The scene fell silent for a long while until the Ceremonial Immortal Lord announced, “The competition has ended.”

Yan Chaosheng walked down from the Spirit Testing Platform. Mi Chu hurriedly went to support Bai Yuxiao: “Second Young Master, are you alright?” Her gaze silently swept over Yan Chaosheng, her brow furrowing slightly. Demon bloodline—what a pity.

Bai Yuxiao spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva, wiped his lips, and blocked Yan Chaosheng’s path, angrily demanding, “Give it back.”

“What?”

“You know what.”

Yan Chaosheng pinched the furball in his arms, letting out a cold laugh: “Second Young Master means your spirit beast? No one brings spirit beasts to the trials. Second Young Master incited your spirit beast to ambush me, and I’m not even settling that score, yet you bring it up first.”

His grip was especially tight; Liu Shuang felt she could barely breathe. Bai Yuxiao wasn’t dead and was still jumping around, yet she was almost being suffocated by Yan Chaosheng. Just for stopping him from brutalizing Bai Yuxiao? What a grudge—he was so ruthless that he wanted to kill Bai Yuxiao’s spirit beast, which was her, to vent his anger!

She knew it—this was why Yan Chaosheng had tucked her away, to torture her slowly!

It was terrifying. She twisted her furry body in fear, so uncomfortable that she kept whimpering. Bai Yuxiao, save me!

Yan Chaosheng loosened his grip slightly, but his expression remained as grim as a corpse.

Just as Yan Chaosheng and Bai Yuxiao were about to fight below the platform, Chi Shui Chong began to speak, announcing the rewards for the immortal clan disciples. All disciples who had participated in the competition had to kneel to listen.

Bai Yuxiao could only temporarily cease hostilities, kneeling among the disciples. Although he had lost, his strength was evident, and he was the outstanding scion of the Bai Clan. When Bai Yuxiao’s name was called, Chi Shui Chong looked over with appreciation in his eyes and appointed him to oversee Kung Sang’s punishments, becoming the Penal Immortal Lord.

Bai Yuxiao knelt with a solemn face, kowtowing to thank the Realm Master for his grace. Liu Shuang peered out from Yan Chaosheng’s collar and discovered that when Second Young Master Bai was serious, he looked quite like a proper, mature immortal lord.

The rewards were distributed one by one, mostly privileges reserved for immortal clan disciples. Finally, after all the immortal bloodline disciples had received their rewards, it was time for the major immortal clans to select disciples.

This was comparable to the emperor in the mortal realm selecting the top three scholars, with the remaining officials finding talented students among the candidates.

For many outer realm disciples, humans recruited as disciples, and even branch family immortal clan disciples, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Everyone’s eyes revealed anticipation and nervousness as they looked at the immortal elders and patriarchs of the various great families.

Even Yan Chaosheng couldn’t help raising his eyes, with hidden expectation in his gaze.

This year’s competition had several noteworthy performers, with several human youths winning multiple matches. The Xie Clan accepted two branch family immortal clan disciples and two human youths, and even the immortal elder of the Lou Family made an exception to accept a human youth.

Several immortal elders swept their gazes over Yan Chaosheng, their eyes revealing disgust and contempt.

Yan Chaosheng’s lips pressed into a line, his fingers gradually tightening.

Bai Yuxiao, who had received his appointment, was actually extremely anxious from a distance. He didn’t know if Yan Chaosheng had realized the furball was Liu Shuang transformed, and feared Yan Chaosheng might crush her to death. He stared at Yan Chaosheng, just about to make a move when an angry shout came: “Bai Yuxiao, get your ass over here!”

Bai Yuxiao turned around to find his father not far away. He impatiently said, “I have something important right now. I’ll talk to you later.”

The Bai Clan leader couldn’t be bothered with further words and bound him with a magical artifact, dragging him away.

Bai Yuxiao was tied up tightly and placed under a restriction, unable to voice his anguish. He could only watch helplessly as he was taken further and further away from Liu Shuang.

Meanwhile, the immortal elders came down one after another, helping the human disciples to rise. The selected youths were overjoyed, repeatedly expressing gratitude and vowing to repay their masters with unwavering loyalty.

Yan Chaosheng, as the champion, knelt at the very front, yet no one paid him any attention.

Gradually, the immortal elders left with their disciples. Others, understanding their performance had been inadequate, slowly dispersed, leaving only Yan Chaosheng kneeling alone.

In the twilight of the Immortal Realm, the sky was dyed with red clouds. Liu Shuang quietly peeked out from his embrace and inadvertently saw the young man’s expression.

He gazed at the high, immortal platform where all the immortal lords had departed. Something in his eyes extinguished quietly, yet something else seemed to burn.

The young man’s shadow stretched long in the setting sun.

A moment ago, he had stood proudly on the platform. Now, he was treated as worthless as an ant. Seven hundred years ago, demons lived lives worth less than even spirit beasts.

She jumped out of his embrace and hopped lightly toward freedom. This was her chance to escape; otherwise, with Yan Chaosheng in a bad mood, unable to kill Bai Yuxiao, he would surely take his anger out on Bai Yuxiao’s spirit beast. If she didn’t leave now, something terrible would surely happen.

Perhaps because Yan Chaosheng was feeling so low, he didn’t even glance at her, continuing to kneel straight ahead. She escaped far away, yet he still didn’t move.

As if by doing so, someone would notice him, pick him up, and give him a home.

Liu Shuang knew this wouldn’t happen. No great family would want a disciple with demon bloodlines. Even with his exceptional talent, his demon bloodline was like an inherent stain. The great families valued their reputation above all and wouldn’t accept this blemish.

This was also why she had allowed Yan Chaosheng to participate in the competition.

Liu Shuang always remembered that Yan Chaosheng couldn’t stay in Kung Sang. He had to be driven away before the Demon Lord awakened.

Yan Chaosheng’s body was perfectly intact. Today was probably his most dignified day since coming to Kung Sang—except for the small tooth mark on his fist that was still bleeding, the one she had bitten.

Hopefully, he hadn’t noticed.

She had hopped several steps away when something made her look back at him. Yan Chaosheng would turn evil in the future.

Why does a person turn evil?

The young man still knelt alone in the sunset. Cold treatment, contempt, disregard, bullying—these might all be reasons why Yan Chaosheng would destroy Kung Sang in the future.

His silhouette looked truly sorrowful. Although Liu Shuang didn’t fully understand this kind of sadness, after watching for a few moments, she felt somewhat affected by it.

Liu Shuang looked around, trying to spot Mi Chu. If Mi Chu could comfort Yan Chaosheng at this moment, perhaps the young man’s heart could experience renewal like a withered tree encountering spring, forgetting Kung Sang’s unfair treatment.

But when she looked, Mi Chu had long since left with the Lou Clan people, far away. Apart from when Yan Chaosheng had displayed his brilliance on the platform and Mi Chu had looked at him a few more times, she had shown no intention of approaching him.

Liu Shuang felt that Immortal Lady Mi Chu was truly obtuse. If she wanted to be a Demon Queen, she should be by the Demon Lord’s side at this moment, comforting him.

Seeing Yan Chaosheng’s expression growing increasingly gloomy, Liu Shuang became anxious, fearing he might turn evil right then, establishing the foundation for Kung Sang’s destruction. She quickly hopped back, looking up at him with her watery eyes.

Relying on the fact that he wouldn’t recognize her, she enthusiastically played the role of a furball spirit beast: “Hey, don’t be sad! You haven’t gained anything. At least someone noticed your performance today.”

He withdrew his gaze and looked at her expressionlessly, saying softly, “Is that so?”

She nodded, even though a furball had no neck, not realizing how comical she looked. Yes, didn’t you see how Mi Chu looked at you several times today?

“Try to think positively. In the future, many wonderful things and people are waiting for you. What’s so great about being someone’s disciple?” Things like the position of Demon Lord, the title of Ghost Emperor—all would be his.

There were also talented officials like Su Lun and Fu Hang, as well as Qing Luan and Chi Yuan—so many, many things. Including Mi Chu—after she planned it properly, she would ensure Yan Chaosheng and Mi Chu became a couple.

He examined her for quite a while, his gaze somewhat curious, and said softly, “You’re right.”

Seeing that he was no longer as dejected as before, Liu Shuang breathed a sigh of relief—this child was teachable. Just as she was about to hop away, an ice-cold hand gripped her body, catching her.

The young man’s voice was cold as he spoke from above: “Little spirit beast, the winner of the competition shouldn’t leave empty-handed, should he?”

Liu Shuang sensed danger and wisely remained silent.

“Answer me, hmm?” His hand applied slight pressure, his slender fingers sinking into the furball’s fluffy fur.

Afraid of being crushed to death, Liu Shuang met his pitch-black, cold eyes and had to say, “Yes, yes, yes.”

He nodded and said, “I’m not leaving empty-handed either. I defeated Bai Yuxiao, and I’ll take this champion’s prize.”

What? What did you say you’re taking?!

Liu Shuang finally realized something was wrong. He seemed to be treating her transformed furball as his trophy.

Liu Shuang anxiously kicked her legs in the air, her already pink body turning an even deeper shade of pink.

Ignoring her struggles, he stopped kneeling and walked away with her in his cold grip.

It’s over, it’s over. Where was Bai Yuxiao? Liu Shuang turned her head to look but saw no trace of him.

Her action of looking back with her watery eyes somehow annoyed him. His fingers closed, nearly making Liu Shuang faint, as she collapsed weakly in his palm, her grape-like eyes glazing over.

Yan Chaosheng coldly glanced at her.

“I almost forgot, there’s still a score to settle with you. You bit me for his sake, hmm?”

Liu Shuang regretted it immensely, desperately wanting to transform back, but the Clear Ripple Jade matter wasn’t resolved yet. She absolutely couldn’t appear in public.

She thought she would endure for now since there were many people around. Once they reached Yan Chaosheng’s bamboo house and night fell, she would transform back!

Sure enough, Yan Chaosheng brought her back with him.

This was her first visit to his quarters. Like his room in Kun Lun, the half-suspended bamboo house was impossibly clean and neat, with a faint fragrance of bamboo.

The furnishings were extremely simple—a bed with a deep blue blanket, a table, a chair, and a pot of water on the table with a cup of water that had gone cold.

By now, darkness had fallen. Liu Shuang thought that once Yan Chaosheng fell asleep, she would escape, return to Nine Thoughts Pond, and leave when no one was paying attention.

He threw her onto the bed. Due to momentum, she rolled several times before finally landing face down.

After much effort, she managed to flip herself upright, glaring at him in dissatisfaction.

Yan Chaosheng looked down at her, his expression unreadable, cold, and indifferent.

According to Liu Shuang’s plan, after his exhausting day at the competition, once he bathed or did something else, she could escape.

People usually confined spirit-gathering beasts with a simple restriction because, even though they could speak like other creatures, they were the weakest spirit beasts. Unlike before, she was now confident she could break through a single restriction.

Things went mostly as she expected.

Although immortals could use cleaning spells, those who loved cleanliness often preferred to wash with water afterward. Yan Chaosheng took off his outer robe and approached, seemingly about to set up a restriction.

Liu Shuang waited obediently, but then… a silver ring descended from above, landing on the furball’s body. The silver ring seemed to have a life of its own, automatically tightening.

This familiar feeling…

She was shocked to discover it was the Ten Commandment Ring! And now, Yan Chaosheng, who should have returned the Ten Commandment Ring to her father, was playing with several identical silver rings in his hand.

He lowered his eyes and said, “This is the Ten Commandment Ring. I only recently discovered that its usage follows the principle of ‘one generates two, two generates three, three generates all things.’ So, I have plenty here. You’d better behave; for now, I won’t kill you or mistreat you.”

Liu Shuang: “…” So Yan Chaosheng had mastered the true usage of the Ten Commandment Ring. He had returned one of them, but still had a pile left?

Having said this, he went out to bathe.

Even the Crimson Python couldn’t break free from the Ten Commandment Ring; how could Liu Shuang possibly escape? She tried for a while, struggling until Yan Chaosheng returned, without loosening it one bit.

Worse still, being bound by the Ten Commandment Ring was equivalent to having her spiritual power sealed; she couldn’t transform back.

The young man came to the bedside, lay down on his side facing her, and said expressionlessly, “Now, let’s settle accounts.”

Liu Shuang silently shrank into the corner.

Only at times like this, Yan Chaosheng thought, when she had transformed into a furball and he treated her as a furball rather than the lofty Young Lord, could he speak so presumptuously.

“Today, you bit me to help him. I’m very displeased.” He extended his hand.

In truth, it had been a long time since he had been able to directly express his feelings to someone. As a so-called low-class demon, their feelings were often considered unimportant. When others were angry, they had to carefully apologize with smiles; when others were happy, they had to be happy too.

But today, he couldn’t deceive himself.

Kneeling alone in the sunset, he had hated Kung Sang and briefly hated Chi Shui Liu Shuang as well.

The young woman’s feelings were like flowers reflected in a mirror or the moon in water—one moment she could steal the Clear Ripple Jade for him, coaxing him to the point where he wanted to dig out his core pill for her. But the next moment, on the Spirit Testing Platform, she would intervene to prevent another man from being hurt, hurting him instead.

She knew how important this competition was to him, yet she still stood in front of that person.

After enduring three years of humiliation and loneliness, he discovered in the end that he had nothing.

Kneeling before the Immortal Realm, he felt ridiculous for the first time.

Not being a demon, restraining his violence and inner coldness, single-mindedly and passionately pursuing the immortal path, only to discover it was all empty in the end. “Those not of our kind must have different hearts”—no one would accept someone like him.

The so-called Kung Sang Competition was just like dangling a carrot to trick a donkey. After he had exhausted himself trying to eat it, he discovered it was a poison that would tear through his intestines.

She had made this poison even more bitter.

He somewhat hated her. If she cared so much about Bai Yuxiao, why had she come to provoke him?

Now, she was no longer in the form of that temptress but had transformed into a little furball tied up by him, still not understanding his anger.

She looked at him with her wet, large eyes and said softly, “Don’t be angry… how about… I’ll blow on it for you?”

With that, she puffed up her cheeks and gently blew on his wound.

The warm, gentle breath made him withdraw his hand immediately. He frowned at her, unwilling to be bribed by such small favors. Yet he had to admit that something in his heart had completely crumbled.

Even though this wasn’t her true appearance, the pink furball curled up on his bed, puffing up her body with soft fur, was adorable enough to dispel anyone’s anger.

She even perceived his displeasure and tried to reason with him: “We spirit-gathering beasts always protect our masters. I didn’t hurt you intentionally; it was just an emergency—you were about to kill Second Young Master Bai. How about this: you release me, and I’ll use healing magic to heal you.”

He laughed coldly inside and looked at her coldly: “No need. We demons also have a rule.”

She humbly asked, “What rule?”

“An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth,” he said harshly. “You bite me once, I bite you back, and then I won’t pursue it further.”

She looked at him in shock, eventually stammering, “That… that seems reasonable, but… are you sure?”

Yan Chaosheng: “I’m sure.”

She steeled herself and anxiously instructed, “Alright, but we spirit-gathering beasts are quite small, so bite gently, okay? Don’t swallow me.”

He pretended to frown impatiently: “Mm.”

The little furball braced herself: “Then I’m ready. Come on, you have to keep your word—after taking revenge, let me go.”

Yan Chaosheng leaned over, coldly opening his mouth.

She stiffened all over, lowering her gaze, unable to bear watching this terrifying scene.

He kept his face cold and kissed her fluffy pink fur.

Liu Shuang opened her eyes, delighted to discover that, perhaps due to the spirit beast’s thick fur, although she had almost seen Yan Chaosheng’s fearsome teeth, when he bit her, it wasn’t painful at all.

She urged Yan Chaosheng to release her.

His expression complex, he withdrew the Ten Commandment Ring.

She was even more curious about something: “May I ask you a question?”

Yan Chaosheng: “Ask.”

“Do demons always take revenge exactly as they were wronged?”

“Yes.”

Liu Shuang said, “Then if you were bitten by a dog…”

Before she could finish, he said coldly, “If you dare finish that sentence, you can forget about leaving today, or ever!”