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n?*Buzz*

nA powerful barrier of Spiritual Qi spread around two beauties with red eyes and identical facial features, wearing silver masks depicting the mouth of a demon on the lower halves of their faces.

nThere were four small array discs, and a hundred talismans that composited that barrier, all moving in orderly manner around the twins.

n*Clunk, clunk~….*

nAn empty jade box with an open sliding lid fell at their feet, onto a circular platform carved out of a solid single-piece black-colored rock beneath them.

nThousands of people in identical black clothes and identical silver masks with demon faces, stood around the circular lake with the platform, which was at the center of a giant dark underground cave hall.

nThe rows of silver masks stretched far into darkness, gradually rising higher as the hall was elevated the further away from the lake, like an amphitheater.

nGlowing red flowers and petals were floating on the dark mirror-like surface of the lake, and some more were falling down from above, growing on trees which roots were embedded in the rocks of the walls and ceiling.

nA thin ray of what seemed like daylight was falling onto the platform from above.

n“Hmph! What childish games, a barrier made by Mortals-…!”

nAn elderly-looking man snorted with derision as he looked at the barrier, instantly appearing in front of it and stretching out his scrawny withered hand toward it…

n“Stop!”

n… only to be stopped by a strict decrepit female voice.

nAn old woman stood on a different platform coming out from one of the walls.

nShe was surrounded by three more old men in similar attire as the one who tried to break the barrier.

nHer unclear, old eyes that long since lost their color or sharpness narrowed as she examined the barrier.

n“Where did you get this protection barrier…, Yue’er?”, her voice resounded in the large and dark underground cave hall.

n“S-sister…”, Hong Ye also looked at the white-haired beauty with widened eyes who stood in front of her, facing off with the old woman.

nThe black-haired younger twin was kneeling at the center of the platform in a powerless position, two black chains stretching from two sides of the platform tightly wrapped around her wrists that were spread to the sides.

n“Matriarch, even if it is powerful…”, the old man who still floated not far from the barrier looked at the old woman who only turned her eyes for him to shut up.

n“This is the Bahshi Secret Technique, the Wall of Oblivion. No Bahshi Assassin can touch it without repercussions”, the old woman slowly explained, and even Hong Yue who used the barrier expressed shock.

n“It seems you did not know that… is it that young man?”, the old woman narrowed her eyes seeing that reaction.

n“Young man… D-Darling?”, Hong Ye who was still shocked that her sister dared to oppose the Elders and the Matriarch, whispered with disbelief as Hong Yue half-turned her head to look back at her twin.

n“Haa~… Yue’er, that emotion you feel is fleeting. You were always a smart girl, and understood when something had to be done…”, the Matriarch then sighed, her tone changing to persuasion.

n“I was never told we had to sacrifice Ye’er!”, Hong Yue turned a sharp gaze toward the old woman.

n“Ye’er understands it needs to be done too, which is why she did not struggle”, the Matriarch spoke with a gentle smile as Hong Yue made a pained expression, once again turning to her twin.

nAll those inconsistencies she felt throughout the years suddenly made sense to her now.

nThe erratic and free-willed, often rebellious, behavior of her twin, and the Elders who always turned a blind eye to it, no matter how grave her offense was.

nHong Yue was always held to strict standards, and reprimanded for even the tiniest flaws or mistakes, while Hong Ye was never told a word about her disobedience or lousy behavior.

nIt caused not a small amount of resentment in her when they were kids.

nWu Long’s words, ‘she knows more than you’, coming to her mind as she realized how blind she was all this time.

n“You have to understand, Yue’er. Only this way can our community survive. I am getting old, and cannot protect our ways anymore, which is why you have to take my place…”, the old woman spoke with a gentle tone that Hong Yue never ever heard from her.

n“I can do that with Ye’er by my side!”, Hong Yue retorted to which the Matriarch only shook her head with a wry smile.

n“How will you face Transcendents if you are only a Mortal? Only by completing the ritual can you forcefully ascend to the Essence Awakening Realm without going through Heavenly Tribulation and attain even higher power than me”, the old woman spoke with lament, adding “If we were not locked in this world, there might have been another way… alas…”

n“What about you? What do you have to say?” Hong Yue clenched her fists as she looked with anger at the black-

nhaired beauty whose eyes expressed guilt.

n“I… what can we do? Not you or I can oppose the Matriarch…”, Hong Ye spoke as helplessness appeared in her voice.

nShe tried, ever since that day, when the little Hong Ye was told that she was the chosen one, and will survive, while Hong Yue will die.

nShe did everything in her power to avoid killing her twin for the ritual. But she realized quickly that it was futile, as neither she, nor Hong Yue could oppose the Elders who were Transcendents.

nShe could not even threaten suicide as a prohibition was placed within her and Hong Yue’s Soul Seas.

nHowever, her uncooperative attitude caused the Elders to change tactics, and designate Hong Ye to be the one sacrificed instead.

nThus they did their best to kill all emotions in Hong Yue over the years. They also decided to keep the ritual a secret from her, learning from the experience with her twin.

nThey watched with satisfaction the resentment of Hong Yue toward her unruly little sister grow over the years.

nTheir only miscalculation was how soft Hong Ye truly turned out to be, as every time Hong Yue truly was on the verge of emotionally breaking from the strain put on her by the Elders, her little sister could never hold back from making her feel even if a little, but better, thus forging the bond between them, even if outwardly the sisters did not show much affection.

nSuddenly, a strong earthquake jolted the entire hall, as murmurs spread through the assassins.

n“Don’t panic, it’s likely again that improvement in Spiritual Qi, another small part of the world somewhere over the horizon joining back”, one of the Elders spoke up, quelling the unrest.

n“Ye’er is right, Yue’er. You cannot stop this unless you are stronger than me. This barrier can delay it, but eventually even you will run out of Spiritual Qi to keep it up”, meanwhile, the Matriarch spoke to the twins without minding the slight commotion, adding “Time will pass, and you will understand, you may even kill me then, I will not mind. But for now, there is nothing you can do, such is the fate of those whose lives are not in their hands”

nHong Yue clenched her teeth in frustration, understanding that she truly was only delaying the inevitable.

nThere were no one for the two to ask for help who could do something against the Matriarch.

nAll the people on the level of the Matriarch knew each other and would not meddle in her affairs to not break the thin balance that held every one of them in place.

nIt was what made Hong Ye helpless all these years, despite desperately searching for a way. The inevitability of this moment coming.

nThen, a single person appeared in the mind of Hong Yue.

nA man who seemed to know about this before even she did. A man who seemed to know far more than someone like him should.

nA mysterious figure who gave her the jade box that activated on its own as soon as she ran her Spiritual Qi through it, knowing this moment would come.

n“There is…”, she whispered as the old woman widened her eyes, “There is someone who can stop you”

n“Hah!”, the old woman finally revealed a grin, realizing there was no persuading the twin to drop the barrier, and thus deciding to simply wait out until the she runs out of Spiritual Qi.

n“If you are speaking about that young man who came to the island, perhaps that could be possible…

nConsidering someone behind him was likely the one who bested that Corrupt punk and that pair of Lust Cultivators… it is probably safe to assume they got rid of that alchemist too… although what happened there is not yet certain…

n…I truly did not expect someone like him to appear. I even had to act cautious…

nBut I don’t really care that much now, as he’s currently facing the Heavenly Punishment, and I doubt you two have any significance for the one behind that young man”

n“”…!!!””, both twins widened their eyes, one surprised at Wu Long facing Heavenly Punishment, and another being on the island at all before the other news.

n“You’re lying!”, Hong Yue’s first reaction was denial, as it sounded too outlandish to be true.

n“D-Darling is on the island?”, Hong Ye, expressed shock at this part more, as she, like her twin did not believe in the words of the old woman, but seeing Hong Yue seemed to know of Wu Long’s presence now knew he was somewhere close.

n“Hahaha, believe what you want, all will be known if you wait out and see. 𝒻𝘦𝘸𝑜𝓿𝘦.𝑐𝑜

nTsk tsk, that young man truly is formidable in his own right. A shame he was too arrogant, the Heavens punishing him for it-…”

nThe old woman loudly but unevenly laughed with a voice showing her age.

n“What a load of bull”, but then, a voice resounded in the cave hall, and the part above from which the thin line of light fell to illuminate the central platform, exploded with a *Kaboom!*

nLarge and small pieces of rock and dirt fell as the crowd of assassins spread to avoid them, and a single figure appeared on a large rock that fell from above, now illuminated by a blinding light of the sun.

n“Darling!”, an astonished, but full of joy voice resounded in the now open-ceiling cave.

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