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

That day, while Ying Li was still asleep, she was groggily awakened by a mournful cry. She rolled out of bed, rubbed her sleepy eyes, grabbed a low-ranking disciple's purple robe from the clothes rack, casually draped it over her shoulders, and pushed open the door to go into the courtyard. She found that Ying Zhe and Ying Xue were already dressed and standing on the hilltop, looking down at something.

"Second Brother, why are you up so early? What happened?" Ying Zhe was naturally a lazy sleeper. Normally, because his third uncle Ying Qishan and grandfather Ying Wuyou were so strict, he never had the chance to sleep in at home. But after arriving in Linshui City to study, the master who taught him the methods of spiritual cultivation was an old friend of Ying Wuyou from his youth. Naturally, the old man wouldn't dare to neglect his old friend's grandson, so he urged him three or four times a day until Ying Zhe was completely sleepy. Now that he was at Bixia Palace, without the elders to supervise him, he cultivated according to his own physical habits.

He was so startled awake today; it seems something big has happened in Bixia Palace.

Seeing Ying Li lazily approaching, Ying Zhe quickly waved her over, pretending to join in the fun, and said, "Little sister, come quick! I heard that Lin Xiangxiang and Lin Zheng are in big trouble now!"

Ying Li jolted awake, his mind instantly clearing. He thought for a moment, realizing that Lin Xiangxiang and Lin Zheng hadn't come looking for trouble for a long time. It couldn't be just because they were recovering from their injuries; it seemed they had indeed suffered a great calamity. Otherwise, given their personalities, why would they have refrained from causing trouble for so long?

As Ying Zhe approached, Ying Li looked down and saw a large group of people gathered at the foot of the mountain. The faint smell of blood told them that a bloody incident had occurred down there!

"I heard that recently, a senior sister named Meng Mei, one of the lower-ranking disciples, disappeared in the Spirit Beast Mountain Range. Yuan Zhongyue, the leader of the Zhongyue Alliance who had a close relationship with Senior Sister Meng Mei, sent people to search for her for the past two weeks. Who knew that they would find Meng Mei's remains in the place where the spirit crocodiles lived in the Spirit Beast Mountain Range? I heard that when they got there, only her head and a cold-light sword were left as a token, otherwise, they really wouldn't have been able to tell it was Senior Sister Meng Mei. Oh, right, there were also a group of other people's remains there. Judging from the number, it really is the missing Meng Mei and the others." Ying Zhe, with the air of a martial arts encyclopedia, told Ying Li and Ying Xue his story with great enthusiasm, afraid of missing any exciting parts.

Ying Li's expression changed slightly. She figured Yuan Zhongyue would be coming soon! She tucked a strand of hair behind her back and tentatively asked, "Second Brother, what does Lin Xiangxiang and Lin Zheng have to do with Senior Sister Meng Mei's death? I heard that the spirit crocodile is extremely ferocious and likes to eat people. Could it be that Senior Sister Meng Mei and her fellow disciples accidentally wandered into the spirit crocodile's territory while hunting in the Spirit Beast Mountain Range, and that's why she was silenced?"

Ying Xue was equally puzzled. Logically speaking, Lin Xiangxiang and Lin Zheng had been recuperating from their injuries and had no time to attend to the hunting grounds in the Spirit Beast Mountain Range. She heard that Lin Zheng had only passed one test due to his injury and then hurriedly left the illusion. With such a body, let alone entering the Spirit Beast Mountain Range, he probably couldn't even pass the ordinary martial arts arena test. How could he possibly hope to hunt spirit beasts?

"The Zhongyue Alliance sent people to investigate, and there were very obvious signs of a fight. Judging from the level of vandalism, it was done by a master at least at the fifth level of spiritual cultivation! Moreover, the martial art this master used most often was the Flaming Bird of Paradise! Now, all those who have practiced the evil Flaming Bird of Paradise technique are being held at the foot of the mountain by the Yuan Zhongyue people, awaiting their fate! However, many people who just returned said that there are no masters waiting to die there at all. It's clearly Yuan Zhongyue using Meng Mei's death as an excuse to massacre his fellow disciples to satisfy his bloodthirsty desires! Lin Xiangxiang happened to have practiced that martial art, so she naturally caught Yuan Zhongyue's attention, and I heard she's already been taken away!"

"I'm telling you, little sister, please don't go down... little sister, where did little sister go?!" Ying Zhe was stunned for a moment, then turned back to look at Ying Li and Ying Xue, only to find that Ying Xue was still there, but Ying Li was gone. When he came to his senses and looked down, he saw a purple figure shooting towards the foot of the mountain!

"Oh no! What is my little sister doing?! Third sister, come with me quickly and see!" Ying Zhe grabbed Ying Xue, and the two hurriedly chased after Ying Li. But how could the two of them match Ying Li's speed? Now that he was a second-stage spiritual cultivator, while they were only at the soul cultivation level, they couldn't compete. Even so, the two of them still chased after Ying Li at their fastest speed!

Ying Li had only one thought in her mind: Yuan Zhongyue clearly knew that the murderer who killed Meng Mei wasn't inside, and his reason for choosing to kill like this was simply to enjoy the thrill of crushing the weak! Such a twisted person, so utterly indifferent to human life—she wanted to see what kind of being he was!

Panting heavily, Ying Li finally reached the foot of the mountain, where layers of people blocked her view. She carefully pushed through the crowd, trying to make her way forward. Some people were initially annoyed by Ying Li cutting in line, but upon seeing her purple robes, some ordinary disciples quickly made way for her.

As soon as he stepped aside, a strong smell of blood hit him. Ying Li quickly stepped forward and walked to the center of the encirclement.

A large group of corpses lay dead in the core area, blood flowing like a river. Most of them were girls, around fifteen or sixteen years old, some even younger, shoulder to shoulder, head to head, large patches of blue robes and small patches of purple robes overlapping and eventually being completely submerged in red. Those who were still alive were almost dead; they didn't have time to distinguish right from wrong, or even understand what had happened, before their heads were chopped off. Some of them even had their families being besieged and killed by the Central Moon Alliance at that very moment!

Lin Xiangxiang and Lin Zheng knelt on the pool of blood, their faces ashen. "Boss Yuan, please, Lin Zheng and I really didn't go to the Spirit Beast Mountain Range. It must have been someone else, someone else did it. Senior Sister Meng Mei is stronger than me. Even if I were at my peak, I couldn't possibly defeat her. It must have been those little bitches who killed her. It has nothing to do with me and Lin Zheng! If you want to fight or kill, go find someone else. Spare us. I, Lin Xiangxiang, will repay you by serving you like a slave, Boss Yuan..."

Lin Xiangxiang's face was covered in blood and sweat, and a strand of wet hair clung tightly to her cheek, trembling as she spoke each word, as if it were a different kind of accusation!

Yuan Zhongyue stood in the crowd dressed in purple. He was tall with long, dark eyes and a charmingly sinister appearance, possessing a kind of androgynous beauty. However, no one dared to pay attention to these features. They only saw the suppressed anger slowly burning in Yuan Zhongyue's eyes.

"Get out of here!" Yuan Zhongyue abruptly took a step back, disgusted. Lin Xiangxiang's sweat had almost dripped onto his clothes; the thought of such filth made him feel nauseous! After a moment, he walked step by step towards Lin Zheng and squatted down. "Your sister said she didn't touch Meng Mei. I'll give you a chance. Is she right or wrong?!"

Lin Zheng trembled uncontrollably. He knelt and backed away repeatedly, his eyes darting around. He nodded, then shook his head violently, muttering incoherently, "Wrong! So wrong! Wrong... wrong... She's a slut! The most despicable person in the whole world..."

Lin Xiangxiang's expression changed drastically. She stared incredulously at the cowardly and incompetent Lin Zheng, as if looking at a dead man. Suddenly, a pair of shoes appeared before her. They were very familiar shoes. Following the shoes upwards, she saw Ying Lizheng calmly staring at her.

She went berserk. Lin Xiangxiang had sworn a poisonous oath that as long as she lived, she would definitely find Ying Li to avenge her sister's severed hand, and she would definitely obey her father Lin Ying's orders to kill her without mercy. In fact, she had wanted to kill her for a long time. She just couldn't stand this woman. How could a little girl have dared to step on her head? How did Ying Li manage to see her like this?!

Ying Zhe and Ying Xue finally caught up and pushed through the crowd to see the scene. Ying Xue was so frightened that she almost fainted. It was a slaughterhouse! Yuan Zhongyue was just a low-ranking disciple. How could he have such power to dare to kill so many people in broad daylight?!

However, when they saw Ying Li standing in front of Lin Xiangxiang, and when they saw Lin Xiangxiang pointing her hands at Ying Li, Ying Zhe and Ying Xue's hearts almost burst. This woman wanted Ying Li dead day and night. If she pointed him out and Yuan Zhongyue noticed Ying Li, then today would probably be the day their Ying family descendants died!

Sure enough, Lin Xiangxiang's eyes were filled with tears. She quickly took two steps forward on her knees and coldly bit her lip, saying, "Boss Yuan, as long as you promise not to kill me, I can give you an amazing gift right now!"

Seeing Lin Xiangxiang suddenly become assertive, Yuan Zhongyue became intrigued. "Here, I am an extraordinary being. What gift could possibly catch my eye?!"

"The power of the Deep Eyes, how about it, isn't it astonishing enough!" Lin Xiangxiang suddenly pointed her right hand at Ying Li!

In an instant, the focus of the killing shifted!

Ying Li's expression changed. She looked at Lin Xiangxiang, whose face was streaked with tears, yet whose eyes held an uncontrollable hatred! Was she trying to drag her down with her? Ying Li smiled coldly.

A sudden commotion erupted in the crowd. Yuan Zhongyue looked at the young girl who had suddenly burst into the center and frowned. She appeared to be about fourteen or fifteen years old, not much different from the age of the deceased maids. Judging from her servants, she was a lower-level disciple. To become a lower-level disciple at such a young age showed that this girl had considerable talent and skill.

Wait a minute, why does this person look so familiar? But the next second, he was even more certain!

"Boss Yuan, she's Ying Li, the new disciple this year with the Deep Eyes! Kill her, kill her, gouge out her eyes, and you'll become the master of those Deep Eyes! Such a treasure should belong to someone like you, this little bitch doesn't deserve it!" Lin Xiangxiang's eyes were filled with bone-chilling hatred. She wanted her to bow down to Ying Li, but only if she died! Even if she died, she would catch Ying Li off guard! She wanted this damned girl to go to hell with her!