Chapter 1

Draven killed the spirit beast that had been with me for a thousand years, cut out its inner core, and gave it to our junior sister.

The fellow disciples exchanged glances and said cautiously:

"Senior Brother, this little beast and Senior Sister Seraphina are as close as flesh and blood!"

"Isn't this the same as killing someone's own family?"

Draven considered it for a moment, then smiled without a trace of guilt:

"Junior Sister Rufina's tribulation is almost upon her. She's been afraid of lightning and pain since she was a child. The inner core of a thousand-year spirit beast can hold off the lightning tribulation, so it's perfect for her."

One of the senior sisters couldn't hold back and said coldly:

"The spirit beast has a fate-bond contract with Seraphina. Killing it is bound to leave her gravely weakened."

"Seraphina has her own tribulation to cross next month. How do you expect her to survive?"

Draven only smiled, unconcerned.

"Seraphina has always been strong. She can bear it. There's nothing wrong with her giving way a little to Junior Sister Rufina."

I stood at the back of the crowd, watching the spirit beast's body go completely cold, its fur stained crimson with blood.

Tears slowly blurred my vision.

They still didn't know that a hundred years ago I had already taken on great merit and ascended, together with my spirit beast.

I simply couldn't bear to part with Draven and everything in the sect, so I sealed my divinity and stayed behind for a while longer.

The retribution for slaying a god—I only hoped they could bear it.

...

The moment I drew near the core-extraction altar, my senior brothers and sisters all crowded around me.

"Seraphina, what are you doing here?"

Senior Sister Marguerite hooked her arm through mine, her smile not quite natural.

"Good timing—I'm badly stuck at a bottleneck. Come take a look at this technique for me."

The others pressed in too, chattering about this and that.

Watching them try so obviously to cover things up, I nearly lost hold of my tears again.

Draven suddenly stepped out from the crowd.

He looked at me and launched straight into an interrogation:

"Junior Sister Rufina's tribulation is nearly here. Why aren't you off standing guardian for her? What are you doing here instead?"

The sight of my spirit beast dying with its eyes still open surged into my mind.

I jerked my head up and glared at him:

"She's crossing her tribulation—why should I be the one to guard her?"

Draven froze for a moment, then frowned. "What's gotten into you?"

"Since you've already taken its inner core to shield her from the tribulation," I said, one word at a time, "what guardian rite could she still need from me?"

He caught himself short, clearly not expecting me to know so soon.

But in an instant he took on that righteous, high-minded air again:

"As the sect master, I naturally have to value the safety of every person in the sect."

"And what about me?" I asked him. "Am I just supposed to be left to live or die on my own?"

Draven's brows knotted tighter, and a layer of impatience surfaced on his face:

"You are my wife, so you should be of one heart and mind with me and give of yourself selflessly."

Selflessly?

I let out a cold laugh. "If you want to talk about giving, Sect Master, why not give up your own cultivation to refine a life-preserving pill?"

"You were generous enough disposing of my spirit beast."

He seemed struck in a sore spot, and said through gritted teeth:

"Do you think the sect is some child's game? Every decision I make is carefully weighed!"

He paused, then went back to that tone that brooked no argument:

"Your spirit beast's corpse works even better as medicine."

"Since you already know—your alchemy is the finest in the sect, so you'll refine the pill with your own hands and send it to Junior Sister Rufina, to make certain nothing goes wrong when she crosses her tribulation."

With that, he swept his sleeve and left.

The crowd broke apart. The spirit beast's small body lay in a pool of blood, the split wound in its belly turned up toward the sky.

I crouched down and gathered it into my arms.

Just then Rufina's voice drifted over, an unhidden smile in it:

"Senior Brother is so good to me. I'll be sure to repay you well one day!"

I couldn't make out what Draven said—probably some gentle, low reply.

I looked down at the spirit beast in my arms and wept until I could no longer make a sound.