Chapter 54 Epilogue

Does that mean her turn is next? And who else could possibly come to save her?

Because she did not yet want to die, with so much left undone, she desperately desired to live.

"Sister Yunqing, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have tried to take Qingling from you. I promise I will never compete with you for anything ever again. Can't you just let me go?" Her face was pale with terror as she begged for her life, driven by the intense will to survive.

However, Su Yunqing was not one to harbor soft feelings, especially not toward her. She knew her all too well; Su Yunqing always kept a ledger of grudges. If she were to spare her today, the woman would only scheme against her again in the future. Most importantly, she had not the slightest intention of letting her walk away.

The moment she recalled everything she had suffered, she burned with the desire to make Su Yunqing experience every single torment she had endured. Yet she also knew time was of the essence; every extra moment dragged on brought another shred of danger, and she refused to let this distraction ruin her subsequent journey.

Looking down coldly at Su Yunqing, she continued, "Consider yourself lucky today. If time weren't so pressing, I would surely make you suffer a slow and agonizing torment. But let it be—I shall send you on your way now!"

With those words, she delivered a fatal strike to Su Yunqing, who was writhing in agony upon the ground.

At the very instant of her death, Su Yunqing still could not comprehend why she had lost.

Clearly, the girl had always been utterly useless. Aside from the privilege of her parents and an enviable engagement, she could find no single aspect where this girl was superior to her.

As for appearance, she used to scoff at her, but over the past six months, she had witnessed the dramatic changes with her own eyes. The girl was no longer skin and bones; she had grown increasingly breathtaking, exuding a subtle aura that gave her a sense of impending crisis.

Her premonition had proved correct. Not only had the girl begun to surpass her in looks, but her cultivation and strength had also outstripped her own.

In the end, even Qingling—the spiritual beast she had coveted for so long—was snatched away by her. It was precisely this unbearable resentment that had driven her to attack, never imagining she would pay for it with her own life!

Watching the fading light in her victim's eyes, Su Yunqing thought for a moment, then smiled faintly. "Weren't you looking for Su Yunyue? Now I'm sending you down to keep her company. Isn't that wonderful?"

Hearing this, Su Yun绮’s pupils dilated, her eyes filling with profound shock and rage. It really had been her all along!

Yet what could she do now? Nothing at all, for she was moments from death.

She felt an overwhelming sense of unwillingness—so deep and bitter—mingled with fierce regret. She even wondered: if she had not foolishly walked into her own grave today, might she still be alive?

Even if she could not defeat her right now, once she successfully entered the Azure Parasol Sect, would she ever lack opportunities to surpass and ultimately destroy her?

One wrong step, and every subsequent step went awry. Now, her chances were gone forever.

Her gaze drifted toward the still-struggling white crane, a final, faint glimmer of hope lingering in her eyes.

Naturally, Su Yunqing caught this movement. A cold sneer touched her lips as she glanced at the small mist beast beside her and commanded, "Xiaowu, kill it!"

Instantly galvanized, Xiaowu surged with power, instantly amplifying its aura before unleashing a fierce torrent of flames directly toward the white crane.

The white crane tried to dodge left and right to evade the attack, but it lacked the beast's agility. Having been raised and nurtured for half a year, Xiaowu's wing feathers had long since fully grown, granting it terrifying speed. It blocked the crane's escape route, aimed straight at its head, and blasted it with fire, catching the creature completely off guard and engulfing it in flames.

At first, the white crane thrashed wildly, emitting a piercing, miserable cry that echoed through the air. Gradually, the cries grew fainter, the frantic struggles subsided, and finally, all sound ceased.

With the death of the white crane, Su Yun绮 suffered an immediate backlash. The last thread of breath she had been clinging to snapped entirely, and her life slipped away in a bitter surge of resentment.

Even in death, her eyes remained wide open, filled with an intensity of unresolved grievance.

Su Yunqing cast her gaze upon the roaring fire, her eyes devoid of warmth.

She had clearly seen the murderous intent in the white crane's eyes earlier; it had charged directly at her, undoubtedly following Su Yun绮's final command to assassinate her, only to be slain by Xiaowu in return.

She could summon no pity whatsoever for a spiritual beast that harbored lethal intent toward her, nor did she feel the slightest trace of remorse or guilt.

She swept a glance over the two corpses on the ground, then incinerated Su Yun绮's body with fire. Yes, she would destroy the corpse and erase all traces, making it impossible for anyone to uncover the truth anytime soon.

She had deliberately left Xiao Jinghuai's body behind so the emperor would investigate. The trail would inevitably lead back to Su Yun绮, and upon discovering the woman had vanished, they would naturally conclude she had fled in terror of her crimes, thereby directing their wrath entirely toward the Su family.

Ah, as for what punishment the Su family might face, she neither cared nor felt the least bit disturbed. The Su family had never treated her with kindness, so whatever befell them was entirely outside her sphere of consideration.

Even if the emperor and the Su family failed to harbor suspicion between them and somehow pinned the blame on her, it would remain mere speculation without proof. By then, she would already be safely ensconced within the Azure Parasol Sect.

Having resolved all loose ends, she felt a refreshing lightness of spirit and turned away without a moment's hesitation.

When the time came to depart the following day, the woman in red waited in vain for Xiao Jinghuai and his companions. Losing her patience, she dispatched messengers to make inquiries at both the imperial palace and the Su family estate, but no trace of their whereabouts could be found. Bound by the strict schedule imposed by the sect, she simply decided to leave without them.

With Xiao Jinghuai and Su Yun绮 gone, there was no longer any need to chaperone such a large retinue. The woman in red traveled lightly on her own.

The journey proved remarkably smooth. Although perils existed along the way, a smaller group operated with far greater efficiency and suffered from no dead weight. Consequently, they reached the Azure Parasol Sect in just three days.

Upon delivering them to the foot of the mountain where the Azure Parasol Sect stood, the woman in red halted and fixed her gaze upon the gathered initiates. "I shall wait in the inn within the town for three days. Whether you earn the right to stay depends entirely on your own abilities."

With that, the woman in red departed. Su Yunqing stepped forward and began ascending the grand stone staircase leading to the main gates of the Azure Parasol Sect. She had to admit that the spiritual pressure intensified as one climbed. While imperceptible at first, the crushing weight became steadily more apparent with every step upward.

By the halfway mark, she felt immense pressure bearing down on her, yet she pressed on with stubborn resolve, though her pace had slowed significantly compared to the beginning. She knew full well that this served as the preliminary entrance trial; failure to endure meant forfeiting even the qualification to enter the sect.

When she finally hauled herself to the top through sheer exertion, her entire body was drenched in sweat. At that moment, a familiar voice rang out with a chuckle, "Su Yunqing, I've been waiting for you for quite a while."

She raised her head to see Pei Leng standing with his arms crossed, clad in a robe of deep purple, looking down at her with a light, carefree smile playing at the corners of his lips.

"I suppose I've finally reached the starting line," she said, a smile breaking across her own face as well.

"That depends on whether you actually manage to stay here. I am already in the inner sect now, so you'd better make your way up there as soon as you can," he said, looking at her with a casual, smiling ease, as though ascending to the inner sect were as simple as taking a stroll.

She found nothing presumptuous about his words. She was neither one to indulge in self-pity nor prone to self-doubt. "I will. You had better keep up with your cultivation, though—now that we are back at the same starting line, a latecomer overtaking the pioneer is entirely possible."

"Very well then. Su Yunqing, welcome to the Azure Parasol Sect," he said, extending a hand toward her, waiting for her to take it.