Ji Liuyun stared blankly at the woman before her.
With her black hair fluttering in the wind and a gaze as indifferent as a god’s, Ji Liuyun’s mind went completely white.
The imperial majesty she took such pride in, along with her cultivation at the late stage of the Great Ascension Stage, was utterly defenseless against this opponent.
“You… you…”
For a moment, Ji Liuyun was at a complete loss.
Lu Ning slowly turned around.
Her gaze swept past Gu Qinghuan and Su Yuexi, finally landing on Nanny Yun, the Great Ascension peak expert in the distance.
[Time Remaining: 45 seconds]
The system’s countdown echoed in her mind.
Lu Ning knew she had to finish this quickly.
Nanny Yun’s clouded eyes glared intently at Lu Ning, the aura within her body pushed to its absolute limit.
Lu Ning raised her right hand and lightly made a grasping motion toward Nanny Yun.
“Domain, Expand.”
Woom—
An invisible ripple originated from Lu Ning’s body, exploding outward like a wave.
In an instant, the entire world seemed to have its pause button pressed.
Even time appeared to slow down by countless degrees at that moment.
Within this domain, Lu Ning was the sole ruler.
This was the supreme divine ability that could only be comprehended at the Tribulation Transcendence Stage—the Domain.
“This… this is… a Domain!”
True terror finally surfaced in Nanny Yun’s eyes.
Although she was also at the peak of the Great Ascension Stage, the domain she had comprehended was merely a prototype; it could only barely affect a small portion of space.
But Lu Ning’s domain was complete, a true domain that had even integrated with the “Tao”!
Lu Ning’s figure flickered like a teleportation, appearing silently in front of Nanny Yun.
“Who… who exactly are you?”
Nanny Yun spoke with great difficulty, her voice trembling.
She did not believe that the demon from the Heavenly Demon Sect—who was rumored to have been severely injured—could still possess such terrifying cultivation.
This had completely exceeded her understanding.
[Time Remaining: 30 seconds]
Lu Ning knew she could not waste any more time.
She raised her hand and lightly pressed her palm against Nanny Yun’s body.
The strike looked feather-light, devoid of any force.
However, Nanny Yun was suddenly sent flying backward, eventually crashing heavily into the distant city wall.
With a single palm, she had severely wounded a Great Ascension peak expert!
After doing all this, Lu Ning didn’t even spare her another look.
She slowly turned around, her gaze falling upon the two women who were already completely stunned.
Gu Qinghuan and Su Yuexi.
Gu Qinghuan stared blankly at her master, who looked like a deity.
Her cold eyes were filled with obsession and fanaticism.
‘So this is what Master truly looks like.’
Powerful, cold, and in control of everything.
‘Was the “weak, sickly Master” I saw before—the one who would blush, get shy, and act spoiled toward me—just an illusion she wore to play along with me?’
Thinking of this, instead of feeling disappointed, a even stronger sense of possessiveness welled up in Gu Qinghuan’s heart.
Su Yuexi’s feelings, meanwhile, were far more complicated.
She watched Lu Ning, who could suppress everything with a simple gesture.
For the first time, a bitter smile appeared on her gentle, pretty face.
All her calculations and endurance seemed so laughable and overconfident at this moment.
“Master…”
“Sect Master Lu…”
The two spoke almost simultaneously.
Lu Ning raised her hand and gave them a light wave.
[Time Remaining: 15 seconds]
Woom—
Two streaks of grayish-white divine light instantly enveloped Gu Qinghuan and Su Yuexi.
In the next moment, their figures vanished from the spot, teleported 10,000 miles away by Lu Ning using a supreme divine ability.
After sending away these two biggest “troubles,” Lu Ning finally breathed a sigh of relief.
She slowly turned around, her gaze falling on Empress Ji Liuyun, who was still in a state of shock and distraction.
“Lord Empress…”
Lu Ning’s voice returned to its flat tone.
“The medicinal power of the pill inside your sister’s body will automatically dissipate after seven days. It won’t cause her any harm.”
Lu Ning paused for a moment before adding another sentence.
“Furthermore, I do not wish for anything that happened here today to be spread outside the Great Desolate Empire.”
“Especially… my identity as a woman.”
“If I learn that a single word of this secret has leaked from your empire…”
“I wouldn’t mind paying another visit to the Great Desolate Empire.”
After hearing this, Ji Liuyun couldn’t offer a single word of rebuttal.
She knew the opponent had the strength to back it up.
[Time Remaining: 5 seconds]
The system’s countdown blared frantically in her mind.
Lu Ning knew it was time to leave.
She took one last look at the “silly princess,” Ji Linglong, who was still holding her arm and looking at her with an expression of pure adoration.
A warm feeling surged in Lu Ning’s heart.
She dotingly rubbed Ji Linglong’s smooth, golden hair.
“Be good. Wait for me to come see you again next time.”
With that, she didn’t linger for a second longer.
Her figure flickered and instantly vanished from the spot.
When Lu Ning’s figure had completely disappeared, the “Heavenly Demon Domain” that shrouded the world dissipated as well.
Ji Liuyun stared blankly at the direction where Lu Ning had vanished.
Only after a long time did she slowly exhale.
She walked over to Nanny Yun, who was slumped against the wall in an unknown state of life or death.
Ji Liuyun took a pill emitting a thick aura of life from her robes and stuffed it into the nanny’s mouth.
Only after completing this did she return to the side of the still-dazed Ji Linglong.
“Sister.”
Ji Liuyun’s voice was somewhat raspy.
“Sister?”
Ji Linglong’s innocent golden eyes were full of confusion.
“Who are you? Where is my sister?”
Looking at her like this, a sharp pain shot through Ji Liuyun’s heart.
This was an affair the Great Desolate Empire would absolutely not let go of so easily.
In a desolate mountain range.
The figures of Gu Qinghuan and Su Yuexi appeared out of thin air, stumbling as they landed on the ground.
Cough, cough…
Gu Qinghuan’s face was somewhat pale.
Although Lu Ning’s final spatial teleportation had sent them out safely, it had aggravated the injuries her body already sustained.
Beside her, Su Yuexi’s gentle, pretty face was now full of solemnity.
The two looked at each other in silence, both seeing deep shock in the other’s eyes.
“Sect Master Lu…”
Finally, it was Su Yuexi who broke the silence, her voice carrying complex emotions.
“Her cultivation has actually reached such a terrifying level.”
A lingering obsession flickered in Gu Qinghuan’s eyes, but a bitter smile involuntarily curled at the corners of her mouth.
“So, Master has been lying to me all along.”
She thought back to her various “rebellious” actions within the Heavenly Demon Sect.
She remembered how she had imprisoned her master like a canary, forcing her to change into all sorts of shameful clothes, enjoying the pleasure of playing with a deity in the palm of her hand.
Looking back now, she was the most ridiculous clown.
From beginning to end, her master had only been playing a boring game with her.
‘The reason she tolerated my presumption… was perhaps only because she treated me like an ignorant child?’
At the thought of this, a strong sense of frustration welled up in Gu Qinghuan’s heart.
But soon, this frustration was replaced by an even more frantic possessiveness.
“I must become stronger!”
An unprecedented fighting spirit ignited in Gu Qinghuan’s eyes.
She wanted to become stronger than anyone else, strong enough to truly stand by her master’s side.
She didn’t want to be like this—only able to be protected and treated as a “child” who needed care.
She wanted her master to admit personally that she was qualified to be her Dao companion.
Watching Gu Qinghuan’s obsessed and crazed expression, Su Yuexi felt a different sensation in her heart.
She had originally intended to find an opportunity after rescuing Lu Ning to slowly turn the person who had once humiliated her into her own plaything.
The result, however, was vastly different from her plan.
“Sect Leader Su.”
Gu Qinghuan’s voice pulled Su Yuexi back from her thoughts.
“The cooperation between us ends here.”
Gu Qinghuan’s tone was cold.
“I am grateful for your help before. But now, my master is safe, and we are even.”
She paused, then added another sentence.
“Of course, you had better let my master’s secret rot in your stomach.”
Hearing this, Su Yuexi smiled gently.
“Whatever is Sister Qinghuan saying?”
“The ‘kindness’ between Sect Master Lu and me—how could it be repaid by a mere Nine-Yang Blood-Melting Flower?”
“If there is ever a need for my Hundred Flowers Valley in the future, Sister Qinghuan should feel free to ask.”
Her words were still perfect, leaving no room for anyone to find fault.
However, Gu Qinghuan saw a sliver of deeply hidden ambition in the depths of those gentle eyes.
Gu Qinghuan knew this woman was definitely not as simple as she appeared on the surface.
But currently, she couldn’t be bothered to care about what Su Yuexi was thinking.
Her mind was entirely filled with her master.
She had to return to the Heavenly Demon Sect immediately for closed-door cultivation.
She wanted to break through to the Great Ascension Stage!
“Farewell.”
Gu Qinghuan coldly dropped those two words before turning into a streak of light, racing toward the Heavenly Demon Sect.
Watching her disappearing back, the smile on Su Yuexi’s face slowly faded, replaced by a cold indifference.
“Lu Ning…”
She murmured to herself, her eyes as gentle as water flickering with a heart-palpitating cold light.
“You think it ends like this?”
“No, the game between us has only just begun…”