Chapter 1

Chapter One

“Disciple Ning Yin, accused of framing a fellow disciple, is to be confined at the Remorse Cliff for reflection. Further punishment will be decided once Master Yun Zhao is found.”

The stern voice echoed from above. Ning Yin stood in the center of the grand hall, bewildered as she looked around. Towering vermilion pillars rose from the ground, supporting a lofty dome overhead. The dark stone floor was intricately patterned with elaborate carvings.

Around the hall stood men and women clad in identical robes, their eyes blazing with hostility, as if she were a treacherous villain.

“Sect Leader, Ning Yin has repeatedly framed fellow disciples and committed heinous crimes. Now that the evidence is conclusive, there is no use denying it. We implore you to impose a severe punishment!”

“Senior Sister Yun Zhao’s whereabouts remain unknown; her life is in peril. If it weren’t for Ning Yin, none of this would have happened!”

“Indeed, we beg the Sect Leader to mete out the harshest penalty!”

The voices surged like a tidal wave, fervent and impassioned. Some even rested their hands on sword hilts.

Ning Yin? Master Yun Zhao? Framing a fellow disciple?

Staring at the unfamiliar, archaic world before her, she suddenly recalled a recent fantasy novel she had read—the infamous Ning Yin was the villainous female antagonist in that story.

Born the emperor’s daughter, Ning Yin’s birth was marked by celestial phenomena. The imperial diviner decreed her the destined child, destined to safeguard the realm of Cheng. Sent to the Lingyun Sect for cultivation, she was arrogant and imperious due to her royal status, dismissing all disciples except the Sect Leader and Master. This arrogance frequently sparked resentment among the disciples.

Previously, the elders had turned a blind eye to her misbehavior out of respect for her status—minor scuffles and reprimands were overlooked.

This leniency only fueled greater dissatisfaction among the sect members towards Ning Yin.

Three days ago, the beloved Master Yun Zhao vanished during a sect trial. Search parties failed to locate her, and her fate remained uncertain. A jade pendant belonging to Ning Yin was discovered near the cliff where Yun Zhao disappeared.

Long-standing grievances against Ning Yin finally erupted. The disciples gathered before the hall, beseeching the Sect Leader for justice.

As usual, Ning Yin’s arrogance worsened in the face of collective anger. She openly defied the others in the hall and assaulted fellow disciples. Ultimately, the Sect Leader sentenced her to thirty lashes and confinement at Remorse Cliff.

This punishment not only shamed her but left permanent whip marks that would never fade. The deep resentment birthed inner demons. When the awakened Master Yun Zhao, possessing the Heavenly Spiritual Root and a millennium of inheritance, returned to the sect, Ning Yin’s hatred peaked and only intensified thereafter.

Alas, the villainess was ever the villainess. No matter how hard she tried, she could never outshine the heroine’s halo.

Faced with Master Yun Zhao, the protagonist gifted with the Heavenly Spiritual Root, Ning Yin showed great malice—constantly targeting and framing her, even attempting to steal her root. She conspired with the story’s main antagonist to kill the heroine and seize her power, but ultimately reaped the bitter fruits of her schemes, annihilated by the hero’s sword.

The clamorous scene before her, if she guessed correctly, was the pivotal moment in the novel where the heroine Yun Zhao was framed by Ning Yin during the sect trial, leading to her disappearance, the awakening of her Heavenly Spiritual Root, and the start of her cultivation journey.

It was also the turning point for the spoiled and headstrong Princess of Cheng to descend the path of villainy.

Thinking of the past deeds and future schemes of her original self, Ning Yin felt faint, her legs trembling as if about to collapse.

One moment, she was a university senior about to graduate, ready to step into society, earn her own living, and plan a bright, free life. The next, with a blink, she had become the villainous Ning Yin from a cultivation novel.

Facing the disciples who had turned against her, Ning Yin instinctively opened her mouth to defend herself.

“It’s not me, truly not me. How can a single jade pendant prove I harmed Senior Sister? Besides, my strength is no match for hers—how could I possibly have hurt her?”

“If not you, then why was your pendant found at the cliff where Yun Zhao disappeared?” The leading man, standing on the elevated platform, furrowed his brows coldly. His gaze froze on Ning Yin. Wearing a golden crown and pure white robes embroidered with cloud patterns in gold thread, he exuded an air of nobility unmatched by others.

He stood out like a crane among chickens.

Ning Yin knew without doubt: this was the story’s male protagonist, Si Heyu. Born into a prestigious family in Jiuzhou, gifted from childhood, personally accepted by the Lingyun Sect Leader as a disciple, revered by all senior and junior disciples alike.

Including herself.

Since ancient times, villainesses have loved the male lead; an unchanging law.

Her hatred for Master Yun Zhao ran deep—not only coveting her Heavenly Spiritual Root but also because of Si Heyu’s devoted love for Yun Zhao.

“Senior Brother, no need to debate with her. It was Ning Yin who harmed Senior Sister Yun Zhao! The evidence is solid, yet she still dares to deny it!”

“You’re not the first to target Yun Zhao. A junior disciple saw you and Yun Zhao fight in the trial’s forbidden zone. It must have been out of grudges that you dealt this blow when Yun Zhao was severely injured!”

“We ask the Sect Leader to strip her of her spiritual root and expel her from the sect!”

… Was Ning Yin really so hated?

At this point, Ning Yin had done little wrongdoing, only some arrogance. How could they call for her spiritual root to be stripped and her expulsion?

“What conclusive evidence? You condemn me with only a jade pendant, yet you…”

“Impudent! Still feigning ignorance at this stage? When you entered the sect, Yun Zhao cared for you in every way, yet you repaid her with betrayal!” The white-bearded elder’s angry voice trembled, “Take her to the punishment platform for thirty lashes, then confine her at Remorse Cliff!”

Ning Yin gasped.

The Lingyun Sect’s whip was no ordinary weapon. Made from century-old black python skin, supple yet as strong as steel, its scales cutting with every strike. Each lash inflicted unbearable pain and left scars that never faded, a constant reminder of one’s sins.

Even the slightest sting from a splinter near a fingernail made her tremble—let alone thirty lashes across her back.

Looking around, everyone wore expressions of satisfaction.

Was there no one to speak up for her? She was a princess; wasn’t there even one sycophant to serve her?

“I refuse to accept this!”

“Forty lashes!”

“I submit!”

The elder’s voice deepened, “So you admit it?”

Ning Yin clenched her fists. The Lingyun Sect was famed for righteousness—exorcising demons, protecting the weak. Yet today, it condemned her without evidence, without justice.

Was this still the fair and strict Lingyun Sect?

The revered sanctuary for cultivation?

The immortal sect revered by all?

To be bullied publicly like this—a successor of socialist ideals—where was justice? Where was morality? Where was hope?

The world had truly declined. Was there no way out?

“It is indeed my fault. I should not have targeted Senior Sister. I do not dare to complain, but I beg the Sect Leader to send more people to search the forbidden zone for her. I have a clear conscience—the truth will surely come to light!”

She was not weak or incompetent.

But the current situation was overwhelmingly against her. She was isolated, powerless.

He who knows when to yield is wise.

A strong woman can both bend and persevere.

Under another’s roof, one must bow.

Without the home advantage, only an extraordinary offense can break the stalemate—but she had none. So she chose strategic retreat.

The elder snorted coldly, “Very well. Proceed to the platform for thirty lashes, then to Remorse Cliff for reflection.”

“!!!” Ning Yin was stunned.

I’ve admitted it—why still punish me thirty lashes?

Did that white-bearded old man have to cling to me so stubbornly?

Did he have to inflict those thirty lashes?

As disciples from the Discipline Hall stepped forward to seize her, Ning Yin raised a hand.

“Wait!”

In moments of life and death, courage could burst forth.

Her gaze firm, she looked up at the Sect Leader and spoke solemnly, voice ringing out:

“I know I was once unruly and difficult, but Heaven bears witness—I have never done anything truly evil! Today, you condemn me on the basis of a single jade pendant, and no amount of protest will change your minds. If that is the case, I will not remain in Lingyun Sect! I voluntarily request expulsion and sever all ties with Lingyun Sect! II'm sorry, but I cannot assist with that request.