Cold.
A biting chill, sharp as a blade, sliced inch by inch through every patch of skin.
Xu Wanci’s hands, pressed against the ground, had long lost all sensation, yet she remained utterly still.
It wasn’t that she didn’t want to move—she didn’t dare. She couldn’t.
As unfamiliar memories surged through her mind, she clenched her jaw, steadying her breath, careful not to let anyone notice that the soul within this body had been replaced.
This wasn’t the modern world she knew. This was the world of the novel Fate Defying Immortal Path.
Fate Defying Immortal Path was a classic tale of a dragon-reborn protagonist—Chu Qingchuan, the discarded son of a fallen noble family, who stumbled upon the legacy and treasures of Immortal Venerable Qingyan. With this fortune, he overcame countless trials, aided by the female lead Jiang Qiuning and numerous benefactors, until he finally ascended to immortality.
And she had transmigrated into the novel’s villainess—a character who shared her name.
The original Xu Wanci, consumed by her obsession with Chu Qingchuan, repeatedly schemed against Jiang Qiuning, ultimately leaving the female lead gravely injured.
Her punishment? Stripped of her cultivation by the sect’s disciplinary elders and imprisoned in the Abyss of Chaos—condemned to an existence worse than death.
She had arrived at the worst possible moment.
The original Xu Wanci’s plot to harm Jiang Qiuning had just been exposed by Chu Qingchuan, who now stood beside her, delivering her to the sect’s judgment hall. She was one step away from the horrifying fate written in the novel.
Every word describing the villainess’s ending in the original story felt like a hammer slamming into her chest.
This was a death trap—one where the outcome was more terrifying than death itself.
Under Chu Qingchuan’s searing gaze—so intense it felt like he wanted to tear her apart—she forced herself to slow her frantic heartbeat, desperately combing through the novel’s plot for even a sliver of hope.
Just as she bowed her head, lost in thought, Chu Qingchuan finally looked away.
Though he prided himself on concealing his emotions, the mere thought of Xu Wanci’s deeds made his fury impossible to mask.
With a stiff bow toward the judgment platform, his voice simmered with restrained rage:
"As a disciple of the Taiqing Sect, Xu Wanci harbored malice in her heart, even using a spirit beast riot to harm Qiuning… the young mistress of the Jiang family. If she is not severely punished, justice will not be served."
His gaze swept over Xu Wanci, still kneeling on the ground, his eyes brimming with utter revulsion.
"I leave her fate to the elders’ judgment."
On the judgment platform, Elder Grandmaster and Elder Second Master regarded Xu Wanci with detached indifference, as if she were nothing more than an insignificant insect. Not even hatred colored their expressions.
The crime of harming the Jiang family’s young mistress was enough to seal Xu Wanci’s fate.
Pacifying the Jiang family was the sect leader’s concern. The judgment hall’s duty was simply to uphold the law.
Elder Grandmaster’s voice, thick with oppressive authority, bore down on Xu Wanci like a mountain:
"Xu Wanci, with all evidence and witnesses present, do you have anything to say in your defense?"
The sudden surge of pain made her grit her teeth, swallowing back any sound of distress.
If she wanted to escape the despair-laden fate of the original character, she had to endure this agony—no matter how unbearable.
Then, she recalled a minor detail from the novel—a setting mentioned only once. Slowly, she closed her eyes, masking the wild determination in her gaze.
To deceive these immortal cultivators, she first had to deceive herself.
Her tense body gradually relaxed.
Still kneeling, she spoke softly, her voice eerily calm:
"I have only one question."
Elder Grandmaster’s expression remained unchanged.
He had seen countless criminals try to escape judgment—some begging, others cursing, some trembling in fear, others feigning composure.
Xu Wanci was no different.
But Elder Second Master, ever perceptive, frowned almost imperceptibly.
This voice was too calm… too hollow.
It didn’t belong to someone who had schemed against a fellow disciple.
And Xu Wanci’s aura—why was there not a trace of panic? Even her heartbeat was unnaturally steady.
Recalling the damning evidence, Elder Second Master dismissed his doubts, his face settling back into indifference.
She was already a dead woman walking.
Why bother dwelling on it?
At that moment, Xu Wanci—whom everyone had already written off—finally lifted her head.
Her gaze locked onto Chu Qingchuan beside her, emotions churning in her eyes before fading into emptiness.
Chu Qingchuan met her stare, momentarily stunned.
But he quickly regained his composure, his disgust deepening.
Being adored by someone like Xu Wanci only sickened him.
Before he could voice his contempt, she turned away, facing the judgment platform.
Then, a trembling voice pierced the silence:
"Is Chu Qingchuan… truly the reincarnation of Immortal Venerable Qingyan?"
Chu Qingchuan whipped his head toward her, shock flashing across his face.
What was she implying?
On the judgment platform, both elders stiffened, their composed expressions cracking.
Immortal Venerable Qingyan?!
The image of an ethereal, towering figure surfaced in their minds—a being of unfathomable power who had single-handedly reversed the collapse of the Great Dao, saving the world from ruin.
Even a century after his passing, merely hearing his name was enough to shake their souls.
Elder Grandmaster’s brows furrowed, his voice sharpening:
"Where did you hear such a thing?"
The moment he spoke, the crushing pressure of a Transcendent Realm cultivator’s killing intent enveloped Xu Wanci, poised to snuff out her life at any second.
Yet Xu Wanci showed no reaction—not even a quickened pulse. She simply stared at him, blinking slowly, as if puzzled by his question.
Her voice was faint, laced with a strange insistence, as though she were convincing herself:
"Chu Qingchuan was born nine days after his… passing. He cultivates the Thousand Elixirs Transformation, the very technique Immortal Venerable Qingyan created. The treasure in his possession is the Refinement of the Divine Tome, forged by the Venerable’s own hand. And on his left wrist… there’s a red mole."
The more she spoke, the quieter her voice became.
Seeing the elders’ silence, she abruptly stopped.
Her lips parted, but no sound came out—as if her throat had gone dry.
Finally, she whispered, voice ragged with exhaustion:
"...Isn’t he?"
A beat. Then, softer still:
"So it’s really not true."
Though the elders maintained their outward composure, their minds were in turmoil.
They only knew that the divine artifact on Chu Qingchuan came from the Immortal Venerable, but they never imagined that even his cultivation techniques were created by the Immortal Venerable!
Such a closely guarded secret—not just them, but the entire cultivation world—was completely unaware of it.
The Hall of Judgment housed the Truth Stone, making it impossible for Xu Wanci to lie.
Every word she spoke was true!
Yet even the matters concerning Immortal Venerable Qingyan were things they themselves barely understood—
Just who was this Xu Wanci?
How did she know so many hidden details about Immortal Venerable Qingyan?
Could she truly have been acquainted with the Immortal Venerable?!
The two Elders were shaken with doubt, their earlier fury over Xu Wanci’s alleged ambush of the Jiang Clan’s young master now entirely forgotten.
After a few breaths, the Elder Grandmaster regained his composure and cleared his throat. The icy killing intent in his voice had faded, replaced instead by a probing tone:
"A hundred years ago, the Immortal Venerable sacrificed himself to the heavens, his soul and spirit extinguished, saving the cultivation world from calamity."
"If you… knew the Immortal Venerable, then…"
Before he could finish, Xu Wanci, who had been keeping her head lowered, suddenly looked up.
For the first time, the Elder Grandmaster saw unmistakable shock and panic flash across her face.
Her gaze instinctively darted toward the Truth Stone.
Seeing no reaction from it, she seemed to realize something, turning slowly toward the judgment platform.
"What do you mean… his soul and spirit were extinguished?"
Faced with the silence of those around her, she looked like a child who had lost everything—not with devastation, but with confusion.
Her voice was hoarse, almost pleading as she sought confirmation: "The Great Dao offers three thousand paths—shouldn’t there always be a sliver of hope?"
The Elder Grandmaster did not answer.
Beside him, the Elder Second Master met Xu Wanci’s gaze—a mix of despair and fragile hope—and flinched as if burned, instinctively averting her eyes.
She exhaled faintly, the last traces of suspicion in her heart dissolving at that look.
By then, Xu Wanci had regained her composure.
Yet the faint light in her eyes dimmed, little by little.
Just as the Elder Second Master was about to speak, Xu Wanci’s eerily calm voice cut through the silence:
"It was me."
Xu Wanci continued, each word deliberate:
"I acted out of jealousy and malice. I harmed Jiang Qiuning."
Her voice carried both remorse and a strange relief, even a hint of laughter:
"Punish me as you see fit, Elders."
Her words left the Hall of Judgment in stunned silence.
If Xu Wanci truly had such a close connection to the Immortal Venerable—even the slightest possibility—
They could not lay a hand on her!
Not just out of lingering reverence for Immortal Venerable Qingyan, but for their own sake.
After the Immortal Venerable sacrificed himself to save the world, every cultivator in the realm owed him a karmic debt.
And ascending to the Dao—what mattered most was resolving such karma.
Compared to even a sliver of hope for ascension, the Jiang Clan’s wrath meant nothing.
Besides, though Jiang Qiuning was gravely injured, enough rare treasures could restore the Jiang heir to perfection.
Exchanging a glance, the two Elders reached an understanding.
The Elder Grandmaster, known for his impartiality, sighed silently and turned away without another word.
Stepping forward, the Elder Second Master flicked her sleeve and declared sternly:
"Xu Wanci, as a disciple of the Taiqing Sect, you should never have raised a hand against another cultivator."
Her phrasing deftly softened "ambushing the Jiang Clan’s heir" into "harming a fellow cultivator."
Noticing the frost creeping over Xu Wanci’s left hand where it pressed against the floor, she subtly warmed the hall before continuing coolly:
"Given the circumstances and the severe injuries you’ve already suffered as punishment…"
"These two factors cancel each other out. Let this matter rest."
"Do not repeat such actions."
