27: Chapter 27 Heaven is ruthless

Standing on the edge of the cliff in the bone-chilling wind, Liu Mei finally understood her own heart completely.

It turned out that over the long years, during those inadvertent moments spent together,

she had unknowingly fallen deeply in love with that man who had always silently stood by her side—Chen Zilong.

Overwhelming regret and indescribable sorrow instantly drowned her.

Liu Mei felt her vision darken, her heart utterly shattered!

Her long, waterfall-like black hair lost all its ink-like color in an instant, turning as pale and piercing as snow.

She never returned to the Xuantian Sect, which held too many complicated memories. Instead, near this cliff, she personally built a simple wooden hut.

Like a withered flower, she secluded herself here, licking her wounds alone.

During the long centuries that followed, only Chen Zilong's parents—her dearest friends, Ji Fuyao and her husband—would come to visit her.

However, her former head disciple, Ye Xishui, would also occasionally come by.

But Ye Xishui's visits were less about concern and more about showing off.

She would always speak animatedly and with pride, boasting about how exceptional Ye Wushuang was, how his cultivation had advanced by leaps and bounds, and what great fame he had earned.

Her demeanor carried a deliberate sense of superiority; even her exquisite makeup couldn't hide the smugness in her eyes.

Liu Mei paid no heed to any of this, her pale face showing no ripple of emotion.

Her once-sparkling eyes held nothing but deathly stillness. Her only remaining thought for the rest of her life was to guard this place that had buried her beloved.

Until one day, Chen Zilong's mother, her closest friend Ji Fuyao, came to the hut once more.

This time, Ji Fuyao's expression was unprecedentedly grave and indignant.

She revealed a world-shattering truth to Liu Mei:

Chen Zilong had been framed!

All the crimes pinned on Chen Zilong centuries ago were meticulously orchestrated and fabricated by Ye Wushuang in collusion with Tu Shan Xiaoxiao and Ye Xishui!

Ji Fuyao laid out every piece of irrefutable evidence she had collected, one by one, before Liu Mei.

Looking at those glaring proofs, Liu Mei felt as if struck by lightning!

She could hardly believe that her own head disciple, Ye Xishui, and her junior disciple, Tu Shan Xiaoxiao—

those two women she had once placed such high hopes in, whose beauty and grace were unparalleled—would collude with an outsider to frame their own fellow disciple!

After the shock came boundless fury!

Liu Mei's eyes, silent for centuries, instantly ignited with towering flames, roiling with icy killing intent and profound hatred.

She vowed to exact a bloody justice for Chen Zilong!

Cloaked in a murderous aura so thick it felt tangible, her white hair flying, Liu Mei stormed directly into the Xuantian Sect!

Wherever she passed, sword energy crisscrossed, and all who stood in her way paid a heavy price.

By now, Ye Wushuang had long been the exalted Holy Son of the Xuantian Sect.

Holding her longsword, its tip pointed directly at Ye Wushuang within the Holy Son's Hall, Liu Mei's voice trembled slightly with extreme rage:

"Why? Tell me, why did you do this?!"

The fury blazing in her eyes almost seemed capable of reducing the man before her to ashes.

Yet Ye Wushuang, clad in luxurious Holy Son robes, merely stood high in the hall, looking down at her.

With an almost cruel calmness on his face, he uttered a few faint words:

"I simply didn't like the look of him."

He even produced a Memory Stone with a hint of mockery.

The recording clearly showed how he had brutally tortured Chen Zilong, who had been reduced to a cripple—inhumane abuse that lasted a full seven days and nights!

Even more appalling was that in the recording, the two peerlessly beautiful women, Ye Xishui and Tu Shan Xiaoxiao, stood right beside him.

Not only did their faces show no pity, but they also wore expressions of appreciation and excitement, occasionally clapping and cheering!

In the recording, Ye Xishui smiled charmingly, while Tu Shan Xiaoxiao's eyes shimmered.

The scene was breathtakingly beautiful, yet so vile it was nauseating.

At that moment, the real Ye Xishui and Tu Shan Xiaoxiao outside the recording also spoke. Smiling sweetly at Liu Mei, their words were laced with temptation:

"Master, come back! Wouldn't it be delightful to serve the Holy Son together with us?"

Their smiles remained beautiful, yet carried a chilling sycophancy.

Liu Mei felt a wave of intense nausea surge up her throat!

Her brows furrowed sharply. Without any further hesitation,

she raised her sword and thrust forward, swearing to kill Ye Wushuang on the spot and avenge Chen Zilong!

However, the Sect Master of the Xuantian Sect, Li Xuan, intervened at the critical moment, effortlessly blocking Liu Mei's attack.

His tone was indifferent, carrying a condescending persuasion:

"Senior Sister Liu Mei, Chen Zilong has been dead for centuries. The dead cannot return to life, so why cling to this so stubbornly? Why not return to the Xuantian Sect?"

He stood with his hands behind his back, the very picture of an immortal sage.

Liu Mei's heart was already filled with hatred and fury; how could she listen to such hypocritical words?

Her eyes saw only her enemies. Immediately, she raised her sword and fought again, heedless of everything!

Unfortunately, during the centuries she had lived in seclusion nursing her heartbreak, her cultivation had stagnated, making no progress whatsoever.

Though her ferocity allowed her to slay many Xuantian Sect disciples, she was ultimately outnumbered. Gradually, her strength waned, and she seemed on the verge of dying right then and there.

At the critical moment, Ji Fuyao descended like a divine soldier, desperately rescuing the severely wounded Liu Mei and taking her away from the Xuantian Sect.

Afterward, Liu Mei stayed with the Chen family, cultivating bitterly.

Her sole belief and goal for the rest of her life was revenge!

Revenge for Chen Zilong!

Alas, fate played a cruel trick.

In the end, Ye Wushuang, now at the height of his power, led the main force of the Xuantian Sect and, allied with the Ye Family and the Qingqiu Fox Clan, annihilated the entire Chen Family with thunderous force.

Facing this hopeless situation, the severely wounded and dying Liu Mei chose the most tragic method—self-detonation.

She ended her sorrowful life, dying without ever having slain her enemy.

Yet, after death, Liu Mei miraculously retained a wisp of remnant soul. Like an invisible ghost, she remained attached to Ye Wushuang.

From then on, for everything Ye Wushuang did, every secret realm he ventured into, Liu Mei watched silently like a cold observer.

She saw clearly: Ye Wushuang was a demon through and through!

His habitual method was:

to create or attract immense trouble, then immediately slip away, leaving others to desperately resolve it.

After others paid a great price to settle it, he would 'just happen' to return at the perfect moment.

Assuming a leader's posture, he would utter a few words like 'well done.'

Then he would brazenly reap all the praise and benefits, as if the credit belonged solely to him.

His hypocritical conduct sent chills through Liu Mei's remnant soul.

However, Liu Mei also 'saw' the consequences Ye Xishui and Tu Shan Xiaoxiao reaped.

Because Ye Wushuang acted recklessly, he offended a truly great power in the Immortal Realm, causing that mighty being to unleash thunderous wrath. With a single palm strike, he completely obliterated the Ye Family and the Qingqiu Fox Clan.

At that time, Ye Wushuang was busy pursuing the Holy Maiden of the Hehuan Sect, An Miaoyi.

Upon learning that the Ye Family and the Qingqiu Fox Clan were about to face calamity, he unhesitatingly severed all ties with Ye Xishui and Tu Shan Xiaoxiao, coldly abandoning them.

In the end, these two women, once peerlessly beautiful and infinitely glorious, met with ruin and a miserable demise.

Liu Mei's remnant soul 'watched' as Ye Wushuang slaughtered his way from the Mortal Realm up to the Immortal Realm.

Every 'success' he achieved was invariably paved with the piled corpses of others, relying on despicable means like exploitation, framing, deception, and betrayal.

Yet, it was precisely such a person, rotten to the core, who advanced triumphantly all the way, achieving the rank of Immortal Emperor, and even ultimately surpassing it to become a legendary Sage!

Witnessing all this, Liu Mei's remaining consciousness felt waves of absurdity and fragmentation.

We cultivators, seeking the Dao throughout our lives, enduring countless hardships in pursuit of immortality—for what ultimate purpose?

Is it merely to serve as stepping stones for this despicable, shameless child of destiny?

The Heavens are heartless, but are they also blind?

Liu Mei's remnant soul seethed with intense resentment and fury!

When Liu Mei suddenly awoke, she found herself drenched in fragrant sweat, tears streaming uncontrollably like a breached dam down her pale, beautiful cheeks.

Everything she had experienced, everything she had 'foreseen' in the dream, was imprinted so clearly and so vividly in the depths of her soul, telling her with immense intensity:

This was no ordinary illusion; it was most likely fragments of memory from the future!

A powerful sense of crisis and protectiveness instantly filled her heart.

Liu Mei sat up, clutching the corner of the quilt tightly, her fingertips turning white from the force. An unprecedented light of determination flashed in her eyes.

Silently, with utmost clarity, she told herself:

She must do something!

No matter what, she must at least ensure that her beloved Chen Zilong...

survives!