Rain fell upon the mortal realm, making the mountain paths slippery. Countless bandits fled in terror.

A massive gray shadow loomed overhead. It resembled both dragon and serpent, with a twin-winged head and eyes like cold, blood-colored glass. Its body was thicker than five men could encircle with their arms.

At this moment, the bandits’ leader was coiled in its tail, lifeless and nearly crushed into a pulp.

The remaining bandits thought they had fled far enough, but when they looked up, the enormous shadow still hovered above them.

Their courage was completely shattered. Knowing escape was impossible, they fell to their knees, desperately begging for mercy.

The creature, wild with rage, was about to kill them one by one when someone gently patted its body.

Yan Chaosheng turned back in cold fury, only to see someone standing beneath a crimson pearl umbrella, tilting her head to look at him. “What are you doing?” she asked.

The air froze for an instant.

The bandits watched as the giant monster now seemed frightened, just like them, apparently wanting to flee this place without a second thought.

However, the maiden—beautiful beyond mortal comparison—seemed to read its thoughts. She stepped on the tip of its tail with her foot, and it froze in place.

She said, “Don’t run, and don’t kill anyone. If you kill them all, it will become a sin. Yan Chaosheng, change back. I’ll take you home.”

The bandits knelt together on the ground, trembling uncontrollably.

They had committed countless evil deeds in this region, their crimes too numerous to list. They had prepared themselves for eventual capture by government forces, when they might still fight fiercely for their lives. None had imagined that, faster than any official pursuit, they would face such a terrifying demon.

Even the most ferocious men could only kowtow and beg for mercy when confronted with the heaven-spanning form of a demon’s true self.

They had witnessed how their bandit leader died, unable to struggle or even plead for his life.

With no hope of survival remaining, Liu Shuang’s appearance became everyone’s last chance. Her beautiful cloud boots stepped on the great demon’s tail, and surprisingly, the serpent-like monster stopped moving.

One clever bandit quickly cried out, “Immortal lady, save us! Immortal lady, save us!”

The others followed suit: “Immortal lady, it has killed someone! Immortal lady, quickly subdue this evil beast!”

Liu Shuang stood on Yan Chaosheng’s tail, looking at their ugly expressions as they tried to turn the situation around by inciting her to kill Yan Chaosheng. She pressed her lips together in anger.

Yan Chaosheng’s emotions were already unstable, beyond his control. No matter how powerful he was, he couldn’t resist his demonic nature. She had just managed to calm him somewhat, yet these bandits still recklessly provoked him.

Liu Shuang could see that the bandits carried a heavy bloodthirst about them—each had taken many lives.

Hearing their words, Yan Chaosheng indeed became more agitated, trying to shake her off and retreat into the nearby forest.

Since their meeting, he hadn’t spoken a word, pretending not to know her.

Liu Shuang felt somewhat helpless. She wasn’t stupid—did he think that by not speaking, she wouldn’t recognize that this giant monster was him?

Her crimson pearl umbrella flew out, landing on the bandits like a cudgel: “Who are you cursing? You’re the evil beasts who should be subdued!”

Being struck by an immortal weapon was extraordinarily painful. The bandits howled in agony, none having expected that this “immortal lady” who seemed to have come to “capture the demon” would ignore the demon and beat them instead.

When Liu Shuang retrieved her crimson pearl umbrella, Yan Chaosheng had already disappeared.

She paid no further attention to the mortals behind her. The Way of Heaven maintained balance—she couldn’t interfere with so many people’s fates. If immortals and demons could slaughter mortals without restraint, humans would have gone extinct long ago. Though the weakest race, they received the deepest protection from the Way of Heaven.

Liu Shuang had no time to deal with them. She followed Yan Chaosheng’s trail. If he truly wanted to hide, she couldn’t have caught up with him.

Unfortunately, he was currently overwhelmed, and Liu Shuang still had Qing Luan with her, making it easy to find him at the entrance of a mountain cave.

Rain continued to drizzle in the mortal realm, the entire mountain shrouded in misty dampness. Yan Chaosheng’s true form had been so enormous that even she had been shocked when first seeing it, yet surprisingly, apart from charging at the bandits, he hadn’t disturbed any villagers at the foot of the mountain.

Looking at the size of the cave entrance, Liu Shuang guessed he must have reverted to human form.

She patted Qing Luan, who was too large to enter: “No need to guard here. Don’t worry, I’ll bring him back.”

The little Qing Luan chirped worriedly, looking back repeatedly as it flew away.

Liu Shuang entered the cave and discovered, perhaps fortunately for Yan Chaosheng, that the interior was quite spacious, seeming to have been inhabited before, arranged like a grotto dwelling.

As she walked in, she sensed something amiss—there were remnants of a formation array beneath her feet.

Not knowing who had set the array, Liu Shuang dared not touch it carelessly. After studying it briefly, she carefully avoided it, exiting through the life gate.

She proceeded deeper, where the dimly lit cave was illuminated by candle flames.

On the bed, a figure had his back to her, his body trembling uncontrollably.

It was Yan Chaosheng, now in human form.

“Don’t… don’t come closer!” he said, his back still turned. “Leave, go as far away as possible.”

Liu Shuang had a surprising realization—this place was somewhere Yan Chaosheng had briefly lived before. The cave even had a stone table with a cup on it. Inside the rocky chamber, it was much warmer than outside. Though simple, it contained all the necessities.

Moreover, only his formation array would remain inactive when she entered, not causing her harm.

She naturally wouldn’t leave as he asked, but instead walked a few steps forward until she sat down on the bed. She wouldn’t leave—she had come to tell him that she was already moved by him, that she had already fallen for him.

Liu Shuang finally saw his condition.

His eyes were open, his hair wet and scattered across the stone bed. His eyes were completely bloodshot, and his lips were bitten until they bled. He trembled severely.

Resisting violent innate nature was never easy. Many demons chose to indulge in killing during this season, eventually suffering divine punishment. Others chose to mate with female demons to safely pass through this period.

She gently brushed his hair away from his cheeks, revealing his pale, cold face.

This simple gesture nearly drove him, now hypersensitive, to collapse.

“Chi Shui Liu Shuang!”

She responded softly: “I’m here.”

Yan Chaosheng hadn’t called her by her full name for a long time—he truly seemed close to being driven mad. Liu Shuang moved closer to him, feeling that his body temperature was much higher than usual.

It almost felt like a normal human’s temperature.

She formed hand seals, lowering the temperature in the cave, but it didn’t make him feel any better. He continued trembling, his blood-red eyes suddenly turning to look at her, even the corners tinged with red, appearing as otherworldly as a true demon.

His hand gripped her throat. “Leave, I told you to leave!”

Liu Shuang was still observing his current appearance. No wonder they said adult demons could be bewitchingly beautiful. When she first met Yan Chaosheng in this life, he was still a youth, not as tall as now, and even his features weren’t as sharp as they are today.

In just over a year, he had transformed so quickly.

The hand gripping her throat trembled slightly, but she didn’t resist, knowing Yan Chaosheng would never harm her.

Even though Yan Chaosheng’s eyes were cold, attempting to frighten her away as he had done with the bandits earlier.

She gripped his wrist, softly comforting him: “Yan Chaosheng, don’t be afraid. Nothing bad will happen.”

His hand trembled severely. He closed his eyes briefly and said hoarsely: “I will hurt you.”

“You won’t. You never have, right?” She gently embraced him. “I’m here with you. Don’t go kill bandits anymore. Once you start, it’s hard to stop. When your true form rages, even killing hundreds won’t be enough to calm you. If you kill thousands or tens of thousands, the Way of Heaven won’t spare you.”

She sighed, somewhat troubled: “Why did you plant the Oath Fruit?”

He said nothing, reaching out to embrace her.

This embrace nearly enfolded her entire person. In his current state, even Fu Hang wouldn’t dare approach casually, yet she stayed safely in his arms, even using magic to dry his wet black hair.

He held her with the absolute possessiveness characteristic of demons.

Liu Shuang smiled slightly, letting him be.

Gradually, Yan Chaosheng fell asleep, and Liu Shuang didn’t leave, still accompanying him as she had promised.

However, this peaceful moment lasted less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. He opened his eyes and coughed up a mouthful of blood.

Liu Shuang immediately understood what had happened.

He hadn’t fallen asleep at all—he had forcibly severed his divine consciousness, holding her quietly like this to avoid harming her in the slightest.

She paused briefly. Even if he was acting, there was no need to go to such lengths.

She cradled his face, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth. Before he could speak again to drive her away, she suddenly asked: “Yan Chaosheng, those silkworm maidens in the Demon Palace, what are they weaving?”

His crimson eyes stared at her without blinking. After a while, he said hoarsely: “Cloud brocade.”

“Is it wedding attire?” she asked.

His Adam’s apple bobbed: “Yes.”

She asked again: “Is it for me?”

He lowered his head and kissed the feather ornament on her forehead, the answer self-evident. His lips also carried warmth for the first time, becoming scorching hot.

The cave was cozy and warm. For the first time, she didn’t flee from him in alarm, but softly complained: “Won’t you even ask me what style I want? What if I don’t like it?”

Blood continued to flow from the corner of his mouth as he answered quietly: “Then we’ll remake it.”

In his most violent and ruthless moment, perhaps because of the dancing candlelight’s warmth, she somehow detected traces of tender affection in his cold tone.

She gazed at the person before her, recalling the bits and pieces of their encounters in this lifetime. He was Yan Chaosheng, yet not the Demon Lord with boundless sins who had suffered eighty-one bolts of heavenly lightning.

The Emblem Heart was touched by his gaze, beating faster beneath her chest.

There weren’t so many false things in this world. Even if he wanted the Emblem Heart, at this moment, Liu Shuang could feel that Yan Chaosheng had developed true feelings.

A youth’s emotions, as pure as flame, burning himself completely without daring to scorch her even slightly.

That was enough, she thought.

No matter what plans Yan Chaosheng might have in the future, she wouldn’t let him have the opportunity to practice the Ghost Path, nor would she follow her previous life’s road, allowing herself to be sacrificed.

“No need to remake it,” she tilted her small face up and kissed the corner of his lips. The bloodstains on his body vanished without a trace. “Just this set will do. When spring comes, if there’s no war by then, we’ll unite our spirits.”

He didn’t speak, merely lowering his gaze to look at her.

Controlled by his demonic nature, his eyes were like blood. No matter how one looked at them, only cruel coldness remained, somewhat frightening.

Liu Shuang didn’t get angry, nor did she flee. She sat cross-legged before him, even somewhat obediently looking up at him.

The next moment, she was pressed down on the bed.

In those captivating blood-red eyes, she saw her reflection. Her fingers were grasped, then interlocked with his. Liu Shuang tried to move her body, but her legs were also pinned by his long legs.

Indeed, no matter how gentle his words, at times like this, he was utterly domineering.

When truly reaching this point, looking at the burning hot youth above her, Liu Shuang couldn’t help feeling somewhat timid in her heart. Not entirely reassured, she cautioned: “Don’t transform into your true form.” She had no retreat path now, and it was too late to change her mind.

His response was an even more intense and fiery restraint, and passion without reservation.

In the mortal realm, fine rain fell continuously. A squirrel tried to enter the cave to escape the rain but was repelled by the invisible formation array operating within.

The squirrel, with bumps all over its head, stood bewildered in the rain, not understanding what had happened. It only heard intertwined whispers from inside the cave, the maiden’s soft moans, mixed with breathless pleading, all blending into the rain.

The squirrel shook its wet fur and plunged into the rain, seeking other shelter.

Su Lun leisurely sipped his tea. Through the heavy rain, Qing Luan flew back.

Su Lun raised his eyebrows, recognizing it as the Mountain Lord’s mount. It had originally been given to the little immortal lady for her journey to Kun Lun—why was it here?

He had an absurd guess: “No way, did she come back without going to Kun Lun?”

Despite his flawless calculations, he couldn’t figure out what was happening.

Little Qing Luan couldn’t understand his mutterings. Extremely hungry, it approached him for food. It was very obedient and the Mountain Lord’s pet, so people in the Demon Palace treated it well.

Su Lun was very stingy. He tapped its head with his folding fan, laughing: “Go away! Your master just caused me to receive a beating, and all my things were confiscated. I have nothing to feed you.”

It wasn’t angered and good-naturedly went to find someone else.

Watching its departing figure, Su Lun opened his folding fan, his fox-like eyes filled with contemplation and inquiry.

“What does she want to do?”

The ancient immortal bloodline, the beauty whose name resounded across the eight wildernesses, Chi Shui Liu Shuang, had taken a liking to his lord, who only had one Demon Palace and had just matured into his true form? Too absurd—Su Lun didn’t believe it.

Su Lun looked toward the world beyond the Demon Palace. Winter was approaching.

Zhan Xue Ying’s folding fan lightly tapped against the pillar. Would the immortal lady kill their lord?