Death

Within the grand hall once adorned with red silk, everything had now been engulfed in fierce flames. Pink fire devoured all in its path, reducing splendor to ash.

At the center of the room, in front of the now-collapsed ceremonial platform, Hua Jinru stood amid the blaze, her red wedding gown partially torn, long hair fluttering wildly, her eyes filled with seething hatred.

Behind her stood Sui Zimeng's seven adopted daughters, encircling her in silence, along with the remaining fourteen Daughters of Destiny, still clad in their wedding dresses. Yet now, none of them retained even a trace of the grandeur from the earlier ceremony.

In Hua Jinru's hand, she gripped Wu Zhao's neck tightly, her nails digging deep into his skin. The once-blissful expression on the young man's face had turned pale and stricken with fear.

The room fell deathly silent, broken only by Hua Jinru's breathing and the crackling of the flames consuming all around them.

Her eyes burned with vengeance not because Wu Zhao had ever physically harmed her directly, but because he had used some unseen power to control her mind, compelling her to commit acts she never wished to remember for the rest of her life.

He had forced her to slaughter countless innocent people. He had made her betray her own disciples with her own hands.

Worst of all, she couldn't even understand how her heart could have changed so drastically during that time. Why had she obeyed so blindly without reason?

But now, everything was clear. There was nothing left for her to hesitate over.

The deep pink flames, her true power, surged from her entire body, spreading to the arm that held Wu Zhao. The fire rapidly began to sear his flesh.

A scream tore through the hall.

"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!"

Wu Zhao's shrill cry pierced the air as he thrashed violently, both hands clawing at Hua Jinru's arm. The more he struggled, the more the flames spread.

"What are you all standing there for?! Help me!!" he shrieked in agony, his voice cracking.

The fourteen brides stood motionless. His cries stirred no reaction. Some still had tear stains on their cheeks. Others simply stood in silence, eyes cold. Not one stepped forward.

Even more unmoved were the seven adopted daughters of Sui Zimeng. They stood utterly still, quieter than any of the brides, as if everything unfolding before them had nothing to do with them at all.

"AAAAAHH! Let me go! Let me gooo!!" Wu Zhao's screams rang out again, his limbs trembling uncontrollably.

Suddenly, a black earth spear imbued with emperor-level killing intent pierced through the flames and shot toward Hua Jinru's back at terrifying speed.

Yet Hua Jinru tilted her body aside with effortless grace, evading the attack. But before the tension in the air could settle, the figures of Ning Xin and Zhang Fu lunged toward her from opposite directions, followed instantly by attacks from the remaining twelve brides.

Blades and energy beams of various colors cut through the air from every angle, aiming to strike. But Hua Jinru stood firm, one hand still gripping Wu Zhao's throat, the other igniting an even fiercer blaze.

"I don't want to fight any of you. I only want... to kill him!"

Her voice trembled with hatred so intense it threatened to burst from every fiber of her being.

Ning Xin shouted, "If he dies, all of us, along with the forces behind us, will die too!"

"AAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!" Wu Zhao's scream rang out again, hoarse and broken beyond recognition. His body was now engulfed in flames, skin splitting open, hair turned entirely to ash.

Outside the hall, Wu Wen whose cultivation had now fallen to only Half-Emperor level—had consumed pills and burned away his own life force, granting him temporary power of a low-tier Great Emperor. Eyes bloodshot and face contorted in horror, he charged toward the flames.

He shouted with all his might, "No! Stop! Don't do it!"

...

...

But it was already too late.

Just as he had yet to reach her through the chaotic waves of energy, Hua Jinru unleashed her full power. The pink flames surged skyward, blazing up into the heavens.

Within moments, Wu Zhao's body... was gone before Wu Wen's eyes. Burned away completely, not even a trace of ash remained.

Hua Jinru stood amid the slowly fading firelight, her gaze empty yet unwavering. And then...

"You wretched bitch!! I'll kill you!!"

Wu Wen's high-pitched roar thundered through the air. His eyes burned crimson as spiritual power exploded from his body, as though he had nothing left to lose. Yet Hua Jinru remained still. She did not take even half a step back.

...

...

...

At the same time, outside the main hall of the Wu Clan, amidst the chaos and confusion of those still struggling to grasp what was happening, a scream erupted like a thunderclap in broad daylight. Countless men and women of the Wu Clan were slashed apart into pieces before they could even react.

They didn't even have time to raise their weapons in defense. Bright red blood splattered across the stone pavement and walls. Ye Lin's blade cut through bodies with terrifying speed. The sounds of flesh tearing, bones snapping, and voices screaming in pain and terror all mingled into a single, indistinguishable cacophony.

Having already consumed an Emperor-grade pill, Ye Lin didn't even look at who he was cutting down. He had no intention of sparing anyone. Every strike was a death sentence. The blood from his enemies poured down and soaked his feet, turning every step into a wet, sickening squelch. Nothing on his body remained untouched. His clothes were drenched in red, the original color long obscured. His skin was so covered in blood that it was impossible to tell who he even was anymore. And in those eyes... there was not a single trace of humanity left.

Some tried to stand and fight. Some attempted to activate formations. Some grouped together in a desperate attempt to stop him. But it was all futile. They were like ants facing a raging storm. Ye Lin was death incarnate, unstoppable. He tore through everything in his path with a terrifying, unnatural silence.

Before long, the Wu Clan was reduced to nothing more than a field of corpses strewn across the ground. Ye Lin stood in the midst of the carnage he had created, not uttering a single word. His eyes remained indifferent. He flicked the blood from his blade with a light motion, then turned and strode directly toward the inner halls of the Wu Clan.

He knew exactly where their hidden prison was. He had been there once before. It didn't take long for him to arrive before a towering structure, its massive gate looming before him.

As Ye Lin pushed the prison door open, the first thing that assaulted his senses was the stench of rotting corpses. The smell of old, dried blood clung to the walls. Flies buzzed in thick swarms. And then... his heart stopped for a moment.

He stood frozen, as if his body had been nailed to the floor. Before him stood three wooden pillars arranged in the center of the room. Under the dim light, three figures two men and one woman were bound to them by rusted iron chains. Surrounding them were the lifeless corpses of Ye Clan members.

His gaze lowered to the ground and caught sight of a shattered soul vessel. The spirits of his clan, once held within, had vanished forever without a chance of return.

The old man's body was his grandfather, the mighty Inner Elder of the Immortal River Holy Land. Next to him was his father, a strict man, yet filled with boundless love. And the last... was his grandmother, the gentlest face from his childhood memories.

The three bodies were marked with deep cuts, every inch of their flesh carved into characters with precision. And the message that had been inscribed into their bodies pierced straight through Ye Lin's heart.

"This is the punishment for betraying me."

Without realizing it, Ye Lin collapsed to his knees. They slammed into the hard stone floor with such force that blood spilled, but he didn't feel a thing. Tears streamed down his cheeks uncontrollably. His mind unraveled, and his heart felt as if it were being crushed from within.

The voice of his father, teaching him how to wield a sword... his grandmother's lullabies... they came flooding into his head all at once. And finally... the last words from his grandfather, spoken just days before they were separated, echoed through his mind.

"Don't worry about us. I've contacted the leader. Mu Nansi will help us get out. You go and do what you must. I'll protect the Ye Clan."

The image of faith, of calm certainty, and that reassuring smile that promised success had become nothing more than a cold, bloodied corpse before his eyes.

"Aaaahhhh!!! No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, NO!!!"

Ye Lin's scream shook the entire prison. It wasn't merely a cry of pain it was the wail of a man who had lost everything that ever gave him a reason to live. Tears poured down his face, and his heart shattered into so many pieces he no longer knew how to begin putting it back together.