Ning Yin’s stiff hands trembled slightly.
She recalled the countless vivid descriptions of the Cangming Ring in the novel—its pleasing appearance, its limitless capacity—every mention of it was enough to spark a bloody storm of contention.
Shi Yunzhao possessed Golden Core cultivation, with the male lead at Nascent Soul stage escorting her, and the Main Character Group offering strategies.
Even surrounded by such powerful plot armor, this formidable lineup still fell into peril several times because of the Cangming Ring, barely escaping with their lives.
And her—just a villain, a villain who had barely set foot into Foundation Establishment, with only one lackey by her side, a once-formidable figure now reduced to a king of trash talk, a cripple who could no longer cultivate.
Two people who should have lain low in the “novice village,” quietly biding their time, ended up with the ultimate treasure that made the entire cultivation world green with envy: the Cangming Ring.
An ordinary man is innocent, but harboring a treasure brings disaster.
She didn’t even dare to imagine what kind of bloody storm she would stir up once she stepped out of the Soaring Cloud Sect’s Forbidden Land.
Perhaps she wouldn’t even need to wait for the future male lead to cut her down with a sword—if she dared step outside the gates of the Soaring Cloud Sect, the next second she’d be sliced in two by some jealous cultivator.
How was this some ultimate treasure? It was clearly her death sentence!
“I said, did I ask for it? Why are you forcing it on me?!”
Yan Hanzhou looked at her calmly. “Don’t you like it?”
“Then I like the stars, the moon, I like eating, I like sleeping, I like lying flat and reaching the pinnacle of life without lifting a finger—I like a lot of things. Can you give me all of them?”
Ning Yin took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. “Who doesn’t like a peerless treasure like the Cangming Ring? But liking it is one thing. Big shot, can you be a little more sober? This is the Jiu Zhou Continent! No matter how powerful you were before, now you’re just a cripple with a Waste Spiritual Root who can’t cultivate, and I’m a mediocre talent stuck at Foundation Establishment, half a cripple myself. Do you really think the two of us—Crouching Dragon and Young Phoenix—can hold onto the Cangming Ring? Unless we both hide in the Soaring Cloud Sect like turtles and never come out, the moment we step out that gate, we’ll both lose our heads.”
A surge of blood welled up in Yan Hanzhou’s body, and he coughed up a mouthful of fresh blood.
Ning Yin was startled out of her wits, only now noticing Yan Hanzhou’s deathly pale face. She hurriedly asked, “Why are you coughing up blood? Are you all right?”
Yan Hanzhou wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, struggling to calm the turbulent blood within.
The vast, surging power of the soul poured into his body, but this body was simply too frail. If it weren’t for the remnant soul merging with the soul of a thousand years ago, he would have already exploded and died.
“I’m fine.” He suppressed the churning blood.
“This body is too weak, the power of the soul is still unstable within me. If you could say fewer things to rile me up, I’d spit less blood.”
Ning Yin’s eyes widened in disbelief. “You, you, you… what did you just say? Did I hear that right? Where did you just go—was it to inherit Lingxiao Immortal Lord’s soul power? You succeeded? Didn’t explode? No way… how is that possible? You, with a Waste Spiritual Root… how could it be possible!”
She simply couldn’t believe her own ears.
For a thousand years, others had discovered this secret realm, too.
In the novel, when Shi Yunzhao received the Legacy, she saw many phantoms of those who had exploded and died, unable to withstand the power of the soul—just to mess with her state of mind.
Among those failed phantoms were geniuses who had reached Nascent Soul before the age of fifty, powerful cultivators at the Soul Transformation stage, Demon Lords from the Magic Abode, Demon Kings from the Extreme North—every one of them a peerless talent, yet all perished here.
Yan Hanzhou? A body with a Waste Spiritual Root that couldn’t cultivate? Able to withstand a soul power that even Shi Yunzhao nearly failed to endure?
“You said all this was destined for Shi Yunzhao, but now, the one who received Lingxiao Immortal Lord’s Legacy is me.”
Ning Yin’s jaw dropped. She looked Yan Hanzhou up and down in disbelief. “You actually managed to beat Shi Yunzhao to it and pass Lingxiao Immortal Lord’s test? How did you do it?”
“How hard could it be?”
It was certain—Yan Hanzhou genuinely believed Lingxiao Immortal Lord’s test wasn’t difficult.
Ning Yin was so angry she could hardly speak. “Fine, fine, you’re pure and lofty, you’re amazing, you’re so powerful, why don’t you lead the way? Not going to shortchange you—the Cangming Ring is yours, vanguard!”
She couldn’t be bothered with him anymore. Looking up at Shi Yunzhao still standing on the high platform, Ning Yin felt a complicated mix of emotions.
In the novel, Shi Yunzhao really did inherit everything in the secret realm.
Three days after leaving the Forbidden Land, she broke through to Golden Core, shattering Lingxiao Immortal Lord’s record of breaking through Golden Core in seven days, becoming a legend in the Jiu Zhou Continent.
Now that Lingxiao Immortal Lord’s soul power had been taken by Yan Hanzhou, what about Shi Yunzhao…
As if seeing through her thoughts, Yan Hanzhou said in a low voice, “In this world, everything is fought for. There’s no such thing as destiny—whoever seizes it, owns it.”
On the high platform not far away, Shi Yunzhao opened her eyes.
The scene before her suddenly became clear.
As she took in her surroundings, Shi Yunzhao realized she had finally broken free from the illusion, but the terrifying pressure brought by the soul in the illusion still left her heart pounding.
She instinctively looked inward with her spiritual sense. A vast spiritual energy of Heaven and Earth Origin surged within her body, coursing through her limbs and meridians.
Only then did she realize—she had awakened the Heavenly Spiritual Root!
This realization exploded in her mind like thunder.
Shi Yunzhao’s heart raced, joy flooding her chest.
Even though she hadn’t received Lingxiao Immortal Lord’s Legacy this time, awakening the Heavenly Spiritual Root would make her cultivation twice as effective with half the effort. It wasn’t a wasted trip after all.
“Senior Sister, was everything smooth for you in the illusion?”
Shi Yunzhao regained her composure, concealing all emotions.
Her gaze swept lightly over the two of them as she descended from the platform, her eyes landing on the Cangming Ring in Ning Yin’s hand.
“It seems the Immortal Lord has passed on his Legacy and treasure to you.”
Yan Hanzhou pulled Ning Yin behind him, replying in a low voice, “It was me.”
Shi Yunzhao looked at Yan Hanzhou, rather surprised. After all, everyone knew Yan Hanzhou had a Waste Spiritual Root and couldn’t cultivate, yet today he had obtained Lingxiao Immortal Lord’s Legacy.
“Not bad.” Shi Yunzhao’s approving gaze fell on Yan Hanzhou.
“Back then, Lingxiao Immortal Lord left this secret realm to give fated people of later generations a chance. Your Spiritual Root may be wasted, but since you could receive the Immortal Lord’s Legacy and recognition, it means you have a chance at cultivation. Work hard from now on, and you will achieve something great. As for me, not receiving it just means I’m not the fated one for this secret realm. But I did awaken the Heavenly Spiritual Root, which will make cultivation far easier for me in the future. So this trip wasn’t in vain.”
Faced with such a magnanimous Shi Yunzhao, Ning Yin didn’t know what to say. “Senior Sister…”
“All right. There are too many demons and monsters here in the Forbidden Land. We shouldn’t linger. Let’s leave first.”
With that, Shi Yunzhao strode outside.
Watching Shi Yunzhao’s upright figure, Yan Hanzhou narrowed his eyes, the usual indifference in his gaze quietly fading, replaced by a complex, hard-to-describe look of scrutiny.
Leaving the cave secret realm, the group set out to find the Transference Array and leave the Forbidden Land.
Fortunately, with the Liuli Featherfinch scouting ahead, they didn’t encounter any demons or monsters along the way.
Ning Yin followed behind Shi Yunzhao, truly observing this legendary female lead for the first time.
In the novel, she was valiant and decisive, never hesitating to slay demons and monsters.
Although she always appeared cold and aloof, making her seem hard to approach, she was respectful to those above, tolerant and protective of those below.
Even toward Ning Yin, who repeatedly went against her, as long as the bottom line wasn’t crossed, Shi Yunzhao never held a grudge—truly worthy of being the Master Sister of the Soaring Cloud Sect.
Maybe, this was a good chance to resolve the old grievances between Ning Yin and Shi Yunzhao.
“Senior Sister, there’s something I’ve always wanted to say to you.”
“What is it?”
Ning Yin hesitated for a long time before speaking. “Before, I was too willful and did a lot of foolish things. The reason I always targeted you was because I was jealous—jealous of your talent, jealous that everyone admired you. That’s why I kept making mistakes. But now I’ve come to my senses. Can you forgive everything I’ve done before?”
In the novel, Ning Yin’s core was always kind.
She just grew up pampered, praised by everyone around her, always thinking she was the most gifted cultivator in the world, destined to become immortal.
Until she was sent to the Soaring Cloud Sect to cultivate.
The Spiritual Root that everyone praised in the Cheng Kingdom was instantly drowned among the geniuses of the Soaring Cloud Sect.
By comparison, her talent was mediocre and her progress even slower—it took her five years just to reach Foundation Establishment, while Shi Yunzhao was already halfway into Nascent Soul.
But Ning Yin was too proud to admit defeat, trying to use her noble Princess status to cover her inner inferiority.
She envied the female lead, and was even more jealous.
Ning Yin had two chances in her life to turn dark.
The first was when she was falsely accused of scheming against Shi Yunzhao and fell off a cliff, leading to inner demons haunting her.
The second was when the Cheng Kingdom was destroyed. She begged the male and female leads to save her country, but the male lead was in seclusion healing the female lead, and she watched helplessly as her homeland fell.
On the ashes of her ruined homeland, the proud Princess of Cheng Kingdom was gone forever.
Only at the moment of death, perhaps because dying brings clarity, did she finally find the root cause.
She confessed to Shi Yunzhao that she had envied her, been jealous of her, and once hoped to be friends with her.
But she couldn’t let go of her Princess pride, couldn’t admit her own mediocrity, and so she kept going further down the wrong path.
Faced with Ning Yin’s apology and reflection, Shi Yunzhao felt little emotion or fluctuation. “We’re fellow disciples. I’m your Senior Sister. I won’t fuss over trivial matters with you.”
“Senior Sister, thank you! I’ll definitely be a better person from now on…”
Suddenly, a commotion sounded in the distance, startling the birds in the forest into flight.
The Liuli Featherfinch flapped its wings and flew toward the source of the noise.
Shi Yunzhao frowned. “You two stay here and don’t wander. I’ll go take a look.”
As Shi Yunzhao’s figure disappeared, Ning Yin patted the dust off and sat down to rest. “See, that’s our Soaring Cloud Sect Master Sister. Whenever something happens, she draws her sword and goes herself—so responsible. She’s the real deal, the true female lead!”
Seeing Yan Hanzhou staring in silence in the direction Shi Yunzhao had gone, Ning Yin asked curiously, “What are you thinking about so deeply?”
Yan Hanzhou mused, “I’m thinking about how to kill her.”
“Her?”
“Them. Shi Yunzhao and Si Heyu.”
Yan Hanzhou’s serious expression made Ning Yin’s hair stand on end. “Are you serious? I thought you were joking before—that’s not a funny joke to keep making.”
“I’m not joking.”
Ning Yin glanced in the direction Shi Yunzhao had left, lowering her voice. “Why? They haven’t done anything to you.”
“Didn’t you say, as villains, we’re destined to die at the hands of the protagonists? If you knew you’d be killed by someone in the future, wouldn’t you strike first, while they’re still weak, to eliminate the threat forever?”
“I just reconciled with her, you heard it—she forgave me. As long as I behave from now on, she has no reason to get rid of me! Besides, Senior Sister is such a good person—she acts heroically, upholds justice, and didn’t even get angry when we took her things. Yet you want to kill her? What, are you that sure you’ll do something bad in the future and she’ll kill you? Or do you just have no confidence in yourself and think you can’t beat her later?”
Yan Hanzhou didn’t argue, only replied with four words, “The future is uncertain.”
“…Haven’t you already changed the plot? Look, you got Lingxiao Immortal Lord’s Legacy, I got the treasure, and the one who originally had it all—Shi Yunzhao—now only awakened the Heavenly Spiritual Root. Doesn’t that mean we…”
“We can reverse the outcome.”
Ning Yin was speechless.
“Don’t you want to live your life in peace from now on?”
“I do! But do you really have to go head-to-head with them, fight to the death? Can’t you try something else? Like turning over a new leaf, becoming friends with them, joining the Main Character Group, slaying demons and monsters together, upholding justice…”
Yan Hanzhou silently watched Ning Yin.
“…And start your own legendary life.” Ning Yin gradually fell silent, looking at Yan Hanzhou’s calculating gaze. After a moment, she couldn’t help saying, “Do you know what you look like right now?”
Yan Hanzhou remained silent.
“A villain!”
“A major villain!!!”