Amidst the rubble of what had been, less than an hour ago, the palace of the youngest son of the Fire Emperor, surrounded by thick roots on which the blood of the hundreds of people whose lives they had taken had not yet dried, a young woman, whose extraordinary beauty could make you overlook the pool of blood forming at her feet, sat on an enormous throne made of vines and corpses and she gazed without a trace of fear in the direction from which a gigantic phoenix made of fire came flying, leaving everything in its wake transformed into ashes.
"Yu Fengying, this is where it ends for you! The moment my father arrives, even if you kneel and swear to be my slave for eternity, you won't be able to save your life!", the youngest son of the Fire Emperor, lying on the ground before the throne, his body penetrated by roots from all directions, arrogantly spoke to the woman on the throne, forgetting that just five minutes earlier, he had been sobbing and begging for her forgiveness, swearing on everything he held dear that he would never wrong her again.
Looking at the fool at her feet, who had forgotten the dire situation he was in and already saw himself as the victor, Yu Fengying had to exert effort not to kill him right then and there, as she wanted to ensure that the Fire Emperor would have the opportunity to see from the front row how she would take the life of his precious son, wanting this image to haunt him forever.
"No need to contemplate what will happen to me, as I will make sure you won't live much longer by the time your father arrives. Yes, that's right! These were your final words..." Yu Fengying told the young man before her, who had begun to struggle desperately as a root entered his mouth and advanced into his stomach, his eyes full with the horror provoked by this death sentence, fully aware that the woman before him had never bluffed.
Seeing the young man before her writhing in terror, Yu Fengying was filled with satisfaction that she could at least punish one of those who had wronged her with her own hands.
'It's a shame I don't have enough time to make him endure all that I had in mind. Anyway, even if I had ten years, it probably wouldn't be enough...' Yu Fengying thought as she redirected her attention back to the direction from which the Fire Emperor was approaching.
Yu Fengying didn't have to wait much longer, as in less than two minutes, the massive fire phoenix had nearly arrived, the immense heat radiating from it being an indication of the level of fury the Fire Emperor had reached.
Seeing his son's predicament, the Fire Emperor accelerated at maximum speed, the flames surrounding him losing their majestic form of a phoenix and transforming into an even hotter and more radiant blaze than the surface of a star.
"Yu Fengying, if you..."
"Splash!"
Unfortunately for the Fire Emperor, Yu Fengying had no intention of listening to what he had to say, and with a gesture of her hand, she caused thousands of sharp spikes to emerge from the roots that had sealed his son, piercing his body and ending his life in the most painful way possible.
Throughout his life, spanning over ten thousand years, the Fire Emperor had never felt such rage. The death of his son and the disrespect shown by his killer drove him to the brink of madness, causing him to unleash all the power at his disposal as if he wished to engulf the entire world in flames, turning even the oceans into ashes.
"Boom!"
Unfortunately for him, even though the surrounding ruins had been incinerated to nothingness, the woman before him remained unmoved on her throne, as millions of roots and vines continuously emerged from the ground to block the flames that sought to devour her body and soul, erasing her from existence forever.
"Huh, how is this even possible? You shouldn't be able to withstand my attack for even a second. No, I can't believe it. Don't tell me you've entered the Mahayana Realm?" the Fire Emperor asked the woman in front of him, who had finally risen to her feet.
"It seems you've finally grasped the situation. I was starting to think that not only your mind but your vision had been impaired by the passage of years...", Yu Fengying replied, attempting to further provoke her adversary.
Being likened to a mortal at the mercy of time's passage, the Fire Emperor was about to launch another attack on Yu Fengying with all his might, because, despite the fact that he enjoyed the respect the world offered him due to the power he had accumulated throughout his life, he disliked being reminded that he was no longer young, as he was aware that his vitality and courage were not at the same level as when he began his journey toward immortality, when he was prepared to undergo hundreds of years of battles. Yes, he would have liked to turn her into ashes, just as he had done with thousands of adversaries he had encountered in battle. However, the fact that she was now in the same cultivation realm as him made him exercise restraint to better assess the situation because one mistake could endanger his life.
"Yu Fengying, are you aware of what you've done? Do you think your father will agree with you breaking the armistice that he and I signed a week ago? Do you realize that from now on, there will be no chance for peace unless you pay with your life for the crimes committed?" the Fire Emperor asked Yu Fengying, as if justice were on his side and she were just a criminal jeopardizing the future of millions.
"What have I done so grave? I merely killed a wretched dog, and now I'll do the same with his dog father!" Yu Fengying said as she approached a few meters closer to the Fire Emperor, stepping on the remains of flesh that once belonged to his son's body. "Furthermore, do you think my father isn't aware of what I've done? Who do you think sent me here? Who do you think came up with the idea for me to feign that my cultivation is sealed? Yes, that was his plan from the start! Do you believe the Lightning Emperor is foolish enough to let go of his general who has brought him so many victories? Yes, it was all just a lie to help me bypass all your defense methods and attack you unprepared!" she continued to provoke the Fire Emperor, aware that her time was almost up and that she would likely lose her life in less than 5 minutes.
"You're courting death!"
After delivering this line characteristic of all elderly and arrogant cultivators, the Fire Emperor began to gather all his available qi to create an even more powerful attack than his previous one, even if it meant destabilizing his cultivation foundation and hindering his path to Ascension.
"Do you think that by entering the Mahayana Realm, you can compare yourself to me? Do you truly believe you stand a chance at victory? Haha, you're gravely mistaken! You won't have any chance of escaping alive after my next attack. And once you're dead, I'll make sure your entire family meets the same fate as you! Disappear!" shouted the Fire Emperor, as a tornado of blue fire formed around him, incinerating everything in its path over a distance of about 10 kilometers, including the ground beneath his feet, creating a massive crater deeper than any sea.
'I think this might be my finale...' thought Yu Fengying, seeing that her defense was nearly destroyed by the Fire Emperor's attack, who had surrendered to his fury and abandoned all caution in an attempt to surpass his limits and ensure his victory.
Although Yu Fengying didn't want to lose her life, she knew this was the only way she could seek revenge on both her enemies and her family members who had betrayed her, sending her to her adversaries in exchange for peace. She was aware that once she destroyed the seal her father had placed on her cultivation, she wouldn't have more than two hours to live, but she did it without hesitation.
'As long as their plans are ruined, I can die content. I won't accept everyone being happy while I'm the only one suffering from the aftermath of the peace agreement. Yes, I might die, but after insulting the Fire Emperor so severely, I doubt there will be any talk of peace between him and my father. At best, they might end up killing each other...'
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Feeling her dantian becoming increasingly unstable, Yu Fengying knew her time had run out, but since she didn't want to give the Fire Emperor the satisfaction of killing her with his own hands and escaping this battle unscathed, she intended to end her life in a massive explosion, akin to the thousands of stars that explode in unknown parts of the infinite universe every moment.
After minimizing her defenses, allowing some of the blue flames to steal patches of her skin, and unleashing the chaotic qi from her dantian that she had struggled so hard to control until then, Yu Fengying closed her eyes, trying to remember all the happy moments from the 323 years she had lived in that world, which she hadn't had enough time to explore thoroughly.
'It seems the happy moments were so few that I can recall them in less than 5 seconds. Anyway, it doesn't matter. Their number won't hold any value after I'm gone... Huh, it seems it's ready, it's time to...'
"Booooommm!!!"
Unfortunately, Yu Fengying couldn't complete her thought because her dantian suddenly exploded, releasing an immense amount of energy, the shockwave from the explosion destroying everything within a distance of 100 kilometers and was felt even 10,000 kilometers away. Yes, this was the end of Yu Fengying. A colossal explosion that even made the Fire Emperor experience the sensation of being burned.
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"Hot, it's really hot..." Zhang Mei, one of the three girls who had come out together from Linghua High School, the school for wealthy children in the city of Liyuan, exclaimed as they stepped directly into the scorching afternoon sun, and she tried to fan herself with a hand adorned with well-groomed nails more suitable for a model than a senior high school student. "Liu Zihan, would you like to come with us to the mall? I heard that a new Italian ice cream shop opened last week, with fantastic reviews. Both Hu Ning and I were thinking of going today to see if the ice cream is as good as the influencers who visited the shop praised it to be. Also, the new summer collection by Jwin brand was released this week, so it's possible that the mall stores already have the clothes in stock. What do you say, want to go? Please? Please?" she continued, addressing the stunning ash blonde-haired girl standing amongst them. However, the latter seemed inattentive, gazing towards the school entrance, where a girl limping slightly and with half her face covered by her long, black hair had just exited.
"Hey, Liu Zihan, what are you thinking about?" Zhang Mei asked, noticing she wasn't getting any response. "Huh, isn't that your half-sister? Does she still have the nerve to come to school after all the rumors that have been circulating about her? How about we wait to greet her?" she suggested, having looked in the same direction as Liu Zihan and spotting the gloomy-looking girl trailing behind them.
Liu Zihan didn't say yes or no, but Zhang Mei, aware of the conflict between Liu Zihan and her half-sister, thought it might be a good idea to try to get revenge on behalf of her much wealthier friend because Liu Zihan might reward her after they arrived at the mall if she did a good job. Thus, when the limping girl reached them, Zhang Mei stepped in her way and began to berate her, attracting the attention of all the students around.
"Liu Fengying, do you still dare to show your face? Do you want every student in this school to have their reputation tarnished because they're classmates with you, a slut who sells her body for money?" Zhang Mei told the girl she had halted, looking at her with disdain.
"What are you talking about? Aren't you confusing me with your mother? As far as I remember, she's the one who married an 80-year-old man last month..." Liu Fengying calmly retorted, looking at the heavily made-up girl in front of her as if at a clown who'd been hit on the head and had lost touch with reality.
"You! How dare you?" Zhang Mei shouted in anger and then hurled the mineral water bottle she was holding towards Liu Fengying, who was about three meters away from her.
Despite Liu Fengying's injured knee, she managed to swiftly bend to avoid the attack, and the water bottle flew over her and struck a janitor who was changing the garbage bag at a nearby dumpster.
"It would be wise to calm down and stop throwing objects at people like a monkey playing with feces. Who knows, you might accidentally hit your father..." Liu Fengyin scolded her, making a reference to the fact that Zhang Mei had never found out who her real father was, because Zhang Mei's mother, who had given birth to her when she was very young and had just entered the world of entertainment, had only told her that her father was a handsome sailor who had disappeared in a shipwreck, this fact being known to everyone, as Zhang Mei herself used to boast about it in her childhood when she hadn't yet realized the absurdity of the story.
Although Zhang Mei was aware that everyone knew about these things, she couldn't bear to have someone say them directly to her face. Consumed by rage, she rushed towards Liu Fengying with outstretched hands, screaming like a banshee, intending to grab her by the throat and strangle her.
Liu Fengying, who didn't expect Zhang Mei to lose control and attack her in front of everyone, had to swiftly sidestep. However, due to her injured knee, she lost balance and fell, hitting her head forcefully against a curb.
Seeing blood start to flow from Liu Fengying's head and her not getting up, Zhang Mei realized the gravity of her actions and began to panic.
"I, I didn't mean to. She fell on her own... It's not my fault...", she stammered, not knowing how to hide from the eyes of the other students who had stopped to watch the spectacle.
"Move aside!" Liu Zihan shouted at her, rushing over in a panicked state to assess her sister's condition, worried about the worst.
Seeing the pool of blood forming around her sister's head, she immediately bent down to lift her up and take her to the school's medical office. However, just as her hand was about to make contact with her sister's body, Liu Fengying suddenly opened her eyes, her cold gaze freezing her in place.
"Don't touch me. I don't need your help..." Liu Fengying told her sister, noticing that she wasn't willing to move to let her get up.
"Are you okay? Do you want me to help you get to the medical office?" Liu Zihan managed to say eventually, stepping back about a meter to provide the space needed for her sister to stand up.
"No need. You've done enough already..." Liu Fengying replied, who then got up with difficulty and started limping towards the high school's medical office, paying no attention to the bystanders who were staring with their mouths agape and to the trail of blood she left behind because, even if her expression only showed indifference, a storm was raging in her mind, growing in intensity, making her oblivious to her surroundings.
Liu Fengying, whose mind started to be invaded the moment she hit her head by memories of a life spanning over 300 years, felt how a battle for supremacy was unfolding between her current personality and the one she had in her previous life, as they began to merge. Although initially her old personality had the upper hand, being shaped by much more significant events and having a more complex view of life, due to the fact that her current personality was based on more recent memories that were specific to the world she now lived in, and was much more familiar with her current body, it managed not to be assimilated and counterattacked in turn. Thus, their fusion reached an impasse, where neither of them could take control.
'Damn it, we're the same person! Why do things have to be so complicated? I am me, regardless of the world I'm born into, regardless of the moments I will experience!', Liu Fengying shouted in her mind, feeling that if things continued in the same way, she would eventually go crazy.
Stopping in her tracks and closing her eyes, Liu Fengying began to clear her mind and focus on what lay beyond memories, beyond personality traits influenced by the external environment, and beyond instincts that belong to any living being, attempting to connect with her spiritual essence, as that was the common element in both her lives and the only thing with the necessary influence to make peace between her personalities, which, though similar, were unwilling to compromise and were rejecting each other.
Fortunately, memories from her previous life contained enough meditation techniques for exploring and strengthening the soul, so Liu Fengying did not find this process too challenging, and in less than a minute, she managed to halt the storm in her mind and let her spiritual essence control the fusion of her personalities in such a way as to select the best parts from each – wisdom and combat experience from her previous life, vitality and a never-give-up attitude from her current life – or combine some of the traits she didn't want to let go of, like her desire for revenge against those who wronged her.
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"Umm, are you okay? Should I go get the doctor?" a girl who seemed to be in the first year and was passing down the hallway leading to the medical room asked Liu Fengying, who was standing still like a statue, her hair matted with dried blood.
Opening her deep black eyes with a faint trace of purple in them and seeing the concerned girl in front of her, Liu Fengying confirmed that she was okay and thanked her for her concern. She then continued on her way to the medical room to have her wound cleaned and to take a two-week medical leave, because she wanted enough time to get her things in order.
'Yes, I feel great! I've never felt better...' Liu Fengying thought, aware that the opportunity she had been given was an extraordinary thing she had never dared to hope for, neither when her previous life ended nor in this life where she felt she couldn't do anything right.