The sun hung high in the sky above Cloud City, bathing the surrounding nds in warm golden light.

  Birds chirped in the distance, merchants traveled along the road, and the world appeared peaceful.

  Yet several miles outside the city…

  Peace did not exist.

  In front of a rge compound stood Su Qingyun.

  The tall gates dispyed the name Azure Crane Sect, a respectable sect known for its connections with the City Lord of Cloud City.

  Yet Su Qingyun knew the truth.

  Behind this respectable facade hid one of the branches of the Bck Society.

  She slowly inhaled.

  Four years of cultivation… four years of waiting.

  Today, she would finally begin her revenge.

  Behind her, under the shade of a rge tree, Lin Xuan sat on a rock zily watching like a spectator.

  He rested his chin on his hand.

  “Go,” he said casually.

  “Destroy them.”

  Su Qingyun nodded and walked forward.

  Two guards stood watch at the sect entrance.

  Both were Qi Refinement cultivators, low-level disciples responsible for guarding the gate.

  When they noticed Su Qingyun approaching alone, they frowned.

  “Halt!”

  One guard pointed his spear.

  “This is the Azure Crane Sect. State your identity!”

  Su Qingyun did not answer.

  She kept walking.

  The second guard scowled.

  “Did you not hear—”

  Su Qingyun raised her hand.

  BOOM.

  The guard’s body exploded instantly.

  Blood burst into the air like a red mist.

  The remaining guard froze in horror.

  “E-Enemy—!”

  Before he could finish—

  A fsh of sword light.

  His head rolled across the ground.

  The noise immediately attracted attention.

  Several disciples rushed toward the entrance.

  Leading them was a middle-aged man with a stern face.

  His cultivation aura revealed he was a Late Foundation Establishment cultivator.

  He stopped when he saw the broken gate and the corpses of the guards.

  His gaze sharpened.

  “And who might you be?”

  Su Qingyun calmly replied,

  “Someone here for revenge.”

  The man sneered.

  “Just one person?”

  “You dare attack the Azure Crane Sect?”

  He waved his hand.

  “Capture her!”

  Over a dozen disciples charged forward.

  Most of them were Qi Refinement cultivators, with a few in Foundation Establishment Realm.

  But Su Qingyun was a Golden Core cultivator.

  The difference between them was like heaven and earth.

  Her aura erupted.

  A terrifying pressure descended.

  Many of the disciples instantly fell to their knees.

  “What—!”

  Su Qingyun stepped forward.

  Her sword fshed.

  Ssh.

  Three bodies colpsed.

  The middle-aged man’s expression changed drastically.

  “Golden Core?!”

  Before he could react further—

  Su Qingyun appeared in front of him.

  His eyes widened.

  Too fast.

  He attempted to defend himself.

  But Su Qingyun’s sword had already fallen.

  Boom.

  His body exploded into pieces.

  Blood scattered across the courtyard.

  The massacre quickly spread panic throughout the sect.

  “Enemy attack!”

  “Call the elders!”

  Moments ter—

  Two powerful auras erupted from the inner sect.

  Two elders appeared in the courtyard.

  One was an old man with long gray hair.

  Mid Golden Core Realm.

  The other was a middle-aged woman with sharp eyes.

  Early Golden Core Realm.

  They both stared at the blood-soaked courtyard.

  Corpses were everywhere.

  The Mid Golden Core elder’s face darkened.

  “Who dares sughter our disciples in broad daylight?!”

  Su Qingyun stood calmly among the corpses.

  Her sword dripped with blood.

  “I came here,” she said quietly,

  “to destroy the Bck Society.”

  The two elders froze.

  Their eyes narrowed dangerously.

  “You know too much.”

  The Early Golden Core elder said coldly,

  “In that case… you must die.”

  The two elders attacked simultaneously.

  Golden Core spiritual energy exploded.

  The ground cracked beneath their feet.

  But Su Qingyun did not retreat.

  Instead—

  Dark energy gathered around her.

  “Abyssal Sin Devouring Art.”

  A strange vortex formed around her body.

  The elders’ attacks twisted unnaturally.

  Their spiritual techniques were partially absorbed.

  “What kind of technique is this?!” the Early Golden Core elder shouted.

  The battle erupted violently.

  Sword lights cshed.

  Shockwaves shattered walls.

  Within minutes, the Early Golden Core elder was forced backward.

  Her expression was filled with shock.

  “This girl…”

  “…is stronger than us!”

  The Mid Golden Core elder gritted his teeth.

  “Attack together!”

  The bde fshed.

  Ssh.

  The Early Golden Core elder’s body froze.

  Then—

  BOOM.

  Her blood scattered and her body cut into pieces.

  The Mid Golden Core elder’s eyes widened in horror.

  “You—!”

  Before he could finish—

  Su Qingyun appeared in front of him.

  Another sword strike.

  Another explosion.

  Blood scattered across the ruined courtyard.

  The two elders were dead.

  The courtyard of the Azure Crane Sect had turned into a sea of blood.

  Broken walls, shattered stone tiles, and lifeless bodies covered the ground. The smell of iron filled the air as terrified disciples gathered in the distance, staring at the lone woman standing among the corpses.

  Su Qingyun held her sword calmly at her side.

  Blood slowly dripped from the bde.

  The remaining disciples trembled.

  Most of them were only Qi Refinement cultivators, with a few barely reaching Foundation Establishment Realm. Against a Golden Core cultivator, they were nothing more than ants.

  “O–Old Elder… is dead…”

  “Both elders are dead!”

  Fear spread through the crowd like wildfire.

  Some disciples began backing away slowly.

  “Run!”

  Suddenly someone shouted.

  The group scattered in panic, fleeing toward different parts of the sect.

  But Su Qingyun moved.

  Her figure blurred like a shadow.

  The first disciple barely took three steps before a fsh of sword light appeared behind him.

  Ssh.

  His body split in half.

  Another disciple screamed and tried to escape over the courtyard wall.

  Su Qingyun raised her hand.

  A surge of spiritual energy burst forward.

  Boom.

  His body exploded mid-air, blood bursting into the sky like a crimson mist before raining down onto the courtyard.

  Panic filled the entire sect.

  “Monster!”

  “She’s a monster!”

  Several disciples gathered together, trying to unch a desperate attack.

  Fmes, wind bdes, and spiritual arrows flew toward her.

  But Su Qingyun stepped forward without hesitation.

  Dark energy surged around her.

  The attacks shattered before reaching her.

  Her sword moved again.

  Ssh. Ssh. Ssh.

  Three heads fell to the ground.

  Another cultivator colpsed as his chest was pierced through.

  Screams echoed throughout the sect compound.

  Within minutes, the st few disciples were cornered near the ruined gate.

  Their faces were pale with terror.

  “Please… spare us…”

  Su Qingyun looked at them silently.

  Then she remembered Lin Xuan’s words.

  If you spare one criminal… that criminal may murder another innocent person.

  Her eyes became cold.

  The sword fell.

  The final screams echoed briefly—

  Then silence returned to the ruined sect.