Chapter 2: Betrayal

Risking the total rupture of her meridians, Solomon Yin’s eyes snapped open. Her violet orbs shot out a cold, icy glare, sweeping across the man in a flash. She quickly leaned backward, dodging the bullet, but a jet of blood immediately sprayed from her mouth, scattering a mist of crimson across the air.

The bullet grazed her scalp and struck the rock wall behind her.

As for the person who fired the shot, it was Han Yu, her imperial studies teacher whom she trusted most!

Solomon Yin could never have imagined that the man she had regarded as both a mentor and a friend since childhood would point the dark muzzle of a gun at her!

After the initial shock, the four subordinates under Solomon Yin—Feng, Yun, Lei, and Dian—snapped back to reality. They drew their weapons and pointed them at Han Yu, roaring in fury as they opened fire: "Han Yu, why?! Master trusted you so much!"

Han Yu paid no mind to the guns in their hands. He nimbly dodged every bullet fired at him, sprinting rapidly toward the spot where Solomon Yin lay.

Under the shocked gazes of the four, Han Yu reached Solomon Yin’s side in the blink of an eye. He looked at the woman lying on the lotus platform, gasping her last breaths, and gave a bitter smile before pulling the trigger once more. Only this time, he aimed at the ceiling of the cavern, where he had planted explosives! If he could not have her, then he would be buried here with her!

Feng, Yun, Lei, and Dian were stunned that Han Yu had managed to dodge their gunfire at such close range, but seeing him suddenly reach Solomon Yin’s side, the four immediately swarmed him.

Only the dying Solomon Yin understood that the reason Han Yu’s skills were so formidable was that he, too, had cultivated the *Wanxiang Baodian*!

She had not expected that someone in the family would have leaked the family’s secret manual to Han Yu!

Just then, a thunderous explosion erupted. The cavern began to shake violently, and debris rained down incessantly. Han Yu held Solomon Yin tightly in a desolate, crazed embrace, saying, "Yin'er, even if I could not have you in life, you will be buried with me in death! In the next life, we will surely be together!"

But at this moment, Solomon Yin only found Han Yu hypocritical and disgusting. Too weak to move, she could only glare at him coldly and say, "Get lost. Don't dirty my path to reincarnation!"

With that, the world collapsed. Massive boulders fell from above, shrouding the six of them! And at the very moment the rocks descended, the ring made of unknown material around Solomon Yin’s neck suddenly emitted a dazzling purple light.

...

Shengyu Continent, the Xuanyuan Dynasty Imperial Palace, inside a luxuriously decorated palace.

Dozens of experienced midwives stood within the hall, watching with cold eyes as the woman lying on the bed gradually breathed her last due to a difficult labor.

After confirming that she had passed, one midwife said to a palace maid nearby, "Go tell the Second Princess that the Eldest Princess died in childbirth; neither mother nor child survived!"

The young maid hurried out of the palace to report the news to the Second Princess.

After the maid left, the cold-hearted midwife spoke to the deceased woman: "Eldest Princess, my apologies. Someone wanted you to die this way, and we are merely following orders. If you have any awareness in the afterlife, go find the person who wanted you dead!"

Having said that, the midwife’s expression shifted from cold indifference to feigned sorrow. Tears welled up in her eyes instantly, and she threw herself at the bedside, beginning to wail. The other midwives, seeing this, immediately began to wipe their eyes and sob as well, as if the person who had died were their own daughter.