Lu Qingyao was entirely oblivious. She did not notice that her Eldest Senior Sister—who had always been gentle, amiable, and soft-spoken in the past—was looking at her with a gaze that had fundamentally changed.

Lu Qingyao just kept chattering, her voice bright and chirpy.

“Senior Sister, how exactly did Gu Xiu die? Was it a complete annihilation of body and spirit? We absolutely must not let him enter the cycle of reincarnation, or he’ll become a scourge again sooner or later.”

She giggled, tapping her chin. “Did he leave a corpse behind? If so, tell me where. I’ll dig it up and ask Sixth Senior Sister to refine it into a puppet. I’ll destroy its face and make it haul excrement and urine. It would be quite handy.”

“That man harmed people deeply. Not only did he hurt me, but he also hurt Little Junior Brother multiple times. Even though he’s dead, just thinking about it… death was too easy for him!”

“…”

Her large, doe-like eyes were filled with a clever, mischievous light. But the words spilling from her mouth sent a chill straight into the marrow of Nian Zhaoxi’s bones.

Nian Zhaoxi stared at the woman before her, feeling a sense of estrangement so profound it was dizzying. Physically, Lu Qingyao was exactly the same as she had been five hundred years ago. Her youth was eternal, her face unchanged.

Yet, beneath this innocent and lively facade, a demon from the depths of the Netherworld lurked.

Lu Qingyao finally sensed Nian Zhaoxi’s unnatural stillness. She blinked curiously. “Senior Sister, why aren’t you saying anything?”

“I am thinking about a question,” Nian Zhaoxi replied, her voice hollow.

“What question?” Lu Qingyao beamed. “Senior Sister, if you have questions, just ask me! I am the All-Knowing One of Qingxuan. Within the sect, there is nothing I don’t know.”

“I want to know…” Nian Zhaoxi whispered.

She suddenly raised her head. Her eyes were coated in a layer of profound, mysterious light.

“Who are you?”

“Huh?” Lu Qingyao looked bewildered. “Senior Sister, what kind of question is that? I’m Qingyao. Who else would I be?”

Nian Zhaoxi did not answer. Her eyes, glowing with the power of divination, remained fixed on Lu Qingyao. She scrutinized her soul, searching for a seam, a crack, a sign of intrusion.

After a long silence, the light in her eyes faded. A self-mocking smile tugged at the corner of Nian Zhaoxi’s lips.

“I actually… was still hoping that my Little Junior Sister had been subjected to Body Seizing…”

“What? Senior Sister, how could you think I was Body Seized?” Lu Qingyao laughed heartily, as if hearing a great joke. “Although my cultivation is the lowest among us, my Divine Sense is incredibly powerful. How could an ordinary person seize my body?”

Nian Zhaoxi sighed, the sound heavy with exhaustion. “That is true…”

This reaction displeased Lu Qingyao. She pouted. “Senior Sister, what is wrong with you? Why does it sound like you wish I had been possessed?”

“I do indeed have such a vain hope.”

“What?”

“If you were possessed,” Nian Zhaoxi said softly, “at least it would allow me to hold onto the beautiful memories of that clever, innocent, and guileless Little Junior Sister from the past.”

Lu Qingyao’s expression stiffened completely.

“Eldest Senior Sister, are you crazy? How can you curse someone like that?” Her voice turned shrill. “If you don’t want to attend the banquet at my peak, then don’t go. Why use such cold words!”

She huffed, spun around, and prepared to storm off, brushing past Nian Zhaoxi.

“Did I allow you to leave?”

The voice was not loud, but it carried a freezing chill.

“What?” Lu Qingyao paused, stunned.

“I said…” Nian Zhaoxi took a single step forward. The terrifying pressure of the Eldest Senior Sister erupted like a dormant volcano. “Did I allow you to leave?”

“Senior Sister, you—”

Lu Qingyao opened her mouth to argue, but Nian Zhaoxi offered a cold command.

“Face-slapping.”

Wham!

An invisible force materialized from thin air. A crisp, violent crack echoed through the clearing.

Lu Qingyao’s body swayed wildly before she crashed to the ground. She clutched her cheek, her face a mask of utter confusion. When she pulled her hand away, a crimson, clearly defined palm print marred her porcelain skin.

Lu Qingyao touched her face, trembling. She looked at Nian Zhaoxi in disbelief. “You… you… you hit me?”

“This slap is for your disrespect toward the Master!” Nian Zhaoxi’s face was stern, devoid of warmth. “Master issued an order today to ban banquets for three days. You openly disobeyed his command. I hit you. Do you yield?”

“Huh? No…” Lu Qingyao started to scramble up to defend herself.

Nian Zhaoxi exhaled lightly. “Slap again.”

PAH!

The invisible force struck again. This slap was heavier, catching Lu Qingyao off guard. She rolled twice across the dirt, her exquisite robes covered in black ash and dust.

Nian Zhaoxi looked down at her. “This slap is for your disrespect toward your senior. I am the Eldest Senior Sister. Your insolence deserves punishment. Do you yield?”

“I…” Lu Qingyao tried to speak, shock turning to anger.

But Nian Zhaoxi did not give her the chance.

“Slap again!”

PAH!

Lu Qingyao tried to circulate her Qi to defend herself, but how could a mere Golden Core resist the suppression of the Eldest Sister? She was smashed into the ground once more.

“This slap is for your violation of sect rules,” Nian Zhaoxi intoned coldly. “Do you yield?”

This time, Lu Qingyao didn’t dare to speak. She bit her lip, trembling. But her silence was not enough for Nian Zhaoxi.

“Slap again!”

CRACK!

“This slap is for your malicious heart, akin to a demonic cultivator. Do you yield?”

Lu Qingyao’s lips trembled. She was on the verge of tears.

“Slap again!”

CRACK!

“This slap is for harboring resentment and bearing grudges against fellow disciples. Do you yield?”

Lu Qingyao finally broke. Tears streamed down her swollen cheeks.

“Slap again!”

CRACK!

“This slap is for indulging in frivolous pursuits and losing your resolve to cultivate. Do you yield?”

Lu Qingyao collapsed completely. She didn’t dare to cry aloud. She looked at Nian Zhaoxi with terror-filled eyes, her body shaking like a leaf in a storm. She made no sound, terrified that another tear would invite another blow.

She had been beaten into absolute submission.

Seeing the girl cowering in the dust, Nian Zhaoxi finally lowered her hand. She asked four simple words.

“Do you yield or not?”

“I…” Lu Qingyao hiccuped. Seeing Nian Zhaoxi’s eyes narrow slightly, she hurriedly shook her head, then scrambled to kneel.

“I yield!”

“I submit!” Lu Qingyao sobbed into the dirt. “Junior Sister was wrong. Senior Sister’s lesson was right. I won’t dare do it again!”

Nian Zhaoxi’s face remained as still as a stagnant pond. She ignored the aggrieved, sobbing girl, turned around, and walked away. She did not say another word.

Lu Qingyao watched Nian Zhaoxi’s retreating back. She didn’t dare move a muscle. She forced her eyes to remain docile, fearing that even a flicker of hatred would trigger another assault.

Only when Nian Zhaoxi’s figure had completely vanished around the bend did Lu Qingyao slump.

She touched her swollen cheeks, the sting radiating through her skull. The humiliation washed over her. She was the beloved Little Junior Sister! She had the world at her feet since childhood!

“Waaah!”

She burst into loud, ugly sobs. She had never suffered such a grievance in her life. She glared in the direction Nian Zhaoxi had left, her eyes filling with venomous, unchecked resentment.

Just you wait—

The thought had barely formed when a voice exploded directly in her ear.

“Face-slapping!”

BOOM!

This slap was heavier than all the others combined. It lifted Lu Qingyao off her feet and sent her flying backward, crashing heavily into a pile of charred wreckage.

When she crawled out, coughing and covered in soot, Nian Zhaoxi’s voice echoed from miles away, cold and indifferent.

“This slap is for your lingering resentment.”

“Do you yield?”

Lu Qingyao shuddered violently. She buried her head in her arms, not daring to show even a micro-expression of hatred.

Nian Zhaoxi walked to the foot of Jade Pill Peak.

She felt no joy. Her heart felt like it was weighed down by lead. She knew her Junior Sisters had changed over the centuries, but she had never imagined the rot went this deep.

It was more terrifying than Body Seizing.

My time is running out, she thought, a tremor in her hand. I am afraid. I fear I will die before I can achieve what I came here to do.

Just as the despair threatened to overwhelm her, a figure blocked her path.

Nian Zhaoxi looked up. It was the Fourth Junior Sister, Shi Siling.

“Junior Sister,” Nian Zhaoxi asked wearily, “are you here to seek justice for the Little Junior Sister?”

“No.” Shi Siling shook her head, her face impassive. “She truly deserved to be beaten.”

Nian Zhaoxi breathed a sigh of relief. At least the strongest of her Junior Sisters seemed to have retained some rationality.

“Do you have business with me?”

“Yes,” Shi Siling nodded.

“What is it?”

“I want to ask Senior Sister… where is that man, Lv Dongshan?”

Nian Zhaoxi paused. “You… what do you intend to do?”

Shi Siling’s eyes were flat and hard.

“Kill him.”

Meanwhile, in a pleasure house within a distant mortal city.

Lv Dongshan sat dressed in fine brocade robes, a beauty nestled in his arms. Suddenly, for no apparent reason, a violent shiver racked his body.

He looked up at the ceiling, frowning.

“Why do I feel…” He rubbed his neck. “As if a great calamity is about to crash down on my head?”

He downed a cup of wine, his eyes darting around nervously. “Damn it, could it be that Tiance Mansion is still tracking me?”

He gritted his teeth, slamming the cup down. “If it really comes to it, I’ll go find that bastard Gu Xiu. After all, he’s the one who caused this mess; he should be responsible for protecting me!”