Mortal: Starting with the Seven Mysterious Sects, I proved my Dao through sacrifice.

The air inside the sealed room seemed to freeze at that moment.

As Yan Yunshan and Murong Fan broke through the ceiling and disappeared, only Yan Ruyan's rapid breathing remained in the previously deathly silent space. She would recall that just a few hours ago, this was the wedding dress she had been forced to wear for the sake of her family and for her own survival.

"Wang Chan..." she murmured softly, her voice hoarse.

She felt no love for this man, only a deep-seated fear and disgust. He was a ruthless demon, a monster who used her as a vessel to cultivate the "Blood Spirit Technique." Just recently, he had grinned as he prepared to activate a grand formation, intending to refine the Foundation Establishment disciples of seven sects into blood slaves.

But now he's dead.

He died so swiftly, so deservedly!

"The one who broke through the formation and committed the murders is Murong Fan from Huangfeng Valley!"

A handsome and promising young man in the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm, mysterious and unpredictable.

"He did save me, but he also destroyed Yan Family Fortress," Yan Ruyan murmured to herself, a hint of confusion flashing in her eyes.

Just then, a figure in cyan silently landed behind her. There was no murderous intent, only a faint, chilling aura, like bamboo shoots after rain, which instantly diluted the nauseating smell of blood in the secret room.

"Miss Yan, please accept my condolences!" Murong Fan's voice rang out from behind, so calm that no emotion could be detected.

Yan Ruyan suddenly turned around, a gleaming flying sword appearing in her hand, its tip pointed directly at Murong Fan's throat. Her hand trembled, but her eyes were unusually cold, like a small beast cornered and baring its last fangs.

"Why did you save me, and why did you kill him? How are you going to break out of this predicament at Yan Family Fortress? Father agreed to cooperate with you, but is there any guarantee of victory?" Yan Ruyan gritted her teeth, each word seemingly squeezed out from between them.

Murong Fan stared at the trembling sword tip without even blinking, and instead took a step forward.

"laugh--"

The tip of the sword pierced the skin on his neck, drawing out a drop of blood.

"If I don't kill him, you, your father, and all the hundreds of thousands of people in Yan Family Fortress will die in the future. Miss Yan should know that your father's gamble is destined to fail!" Murong Fan said calmly.

Yan Ruyanran was well aware of the terrifying power of the Blood Spirit Array. It was a powerful and evil technique used by the Ghost Spirit Sect, which could cause the caster's cultivation to surge by using the essence and cultivation of a Foundation Establishment cultivator as a catalyst. Wang Chan's marriage to her wasn't entirely for the power of the Yan Family Fortress; it was more for her as a "top-grade medicinal catalyst" possessing a Heavenly Spirit Root.

"But..." Yan Ruyan's eyes reddened slightly, her voice trembling with a sob, "Yan Family Fortress is finished... Ghost Spirit Sect won't let us go! It was you... it was you who pushed us into the abyss! Wang Chan is a demon, a born evil seed, and so are you..."

"Miss Yan, you've misunderstood. I'm the one who pulled you back from the brink of hell."

Murong Fan raised his hand, his index and middle fingers gently pinching the sharp blade.

"Miss Yan, don't you understand? From the moment Wang Chan stepped into Yan Family Fortress, you had no way out. The Ghost Spirit Sect has never regarded Yan Family Fortress as an ally; in their eyes, you are nothing more than prey to be devoured at any time."

Murong Fan applied slight pressure with two fingers, and the low-grade magic weapon flying sword emitted a creaking sound.

"Wang Chan is dead. For the sake of face and the so-called 'revenge for the young master,' the Ghost Spirit Sect will surely slaughter the entire Yan Family Fortress. This is a dead end." Murong Fan stared at Yan Ruyan's tearful phoenix eyes, his tone suddenly turning icy. "But it's also a chance for survival."

Yan Ruyan was stunned: "What do you mean?"

"Your father chose to cooperate, chose to act, so let's play along and carry the rebellion through to the end!" Murong Fan loosened his grip, took a step back, and brazenly scanned her. "Miss Yan, you possess a heavenly spiritual root, your talent is unparalleled. Are you truly content to spend your life as a man's appendage? As a furnace for a demon like Wang Chan?"

"I..." Yan Ruyan didn't know what to say for a moment.

Of course, she was unwilling. She, Yan Ruyan, was a prodigy in the cultivation world of Yue Kingdom, a promising talent once closely watched by the Hidden Moon Sect. If it weren't for her strange illness, if it weren't for pressure from her family, how could she have ended up marrying a wicked devil like Wang Chan?

"Wang Chan treats you as a tool to improve his cultivation, and has no real feelings for you." Murong Fan's voice was full of seduction. "But in my eyes, you are a sharp sword yet to be drawn. You have exceptional talent and a distinguished family background. You can completely control your own life!" Murong Fan said, appealing to both emotion and reason.

"Now, have your father send you back to the Ghost Spirit Sect to hold a funeral for your 'deceased husband.' As the young master's wife, infiltrate the core of the Blood Spirit Sect. I will assist you. No matter what means you use, you must ensure the deaths of Brother Wang Tiansheng. You must completely control the Ghost Spirit Sect and deliver this pledge of allegiance to the Seven Sects. From now on, Yan Family Fortress will be a spies planted by the Seven Sects in the demonic path, and you will be the one wielding the blade. Yan Family Fortress is yours, the Ghost Spirit Sect can be yours, and your life is your own, Miss Yan. What I want is for your sword to be pointed at your enemies, not at me," Murong Fan continued.

Yan Ruyan sheathed her flying sword, the hostility in her eyes lessening somewhat, replaced by a deep sense of wariness and inquiry. "Why did you do this? You must have something to gain, right?"

Murong Fan smiled. His smile held a hint of wickedness, yet also an undeniable confidence.

"I want the sky over Yue to change its color." He looked at Yan Ruyan, his gaze resolute. "I also want... when Miss Yan rises to prominence in the future, she will remember today, who gave you the chance to draw your sword? Who put you on the chessboard, turning you from a pawn into a player!"

Yan Ruyan fell silent.

She looked at the man before her. He had killed her nominal husband and destroyed the "marital relationship" that was originally full of calculation and subservience, but he had once again forced her to fully recognize a cruel but real truth.

The shouts of battle outside grew louder and louder, and the firelight illuminated the windows of the secret chamber.

"Father is still mediating." Yan Ruyan took a deep breath, the confusion in her eyes gradually fading, replaced by an unprecedented determination.

She was currently trying to calm herself and adjust her state of mind, determined to transform herself into a shadowy figure and fully portray the image of a good wife who bore the pain of losing her husband, sought revenge for him, and carried on his legacy. She glanced at Murong Fan.

That was the gaze of a strong person, and it was exactly what Murong Fan wanted.

Yan Ruyan raised her head and looked at Murong Fan: "If I do as you say and Yan Family Fort survives, what do you want?"

Murong Fan stood with his hands behind his back and said calmly, "I want you to live, and become stronger than Wang Chan, strong enough to make the Ghost Spirit Sect tremble..."

Yan Ruyan stared blankly at him, a strange emotion welling up inside her.

Was it fear? But it wasn't just fear; it was an unfathomable, condescending scrutiny.

She sensed an aura from this man that was even more dangerous than that from Wang Chan, but also a sense of security she had never felt before. It was the protection of the strong for the weak, and the domestication of the prey by the hunter.

"As you wish!" Yan Ruyan tidied her disheveled hair and wiped the blood from her face. She put on the blood-stained red wedding dress again, but at this moment, she was no longer a bride waiting to be sacrificed, but a demon about to be reborn from the ashes.

"Fellow Daoist Murong, if Yan Family Fortress can survive this calamity today," Yan Ruyan walked up to Murong Fan, gave him a deep look, and said, "Ruyan's life is yours."

Murong Fan smiled slightly, reached out a hand, and gently straightened the wrinkles at her collar.

"Your life is your own, Miss Yan."

His hand rested on her chin, gently lifting it to force her to look directly into his eyes.

"Go on, the people outside are waiting for you." Murong Fan withdrew his hand, took a step back, and made way for her to reach the exit. "Remember, from the moment you step out of this door, you are the widow of the Ghost Spirit Sect and the young mistress of Yan Family Fort. You must be patient, ruthless, and make everyone believe your act."

Yan Ruyan took a deep breath, straightened her wedding dress, and walked towards the exit illuminated by the firelight. Her figure was slender, yet carried an unwavering determination. The door to the secret chamber slowly closed behind her, shutting out the blood-stained red figure and completely turning a seemingly hopeless situation into a winning one.

Yan Ruyan's pupils contracted slightly. She felt a powerful divine sense sweep across her mind in an instant. There was no attack, only a chilling pressure. It was an absolute crushing force.

"I understand," she whispered.

"Go," Murong Fan said, then turned to look out the window. "Let those demonic scum see whether the young lady of the Yan family is a lamb to the slaughter."

Without further hesitation, Yan Ruyan turned around and transformed into a streak of light, rushing out of the secret chamber.

Watching her departing figure, the smile in Murong Fan's eyes gradually faded, replaced by a cold calculation.

"Yan Ruyan, Heavenly Spiritual Root..."

This ambitious and determined woman begins to turn evil at this moment, which will rewrite the new landscape of the cultivation world in Yue Kingdom.