Taiwu Imperial City.
Outside the Yunxiao Sect.
A streak of white light flew in from beyond the horizon.
It was none other than Feng Mengli, returning from the Magical Beast Mountain Range!
Her face was pale, and the flying artifact beneath her feet was pushed to its absolute limit. Even after entering the territory of the Taiwu Imperial City, she did not dare to slow down in the slightest!
She wouldn't normally be in such a rush.
But she was terrified.
Because that man had accurately called out her trump card.
She didn't dare to gamble!
She didn't dare to gamble on whether he knew where she kept her death-substitution doll, nor did she dare to gamble on whether he would take advantage of her weakness to strike her while she was down and claim her life!
So she fled.
She fled very fast.
Like a stray dog that had lost its home.
Running back to her own kennel.
Feng Mengli passed straight through the grand sect-defending array and landed in front of the mountain gate of the Sect Master's peak.
Only at this moment did a sense of security finally return.
Her knees went weak, and she almost fell to the ground.
Master, what happened to you?!
Li Qingran, who had just walked out of her cave dwelling, widened her eyes and hurried forward to support her. She simply couldn't believe that the wretched, pale-faced woman before her was her incomparably powerful master.
Who could have injured her like this?
Qingran, quick, help me into the cave dwelling to heal...
Before Feng Mengli could finish her sentence, she suddenly froze.
She noticed that something was wrong with the little disciple supporting her; her footsteps were unsteady, and her face was even paler than her own.
Upon closer inspection, Feng Mengli's pupils shrank.
Her disciple...
Actually had a small piece of her soul missing!
The memories in her Sea of Consciousness were even more fragmented.
Qingran, what happened to your memories? Have you lost your memory?
Feng Mengli asked in disbelief.
Li Qingran shook her head, finding it strange. I haven't lost my memory. Except for my brain feeling a bit weird, I haven't forgotten anything. It's just that I got a headache while meditating just now, and then I coughed up some blood.
Really?
Feng Mengli inspected her carefully again.
Now this was even stranger!
Just as her disciple said, her memories were not missing, but looking at her soul, there was clearly a piece gone.
And judging from the traces of the cut...
It looked as if her own disciple had cut it herself.
What's wrong, Master? Is there a problem with my memory? Li Qingran asked, somewhat bewildered.
No... no problem.
Feng Mengli hesitated for a moment but decided not to say it.
Cutting one's own soul?
How could such a thing be possible?
It was as absurd as someone destroying their own cultivation base out of boredom. How could her own disciple be that kind of fool?
Forget it, just help me back first. I have healing pills in my cave dwelling that will also help with your injuries.
Yes, Master.
Li Qingran nodded, and just as she was about to help Feng Mengli back into the cave dwelling...
A harsh shout suddenly exploded at the peak of the mountain.
Vile spawn! You still have the face to come back?!
The two looked up at the same time.
They saw a white figure slowly drifting down from the sky, his wide sleeves fluttering in the wind. His face was cold, his aura majestic, and his entire body radiated a terrifying pressure.
It was Feng Mengli's master.
The former Sect Master of the Yunxiao Sect—Feng Wuwang!
Feng Mengli was stunned.
Master, what are you...
You still have the face to call me Master?!
Look at the good deeds you've done! Killing someone for no reason is one thing, but killing a Qi Refining realm ant? And not only did you fail to kill him, you let him escape! And you reduced yourself to this state!
You've completely thrown away the face of our Yunxiao Sect!
Feng Wuwang furiously threw an Image Recording Stone at her face.
The Image Recording Stone flashed, projecting a scene—
A young man, his body covered in cracked, bloody flesh, sat cross-legged, while a stunningly beautiful woman in white stood in the air, looking down at him coldly.
May I ask for the lady's name.
You are not worthy to know.
Have I ever offended the lady?
No.
Have I ever met the lady?
No.
Have I committed any evil deeds in the past that disgusted the lady, causing you to hunt me down to this extent?
No.
As her voice fell, the young man suddenly opened his eyes and swung a sword!
The sword light was so dazzling that it blinded the eyes.
The scene abruptly ended there.
Looking at the projection, Feng Mengli was completely dumbfounded.
Master, I... I can explain...
Explain what?
Feng Wuwang looked at her coldly. Explain why you wanted to kill a Qi Refining realm ant? Or explain why you not only failed to kill him but also reduced yourself to this state!
You even used up the sect's supreme treasure, the scapegoat doll!
You should feel lucky!
Feng Wuwang coldly snorted.
That brat only released this segment. If he had footage of you fleeing in defeat, you wouldn't need to show your face in the cultivation world anymore; you might as well just commit suicide on the spot!
Feng Mengli lowered her head, biting her lip tightly without saying a word.
It was all because that little thief was too cunning!
Once she recovered from her injuries, she would definitely make sure he died without a burial place!
Hmph! Word is spreading like wildfire outside!
Feng Wuwang pointed at her nose and scolded, They are all saying that the Yunxiao Sect bullies others with our power, hunting down the weak for no reason!
What use are you?
What truly bothered him wasn't that Feng Mengli had killed someone.
A ninth-level Qi Refining ant, if he was killed, he was killed. He himself often killed for fun. Which high-level orthodox cultivator would treat a Qi Refining ant as a human being?
But!
Some things are insignificant until they are scrutinized; once they are placed under a magnifying glass, the weight of the scandal is unmanageable!
After scolding for a long time, Feng Wuwang's mouth grew tired.
But this was his own disciple.
And the Sect Master of the Yunxiao Sect.
A great Soul Formation cultivator, was she really going to be dragged to the vegetable market of the Taiwu Imperial City, put in shackles, and beheaded at noon?
I will announce to the public that you went to the Magical Beast Mountain Range seeking a chance for a breakthrough. While you were fighting magical beasts, that ant tried to take advantage of your peril. You discovered him, and that's why you struck to kill.
During this time, just stay obediently in the mountains. Don't go anywhere, otherwise, even I won't be able to protect you!
Feng Wuwang snorted coldly, flicked his sleeves, and left.
Watching Feng Wuwang's departing figure, Feng Mengli ground her silver teeth until they creaked. Damn brat... I will personally...
Just then, a trembling voice suddenly rang out.
M-Master... was that you?
Feng Mengli turned her head, only then realizing that her disciple was staring blankly at the remaining projection of the Image Recording Stone.
Was that... Ye Shu?
Why did you...?
Li Qingran looked at Feng Mengli, her eyes full of confusion.
She didn't understand why her master would suddenly go to the Magical Beast Mountain Range and encounter Ye Shu. Looking at the scene in the projection, her master wanted to kill him for absolutely no reason.
Why was this?
Only then did Feng Mengli remember that Ye Shu was not only the heartless man who had stolen her first kiss, but also the fiancé whom her disciple had broken off her engagement with, leading to the establishment of the three-year agreement!
But how was she supposed to explain this to Qingran?
Was she supposed to tell her, Your master has been reborn. Not only did we both fall in love with the same man in our past lives, playing out a drama of master and disciple serving the same husband, but we were also abandoned by him?
If she said something like that, even a dog wouldn't believe it!
How embarrassing!
So she thought for a moment and revealed a kind smile. Don't you have a three-year agreement with this person? Master thought to eliminate this source of trouble for you, so it wouldn't affect your cultivation.
"So... Master, you killed him for my sake?"
Li Qingran's pupils shrank.
"That is right," Feng Mengli nodded.
This excuse was good, exceptionally good.
Even she admired herself for coming up with it. It would make her disciple shed tears of gratitude, killing two birds with one stone.
However, in the very next second, she was stunned.
Because Li Qingran placed her palm over her own dantian, curled her fingers into a claw, and squeezed fiercely!
Pfft!!!
Spurting out a mouthful of blood, Li Qingran's aura instantly withered. She staggered, barely able to remain standing.
"Qingran!!!"
Feng Mengli hurriedly stepped forward to support her, using one hand to probe her dantian.
Foundation Establishment?!!
Her disciple was originally at the peak of the Golden Core realm, ready to break through to the Nascent Soul realm at any moment.
Yet now she had actually crippled herself, dropping her cultivation all the way down to the Foundation Establishment realm!
"Qingran, why would you do this?" Feng Mengli asked in absolute disbelief.
Li Qingran raised her head weakly, yet she smiled.
"Master, you should be happy... If you had actually killed him, your disciple would be nothing but a corpse right now. Since you only shattered his physical body and destabilized his foundation, your disciple has struck herself down so that the two debts cancel each other out."
Cough, cough...
She spat out a mouthful of bloody froth and continued,
"The three-year agreement... for these three years, I do not want to owe him anything."
"Please do not interfere anymore, alright?"
Feng Mengli looked at her pale yet resolute face, a myriad of indescribably complex emotions welling up in her heart.
This silly disciple...
She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but could not utter a single word.
In the end, she could only nod.
"Alright."
Li Qingran smiled.
"Thank you, Master."
With that said, her head tilted to the side, and she fell into a deep slumber.
Feng Mengli cradled Li Qingran in her arms, her gaze fixed far off in the direction of the Ye family.
Ye Shu!
I, Feng Mengli, swear that I cannot share the same sky as you!!!
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
world slacker. But a genius female disciple just had to get clingy, insisting that he take her as a disciple. Not only that, she was always making advances on him, thoroughly disrupting his peaceful slacker life...
