Chi Shui Chong said coldly: “Yan Chaosheng, you are quite bold.”

Shao You heard the voice and withdrew his hand. He had long anticipated this—that the Spirit Merging ceremony would ultimately be interrupted.

He had also considered what would happen if Yan Chaosheng didn’t come, whether the Spirit Merging ceremony would proceed smoothly. But there are no “what ifs” in life. Yan Chaosheng, rushing as fast as he could, still arrived just as they were about to merge spirits.

Shao You lowered his gaze to look at Liu Shuang beside him. Her hand was still in his palm. Shao You had a momentary impulse to grip it tightly, but ultimately slowly released her. Liu Shuang was startled and looked up at him.

Shao You said, “He’s here. I’m fine. Go do what you need to do.”

Liu Shuang pressed her lips together and nodded gently.

This moment was one she had been waiting for a long time. Her feelings were even more complicated than Shao You’s. Thinking about what was about to happen, Liu Shuang turned around and met Yan Chaosheng’s gaze from atop the demon bird.

Dressed in dark battle armor, he sat on Qing Luan’s back, looking down at all the immortals from his high position. Facing their pointing and cursing, his expression remained ice-cold and silent. The demons behind him wore extremely solemn expressions, vaguely carrying a sharp grief.

The attitude of Yan Chaosheng and his demons made everyone’s voices grow quieter.

Liu Shuang hadn’t expected to see Yan Chaosheng like this. He had burst in filled with murderous intent, the coldness about him putting all immortals on guard. Battle seemed imminent.

What had happened to Yan Chaosheng?

To lure the enemy in, Kung Sang’s defenses were very lax today, which also made it convenient for Yan Chaosheng to bring people in. But the hatred in his body toward the immortal clan had almost solidified into something tangible, as if he wanted nothing more than to kill all immortals.

Their gazes met from a distance. The cold in Yan Chaosheng’s eyes gradually receded, reluctantly tinged with a hint of warm hope.

He flew down from Qing Luan’s back and walked toward her. He ignored the debating immortals and disregarded Chi Shui Chong—in his eyes, there was only her.

“Liu Shuang, I’ve come to take you. Come with me.”

With these words, everyone understood what he had come to do today, and they all gasped in shock. This audacious demon lord Yan Chaosheng had come to snatch the bride!

As he walked step by step toward her, the immortals tensed, ready to summon their celestial weapons at any moment.

The other demons on Qing Luan’s back watched with extreme tension.

The immortals didn’t know, but the demons were aware that Yan Chaosheng had been struck several times by the Xuanyuan Sword. His demonic energy was beginning to dissipate, and he had relied on tremendous willpower to remain conscious to Kung Sang, barely making it to Lady Liu Shuang’s wedding.

The Mountain Lord feared the immortals would notice his injuries, making it even more difficult to take Liu Shuang away today, so he used demonic arts to conceal his wounds. Under his battle armor, there were several bloody holes, already stained with blood.

At that moment, Liu Shuang didn’t know Yan Chaosheng was injured. In that short distance, he walked toward her. How much courage and determination to die did he need?

Behind her, Chi Shui Chong’s warning voice sounded: “Liu Shuang!”

Father was reminding her not to forget that today was a trap set to lure Yan Chaosheng. He had already compromised by giving her the Fu Xi Seal that controlled the formation. She absolutely could not hesitate.

The Fu Xi Seal in her sleeve, with its vast divine power, was poised and ready. She stood in place, watching the person walking toward her, momentarily unable to move.

However, before Yan Chaosheng could get close to Liu Shuang, he was blocked by an immortal sword that shot across the air.

In this sudden change, Bai Yuxiao’s eyes revealed hatred. His immortal sword was cold and sharp—his first strike aimed to kill Yan Chaosheng.

“Vile beast, you killed my elder brother and still dare to come to Kung Sang.”

Yan Chaosheng’s footsteps halted. All the demons furrowed their brows and held their breath, fearing someone would notice that Yan Chaosheng was already severely injured. They prepared to rescue their Mountain Lord.

Yan Chaosheng’s expression remained calm. His silver halberd rang out as he counterattacked Bai Yuxiao.

The halberd, formed from Qing Ao’s soul, weighed ten thousand jin. Several streaks of silver light flashed in the air as the two figures moved so quickly in the air that their movements were almost indiscernible.

However, in just a moment, one person’s mouth leaked fresh blood as he fell from the sky. Yan Chaosheng, in his dark battle armor, descended after him, his long halberd cutting through the air. Bai Yuxiao blocked with his immortal sword. As the divine weapons collided, Bai Yuxiao’s wrist shook violently, nearly unable to hold onto his sword.

Yan Chaosheng pressed down ruthlessly with his halberd, looking at Bai Yuxiao with ice-cold eyes. He knew he couldn’t show the slightest weakness or express any pain from his wounds. If he revealed even a single flaw before reaching Liu Shuang’s side, he would be killed by the surrounding immortals.

Bai Yuxiao looked up, unable to conceal his hatred.

Two years ago, he could easily destroy Yan Chaosheng’s cultivation with a casual gesture. This vile and filthy demon had no power to resist. Even earlier, during the Kung Sang competition, they could fight for a while, not losing so shamefully.

But now, facing Yan Chaosheng was like facing the Heavenly Thunder Tribulation—he could not fight back. Forget about killing Yan Chaosheng—with just a flick of his finger, Yan Chaosheng could have killed him in mid-air just now. Yet he couldn’t remain calm; the person before him had personally killed his brother!

Fu Hang and the demons were so nervous that they clenched their fists. Seeing that Yan Chaosheng hadn’t exposed any weakness and had defeated Bai Yuxiao in a few moves, they trembled slightly with relief.

Fortunately, Bai Yuxiao was still immature, not a heaven-bestowed talent like Feng Fuming, and he didn’t have an ancient divine weapon like the Xuanyuan Sword.

Yan Chaosheng pulled up Bai Yuxiao to use him as a hostage and said coldly, “I have no objection to killing him. Give me Chi Shui Liu Shuang, and I’ll release him immediately.”

Chi Shui Chong’s face darkened, not expecting Bai Yuxiao to be so impulsive. He glanced at Clan Leader Bai, also worried about Bai Yuxiao’s safety—after all, Clan Leader Bai had just lost one son and couldn’t afford to lose his second young master.

If his reaction was like this, the other immortals were even more furious.

“Insolent youth! How dare you speak so wildly and injure someone in our Kung Sang?”

“Today we’ll ensure you never leave.”

Yan Chaosheng gave a cold laugh: “Enough nonsense. Do you want him alive or dead?” His halberd pressed down slightly, and instantly, a line of blood appeared on Bai Yuxiao’s neck.

Demons were all ruthless. Knowing that more chaotic talk might get Bai Yuxiao killed, the surrounding voices of righteous indignation quieted. The immortals looked to Chi Shui Chong, waiting for the realm master’s instructions. No matter what, they couldn’t let Yan Chaosheng take the young lord away!

Fu Hang, Qing Luan, and the others were also extremely tense. They couldn’t delay any longer; further delay would risk Chi Shui Chong noticing Yan Chaosheng’s injuries.

Now it seemed that holding Bai Yuxiao hostage was the best approach.

But in the next moment, Bai Yuxiao laughed loudly: “Using me to threaten the Realm Master and the Young Lord? Vile beast, stop dreaming.”

“Yuxiao!”

“Second Young Master.”

Liu Shuang also saw what Bai Yuxiao was about to do and couldn’t help stepping forward: “Bai Yuxiao, you mustn’t!”

He charged straight at Yan Chaosheng’s Zang Tian halberd, willing to perish together rather than be used as leverage. Before the halberd could sever his neck, Yan Chaosheng frowned, saw Liu Shuang’s gaze, and remembered the day he killed Bai Zhuixu. His hand tightened, and he withdrew Zang Tian.

No one expected Yan Chaosheng not to kill Bai Yuxiao. Bai Yuxiao escaped, and Clan Leader Bai reacted quickly, hurriedly rescuing Bai Yuxiao.

All the great demons, including Fu Hang, turned pale.

Yan Chaosheng closed his eyes briefly. He never regretted the choices he made. Looking at Liu Shuang, he said hoarsely: “Come with me.”

Liu Shuang had already reached his side.

She hadn’t expected Yan Chaosheng to spare Bai Yuxiao. She remembered that in this lifetime, when they first met, Yan Chaosheng had been cruelly tortured by Bai Yuxiao. At that time, his cultivation was completely lost as he lay prostrate on the lotus platform, his eyes full of hatred.

Today, Bai Yuxiao had been his best chance to escape, yet he had released him.

Her heart trembled as she looked up at Yan Chaosheng, naturally understanding why. On that rainy night outside the cave, their fingers intertwined, he had said: “I promise you, I’ll try not to harm those you care about.”

He had kept his word.

Yet she almost wished he hadn’t done this, hearing his hoarse voice asking her to go with him. Inexplicably, for the first time, she felt a shallow sadness for him. She wished he could be a little more selfish and cold, making it easier for her to be ruthless in what she had to do next.

She realized once again that the person before her was the young Yan Chaosheng, not the one who had betrayed her before.

His feelings were as pure as snow and as passionate as fire. Liu Shuang knew clearly that she couldn’t go with him. Even Yan Chaosheng… he couldn’t leave today. He would be kept here forever, sleeping in the Wuwang Sea.

However, Yan Chaosheng, before her, knew none of this and couldn’t see the tumultuous struggle in her heart as he took her hand: “Let’s go. I’ll take you back to the Demon Palace.”

The immortals watched as this demon led the young lord toward the exit. The Heavenly Palace became terrifyingly quiet. Even Lady Zi couldn’t help standing up: “Shuang’er! What are you doing!”

Mi Chu was uncertain, secretly gripping the wing hairpin in her sleeve. She still didn’t understand what was happening. According to the plan, hadn’t Heavenly Lord Feng Fuming gone to ambush Yan Chaosheng and his demon soldiers? How could he still appear at Chi Shui Liu Shuang and Jimo Shao You’s Spirit Merging ceremony?

Her gaze circled Yan Chaosheng once, then fell on the other demons, and a possibility arose in her heart.

Could it be? Had they escaped at the cost of their lives? Her mind was as fine as a hair, and she knew more than others. Although she couldn’t spot any flaws, this guess made her silently curve her lips.

If that was true… then what happened next would be uncontrollable.

Wo Jiang watched with a bellyful of anger, puffing his mustache and glaring. He shouted at Shao You: “Young Lord!” The demon was so arrogant—why didn’t the young lord go and reclaim the immortal maiden?

How could the genius divine lord of the Jimo clan let someone snatch his immortal partner at the ceremony? Why was their young lord still standing motionless?

Shao You pressed his lips together, saying nothing. He was one of the few who knew what would happen today, and he just quietly watched Liu Shuang. So many eyes were on her, but only Shao You understood her feelings at this moment.

He knew that to protect Kung Sang and the Eight Wildernesses, Liu Shuang had only one path.

Everyone became restless. Before Yan Chaosheng could leave the Heavenly Palace, Chi Shui Chong unexpectedly smiled and said: “Yan Chaosheng, do you think our Kung Sang is uninhabited? If I hadn’t permitted you to come today, do you think you could have stepped even half a step into Kung Sang? Liu Shuang, aren’t you going to act? Must your father do it himself?”

Everyone heard something wrong in Chi Shui Chong’s words.

Especially the demons. They had entered Kung Sang without obstruction, which had already made them uneasy. Things were unusually easy. Now, hearing Chi Shui Chong speak this way, it was clear the whole thing was a trap.

And Lady Liu Shuang was one of those who set the trap?

Yan Chaosheng’s grip on Liu Shuang’s hand tightened as he slowly lowered his eyes to look at her. He seemed not to have heard Chi Shui Chong’s words and said casually: “Don’t be afraid. I can take you away. Nothing will happen.”

Even now, he still deceived himself by believing in her, believing he could take her away.

Liu Shuang knew that if she didn’t act, Chi Shui Chong would. Waiting for Yan Chaosheng would be far worse than being sealed—he would be killed.

She lowered her head and slowly pried open his fingers.

He held on very tightly, unwilling to let go, almost causing her pain. It was as if he already sensed something but refused to believe it.