Chapter 211: Chapter 211

"They're all dead now!"

With a wave of her hand, An Ning reignited the mermaid pearls that had just gone dark in the room. Compared to the system whose jaw nearly dropped to the floor, her expression under the bright pearl light didn't show much surprise as she casually played with a pearl in her hand and asked:

"How is Elder Yun Yi doing now?"

"Oh, that elder himself is actually fine..."

It's everyone else who's not fine! Recalling the shocking scene it had accidentally witnessed earlier, the system couldn't help clicking its tongue:

"Tsk, who would've thought? That seemingly aloof and indifferent female cultivator turned out to be so ruthless when taking action."

Not a single shred of mercy was shown to those fellow sect brothers and sisters. Despite their desperate pleas earlier, they all ended up dead with their souls extinguished and bodies completely destroyed.

Obviously! An Ning rolled her eyes at the silly system.

When people are trying to kill you for treasure, what kind of sentiment could remain? Besides, this is the cultivation world. Countless precedents have proven that leaving even the slightest opening could lead to a comeback, or worse - becoming stepping stones for your enemies' rise to power.

The system nodded in agreement:

"But won't she get in trouble for this? Not just for killing fellow sect members - Xuqing Sect only has about a dozen Golden Core Perfection elders to begin with. Now more than half are gone, all killed by the same person..."

"Won't... won't the sect hold her accountable?"

"What's there to fear?"

Gazing at the boundless moonlight outside the window, An Ning's tone remained unchanged:

"With a top-grade Nascent Soul Pill obtained, there are only two possible outcomes. First, she successfully forms her Nascent Soul. As one of the top high-level powerhouses in the sect then, forget killing a few fellow members - believe me, even if she slaughtered every Golden Core Perfection elder in the sect, the higher-ups would turn a blind eye."

Especially since this wasn't wanton slaughter but "self-defense". The matter probably wouldn't even cause a ripple.

"And... and if the breakthrough fails?"

"Then it's even more reason to kill them all!" An Ning said exasperatedly:

"System, do you really think if someone else failed their breakthrough, these people would blame the top-grade Nascent Soul Pill rather than feel bitter about missing their own chance?"

"No!" Lightly rubbing the incense box in her hand, An Ning's voice lowered, her tone light yet cutting:

"They'll only think that person was incompetent, wasting what should have been their opportunity, breeding even greater resentment and hatred..."

"Tell me, when one has failed their breakthrough with an uncertain future and likely damaged foundation, why would they keep a room full of enemies around? Wouldn't that be asking for death?"

In fact, An Ning thought to herself: The moment these people chose to strike today, their fates were already sealed.

"Alright then! But this way, we can't determine who exactly killed the original host in previous lives!"

The silly system couldn't help sighing.

An Ning herself couldn't care less:

"Why do we need to determine that? The original host's wish was revenge. As long as we confirm the killers are dead, isn't that enough?"

As for exactly who killed her in which lifetime - that question was fundamentally unsolvable...

Looking at the original host's tragic three lifetimes, An Ning believed there were only two types who would target the original girl:

First, those with foreknowledge - people who through some means knew about past and future events, including the original host's special constitution.

Second, those who accidentally discovered her special constitution through contact, like how Xiao Tan that day initially didn't notice but upon closer inspection immediately recognized this body's uniqueness.

Since the original host spent most of her first two lifetimes within the sect, and even her disappearance locations were all within Xuqing Sect, this narrowed down the possibilities.

For the first scenario, they would likely strike directly before she formed her Nascent Soul, like those two groups earlier...

As for the second scenario, each world's experiences differed, with different paths taken. Those who coincidentally discovered the original host's uniqueness in previous lives might never notice it this lifetime, let alone act on it...

The only thing An Ning knew for certain was that the killer must have been at a critical breakthrough point needing vast cultivation power - otherwise there's no way the original host's constitution would only be treated as a disposable consumable.

Unless she followed the original host's exact path from previous lives to lure out the killer, this puzzle was fundamentally unsolvable...

"So why bother with all that trouble?" Lying comfortably on the large bed, An Ning shrugged nonchalantly:

Can't find the real killer?

No problem, just make sure all suspects are dead!

As for wrongful deaths? Ha! Anyone willing to rob and kill fellow sect members for treasure already has morals rotten to the core - what wrongful deaths?

"Isn't this outcome perfect now!" An Ning chuckled lightly: "Those who could resist the enormous temptation of a top-grade Nascent Soul Pill either couldn't act because they were in seclusion, or still retained enough conscience to avoid such crooked methods..."

Either way, the likelihood of them targeting the original host and not even sparing her flesh and blood was extremely small.

Of course, if after all this there were still fish that slipped through the net, then she'd just have to accept her bad luck.

"Oh~ I see now! So host, you specifically chose this timing coinciding with when the original host died in previous lives, and today's deliberate reminders, plus hiring two Nascent Soul cultivators with two high-grade pills for protection..."

So the concern for protection was fake - using this opportunity to round up any potential suspects was the real goal.

"System, how could you think that way?"

In the brightly lit room, An Ning's beautiful face showed genuine surprise: "Ultimately, what does this life-and-death struggle have to do with me?"

"As an alchemist, I merely sold a pill normally. Plus out of female compassion, I worried Elder Yun Yi might get into trouble, so I specially asked two Nascent Soul cultivators present to escort him..."

Making it sound like she was the mastermind behind everything...

An Ning elegantly rolled her eyes again.

The one who directly killed those people was Elder Yun Yi himself. What indirectly killed them was their own greed and malice.

What does that have to do with her?

"A-Tong, be good!" Gently patting the system's fluffy little head, An Ning's tone was extremely tender at this moment:

"Please remember not to pin every pot on your dear host, okay?"

Alright then, this is completely expected as usual!

After neatly kicking the silly system away, An Ning slept exceptionally soundly under the starlight.

Ah, the world without scumbags really does make the air feel fresher!

At the same time, within the once endless dense forest that now lay in complete ruins - with broken branches and leaves scattered across dozens of miles and battle marks everywhere - the earlier fight's intensity was evident.

Concentrating dan flames, the white-robed woman thoroughly incinerated the several neatly arranged corpses before her. Only after her entire body was already stained with blood did she finally sheathe her sword. Clutching the clearly damaged Qiankun treasure bag tightly, she flew away on her sword without looking back...