As the lanterns flickered to life, cities began their intoxicating nightlife. Yet on a remote mountain, far from worldly affairs, a heart-stopping chase was unfolding.
Two women raced along the mountain path in the moonlight, with a cliff ahead signaling no escape. They turned around to see the crowd pursuing them drawing ever closer. Their graceful silhouettes were especially enchanting under the moonlight.
"Why?" Dugu Qianye asked the leader, her sister, Dugu Qianlan.
"Why? You ask why?" Dugu Qianlan scoffed, "My dear sister, you're known as the most extraordinary martial artist of our time, so astute. How could you not know why? Your talent, your beauty, drawing all the attention, with you around, I will always be overshadowed."
"Just because of this, you would ally with the Great Elder to instigate a rebellion? How can you justify this to our parents?" Dugu Qianye asked furiously. She couldn't believe her sister could commit such an atrocious act out of jealousy.
"They are not my parents! They might have doted on me since I was a child, but they gave all the good cultivation techniques and weapons to you, entrusted you with all the important missions to build up your prestige. What about me? What did they give me? I used to think, we had blood ties, how could they treat me like this?! It was only yesterday, overhearing their conversation in the bedroom by chance, that I found out they aren't my real parents at all. My real parents lost their lives because of yours less than a year after I was born. They never saw me as their daughter, their affection was merely compensation!" Dugu Qianlan cried out, nearly insane.
Dugu Qianye looked at the crazed Dugu Qianlan, her heart aching indescribably. She had long known Qianlan wasn't their parents' biological daughter, but they truly loved her as their own. Cultivation techniques are determined by the cultivator's constitution, and weapons are given for missions. They wanted to give Qianlan a peaceful, warm life, that's why she was sent on those missions. Weren't those missions perilously dangerous, often a matter of life and death?! She practiced hard and completed every mission, hoping that once she took over as clan leader, she could afford Qianlan a tranquil life. But the sister she thought was sweet-natured harbored other intentions!
Baili Ruyan, standing beside, clasped Dugu Qianye's hand tightly as she watched her in pain. As Dugu Qianye's partner, she understood best how much effort they had put in to earn the title of "Dark Twin Stars," and how much she loved Dugu Qianlan.
"Where are mom and dad?" Dugu Qianye had a bad feeling.
"Hehe, sister. I know you were very close to them, so I sent them underground to wait for you first. When you join them, you'll be reunited." Dugu Qianlan smiled radiantly, a smile that was often seen.
"How could you!" Dugu Qianye wanted to go up and confront Dugu Qianlan fiercely, but she felt her power rapidly draining, her body twisting in pain and weakness. Baili Ruyan's face also turned pale.
"What have you done to us?"
"Hehe, sister, does it hurt? I didn't do it alone, you know. The Great Elder said, once you are all dealt with, he would make me the clan leader. How could I refuse such a great offer, right? Oh, and," Dugu Qianlan slapped her forehead, "my dearest sister, I bet you want to know how our parents died. My beloved future brother-in-law came to visit them and brought some fruit, ah, laced with a bit of Thousand Boil Powder. You know, since it was from 'the brother-in-law' and I peeled it, our parents had no reason to suspect anything. The water you and Sister Ruyan drank earlier also contained Thousand Boil Powder!"
Thousand Boil Powder, similar to Power Dissolving Powder, yet more vicious and deadly. Not only does it dissipate martial arts abilities, it also corrodes the internal organs, and the poisoned are beyond cure.
Dugu Qianye glared at the man emerging from behind, watching as he walked up to Dugu Qianlan and put his arm around her shoulder, hearing him say, "You're too powerful, no man likes his woman to be so much stronger than himself."
"Hehe, haha, what a perfect pair of despicable lovers. You think that by getting rid of our parents and me, you could control the Dugu Family? Our parents had long anticipated the Great Elder's intentions and made arrangements—if anything happened, the family rights would shift to the other eight elders until another clan leader was chosen. Sorry to shatter your dream!" Dugu Qianye spat out bitterly before turning away from them. She faced Baili Ruyan, full of remorse, "I'm sorry, this has dragged you down too."
Baili Ruyan smiled and said, "We are partners, no matter where we go, we are the 'Dark Legends.' Even in the underworld, we must write our own myth together!"
"All right. Even if we are separated, I will definitely come to find you!" After saying this, they looked at each other and smiled, their faces as beautiful as flowers despite the pain. They turned around and jumped off the cliff cleanly and decisively.
"Second Miss, what should we do?"
"Let's go back. They've been poisoned with Thousand Boil Powder, there's no way they can survive," Dugu Qianlan glanced at the bottom of the cliff, a drop of tens of thousands of feet, plus the Thousand Boil Powder, it was impossible for them to have any chance of survival.
Sister, after you're gone, the world will come to recognize the grace of me, Dugu Qianlan...
The sun set in the west.
The afterglow of the sun spread over the endless Cangmang Mountain Range, where the roar of animals could be heard from time to time. The small county town on the outskirts of the mountain was still bustling with people coming and going.
On the eastern side of the county town, a magnificent house stood proudly, silently proclaiming the status of its owner. In the most secluded part of the courtyard, the only house was rickety, with only a small bed, a wooden combo that barely served as a table, and a dilapidated cabinet. Underneath a large, lush tree in the courtyard lay a small figure, whose imperceptible breathing revealed that she was clinging to life.
Suddenly, her tightly closed eyes snapped open, her gaze sharp as she scanned her surroundings, a hint of confusion in her eyes.
Dugu Qianye tried to sit up, but her body suddenly spun with dizziness. She reached for her forehead to steady herself, but instead touched a bloody hole.
Dugu Qianye struggled to lean against the tree trunk, feeling much better with the support for her weak body. She closed her eyes, trying to recall the sequence of events that had happened.
She had clearly jumped off the cliff with Ruyan, so how did she end up in such a place? As a thought flickered, a torrent of images flashed before her eyes. After a while, Dugu Qianye finally opened her eyes again, digesting the information that had just filled her mind.
A deadpan summary crossed her mind: she had reincarnated into another body.
Rebirth was not bad, but apparently, the original owner of this body was in a terrible state!
This was not 21st-century Earth but a continent named Xuanyue, where the strong were revered. However, this world was not like the ancient martial arts world on Earth, as it was dominated by Phantom Power and Sword Qi. To cultivate Phantom Power, one needed to have a Phantom Power Source in their body and activate it. Many people were not born with a Phantom Power Source, and out of ten thousand people, there might not even be one who could cultivate it. Therefore, many chose to cultivate Sword Qi since the requirements were much lower; as long as one could open the meridians and qi cyclones in the body, one could practice it.