One Evil Thought Leads to Countless Wrongdoings

Lu Caiwei burned with rage, her cultivation mood utterly ruined.

The murmurs outside grew louder, and her expression darkened further.

Retrieving her Jade Tablet, she sent a cold message.

"Investigate immediately—what backing do Qing Yinxian and Zhong Limeng truly have?"

After issuing the order, she was about to put the Jade Tablet away when humiliation and fury twisted inside her. She had no patience to wait for a reply.

Yet the Jade Tablet instantly buzzed back.

The voice sounded as reverent as ever, dripping with awe and deference.

"Reporting to the Eldest Senior Sister."

"Rumors say Zhong Limeng gained the support of Guest Elder Wei Zhenfang. At the Grand Ceremony, she unveiled a hundred thousand demonic corpses, suggesting a formidable force backs her—thus her swift rise to become the Chief Disciple of Cangyun Heavenly Palace."

"As for Qing Yinxian, little is known yet. After besieging the Heavenly Dao Sect, she reportedly had an epiphany and broke through to the Celestial Tier."

"But according to hidden informants, she received guidance from Elder Xiong Fen and was gifted a protective treasure. It seems an unknown power stands behind her as well."

Wei Zhenfang?

Xiong Fen?

The vaguely familiar names gave Lu Caiwei pause.

After a moment of recollection, memories of the two old men surfaced.

Instantly, her lips curled in disdain.

Just a pair of worthless, incompetent elders.

Such relics might have seniority, but they held no real influence. How could they possibly have connections powerful enough to elevate those two mediocrities?

Lu Caiwei frowned, suspicion flickering in her eyes.

"Is this information reliable?"

The voice from the Jade Tablet grew more hesitant.

"Senior Sister, these rumors have spread across all sects. It’s... likely accurate."

Before the words even finished, Lu Caiwei’s delicate brows knitted sharply.

"'Likely accurate'?"

"Ling'er, do you also think I’m no longer what I once was? Is that why you dare feed me half-truths?"

Her icy tone carried a sharp edge, making the voice tremble.

"E-Eldest Senior Sister!"

"Ling'er would never! I’ll investigate further at once—"

Cutting off the plea, Lu Caiwei coldly stored the Jade Tablet.

Her fingers clenched, knuckles whitening. A chilling glint flashed in her clear eyes, her flawless face alternating between pallor and flush—her composure cracking.

The more she dwelled on the news, the thicker her resentment grew.

"Two useless elders, yet they somehow have shadowy forces propping up those bitches? Since when did such heaven-defying luck exist?"

"Why them?"

"In talent, beauty, and skill, I surpass them a hundredfold! Any grand opportunity should be mine by right!"

Teeth gritted, she forced herself to steady her breathing.

"Enough. Luck is just external fluff. No matter what, those two brats could never truly surpass me!"

......

Seven days passed in a blur.

As time wore on, Lu Caiwei’s mindset shifted subtly.

Now pacing her meditation chamber, her self-assurance frayed. Repeated checks of the Jade Tablet yielded nothing, and her patience finally snapped.

Outside, the gossip only grew louder.

"Have you heard? Chief Zhong Li of Cangyun Heavenly Palace received visits from elders of several major sects—they even gifted her a Nine-Colored Ice Coral!"

"Really? That’s a Celestial Tier treasure! Such extravagance!"

"Ha! With her backing and status as the future Palace Lord, it’s hardly surprising."

"Ugh, I envy Chief Zhong Li so much..."

"Pfft. The Nine-Colored Ice Coral is nothing. Rumor has it the Frostfall Manor gifted Qing Yinxian the Phoenix Descendant Hairpin!"

"No way! That’s their ancestral treasure! Even the Eldest Senior Sister failed to obtain it back then!"

"Tch. Everyone’s scrambling to curry favor. Those two are drowning in gifts—now that’s true genius."

"Exactly! The Twin Jewels of the Southern Domain’s fame is spreading to other realms!"

The Phoenix Descendant Hairpin?

A treasure she’d coveted in vain, now freely given to Qing Yinxian!

Twin Jewels?

The former "Three Peerless" title was now obsolete.

The whispers slithered into her ears like venom. Lu Caiwei’s face darkened.

Rage surged. Unconsciously, her palm pressed into the chamber’s ice wall, leaving a delicate but three-inch-deep imprint!

Yet even that couldn’t quell her fury.

Another strike—this time, the entire wall of Eternal Frost Ice cracked!

"Fine! Fine!"

"The glorious Twin Jewels!"

"If the world insists on groveling at their feet, don’t blame me for walking this path. You forced my hand!"

Gritting her teeth, her mind was in turmoil.

Done waiting, she slashed open a spatial rift and stepped through without hesitation.

When she emerged, a frozen wasteland greeted her.

Blizzards blotted out sky and earth.

No life, only endless white.

Battling the storm, she finally reached a yawning ice cavern.

Standing before the hundred-zhang-wide maw, her petite frame seemed insignificant. The abyss swallowed all light, wind, and even spiritual sense—as if some primordial horror lurked within.

Just staring into the darkness made her skin crawl. The faint, oppressive aura leaking out coiled around her, and she swallowed hard.

But fury steeled her resolve.

Step by cautious step, she ventured deeper. The cold gnawed at her bones, defying even her Dao energy.

Only an eerie, rasping call echoed from the void—whether ahead or inside her skull, she couldn’t tell.

"Come... come......"

Suddenly!

A sickly glow enveloped her, shielding her from the cold.

The voice now rang clear.

"At last, you’ve come."

The words oozed decay, as if dredged from millennia of rot. The very air reeked of malice.

Lu Caiwei spun, but saw nothing.

Only mocking laughter answered.

"Kekeke..."

"Have you made your choice?"

Her body stiffened, but determination flared.

Gazing upward, she hissed through clenched teeth:

"Can you make me the strongest in the entire Southern Li Heavenly Domain?"

The moment her shaky question left her lips, a deeper, more disdainful laugh boomed.

"Hahaha...!"

"The Southern Li Domain? Child’s play! Even ruling all of Lan Star means nothing to me!"

"Accept my transformation, and you’ll become the proxy of the Demon Race here. Command legions of fiends, crush all lesser lifeforms—such glory awaits!"

The laughter melted her tension.

All doubt vanished.

Instantly, her trembling stilled. Her eyes gleamed with manic light, lips curling into a fervent grin.

Without hesitation, she screamed her answer—raw, ecstatic, and unhinged.

"I will! I will do anything!"

The cry faded, but the echoing laughter grew even more intense!

"Hahaha!"

"Hahahaha…"

The hoarse voices overlapped, gradually transforming into a powerful, resonant roar—as if countless figures stood encircling her, filling the endless darkness and consuming Lu Caiwei’s very soul.

The faint glimmer of light vanished, replaced by pure blackness surging from all sides.

Creeping, climbing, clinging!

Like a sentient tide, the dark mist swept forward like a raging river, swallowing Lu Caiwei whole, coiling up her form until it shrouded her completely.

No one could tell how much time had passed…

At last, laughter erupted from the abyss—but it was no longer the soft, alluring sound of before. Instead, it mirrored the earlier rasping voice, icy and sinister enough to make one shudder!

"Everything is mine, all of it! Hahaha…"

Until even the last trace of fanatical light in her eyes was devoured by the dark.

…