And that chance came far sooner than she herself had ever expected.
Her elder sister Li Shi, consumed by greed and jealousy, could no longer wait. She forcefully dragged her out of the dark room, dishevelled and bound in heavy black chains.
The moment she was pulled out, Li Shi, who looked down at her and sneered mockingly.
"Look at you…" Li Shi laughed. "The Snow Goddess adored by everyone under the heavens. Thousands of suitors lining up just to earn a single glance. A genius cultivator whose sword once spoke for the heavens themselves." Her smile twisted. "But look at you now. Now… you're nothing more than a dog. Hahaha!"
Li Xin lay on the ground, then slowly pushed herself up, though her face remained lowered.
"I treated you like my family… my world… my everything," she said hoarsely. "My big sister. When you were stuck for hundreds of years during cultivation, I exhausted my own cultivation just to help you break through. I… I was willing to give the whole world to all of you… just for a little bit of love…"
"Hahaha!" Li Shi burst into manic laughter. "You really are a stupid bitch. Father only kept you alive for me, so I could take everything from you. Your body. Your cultivation. Your talent." Her eyes gleamed with greed. "All of it was meant to be mine."
Li Xin slowly stood up and grasped Li Shi's arms with both hands.
Disgust flashed across Li Shi's face as she tried to shove her away… but suddenly, Li Xin spoke.
"You wanted my body… my cultivation… my life…" She let out a low, broken chuckle. "Hehehe… then I have a gift for you."
"Why don't I give everything to you now… but… "
She finally raised her head and looked Li Shi directly in the eyes.
The instant Li Shi saw that face, a chill ran down her spine. A fear born deep within her soul froze her completely in place. Li Xin wore a twisted smile, her hair hanging messily over her face, her eyes resembling those of a devil crawling out of the abyss.
Paralysed by fear, Li Shi couldn't push her away.
Instead, Li Xin hugged her tightly and whispered into her ear, her voice dripping with madness and malice,
"…Do you dare to take it now?"
Li Shi trembled violently and finally forced her cultivation to surge, desperately pushing Li Xin away… but it was already too late.
"N-Noooo…!"
At that instant, Li Xin detonated all of her cultivation.
An explosion so vast it felt capable of devouring even the heavens erupted forth. Immediately after, a wave of extreme, bone-chilling cold followed, freezing everything in existence in a single breath.
Though Li Xin had destroyed her entire cultivation base, a single strand of her Immortal Divine Soul survived… protected by her mother's Ice Blood Guardian Seal. That lone fragment escaped, drifting through the void, eventually reincarnating as Du Yue.
She didn't know what became of her sister after that.
But she knew one thing for certain.
Her sister must have liked the little gift she left behind.
"You bastards," she said coldly, her voice carrying a biting edge. "If I hadn't treated you all like family, if I hadn't exhausted my own cultivation just to help you break through… do you really think you would've been able to imprison me?"
Her lips curled into a sinister smile, killing intent flickering in her eyes.
"Honestly, I would very much like to return and snap your heads clean off your shoulders." She paused, then let out a quiet scoff. "But it would be a waste of time."
Her gaze softened, the darkness in her eyes easing.
"In this life, I finally have someone far more important to take care of."
A faint, gentle smile appeared on her face.
"I'm sure both of my mothers… this life and the last… whom I have never even seen… would want me to cling to only one person… my husband."
Her voice grew calm, almost indifferent.
"I no longer care about my previous life, nor about those people." She lifted her chin slightly. "But if they ever dare appear before me again, I will certainly give them a proper taste of karma."
She smiled, warmth and possessiveness intertwining in her expression.
"Now, this life of mine belongs only to my husband. Yes… I am Du Yue now. Owned by my husband… hehehe."
Her eyes gleamed with quiet confidence.
"And somehow… I have a feeling my husband will take revenge for all of my grievances… across both the lives I've lived."
She waved her hand, and the scene in front of her cracked like paper. When she opened her eyes, the tribulation thunder was already fading away… not even a single second had passed in the real world.
She sat down and calmly began stabilising her breakthrough. Her aura, compared to that of an ordinary Golden Core cultivator, felt as vast as the heavens themselves.
The tribulation clouds finally dispersed, leaving not a single scratch on her body. Her Dao Heart was clear as still water, yet far more mature than before.
Su Wen noticed her successful breakthrough and immediately moved to stand beside her. His Soul Sense spread outward, covering nearly ten kilometres, like an invisible domain being declared… both a warning to others not to approach and a shield as he protected her like a loyal husband-guardian.
He sensed several groups approaching from around twenty kilometres away, but he did not move. He simply stood there, calm and unmoving… quietly watching.
Four separate groups approached, a total of around sixteen cultivators, most of them at the Peak Foundation Establishment realm.
Su Wen stood there, completely unmoving, his Soul Sense spreading across the surrounding area like an invisible net… a silent warning to anyone who dared step closer.
One group of five cultivators halted outside the ten-kilometre boundary, choosing not to advance any further. However, the remaining eleven cultivators rushed forward with greedy eyes, each group approaching from a different direction.
Among them were seven Peak Foundation Establishment cultivators and four at the Mid-stage Foundation Establishment realm.
"That's Du Yue! She's just broken through to the Golden Core realm!" one of the leading cultivators of the group said excitedly, his eyes burning with greed.
"There's still time before she fully stabilises her cultivation. Seal her cultivation quickly… if we capture her, we'll be set for life. Her physique is perfect for dual cultivation. She'll make an excellent furnace."
"You're right!" another cultivator from the same group echoed impatiently, the lust in his eyes impossible to hide. "Hurry. Let's not waste any time. No matter who else arrives, we must snatch her first…"
"Boss, that man… he's only at Mid-stage Foundation Establishment, but something feels off about him," a rough-looking cultivator said cautiously, unease creeping into his voice.
"You two, just hold him off for a few seconds. We'll seal her cultivation first," the leader ordered coldly.
"Alright," the others nodded and drew their weapons, already preparing to clash with cultivators approaching from the other groups.
They weren't worried about Du Yue at all. After all, after a breakthrough, a cultivator usually needed hours… sometimes even days… to stabilise their cultivation.
As for Su Wen, in their eyes, he was nothing more than a Mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator… hardly worth mentioning, let alone fearing.