The Grudge from Twenty Years Ago

The moonlight shimmered like water.

Mu Qingyi stood draped in ancient robes, her beauty as breathtaking as a painting.

In her hand, a long sword gleamed with a cold, piercing light.

Cheng Yuanfeng steeled himself, his gaze icy as he stared at the woman. "Such formidable presence," he said coolly. "You must be no ordinary figure. State your name!"

"Mu Qingyi, Master of the Azure Pavilion. My teacher was Shangguan Youyun!"

Her cold eyes swept over him, barely containing her fury.

"The Azure Pavilion..."

Cheng Yuanfeng narrowed his eyes, suddenly recalling something. "You—you’re that little girl from over twenty years ago."

He remembered clearly—his wife had once taken in a disciple, a child no older than five or six.

Who would have thought so many years had passed?

"Ah, so the Sect Master of the Qi Control Sect remembers me. What an honor," Mu Qingyi sneered.

The title "Sect Master of the Qi Control Sect" weighed heavily on Cheng Yuanfeng.

He watched her intently, his palms shrouded in swirling energy, every muscle tensed.

Even twenty years ago, he had known this girl was a prodigy—no ordinary talent.

Now, it seemed her strength had far surpassed even his wife’s at her peak.

As she stared at the man before her, Mu Qingyi’s rage could no longer be restrained.

She had been an orphan, saved from infancy by Shangguan Youyun, who raised her as her own.

To Mu Qingyi, who had never known her parents, her master was her mother.

But when she was six years old—

Shangguan Youyun, before a crowd of thousands, had resolutely resigned as Master of the Azure Pavilion and walked away, hand in hand with this man.

That was the last time Mu Qingyi saw her master alive.

The next time they met, it was a broken, lifeless body delivered to the Azure Pavilion’s hall.

"If you hadn’t taken her away, Master would still be alive! You wretched man—DIE!"

With a furious cry, Mu Qingyi’s brows arched sharply, her black hair whipping around her as energy surged from her body.

Her sword carved through the air, unleashing a storm of icy blade-light.

Two decades of fury erupted in an instant.

Sword radiance filled the sky, sweeping across the hills.

Shattered trees flew, dust blotted out the moon.

Cheng Yuanfeng condensed qi into blades, desperately parrying Mu Qingyi’s onslaught.

The air itself solidified into azure gales.

Seeing the familiar sword techniques, for a fleeting moment, he thought he saw his wife’s shadow.

His hand trembled.

The swirling gales around him dissipated.

Struggling to defend with mere air blades, he was no match for Mu Qingyi’s relentless assault.

Shink!

A cold blade-light pierced Cheng Yuanfeng’s shoulder.

Blood gushed forth.

But Mu Qingyi showed no mercy—her strikes grew even fiercer.

Trees and boulders shattered in the wake of their battle.

Shink!

Another slash tore open Cheng Yuanfeng’s abdomen.

He staggered back, his face pale.

"You’ve lost," Mu Qingyi declared coldly.

Clutching his wounds, Cheng Yuanfeng dropped to one knee. "Spare me," he said hoarsely. "Let me avenge your master."

"Avenge her?"

Tears glistened in Mu Qingyi’s eyes as she laughed bitterly. "If you truly wanted revenge, why haven’t you done it already? What are you doing here?"

"If you lacked the strength, why did you defy everyone and drag her out of the immortal sects?"

"If you couldn’t give her happiness, why did you boast about marrying her?"

"Twenty years have passed—my master’s bones have turned to dust. How dare you cling to life like a coward!"

Every word struck like a blade.

Cheng Yuanfeng shut his eyes, pain etched across his brow.

It was true—he had killed Shangguan Youyun. He never should have taken her from the hidden world of immortals.

Mu Qingyi’s sword pointed at his throat. "Get up!" she hissed. "Stand up, you spineless wretch! Where’s the arrogance you had when you took my master from the Azure Pavilion?"

Sweat beaded on Cheng Yuanfeng’s forehead. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he closed his eyes, resigned to fate.

Mu Qingyi could hardly believe the man before her.

This gaunt, white-haired figure, weathered by time like an old man—was this really the dashing, brilliant youth from twenty years ago?

Yet, it had only been two decades.

Clang!

She sheathed her sword.

"All men in this world are scum."

With that, she turned, leaving Cheng Yuanfeng with nothing but her cold silhouette.

Cheng Yuanfeng opened his eyes, his lips twisting into a bitter smile.

His fingers uncurled, revealing a pendant clutched tightly in his palm.

Engraved upon it were two words: Shangguan.

---

Meanwhile, An Yi lounged in his Lamborghini, stifling a yawn as he scrolled through the Martial Alliance app on his phone, reading an analysis of the major factions in Xia.

Currently, the strongest public faction was undoubtedly the Law Enforcement Bureau.

In Xia, it symbolized both authority and power.

Its leader, Han Bing—

"Apparently bald. Not important."

Rumored to be terrifyingly strong, his ice manipulation was unmatched. Ranked fifth on the Heavenly Leaderboard.

The Bureau had been trending lately due to the imminent opening of the Hongtian Secret Realm. The "Four Guardians" of the Law Enforcement Bureau dominated the hot topics section.

Even An Yi, who rarely browsed, knew of them.

The four rising stars of the younger generation were bestowed titles based on the Four Divine Beasts: Qinglong (Azure Dragon), Baihu (White Tiger), Zhuque (Vermilion Bird), and Xuanwu (Black Tortoise).

Without exception, those chosen were candidates for the next leader of the Bureau.

Han Bing himself was said to have once been Xuanwu.

Next in the analysis was the Dao Alliance.

But this was only on the surface—the Dao Alliance’s true strength likely surpassed even the Bureau’s.

The Dao Alliance was, strictly speaking, a coalition of numerous Daoist sects.

Wudang Mountain, Dragon-Elephant Mountain, One Qi Dao Sect, Wuling Dao Hall, White Cloud Temple, Qiankun Sect, Vast Heaven Manor...

With so many renowned sects united, their dominance was indisputable.

Master Cangqiong—Heavenly Leaderboard, Rank 3!

Qiankun Taoist—Heavenly Leaderboard, Rank 7!

Two of the top ten belonged to the Dao Alliance.

The Heavenly Dragon Temple was the most enigmatic.

Its three-hundred-year-old patriarch, Master Yuanyi, was a terror—ranked second on the Heavenly Leaderboard.

This thousand-year-old temple’s legacy was unfathomable.

After the decline of the Lantuo Temple a century ago, the Heavenly Dragon Temple had become Buddhism’s foremost sect.

An Yi scrolled further.

The dense text made his eyes glaze over.

The rest of the sects weren’t worth much attention.

Groups like the Yin-Yang Demon Sect? Their names sounded intimidating, even a bit edgy, but they were minor factions.

In a land teeming with experts like Xia, they barely registered.

Still, the Blood Fiend Sect surprised An Yi—it ranked fairly high.

The Joyous Union Sect also had some renown, with its leader even making the top twenty.

Then there was the Hundred Ghosts Gate.

Despite being founded just two years ago, it had already clawed its way into the first-rate factions.

Its leader, the Ghost King, held the ninth spot on the Heavenly Leaderboard.

Under him were two Hall Masters and four Ghost Generals—all ranked fighters.

The "Eight Immortals" were less impressive, all outside the Heavenly Leaderboard.

Heh. Interesting. An Yi smirked.

Finally, there was the Pantheon of Gods.

Shrouded in mystery.

Its records were sparse—even less than the Yin-Yang Demon Sect’s.

Not because information didn’t exist, but because no one dared write it.

The Pantheon’s leader was a man who stood at the pinnacle of Xia, hailed as its guardian deity—Long Aoyun.

Ranked first on the Heavenly Leaderboard.