Sacred Shenque Palace Hidden Grounds, at the peak of Dragon Mountain.
A massive Soul Refining Formation shrouded the entire mountaintop, cries of despair echoed within the formation.
"Qin Ruoran! Luo Shaoqing!" Qin Yao was being suppressed on the ground by the formation. Blood constantly seeped out from her, staining the ground red.
She gritted her teeth, looking up at the man and woman standing in mid-air.
One of them was her fiance, Luo Shaoqing, the most powerful being in Tianying Continent.
The other was her half-sister Qin Ruoran, the one she trusted the most!
Yet it was they who ambushed her when she was too distracted by her breakthrough, causing her cultivation to backlash and inflict serious injuries on her, trapping her in this formation!
"Don't look at me like that, sister. If you wish to blame someone, blame yourself for being too naive. Sisterly love, indeed! That was just a farce to deceive you."
A deranged, triumphant smirk appeared on Qin Ruoran's haggard face.
"And dear Brother Luo, did you really think he loved you? He loves me! He was only engaged to you because you're the Holy Maiden of Shenque Palace and you're a rare genius with a Five-Grade Fire Spirit Root capable of both healing and poisoning—a master of Alchemy! Only you could help us refine pills and cultivate spirit roots, aiding our breakthrough!"
"Now that you've accomplished your task, naturally it's time for you to step down. Rest assured," her greedy eyes slowly swept over Qin Yao's body.
"The Soul Refining Formation will only drain your spiritual energy and erase your consciousness. It won't harm your skin or hair. After all, this body of yours, which has absorbed countless heavenly treasures, is even more valuable than divine spirit medicine."
"Why waste so many words on a woman destined to die?" Luo Shaoqing, his dark robe blending with the night, looked at her without any trace of his past affections, his chilly gaze sending shivers down Qin Yao's spine.
So this was how it was... This was how it was...
Qin Yao vomited blood, her chest filled with intense resentment and bitterness.
She wanted to self-destruct and shatter this body, to foil their last ploy. But her spiritual energy had been siphoned off by the array, leaving her nearly depleted, her body crushed until she couldn't even move a finger.
She widened her eyes desperately, fresh blood seeping from her seven orifices like a ghastly apparition from the depths of hell, she screamed with all her remaining strength, "Luo Shaoqing, Qin Rouran, you will not die well..."
As the last trace of spiritual energy disappeared, the array erupted into a dazzling white light. A massive pressure descended from the sky, utterly shattering her consciousness.
Divine Land
"Hey! Stop pretending to be dead!"
A domineering voice echoed in her ears, Qin Yao narrowed her eyebrows, but before she could open her eyes, a whooshing sound was already detected.
On instinct, she stretched out her hand, catching the incoming object and throwing it away strongly.
Bang!
"Third Princess!" Outcries rose in quick succession, "Quickly call a royal physician, the princess has fallen!"
Princess?
Qin Yao was startled, opening her eyes and seeing a royally dressed maiden just a few steps from her, lying face-up to the sky with a crowd gathering around.
Is this...
Before she could ponder further, countless unfamiliar snippets swarmed into her mind.
She was dead, but she has been resurrected in the body of this foolish girl named Chu Ran.
This wasn't Tianying Continent, but a place she had never heard of, called Divine Land. This fool was the legitimate daughter of Jin Country's general's mansion, who just celebrated her coming-of-age this year.
The Divine Continent, just like the celestial plane, is a place where people practice martial arts and harness spiritual energy. Most people here are martial artists who are born with the ability to detect and cultivate spiritual energy, while only a handful of people can't sense any spiritual energy.
The naturally dim-witted host body is one of those few.
She was not just mentally deficient and a waste, but she was also infatuated with the present Crown Prince, and hence, became an object of ridicule and scorn in the royal city.
The noble ladies in the royal city derived great pleasure from organizing banquets and inviting her only to make a fool out of her, treating her like a monkey to entertain them.
Today was another such day...
Amid the chaos, a furious shout rang out in the ear.
"Get out of my sight, all of you!"
The third princess, known as Mu Roshuang, managed to scramble to her feet and pushed away the people around her to stand before Qin Chao.
“How daring of you, you lowly creature! Out of the goodness of my heart, I sent someone to rescue you from the lake, yet you have the audacity to drag me down and cause me to fall! This princess believes you must be tired of living!” She initially intended to kick awake this fool but to her great surprise, she was pulled down instead, bringing her utmost humiliation!
“Didn't I fall into the lake because of the princess?” Qin Chao retorted. Her normally dull and naive eyes were now shimmering with an icy chill.
Would the host have jumped into the lake, disregarding the fact that she couldn't swim, if it weren't for the princess telling her that the jade pendant given by the Crown Prince had fallen into the lake? Wasn’t this why she drowned herself in the lake?
Thinking of that person, Qin Chao’s heart was uncontrollably pounding.
Just the thought of him was enough to send unbearable palpitations through her...
"What a fool." A fool like her past self!
Mu Roshuang felt an unsettling wave of panic under that gaze. However, the fact that Qin Chao was a fool infuriated her further, making her reach for the whip tied to her waist and flogged at Qin Chao.
Qin Yao snapped back to reality, quickly rolling away to dodge.
"You dare to dodge!?" Mu Rushuang, infuriated, infused her spiritual power into her whip.
"Whack!"
"Whack! Whack!"
The whip was as fast as the wind, lashing down repeatedly and piercing the cobblestone path underfoot.
If they fell on the original owner who didn't know any cultivation, it would peel off a layer of skin.
Yet none of the palace maids and invited women on the scene spoke up for her. Instead, they backed away, watching her like they were spectators at a show.
A glint of coldness flashed in Qin Yao's eyes, as he dodged once again. With a thrust of his feet, he dashed towards the group of women.
"Don't come over here, ah!" The whip lashed out, hitting right on a palace maid's chest, causing her to fly out, knocking into several people around her.
Screams and howls echoed everywhere. Qin Yao blended into the scattering crowd, darting in and out, skillfully dodging like a slippery loach, seemingly impossible to hit.
The scene immediately plunged into chaos.
"What are you guys doing!"