196: Lee Se-qi's past

Ever since the Eternal Night Divine Capital was established, Li Shiqi had moved there. At that time, he was only at the Tong Tian Realm Ninth Level.

No, to be more precise, she was not the real “Li Shiqi”.

This name, this python robe, and this title of Prince Qi were all disguises she had worn for decades.

"Drip..."

A drop of ink, thick as pitch, dripped from the tip of the purple jade wolf-hair brush tightly gripped in her hand, blooming into a glaring stain on the spread-out Snow Wave Xuan paper.

She seemed oblivious, her gaze still piercing through the crystal window, but her thoughts had long been pulled back decades, to that unforgettable period.

Back then, she was called Li Xuanyue, the biological younger sister of the former Prince Qi, Li Shiqi.

Her brother, Li Shiqi, was astonishingly talented and exceptionally gifted. He reached the Heaven-Reaching Realm at only thirty years old, making him the most dazzling star in the entire Great Qi Dynasty.

The siblings shared a deep bond, relying on each other.

Brother treated her like a precious treasure, giving her the best resources and personally guiding her Cultivation.

Though they were on the fringe of the Dynasty, those days were filled with hope and warmth. Li Xuanyue felt that as long as her brother was there, she wouldn't fear the sky falling down.

However, the turning point occurred on a stormy, thunderous night.

A cold “Golden Edict,” sealed with the secret imperial stamp, was personally delivered to the Prince Qi’s residence by a trusted eunuch of Emperor Li Xiao.

The imperial decree was vaguely worded, only stating that Your Majesty specially summoned Prince Qi Li Shiqi to the palace immediately.

"Yue'er, don't worry." When Li Shiqi accepted the edict, his brow furrowed almost imperceptibly, but when he looked at his sister, he still showed a gentle and confident smile, reaching out as usual to rub the top of her head.

"His Majesty summoning me might be a good thing. When I return, perhaps I can even request some Medicinal Pills from the imperial treasury for you. Cultivate diligently, don't slack off."

His eyes were clear and open, suggesting he truly considered it just an ordinary summons.

"Brother..." She opened her mouth, a strong sense of unease seizing her heart, making it almost impossible to breathe.

She wanted to grab her brother's sleeve, wanted him not to go.

"Be good." Li Shiqi turned back, his gaze carrying an unquestionable reassurance, along with a hint of severity only she could understand, "Guard the residence well, wait for me."

Those few words became the last thing Li said to her.

Li Shiqi stepped into the imperial carriage that had come to fetch him, shrouded in shadows, and vanished into the vast, rainy night.

From then on, there was no news.

Li Xuanyue waited for three days, five days, ten days... She mobilized every force the Prince Qi’s residence could muster to inquire, but the information she received was like a stone sinking into the ocean.

The Imperial Palace was like an abyss with a gaping maw, swallowing her brother without leaving any trace.

A single light sentence had erased the existence of a Heaven-Reaching Realm Genius!

Erased the hope of the Prince Qi lineage!

Old ministers loyal to Li Xuanyue within the residence were filled with grief and indignation, attempting to submit memorials to question the matter, but within a single night, they were either 'transferred' or 'died suddenly'.

However, the influence of the Prince Qi lineage was not purged by the Imperial Family.

At that time, Li Xuanyue was only sixteen years old, and her cultivation was merely at the Divine Mansion Realm.

She tightly clutched the only personal jade pendant her brother left behind, which still held a trace of his Qi.

She understood.

It must be Emperor Li Xiao who was wary of her brother’s rise!

It was the Imperial Family who could not tolerate a Genius who might threaten them!

They were afraid! That was why they used the most despicable means to eliminate her brother!

Overwhelming hatred coiled around her heart like a poisonous vine, sinking deep into her bones! But she knew even better that in her current state, she was as weak as an ant.

Rushing out to question them would only lead to certain death, causing the Prince Qi lineage to be utterly extinguished!

"Live on! Become stronger! Only by surviving and becoming stronger than all of them will I have a chance to know the truth! Only then can I... seek justice for my brother!"

This thought was like a brand, deeply etched into the depths of her Soul.

A frantic and resolute plan took shape in her mind.

She used a secret method to alter her voice, bound her chest, wrapped her waist, and used secret medicines to temporarily suppress the aura belonging to a woman.

She donned the python robe her brother left behind, put on the Dragon Coiling Jade Crown symbolizing the Prince Qi, and imitated every gesture, every word, and every action of her brother.

She completely transformed herself into “Li Shiqi”—the brother who had supposedly 'perished'!

Under the identity of Prince Qi “Li Shiqi,” she endured humiliation and carried a heavy burden, cautiously maintaining the last vestiges of dignity for the Prince Qi’s residence.

She devoted all her time to almost self-abusive Cultivation.

Scarce resources? She would fight her way through the most dangerous Secret Realms!

Incomplete Cultivation Technique? She would risk her life, comprehending it on the edge of life and death! Every time she was severely injured and near death, what supported her to climb back up was her brother's last gentle yet stern gaze, and that phrase, 'Wait for me.'

Although she didn't know why the Imperial Family hadn't moved against her and tacitly allowed her to become Prince Qi Li Shiqi, none of that mattered. Avenging her brother was her only obsession!

Decades passed like a white colt flashing past a crack.

Under the name “Li Shiqi,” she advanced from the Divine Mansion Realm, broke through to the Purple Mansion, and finally ascended to the Tong Tian Realm Ninth Level!

Her heart, tormented by hatred and disguise, had long become as cold and hard as millennia-old profound ice.

She never participated in the internal struggles of the Imperial Family, shrinking the influence of the Prince Qi’s residence to the extreme, seeking only to accumulate strength.

She focused all her energy on Cultivation and... waiting for the right time.

Until the Di Clan rose and the Eternal Night Divine Capital was established!

The Spiritual Qi there, far richer than that of the Great Qi Dynasty, and the unfathomable power displayed by the Di Clan, were like a bright lamp lit for her in the darkness.

"This place might be where I can break through my final Bottleneck and gain enough strength to return to 'ask clearly about this'!

Thus, shortly after the Eternal Night Divine Capital was established, “Prince Qi Li Shiqi” decisively moved here.

She sold off most of the Prince Qi’s residence's non-essential assets within the Great Qi Dynasty, transferring core strength and resources to the Li Residence in the Divine Capital.

Here, she could utilize the environment of the Divine Capital to fully strive for the Peak of the Tong Tian Realm Tenth Level!

In the quiet room, Li Shiqi slowly closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

The Spiritual Qi of the Divine Capital surged into her body, frantically refined by the incomplete but extremely tyrannical Cultivation Technique, "Profound Yin Slaughtering God Art," which she had obtained from some ruin.

This Cultivation Technique was sinister and fierce; cultivating it felt like scraping bone and steel, causing extreme pain, yet it was also the key that allowed her, as a woman, to improve rapidly despite scarce resources.

Decades of forbearance and arduous training, combined with the uniquely advantageous environment of the Eternal Night Divine Capital, finally allowed her, half a month ago, to break through the Bottleneck that had long plagued her, stepping into the Peak of the Tong Tian Realm Tenth Level!

Power surged within her body, like a suppressed volcano.

She slowly clenched her fist, her knuckles turning slightly white from the exertion.

Peak of the Tong Tian Realm Tenth Level!

In the Great Qi Dynasty, apart from the two aged Imperial Old Ancestors who could barely leave the Prisoner Dragon Well, Emperor Li Xiao was only at the Tong Tian Realm Tenth Level!

She finally possessed the qualification to return!