The sky was growing dark, the last wisp of twilight brushing against the ground.
A tense undercurrent surged through the air, hostile and ready to erupt.
Atop the highest peak of the Valley of Shades, killing intent billowed. War was imminent.
A crowd surrounded a figure clad in silver, everyone stirring restlessly, ready to strike.
"Elodie, you can't escape. Surrender the Azurelight Bracelet, and we might spare your life."
"Elodie, you've lost all conscience! To murder your own adoptive father is the highest treason! Surrender the Azurelight Bracelet, and I can persuade my martial uncles to spare you."
"That's right. Surrender without a fight, Elodie."
Suddenly, a bone-chilling sneer tore through the air, resounding to the heavens.
"Hah—"
"How utterly ridiculous. If you want the Azurelight Bracelet, then come and take it with your own strength. Stop waving your banners of justice and using those lofty excuses to mask the disgusting greed in your hearts."
The woman in silver stood proudly on the summit, her ink-black hair whipping in the wind. Her narrow, bewitching eyes were as deep as a frozen pool, and her full, red lips held a contemptuous smile. Behind her followed two men and two women, all with exceptional looks, yet looking somewhat battered and exhausted.
She was surrounded by people who wanted to steal the Azurelight Bracelet—a pack of sanctimonious hypocrites, all eyeing her like tigers stalking their prey.
Elodie's cold gaze swept over the crowd that had relentlessly pursued her. These martial uncles, who had called her adoptive father "brother" and sworn to serve him to the death, had conspired to murder him while she was away from the valley, all to frame her for their own selfish desires. All for the Azurelight Bracelet. 'Hah, how utterly laughable.' The thought that her adoptive father's last moments were spent worrying about her safety filled Elodie with a boundless, murderous rage. She wanted to slaughter every last one of them.
Meeting her piercing gaze, the crowd felt as if they'd been dropped into an ice cavern, a chill seeping into their very bones.
Indeed, even if they all joined forces, there was no guarantee they could defeat Elodie. She had been personally trained by the Valley Master since she was a child. With her immense natural talent, she was a once-in-a-century genius. To this day, no one knew the true extent of her power, but it was certain that her abilities had far surpassed those of the Valley Master. She was utterly unfathomable.
At this moment, a black-robed elder stepped out from the crowd. The elder took a step forward, a flicker of greed passing through his beady eyes as he looked at the silver figure. "Elodie, if you hand over the Azurelight Bracelet today, I guarantee that no one will hunt you down any further. How about it?"
"That's right! Hand it over, and we'll spare you all!"
As soon as the elder spoke, the others began to chime in, shouting their agreement, but their voices betrayed a lack of confidence.
"Pah! You undying old fiends, you shameless old fools! You murdered the Valley Master and framed Mr.! Truly, when one is this shameless, they are unbeatable!" a woman in pink behind Elodie snarled, pointing her sword at the crowd.
Elodie's eyes narrowed, her lips twisting into a cold smirk. "Hah. You all should be well aware of my temper, I don't need to spell it out. So listen closely. If you want the Azurelight Bracelet, feel free to come and take it… assuming you're capable."
Her voice was cold, yet filled with wild arrogance.
The elder's expression soured at Elodie's sharp retort. He roared to the crowd, "All of us, together! I refuse to believe we can't deal with a twenty-year-old brat!"
The crowd roared and surged toward Elodie and the other four. A wave of killing intent erupted as they unleashed a flurry of fatal blows.
Elodie turned to the Four Great Guardians behind her. "Are you afraid of death?"
"We are not afraid," the four declared resolutely, kneeling on one knee before Elodie. "Where Mr. is, we will be. We will follow Mr., life after life, for all eternity."
"Very good. Having you all with me in this life… is more than enough."
Elodie shot into the air, her presence transforming in a flash. She looked down on the crowd below, and her cold voice rang out, "Azurelight Bracelet, I sacrifice my soul to you! Condemn all those here with treacherous hearts to fall into Hell for eternity, to die without a place for burial!"
Suddenly, the Azurelight Bracelet materialized in midair. The archaic, mysterious patterns etched upon it glowed with a blinding, iridescent light that no one could look at directly.
RUMBLE—
In that instant, darkness consumed the sky. Amid flashes of lightning and roars of thunder, a torrential rain poured down. The rugged ground began to shatter and split open.
"Save me! Save me! I don't want to die!"
"Save me….
"Ah, save me! Help me!"
People began to fall into the fissures in the earth. Cries for help and agonizing screams echoed through the Valley of Shades. Blood splattered everywhere, mixing with the rain and flowing into the river, dyeing the entire waterway a shocking, blood-red.
Elodie remained deaf to their agonizing screams, her eyes filled with contemptuous frost.
Before long, the figures of Elodie and the Four Great Guardians also began to fade into nothingness, vanishing between heaven and earth.
The Four Great Guardians were bound to her by a Blood Oath; if she died, they would die with her. Elodie had long known the consequences of forcibly activating the Azurelight Bracelet. The truth was, activating it required the sacrifice of one's very soul—a fact unknown to the world. They pursued it only for the legends that it could grant immortality and increase one's power. But they never considered the immense price required to activate the Orchid Spirit Bracelet.