After arranging to participate in the upcoming trial three days later, Yu Zhao did not linger further. She bid farewell to Zhou Jin Yue and immediately headed back to her residence.
Three days—she needed that time to prepare.
Upon returning to her secluded residence, Yu Zhao sealed the gates, pulled out a blank piece of paper and a brush, and carefully wrote four large characters: Dragon Roar Valley.
In her previous life, Yu Zhao had not participated in the Dragon Roar Valley trial.
At that time, her Fourth Senior Brother, Cui Jue, was in seclusion, and she had to help him tend the Medicine Garden. Additionally, Ye Cong Xin had expressed her desire to join the trial for the first time. Master Qing Yan, worried that Fang Cheng Lang and Lan Zi Yu might not adequately protect her, refused to let Yu Zhao participate, fearing her presence might divide their attention.
Thus, Yu Zhao remained in the sect, learning about Dragon Roar Valley only later through the disciples of the Five Elements Dao Sect, including the tragic news of Zhou Jin Yue’s death.
Now, Yu Zhao planned to write down everything she had heard about the valley in her past life—details critical to her upcoming plans.
The first piece of information she recorded was: The Seven-Colored Deer in Dragon Roar Valley is likely a false rumor.
Yu Zhao believed the latter was unlikely.
She decided to investigate further once she arrived at Dragon Roar Valley.
Next, she wrote down: A fourth-level demonic beast, the Scarlet Flame Lion, resides in Dragon Roar Valley.
A fourth-level demonic beast was as powerful as a Nascent Soul cultivator, and this particular lion was responsible for the deaths and injuries of many Five Elements Dao Sect disciples.
This situation was peculiar. Although Dragon Roar Valley was a gathering place for demonic beasts, the nearby sects had conducted frequent purges. Most remaining beasts were first- or second-level, with only a few third-level beasts. Typically, when a third-level beast was about to break through, it would leave the valley on its own. This balance was why many sects used Dragon Roar Valley as a training ground.
Yet, a fourth-level Scarlet Flame Lion appeared in the valley—and the Five Elements Dao Sect disciples happened to encounter it. Was this merely coincidence?
Fortunately, the lion had just given birth and was severely weakened. Otherwise, Zhou Jin Yue’s death would not have been the only tragedy; the entire group of disciples might have perished.
This information—that the Scarlet Flame Lion was a newly postpartum mother—was revealed later when the sect master personally visited the valley. Both the mother lion and her cub were offered as sacrifices to honor Zhou Jin Yue’s memory.
The third note Yu Zhao recorded was a name: Wu Shao Zhen.
She circled it for emphasis.
While she felt confident in addressing the Seven-Colored Deer rumor and the Scarlet Flame Lion, Wu Shao Zhen’s name evoked a chill in her heart.
In her past life, Yu Zhao first heard of Wu Shao Zhen five years later, during the grand cultivation competition.
The competition was divided into sect and individual events. Sect events involved seven-member teams from each sect, while individual events were for solo participants.
Wu Shao Zhen claimed victory in the individual event, surpassing countless elite disciples. His overwhelming strength earned him instant fame, along with widespread curiosity about his background.
Wu Shao Zhen had once been the young master of a cultivation family, gifted but unruly. When his family faced destruction, he alone survived, vowing to grow stronger. He sharpened himself by braving countless life-and-death trials.
Alone in the world, Wu Shao Zhen had no kin—only a single confidant. That confidant was none other than Ye Cong Xin.
It was said they first met in Dragon Roar Valley when Ye Cong Xin saved a gravely injured Wu Shao Zhen. From then on, their bond was unbreakable.
Ordinarily, their connection should have had nothing to do with Yu Zhao. However, Wu Shao Zhen’s unwavering devotion to Ye Cong Xin made him her staunch ally, sharing her joys and sorrows. And as Ye Cong Xin’s adversary, Yu Zhao naturally became Wu Shao Zhen’s mortal enemy.
The Wu family excelled in the art of Gu insects, and Wu Shao Zhen not only mastered their techniques but innovated new ones. To avenge Ye Cong Xin, he planted a Peach Blossom Gu in Yu Zhao.
The Peach Blossom Gu, also known as the Lover’s Gu, caused the host of the Child Gu to fall uncontrollably in love with the Mother Gu’s owner. Yu Zhao became an obsessive shadow, pursuing Wu Shao Zhen relentlessly. Even when lucid, she found herself bewildered by her own actions. Upon seeing Wu Shao Zhen, however, her rationality drowned beneath overwhelming affection.
Her infatuation turned her into the laughingstock of the cultivation world. To her fellow disciples, she was a disgrace.
It wasn’t until her Fifth Senior Brother, Quan Ye, was gravely injured that she regained some clarity. She cut her wrist to save him, inadvertently forcing the Child Gu out of her body. Only then did she awaken to the nightmare of her past.
Her subsequent confrontation with Wu Shao Zhen ended with him feigning innocence, while her sectmates sided against her, dismissing her claims as slander.
If her sectmates and master had once offered warmth, Wu Shao Zhen had brought her nothing but humiliation.
And humiliation demanded repayment in blood.
Yu Zhao speculated that Wu Shao Zhen’s injuries in Dragon Roar Valley must have been severe for him to value Ye Cong Xin so deeply. This was her best chance to kill him.
Her hatred burned fiercely, but she didn’t underestimate his talent. She needed to strike decisively, leaving no chance for him to retaliate.
After reviewing her notes, Yu Zhao wrote one final line: Save lives, take lives.
This was her mission.
She clenched the paper in her hand, allowing a stream of water to blur the ink into shapeless smudges. Opening her palm, she let the shredded remains scatter like drifting snowflakes.
The room fell into a still silence.