Gasps of horror echoed through the room as she let the robe fall to the floor, revealing her once-beautiful body now marred by deep, bloody cuts. Her plump chest, once a symbol of vitality, was streaked with red where she had carved into herself with a knife. Her pale skin, normally so smooth and flawless, was now littered with gashes that oozed blood.
The contrast between the purity of her white skin and the dark, angry wounds made her look like a twisted specter of death.
She turned to Yan Li, her voice trembling with a sickening blend of hatred and sorrow. "I am conscious of my evil," she said, her tone calm but filled with deadly resolve. "But I will drag you to hell with me, Yan Li. I will make you apologize to our son for what you've done."
The air around her began to shift, becoming heavy with a malevolent force. From behind her, a dark shadow formed, rising like a specter from the depths of her soul. It took shape—an enormous poison viper, its body writhing with unnatural fluidity. The serpent's eyes glowed a sickly green, its forked tongue flickering in and out as it tasted the fear in the room.
The third consort's aura grew oppressive, reeking of death and decay as if the very essence of life was being drained from the air around her.
The blood that dripped from her self-inflicted wounds began to move unnaturally, pooling at her feet before slowly crawling up her body. It gathered in a single point at her chest, coalescing into a dark, pulsating orb of blood that throbbed with power.
Her aura intensified, the scent of death thickening in the air as the blood orb hovered above her chest, growing in size and radiating a sinister energy.
"Blood sacrifice!" someone cried from the crowd, their voice laced with terror. Panic swept through the hall like wildfire. Nobles and citizens alike scrambled to escape, their once solemn and respectful presence shattered by the horrifying display before them. People shoved and trampled each other in their desperate attempt to flee the impending disaster.
The third consort's eyes never left Yan Li, and with a final, guttural cry, she launched her attack. The blood orb shot forward, guided by the viper's shadow. The atmosphere crackled with malevolent energy as the deadly attack barreled toward Yan Li, a force of death and vengeance that he could not stop.
Yan Li's face twisted in horror. For all his power and influence, he was paralyzed in the face of this dreadful assault. His body felt heavy, drained by the overwhelming pressure of the blood sacrifice. He raised his arms, attempting to block the attack, but it was futile. The viper's shadow wrapped around him like a vice, constricting him and drawing the life from his very core.
And now..." She touched her swollen belly, stained with her own blood. "Now I carry his child."
Fu Xi's despair deepened as the reality of the situation settled in. The man she had loved, the man she had given everything to, had been playing them both. The tragic irony of the situation tore through her heart like a knife. "You were always the kind one," Fu Xi cried, collapsing to her knees beside her dying sister. "You were the innocent one, the pure one. And he...
he has destroyed us both."
Fu Miao smiled weakly, her breath shallow. "I didn't mean for this to happen, Xi. I just... I loved him too much." Her voice trailed off as her life began to slip away, her hand falling limply from her belly.
Fu Xi sobbed uncontrollably, cradling her sister's lifeless body in her arms. "I never wanted this, Miao. I never wanted to lose you." Her tears fell onto Fu Miao's bloodied skin, mixing with the blood that stained the floor. The sight was heartbreaking—a once-beautiful bond between sisters now torn apart by deceit, lust, and greed.
Yan Li, still standing, staggered forward, his face showing no remorse. The bloodline shield around him flickered and faded, but he remained unscathed. He glanced at the lifeless Fu Miao, then at the broken Fu Xi, with nothing but cold indifference in his eyes. "She made her choice," he muttered callously, as if the tragedy unfolding before him was of no consequence.
Fu Xi's despair turned to fury. "You monster!" she screamed, her voice hoarse with grief. "You've destroyed us! You've destroyed everything! I gave you my life, and you took everything from me! From *us*!"
Yan Li remained silent, his gaze unfazed by her accusations. The damage had already been done, and in his twisted mind, there was no use in regret.
As Fu Xi wept over her sister's body, the hall slowly began to empty. Those who had not already fled now departed quietly, shaken by the tragic spectacle they had witnessed. The once-solemn funeral had become a horrific display of betrayal and death, leaving nothing but broken lives in its wake.
With that, the final threads of her life slipped away. The third consort's body crumpled to the floor, her sacrifice complete, but her final act had failed.