The chilling words echoed across the arena.
Gasps rippled through the crowd—some looked away in disapproval, others watched with gleaming admiration. And among them were those whose eyes sparkled with twisted joy.
Then came the final announcement, cutting through the frozen silence:
"The match is over!"
"The victor of the competition—Bai Ning Bing of the Immortal Crane Sect!"
Bai Ning Bing stepped down from the platform with slow, deliberate strides, his expression cold and unreadable.
Meanwhile, Feng Jin Huang lay bloodied and unconscious, her body quickly lifted by several healing Gu Masters who rushed onto the stage. Carefully, they surrounded her with recovery Gu, enveloping her in soft glows of green as they carried her away.
....
A few months ago, a shocking incident swept across the continent like wildfire.
It all began five months back at Tian Ti Mountain—a major face-slapping moment in Gu World history.
A notorious demonic Gu Master from the Southern Border, infamously known as the Demon King, managed to infiltrate the Tian Ti mountain right under the noses of powerful Gu Immortals. In an audacious move, he broke into the Hu Immortal Blessed Land and even succeeded in obtaining the precious Hu Immortal inheritance.
Not stopping there, he took the disciples inside hostage and extorted immortal essence stones and valuable materials from the Ten Great Sects.
To everyone's shock, he somehow discovered that the Hu Immortal Blessed Land housed the rare Divine Travel Immortal Gu. He seized it, and under the watchful eyes of the Gu Immortals stationed at Tian Ti Mountain, used it to vanish without a trace.
However, the most scandalous and disturbing part of this saga was yet to come. The Demon King reportedly raped the daughter of a renowned fairy from the Spirit Affinity House—a former prodigy admired across the central continent. Her reputation was shattered, and she became the subject of widespread ridicule and humiliation.
Desperate for justice, the Ten Great Sects sought help from Wisdom Path Gu Immortals to locate the Demon King.
But the answer they received was more frustrating than any defeat— He is no longer in the Gu World, nor in the Black or White Heavens. He had vanished completely—or worse, was already dead.
The proud daughter of Spirit Affinity House was left with no way to take revenge. The Ten Great Sects could only suffer the shame of being outwitted and humiliated by a single demonic Gu Master from the Southern Border. Compared to this, even Feng Jiu Ge's legendary affront seemed mild.
Their anger has nowhere to go. The shame of being so thoroughly toyed with is something they will have to carry for a lifetime.
...
"Feng'er, Feng'er, are you alright?" Feng Jiu Ge asked gently as he supported his daughter, Feng Jin Huang, who had just been healed.
Standing nearby, his wife Bai Qing looked on with deep worry in her eyes, her gaze fixed on their daughter.
Feng Jin Huang glanced at both of them, and for the first time, tears welled up in her eyes.
"Dad!" she cried out, throwing herself into his arms as sobs shook her body, her tears soaking into his robes.
Feng Jiu Ge softly patted her back. "Feng'er, Feng'er, don't cry," he said, his voice filled with concern.
Bai Qing stepped forward and wrapped her arms around her daughter as well, her expression full of sorrow. "Feng'er, don't dwell on it too much," she whispered.
"That boy, Bai Ning Bing, truly crossed the line. And to think I once held him in such high regard," she said, bitterness creeping into her voice.
"How dare he humiliate you like this… Your mother will make him pay."
Upon hearing her mother's words, Feng Jin Huang broke into louder sobs.
"Dad…" she murmured weakly, her voice barely audible.
"I want to die…" she whispered to herself, her face pale and lifeless.
In the past five months, Feng Jin Huang's world had completely collapsed.
Once, wherever she went, people would look at her with admiration and awe.
"Look, that's Feng Jin Huang—the prodigy of the Spirit Affinity House!"
"Wow! She reached Rank 5 while still in her teens!"
"She's destined for greatness."
"She'll surely become one of the brightest stars of the Central Continent."
"She might even be the next Fairy of Spirit Affinity House."
"I envy her talent—how can someone be so gifted?"
"She's not just powerful, she's stunning too!"
"She's like a phoenix soaring through the heavens."
Wherever she appeared, she was showered with praise, flattery, and admiration. Everyone tried to get close to her, to bask in her light.
But now… the same mouths that once praised her whispered something very different: