Amidst the crowd's astonishment, a white figure descended from the sky.
Clad in immaculate moon-white brocade robes, they drifted down as if an immortal from beyond the heavens.
Their face was refined and handsome, with flawless features, but their eyes drew particular attention. They shone like constellations, yet all those stars seemed fixed on only one person.
"Yen Zhao..." Xue Zi Ning whispered in her heart.
"Xue Jing Yun..." Han Xi Chen gritted out each word.
The slender figure landed steadily on the ground, instantly drawing all gazes.
Breathtakingly elegant, noble and imposing.
"Han Xi Chen, you are surrounded. Surrender now!" a clear, cool voice stated plainly.
"Heh..." Han Xi Chen let out a low laugh, his eyes not quite reaching his smile, "Is that so?"
"Yes, Han Xi Chen. Your men have all been captured." Shen Yun Xuan, leading his own contingent, entered from outside, subduing Han Xi Chen's guards.
Han Xi Chen laughed heartily, "Shen Yun Lan, you have betrayed me."
Shen Yun Lan took a step back. "Your Highness, discretion is the better part of valor. Those who commit injustice will surely perish. You should abandon your resistance!"
Hearing this, Han Xi Chen's smile vanished, replaced by a cold glint. "I have never known surrender. Do you think this will make me yield meekly? Dream on..."
"Han Xi Chen, your resistance is merely a futile struggle," Xue Zi Ning said softly.
Han Xi Chen looked at her, a fleeting light crossing his gaze. "My life has never been about futility; it has always been about achieving my desires."
"Since you remain so stubborn, there's no need for courtesy," Shen Yun Xuan said, looking at Xue Jing Yun.
Xue Jing Yun stated calmly, "Take him."
The guards behind him stepped forward, moving towards Han Xi Chen. Han Xi Chen smirked, a hint of wickedness in his eyes. "Do you think I would be so foolish as to have no backup? I will drag you down with me even in death. Xue Zi Ning, you will accompany me to the underworld!"
"Ah Ning!" Xue Jing Yun felt a premonition and cried out.
Xue Zi Ning heard Han Xi Chen call her name and became fully alert. However, before she saw him move towards her, the ground beneath her feet suddenly gave way. She plunged into a dark opening, losing all sensation for a moment.
"Ah Ning..." Xue Jing Yun leaped into the air, watching helplessly as the opening rapidly vanished. By the time he reached the spot, it was like a flat plain, showing no trace of the hole.
Han Xi Chen sneered, "Xue Jing Yun, you will remain alone until the end of your days!"
With that, a chasm opened beneath him, and he fell.
In an instant, he was gone.
"Ah Ning..." Xue Jing Yun stood there, but everyone present could feel the powerful aura radiating from him.
The air around them instantly froze.
"Your Highness..." Xue Song stepped forward, unable to help but speak.
Upon seeing his master's expression, he couldn't help but gasp. The refined, handsome face of his master was now utterly cold, a chill that could pierce the heart.
"Find her. Dig three feet into the earth if you must, but find her for me..." he roared.
This was the first time Xue Song had ever seen his master so frantic.
"Xue Song, lead your men to surround Zhaoping. No one is to enter or leave," Shen Yun Xuan suggested.
Xue Song nodded. "Yes, thank you for the reminder, Lord Shen."
Shen Yun Xuan turned to leave. His priority now was to find the Empress.
Everyone had departed. At this moment, only Xue Jing Yun remained.
He looked up at the sky, then closed his eyes. With a sudden sweep of his hand in one direction, a massive beam of light erupted from him, cleaving a century-old tree in the courtyard to the ground.
Many years later, everyone would still remember that day as Xue Jing Yun's most furious, when he leveled the area with his bare hands.
An Ping received the news of Xue Zi Ning's disappearance along with Han Xi Chen and rejoiced, her previous sorrows vanishing.
She even laughed aloud, "Xue Jing Yun, you have your day! Let you taste the pain of losing the one you love. How does it feel? Do you feel it? Sorrow and despair?"
"Prince Chang Ping, Princess An Ru wishes to see you..." A maid entered the room, reporting. The maid trembled, bracing for Prince Chang Ping's wrath.
Ever since Chang Ping returned from Mo Cheng, she had been in a state of madness, killing anyone who displeased her. No one dared to serve Prince Chang Ping anymore.
But, surprisingly, An Ping did not get angry this time. She said, "Let her in."
A moment later, An Ru entered. Seeing her, An Ping smiled coyly. "An Ru, you've arrived. Do you know about Xue Zi Ning..."
"Was it you who did it?" An Ru interrupted, asking word by word.
An Ping froze. "An Ru, what are you talking about?"
Hearing this, An Ru was furious. She stepped forward and grabbed An Ping's collar, raging, "What? You did it but dare not admit it? Do I have to say it out loud? An Ping, how could you be so heartless? I am your sister!"
An Ping pushed her away with one hand, sneering, "The little suffering you endured, what is it compared to mine? I lost my purity, a woman's most precious purity."
"But I am your sister..." An Ru cried out.
An Ping was indifferent. Looking at her, she said, "Since we are sisters, shouldn't we share weal and woe?"
"You..." An Ru could hardly believe these words came from An Ping.
"If I lost my purity, do you expect to be here enjoying yourself? An Ru, I will not give you the chance to mock me. Since I have lost the most important thing, you must lose something as well." An Ping laughed, a touch of madness in her eyes.
An Ru stumbled back several steps. "So, seeing Ah Ning possess happiness, status, and position, you became jealous. You colluded with Han Xi Chen solely to eliminate Ah Ning."
"So what if I did? If this world were mine, would you, An Ru, not benefit?"
"You are so venomous, how could you spare me? An Ping, you truly have a wolf's heart and dog's lungs." An Ru roared.
An Ping smiled, standing in her madness. "Wolf's heart and dog's lungs? I like that..."
An Ru's gaze turned cold. The sword in her hand lunged towards An Ping. "Since I cannot stop you, I will destroy you!"
An Ping shrieked in alarm and scrambled backward, but she couldn't be faster than An Ru, who had trained in swordsmanship.
Soon, An Ping was covered in wounds. An Ru said, "An Ping, I will bury you properly after you die."
"An Ru, don't kill me, don't kill me! I was wrong, I am truly sorry," An Ping pleaded, backing away.
"An Ru, what are you doing? Put down your sword at once..." Prince An entered the room, his voice filled with anger.
An Ru turned to face her father, the one who would always protect An Ping, no matter what happened. She never knew a heart could be so biased until her mother left.
"She has committed so many wrongdoings; death is her just deserts. Since Father cannot bring himself to do it, I will," An Ru stated coldly.
"An Ru, there are things we can discuss. Lower your sword," Prince An said soothingly.
An Ru shook her head. "I will no longer listen to you. Do you remember when I begged you to stay with our mother? What did you say? You said she wasn't dying and you had important matters, and your matters were to accompany An Ping and the others."
Prince An's gaze faltered. "An Ru, that was my mistake."
"It's too late..." An Ru replied coldly.