Heavenly Firmament Academy.
Within a secluded, elegant courtyard,
there was a pond here, filled with countless dace.
Behind it stood an artificial mountain, planted with vast quantities of precious lotus spirit herbs.
The entire courtyard brimmed with Spiritual Energy, birdsong and fragrant blossoms, like an immortal realm in the mortal world.
The courtyard's exterior was enveloped by an exceedingly powerful formation.
Should any outsider enter,
the formation would activate, leaving them without even a corpse or bones behind.
The owner of this courtyard was none other than Liu Ruxue.
At this moment, Liu Ruxue's eyes were vacant as her legs gave out beneath her, and she collapsed to her knees.
Crystal-clear tears streamed down from her limpid eyes as though they cost nothing.
Liu Ruxue possessed exceptional talent and had entered Heavenly Firmament Academy through her own strength.
Here, she had encountered two great benefactors.
Heavenly Firmament Academy's Senior Disciple Brother, Ye Qingyun.
And the vice dean of Heavenly Firmament Academy, His Highness the First Prince of the Heavenly Flame Empire.
With Ye Qingyun and His Highness the First Prince's assistance, Liu Ruxue's strength had soared by leaps and bounds.
Now, at barely thirty years old, she had already reached the peak of the Divine Platform.
She was only one step away from entering the Violet Palace Realm.
Such an accomplishment placed her among the cream of the crop of the younger generation.
She had originally intended to enter seclusion and take the opportunity to improve her strength and break through to the Violet Palace Realm.
Yet she suddenly received a voice transmission from Heavenly Firmament Academy, forcing her out of seclusion in a hurry.
The contents of the message were exceedingly simple.
Liu Ruyan had gone to Divine Marquis of Zhenguo's Estate to break off her engagement, only for the Young Lord of Divine Marquis of Zhenguo's Estate to strip away her Spiritual Root, extract her Skyflame Phoenix Blood, cripple her cultivation, and drive her out of Divine Marquis of Zhenguo's Estate.
And that was not all.
In a fit of rage and humiliation, Qin Anlan had personally led Divine Marquis of Zhenguo's Estate's experts to surround the Liu Family.
Seeing this, Heavenly Firmament Academy had originally dispatched an envoy to mediate.
But Qin Anlan had used his power to bully others. Not only had he killed the envoy, he had also wiped out the entire Liu Family.
Along with them, he had exterminated the Zhou Family, which had marriage ties with the Liu Family.
Nearly a thousand members of the Liu Family had been slaughtered, leaving not a single survivor.
Even the Liu Family's dogs had been chopped into minced meat.
Every brick and tile of the Liu Family had turned into a speck of dust, vanishing from this world.
"Father! Mother! Little sister!"
"Qin Anlan, you beast! You wiped out my entire family—I will never rest until one of us is dead!"
Liu Ruxue's eyes were bloodshot, red veins filling them.
Her five viscera and six bowels churned as her blood and qi roiled.
Pfft!
A mouthful of tomato juice sprayed from her mouth.
Her rage had attacked her heart, causing her Dao heart to shatter.
In that instant,
Liu Ruxue's face turned deathly pale, her features drawn and haggard.
Even her vitality and spirit became listless.
Between her brows lurked an endless fury that could not be concealed.
Damn Qin Anlan!
Damn Divine Marquis of Zhenguo's Estate!
You slaughtered my entire Liu Family and killed hundreds of my clansmen.
I will make you pay a terrible price.
A blood debt must be repaid in blood!
If I do not kill that dog Qin Anlan, I, Liu Ruxue, swear I will not be human!
Every member of the Liu Family was dead.
She, Liu Ruxue, had become an orphan as well.
Filled with boundless hatred, she walked out of the courtyard.
She was ready to seek out Qin Anlan and fight him to the death.
Yet after taking only a few steps, Liu Ruxue stopped.
The entire Liu Family had now been completely destroyed.
She, Liu Ruxue, was all alone.
And Qin Anlan, as the Young Lord of Divine Marquis of Zhenguo's Estate, had numerous experts protecting him.
With Liu Ruxue's current strength, seeking revenge on Qin Anlan would be no different from courting death.
She would likely be slain by Divine Marquis of Zhenguo's Estate's many powerful experts before she even laid eyes on Qin Anlan.
But beneath the heavens, who could help her deal with Qin Anlan and Divine Marquis of Zhenguo's Estate?
One had to know, that was Divine Marquis of Zhenguo's Estate.
It held an extraordinary position throughout the entire Heavenly Flame Empire.
Though she did not know just how deep Divine Marquis of Zhenguo's Estate's foundations ran,
it was certainly not something a mere Liu Ruxue could contend against.
"Right, I can seek help from Lord Left Prime Minister and His Highness the First Prince."
A glimmer of light flashed through Liu Ruxue's eyes, as though she had seized the last straw that could save her life.
Lord Left Prime Minister and His Highness the First Prince were Liu Ruxue's final trump cards.
Although she had not had much interaction with His Highness the First Prince,
Liu Ruxue could tell from his gaze
that he held some affection for her.
Unfortunately,
Liu Ruxue had devoted her entire heart to her Senior Disciple Brother, Ye Qingyun, and had paid no heed to the admiration in His Highness the First Prince's eyes.
If she sought His Highness the First Prince's help now,
he would certainly lend her a hand.
Liu Ruxue gritted her teeth and transformed into a streak of light, racing toward the First Prince's residence.
Meanwhile,
in another secluded mountain range of Heavenly Firmament Academy,
the entire range was thick with Spiritual Energy, surrounded by divine light as the sounds of the Dao drifted through the air.
This was none other than the residence of Heavenly Firmament Academy's Senior Disciple of the Inner Sect, Ye Qingyun.
At the same time Liu Ruxue received news of the Liu Family's destruction,
Ye Qingyun naturally received the news as well.
Bastard!
Damn bastard!
What the hell was that trash Chou Yin doing?
A mighty Early Saint stage expert, yet he could not even protect Liu Ruyan and the Liu Family. He was trash to the very core.
The Liu Family had been destroyed, and Liu Ruyan had fallen into Qin Anlan's hands. Her life or death was unknown.
"Damn Qin Anlan! You actually dared treat Liu Ruyan this way."
"You dared strip away her Spiritual Root, extract her Skyflame Phoenix Blood, and even cripple her cultivation."
"Were all those times you fawned over Liu Ruyan in the past nothing but an act?"
"Liu Ruyan is the woman I, Ye Qingyun, have taken a fancy to. She can only be my woman. If you dare harm her in the slightest, I will never rest until one of us is dead!"
Ye Qingyun was consumed by rage. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists so tightly that veins bulged across his hands.
Whether Liu Ruyan or Liu Ruxue,
Ye Qingyun had long regarded both sisters as his women.
He would not allow any other man to touch either of them.
Still less would he allow anyone to harm the two sisters.
Although he had known Liu Ruyan for only a short time,
Ye Qingyun had already used sweet words and honeyed phrases to deceive Liu Ruyan until her heart fluttered wildly.
Her heart already belonged entirely to Ye Qingyun.
It was only because Liu Ruyan had an engagement with Qin Anlan that she held herself back.
The two had feelings for one another, yet stopped at propriety, and had never crossed the line.
Yet even so, Ye Qingyun had long treated Liu Ruyan as his woman.
He believed that one day,
Liu Ruyan's body and heart would belong solely to him, Ye Qingyun.
"Ruyan, rest assured. Sooner or later, I will avenge you."
Ye Qingyun's body trembled, his heart filled with grief and indignation.
When Liu Ruyan had returned home from Heavenly Firmament Academy last time,
he had already discussed matters with her.
Liu Ruyan would personally go to Divine Marquis of Zhenguo's Estate to break off the engagement. Once the marriage contract was dissolved, he could be with Liu Ruyan openly and honorably.
Yet he had never expected that in only a few short days,
the Liu Family would be destroyed, while Liu Ruyan would fall into Qin Anlan's demonic clutches, her life or death unknown.
Before you continue