In the vast land of Tianxuan, at the frozen expanse of Minghan Glacier, chaos erupted.

“Ah---!”

A blood-curdling scream tore through the icy winds as crimson splattered the frost-covered ground. A mangled severed limb rolled before freezing, its twitching stilled by the biting cold.

Elizabeth Knight, the Tianxuan Empress, stood surrounded by dozens upon dozens of fierce beasts drooling crimson and a swarm of Ninth-grade cultivators, each craving her demise.

Her figure, drenched in blood and riddled with wounds, was impossible to ignore. She looked nothing short of a demon god risen from Hell itself—the killing intent in her every strike undeniable. The battlefield was a graveyard now, littered with mountains of corpses, every one of them once elite, warriors at their Blood Mark level; now they lay motionless at Elizabeth's feet.

She was blind—her eyes had been gouged out, blood streaming endlessly down her face. But crippled as she was, Elizabeth’s iron will remained steady. Beneath her boot was Isabella Knight, her own sister.

Isabella lay pinned to the icy ground, helpless, her arm severed cleanly by Elizabeth’s blade, blood pooling beneath her as her face contorted with pain. Shivers ran through her body, part agony, part disbelief.

“Elizabeth…” Isabella hissed through the ache, her lips twisting into a vicious, maddened smile. “I used the Soul-Devouring Curse to weaken your power by a tenth. I took your eyes! And even still, you slaughtered my Blood Alliance soldiers—dozens of them, without pause!”Isabella Knight's delicate features twisted in rage, her gaze blazing with jealousy. "Why won't you die? As long as you're alive, Father will never see me! Elliot's heart and eyes will always be yours! Why do you take everything from me? Why is it so easy for you to have everything I've dreamed of?"

Her voice cracked with venom. "I hate you! I wish I could cut you into a thousand pieces!"

Elizabeth Knight listened to her younger sister's piercing screams with a blank expression. The gentle, obedient, and graceful sister she once knew was gone—a facade shattered into dust.

It had all been a lie.

Taking advantage of Elizabeth's momentary distraction, Isabella struck her cruelly, slaughtering the loyal Nine-Lynx Guards and tearing out Elizabeth's eyes with savage precision. She then unleashed a horde of Blood Pact soldiers, forcing Elizabeth into a desperate fight for her life.

A chilling laugh escaped Elizabeth’s lips as she shot out her hand, grabbing Isabella by the throat and lifting her clean off the ground. Her voice was ice, unyielding and remote.

"Isabella Knight, since you were a child, you've always wanted more, and I made sure you had it all. Weak in body, missing your spiritual roots—I cut out half my own heart for you, paving your way to the Throne of the Empire's Saintess."

"You craved a True Dragon Taisui steed, and I tore apart dimensions, battled for seven days and nights to claim it and gifted it to you."

"You desired the Ice Chasm's Blue Lotus to craft elixirs—three months I spent scouring the ice depths for it, delivering it into your hands when found."

Elizabeth spoke flatly, her face devoid of emotion.

"I’ve been more than generous as a sister. Tell me—why would you do this to me?""Why? You ask me why? Hahaha! Elizabeth Knight, oh Elizabeth Knight, how naive can you be?"

Isabella Knight let out a wild laugh, her voice sharp like shattered ice.

"We were both born in the royal family, both daughters of the Emperor! And yet, from the moment you were born, you were blessed with the finest spiritual roots, granted the body of a Violet Dragon. Father had all his hopes pinned on you, and Elliot adored you completely. The strongest in the empire worshipped and rallied around you; your very birth marked you as a Third-Tier Blood Dragon cultivator!"

"And what about me? Born flawed, weak, with broken roots. I was ten before I even had a chance at spiritual awakening, mocked and trampled by everyone! They ridiculed me and crushed me like dirt underfoot! And you? What did you do? Pity me. You offered charity as if I were some helpless excuse for a sister. You are worse than all of them! I, Isabella Knight, have no need for your sympathy, nor for your wretched handouts!"

Her words cut through the frozen air, laced with venom.

"So I will drag you off your pedestal! I'll take everything you hold dear, claim it for myself!"

"Only then will they see, the ones who scorned me, who looked down on me, that I, Isabella Knight, am the strongest across Tianxuan Continent. I'll rule this world, standing above all! Hahaha!"

Her crazed laughter surged like a storm. Elizabeth Knight drew in a sharp breath, her sharp gaze fixed on Isabella as her lips twisted in a contemptuous smirk. "You will never rule Tianxuan. As long as I breathe, you’ll remain where you belong—kneeling.""Before, I thought a humble origin didn't define everything. But now..."

"A slave is still a slave."

As the words echoed, the sharp sound of flesh being pierced rang out. Elizabeth Knight's hand drove straight into Isabella Knight's chest, ripping her heart out with brute force.

Blood splattered onto her strikingly beautiful, yet cold face, but Elizabeth didn't even blink.

"My things—even if destroyed—will never belong to you," she said.

With a sudden grip, her fingers crushed the glowing purple-red heart like it was nothing.

In an instant, divine light exploded, and the echo of a dragon's roar shook the skies! The supreme power of an extraordinary spirit root surged outward, shredding every ninth-tier cultivator nearby into pieces.

The sheer force felt like heavens collapsing, earth shattering. The world trembled at the display of power.

Isabella Knight was thrown to the ground like discarded fabric. Terror filled her eyes as she stared at Elizabeth Knight—her hair cascading like a silver storm, her presence like a wrathful god. Her voice broke into hysterics.

"You... destroyed my spirit root? You vile wretch! I'll kill you! All of you, what are you waiting for?! Kill her! Kill her now!!"

Suddenly, from above descended streams of black light, revealing countless black-robed sorcerers. Chanting ominous spells, they conjured a massive, dark ritual array overhead.

"Elizabeth Knight, this is the day you die!" The sky echoed with a chilling, maniacal laugh as a blinding flash of light broke through the clouds, and a massive purple-gold dragon erupted around Elizabeth Knight.

"So, Blackstone has sworn allegiance to my dear sister. Fine, then. I won’t hold back. Let me send you straight to hell!"

With blood as her offering, Elizabeth poured all her spiritual energy into her core. A suffocating pressure engulfed heaven and earth, the air trembling under her unleashed power.

Dark collided with gold—an explosion of deadly energy and storms tore through the skies.

In the blink of an eye, mountains crumbled, the ground fractured, like the heavens and stars themselves imploding in chaos. Countless dark-robed sorcerers failed to escape the destruction, slaughtered before they could even activate their teleportation beams.

Blood rained from the heavens, staining even sunlight red—a harrowing omen of a titan’s downfall.

Amid the devastation, Elizabeth spewed blood, her weakened body plunging into the icy abyss below.

“Catch her—don’t let her escape! That wretched piece of trash is a prized spirit root, a divine dragon vessel! Her flesh is a treasure. Drag her up! I want her veins! Her blood! I’ll suck out every last drop of value in her!”

While icy water engulfed her body, she could still hear the crazed shrieks of Isabella Knight above. Slowly, Elizabeth closed her eyes.

Isabella. Blackstone. So that’s your plan.

Perfect. Just perfect. Too bad. Even if her soul scatters and body is destroyed, she won't let them get their way.

A burst of golden light shot up from beneath the glacier, illuminating the sky with divine brilliance.

Under the stunned gaze of countless Blood Pact guards rushing forward, the light split into six beams and scattered across the horizon, flying towards the ends of the empire.

Far away, nine figures streaked through the skies at astonishing speed, stopping in midair. Their presence radiated an oppressive aura of power.

These were the Nine Elders of the Heavenly Empire's Sacred Hall. At the forefront stood the Grand Elder.

“This is bad! She used the Forbidden Gold Body Split technique... Ruthless against her foes, even more ruthless against herself. No wonder she’s the first Empress of the Empire.”

Isabella Knight seethed at the sight. Her fists clenched tight, nails digging into her skin.

“Grand Elder, this can’t end like this! I must get her spirit root and gold body. Only then can I refine the Broken Origin Pill to secure my ascension. Otherwise, all these years of effort will be for nothing!”

“Be patient, Saintess. This is the Heart-Severing Curse. The caster's soul will endure excruciating agony, like a thousand blades tearing it apart. It won’t be long before she perishes completely. When that happens, the balance of nature will be disturbed, and anomalies will unveil the hiding spots of the split gold bodies one by one. You’ll have your chance to claim her flesh and spirit roots for your use.”Isabella Knight's face finally showed satisfaction after hearing the words. But suddenly, a sharp pain hit her chest, and she staggered, barely keeping her balance.

“The Saintess is wounded? Let me treat you immediately,” the elder said as he stepped forward. With a flick of his wrist, a brilliant seven-colored gemstone materialized in his palm.

As the healing glow enveloped her, the gaping wound on Isabella Knight’s chest began to close steadily. The elder stowed away the gemstone and said, “Saintess, the palace guards will be here soon.”

“Rest assured, Elder. I know what must be done,” she replied, her tone unwavering.

In the next moment, an astonishing transformation took place. Isabella Knight’s features began to shift and morph. In mere seconds, her face was identical to Elizabeth Knight’s, a perfect duplicate.

“Elizabeth Knight, from this day forward, I am the Empress of Tianxuan! Everything of yours will now belong to me. Hahaha!”