Chapter 233: Liu Xueyin, It’s Time for Everything to End

Having failed to kill Liu Xueyin twice, Xiao Li actually didn’t feel much hatred for her anymore.

Hating someone takes energy, and Liu Xueyin wasn’t worth her time.

Her goal was to solve problems and achieve her objectives, not be controlled by her emotions.

Rather than an enemy, Liu Xueyin was the key to her escape from this world.

Between the two of them, only one was fated to live. The worst-case scenario was simply mutual destruction.

Yet Liu Xueyin always had a knack for effortlessly stepping on her last nerve and stoking her fury, even at times when Xiao Li was calm and had no desire to kill her.

Perhaps it wasn’t just fury, but her hidden madness and bloodlust, which could incinerate all her reason in an instant.

In this world, only two people could cause Xiao Li to break down completely: Lu Yanzhi and Liu Xueyin.

It was a Spell cast upon her by the torment, suffering, and despair of the original body’s soul. Only when those two were dead could she be truly free.

Lu Yanzhi was dead. He’d even come back to life, only to be reduced to a pool of blood. He was as dead as dead could be.

Liu Xueyin was also about to die. And even if she didn’t, Xiao Li could crush her so thoroughly she would never be able to get back up.

’To think she’d somehow obtained those memories and even brought up that child.’

’That nightmarish existence.’

It was as if everything had returned to the beginning. As if just yesterday, she was still trapped in the original body’s shell, unable to struggle, living a life worse than death. Those feelings of despair and collapse were like maggots clinging to bone, impossible to scrape clean even if you gouged out your own flesh and blood.

At this moment, the only thing in Xiao Li’s heart and eyes was world-ending slaughter.

’When my sword falls, either Liu Xueyin dies, or we all die together!’

’If everyone is dead, their bones ground to ash with nothing left behind, then it will finally be clean.’

SCHLICK!

The sword pierced Xiao Jingyu’s chest. But Xiao Li was ruthless. Heedless of everything, she slammed her body forward, forcing Xiao Jingyu to stumble backward. The blade that had impaled him now shot straight through Liu Xueyin, who he had been shielding.

Xiao Li gave them no time to react, not even to scream. She kicked Xiao Jingyu’s body to wrench her sword free, using the momentum to spin around and slit his throat in a single motion.

BOOM!

Xiao Li felt a deafening thunderclap explode in her mind. The intense vibration almost split her skull, and she staggered, but there was no storm outside.

She knew this was the world’s warning for killing the male lead.

But she didn’t even fear death, so why would she fear a mere warning?

Xiao Jingyu died instantly, his throat slit by her sword, but Liu Xueyin was still alive.

She lay on the ground, a gaping hole in her chest with blood pouring out, yet she was still breathing.

Her eyes were fixed on Xiao Li, filled with hatred, fury, terror, and indignation. She wanted to say something, but no words would come out.

Xiao Li walked over, her sword in hand. She aimed the tip at Liu Xueyin’s neck, her blood-red eyes gazing down like a ravenous beast—eerie, cold, and inhumanly cruel. "Liu Xueyin, it’s time to end this."

As she spoke, she slashed the longsword across her neck.

Xiao Li felt a resistance. In that same instant, she saw a great cloud of black mist, pulsing with a destructive aura, surge toward her, only to vanish a moment later.

Simultaneously, her sword struck true.

BOOM! Another crash reverberated through her mind.

Xiao Li nearly passed out on the spot, but she forced herself to stay conscious.

And the light faded completely from Liu Xueyin’s eyes.

She was dead.

The moment the life in Liu Xueyin’s eyes flickered out, all of Xiao Li’s fury subsided.

This time was different from the last two. The power that had been protecting Liu Xueyin was gone.

She was truly dead, but Xiao Li didn’t let her guard down.

’After all, Lu Yanzhi had died, but didn’t he come back to life for a good long while?’

’Even death isn’t a guarantee.’

But there was no rush to deal with that now. "Yang Jun, drag them away."

Yang Jun immediately had his men drag the bodies away.

"Oh, my." Xiao Li seemed to have a sudden realization. She slowly raised her head, her face still spattered with blood. Her gaze swept over the crowd as she offered an elegant, apologetic smile. "My apologies. I seem to have disturbed everyone’s good time."

The crowd: ’So she finally remembers there are other people here.’

With stiff, forced smiles, they replied, "Your Majesty is too kind."

She raised a hand. "Bring me wine."

Hong Yue immediately brought over a tray and presented her with a cup of wine.

Xiao Li raised her cup. "I’ve frightened you all. Allow me to offer this cup as an apology."

The crowd hurriedly bowed, their hands clasped in reverence. "We do not dare, Your Majesty," they said, trembling with fear.

How could they possibly dare to accept an apology from the Empress?

Three bodies lay on the ground—one decapitated, the other two with eyes wide open in death. A river of blood flowed across the floor. Even those accustomed to gruesome sights couldn’t help but feel a chill.

It wasn’t the dead they feared, but the Empress who had killed these people in full view of everyone.

She had never hidden her brutality. She was fearless and didn’t care about adding "tyrannical" to her already savage and vicious reputation.

Clad in a Dragon Robe, sword in hand, and spattered with blood, one moment she was a madwoman who had just killed two people; the next, she was as elegant and composed as a gentle spring breeze.

Cruel, tyrannical, and mercurial—the very image of a tyrant.

She was far more terrifying than the corpses on the floor.

Having witnessed the Empress’s brutal killing style and her mercurial madness, the various envoys trembled, wracking their brains to remember if they had said anything disrespectful about her.

The envoys: ’We’ll be good, please spare us!’

When power, wealth, ruthlessness, and a fearlessness of death are all embodied in one person, their gender becomes irrelevant. They are simply invincible.

And when she was this wantonly brutal, no one dared to lecture her with righteous principles. They could only wish to shrink into nonexistence, terrified of being singled out for death by a thousand cuts.

As for the officials of Longsheng, the lower and mid-level ones had only recently been promoted by the Empress. It wasn’t a matter of gratitude; their own positions weren’t even secure yet. They didn’t even have the right to speak out.

As for the highest-ranking officials, like Song Junzhan, Yang Jun, and Tang Shuyu, they had personally watched the Empress carve her path to power with blood and steel.

The only issue they had with the Empress killing people was that she insisted on doing it herself, and had even been injured by Xiao Jingyu.

’Xiao Jingyu should have died long ago!’

Xiao Li drank the wine. The strong liquor burned her throat, making her cough. She nonchalantly wiped away the trickle of blood from the corner of her mouth.

"Prime Minister, do see to it that our envoys are well entertained."

With that, Xiao Li turned and left. The crowd bowed once more. "We respectfully send off Your Majesty."

Song Junzhan was worried about Her Majesty, but he knew he had to stay behind. His icy gaze swept over all the envoys.

He could control the officials of Longsheng, but these foreigners were harder to manage. For the sake of the Empress’s reputation, he kept his tone as polite as possible.

"Esteemed envoys, please do not be alarmed. Our Majesty is actually very reasonable. She never kills the innocent."

The envoys: ’Prime Minister Song, you’ve made your point. Please stop talking. No one believes you, especially not when your eyes are shooting ice daggers that chill us to the bone.’

Song Junzhan continued, "You have all come a long way and must be eager to tour the Capital City. Please, feel free to explore at your leisure. I will have the Silver Armor Guards personally escort you to ensure your safety."

The envoys: ’The last of our hope just died. An escort by the Silver Armor Guards? What’s the difference between that and having a knife held to our throats?’