Yun Xi's tone was sharp and merciless. "You'd better shut your mouth. Say one more word and I'll slap you. Let's see which moves faster, your tongue or my hand."
A faint red gleam flashed across Wei Yunqing's eyes, so quick it could have been mistaken for the reflection of neon signs. But Yun Xi caught it at once.
Without hesitation, she seized Wei Yunqing's wrist, dragged her back into her own apartment, and flung her onto the sofa. Her expression was cold as ice.
"Alright. Whatever you came to scream about in front of my company, spit it out here."
Wei Yunqing's face twisted with disbelief as she shouted, "Yun Xi, how could you become like this?"
Yun Xi flicked a finger in her ear. "Like what? I've always been like this. Stop pretending to be some innocent white lotus in front of me. I'm not buying it. Speak plainly if you've got something to say."
"Sheng Yuhong is clearly your boyfriend! Why won't you admit it?"
"Cut it. He has nothing to do with me. I was nothing more than the fool caught between you two, wasn't I?"
Wei Yunqing froze, then stammered, "No, that's not true! I always thought of him as a brother-in-law!"
Yun Xi sneered. "Getting ridiculous now. Who saw us together? Where's your proof? Your words don't make facts."
"You can't treat Yu Hong this way!" Wei Yunqing snapped.
"Ha. You call him Yu Hong so sweetly and still deny you two are entangled? You must have laughed plenty behind my back, thinking me blind. But he's garbage, and honestly, he suits you. He gets your youth and beauty, you get his money and status, and together you betray me. Sneaking behind my back must have been quite a thrill, wasn't it?"
Her words were venom without a single curse, each sharper than a blade.
Wei Yunqing's face flushed red with rage. She leapt up from the sofa, hands curled into deadly claws, and swiped toward Yun Xi's face.
Yun Xi's lips curved in a cold smile. She caught the wrist midair, drove a merciless kick into Wei Yunqing's stomach, and forced her back down onto the sofa. Then she raised her hand and slapped the uninjured side of Wei Yunqing's face, this time with her full strength.
As her palm cracked against skin again and again, she muttered, "That's for playing the white lotus. That's for coveting what isn't yours. If you're this cheap, then I'll beat it out of you. Whatever trick you pull, I'll be here to meet it."
Her slaps sparked with heat, her palms stinging, but at last Wei Yunqing's restraint broke. Her eyes flared scarlet as she ripped her arm free and bolted toward the door.
Yun Xi was faster. With a blur she blocked the exit, lashed out with a side kick, and sent Wei Yunqing crashing back into the sofa once more. She flexed her wrist and rolled her shoulders, her gaze mocking.
"Running already? This is your first time visiting your dear sister's home. Stay a while longer."
Wei Yunqing glared with murderous intensity. "You knew all along."
"You mean your little affair behind my back, or the way you planned to use me as a stepping stone?" Yun Xi shot back.
Wei Yunqing no longer bothered to feign innocence. Her eyes glowed red, voice dripping with malice. "You know I came to trap you here."
Yun Xi laughed coldly. "Finally dropped the act? This is my sea of consciousness. You really think you can drag me down into it forever? At least come up with a better script. Using people like him to disgust me—pathetic."
"I saw it. You were clearly in love with Sheng Yuhong. Your sister too. With my guidance, the two of you would tear each other apart."
"Pah!" Yun Xi spat, eyes filled with scorn. "You only saw what I let you see. The rest is just your own delusion. Did you really think I'd fight my own sister over a man? The easiest way to end such strife is to throw the man away. Without him, there's nothing left to fight over.
And as selfish and shallow as Sheng Yuhong is, at least he values face. He's not so vile as to use women as stepping stones. From the start, your little 'boyfriend' setup didn't even fit his character. But your grasp of Wei Yunqing's nature was spot on—on the outside a delicate flower, inside a venomous snake."
"You—!" Wei Yunqing's face twisted.
"What? Did you think because I was injured you could bind me here in my sea of consciousness again? Don't forget, this is my domain."
Her expression turned deadly serious.
At her words, the world around them began to warp and dissolve into bubbles of light. Her apartment vanished into emptiness, leaving only a vast, barren space.
Wei Yunqing's form dissolved too, reverting into a speck of red light darting for escape.
Yun Xi raised her hand and drew a glowing inscription with soul power—the same light-based sigil she once used to destroy the cursed flower. With a flick of her sleeve, she hurled it toward the crimson mote.
"No!"
The red light panicked, darting wildly, but could not escape the sigil's pull. The radiance enclosed it, and in moments, the malignant glow was consumed and erased.
Yun Xi exhaled deeply, her face pale with exhaustion. To force this thing out had cost her dearly. She hadn't expected the parasite that fell with the heart-questioning thunder to be so vile, hiding a backhand in her sea of consciousness.
It had waited for her to be wounded, to drag her soul into a false dream and devour her bit by bit, until she faded forever.
Her jaw clenched tight. Whoever orchestrated this—once she found them—she would end them.
With the sigil dispersed, Yun Xi swept her sleeve and released the false space. Her spirit snapped back to her body in the next breath.
Agonizing pain tore through her as she opened her eyes, every cell and bone screaming in protest.
"Yun Xi, you're awake?"
A deep, steady voice rang in her ears.
She turned her gaze with effort, her lips twitching faintly into a smile. "Master… you've broken through to Divine Transformation."
Leng Ruohan, her master, saw his disciple awake at last. The icy aura about him eased, though her words nearly made him lose composure.
"Yes. I have ascended to Divine Transformation. Which means I can still remain your master for some years yet. But right now, you must focus on healing. This time you were reckless beyond measure. Do you understand? One misstep more, and you would have perished beneath the Divine Transformation tribulation lightning."
Yun Xi rolled her eyes, pretending not to hear, and instead began groaning about her pain.
Leng Ruohan inhaled slowly, suppressing his frustration. Scolding could wait. Right now, her survival mattered most.
Catching sight of her master's softened expression, Yun Xi finally dared to release her divine sense inward.
Her heart sank. Every meridian was webbed with cracks, threatening to shatter at the slightest strain. Her dantian bore a gaping fissure. Her thunder spiritual root had grown sturdier, yet fine fractures marred it too. Even her bones carried splits she didn't want to look at.
Within her dantian, her Yuányīng sat cross-legged, weakened, trying to plug the fissure.
The Nine Nether Dragon Umbrella, Seven Stars Soul-Shattering Staff, and Mystic Frost Needle floated at the base of her dantian, their luster dimmed.
Only Zi Yan still coursed through her veins, tirelessly refining the remnants of tribulation lightning that had ravaged her meridians.