The Emperor's Domineering Favor, the Evil Consort's Unparalleled Reign

Ying Li returned to the underground mansion in Pinggu City, her face expressionless as she looked at the bundles and quantities of resources. She placed all the spiritual herbs into her Xuan Brocade, leaving not a single one behind. With these, she could raise her spiritual power to a higher level.

Emerging from the underground mansion, she watched as the secondary city was engulfed in flames, black smoke billowing into the sky, plunging the already devastated city back into deathly silence. A chilling glint, a hidden hatred for those villains, flickered in her cold eyes. They had rescued people from dire straits, only to become lambs to the slaughter! These people were cunning and treacherous, utterly devoid of humanity; no wonder Ying Li had allowed the city to perish.

Walking along the streets of Pinggu City, watching the children playing by the dilapidated city walls after the catastrophe, Ying Li stood for a long time. She couldn't quite believe the children's smiles and tears; the taste of betrayal had never been pleasant. Who could have imagined that such innocent children would grow up to resemble Li Ge, Li Runa, and others—what an irony that would be!

When the nest is overturned, how can the eggs remain intact?! In this wicked city, how many kind-hearted people are there?! It's all an illusion, all a deception!

Ying Li smiled, summoned the Wolf Hunter Spirit Guide, and with a flash, leaped onto its back. Grabbing its long fur, he parted his lips slightly and said, "Let's go." The Wolf Hunter Spirit Guide let out a long howl, then took off with Ying Li and disappeared into the sky above Pinggu City.

Ying Li looked down at the increasingly smaller figures of the children playing, hoping they would grow up to be strong and good people. At the same time, Ying Li also hoped that her wish would come true, but then she smiled self-deprecatingly. What did it matter?

What is the purpose of life? Many people can't say for sure. For her, simply living was a luxury. She strived to become stronger, to find her origin, to save her clan, and she also wanted to see her father, perhaps he was still alive. She also hoped to taste the power and strength, to make all the wicked grovel at her feet. She must have thought about these things a thousand times, ten thousand times. However, now, all her thoughts became unreal, and a single idea suddenly surfaced.

She wanted Jiang Huai to live. Jiang Huai's life was more important than her own, more important than anything she desired. She was willing to sacrifice her own life, abandon all her pride, even destroy all her hopes, as long as Jiang Huai lived. After all, no one in this world could treat her as well as Jiang Huai had.

Only now did she finally understand why Dai Dai, who hadn't left home for sixteen years, had such courage to resolutely leave her warm shell for Yi Bicheng, this aloof young man she'd only met once, and embrace the cruel, cold world outside. It was because Dai Dai had sensed Yi Bicheng's precious kindness towards her, and that was enough. She felt the same way, except Dai Dai only needed one glance, while she needed a whole year.

Fly, Wolf Hunter Spirit Guide, fly to Bazi Town, fly to the Qi Clan's secret chamber, kill the Ink Serpent Spirit Guide in one strike, kill the four Spirit Guides of the Ghost Realm, and let Jiang Huai be happy forever.

However, before Ying Li even arrived in Bazi Town, he ran into an old acquaintance. Xiao Bailing was looking around anxiously outside Bazi Town. Her hair was disheveled, her lips were cracked and bleeding, and she was covered in blood. The look of panic on her face told Ying Li that something must have happened in the Purple Bamboo Forest of Nan'an Kingdom.

Ying Li climbed down from behind the wolf-hunting spirit guide and let the other person rest inside the Xuanjin. Then, she quickly took two steps, patted Xiao Bailing who was sneaking around outside the gate of Bazi Town, and asked suspiciously, "Aunt Bai, what are you doing here? Are Senior Chen Qingyan and Second Mother alright?! Did something happen?"

Xiao Bailing was suddenly patted on the back by Ying Li. Startled, she turned around and said with her head down, "I was wrong, I was wrong! Ying Li isn't here! Ying Li left a long time ago! I was wrong, I was wrong!"

Ying Li was completely confused. Looking at the trembling, fearful Xiao Bailing in front of her, her expression changed. She guessed what was going on, grabbed Xiao Bailing's arm, made her look at her, and asked loudly, "Aunt Bai, it's me, Ying Li! Look carefully! What happened at Ting'an Pavilion? Has anyone come?!"

Aside from the Yuan clan, no one else could possibly have a grudge against Ying Li. This time, she wondered who had come looking for trouble, even daring to come to Ting'an Pavilion. After a moment, it suddenly occurred to her: could it be that Mo Yue had brought the Yuan clan to Ting'an Pavilion to cause her trouble?! If that were the case, Mo Yue was truly as stubborn and foolish as ever!

"Ying Li! It's Ying Li! You must go to Ting'an Pavilion quickly! Half a month ago, Mo Yue brought a woman named Yuan Hua to Ting'an Pavilion, specifically asking for you. But how would we know where you went? Mr. Chen got into a fight with them, and soon after, they started fighting. My second aunt risked her life to let me escape using the light of a spirit beast. Mr. Chen told me to wait for you in Bazi Town, saying you might come back. You must go and check on them quickly, I'm afraid something has happened to them!" Xiao Bailing said breathlessly, her heart filled with worry for Chen Qingyan and her second aunt.

Ying Li was stunned when she heard Yuan Hua's name. She hadn't expected the Yuan clan to send Yuan Hua to cause her trouble in person! She had to nip it in the bud! From the moment she dealt with Yuan Zhongxue and Yuan Zhongyue, she should have realized that hiding like this wasn't a solution! Now, her grandfather and third uncle were living under someone else's roof at Huaijiang Mansion. Continuing like this, constantly hiding, she didn't know when or where she would encounter danger. The only way now was to completely eliminate the Yuan clan and find a powerful patron to protect her until she became a Spirit Lord.

"Aunt Bai, don't be afraid, let's go to Zizhu Gorge now!" Ying Li said, then helped Xiao Bai Ling up, summoned the Wolf Hunter Spirit Guide, and the two ran towards Zizhu Gorge! After an unknown amount of time, Ying Li and Xiao Bai Ling finally arrived outside Ting An Pavilion in Zizhu Gorge.

The white mist barrier had vanished; it was still dark, and the bamboo forest remained shrouded in darkness. Ying Li smelled a strong stench of blood and knew something was wrong. She grabbed Xiao Bailing's hand, and the two hurried towards the interior of Ting'an Pavilion. Upon entering the bamboo forest, they saw several corpses lying across the path. They appeared to have been dead for a long time; the blood had dried, and the bodies emitted a foul stench. Xiao Bailing covered her eyes, trembling uncontrollably as she looked at the scene before her, guessing that the situation inside could only be worse.

"Aunt Bai, don't be afraid, I'm here, I won't let anything happen to you." Ying Li turned to look at Xiao Bai Ling's frightened appearance. The other girl looked more than ten years older than when she left Ting An Pavilion, which showed how much distress the fear had caused her these past few days.

Xiao Bailing felt guilty and resentful towards Ying Li. Her eyes were filled with complex emotions as she stared at Ying Li. Finally, she nodded and said, "Girl, it's not that I'm heartless. Back then, you killed Old Master Baishi. I hate you, I really hate you! He's a cold-hearted and ruthless person. He can even harm his own children. He would turn against an innocent girl like you. He's an absolute villain, I admit it."

“But I was orphaned and destitute from a young age, and he gave me a second life. His kindness in raising me is greater than heaven. No matter what kind of person he is, I will treat him well, and I will treat my second aunt the same way. But you are a good girl, I know that, Mr. Chen and my second aunt both know that, but life is unpredictable, and we have no choice. Do you understand?”

“I understand, Aunt Bai. It’s just unavoidable. Ying Li can tell right from wrong. Let’s hurry and go see Senior Chen Qingyan and Second Aunt. Maybe they’ve escaped those villains from Yuan Hua.” Ying Li said, pursing her lips and forcing a smile as she looked at Xiao Bailing, whose expression had softened slightly.

Xiao Bailing nodded, let out a long sigh, and followed closely behind Ying Li, heading deeper into Ting'an Pavilion. A deathly silence filled the air, and a pungent stench constantly assaulted Ying Li and Xiao Bailing's nostrils. Countless corpses lay on either side of the road, their deaths gruesome, some unrecognizable.

The corpses lay sprawled on the ground, swarming with flies that buzzed incessantly around their festering wounds, a truly nauseating sight. Ying Li pursed her lips tightly; they were almost at her second aunt's courtyard. She hoped that her second aunt and Chen Qingyan were both alive and well, waiting for her and Xiao Bailing to arrive.

However, when Ying Li finally pushed open the door to the small courtyard, Er Niang and Chen Qingyan were leaning against each other, side by side against the bluestone wall. Their faces were covered in blood, and their bodies were covered in wounds from being bitten by wild beasts. Tiny streams of blood flowed slowly from their arms and palms to the ground, and droplets of blood gathered into a small river that flowed into the water trough behind the bluestone wall.

Xiao Bailing's expression changed drastically. Seeing that Chen Qingyan and her second aunt had already died, she suddenly collapsed to the ground, knelt down, her lips moving incessantly, and tears streaming down her face.

"Mr. Chen! Second Madam! What...what have they done to you?! Our Ting'an Pavilion is a place of peace and harmony, always adhering to the duties of a physician. Why?! Why must we suffer such a calamity of annihilation?! Why?! Why?!"

Ying Li bit her lip hard as she walked up to Chen Qingyan and lifted his head with her hand. The moment Ying Li saw Chen Qingyan's face, it felt as if something had pierced her heart, and blood gushed out from inside her heart. She was suddenly in great pain, and she suddenly felt intense hatred!

Chen Qingyan's once exquisite face was now a mass of unblemished flesh. Numerous silver needles were embedded in her cheeks, and due to the long passage of time since her death, the needle marks had turned white and rusted. Blood and rust stains marred her once beautiful face, making her utterly repulsive! Her beautiful eyes had been gouged out, leaving only two eerie, bloody holes on her face, which now stared coldly and helplessly at Ying Li! Ying Li flicked his right hand, and Chen Qingyan's head abruptly slumped to the ground, her body slowly sliding downwards until she finally collapsed to her side, her hair scattered across the floor, all mingling with the foul-smelling blood.

Without Chen Qingyan's support, Erniang's body slowly fell to the other side. Ying Li quickly helped Erniang up. Perhaps Erniang died too quickly, because she did not seem to have suffered any torment. Her face was beautiful, only with some bloodstains. Her peaceful face was facing Ying Li, and the corners of her bloodied mouth were slightly upturned, perhaps as if she were smiling at Ying Li.

Ying Li looked at her second aunt with immense heartache. She touched her second aunt's shoulder, but her hand grasped at empty air! Ying Li panicked and touched the other's arms with both hands, but neither was there! Not far away, her second aunt's cane lay forlornly in the blood, with her severed arms on either side!

Ying Li's eyes were bloodshot, and she said coldly, "Why?! Why did you kill innocent people?! Why?!"

Mo Yue! Yuan Hua! Ying Lihen! She hated them! She would never forget Chen Qingyan's beautiful face, never forget her second aunt's kind nature, and never forget their kindness to her!

Ying Li bit her lip, enunciating each word clearly: "I will take my revenge! I will tear those people to shreds, one by one!"