I was the daughter of the Azurez Sect’s leader and its next heir.

Unfortunately, on the eve of my succession ceremony, an accident occurred while I was descending the mountain to eliminate vengeful spirits. At a critical moment, my powers spiraled out of control, and I succumbed to demonic backlash.

The spirits wounded me, and in an instant, all my cultivation was destroyed.

My fiancé, Julian Zackman, ventured alone into the spirits’ lair to save me. He battled them for three days and three nights before finally bringing me back.

However, in doing so, he lost an arm and a thousand years’ worth of cultivation. From that day on, he could no longer wield a sword.

I was consumed with guilt. I even convinced myself that I would leave everything behind and live in seclusion with him, living a simple life together.

However, by chance, I overheard a conversation between him and my father.

“I know what I did to Queenie was wrong, but she was too powerful. I had no choice but to slip some of the delusional powder into her sachet to make her go astray. I needed to make sure Wendy could become Sect Leader.”

My father looked at Julian’s empty sleeve with regret. “I understand your intentions, but you didn’t have to sacrifice your arm. You are my most gifted disciple. Without it, how will you ever wield a sword again?”

“Master, don’t worry. It was only an illusion to deceive her. Once Wendy takes over the sect, I’ll arrange a place for Queenie at the foot of the mountain. Without cultivation, she’s worth nothing to Azurez Sect. She might as well live down there, farming, raising chickens, and living as a peasant woman. At least she’ll have a stable life that way.”

My heart sank.

Everything he did had been a lie.

It was all to force me to give up my place.

If the world had turned its back on me, I would tear it down in return.

Ever since I came back to the sect, Julian Zackman stayed by my side, caring for me with devotion. He never complained, even though he had lost an arm and everything was inconvenient for him.

Every morning without fail, he would bring me my medicine. He would gently blow on it to cool it down, then lift the spoon to my lips. “Queenie, be good. Drink your medicine. You’ll recover faster if you take it.”

His acting was so flawless, as if he were still the Julian who loved me to the core.

However, recalling his conversation with my father from the day before, I could not help but doubt the contents of the medicine. I clenched my teeth and refused to open my mouth.

Julian assumed I was afraid of the bitterness when he saw me refusing to drink the medication. A doting smile appeared on his face as he took out a piece of candied fruit he had prepared in advance.

“I know you don’t like bitterness. I brought this just for you. Be good and take your medicine after eating this.”

The tenderness in his expression was the same as when we first met, and for a moment, I felt dazed.

The first time I saw him was at the sect tournament.

His masterful swordsmanship cut through the air, sparking a feeling in me. From that moment on, I fell in love at first sight with this elegant senior disciple.

When I grew older, my father seemed to notice my feelings and betrothed me to Julian.

I still remembered the excitement I felt when I heard the news. I lost my composure, jumping barefoot in joy.

After that, we stayed by each other’s side, and in the blink of an eye, thousands of years passed.

His love for me was evident. We had agreed that once I inherited the position of Sect Leader, we would be married.

For the sake of that promise, I cultivated day and night without rest.

However, what I received in the end was not his fulfillment of that promise. All that awaited me was his betrayal.

What chilled me even more was that my father, whom I respected so deeply, knew the truth and still chose to be Julian’s accomplice.

All my years of effort had ended with me giving everything up to someone else.

The thought overwhelmed me. My emotions surged, aggravating my injuries, and I coughed up a mouthful of blood.

“Queenie! Queenie, what happened to you? Don’t scare me!” Julian shouted anxiously.

His eyes were full of concern. However, I had seen the relief that flashed past his face a moment ago.

My father rushed over at the sound and grabbed my hand, channeling spiritual energy into me.

“Queenie, I know this is too painful for you to bear, but we can’t rush things. Don’t worry. I’ll find a way to restore your cultivation. I won’t let you become useless.

“As for the vengeful spirit that harmed you, we’ve already imprisoned it in the Demon-Slaying Tower. It won’t be long before it’s destroyed. Its soul will scatter soon, and it will never reincarnate.”

They placed all the blame on the vengeful spirit.

However, the masterminds behind my suffering were the two people I trusted most.

The disappointment in my heart flared into pain once more. A tear slid down my cheek as I looked at them.

“Julian… Father… I remember there was a secret treasure that can rebuild cultivation. Could you help me find it?”

This was the first time I had ever begged them. It was also a test to see whether they still cared about me at all.

A flicker of struggle crossed Julian’s eyes, but after a moment’s thought, he shook his head.

“There’s no such treasure in this world. That’s just a legend.”

My father chimed in. “All you have to do now is to recover. Cultivation is not important as long as staying alive.”

My last shred of hope was shattered.

Hidden beneath the blanket, my hand clenched tightly into a fist, my nails digging into my flesh.

“Then… Does that mean I’ll be useless for the rest of my life?”

Julian pulled me into a tight embrace, tears streaming down his face.

“I’ve already lost an arm. I can’t wield a sword anymore. I’m useless too. Don’t worry! I’ll be with you forever. We can build a small house at the foot of the mountain and live a simple life. Wouldn’t that be nice?”

It was not that I had never considered living an ordinary, peaceful life with Julian.

However, the moment I learned of their betrayal, everything changed.

Now, there was only one thing left in me: vengeance.

I would make everyone who had hurt me pay the price.

In the middle of the night, I dragged my body to my father’s quarters and saw that the light in his room was still on.

Julian’s voice came from inside.

“Although Queenie’s cultivation is gone, Wendy’s current strength is still far from enough to inherit the sect. Since Queenie is disabled now, her golden core is useless anyway. I plan to extract it and use it as a catalyst to enhance Wendy’s spiritual energy.”

My father’s expression changed. He was struggling to believe what he heard. “What did you say? Extracting Queenie’s golden core? You can’t do that. If you do that, she’ll never be able to use her spiritual energy again, and her lifespan will be drastically reduced.”

However, Julian looked determined. “Queenie was incredibly powerful. Her core will greatly improve Wendy’s cultivation. I have to do this for Wendy. Queenie still has me. I’m her fiancé. I won’t abandon her just because she has no spiritual energy. However, things are different for Wendy. She has nothing left.”

“Master, they are both your daughters. Queenie already has me. You can’t let Wendy be left with nothing.”

My father said nothing. His silence was his consent.

Every word they spoke pierced my heart like needles.

If they wanted me to go off the deep end, I would grant their wish.

I went to the sect’s forbidden grounds.

A thousand years ago, several great sects joined forces to defeat the Demon Lord. A remnant of his soul was sealed in the back mountain of Azurez Sect. Since then, the place had become a forbidden land.

Corroded by demonic energy year-round, nothing grew here. It was barren, lifeless, and desolate.

I walked to the altar that sealed the Demon Lord’s remnant soul and said calmly, “I need your power. Help me take revenge.”

A low, chilling voice echoed from deep within the altar. “Why should I help you?”

“This is your only chance to break free of the seal. Once I’ve taken my revenge, I’ll release you as agreed.”

The Demon Lord let out a scoff. “Aren’t you afraid that once I’m free, I’ll plunge the world into chaos and slaughter all beings?”

I replied indifferently, “It doesn’t matter. The world was never fair to begin with. Since everyone has betrayed me, I’ll tear it all down.”

The Demon Lord fell silent for a moment. Then, he accepted my offer.

A frigid demonic energy surged into my body, devouring my golden core. My spiritual energy faded bit by bit, replaced by a far more powerful demonic energy.

My pupils turned blood-red, then slowly returned to normal.

I had absorbed the Demon Lord’s power completely.

Azurez Sect prided itself on righteousness, yet its Sect Master could sacrifice his own daughter’s life.

There was no reason for the sect to continue existing.

The next day, Julian arrived right on time. After what I overheard the night before, I knew exactly why he had come.

Sure enough, after a few casual greetings, his expression darkened. He hesitated for a long while before finally speaking.

“Queenie, since you’ve decided to live down the mountain, the golden core in your body is no longer of any use. Why not remove it and become an ordinary woman? I’ll take care of you for the rest of your life.”

By now, I had already fallen into demonic corruption. To me, the golden core no longer mattered.

However, Julian did not know my core had already been infused with demonic energy. If Wendy were to absorb it, the clash between spiritual and demonic energies would cause her body to explode.

Of course, I did not tell him any of this. I smiled faintly.

“You’re right. Since I’ve already lost my cultivation, that core doesn’t matter anymore.”

Julian had not expected me to agree so easily. After a moment of delight, a trace of unease flickered in his eyes.

He wrapped an arm around my waist and whispered into my ear, “Don’t worry. Even without spiritual power, you’re still my fiancée. We can still live a good life together.”

I nodded as my plan for revenge quietly unfolded.

They dug out my golden core while I was still alive. However, I felt no sorrow—only excitement.

The moment Wendy took my core, her life would begin its countdown.

The succession ceremony was approaching.

However, I was no longer the one who would inherit the position. It was my younger sister, Wendy Yern.

Over the past few days, countless whispers reached my ears.

“Queenie Aasen had both talent and cultivation. Why was she replaced as Sect Leader?”

“You don’t know why? She went astray. Not only was her cultivation destroyed, but even her golden core was removed.”

“Really? With her level of power, how could she lose control like that? Seems like all that talk about her being ‘The Destined One’ was nonsense.”

“Exactly. Queenie is useless now, yet she still has the nerve to stay in Azurez Sect. She should go down the mountain and marry someone rather than cling to our senior. I heard he even lost an arm for her. No wonder people say she’s a jinx.”

Even the lowest-ranking disciples who worked as janitors in the sect gossiped about me behind my back. None of them remembered that I alone had defended the entire sect when the demons attacked.

Even after doing that, I was nothing to them now.

I pretended not to hear anything. The chatter outside the door went on endlessly until a familiar voice suddenly cut it off.

“Is Queenie someone you have the right to gossip about? You’re here spreading rumors instead of doing your work. Run a hundred laps along the mountain path, and don’t stop until you’re done!”

The junior disciples apologized and left.

Julian pushed the door open. When he saw me sitting on the bed reading, he immediately put on a stern expression.

“These disciples are getting more and more unruly. I’ve already punished them. Don’t take it to heart.”

Of course, I would not take the words of the dead to heart.

As for the matter of my going astray and ruining my cultivation, no one knew except him and my father. As for who had spread the rumor, it was not hard to guess.

He took my hand, looking at me with sincerity. “Once Wendy’s succession ceremony is over, I’ll take you to live in seclusion in the far mountains. Haven’t you always wanted a peaceful life? From now on, I’ll take care of you, all right?”

Before he even finished speaking, the door was pushed open again.

Wendy walked in, dressed in a dignified and elegant ceremonial gown. She spun once in place in front of us, then asked sweetly, “Julian, this is the dress I’ll wear at the ceremony. What do you think? Does it look good?”

I immediately recognized that the jade pendant at her waist belonged to Julian.

It was his mother’s pendant. He had once said he would give it to me as a token of our love on our wedding day, but now, it hung off another woman’s waist.

Julian’s attention was immediately drawn to Wendy. He let go of my hand and circled her, studying her for quite a while before curling his lips into a smile and nodding. “You’re beautiful. You’d look good in anything.”

This was what it looked like when someone truly loved another. Julian’s face displayed unhidden delight, genuine and effortless.

Compared to that, everything about how he treated me now felt deliberately staged.

Wendy came over to me with a bright smile and took my hand. “Sister, you look much better today. Can you get out of bed and walk a bit?”

Julian smiled and said, “Queenie is still very weak. She even needs me to help her eat.”

Wendy’s large, lively eyes flickered as she turned to Julian. “Julian, I’ve recently learned a new healing technique. It might be helpful to my sister.”

Julian’s face lit up with delight. “Really? Wendy, you’re really getting better.”

“Alright, now it’s time for just the two of us sisters. You can wait outside,” she said, pushing him toward the door.

Once she locked the door behind him, her expression changed instantly, replaced by smug satisfaction.

“What a pathetic sight, my dear sister.

“Since your cultivation is gone, you should’ve just died quietly. Why stay alive and burden Julian? He lost an arm because of you. I’ll never forgive you for that.”

I smirked.

“My apologies. I’m just too hard to kill. I didn’t die in the hands of those vengeful spirits as you hoped.”

Wendy let out a disdainful snort. “All you can do now is mock me. Didn’t you see how attentive Julian was to me? He even gave me your token of love. Don’t you understand who he truly loves?

“He schemed to make you go astray because of me. He even took out your golden core and gave it to me. Did you really think he’d go into seclusion with you? Don’t be ridiculous. The only person he has ever loved is me.

“Queenie, Father has given you everything all these years. The position of Sect Leader was yours, and so was Julian. You’ve had your turn. Now, it’s my time to shine.

I sneered deep down.

Wendy was introduced to everyone as my younger sister, but I knew she was nothing more than my father’s illegitimate child by a fox demon.

Before I could respond, Wendy spoke again, “Oh, right. Didn’t I mention I learned a bit of healing magic? Don’t you want to see it for yourself?”