Lidaitian’s gaze was sharp as a sword, fixed firmly on the small Crimson Resonance in Yu Yi’s arms.
“That’s the last one. As long as we can kill her, we can still earn great merit and a generous reward!”
He spoke to the others beside him, tense and excited.
But the fact that Yu Yi had wiped out all the top experts sent to eradicate the Fire Phoenix’s descendants proved she was no ordinary person.
At that time, Lidaitian was merely a “dog” with talent and cultivation but no reputation, forced to serve the Imperial Family of Great Yan.
So after careful consideration, he finally decided to take the gamble.
This might be the only chance in his life.
If he failed, he didn’t know how long he would have to wait to enter the Heroes Ranking.
As long as he killed Crimson Resonance, Lidaitian could make a name for himself and rise to prominence.
Lidaitian and his companions exchanged glances, ready to attack Yu Yi and snatch the Crimson Resonance from her arms.
However, Yu Yi had no intention of wasting time on them.
Crimson Resonance was on the verge of death, hanging by a thread.
She had to leave this place quickly to save her.
So, before Lidaitian and the others could act, Yu Yi struck first.
No one saw Yu Yi’s movements.
“Pu—”
In an instant, blood sprayed from Lidaitian and his companions, several dying on the spot.
“It’s… it’s Wind Cutter!”
Lidaitian was horrified.
If he guessed correctly, they had just been sliced by a gust of wind!
Watching as the others fell one after another, Lidaitian knew the battle was lost.
Thinking quickly, he collapsed to the ground, pretending to be dead.
Fortunately, Yu Yi did not approach to finish him off, but left the village with Crimson Resonance.
Lidaitian’s cultivation was already high, and his physique was strong.
Thus, among their group, only Lidaitian survived Yu Yi’s strike.
Later, Lidaitian reported Yu Yi’s actions to the Imperial Family of Great Yan.
He thought he would be punished, but unexpectedly, the Imperial Family not only sent their best medical women to heal him but also rewarded him with a vast amount of gold, treasures, and cultivation resources.
With the full support of the Imperial Family of Great Yan, Lidaitian’s cultivation path was smooth, and his status in the Right Path grew ever higher.
Of course, this came at a price.
The Imperial Family of Great Yan protected Lidaitian because he was the only one who had ever stood against the “Master of Among the Colorful Clouds” and survived.
The Yan Emperor wanted to bring Yu Yi into his harem, but Yu Yi was unmoved by either kindness or threats from the Imperial Family, so the Yan Emperor took a different approach.
He used Lidaitian, the “victim” who survived Yu Yi, to slander her.
The goal was to ensure that Yu Yi and Among the Colorful Clouds could not stand on the Right Path nor side with the Demonic Path.
With more and more enemies, she would eventually be forced to rely on the Imperial Family of Great Yan.
Lidaitian gladly accepted.
Since he could sacrifice someone who had almost killed him to climb higher, what reason did he have to refuse?
Thus, over the next decade, Lidaitian joined with “like-minded” people, twisting facts and distorting the truth, piling countless crimes onto Yu Yi’s head.
Lidaitian and his group felt no guilt for their actions; in fact, they felt justified.
After all, if Yu Yi admitted to the massacre, didn’t that prove she was evil?
To blacken the name of an evil person even further—how could that bring guilt?
At that time, Yu Yi ignored the rumors.
After taking Chi Ming as her disciple, she continued to wander, searching for suitable cultivation resources for her.
In those years of survival of the fittest, her hands became stained with blood.
To the outside world, rumors were no longer rumors—they became truth.
The title of “Master of Among the Colorful Clouds” became a thing of the past.
And the name “Yu Yi” spread across the land as “Lady Demon Yu Yi Jue.”
***
When Chi Ming’s soul returned to her body and she slowly awakened, her face was covered in tears.
When Chi Ming awakened the Phoenix Avatar at the New Moon Terrace, she felt no strangeness, only familiarity.
It turned out, this was not her first time awakening the Phoenix Avatar.
“Why… Master, why wouldn’t you tell me the truth earlier?”
Chi Ming’s voice was hoarse, tinged with confusion and resentment, as she questioned Yu Yi before her.
“And why… did you bear all the sins for me? I clearly… have no right to live with peace of mind, let alone doubt you! Now that I know all this, how am I supposed to atone?”
“Yes. As your master, I could have told you the truth the year you became sensible.”
“But you didn’t! Why!”
“Because… I couldn’t bear to.”
Yu Yi walked toward Chi Ming, emotions overflowing.
“No one wants a pitiful child to grow up burdened by a sin unrelated to her. With your nature, even if I told you the culprit wasn’t you, you’d probably live forever in the shadow of that year, unable to escape.”
Hearing this, Chi Ming could no longer hold back.
Tears burst forth as she knelt before Yu Yi, bowing her head repeatedly.
“Master, your disciple deserves to die a thousand times, a thousand times!”
She finally realized that the “Demoness” who had hidden and deceived her was, in fact, the same person who had always silently protected her.
Yet Chi Ming had doubted Yu Yi many times and even later joined the Righteous Alliance to fight against her.
This was beyond “guilt”; as Chi Ming said, she “deserved to die a thousand times.”
Now that Chi Ming had recognized her wrongs, how should she be dealt with?
Yu Yi fell into thought.
“If it were her, she’d definitely forgive Chi Ming outright, wouldn’t she?”
Yu Yi recalled how the original master had taken all the blame and thought she would do the same.
Should she follow the original’s will and forgive Chi Ming?
Yu Yi shook her head.
Of course, it wouldn’t be so simple.
She had taken over the original’s body, not the other way around.
Yu Yi had her own ideas about dealing with Chi Ming.
“Chi Ming, although I didn’t tell you the truth before, your lack of thought, gullibility to rumors, betrayal of the sect, and nearly committing a grave offense mean you truly deserve to die a thousand times.”
The gentleness on Yu Yi’s face faded, replaced by dignity.
She spoke calmly.
“Disciple knows her guilt and is willing to accept any punishment from Master.”
Chi Ming remained kneeling, bowing deeply.
“You should accept all punishment.”
After Yu Yi spoke, her true energy took form, summoning the long blade she had given Chi Ming.
Then, Yu Yi tossed the blade before Chi Ming, speaking each word with weight.
“Chi Ming, end it yourself.”