Rising From the Ashes of Betrayal

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.