After the Fairy Maidens Fell to Darkness, They Captured Me to Ruthlessly 'Repay' Their Gratitude-Chapter 200 - Luo Yi, I Still Believe in You

“Since Celestial Servant Luo Yi has no defense, effective immediately, she is demoted to fourth rank and exiled to the frontier.”

Under the pressure of her ministers, the Empress finally issued the punishment in a heavy tone.

Exile to the frontier was already the lightest punishment the Empress could give An Luo Yi. Any lighter, and she could have simply had An Luo Yi write a self-reflection letter and demoted her while keeping her within Dragon Dynasty.

But such leniency would only invite more ministers to target her, turning her into a topic of constant gossip. This high-pressure environment would eventually push An Luo Yi into a mental breakdown.

In comparison, sending An Luo Yi to the frontier for training seemed like a better solution. It would allow her to fade from public view and take some time to calm down. Additionally, it would give her the chance to experience the evil of the demonic sects firsthand—seeing how they pillaged and burned villages—and help her grow mentally by fighting against them.

However...

The Empress still had lingering concerns.

“As for the matter of Celestial Servant Luo Yi being tainted by demonic corruption, I will personally investigate it.”

“Today’s council session ends here.”

“By your command—!”

The elder ministers bowed slightly, their eyes gleaming with satisfaction.

This was just one clever move from Holy Son He Yuan, and it had already knocked the Destined Heroine off her pedestal. A few more moves like this, and she would be reduced to a prisoner trampled by all.

With this, Li Nanshan and his fellow ministers, already wielding immense power, would dominate Dragon Dynasty completely. They could even collude with the demonic sects at the frontier, secretly extracting An Luo Yi’s spiritual veins and celestial bones. If the once-glorious Destined Heroine died silently in the wilderness, no one would care anymore.

Smiling faintly at the thought, Li Nanshan left the hall with his fellow ministers in high spirits.

Once the ministers had dispersed, only three people remained in the council hall.

An Luo Yi still knelt in the center of the hall. Above her sat Qin Shiyan and the Empress.

“An Luo Yi, tell me honestly—what exactly did He Ange do to you that made you so loyal to him? Why are you willing to bear these accusations for his sake?”

The Empress got straight to the point.

After reviewing the soul-searching results provided by the elder ministers, the Empress’s impression of He Ange had worsened significantly. Seeing traces of demonic energy in An Luo Yi’s body, she couldn’t help but suspect that He Ange had manipulated her—leading the proud Destined Heroine to her current state of disgrace.

What puzzled the Empress even more was why An Luo Yi hadn’t said a single word against He Ange. She could have easily turned the tables by blaming everything on him—claiming he had coerced her. After all, He Ange was dead and couldn’t defend himself.

If An Luo Yi had made such a claim, the Empress and Qin Shiyan would have had grounds to clear her name.

But instead...

“He Ange never did anything to wrong me.”

An Luo Yi replied coldly.

She knew exactly how He Ange had treated her. She didn’t need anyone to teach her right from wrong. She had seen the gentleness in his eyes—felt his kindness—even when his words hurt her, she understood his reasons.

In her heart of hearts, An Luo Yi felt indebted to He Ange. How could she let Li Nanshan’s schemes make her doubt him?

Now even the Empress was following suit in blaming He Ange. This left An Luo Yi feeling disillusioned and disgusted.

“He Ange never corrupted me. The memory projection is fabricated slander.”

Out of respect for Qin Shiyan, An Luo Yi offered some explanation.

She had tried defending herself in the council hall earlier, but with Li Nanshan presenting “solid evidence,” no one believed her.

“Luo Yi, then what about the demonic energy in your body?” Qin Shiyan asked with concern.

An Luo Yi answered calmly: “It’s from dual cultivation with He Ange. I allowed him to leave it there.”

“And the mark?”

“That was also left by He Ange. But it’s only related to our dual cultivation. I’ve never betrayed Dragon Dynasty because of it.”

“Your Majesty, I don’t believe He Ange would do such a thing either...”

Qin Shiyan sighed, turning her gaze toward the Empress.

High above,

The True Dragon Empress felt pressured under their intense gazes. Her mind was a mess from all the conflicting information.

Who was telling the truth? Who was lying? How could she possibly know?

Unless she personally performed soul-searching on both An Luo Yi and Li Nanshan—which was clearly unrealistic.

As for that boy named He Ange—the Empress had only met him once. She had extended an olive branch to him because Qin Shiyan favored him and because he was Dao companions with the Destined Heroine. Binding him to Dragon Dynasty would make it easier to secure An Luo Yi’s loyalty in the future.

But then He Ange betrayed Dragon Dynasty.

Having lived for over ten thousand years, the Empress didn’t have time to worry about every trivial matter in the mortal world. She judged people based on their destiny and utility.

From what she observed, He Ange’s destiny was weak—he didn’t seem like someone destined for greatness. So she didn’t care much about him. Her only concern was whether he had ties to Feng Yuan.

But how could someone as talentless and unlucky as He Ange possibly become Feng Yuan’s apostle?

He Yan, Yuan Yi, Xiao Mo...

All these semi-divine abyssal apostles were far superior to He Ange.

What use would Feng Yuan have for him?

Unless Feng Yuan was so bored in her ancient abyssal palace that she decided to train a human boy weaker than an ant—just to serve tea and pour water.

But even that idea made the Empress laugh inwardly. In her eyes, someone as insignificant as He Ange wasn’t even worthy of serving tea.

All these chaotic thoughts made no sense!

“Why is everyone making my life so difficult...”

The Empress sighed deeply, massaging her temples as exhaustion washed over her.

To be honest,

The mere suspicion of He Ange being connected to Feng Yuan was enough to disgust her. Now that he was dead, dragging down the Destined Heroine with him only made things worse.

“Enough. Talking more is pointless.”

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The Empress exhaled sharply, dismissing her chaotic thoughts.

From behind golden veils,

She raised her hand and summoned an ancient scroll glowing faintly with golden light. Handing it down to the silver-haired celestial maiden kneeling below, she smiled gently:

“Luo Yi, regardless of what those elder ministers say—I hope you know that I still believe you haven’t betrayed us.”

“...?!”

An Luo Yi looked up slightly—holding the ancient scroll in confusion and surprise. She couldn’t understand why the Empress suddenly praised her after everything that had happened.

Even Qin Shiyan widened her phoenix eyes in shock—staring at the Empress with disbelief.

“Your Majesty—this is...”

She began to speak but was interrupted as the Empress continued:

“Luo Yi, this is an ancient technique I bestow upon you. It contains divine insights of heaven and earth—the brilliance of sun, moon, and stars—and extraordinary spiritual power... When you go to the frontier, I hope you’ll reflect deeply and train diligently with this technique. Slay those who threaten us and redeem yourself so you may return to Dragon Dynasty’s embrace.”

With these words,

The Empress smiled radiantly—her warmth and compassion shining through—

Earlier in the council hall,

Li Nanshan’s actions had caused An Luo Yi’s opinion of the Empress to plummet. The Empress was well aware of this.

Now,

She felt a sense of urgency—to win back An Luo Yi’s loyalty by personally bestowing this technique upon her.

“Your Majesty... this technique is...?”

Holding the ancient scroll,

An Luo Yi felt uneasy. The Empress’s sudden kindness left her feeling both flattered and wary.

No matter how proud a Destined Heroine might be,

Even she recognized that someone as supreme as the True Dragon Empress wouldn’t show such favor without reason.

If it were before,

An Luo Yi might have naively believed it was due to her exceptional talent.

But after being burned once,

She knew better than to trust anyone other than He Ange or her parents without question!

“This technique will help purify your soul—cleansing any lingering demonic energy within you. It will also aid in removing any marks left by He Ange.”

The Empress explained confidently—

What she didn’t mention was that this scroll contained a genuine True Dragon inheritance—

While it could grant An Luo Yi unparalleled power—it also bound her soul directly to the True Dragon lineage—

By inheriting this technique,

An Luo Yi would essentially pledge loyalty to the True Dragon Empress—becoming her direct successor—

This was why the Empress felt so confident—

Regardless of Li Nanshan’s schemes or He Ange’s influence—as long as An Luo Yi trained with this technique—she would belong entirely to the Empress!

Even if An Luo Yi betrayed Dragon Dynasty in the future—the True Dragon inheritance would ensure she remained under control—

With this inheritance,

No amount of slander or manipulation could sway An Luo Yi away!

Smiling inwardly,

The Empress watched as An Luo Yi hesitated before finally bowing slightly—accepting this “gift” with suspicion—

Clutching the scroll tightly,

The silver-haired celestial maiden expressed her gratitude:

“Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty.”

“I will not disappoint you!”

—