He didn’t speak, only staring deadly at Shen Yuqing.

The sword edge tried to descend. Pei Zichen’s spiritual power barrier desperately resisted. Seeing him not responding, Shen Yuqing said coldly: “Speak.”

“What answer do You want?”

This question stumped Shen Yuqing. For a moment, he couldn’t speak.

What answer?

If he asked and Pei Zichen said it wasn’t Jiang Zhaoxue, could he believe it?

If Pei Zichen said it was Jiang Zhaoxue, what would he do?

He wouldn’t separate from Jiang Zhaoxue.

Then whether she and Pei Zichen had formed a marriage bond contract or not, was it important?

Pain like sharp lightning passed through. He stared deadly at the person under his sword.

Not important.

He repeatedly told himself, forcing himself to acknowledge that what happened in these eight years wasn’t important. Just erase it all. Kill Pei Zichen, clear these memories, and Jiang Zhaoxue would forever be Jiang Zhaoxue.

Kill him.

Kill him!

Shen Yuqing’s killing intent surged in an instant. Sword light descended rapidly, directly breaking through Pei Zichen’s barrier, stabbing toward the top of his head!

The Lingxu Fan leaped out, slashing toward Shen Yuqing’s arm controlling his throat. The instant Shen Yuqing withdrew his hand, Pei Zichen twisted the sword body with both hands and flipped up.

Shen Yuqing shifted his form to dodge, raised his hand to condense spiritual power and “boom”—suppressed the Lingxu Fan, then rapidly stabbed toward Pei Zichen.

Pei Zichen’s weapon had long been shattered by Shen Yuqing earlier. Now empty-handed, he could only grab Shen Yuqing’s sword body barehanded. The blade cut through his palm, forcing Pei Zichen back against the stone mountain behind him. With no retreat left, Pei Zichen finally spoke: “Master!”

Shen Yuqing raised his eyes. Pei Zichen sensed his completely undisguised killing intent and breathed lightly: “You can kill me, but not here.”

“What,” hearing this, Shen Yuqing sneered coldly, “want to threaten me with the life-bound contract? Or not wanting to destroy Jiang Zhaoxue’s plan? Then why don’t you win against me with real ability? Bringing her up, do you think I’ll spare you?”

Hearing this, Pei Zichen froze. Another voice belonging to him instantly appeared in his mind.

This voice was exceptionally calm, with only one sentence: “Act.”

The moment this voice emerged, the Jiuyou Realm techniques in his body instantly surged up. He clearly detected it but kept suppressing himself.

Shen Yuqing’s sword moved forward inch by inch. Blood dripped from Pei Zichen’s palm. Shen Yuqing continued regardless: “Trash is trash. The weak should accept the result of being unable to protect anything. You’re just a thief.”

“Not good!”

Outside the water mirror, A’Nan watched the person in the water mirror and urgently spoke: “Yuan Luo and Lingxu have both started protecting Pei Zichen.”

Hearing this, Jiang Zhaoxue raised her eyes and saw both Yuan Luo and Lingxu, the artifact spirits, emerging from Pei Zichen’s body.

The water mirror couldn’t hear the specific words inside, only showing images.

Artifact spirits were existences only masters could see. Under normal circumstances, artifact spirits wouldn’t appear separately, but now they emerged from Pei Zichen’s body and began forming an array—something must have gone wrong with Pei Zichen.

Taking a quick look, Jiang Zhaoxue saw that Lingxu and Yuan Luo had opened a formation to keep Pei Zichen conscious.

If Pei Zichen simply wanted to use Jiuyou Realm techniques, Lingxu and Yuan Luo wouldn’t prevent him like this. To do this…

“Jiuyou Realm techniques use all things in heaven and earth as power sources, especially various human thoughts. Though powerful, they contain too many distracting thoughts. They’re inherently the type of technique most likely to distort one’s mind, lose control of one’s spirit, and turn demonic. That’s why the True Immortal Realm has always forbidden cultivating them. I thought Pei Zichen could be an exception, but he was just holding it in!”

A’Nan watched the situation in the water mirror and urged: “Master, how much longer? Why don’t you go in first? If Pei Zichen truly turns demonic and his power is absorbed by the Mizhen Illusion Array, we might not be able to open it.”

“Very soon.”

Jiang Zhaoxue spoke calmly, on one hand staring at the water mirror, frantically searching for the talisman path to break the formation, while on the other hand beginning to draw formations, ready to enter the array at any moment. She reassured: “Almost done.”

As she spoke, in the water mirror, Shen Yuqing’s sword moved forward bit by bit.

The sword blade wiped across Pei Zichen’s palm all the way, stained with Pei Zichen’s blood. Pei Zichen’s hand muscles trembled from pain as he stared deadly at the elder before him who still had a youthful face, listening to the other’s rebuke: “A thief full of lies with nothing—what makes you think you can compete with me? You think just because she gave you a jade pendant, it means something?”

The sword tip pressed against his throat. Pei Zichen breathed lightly, then saw Shen Yuqing speak calmly: “I’ll give you one last chance. Voluntarily return the jade pendant to me.”

Hearing this, Pei Zichen’s pupils contracted slightly. Something in his body nearly exploded. Someone was screaming madly in his mind.

Why?

Why was he born with everything? Why was he always high above?

Why could he wrong him, cause him to lose all friends and family, destroy his meridians, shatter his golden core, take everything from him, and still judge his life and death like this?

Why could he obtain everything from Jiang Zhaoxue, neglect her, humiliate her, torment her for two hundred years, and still receive Jiang Zhaoxue’s words “you absolutely cannot harm your master”?

Because he was strong enough?

“You can be too.”

Someone’s voice rang out: “You have divine artifacts, you have Jiuyou Realm techniques. As long as you’re willing, all the evil thoughts in this world are yours. The law of the jungle, the strong are revered. Kill him—”

Pei Zichen gasped, listening to the other’s temptation: “Kill him. You’ll avenge Gu Jinglan and the others. You can avenge yourself. No one will ever harm Jiang Zhaoxue again, and Jiang Zhaoxue will only have you.”

“Kill him.”

This voice and Jiang Zhaoxue’s “you absolutely cannot harm your master” voice alternated, ringing out. Pei Zichen’s body convulsed in pain.

Yuan Luo and Lingxu beside him seemed to be saying something, but he could no longer hear clearly.

Only Shen Yuqing coldly watched him. Shen Yuqing also couldn’t focus on anything else—he only looked at Pei Zichen’s painful appearance, feeling the jade pendant at his waist brought piercing pain.

“I searched for this jade for so long. Shen Zeyuan, happy birthday.”

“Return it to me.”

He commanded hoarsely. The jade pendant, drawn by his spiritual power, rose from Pei Zichen’s waist. Pei Zichen grabbed it and closed his eyes, trembling: “Master, don’t force me.”

“Return it to me!”

Shen Yuqing erupted in rage. Spiritual power crushed his five fingers. The instant severe pain came, the jade pendant flew out. Pei Zichen’s eyes snapped open in shocked pain. In that instant, with no time to think, he lunged forward chasing the jade pendant.

However, light swords instantly pierced his limbs, heavily pinning him to the wall. He watched the jade pendant fall into the distant rushing river water and roared: “No!!”

In that instant, demonic qi overwhelmingly erupted from his body. The Lingxu Fan was first to emerge. Shen Yuqing only felt pain in his divine soul and instantly lost his vision, blown to the ground by fierce winds. Dozens of light swords followed closely. He rolled urgently, supporting himself up with one hand when vines manifested from demonic qi broke through the earth and fiercely bound his five fingers.

His divine soul was injured—he couldn’t sense what power this was at all. He only felt his entire hand pressed down by vines, unable to move. Then someone drew a bow from above.

“Master, if the Heavenly Dao is the law of the jungle,” Pei Zichen looked down from above at the elder on the ground who still had a youthful appearance, drawing the bow fully. His robes moved without wind as he calmly bid farewell, “Then may You go well.”

With that, Pei Zichen’s fingers loosened slightly. An arrow shot out, transforming in mid-air into ten thousand light arrows, all falling toward Shen Yuqing.

At this very moment, the Mizhen Illusion Array suddenly trembled. Jiang Zhaoxue gestured with magnificent light and suddenly appeared between the two. With one hand, she fully opened a formation with a “boom,” blocking Pei Zichen’s ten thousand light arrows. With the other hand, she swept Shen Yuqing forward, seized his sword, and threw it into the river.

The moment she arrived, Shen Yuqing felt her aura. For an instant, he seemed to return to that moment at Cangming Sea years ago—she moved against a thousand armies, she went without hesitation, she leaped into that vast ocean, firmly grasping him.

The heart that had been torn and painful to the extreme suddenly released in this instant. It was as if he finally came alive again.

She was still here.

Lost and regained, dead and reborn—the contrast between that instant of happiness and shocked pain was so intense that as she sent him away, he grabbed her hand, shouting undignifiedly: “Don’t let go!”

“Get out.”

Jiang Zhaoxue was pulled by him, half her body suspended over the river’s edge. She said calmly: “Get out and save people.”

“Don’t… don’t let go of me.” Shen Yuqing completely lost his reason. He couldn’t see his surroundings. He didn’t know what was happening. He only relied on instinct, gripping Jiang Zhaoxue deadly.

The last remaining red mark pressed against Jiang Zhaoxue’s red mark and immediately burned hot. Sensing only one red mark remained, Shen Yuqing became even more agitated, begging like a madman: “A’Xue, hold onto me, don’t let go of me, I beg…”

Before he could finish, Jiang Zhaoxue decisively crushed his five fingers.

Severe pain came instantly. The moment his five fingers shattered completely, his entire body fell. Terror and pain came simultaneously, transforming into a desperate cry: “I beg you… Jiang Zhaoxue.”

His voice was drowned in the river water’s sound. Jiang Zhaoxue had no time to care at all. She felt Pei Zichen behind her about to break through her barrier. Turning around, she flung Shen Yuqing’s longsword away while simultaneously pulling out the qiankun divination sticks and shouting urgently: “The Heavenly Dao is inconstant, gambling luck with heaven, supreme great fortune—Dragon-Locking Array, open!”

The instant the divination stick shattered, the longsword transformed into several light dragons swimming away. Pei Zichen simultaneously broke through her barrier. The barrier shattered like ice, revealing the young figure behind.

His jade crown had long shattered, long hair loose and flowing, black robes with wide sleeves. His expression was cold as a suspended moon and white snow. Hearing the sword sound, he raised his eyes to look.

The instant he raised his eyes, the swimming dragons bound his limbs like chains in one instant, immediately taking root in the ground. The formation rose up from beneath his feet, completely separating him from Jiang Zhaoxue.

He seemed to be shut inside a palace lantern, only his silhouette casting light and shadow on the lampshade, like a beautiful portrait, transparent through the reflection.

Everything proceeded smoothly. He didn’t resist. Jiang Zhaoxue breathed a sigh of relief, stood up, and began activating the Heart-Clearing Formation.

Earlier, her formation was only one stroke away from breaking the Mizhen Illusion Array. As a result, Pei Zichen still couldn’t withstand turning demonic. Fortunately, he hadn’t completely lost his mind and gone mad yet—there was still room for salvation. Looking at the current situation, Pei Zichen couldn’t wake himself up. She could only first trap Pei Zichen and try using the Heart-Clearing Formation to forcibly awaken him.

However, as soon as the Heart-Clearing Formation emerged, she heard light laughter from inside: “What does Master’s Wife intend to do?”

“My heavens,” hearing this voice, A’Nan gasped, “The villain aura is too strong. Will the Heart-Clearing Formation really work?”

When cultivators turn demonic, it’s not something ordinary methods can reverse.

Even True Immortal Realm cultivators had difficulty with it. Pei Zichen cultivated Jiuyou Realm techniques, which more easily confused one’s mind. Combined with being in the Mizhen Illusion Array now, it was adding frost to snow—difficult upon difficult.

But Jiang Zhaoxue had no other way. She could only close her eyes and recite sutras.

These sutras transmitted into the formation. Blue light shone from the ground. Pei Zichen looked around and slowly spoke: “Does Master’s Wife want to save me? Does Master’s Wife think that I want to kill Master because I’m afflicted by inner demons, unable to control myself? You think that using the Heart-Clearing Array can summon my spirit and make me return to being that filial disciple under You and Shen Yuqing?”

Jiang Zhaoxue remained silent, pressing down spiritual power, reinforcing the Heart-Clearing Array again.

The Heart-Clearing Array was affected by Pei Zichen’s thoughts. The greater his demonic transformation, the harder it was to maintain the Heart-Clearing Array.

However, after the Heart-Clearing Array was strengthened, Pei Zichen wasn’t affected in the slightest. He raised his hand to touch the Dragon-Locking Array barrier, strolling leisurely. With each step, Jiang Zhaoxue clearly felt the Heart-Clearing Array being damaged.

She poured spiritual power in, forcibly confronting Pei Zichen. Pei Zichen looked at that figure outside the white barrier and said calmly: “Inner demons arise from desires. If heart’s desires don’t disappear, how can one attain the Dao? Master’s Wife, my master-killing is only a matter of time. You know this.”

“Sit down.” Jiang Zhaoxue commanded coldly. “Recite sutras with me. You still have a bright future. You absolutely cannot fall here.”

“Recite sutras with You?”

Hearing this, Pei Zichen laughed mockingly: “Will reciting sutras work? If I recite sutras, will you separate from him? If I recite sutras, will you and I have no relationship? If I recite sutras, will you look at me one more time, care about me one bit more?!”

These words instantly disrupted Jiang Zhaoxue. Pei Zichen sensed her loss of mental control and became agitated: “You know! You know everything! You know I was husband and wife with you for four years in the dream realm! You know I enter dreams every night! I want to be with you, I want you to be well, I want you to separate from him—you know it all! You play deaf and dumb, yet still want to be my elder, still want to recite sutras and preach to me?”

The Heart-Clearing Array violently trembled. Pei Zichen’s pupils grew redder and redder: “Recite what sutras, preach what Dao? A despicable person like me who defies superiors, lacks propriety and righteousness, and deserves execution by all—what sutras can I recite, what Dao can I enter?! Might as well kill them all, kill them all—”

As he spoke, dozens of light swords leaped from Pei Zichen’s body, all pointing at him.

“Not good!” Seeing this, A’Nan was shocked. “He actually set an Essence-Destroying Curse on himself!”

The Essence-Destroying Curse was an incantation cultivators set to kill themselves under special circumstances. This kind of curse was generally used for death warriors, but unexpectedly, Pei Zichen had set such a thing on himself!

He had probably thought of today when he first began cultivating Jiuyou Realm techniques.

For him, turning demonic was probably more painful than death. He perhaps feared harming others after turning demonic, so he left the Essence-Destroying Curse to kill himself when he turned demonic.

Seeing this, Jiang Zhaoxue’s heart shook violently. But with no time to think more, Pei Zichen had already condensed sword qi in his hand and slashed toward the Dragon-Locking Chain!

The dragon chain binding his hands in the formation was currently the existence restraining him and subjecting him to the Heart-Clearing Array’s influence. Once the chains were severed, the Heart-Clearing Array would no longer suppress him. In his current state, he would likely immediately turn completely demonic, and that Essence-Destroying Curse would take effect immediately, killing him.

Seeing this, Jiang Zhaoxue knew the outcome but didn’t think twice—she charged urgently toward Pei Zichen!

The Dragon-Locking Chain broke with a sound. Pei Zichen’s eyes instantly turned blood-red. Dozens of light swords simultaneously attacked urgently. Pei Zichen formed seals to block.

But the Essence-Destroying Curse specifically targeted the cultivator themselves. All of Pei Zichen’s incantations would have no effect on these light swords. Just as the light swords pierced through the barrier in his hands about to stab, Jiang Zhaoxue charged over like a fierce tiger!

Warm touch accompanied by the woman’s usual fragrance came together. Pei Zichen instinctively raised his hand to protect Jiang Zhaoxue, looking up in shock.

Jiang Zhaoxue’s entire person rushed into his vision. The light swords formed an arc, urgently stopping behind Jiang Zhaoxue.

The woman blocking before him was like a city wall, keeping those light swords out, then falling heavily to the ground together with him.

She straddled him, one hand pressing his hand, one hand supporting his chest. She came too urgently, as if using all her strength. Her entire body breathed lowly, seemingly still carrying lingering fear and trembling.

Pei Zichen stared blankly at the person before him, his heart trembling.

Jiang Zhaoxue paused for a moment. Feeling the Essence-Destroying Curse behind her stop, with lingering fear, she raised her eyes to look at him and saw the blood-red color in his eyes had indeed receded.

She was momentarily speechless. Looking at the hopeful gaze in the other’s eyes, she felt that since she’d already come, there was nothing to hide. Taking a deep breath, she spoke with difficulty: “I don’t let you kill him—not because you can’t kill him. But because I think your sword should be for righteousness and justice, not private feelings.”

Pei Zichen couldn’t speak. Listening to these words, he felt his heart in his chest beating once, then again.

He was like being filled with April spring flowers, like warm sun shining high.

Those evil thoughts and desires just now all scattered. His entire heart and eyes looked at the person before him.

He desperately suppressed the impulse to embrace her, to kiss her. A pair of eyes watched her as she watched him, seriously apologizing: “Pei Zichen, I wronged you. But I still hope that if one day you can turn back, you’ll have a road back.”

A road back?

Hearing this, Pei Zichen slowly smiled.

He looked at the person before him who didn’t mention love at all. Disappointment slowly grew in his eyes. With bitterness on his face, he spoke hoarsely: “But I don’t have one anymore.”

Jiang Zhaoxue paused, feeling his hand reach into her sleeve.

Her body stiffened slightly as she felt him skillfully take out a dagger from her sleeve.

Her food, clothing, shelter, and transportation were all arranged by him alone. What she carried on her, he knew all too clearly.

He took out this dagger meant for her self-defense, drew the sharp blade, pointed the dagger tip at his throat, and handed the handle to Jiang Zhaoxue. Looking at her calmly, he said seriously: “Nine years ago in the capital, Master said he wouldn’t kill me and asked me to tell You. But I didn’t want You to return and reconcile with him, so I concealed this matter.”

Jiang Zhaoxue’s gaze trembled. She dared not respond. Pei Zichen continued: “In the Lingxu Illusion Realm, this disciple had already awakened early on the wedding day before any wrongdoing was committed. But this disciple was greedy for pleasure and desire, pretended ignorance, went along with the mistake, and consummated the marriage with You.”

Jiang Zhaoxue’s hand pressing on him unconsciously tightened. Pei Zichen looked at her calmly, confessing item by item: “After You met Master, on New Year’s night, to verify whether You remembered, this disciple took liberties with You while Master stood outside the door.”

“On Qixi night, this disciple was angry You refused to acknowledge our husband-wife relationship and deliberately tempted You.”

“Every night after, this disciple used the Lingxu Fan to enter Your dream realm and lost control in the temple dream, violating You.”

Speaking of these matters, Pei Zichen’s eyes showed not a trace of regret. He only looked at her seriously and said calmly: “This disciple desecrated an elder, deceived superiors and concealed truth, harbored improper thoughts, violated human relationships. This disciple has no road back. Master’s Wife—”

His eyes trembled slightly. After a long silence, finally gathering courage, he tilted his head back slightly, pressed the blade tip against his own Adam’s apple, and handed the handle to Jiang Zhaoxue. With suppressed trembling in his tone, he said hoarsely: “Love me or kill me—there has only ever been one road. You choose.”