The fury of the Blood Sword and the cold of the Ice Sword collided and annihilated each other in the air.
Red and white light intertwined and flickered within the Sea of Consciousness, each clash shaking the entire space.
Su Qiuyue realized it.
In the end, she was only a remnant soul, her power source-less, decreasing with each use.
But Mu Chenxi, in this Sea of Consciousness that belonged to her alone, possessed an endless stream of soul power, not to mention the Origin Ice Power of Dao Rhythms.
With one rising and the other falling, the outcome was already decided.
“Good! Good! Good! What a Heaven’s Chosen who can touch Dao Rhythms at the Nascent Soul stage! In all my life, Su Qiuyue has never encountered such a talent!”
Su Qiuyue laughed wildly, a hint of determination and madness flashing in her eyes.
Her great vengeance was unavenged!
She absolutely could not fall!
“Hahaha! Since I cannot resist, rather than be completely obliterated, it’s better to merge with you!”
“What of a Heaven’s Chosen! I will use your body to complete my revenge!”
“Secret Art—Soul Burning Return to Source!”
She abandoned all attacks, and her remnant soul suddenly ignited, transforming into a blinding blood light that charged towards Mu Chenxi without hesitation!
Fast! Too fast!
Mu Chenxi had no time to stop it, and the blood light had already merged into her soul.
In that instant, a torrent of broken memories surged into her mind.
It was a life of endless sorrow belonging to Su Qiuyue.
In the remote mountains, there was a small village called Luoxia Village.
Su Qiuyue’s parents cherished her dearly since childhood.
Her mother was skillful; she was the best at embroidery in the village.
Little Qiuyue loved the thousand-layer embroidered shoes her mother made for her, running swiftly in them with her tiny feet.
“Yue’er, run slower, don’t fall.”
Her mother’s gentle reminder.
“Father, father, I want to learn the sword! I want to be a heroine! Can you give me a sword?”
Little Qiuyue clung to her father’s arm, shaking it.
How could a simple middle-aged man resist his darling daughter’s sweet plea?
He nodded and searched the entire back mountain, finding a straight and sturdy wooden stick for his daughter.
“How about this sword, Yue’er?”
The middle-aged man asked with some pride.
“Father is amazing! This sword looks so powerful!”
Little Qiuyue’s eyes sparkled.
“My Yue’er is going to be a heroine in the future. This sword must not be ordinary.”
Her father teased with a smile.
“Father, what’s the name of this sword?”
“This sword is called Stunning Swan.”
“Why is it called Stunning Swan?”
“Uh… Your father didn’t go to school, so I don’t know. I heard from the storyteller that the Stunning Swan Sword was held by heroes.”
“Then tell me the story of the Stunning Swan Sword, father!”
“Alright.”
Little Qiuyue sat in her father’s arms, waving the wooden stick named “Stunning Swan,” imitating a swordswoman.
Sunlight fell on her earnest little face as she proudly puffed out her chest and told her parents in a childish voice, “When I grow up, I will become a great heroine, kill all the bad guys, protect father and mother, and make my name known everywhere.”
Her parents looked at her, always smiling and nodding.
Those days were carefree for her, until an old man with an immortal air walked into the village.
He was the Taishang Elder of the Sword Sect, Yue Shanming.
When Yue Shanming saw the Supreme Sword Bone within Su Qiuyue, a glint of greed flashed in his eyes.
“This girl is extraordinary by birth and fated with my Sword Sect. I am willing to accept her as my Head Disciple.”
Yue Shanming rode his sword to their door, expressing his intention to take a disciple.
Although her parents were reluctant, they believed it was a great blessing for their daughter to enter the Immortal Sect.
They held back tears and sent their daughter onto the path of cultivation.
They did not know that this was the beginning of a descent into hell.
Three days later, little Qiuyue missed home and was specially permitted to visit.
She exchanged Spirit Stones given by the sect for some money, bought cloth for her mother, brought Liquor Medicine for her father, and happily hurried home.
Her mother had said she embroidered new shoes for her, and they should be ready today.
She would have new shoes made by her mother again.
But when she ran eagerly to the village entrance, she saw only blazing flames and ruined houses.
Her home was gone.
She rushed in like mad, digging through the ruins with bleeding hands.
In the end, she found only a single unfinished embroidered shoe, burnt beyond recognition.
“Yue’er, your master has come too late.”
Yue Shanming appeared behind her at some point, his voice low.
“A group of wandering Demonic Cultivators slaughtered the village. I have already killed them all and avenged your parents.”
“Qiuyue, don’t grieve. You should turn hatred into strength. In the future, you must kill more Demonic Cultivators to comfort your parents’ souls in heaven!”
Su Qiuyue knelt amid the ruins, weeping uncontrollably.
She believed him, placing all her hatred onto the Demonic Cultivators.
She bowed three times to the ruins, then turned to kneel before Yue Shanming, her eyes filled with vengeance.
“Master! Please teach me the strongest sword techniques! Your disciple will destroy all Demonic Cultivators in the world!”
From that day on, Su Qiuyue changed.
She shed the innocence of childhood, leaving only the desire for revenge in her heart, and became intolerant of evil.
She continuously hunted Demonic Cultivators, growing stronger through battle, her sword ever swifter.
Her cultivation also soared. Through countless near-death experiences, she advanced to the Expert of the Wen Dao Stage.
She thought she finally had the power to protect others and honor her deceased parents.
But she never imagined a betrayal awaited her.
In the secluded chamber where she was consolidating her cultivation, she suddenly went berserk, mistaking her Sword Sect peers for Demonic Cultivators and slaughtering them all.
“Traitor! Why have you betrayed the sect and fallen into demonic ways!”
Yue Shanming suddenly appeared, his face full of anguish.
“Master, I didn’t, I didn’t… I suddenly lost control…”
Su Qiuyue’s sword fell with a clang. She knelt on the ground, staring at her blood-stained hands in despair.
She still did not understand why she had suddenly lost control.
“Yue’er, you have erred. Come with your master to the Hall of Justice.”
As Yue Shanming spoke, he moved behind Su Qiuyue.
Suddenly, a sword pierced her heart from behind!
Su Qiuyue turned her head abruptly, her body freezing.
She looked at Yue Shanming’s face, disbelief written across her own, while his once-familiar face was now twisted with greed.
“Why…”
Su Qiuyue asked.
Her body felt immobilized, as if struck by a binding spell.
“You can’t move, can you? The Dragon Phoenix Vitality Pill I gave you wasn’t bad, was it?”
Yue Shanming grinned wickedly.
Su Qiuyue trembled, realizing she had been afflicted by a restriction in the pill Yue Shanming had given her.
“Now, it’s time for you to repay your master.”
“Why… Why…”
She still could not understand why her respected master would become like this.
Yue Shanming laughed, revealing the truth:
“Why? Hahaha! You really are a fool. Let you die with clarity, then.”
“Did you truly believe your parents died at the hands of Demonic Cultivators? If I hadn’t killed them, if I hadn’t filled your heart with hatred, how could this naturally gifted Supreme Sword Bone reach the Expert of the Wen Dao Stage so quickly?!”
“Your parents… were burned to death by my own hands!”
“Now, this perfect Expert of the Wen Dao Stage Supreme Sword Bone belongs to me!”
Upon hearing this, Su Qiuyue’s mind went blank. Her Dao heart shattered instantly, and she spat out a mouthful of Heart Blood.
She had treated her parents’ murderer as her master!
Agony coursed through her as she watched Yue Shanming tear her back open with his withered hand, forcibly extracting a bone imbued with the Dao Rhythms of the sword!
At the final moment, she wanted to self-destruct, but the restriction in her body rendered her incapable.
However, she still retained one soul secret art.
Soul Burning Return to Source!
Her eyes turned blood-red as she burned her soul in madness, ultimately allowing a remnant soul to escape.
The escaping soul let out a heaven-shaking wail, filled with endless hatred that resounded throughout the Sword Sect!
“Yue Shanming! I will kill you! One day, I will kill you!”