual and Zhao Hong.
Thus, anyone helping her needed profound spirit formation skills.
Otherwise, the protective array would prevent access to the ritual, let alone assist her.
Finding such a skilled person in the Hundred Refinements Mortal Realm was no easy task.
Perhaps it was fate.
When Zhao Hong was at a loss, she met the Cloth-Clad Old Monk from the Upper Realm.
After testing him, she found him trustworthy and of good character.
Thus, Zhao Hong shared parts of her past with him, omitting details about the reincarnation ritual.
She only mentioned being betrayed by a loved one to gain his sympathy.
As expected, the monk felt great compassion for her.
Zhao Hong seized the chance to ask for his help.
If she lost her sanity and became a resentful, murderous demon, the monk would enter the ritual and take the Reincarnation Pearl binding part of her soul.
The monk agreed but demanded the pearl as his own.
With no choice, Zhao Hong agreed.
Chu Feng knew what happened next.
Zhao Hong indeed lost her sanity again.
The monk, as agreed, broke the protective array and took the pearl.
Though Zhao Hong didn’t immediately regain her memories after the ritual was destroyed, she clearly regained her sanity.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t have gotten along so well with Chu Feng later.
“By the way, Chu Feng, according to you,” Zhao Hong said suddenly, “we were scattered by that strange force, yet none of us were harmed.
You gained an opportunity, and so did my husband.
But if you think about it, my case is the most unbelievable.
I crossed star regions, from the Ancestral Martial Star Region back to the All-Heaven Star Region, returning to the Reincarnation Upper Realm. I also recovered my memories, and even my talent began to awaken, boosting my confidence that I could complete the reincarnation ritual and master the Reincarnation Divine Body’s power.
But why, after that force separated us, did such drastic changes occur?
Don’t you find this very strange?”
