The biting cold of the blood-stained altar seeped into Lira Skyward's broken bones, each inch of her flesh screaming in torment as the dark formation beneath her devoured her spiritual roots bit by bit.
Her once-glorious talent—the peerless genius of the Skyward Family, the future mistress of the Gu Family—was being ripped away, forcefully transplanted into the soft, trembling figure kneeling beside the altar.
Snowwei Skyward.
Her own cousin, the white lotus who had worn a gentle smile by her side for sixteen years, now staring at her with undisguised greed and malice.
"Sister, don't blame me," Snowwei whispered, her voice sweet as poison, "Your talent was too dazzling, it's only right that it belongs to someone more… suitable."
Next to her stood Yanze Gu, Lira's fiancé of three years, the man she had once loved and trusted with all her heart. His cold, sharp eyes showed not a trace of pity, only calculation and ambition.
"Lira, your death is for the greater good of the Skyward and Gu families," he said indifferently, "Your spiritual roots will help Snowwei step into the Qingyun Sect, and I will climb higher with the Gu Family. You're just a discarded pawn."
A discarded pawn.
The words cut deeper than any blade.
Lira lifted her blood-crusted eyelids, staring at the familiar faces that had once been her closest kin—her grandfather, the head of the Skyward Family, who had doted on her in public but signed the sacrifice order without hesitation; the elder of the Qingyun Sect, who had taught her cultivation principles but now presided over the formation to steal her life.
All of them.
All of them had betrayed her.
Her talent, her family, her love, her life—everything was stripped away, leaving only endless hatred burning in her chest like a wildfire.
"I curse you…" Lira spat out blood, her voice hoarse but filled with bone-deep venom, "Snowwei Skyward, Yanze Gu, Skyward Family, Qingyun Sect elder… I will drag you all to hell with me if I am reborn! I will destroy everything you cherish, make you beg for death a hundred times over!"
The last trace of her life force was drained.
The world went black.
…
Drip. Drip. Drip.
The sound of water droplets echoed in her ears, soft and familiar, nothing like the bone-chilling cold of the altar.
Lira's eyelids fluttered open violently, her body jolting upward as she gasped for air, as if she had just escaped from the brink of death.
She was in her own bedroom—pink silk curtains, a mahogany dressing table, the faint scent of osmanthus incense lingering in the air.
This was… her room in the Skyward Family mansion, before everything had gone to hell.
She stumbled out of bed, rushing to the mirror, and froze.
In the mirror was a sixteen-year-old girl, her skin fair, her eyes bright and sharp, her spiritual roots intact and glowing with a faint golden light—the peak talent that had made her the pride of the Skyward Family.
She was young, unharmed, and alive.
She had been reborn.
Reborn back to the year before her engagement banquet, the year before Snowwei began to plot against her talent, the year before all the betrayal and slaughter unfolded.
Tremendous joy mixed with seething hatred surged through her veins, and Lira's lips curled into a cold, ruthless smile.
If the heavens gave her a second chance, she would not waste a single breath on kindness or mercy.
No more naive trust, no more foolish love, no more longing for family affection.
Only revenge.
Bloody, thorough, irreversible revenge.
[Ding—Detected intense host resentment. Revenge System binding… 10%… 50%… 100%! Binding successful!]
A cold, mechanical voice suddenly rang in Lira's mind, accompanied by a translucent blue panel floating in front of her eyes.
——Revenge System——
Host: Lira Skyward
Identity: Direct daughter of the Skyward Family
Cultivation Base: Mortal (Pre-cultivation)
Talent: Peerless Golden Spiritual Root (Intact)
Hatred Value: 999 (Maxed)
System Level: 1 (Novice)
Current Revenge Targets: Snowwei Skyward (Cousin), Yanze Gu (Fiancé), Skyward Family Elder (Grandfather), Qingyun Sect Deacon Elder)
Novice Gift Pack: Unclaimed. Complete first revenge mission to unlock!
First Mission Released: [Slap in the Face of the Hypocrite]
Mission Content: Expose Snowwei Skyward's hypocritical mask in front of the family maid within 10 minutes, making her lose face completely.
Mission Reward: 100 System Points, Instant Breakthrough to Body Tempering Level 3, Low-Grade Spirit Sword*1
Failure Punishment: System Unbinding, Host Spiritual Roots Self-Destruct
Lira's eyes glinted with a cold light.
Revenge System.
It was a gift from heaven to help her crush all her enemies.
She did not fear the punishment—she would rather die than return to the pathetic, betrayed self of her previous life.
At that moment, soft footsteps sounded outside the door, followed by a sweet, fake gentle voice.
"Sister? Are you awake? I brought you your favorite osmanthus cake."
The door creaked open.
Snowwei Skyward walked in, holding a white porcelain plate, her big eyes watery and innocent, the perfect picture of a kind, caring little sister.
The same act she had used to deceive everyone in her previous life.
Lira lifted her gaze, her dark eyes cold and sharp, like a blade unsheathed from its scabbard.
The game of revenge had just begun.