Killing Indiana—the so-called Destiny Girl—had once brought the wrath of heaven down on her, thunder chasing her across the skies, forcing her to hide in the Sky-Covering Valley.

  So why the hell was she still alive?

  “Ms. Lauren, what’s wrong with you?” Nash’s anxious voice broke through her thoughts.

  He’d spoken louder than he meant to, and the sound drew Dante’s attention.

  “Ms. Lauren, are you unwell?”

  Following her gaze, Dante’s eyes landed on the Moonlit Sect disciples across the way. He misunderstood immediately.

  “You mean Timothy? Don’t be surprised. Of course they healed him. He’s too important to keep out of the Hidden Mist Secret Realm. They probably burned some priceless elixir on him. Once we’re inside, we’ll just avoid him.”

  Nash nodded quickly, eager to soothe her. “Exactly. The realm is massive. If we can’t beat them, we can hide. No shame in that.”

  Lauren pulled herself back together, her pulse steadying. For three years, she had lived in quiet cultivation, burying the worst of her past. But seeing Indiana again—alive—was like a knife scraping across old scars.

  Indiana’s reappearance dragged her darker self out into the open. The so-called girl of destiny really was something. To survive that night, all those stab wounds, and then end up a disciple of Immortal Venerable Herbert?

  Unbelievable. Unforgivable.

  If she was still alive, then Lauren would just have to kill her again.

  She forced her expression calm. “I’m fine. Just… shocked at how fast Timothy recovered. The Moonlit Sect must have given him a miracle pill.”

  The others let it drop, choosing silence as they waited for the elders to open the gateway.

  ......

  Across the field, Indiana had spotted Lauren too. Her face drained of color, panic flickering in her eyes.

  “What’s wrong, Junior Sister?” one of her sectmates asked.

  In this life, she wasn’t Evercrest Indiana anymore—Lauren had ruined that path. Here, she was simply Indiana.

  At Timothy’s question, her nose stung, and she whispered, trembling, “I know her.”

  “Who?”

  “The woman over there. She was staring at us just now.”

  Timothy followed her gaze. His expression darkened. “Lauren?”

  Indiana nodded, her voice breaking.

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  “I saw her when I was ten. She stabbed me… eighteen times. If Father hadn’t found me, I would’ve died.”

  “What?” Timothy’s face went ashen. “Eighteen—are you serious?”

  Tears welled in Indiana’s eyes, making her look heartbreakingly fragile.

  “She was so vicious, even back then. I never understood why. Later, I found out… she’s also Father’s daughter.”

  Timothy stiffened, eyes flicking between Indiana and Lauren. Now that he thought about it, the resemblance was undeniable.

  Sisters?

  Indiana pressed her lips together, voice dropping to a wounded whisper. “She’s my half-sister. Her mother is Father’s wife. My mother… was only his secret mistress. That day, Father was supposed to bring us both home. But she found me first. She looked at me, pulled a dagger, and tried to kill me.”

  She stopped, tears spilling over. She didn’t need to say more.

  The picture she painted was enough.

  Timothy didn’t need to hear the rest of Indiana’s story—he could already fill in the gaps himself.

  Coming from an old, influential family, he’d grown up seeing the silent wars between wives and concubines. If Indiana really was the elder sister, then her mother had probably been with her father first. But that didn’t matter in the eyes of the clan elders. They decided marriages, usually for alliances or strength.

  The official wife was almost always chosen from a family of equal or greater power. If her clan held sway, the man might not even be allowed concubines. And so the woman he truly loved was often forced into the role of mistress—or kept hidden entirely.

  Indiana’s mother, he thought bitterly, must have been one of those women.

  Pitiful woman. Pitiful daughter.

  His jaw tightened. “That woman is vile. No matter who came first, you’re still her sister. How could she be so cruel?”

  “Shh.” Indiana caught his sleeve, her voice urgent. “Not here. We’re about to enter the Hidden Mist Secret Realm. We can’t afford distractions.”

  Timothy swallowed his rage, but the fire still smoldered in his chest. He glanced across the crowd, eyes narrowing at Lauren, then turned back to Indiana.

  “Fine. But remember this—I’ll avenge you once we’re inside.”

  She shook her head, pale and pitiful. “Forget it. Master’s mission comes first.”

  Timothy clenched his fists but forced himself to nod. Master had healed him with his own hands, fed him medicine precious enough to defy reason. He couldn’t risk letting that trust down. Not yet.

  “We’ll bide our time. She injured me yesterday, and she stabbed you eighteen times years ago. That debt won’t vanish. When Master’s task is done, I’ll be the first to settle accounts.”

  Indiana’s lips trembled into a small, grateful smile. “Thank you, Senior Brother.”

  ......

  The disciples filed forward in groups, elders hovering in the skies to maintain order. Several of them joined forces, their power stretching into the heavens. Dark clouds churned above as the air itself split apart, and from the rift, a phantom continent slowly descended, blotting out the light.

  The Hidden Mist Secret Realm.

  It loomed overhead like a world trapped between worlds, unreachable by flight, existing in a separate dimension. Only by tearing space open could one enter—and only those recognized by the realm itself would pass through.

  The senior disciples of the three great sects and the Divine Sword Sect stepped forward first. Spiritual power flared, and with a deafening crack, a doorway formed in the mist.

  “The gate is open,” an elder announced. “One stick of incense. Go.”

  Two hundred chosen disciples surged forward. The great sects went first, their people disappearing into the haze beyond.

  The realm would remain bound for a month, the elders standing guard outside until the final day, when the survivors would be expelled and the world would drift back into the void.

  .....

  Inside, everything was swallowed by mist. Vision blurred within ten steps, shadows shifting like half-formed beasts. It was a place born of shattered space, dangerous and unpredictable.

  The Calculation Sect, first inside, wasted no time—they headed left, vanishing into the fog.

  Lauren’s group entered next. Dante picked a random direction, already ready to lead them away, but Lauren stopped him with a hand on his arm.

  “Ms. Lauren, what is it?”

  Her voice was low, steady. “The Moonlit Sect’s behavior yesterday was… strange. Let’s follow them.”

  Dante’s mouth twitched. He suspected this had less to do with suspicion and more to do with a grudge, but he couldn’t prove it.