Tang Li opened her eyes to find herself cradled in Xue Zhiqing’s arms.
"Master, you're awake? Your disciple deserves death for failing to protect you," Xue Zhiqing said, her eyes red with worry.
Tang Li offered no reply. She simply closed her eyes—until they touched the ground, she would not utter another word.
Xue Zhiqing bit her lip softly, regretting her reckless behavior today. Master had been in seclusion specifically because her Golden Core was damaged, yet she had gone and disturbed her over such a matter.
Looking down at the pale, ethereal face in her arms, she felt a mounting wave of self-reproach.
Disciples had long since spotted them flying erratically through the sky and rushed to report it to the Sect Master and the elders.
Yunyan Sect Master Xue Zhu and several elders were currently deliberating over the accusations that Tang Li had been abusing her disciples. They had heard whispers of such things before, but chose to let them be, mindful that their shared Master had enjoined them to treat her kindly before ascending.
Yet if news of disciple abuse leaked out now through malicious channels, it could spell trouble for the Yunyan Sect.
This year marked the once-in-a-century Grand Mountain Opening ceremony—a prime opportunity for all sects to recruit disciples. If those talented prodigies heard that the Yunyan Sect mistreated its apprentices, none of them would likely come to seek instruction.
Kneeling on the ground in her blood-stained white robes, Du Ruxue was well aware of what they were hesitating over.
Suppressing the vicious emotions in her eyes, she straightened her slight back, playing the part of the resilient, wronged maiden to perfection.
Hearing the disciple's report, the Sect Master and the elders exchanged glances and went out to welcome them.
Du Ruxue also stood up and followed them out of the main hall; since Master had arrived, there was no reason for her, as a disciple, not to step out and greet her.
The group gazed up at the two figures in the sky with varying expressions.
Seeing her Master being held by someone else, Du Ruxue nearly shattered her own teeth, coughing up a pool of fresh blood on the spot.
Elder Lin, who specialized in the healing arts, examined her and found nothing gravely amiss—the vomiting of blood had been brought on by acute rage and agitation.
As they neared the council hall, Xue Zhiqing let out a breath of relief.
Upon landing, she feigned blissful ignorance and made as if to keep holding her Master.
"Qing'er, what is the meaning of this?" Sect Master Xue Zhu asked, looking at them with a puzzled frown.
Tang Li opened her eyes and realized they were back on the ground.
Seeing her awake, Xue Zhiqing suppressed her lingering reluctance and set her down.
Tang Li's legs were still weak, and before she could steady herself, someone caught her.
She pressed a hand to her brow, sweeping her gaze across everyone present.
Most striking of all was the title glowing above the female protagonist's head: [Phoenix Mary Sue / Du Ruxue]
Tang Li felt the female protagonist should really be named Du Ruxue (Blood), given that her eyes were a deep, solid crimson.
She strongly suspected this heroine must be burdened with some bizarre bloodline.
"Junior Sister, how are you feeling? This..." The Sect Master trailed off, hesitant. They had wanted to shield her, but with the evidence laid out—and Du Ruxue threatening that if the Yunyan Sect failed to deliver justice, she still had a backup plan that would surely reduce the sect to ruin—their hands were tied.
Du Ruxue tossed out a Voice-Recording Stone, and two contrasting voices echoed through the silent main hall.
One was Du Ruxue's, sounding desperately pleaded.
The other was Tang Li's, cold and detached.
Whatever dispute they were engaged in, both the phrasing and the logic made it clear this recording was no forgery.
A moment later, Tang Li let out a soft laugh. "Is this your so-called evidence?"
"Voice-Recording Stones can be fabricated, but the Sect Master and the elders have already verified it. The voices recorded within this stone are genuine," Du Ruxue said, her voice clear and unyielding, neither humble nor arrogant.
Tang Li nodded slightly. "Yet the truth of the matter may not be what it seems. I can show you all what truly happened."
A fleeting stiffness crossed Du Ruxue's expression.
"It seems there must be more to this. Let's see what Junior Sister has in mind first," Elder Lin chimed in to smooth things over, knowing that a prolonged standoff would do no good.
The other elders all agreed.
Returning inside the main hall, Tang Li had the Sect Master summon everyone in the sect to serve as witnesses.
Ever since the previous Sect Master's ascension a century ago, the Yunyan Sect had withered in talent, leaving a mere eighty-seven members remaining. That was precisely why they pinned such high hopes on this year's Grand Mountain Opening ceremony to recruit more perceptive disciples.
Everyone gathered together in the main hall.
Tang Li drew a handkerchief from her sleeve, coughed lightly a few times, and said to the Sect Master, "Senior Brother, my spiritual power is running low. Please have everyone hold hands; I will transmit the events of that day directly into your minds."
Puzzled, the elders exchanged glances. They had never heard of any technique capable of transmitting images straight into another person's sea of consciousness.
"Please... hold on tightly. Because my spiritual circulation is somewhat... obstructed," Tang Li said with a slight gasp, putting on a labored expression.
Her frail, delicate beauty instantly stirred everyone's pity, and they hurriedly followed her instructions.
Xue Zhiqing grasped her father's hand with one hand and Du Ruxue's with the other.
Tang Li grabbed Du Ruxue's hand, locking eyes with her face-to-face. Looking into those crimson irises, she felt an inexplicable urge to cry.
Leaning close to Du Ruxue's ear, she whispered, "I am no Master. I am from the twenty-third century, my home is in Yuncheng, and I'm a graduate student at Yuncheng University. I have no idea how I ended up here, and all I want right now is to go home. Did you understand that?"
Having bottled it up for so long, finally voicing those words made Tang Li feel infinitely better.
The others didn't fare quite as well; they toppled over backward in a disorganized heap.
Only the female protagonist remained half-kneeling on the ground, her crimson eyes wide, an unnatural flush spreading across her face.
Tang Li suffered the backlash as well. Fighting off the encroaching wave of dizziness, she pressed the remaining current of electricity from her lips against the heroine's ear, murmuring, "I want to go home, to go home..."
Feeling the warm breath against her ear and the damp touch brushing her auricle, Du Ruxue's heart began to hammer frantically against her ribs until she was finally shocked unconscious.
Tang Li stumbled to her feet, drew a nearby sword, and with swift, practiced strokes, thrust the blade straight into everyone's heart.
Having performed countless experiments on laboratory mice, she naturally knew precisely which spot guaranteed a fatal blow.
Within minutes, she had dispatched every last person—the female protagonist included. The entire grand hall turned into a river of blood.
She raised a hand to wipe away her tears, only to find her sleeve soaked. Shaking the blood from her sleeve, she waited for the passage home to open. She figured that with every single character in this world dead, the anomaly should finally be sent back.
Yet no black hole or white light appeared. Beginning to doubt the reality of this world, she slashed a deep cut across her own wrist. Blood gushed out like a pillar, and at last, she lost consciousness from excessive blood loss.