The Cold, Aloof Senior Sister Deserves To Be Paired With A Peerless Beauty - Chapter 1

“Has she died today?”

Abundant immortal power was condensed into a single point, revealing intricate and obscure incantations that emitted a faint, cold light. Finally, they formed an array, a killing formation so powerful and terrifying that any onlooker would instinctively shun it.

At the center of this array sat a solitary figure.

She was tall and lean, dressed in plain white robes that had long been soaked in blood. She looked so battered and broken that her original appearance was barely recognizable.

Kneeling on both knees, the blood flowing from her body formed a viscous pool beneath her. Massive blood loss had turned her face as pale as paper, and her body trembled slightly, yet she refused to let her back bow.

Even in this state of utter ruin, she maintained an unyielding pride. The blood-stained clothes draped over her like a defiant, fluttering red banner, lending a touch of vivid color to her cold, elegant features.

Chi Li raised her eyes. Her beautiful peach-blossom eyes were now bloodshot, filled with a hatred so intense it seemed she wished to tear someone into a thousand pieces. Her gaze fell directly upon a figure hiding within the crowd.

The person she stared at trembled. Chi Li’s hatred seemed to pierce through the crowd and the air itself, crashing into her like a heavy stone. In an instant, guilt and self-reproach flooded the woman’s eyes.

“Senior Sister…”

The woman murmured to herself, her vision of the distant figure blurring with tears. She failed to notice that the focus of Chi Li’s hatred was not actually fixed on her.

Immortal Venerable Yilin stood at the front of the crowd, possessed of jade-like bones and a celestial air. Her indifferent expression made her look like a god looking down upon the mortal realm, mercifully yet coldly passing judgment on all.

Standing beside the Immortal Venerable was Mo Fan, the youngest junior brother of the sect. His face, which was passably handsome, was filled with arrogance and triumph. As he stared at the figure in the array, a spark of impatient excitement flickered in his eyes.

“Senior Sister!”

Mu Zhi, who was being held back by the crowd, spoke with a sob in her voice. The moment she broke free, she rushed forward desperately.

Mu Zhi was Chi Li’s most beloved junior sister. They usually spent a great deal of time together, and their bond was deeper than that of others, so deep that Mu Zhi refused to believe the baseless crimes others had pinned on Chi Li.

But before Mu Zhi could get close, she was stopped by Immortal Venerable Yilin’s raised hand.

Deep within Yilin’s eyes was a chilling frost. She glanced at Mu Zhi, her voice carrying an inherent divine pressure.

“Mu Zhi, do not be willful.”

Hearing this, Mu Zhi’s face turned deathly pale, but she did not give up. Seeing Chi Li covered in wounds, she could only plead in heartbroken desperation.

“Master, that is our Eldest Senior Sister…”

Before Mu Zhi could finish, Immortal Venerable Yilin interrupted her. Her tone was indifferent, showing no intention of leniency.

“Since she is the Eldest Senior Sister, she should know her faults all the more.”

Yilin’s voice was neither loud nor soft, yet it reached the ears of everyone present with a staggering sense of oppression.

As Mu Zhi tried to speak again, Mo Fan, standing to the side, retracted his triumphant expression. He quickly put on a look of feigned difficulty and pretended to plead for mercy, though his words were designed to ensure everyone knew of Chi Li’s “crimes.”

“Master, even if Eldest Senior Sister conspired with the demons, she must have had a reason.”

Mu Zhi’s brow furrowed deeply. Through her tears, her voice rang out clearly in defense.

“She didn’t! You’re lying!”

But because the matter had already been “decided,” Mu Zhi’s words felt tragically hollow.

Realizing this, Mu Zhi felt the weight of the crowd’s stares like needles against her back. She did not regret helping Chi Li; rather, she felt a profound sense of powerlessness and disappointment toward everyone else.

Under the gaze of the crowd, Mu Zhi dropped to her knees. Her voice carried a hint of reckless desperation.

“Master, I will give you anything you want. I only beg of you, please let Eldest Senior Sister go…”

Immortal Venerable Yilin’s eyes narrowed as she looked down at Mu Zhi. She seemed displeased, her voice carrying the natural authority of one who does not need to get angry to be feared.

“Mu Zhi, cease this nonsense. Do not defend a criminal.”

With that, Yilin’s gaze returned to the stubborn figure within the array.

Chi Li felt the gaze. She looked back without a hint of fear, her pride as prominent as ever.

Seeing Chi Li so defiant, a strange, unbidden sense of pride stirred in Yilin’s heart. Deep within those indifferent eyes, there was a flash of softness, but it vanished in an instant, as if it had never been there.

Immortal Venerable Yilin raised her voice, her questions sounding like a funeral oration.

“A reason? What ‘reason’ justifies her leading the demon race to slaughter one thousand, nine hundred and ten cultivators of my immortal sect?!”

Upon hearing Yilin’s words, the gathered cultivators from various clans were instantly whipped into a frenzy of rage.

Mu Zhi’s further defenses died in her throat. No matter how much she believed in Chi Li, she could not move the masses. She could only look at the figure in the array with helpless confusion.

Suddenly, Mu Zhi felt a sharp pain in her neck. Her vision went black, and as she collapsed, she was carried away from the scene.

Immortal Venerable Yilin knew well the bond between Mu Zhi and Chi Li, so she had silently permitted Mo Fan’s action to knock her out.

However, in the distance, Chi Yu’s pupils shrank at the sight. Seeing the unconscious Mu Zhi, a surge of murderous intent flickered in her eyes, and the surrounding spiritual energy began to fluctuate violently.

At that moment, Immortal Venerable Yilin stepped forward slowly. A shadow fell over Chi Li.

Chi Li curled her lips into a mocking smile. She raised her eyes to look at the newcomer, listening to the high-and-mighty judgment being passed upon her.

“Chi Li, do you admit your guilt?”

Chi Li swallowed the metallic taste of blood in her throat. The smile on her face became even more sarcastic, and a fierce ruthlessness seeped into her eyes. She spoke coldly.

“Master, years ago, you once told me: ‘Seeing is not necessarily believing.'”

That year, when Chi Li had first entered the immortal sect and was framed by others, Immortal Venerable Yilin had stood before her and said those very words to her accusers.

Recalling the past, Chi Li’s gaze became increasingly questioning, she was almost doubting if the person before her had been possessed.

As the Chief Eldest Senior Sister, even while suppressed by the array, her aura did not diminish. Her chaotic spiritual power caused the air to tremble, and the sharp wind whistled through the distant leaves as if wailing for her.

Hearing Chi Li’s words, Yilin seemed provoked for some reason. she shouted harshly:

“Rebellious disciple!”

Despite the immense pressure, Chi Li forced herself to stand up. Even as blood spilled uncontrollably from the corner of her mouth, the sharpness in her eyes remained. Her presence was equal to her Master’s as she raised her voice to ensure every word reached the crowd.

“Master, I am the Chief Eldest Senior Sister of the Cangqing Sect, your personal disciple. I have cultivated the Dao for over three hundred years, stayed by your side for three hundred years, and am the most gifted disciple in the entire sect.”

“It is one thing for you not to believe me. But you claim I conspired with the demons, did you see it with your own eyes?!”

Stunned by Chi Li’s aggressive questioning, Immortal Venerable Yilin was speechless for a moment. Then, she heard Chi Li continue in a tone of biting mockery.

“Correct, you didn’t see it.”

“In the mortal realm, sentencing requires an investigation and a trial. Yet today, you have seen nothing, condemning me based solely on the word of a single person.”

Immortal Venerable Yilin’s expression grew several degrees colder upon hearing this.

Chi Li’s gaze was dark and heavy. She pointed a blood-stained hand directly at the triumphant figure in the crowd and spoke.

“He says he saw it? It’s him again, it is always him. Master, do you truly believe what he says is the truth?”

As Chi Li spoke, her brow furrowed deeply; she was clearly reaching her limit. Yet, she maintained her icy stare at Immortal Venerable Yilin and spoke once more.

“Ever since you brought him back, a man of mediocre talent, why have you been so biased at every turn? Don’t you find it ridiculous to firmly believe his word now?”

Yilin’s favoritism was obvious to everyone. Yet, the beneficiary of that bias claimed he had reached his current level through nothing but his own hard work.

A flash of confusion crossed Immortal Venerable Yilin’s face, as if even she didn’t fully understand what she was doing.

However, her cold indifference returned almost instantly, as if the previous expression had been a mere trick of the light. She said coldly:

“How could Mo Fan possibly lie?”

Hearing this affirmation from the Immortal Venerable, Mo Fan’s expression grew even more arrogant, his gaze toward Chi Li becoming overtly provocative.

Chi Li could no longer support herself and collapsed to her knees. A low, hoarse laugh escaped her throat, sounding like a vengeful spirit crawling out of the abyss, chilling all who heard it.

When the laughter finally died down, Chi Li raised her eyes again. Her gaze was like a sharp blade, appearing ready to cut someone open.

“Master, you don’t know, do you? He has been spinning a web of lies from the very beginning. Not a single word out of his mouth is true.”

Immortal Venerable Yilin’s expression froze for a second. It wasn’t anger at Chi Li’s slander; rather, it was a subconscious moment of agreement.

At that moment, Mo Fan stepped forward. As if possessed by an evil spell, Immortal Venerable Yilin released an overwhelming pressure that made it difficult for anyone to breathe. It forced Chi Li’s bent back to snap straight, making her feel as though her internal organs were being torn apart.

Through a thunderous ringing in her ears, Chi Li heard a voice of absolute indifference.

“Activate the array.”

“Extract the Spiritual Root.”

Chi Li’s blood-blurred eyes reflected their frantic, wild expressions, and she felt a wave of nausea rise in her stomach.

She laughed hoarsely, speaking with every ounce of strength she had left.

“Master, why don’t you ask yourself… why exactly did you pick up a beggar with such mediocre talent?”

“You felt he was pitiful? But Master, is there any stray dog on the street that isn’t pitiful?!”

Her voice was amplified by her internal, rioting spiritual energy, causing a booming sound to echo in the ears of everyone present.

Hearing this, Mo Fan’s face turned deathly pale, a flash of guilt flickering in his eyes.

Immortal Venerable Yilin turned her head and looked down at him. The sudden doubt in her gaze caused him to panic for a moment.

Facing the immense pressure, Mo Fan forced himself to remain calm. His hand instinctively brushed against his natal sword, the one he had recently snatched. Its cold touch gave him a bit of peace.

Mo Fan forced a smile and spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

“Master, you said you would give me a new Spiritual Root.”

At his words, Yilin’s gaze shifted from him back to the half-dead Chi Li within the array.

Chi Li saw a figure rush toward her. She saw her own Spiritual Root being ripped out of her body.

Why bother extracting the Spiritual Root just to kill her?

Clearly, someone needed it.

Then, Chi Li watched with her own eyes as her Spiritual Root was handed over to the mediocre Mo Fan.

Chi Li struggled to pull her lips into a cold sneer. All these years, hadn’t this man simply been lacking this one root that didn’t belong to him?

Stealing another’s Spiritual Root was a great taboo in the cultivation world. However, because she had been branded a collaborator with demons, it seemed no one questioned the morality of him taking it.

Only by obtaining her Spiritual Root could he shatter everyone’s doubts.

But it was her root. None of this should have belonged to Mo Fan, yet in the end, it was as if an invisible hand was pushing everyone to hand over their best possessions to him.

To be so blatantly favored by the Heavens (the Heavenly Dao) was inherently unfair to everyone else.

The cold sneer on Chi Li’s lips turned into self-mockery. She mocked herself for cultivating all these years, only to end up providing the “wedding dress” for someone else.

Had she known it would end like this, she would have destroyed it long ago.

At this thought, blood welled up in her throat. After spitting out a mouthful of gore, her consciousness began to fade.

When the pain finally vanished and Chi Li opened her eyes again, she found herself in a vast, endless expanse of white.

In this boundless white, Chi Li’s figure stood alone, appearing incredibly lonely.

The wounds on her body had disappeared, making everything feel like it had been nothing more than a vivid nightmare.

Suddenly, many black dots drifted through the endless white. They swirled around Chi Li until they surrounded her completely.

The strangeness of the situation made Chi Li instantly alert. A murderous intent flashed in her eyes, but when she tried to summon her natal sword, she realized she didn’t have a single drop of spiritual energy left.

This stunned her. she looked at her hands in disbelief.

Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through her head. The scenes from the moments before her death rushed back like a tide, finally freezing on that arrogant face that had received her Spiritual Root.

She was dead…

Then where was she now?

Chi Li’s bewildered gaze fell upon the characters surrounding her. She looked closely and realized they were lines of strange, unfamiliar handwriting.