Beneath the altar, Madam Luo, with her aloof expression, continued the ancient ritual, seemingly unmoved.

Mingzhuo leaped down from the altar with a light touch of her toes. The formation trapped everyone else, but it couldn't trap her.

But just as she stepped off the stairs, wisps of light appeared again beneath the array, wrapping around her ankles.

The silk threads shimmered with light; she had seen this before.

It was both supple and resilient; even the peach wood sword in her hand was difficult to cut through with a single stroke.

She looked up, her gaze locking onto someone behind Madam Luo. "You've finally shown yourself, Cheng Jingru."

Cheng Jingru, wearing a veil, was originally standing with her head down among a group of believers, but when she realized that her secret had been exposed, she simply took off her veil and stepped forward.

Several months have passed since their last parting on the night of the return of the soul, yet their reunion felt as if a lifetime had passed.

Cheng Jingru remained as quiet and serene as ever, just like the beloved junior sister she once was.

Master Qiang couldn't help but be overjoyed: "Junior Sister Cheng, please help me quickly..."

As he was speaking, he suddenly realized something was wrong. Why did everyone's expressions look so wary?

Tang Zhen, in particular, had a very good relationship with Cheng Jingru during the recording of the show. The two often discussed problems and solved puzzles together.

But Tang Zhen's first reaction upon seeing Cheng Jingru was to draw his sword with a resounding clang.

Even Master Yuanhui, who was usually low-profile and compassionate, looked wary.

What exactly happened? Master Qiang looked completely bewildered.

Qiao Song couldn't help but say, "Can't you see that she's colluding with the Saha Sect? She was the one who secretly contacted Wang Chengzhu before, wasn't she?"

The powerful master was utterly shocked: "How could this be? Why would she do that?"

Li Wenhe coldly replied, "Why not? She was detained and imprisoned by the Xuanmen for possessing another person's body a long time ago, and she only escaped from prison a few days ago."

The Xuanmen sect handled this matter in a rather secretive manner, and many people only knew the general outline. The reason for doing so was to give Cheng Jingru a chance.

After all, she is still young and talented. She made a mistake and went astray. If she is willing to repent, the Xuanmen sect can accept her back.

Only a few people in the production team knew about this, but most of the others were kept in the dark.

Everyone was shocked to hear this. The genius junior sister of the Xuanmen sect had actually fallen into depravity?

Cheng Jingru looked at her former colleagues and gave a bitter smile: "It's no use saying anything now, but I'm used to all the slander."

She looked down at the silk thread hooked on her finger. "Today, I only want Ruan Mingzhuo's life. As for the others, they are none of my business."

The enemy of my enemy is, of course, a partner with whom I can cooperate.

Whether this companion is righteous or evil, good or bad, is not within her judgment.

Ming Zhuo sneered: "What a fine 'it has nothing to do with you'! If I'm not mistaken, it was you who warned Madam Luo and leaked information about all of us, wasn't it?"

Wang Chengzhu had deliberately delayed, clearly wanting to wait for Cheng Jingru to arrive.

Cheng Jingru rushed as fast as she could, but she arrived at the village only a step later than them.

It's very likely that she overheard Madam Luo's words from the shadows.

Knowing full well what a ruthless group the Saha Sect was, she still chose to surrender to Madam Luo without hesitation because of her own selfish desires, betraying her colleagues and fellow disciples.

How can she have the nerve to claim innocence now?

Cheng Jingru suddenly became agitated: "What right do you have to criticize me? If you hadn't been so blindly arrogant and insisted on leading everyone down the cliff, would they have encountered such a dangerous situation? Ruan Mingzhuo, you are the most hypocritical and selfish person, you deserve to die!"

Why should a lowly adopted daughter be allowed to live freely and unrestrainedly regardless of her circumstances, while she herself is bound by rules and regulations, feeling suffocated?

Jealousy and resentment, like venomous snakes, licked at her heart at every moment.

She dreamed of tearing this person to pieces day and night!

Pei Di was utterly baffled: "Are you out of your mind? When you were bullied as a child, wasn't it always the boss who avenged you? And when Li Wen and his brother touched you, the boss chased them all over the school, even beating them up in front of the teachers, until they made him avoid you from then on—have you forgotten all of that?"

Li Wenhe said coldly, "Why waste your breath on such a heartless person? She showed no gratitude back then, let alone now."

If he were protected like this when he was weak and helpless, he would be laughing in his dreams.

It was because of that battle with Mingzhuo that he decided to follow Mingzhuo.

All the coincidences and serendipity were, in Cheng Jingru's eyes, shackles.

Cheng Jingru became even more agitated: "I don't want your fake kindness. You killed my mother, and I want you to pay with your life!"

She suddenly tightened her grip on the silk thread in her hand.

Thousands of white threads wrapped around Mingzhuo's hands, feet, and body. Although the energy fluctuations flowing on them were subtle, they were indestructible when gathered together.

Everyone was hoping that Mingzhuo could break free from these threads, but Li Wenhe had an ominous premonition.

Last time at the Cheng family's house, Mingzhuo didn't seem to have severed these strange threads with a single sword strike.

Those were just a few strands; now there are so many threads that they almost wrap Mingzhuo up like a rice dumpling.

He swiftly rushed over and slashed at the silk threads with his sword, but was knocked back and fell into the pile of dead bodies.

Tang Zhen and Yuan Hui quickly exchanged a glance, realizing the seriousness of the problem.

What exactly was that? The two attacked at the same time, but were quickly blasted away.

Everyone was stunned. What on earth was going on?

On the altar, the deity burst into laughter, "Ruan Mingzhuo, you've finally met your match!"

"You don't actually think you're some kind of big shot, do you? Now you see, this is a true person blessed with great fortune!" He pointed at Cheng Jingru, his eyes filled with excitement and pride. "She can collect the power of wishes from ordinary people. As long as there's enough power, she can become a near-god!"

Although he didn't know why Cheng Jingru could condense so much wish power.

Those with great fortune usually achieve success, stand at the peak, and receive the admiration of the world; their willpower can only help them to go further.

People like Cheng Jingru can already use their willpower freely, making them no different from deities.

Such talent and ability are truly enviable.

Upon hearing this, everyone on the altar felt their hearts sink. How could this be?

He Wangyao suddenly remembered what Chu Yuqi had said, such as transmigrating into a book and Cheng Jingru being the destined female lead. So that's what it meant?

"Zhuozhuo!" Gu Xu rushed forward, but the separated threads blocked him from entering.

Cheng Jingru: "I promised Madam Luo I wouldn't kill you, so don't cause trouble."

Undeterred, Li Wenhe rushed forward again, intending to tear the silk threads with his hands. However, the threads were not kind to him; the moment his hands touched them, he felt an excruciating pain, as if he were being burned by fire.

Little by little, Mingzhuo was gradually swallowed up by the white silk threads.

On the altar, some people began to feel dizzy and have itchy noses. When they raised their hands to touch them, they found their hands covered in blood.