After the blue flame at her fingertip extinguished, Liu Shuang lit it again. She leaned closer to look, confirming that she wasn’t mistaken—it was the future Demon Lord Yan Chaosheng.

What terrible luck, meeting the person she least wanted to know right away.

Liu Shuang remembered that Lord Su Lun had once told her that seven hundred years ago, when Yan Chaosheng was young, he had entered Kung Sang to study. Counting back, it must have been during this period.

However, the current Yan Chaosheng looked much more immature. The youth’s headband hung loose, and his entire appearance was disheveled. His black hair spread out as he lay on the lotus platform, his skin deathly pale, his limbs twisted in strange positions.

It was clear that Bai Yuxiao had been merciless.

Liu Shuang noticed that beneath his slightly disordered clothes, his skin was covered with patches of snake scales. These pitch-black, cold scales looked hideous, with several flipped outward, steadily dripping blood.

She was somewhat surprised; in her memories, she had never seen such scales on Yan Chaosheng.

Liu Shuang rested her chin on her hand, her clear eyes examining Yan Chaosheng while her heart remained cold.

Her husband from her previous life—no, her ex-husband. She still remembered how much she had liked this man in her past life, willingly accompanying him in the Ghost Domain for a hundred years, growing a brilliant garden of flowers, waiting for him to return home on that cold and lonely mountain peak.

Yet in the end, he hadn’t even left her the Ming Xi Pearl that Shao You had given him.

She wondered what he must have felt on the day she died. With Mi Chu by his side, he probably wouldn’t have thought of her again.

Without a heart, one becomes smarter. Where the player is confused, the spectator sees clearly. Liu Shuang, now stepping outside the situation and analyzing objectively, suddenly realized that Yan Chaosheng was quite terrible.

It didn’t matter that he didn’t love her, but since he already had someone he liked, he should never have deceived her from the beginning, treating her as a substitute. Later, because of his beloved Mi Chu, she had been captured and could only escape by crushing her heart to flee the Celestial Realm and return home, causing her soul to scatter.

The previous life was now past; love and hate meant nothing without a heart that could perceive everything.

Liu Shuang touched her chest. Seeing him again, the heart in this body beat steadily, as if calmly analyzing an insignificant stranger.

Living again, Liu Shuang knew many events destined to happen in the future—

Yan Chaosheng would eventually destroy Kung Sang.

If she wanted to prevent this from happening and protect her original body’s home, the simplest solution would be to kill him now. Without Yan Chaosheng, the Immortal Realm naturally wouldn’t be destroyed.

With this thought, Liu Shuang gathered ethereal blue flames at her fingertips and pressed them against Yan Chaosheng’s neck.

After a long moment, Liu Shuang withdrew her hand.

It wasn’t quite right. The original owner of this body was mischievous but timid. Forget killing someone—even being scolded loudly by the Realm Master would make her cry. Bai Yuxiao had thrown this person in here, and after some time, when she left the Nine Thoughts Pond, if the Realm Master came to receive her personally and discovered she had killed someone, he would certainly know she wasn’t the original owner. By then, it would be over.

Although Liu Shuang didn’t much care for Yan Chaosheng, she couldn’t sacrifice the life she had just gained for him.

The smell of blood from the young man was too strong; Liu Shuang moved away from him in disgust.

Liu Shuang looked around. The lotus seat floated on the pond water. She stretched out her leg, planning to quietly kick him into the pond water while Yan Chaosheng was still unconscious.

The Nine Thoughts Pond was a mist-forming water that couldn’t drown people. Once he was properly soaked, when Bai Yuxiao returned, she would ask Bai Yuxiao to take Yan Chaosheng away immediately.

Liu Shuang’s dainty, pretty light purple shoes had just pressed against the young man’s shoulder when his eyelashes trembled slightly, and he opened his eyes.

In the darkness, Liu Shuang quickly withdrew her foot. Having spent time with the former Yan Chaosheng, she instinctively assumed he was still the all-powerful Demon Lord.

She thought to herself: If the enemy doesn’t move, I won’t move.

Liu Shuang intentionally observed Yan Chaosheng’s reaction. With a slight blink, a gleam of light flashed through her bright eyes. In this environment, Liu Shuang could see Yan Chaosheng’s movements.

The young Yan Chaosheng didn’t raise his head to look at her. He struggled to pull back his broken arm, as if trying to complete some action. It was extremely difficult for him; blood from his meridians stained the lotus platform red.

The young man seemed unaware of this. The corners of his eyes reddened as he gritted his teeth with determination. The blood meandered along as Yan Chaosheng trembled, finally pulling his arm back. Liu Shuang heard the sound of bones scraping against each other—it sent chills down her spine just watching, it looked so painful.

Finally, the young man used his two broken hands, shaking as he arranged his disheveled clothes.

As his garments closed again, the ugly snake scales could no longer be seen. He seemed to have used all his strength; his forehead was covered in cold sweat as he breathed heavily.

The lotus platform was stained with his blood; the petals opened and closed slightly, as if trembling in the water.

Liu Shuang glanced at the pond water, where faint red ripples spread outward. A mischievous idea formed in her mind: if she told Yan Chaosheng that she had already seen everything, would he cough up blood and die on the spot?

Remembering that he couldn’t die on the lotus platform, Liu Shuang forcefully suppressed her stirring thoughts.

Having witnessed Yan Chaosheng’s efforts to close his garments, Liu Shuang felt dizzy and suffocated by the smell of blood coming from him.

Bai Yuxiao had tortured him terribly.

He was truly filthy, wearing clothes that hadn’t been changed for who knows how long. Not only were they dirty, but the smell of blood was even more disastrous.

Liu Shuang held her breath for a while. She had initially planned to ignore him, but when she could no longer hold her breath and found it unbearable, she finally spoke: “Shall I use a cleansing spell to clean you up?”

The young man’s shoulders trembled slightly. After a long while, he said coldly: “No need for the Young Lord to trouble herself.”

Oh? So he was another acquaintance of the original owner.

Thinking of how Yan Chaosheng was the “little demon spawn” mentioned by Bai Yuxiao, Liu Shuang finally remembered—

Fu Liu had said that after Chi Shui Liu Shuang broke off her engagement and returned to Kung Sang from Kun Lun, she encountered a disciple guarding the mountain gate who wanted to search her for her mountain pass to verify her identity.

Chi Shui Liu Shuang had hurriedly fled Kung Sang, how could she remember to bring her jade token?

The black-robed disciple said coldly: “Without a jade token, entry to Kung Sang is forbidden.”

Chi Shui Liu Shuang said: “I am the Young Lord of Kung Sang! How dare you block me, move aside!”

“I have never seen the Young Lord,” the young man blocked her with his staff. “I won’t listen to your one-sided words. With a jade token, you may enter; without one, leave.”

Chi Shui Liu Shuang tried to bribe him, but he laughed coldly and struck with his staff, hitting the hand that was offering him spirit stones.

This made the pampered Young Lord thoroughly angry. Even the eldest son of the Bai clan treated her with the utmost care. How dare a mere door guard of Kung Sang raise a hand against her? She immediately tried to force her way in.

But this disciple was no pushover. After dozens of moves against the useless Young Lord, he forced her back outside the mountain gate.

With her face transformed by an illusion technique, Chi Shui Liu Shuang trembled with rage and shame. She, the mighty Young Lord of Kung Sang, couldn’t defeat a mere gatekeeper!

Seeing Fu Liu’s figure appear, Chi Shui Liu Shuang simply closed her eyes, shut down her spiritual awareness, and blamed her feigned unconsciousness on this hateful young man.

Chi Shui Liu Shuang had planned early on to close her spiritual awareness upon returning to avoid punishment, and conveniently implicated this young man in the process.

Who would have thought that after Chi Shui Liu Shuang fell unconscious, when she woke up, her core would be replaced by someone else, becoming the current Liu Shuang?

Liu Shuang recalled how Bai Yuxiao had burst in not long ago at night, saying he would help her teach the little demon spawn a lesson, and couldn’t help but sigh.

So Yan Chaosheng was that unfortunate disciple who had dared to strike even the Young Lord!

Others might not understand the situation, but she and Fu Liu knew clearly that this was completely unwarranted for Yan Chaosheng. He had been guarding the mountain gate, performing his duty diligently. Now, accused of harming the Young Lord, he had been tortured by Bai Yuxiao to this state.

It would be impossible for Yan Chaosheng not to hate both her and Bai Yuxiao.

This was perfect—not only did she need to eliminate him for Kung Sang’s safety, but with both old and new grudges, she couldn’t let him live if she wanted to survive herself.

Yan Chaosheng was a prodigy in cultivation. Once he became the Demon Lord, she wouldn’t be able to defeat him even with ten thousand years of cultivation.

Although she couldn’t act against him now, once out of the Nine Thoughts Pond, she would immediately find a way.

Liu Shuang observed for a long time; Yan Chaosheng truly appeared very weak.

This made things easier—why even discuss it? Liu Shuang directly pulled him over and cast a cleansing spell to clean him thoroughly.

As the bloody smell in the air dissipated, things finally smelled better. Liu Shuang felt relieved and satisfied, letting go of him. After being handled like this, the young man’s cheeks flushed red, whether from embarrassment or anger, she couldn’t tell. His chest heaved more noticeably as he opened his eyes to stare coldly at Liu Shuang.

His pupils carried a faint silver color. As their eyes met, Liu Shuang knew he could also see in the darkness.

Liu Shuang instinctively thought he would curse at her, but after a while, though the young man’s lips moved, he didn’t say a word.

Liu Shuang lowered her eyes, losing interest. She no longer devoted any attention to him, simply sitting far away and continuing her cultivation.

The young man remained silent, completely quiet.

The two coexisted peacefully at first, but after a while, Liu Shuang felt her shoes touch something wet. The smell of blood arose again. Liu Shuang opened her eyes to see fresh blood seeping from beneath Yan Chaosheng, flowing to her feet.

Liu Shuang took a deep breath. Demons seemed to have a lot of blood; as long as they had a breath left, they wouldn’t die.

At this rate, his blood would soon cover the entire lotus platform, smearing her completely, over and over, without end.

Liu Shuang shuddered, disturbed by the image of being soaked in a sea of blood.

The disgust prompted Liu Shuang to quickly move over, extending her hand above his body. She needed to stop the bleeding first; she couldn’t let Yan Chaosheng disturb her cultivation. If she couldn’t leave, wouldn’t she have to face him for her entire life?

She was no longer a celestial grass; she didn’t enjoy being with him.

A gentle green light from her palm enveloped his body, healing Yan Chaosheng’s wounds. As soon as she began treating him, Liu Shuang immediately discovered how terrible Yan Chaosheng’s condition was.

His four limbs had been twisted and broken, his meridians severed, his heart and lungs bleeding, not to mention several broken ribs, and his cultivation had been destroyed.

With difficulty, she finally stopped the bleeding, but she wouldn’t treat his other injuries. Liu Shuang moved far away from him and cast a cleansing spell on herself.

Throughout the process, Yan Chaosheng didn’t make a sound, allowing her to manipulate him as she wished. If not for his occasional spasms, Liu Shuang would have thought he was already dead.

This time, Liu Shuang closed her eyes, no longer allowing any disturbances.

When Yan Chaosheng was thrown onto the lotus platform, he felt utterly hopeless. He knew that Bai Yuxiao had captured and humiliated him to please this useless Young Lord in the Nine Thoughts Pond.

He tried not to think about what was about to happen, closing his eyes, afraid of revealing the hatred within them.

When the transmission mirror sent him to the lotus platform, he almost thought it was his time to die, and began to recall the few dull experiences of his life.

Born with demon blood, from his earliest memories, he had lived with a group of small demons in a forest.

Strangely, all demons had their original forms—tiger demons could transform into tigers, leopard spirits could become hunting leopards, even bird demons had their true forms—only Yan Chaosheng did not.

When he gained consciousness, he already had the appearance of a seven or eight-year-old mortal boy. All previous memories were gone. Besides being covered with pitch-black scales, he looked no different from humans.

Demons always respected strength. Yan Chaosheng appeared weak and vulnerable, so all the demons wanted to tear a piece of flesh from him.

Yan Chaosheng could no longer remember how he survived those harsh days. He flattered and pleased the greater demons, allowing them to step on his fragile spine. Time and again, he was on the verge of death, yet still struggled to kowtow to them.

He endured humiliation to survive, working tirelessly day and night to cultivate until finally, his magical power exceeded most demons in the forest. He no longer needed to be trampled underfoot or worry about being eaten.

But gradually, as he grew, he needed more food. His stomach became a bottomless pit. After eating everything that could move in the forest, he was still hungry. When he wanted to search for food elsewhere, the minor demons who served him stopped him, shaking their heads, saying it wasn’t allowed.

They told him that in the current world, the Immortal Realm ruled supreme. After the ancient Emperor Xiangliao fell, demons scattered across the eight wildernesses had to live cautiously.

The immortals looked down on demons with weak magical powers and disdained to subjugate them, but if they dared to trespass on other lands, forget the immortals—even Taoist priests would capture them.

Yan Chaosheng could only suppress his hunger and continue cultivating in the forest.

But not all demons were as patient as he was. One day, a demon left the forest, and soon, under a Taoist priest’s talisman, it screamed as it turned to ash.

Day after day, fewer and fewer demons remained in the forest.

Yan Chaosheng refused to wait for death. He went out to find a way, with several demons following him, trembling with fear as they walked in the mortal world.

They carefully disguised themselves, but unexpectedly encountered Taoist priests. At first, Yan Chaosheng didn’t want to harm anyone, knowing that once he killed, there would be no return from that bloody path. Locked in a cage, he heard the Taoist priests’ contemptuous mockery.

Thinking they can be human by wearing clothes. Beasts will always be beasts, destined for evil and harming the world. Born lowly, only in death do they have any value.”

The Taoist priests looked over at the demons trembling in their cages.

“This one’s fur is nice, perhaps it can be made into a protective magical artifact. Oh, that demon’s teeth could be made into a weapon.”

“Master, and this little one—I didn’t expect such luck, catching a ginseng spirit. Stewed, it will greatly increase our powers.”

When it came to Yan Chaosheng, the lead Taoist priest frowned, examining him for a moment: “No particular talents. Gouge out his eyes and extract his core.”

Yan Chaosheng’s eyes filled with bloodlust and coldness. He broke the cage—that was the first time he killed humans.

The priests’ blood pooled at his feet. After the priests died, Yan Chaosheng was hunted by cultivators who claimed he was thoroughly evil and unreformable.

Yan Chaosheng escaped from danger numerous times, but the demons with him weren’t so fortunate. They followed him, but Yan Chaosheng couldn’t feed them enough, let alone protect their lives. Killing a minor Taoist priest only meant that an elder priest would come.

Their fate followed the predicted course: some were skinned, some had their teeth pulled, and most tragically, some had their cores dug out and their souls bound.

The last time, all the minor demons died to save Yan Chaosheng, leaving only him alive.

Yan Chaosheng grabbed a small wolf demon and carried it on his back as he fled. The wolf’s eyes were filled with tears as it whispered with its last breath: “Boss, go cultivate immortality. They say demons can become immortals, too. Once you become an immortal, you can survive, never go hungry or cold, and no one will covet your core. You can become a lord, receiving countless offerings. Boss, from now on, be fiercer, fiercer, so others will fear you.”

With that, it died on Yan Chaosheng’s back.

Yan Chaosheng silently nodded.

After that, he began earnestly seeking the Dao. The little wolf’s words echoed in his ears as Yan Chaosheng endured countless hardships and rejections. Finally, three years ago, Kung Sang opened its immortal gates, accepting disciples from the eight wildernesses.

Yan Chaosheng prostrated himself at their feet, kowtowing until his head bled, finally earning a chance to be tested.

His heart filled with hope: if he could become a disciple under a master, he would finally be respected and step onto the immortal path.

Yan Chaosheng passed test after test, his magical power stronger than all the new disciples. But during the bloodline test, the person shook his head: “Demon-blooded disciples can only do miscellaneous tasks, not enter the immortal gate. You can either leave or stand there and wait for arrangements.”

Yan Chaosheng felt endless disappointment, but couldn’t bear to leave. He accepted a token, choosing to stay at Kung Sang.

He was assigned to guard the entrance to the immortal realm. He heard that in three years, Kung Sang would hold a great competition. Even the lowest disciple, if they could participate and perform excellently, might catch the eye of the immortal masters of the major families and have a chance to be accepted as a disciple.

For this opportunity, Yan Chaosheng guarded the entrance to Kung Sang through frost and rain, diligently protecting the immortal gate.

Yan Chaosheng feared making the slightest mistake that might cost him this precious chance.

Sometimes he looked up at the misty immortal air, seeing the ten thousand heavens above—the place where one could live long and endure, the ultimate ambition for a man. But when he looked down, there was only an endless abyss, filled with the bones of those who had died beside him, their cores dug out.

Yan Chaosheng didn’t want to follow the little wolf demon’s fate.

He wanted to win the competition. Even if the last immortal with modest powers and status was willing to accept him as a disciple, he would be infinitely grateful and would serve his master well.

As spring came and autumn went, clinging to this hope, the day drew nearer—but then everything was destroyed.

Because he had stopped a woman of unknown identity, his hard-earned cultivation was destroyed, his meridians severed.

How ridiculous—just because she was the Young Lord. She was a cloud in the sky, while he was mud on the ground for anyone to trample.

When he was thrown down, feeling her scrutiny, Yan Chaosheng lay on the ground, controlling his hateful eyes.

After enduring so much frost and rain, countless sufferings in the mortal world, without even touching the threshold of immortal cultivation, was he to die like this? His heart was filled with pain and unwillingness.

What would Chi Shui Liu Shuang do to him?

Would she cleanly scorch his soul, or torture him slowly like Bai Yuxiao?

Before long, a dainty and delicate shoe embroidered with blazing begonias stepped on his shoulder, about to kick forcefully when Yan Chaosheng opened his eyes.

Yan Chaosheng was unwilling to expose his unsightly body to anyone, no matter who they were. He knew that in everyone’s eyes, this body covered with snake scales was not pleasant to look at.

Remembering the disgusted looks in those Taoist priests’ eyes when they saw his black scales, he thought—since he was going to die anyway, with no one to prepare his body, he might as well die with dignity. Yan Chaosheng gritted his teeth and arranged his clothes properly before dealing with her.

What met his eyes was a repulsively ugly face.

It was said that the immortal realm produced beauties, and indeed it did. Yan Chaosheng, guarding Kung Sang, had seen many beautiful immortal maidens come and go.

But the one before him, from the ancient and noble Chi Shui clan, was indescribably ugly.

No wonder Yan Chaosheng hadn’t believed she was the Young Lord of Kung Sang. Anyone with eyes probably wouldn’t have believed it.

Rumors said the Young Lord of Kung Sang, though young, was a once-in-ten-thousand-years beauty of unparalleled grace. Could this face be considered unparalleled grace?

Yan Chaosheng endured the pain, prepared to die together with her, when unexpectedly, he heard her say, “Shall I use a cleansing spell to clean you up?”

Her voice was crisp, like pearls falling on jade, extremely pleasant to hear, completely at odds with her face.

Yan Chaosheng didn’t know what trick she was playing, but he knew both Chi Shui Liu Shuang and Bai Yuxiao were venomous and vicious. He immediately refused.

He expected her to rage, but unexpectedly, she blinked and gave up.

After quite some time, she suddenly pulled him over again.

Yan Chaosheng’s entire body tensed—it seemed she still wanted to torment him. Cold filled his heart as he hated his current powerlessness.

If only he were stronger, fiercer, then today his heart wouldn’t be suspended in fear, at her mercy.

She made a gesture, and Yan Chaosheng waited for the pain to come. A white light flashed, and his dirty clothes became clean, with no trace of blood.

Yan Chaosheng couldn’t help but gasp for breath.

Realizing the young woman hadn’t tortured him but had cast a cleansing spell, Yan Chaosheng raised his eyes.

In the pitch-black Nine Thoughts Pond, there was no difference between darkness and daylight to Yan Chaosheng. His cold demon eyes could ignore all darkness; darkness should have been his home.

She hadn’t touched him, leaving him a small space on the narrow lotus platform as she cultivated by herself.

Yan Chaosheng was momentarily confused. That was it?

He waited for a while, not seeing her make any other moves. Fatigue and pain overwhelmed him, and Yan Chaosheng lowered his long eyelashes.

His body felt much more comfortable and clean than before being thrown down.

Yan Chaosheng remained silent; as long as Chi Shui Liu Shuang didn’t think of him, he might survive.

Unexpectedly, after a while, she came again.

Yan Chaosheng clenched his fist. He hated this feeling of anxiety, of placing his fate in someone else’s hands.

Just like when the little wolf demon and other demons died, there was nothing he could do.

Despair and hatred made him wonder: if he self-destructed his weakened core, would it be enough to injure her as well?

Even in death, he would tear a piece of flesh from her.

But before he could destroy his core, the young woman’s palm emitted a gentle light that covered his body. Yan Chaosheng felt as if he were in a gentle mist; the green light swept over him, gradually easing his pain.

His body involuntarily trembled from the healing, a flash of irritation and confusion passing through his cold silver eyes.

What did she want? After causing him such harm, destroying his last hope, now she not only cleansed him and gave him space, but also healed the wounds Bai Yuxiao had inflicted.

His clenched fist hurt, and even after his body no longer ached so much, Yan Chaosheng still didn’t understand her intentions.

Would she not kill him?

After his blood stopped, he remained on the lotus platform for three days, quietly observing her. Yan Chaosheng knew that although Chi Shui Liu Shuang’s magical power was weak, she still had the Chi Shui immortal bloodline. Killing him now would be easy for her.

She kept her eyes closed, her face ugly from every angle, except for her long eyelashes, which were delicate as fans.

Yan Chaosheng vaguely felt that she might have forgotten he was even there.

Yan Chaosheng’s pupils changed; the silver color that had appeared due to his serious injuries gradually returned to normal black as his condition improved.

He lowered his head, his heart full of vigilance and hatred. She and Bai Yuxiao were playing good cop, bad cop—one harsh, one gentle, beating with a stick, then offering a sweet date. They must have a scheme.

Whatever it was, he thought coldly, she wouldn’t succeed.

For Liu Shuang, cultivation was now the most important thing in her life. She hadn’t paid attention to Yan Chaosheng’s scrutinizing gaze, focusing entirely on observing the original owner’s spiritual core.

For those born with immortal bloodlines, the spiritual core determined one’s innate talent. The purer the color of the spiritual core, the better the foundation. The original owner’s spiritual core was a pure ice-blue, so faint it was almost transparent.

The spiritual core would grow brighter with cultivation. Such a faint core was like a pearl covered in dust, unable to display the true power of the Chi Shui bloodline. As it became brighter in the future, she could become more and more powerful.

Liu Shuang worked hard to absorb the immortal power to nourish it. After what seemed like a long time, she finally saw results, as if a hand had wiped away the dust.

Liu Shuang’s joy was indescribable as a faint layer of ice-blue mist, light as silk floss, emanated from her body.

After a while, Liu Shuang realized something was wrong.

Although she could absorb immortal power into her body, she couldn’t control it well. The power inside her flew wildly; the lotus platform seemed to be scattered with blue snow.

Liu Shuang somewhat regretted cultivating so hastily. The original body was accustomed to a slow pace; now, with accelerated cultivation, it couldn’t adapt, showing signs of developing a heart demon.

Liu Shuang tried desperately to control the rampaging power.

Recalling how her past life had excelled in healing arts, she tried to transform the immortal power into gentle healing energy.

Across from her, the young man let out a muffled groan.

Liu Shuang opened her eyes to see Yan Chaosheng in a very wretched state on the other side of the lotus platform. Under her rampaging spiritual power, his barely connected meridians were in excruciating pain.

The immortal power was like knives, slowly slicing through his body repeatedly.

He must have endured for a long time and finally couldn’t hold back, letting out a groan.

Seeing the young man’s veins bulging on the back of his hand as he tried to break through the lotus platform, Liu Shuang quickly said, “Don’t move!”

She was at a critical point with her spiritual core; the Nine Thoughts Pond couldn’t have any accidents.

But asking someone to remain still while enduring pain was difficult to achieve.

Liu Shuang thought of Su Lun’s serious expression when he had deceived her, and immediately said to him, “Bear with it. Don’t you want to reconnect your meridians and cultivate again?”

He let out a cold laugh.

“Since the Young Lord has harmed me so, why would you help me?”

Liu Shuang didn’t dare let Yan Chaosheng discover that her spiritual core was undergoing a massive test. If she could control the power well without damaging the core, her future cultivation would progress quickly. If not, the core would be damaged, and even good innate talent would be ruined.

She coughed lightly and said softly, “I realized I was wrong and shouldn’t have treated you that way. I regret it, truly. After returning, I was unconscious and didn’t know Bai Yuxiao had tortured you so badly. I want to make amends, really, I just want to heal you. Please give me a chance to make it right.”

In the past, the little celestial grass always spoke to him with full affection. Although Liu Shuang couldn’t feel those emotions anymore, this skill came naturally to her.

The young man stared at her for a long time. Liu Shuang was extremely nervous, but finally, he gritted his teeth in silence, enduring without a sound.

He believed her! Liu Shuang was overjoyed and focused on converting the spiritual power.

Gradually, the ice-blue immortal power became gentler, swirling and dancing on the lotus platform. Liu Shuang learned to control the power, finally protecting her spiritual core without damage. The rampaging power also transformed into tender green healing energy.

She sighed in relief and opened her eyes, surprised to find Yan Chaosheng on the other side of the platform, nearly collapsed in exhaustion.

The young man was soaked in sweat, his face deathly pale, as if he had died once from the pain.

Yet by coincidence, what Liu Shuang had randomly said to deceive him had come true.

Trapped on the platform, Yan Chaosheng had received the purest power from her spiritual core. The tender green power swept through his body like threading a needle, actually reconnecting his meridians.

Liu Shuang: “…” She didn’t know whether to consider Yan Chaosheng lucky or unlucky.

He had endured hundreds of times the pain to regain complete meridians.

For the first time, she realized that the person before her was indeed in his immature youth. When she tricked him into not moving, despite such pain, for that small hope of healing his meridians, he had truly remained still.

If it had been the arrogant Demon Lord Yan Chaosheng seven hundred years later, he would probably have jumped up and tried to kill her.

When Yan Chaosheng could no longer hold back his groan under the rampaging power, he almost wanted to kill the girl across from him at all costs.

The power inside her flew wildly, like sharp, cruel daggers piercing his broken meridians.

He was dizzy with pain, wanting to break through the lotus platform regardless of the consequences.

His blood almost flowed backward; his teeth chattered as the person across from him suddenly opened her eyes and said, “Bear with it. I’m healing your meridians. Don’t you want to reconnect them and cultivate again?”

Want to? Of course, he wanted to.

He dreamed of entering the immortal gate and becoming the most powerful being in the world, never again hunted by Taoist priests or having his life controlled by others.

Having become useless, how could he be satisfied?

But what a huge joke—why would she be willing to reconnect his meridians? Yan Chaosheng completely disbelieved her words. The one who had framed him was her; now the one claiming to heal him was also her.

It was too absurd to believe.

He heard her soften her voice: “I realized I was wrong and shouldn’t have treated you that way. I regret it, truly. After returning, I was unconscious and didn’t know Bai Yuxiao had tortured you so badly. I want to make amends, really, I just want to heal you. Please give me a chance to make it right.”

Did she not know about Bai Yuxiao’s actions? No, a voice told him not to believe her—she was a liar.

But Yan Chaosheng had walked alone through countless lonely years. No one had ever used such a gentle tone to coax him.

Perhaps because he was in too much pain to think clearly, Yan Chaosheng decided to gamble on that one possibility she mentioned.

He still wanted to reenter the immortal path, participate in the competition. He couldn’t fall here.

If she truly wanted to kill him, she needn’t go to the trouble of coaxing him—she could simply kill him directly. With this thought, he endured the pain and silently agreed to the gamble.

Yan Chaosheng had always been ruthless enough with himself. Under her rampaging immortal power, he felt as if years passed like days, thousands of different pains coursed through him, and he gritted his teeth through it all.

By the end, he was in so much pain he didn’t even have the strength to tremble, and passed out completely.

Before losing consciousness, he thought: at least his meridians were truly reconnected. She hadn’t been lying to him after all.

After some time, Yan Chaosheng regained consciousness and opened his eyes.

He smelled a fragrance emanating from the young woman across from him.

Yan Chaosheng had a demon’s body; if he wished, he could devour anything. Chi Shui Liu Shuang possessed an ancient bloodline, and the immortal power she cultivated was tempting. Her whole body of immortal spiritual energy smelled irresistibly sweet.

Yan Chaosheng had heard people say the Young Lord of Kung Sang was useless, but that didn’t seem to be the case. Her cultivation was progressing remarkably quickly—in just a few days, the spiritual energy that had once been as thin as mist could now form nearly solid feather-like shapes.

Yan Chaosheng’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he looked away. He could now sit up, examining his spirit core which had shrunk considerably after his cultivation was destroyed. His fist clenched slightly.

The Kung Sang competition was approaching, yet everything had been lost.

Yan Chaosheng’s eyes flashed with mockery—if possible, he truly wanted to devour Chi Shui Liu Shuang. All his lost immortal power would return at once. But such cultivation would be, on one hand, against heaven’s will, and on the other hand, he couldn’t possibly escape Kung Sang after killing the Young Lord. The old Realm Master could destroy his soul with a single finger.

He suppressed the killing intent in his heart and lowered his eyelids.

Did she think reconnecting his meridians and feeling remorse could make up for what she’d done to him? What a daydream!

Several days later, the feather-like energy dispersed, and the lotus platform petals bloomed, suddenly opening to their fullest. Liu Shuang opened her eyes in delight, discovering she had broken through!

From outside the Nine Thoughts Pond came waves of bell sounds. Liu Shuang looked and saw the constraints of the lotus platform had indeed invisibly disappeared.

Liu Shuang rose lightly to her feet and flew out of the Nine Thoughts Pond without a single glance back at Yan Chaosheng, who remained on the lotus platform.

As Liu Shuang had anticipated, the Realm Master appeared stern, but he deeply loved his daughter. As soon as there was movement in the Nine Thoughts Pond, he waited for her outside. No sooner had Liu Shuang emerged than she was embraced in a fragrant, soft embrace.

The woman caressed her face, nearly in tears: “My dear Shuang’er, how have you grown so thin? It’s all your father’s fault, insisting on punishing you this way. As I said, the spirit veins are his concern—how could he bear to sacrifice my Shuang’er?”

The woman’s tears fell onto Liu Shuang’s hair. In the woman’s embrace, Liu Shuang’s cold heart seemed to be gently stirred.

Unlike meeting the imposing Chi Shui Chong, when she saw this elegant lady before her, feelings of admiration and grievance rose unbidden. Liu Shuang couldn’t tell if these were her feelings or emotions left by the original owner.

Liu Shuang suddenly remembered how her mortal mother’s embrace had once been just as warm.

Lady Zi patted her back: “Mother is here now. I won’t let your father punish you again.”

Liu Shuang’s eyes inexplicably began to sting.

Someone behind them cleared their throat softly. Liu Shuang composed herself. Realm Master Chi Shui Chong stood not far away, with Bai Zhuixu also present, though Bai Yuxiao was nowhere to be seen.

Chi Shui Chong’s scrutiny made Liu Shuang jolt.

She suddenly realized that the original owner’s cultivation had been very slow. Now that she had emerged so quickly, while Lady Zi might not notice anything amiss in her maternal concern, she couldn’t fool the Realm Master.

Chi Shui Chong’s gaze was complex: “Liu Shuang, come test yourself with this spirit stone.”

A transparent crystal pearl appeared in the Realm Master’s palm. Lady Zi remembered something and, seeing Liu Shuang hesitate, excitedly pushed her: “Shuang’er, hurry now.”

None of these people could be defeated by Liu Shuang; they all watched her intently.

Liu Shuang regretted not staying inside longer. Now, under everyone’s gaze, she had no choice but to place her hand on the crystal.

The transparent crystal first showed a light blue color, then gradually transformed into a brilliant blue.

Liu Shuang’s hand froze.

Chi Shui Chong laughed heartily: “Good, good! My Chi Shui clan has a worthy successor!”

Liu Shuang was startled—the Realm Master’s reaction was happiness?

Bai Zhuixu’s eyes also showed joy: “Congratulations, Young Lord, your soul has returned to its rightful place.”

Only Liu Shuang remained bewildered, trembling with fear.

Lady Zi stroked her hair, saying gently: “The Ji clan’s divination truly lives up to its reputation. Three hundred years ago, when you were born, the Ji Realm Master came to offer congratulations and divined your fortune, saying my daughter had an ordeal in her fate. If she passed through it, her soul would return to its rightful place, with hope for Kung Sang’s restoration.”

Lady Zi didn’t mention the latter half that terrified her: if the ordeal wasn’t passed, she would perish, and the Kung Sang clan would cease to exist in this world.

For all these years, everyone had been on tenterhooks, fearing something would happen to the Young Lord, daily hoping for her soul to become complete.

Liu Shuang withdrew her hand, feeling bewildered. Only she knew she wasn’t the original Chi Shui Liu Shuang.

What was happening? Was this the butterfly dreaming of Zhuangzi, or Zhuangzi dreaming of the butterfly?

Liu Shuang couldn’t make sense of it, no matter how she thought about it.

Lady Zi, having comforted her daughter, caressed Liu Shuang’s face, but couldn’t help lamenting the loss of her beauty: “Shuang’er, how could you be so foolish before, swallowing the Illusion Appearance Pearl? Is that something to be eaten casually?”

Liu Shuang said, “It was all my fault. I’ll never dare do it again.”

“It will be difficult to change back now.” Lady Zi sighed, turning to the Realm Master: “Please save our Shuang’er. She knows her mistake.”

Seeing Liu Shuang’s face also made Chi Shui Chong’s temple throb with annoyance. He truly didn’t know how his daughter could be so troublesome.

“The Illusion Appearance Pearl is irreversible. I have no solution.”

Lady Zi became extremely anxious. Chi Shui Chong sighed softly: “However, just because I have no solution doesn’t mean others don’t. Kun Lun has a divine artifact, the Shennong Cauldron. It can refine jade and transform pearls. If they’re willing to lend us the divine artifact, perhaps the Illusion Appearance Pearl in Liu Shuang’s body could be extracted.”

Lady Zi, upon hearing this, became embarrassed: “When a divine artifact is activated, it inevitably consumes vast amounts of immortal power. Shuang’er has just offended the Young Lord of Kun Lun. Would Kun Lun be willing to use the Shennong Cauldron for her?”

Chi Shui Chong glared at Liu Shuang: “Ask her how she plans to fix this!”

Liu Shuang knew she was in the wrong and suggested, “What if we don’t extract it?” Her current goal was to become the strongest in the eight wildernesses, not the most beautiful. At worst, she could use a veil when traveling.

Lady Zi’s eyes filled with tears, utterly heartbroken. Seeing this, Liu Shuang quickly wiped her tears: “Don’t cry, don’t cry, Mother. I’ll go borrow it. I’ll apologize to the Young Lord of Kun Lun, certainly ask for his forgiveness, alright?”

Chi Shui Chong said: “You’re not planning to provoke him again, are you?”

“Liu Shuang wouldn’t dare.”

Chi Shui Chong said, “The mistakes you’ve made, you must resolve yourself. The Ji clan is magnanimous. If you apologize, perhaps the grudge can be forgotten. If you can’t borrow the Shennong Cauldron, you’ll live with this face for the rest of your life as a lesson!”

Liu Shuang nodded.

Seeing her obediently agree, truly intending to apologize, Chi Shui Chong sighed: “Zhuixu, take Yuxiao and accompany her. Don’t let her cause any trouble. Whatever Kun Lun requests, Kung Sang can negotiate, but we must extract the Illusion Appearance Pearl from the Young Lord’s body.”

Bai Zhuixu immediately responded: “Zhuixu will certainly protect the Young Lord well.”

Chi Shui Chong wasn’t entirely reassured. The two Bai brothers, though both skilled in cultivation, had their flaws. The elder brother was too submissive to Liu Shuang, while the second brother was too rebellious, enjoying watching chaos unfold. With the spirit veins damaged, the other immortal lords couldn’t leave their posts. Liu Shuang had already offended Kun Lun; if she went there and no one could control her, causing an incident, they would never extract the Illusion Appearance Pearl.

A thought struck Chi Shui Chong, and he extended his spiritual sense, sensing someone still in the Nine Thoughts Pond: “Who was that disciple who stopped the Young Lord at Kung Sang’s entrance?”

Bai Zhuixu hesitated: “In response to the Realm Master, he is an outside disciple who usually guards the immortal mirror entrance, called Yan Chaosheng.”

Chi Shui Chong withdrew his gaze from the Nine Thoughts Pond and said: “Let him follow along wearing the Ten Commandments Ring.”

Liu Shuang had never expected the Realm Master to make such a decision: “Realm… Father, can we choose someone else?”

Chi Shui Chong said, “It will be him. Rest assured, even with the Ten Commandments Ring, he wouldn’t dare harm you recklessly.”

Liu Shuang was about to say something more when Lady Zi pulled her back: “Shuang’er, listen to mother. Let’s extract the Illusion Appearance Pearl first, alright?”

Liu Shuang could only mumble: “Mm.”

She thought it over—this might be good. She could use the journey to eliminate future troubles for Kung Sang.

Yan Chaosheng walked back to his usual dwelling place. The sky of Kung Sang had already darkened.

He lived in a bamboo grove where many houses stood, all residences for low-ranking outer disciples. Chi Shui Liu Shuang’s status was worlds apart from his; she wouldn’t fall for his trap, and he had no way to deal with her.

He returned with a gloomy expression, but unexpectedly, someone saw him and said, “Brother Yan, you’ve finally returned. Today, a messenger came from the Kung Sang Realm. You should go quickly and see. The Realm Master has issued an order.”

Yan Chaosheng thought of his situation and felt irritated. The Realm Master had orders? Did the Realm Master also want to vent anger for his precious daughter? This lowly life of his seemed to be on everyone’s mind.

He laughed coldly: “What did the Realm Master say?”

The senior brother shook his head: “The messenger is waiting for you. Brother Yan will know when you see him.”

Yan Chaosheng walked to his bamboo house and indeed saw an immortal lord waiting for him. Yan Chaosheng concealed the gloom on his face and smiled as he bowed.

The immortal lord glanced coldly at Yan Chaosheng and said, “The Realm Master has bestowed the Ten Commandments Ring, ordering you to accompany the Young Lord to Kun Lun Realm tomorrow to prevent her from causing trouble.”

“Ten Commandments Ring?”

Seeing his respectful demeanor, the immortal lord explained: “It’s an artifact that can restrain immortals far above your level. You’ll understand once you accept it. The Realm Master says the Young Lord is young and ignorant, causing trouble. When you return, there will be a substantial reward.”

Yan Chaosheng laughed coldly in his heart, not letting the immortal lord see his expression. Word by word, with a smiling tone, he said: “Rest assured, my lord. This disciple will certainly take good care of the Young Lord.”

The word “care” lingered between his lips and teeth, emphasized more heavily than any other word.