Chu Liuxue finally left the mountain.

She was a person with a clear purpose, and this plan had taken shape in her mind many years ago, only lacking the conditions to execute it.

Now the time was ripe, and all she needed was to catch this easterly wind.

She quickly contacted the old subordinates of the former Valley Master, Dou Huai. She was willing to be an obedient pawn, following their arrangements, as long as it allowed her to ascend to the position of Valley Master.

Those old subordinates were naturally overjoyed. They were ambitious but lacked a facade, a name, which was why they had persistently requested Chu Liuxue to return to the valley for so many years.

This first step took five years. During these five years, Chu Liuxue sorted out the various forces within the valley, defeating them one by one. The smaller ones were directly eliminated, while the larger ones were continuously split and dissolved until they became small, and then wiped out in one fell swoop.

Her talent for cultivation was not high, but her mind was clearer and quicker than most, not inferior to her senior brother and senior sister. It didn't take long for her to sort out the various affairs in the valley, and now she aimed to cut off the current Valley Master's path.

The current Valley Master was the one who betrayed Dou Huai, causing his family to be destroyed. Chu Liuxue showed no mercy towards him. On a moonlit night, she led her men and encountered the Valley Master who was out, engaging in a life-and-death battle.

That was the first time Chu Liuxue killed with bloodshot eyes. The cultivation technique Tao Mian taught her, even if not fully comprehended, was an unparalleled immortal technique. Mastering just three to five parts of it was enough to deal with ordinary cultivators.

She captured the Valley Master alive and, looking at the man before her who kept begging for mercy, Chu Liuxue suddenly felt a sense of desolation.

How pathetic, the subordinate her father once trusted so much turned out to be such a cowardly and incompetent mediocrity.

Even so, she had no intention of letting him go.

Chu Liuxue subjected the traitor to a year and three months of torture, day and night, keeping him barely alive, but leaving him with almost nothing but the ability to breathe.

Every time she walked out of the dungeon, half of the edge of her shoes was stained with blood.

Before this, Chu Liuxue had never thought she could be so ruthless and resolute.

After many twists and turns, and several near-death experiences and betrayals by her subordinates, Chu Liuxue finally ascended to the position of Valley Master.

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Standing at the highest point in the hall, looking down at the demons bowing below, she thought that once she completed one more goal, she could return to Peach Blossom Mountain.

Chu Liuxue's second goal was to take revenge on Netherworld Hall, just as Netherworld Hall had once done to Sky's End Valley.

But she wanted to be even more ruthless; she wanted Netherworld Hall to disappear.

When she announced this decision, several subordinates present strongly opposed it.

Netherworld Hall was a powerful force, and Sky's End Valley was no longer what it used to be. If they insisted on a head-on confrontation, they might suffer more losses, and if they weren't careful, they could be directly crushed by Netherworld Hall, never to recover.

This opinion was agreed upon by many subordinates, and Chu Liuxue noticed that even those who didn't speak seemed to agree in their hearts.

She caressed the carved end of the armrest, speaking slowly and calmly, saying that if one year wasn't enough, then two years. If two years weren't enough, then ten years.

If ten years weren't enough, then a hundred years.

They were demons, with long lifespans, they could afford to wait.

If their generation couldn't complete the plan to annex Netherworld Hall, there would be the next generation.

One subordinate stood up on the spot, pointing at Chu Liuxue's nose and calling her crazy.

Chu Liuxue coldly looked back at him and said that without the determination to burn the boats, in a hundred years, it would be Sky's End Valley that would be enslaved.

The subordinates left in silence, and by the next day, the outspoken young man was nowhere to be seen.

Chu Liuxue first made them fully understand her determination.

Compared to the constant turmoil in Sky's End Valley, Netherworld Hall remained relatively calm during these five years.

The old master extended his life with elixirs, while his successor, Tan Fang, followed his master and several branch masters day and night, preparing for his future role.

There were many voices of opposition to this new successor within the hall.

But within five years, those voices mysteriously disappeared. The branch masters who opposed the most either fell seriously ill or died suddenly under mysterious circumstances, each with different causes of death, yet all very suspicious.

However, the old master pretended not to see these things, spending a fortune to appease the kin of the branch masters.

And so, the matter was settled.

The confrontation between Sky's End Valley and Netherworld Hall would inevitably resurface, but for now, it was just the undercurrents before the storm.

Chu Liuxue wanted to kill the old master, Tan Yuan.

Her subordinates advised her, saying Tan Yuan had little time left, and there was no need to go to great lengths to hasten his death.

But Chu Liuxue said that if she didn't personally kill him, everything would be meaningless.

The once young girl declared herself a pawn, successfully deceiving everyone but herself. Unknowingly, she had already grasped power in her hands, knowing that being manipulated would never allow her to truly achieve her unspeakable, crazy decisions.

Just like her desire to kill Tan Yuan.

Her subordinates couldn't persuade her, so they had to follow her in repeatedly revising the plan, step by step, plotting and arranging.

But plans couldn't keep up with changes. The old master, Tan Yuan, who was barely hanging on, unexpectedly died of illness.

Chu Liuxue dismissed everyone, locking herself in her room, seeing no one.

For a full three days.

No one knew what the young Valley Master was thinking during those three days.

They just waited outside the door, not daring to discuss or disturb, only exchanging glances.

Then, on the morning of the fourth day, Chu Liuxue emerged from her room, her expression indifferent.

"Let's go," she said. "Since the plan has changed, let's continue moving forward."

And what was moving forward? The direction of annexing Netherworld Hall hadn't changed.

That meant dealing with the current new master, Tan Fang.

His name was now Tan Fang, but he was once called Sui Yan, and his surname was Chu, given by Chu Liuxue.

These siblings with no blood relation had finally reached this point.

A letter was delivered to the desk of the Valley Master of Sky's End Valley, sent from Netherworld Hall.

The new Master Tan, in the letter, used an intimate tone, as if it wasn't a letter to a sworn enemy, but to a family member.

He didn't say much, first expressing his longing for his sister, then briefly mentioning the killing of Tan Yuan, considering it as avenging his sister.

He asked when Liuxue could join him in returning to Peach Blossom Mountain, saying he missed Shi Fu Little Tao, missed drinking his tea, and watching flowers and the moon with him.

At the end of the letter, he invited Chu Liuxue to visit Netherworld Hall, his words warm and sincere.

Chu Liuxue read the letter from start to finish, then expressionlessly held it to the candle, letting the flames consume the paper.

He acted so well; if she hadn't found out that several assassination attempts were orchestrated by the current new master of Netherworld Hall, she might have believed his sincere words.

But she still decided to attend the banquet.