"Boom!"
The Golden Core exploded! The unprepared crowd was sent flying in all directions! Though it was merely the self-detonation of a Golden Core stage cultivator, it triggered a sudden upheaval of heaven and earth!
Pain! Heart-wrenching pain!
"Do you have any regrets?"
A soft sigh brushed against her ear, and Jin Bao'er abruptly opened her eyes!
Regrets? How could she not have regrets! The previously vacant pupils suddenly burst with astonishing fury, carrying a world-destroying hatred! For what reason?! Her entire life had been like a tool specially made for Su Xianzhi to exploit—handing over magical treasures, yielding opportunities, taking the blame for others, spending the remaining time fleeing and hiding from assassination... until even her sole Golden Core could only be saved through self-detonation!
Yet why on earth should this be?!
She, a genius blessed with the rare talent of the Pure Ice Category, had been framed to such a miserable degree by the hypocritical, cruel, and selfish Su Xianzhi! Her ten fingers severed, her eyes gouged out, her appearance completely ruined... What towering irony!
"Sign a contract with me. Remember! You must find me again, and reclaim my power!"
The low voice carried a hint of urgency, a faint shimmer flashed by, and Jin Bao'er had no time to ponder at all.
Extreme resentment combined with the agony of her flesh being torn apart and her spiritual roots and Golden Core exploding simultaneously. Crimson blood-tears slowly fell, and she could only muster every ounce of her strength to let out a final, unwilling roar!
"Ah!"
That unwillingness and anger filled heaven and earth! Vaguely, Jin Bao'er felt that the Pearl hanging around her neck was burning hot...
In an instant, the world froze at that exact moment! As if Time had been locked in place, even the formidable power of Immortal Venerable Louyun could not escape it!
The next second, everything in the Cultivation World began to reverse! The smoke of battle rapidly receded...
Waking up once more, a small hand tugged at her sleeve, and a voice spoke with a very shy and bashful demeanor.
"Hello, older sister. My name is Su Xianzhi, from the Bixiao Continent!"
She looked to be about seven or eight years old, with delicate and graceful facial features—clearly a budding beauty. Her gentle and bashful delivery was extremely effective at arousing a desire to protect her!
Jin Bao'er's expression shifted drastically! Her body instantly tensed up. This face! She would never forget it until the day she died! Su Xianzhi! The vile wretch who had engaged in incest with Immortal Venerable Louyun, the ultimate culprit who ruined her entire life!
Murderous intent instantly surged. She spun around to counterattack, yet found herself unable to mobilize a single shred of spiritual power. Her cultivation as a mighty cultivator of the Golden Core stage... was gone? Before she could even process her shock, the familiar surrounding scenery came into view!
The grand hall of the Miaomiao Sect? Why was she here?!
At that moment, a vigorous and deep voice echoed from afar...
"Congratulations to everyone for passing the entrance test! The master-disciple initiation ceremony now officially begins!"
The moment the words fell, Jin Bao'er abruptly raised her head. Her clear, distinct black-and-white eyes looked with sharp vigilance at the various peak masters and the sect master sitting in composure upon the dais! Finally, she fixed her gaze dead on the ordinary-looking, middle-aged man who was the sect master!
Sect Master Xiao Baishan! Seven years after she joined the sect, he would be murdered by the Demon Race—the very event that opened the gates to her living hell!
Because... at that time, she happened to be standing right beside the fallen sect master, holding the natal magical treasure her master had personally chosen for her! Yet it was clearly Su Xianzhi who had called her over there.
The crime of murdering the sect master was firmly pinned upon her, turning her into the greatest sinner of the entire Miaomiao Sect... Yet right now, what was happening?
"Sister, which peak master do you plan to take as your master? I feel a natural affinity with you—can we take the same master?"
The childish, innocent voice sounded beside her. Jin Bao'er instinctively frowned and looked at Su Xianzhi, instantly snapping to realization!
She had been reborn?! Returned to the moment she first entered the sect, the very beginning of all her suffering! Almost instantly, her heart raced violently. Excitement! Trembling! The hands hidden within her sleeves clenched tightly into fists, driving her to the verge of madness!
Was it because of that Pearl? The lingering warmth around her neck proved the existence of that miraculous power just moments ago... She smiled, a sarcastic and chilling smile. She had picked up that Pearl inside a secret realm; because Su Xianzhi had demanded all other treasures under various pretexts, leaving only this Pearl which looked vulgar and useless, she had given it to her.
That voice... seemed to have come from within the Pearl! Who was he? Was he asking her to help him recover his power? Could there be some sealed mighty figure inside the Pearl?
All these changes took place within the span of a few breaths. She raised her head once more, her demeanor abruptly turning fierce, and cast a sarcastic look at the little girl before her.
"I don't recall when my mother gave birth to a younger sister for me. This fellow daoist had better refrain from trying to claim kinship so casually!"
With those words, she turned directly on her heel and walked away. Her transformation into a completely different person instantly drew gasps of amazement from the crowd!
She was not a fool; Su Xianzhi's Qi Fortune was so explosive it defied reason! If she made a move rashly, she would likely be suppressed on the spot by others.
This was the reality she had only understood after being exploited by Su Xianzhi for seven years in her previous life! They had gone through a beast tide together with dangers on all sides, yet Su Xianzhi managed to safely pick up a monster beast cub of the Deity Transformation Stage! They entered a secret realm together, yet Su Xianzhi walked straight into an ancient immortal mansion while the rest of them could only battle monster beasts outside, ending up with nothing more than some ordinary spiritual herbs...
The matter of Qi Fortune aside, at some point, a rumor spread throughout the Cultivation World that a single spiritual root of the Pure Ice Category could make up for the deficiencies of other spiritual roots—as long as it was excised and refined after reaching the grand completion of the Golden Core stage, it would grant a massive surge in cultivation, excelling in both offense and defense! Consequently, the number of people hunting her down across the Cultivation World was countless, and Su Xianzhi was among them!
At this moment, having been rebuffed in such a manner, the smile on Su Xianzhi's face instantly stiffened, followed immediately by an expression of utter bewilderment and grievance—anyone unaware would have thought Jin Bao'er had uttered the most vicious words imaginable.
"Hh, trying to suck up to the top ranker by shamelessly calling her sister, only to find out the other party doesn't buy that act at all, haha!"
A chubby little boy in the crowd happened to overhear their exchange and bluntly chimed in with ridicule, looking at Su Xianzhi with eyes full of disdain. The Cultivation World respected the strong, and Jin Bao'er's top-ranked test results naturally made many people eager to curry favor with her!
It was just that her cold expression kept anyone from daring to approach, yet Su Xianzhi had stuck her neck out to be the first bird...
In the past, Jin Bao'er had been fooled by this exact act, faithfully acting as her devoted protector, only to end up isolated by everyone! And ultimately meeting that wretched fate!
Pulling back her thoughts, Jin Bao'er looked with complex eyes at her own youthful, fair hands. In her mind, she could not help but picture Demon Lord Liyan hacking off all ten of her fingers just to vent Su Xianzhi's anger, thoroughly ensuring she could never hold a sword again!
The connection between fingers and heart was profound indeed—that kind of pain was simply unimaginable! Yet right now, her fingers were completely intact, tender and plump, devoid of calluses and scars...
She then drew a fierce breath! Suppressing the unwillingness in her heart.
To be alive—it felt truly wonderful!
This time, she would definitely change everything, become a true powerhouse, and utterly crush those two vile wretches!
"Immortal Venerable... It's the Immortal Venerable!"
At the same time, the crowd suddenly erupted into commotion. Everyone raised their heads to look at the figure flying across the sky, and the sect master and others on the dais also stood up with looks of astonishment.