The Imperial Envoy sent to capture Er Sheng was named Huang Cheng, a hypocritical man with an insincere smile.

When leaving Wu Fang, Huang Cheng bowed repeatedly to Ji Wu, spouting nonsense about how the Wu Fang Immortal Sect served the country and how the Immortal Lord was selfless and impartial. Yet the moment he turned around, he became hostile toward Er Sheng and Chang Yuan. Still, wary of their cultivation abilities and supernatural powers, he didn’t dare to physically abuse them.

The two couldn’t be bothered to deal with such a petty person. What made Er Sheng uneasy was the group of extraordinary practitioners escorting them. She could sense that if they fought one-on-one, she alone could handle them all without Chang Yuan’s help.

However, after leaving Wu Fang, these people seemed to travel in some kind of formation. Each wore a solemn expression as if they weren’t merely traveling but chanting some sort of incantation.

After a day’s journey, they had gotten quite far from Wu Fang. At night, the Imperial Envoy, who had been riding in a sedan chair all day, demanded rest. While complaining about the remote location lacking even a small mountain village, he ordered his soldiers to hunt for game in the forest. They lit bonfires and began drinking at the front of the convoy.

The extraordinary practitioners surrounding Er Sheng and Chang Yuan didn’t even twitch an eyebrow, remaining distributed around them like wooden puppets.

“Chang Yuan.” Er Sheng poked his arm and whispered in his ear, “Don’t you think these people are very strange?”

Chang Yuan nodded nonchalantly: “Indeed they are strange. It’s the Big Dipper Formation, meant for killing. These people likely don’t intend to take us to the capital to see the emperor but plan to kill us along the way.”

Er Sheng froze, instinctively pulling at Chang Yuan’s sleeve. “Let’s escape.” But after a moment’s thought, she shook her head, “No, I did wrong. I killed so many innocent people, that I should be punished. A life for a life isn’t wrong…”

Chang Yuan simply looked at her without responding.

“But… I don’t want to die. While alive, I can atone, help many people, save many people, and use a very long time ahead to make up for my mistakes. But once a person dies, everything is gone. You can’t make up for mistakes, only become a rotting corpse.”

Er Sheng had thought they would at least wait until seeing the emperor, and undergo questioning before sentencing her. After all, if she hadn’t broken the demonic seal by then, the Immortal Lord would kill her anyway. Better to let the emperor do it than force the Immortal Lord to kill her and feel troubled. She hadn’t expected the emperor to directly issue a death warrant.

If she had completely fallen to demonic cultivation, others taking her life would be understandable. But now she was clear-minded, actively seeking ways to break the demonic influence. She had reason to live and wanted to strive to stay alive.

Chang Yuan stroked her head: “Do what you want to do. I’ll stand with you.” He thought that in this lifetime, he should let Er Sheng live as her heart desired.

Er Sheng thought for a moment, then suddenly stood up. The circle of practitioners nearest to her were startled by her sudden movement and immediately took defensive positions, thinking she might launch a sneak attack with hidden weapons. Instead, she shouted directly at the Imperial Envoy: “Hey! I don’t want to go to the capital to see the emperor anymore. I have more important things to do, no time to waste!”

Everyone was shocked by these words. Huang Cheng’s face changed several times in the firelight before he exploded in anger: “How dare you! How can mere commoners choose whether to follow His Majesty’s edict!”

Er Sheng turned to Chang Yuan and said: “See, he won’t let us go.”

Chang Yuan slowly stood up: “Beat them.”

How could ordinary people withstand Chang Yuan’s murderous glare? In the darkness, Imperial Envoy Huang Cheng was so frightened he wet himself. Falling to the ground, he shouted: “Rebellion! Rebellion! Protect this official! What are you useless lot standing around for? Quickly kill these two traitors!”

The practitioners sitting cross-legged around them immediately clasped their hands together, and their mumbled sutras suddenly grew loud. A golden Buddhist light gradually rose around them. As the Buddhist light grew stronger, Er Sheng suddenly felt a pain in her chest, her whole body becoming uncomfortably restricted.

“Chang Yuan…” She instinctively grabbed Chang Yuan’s hand, only to find it trembling and cold. Er Sheng’s heart jumped in alarm. Looking up, she saw Chang Yuan’s expression was grave, his brows slightly furrowed, and cold sweat had appeared on his temples. She urgently asked, “What’s wrong?”

Chang Yuan couldn’t spare the attention to answer her. Directing qi to his dantian, he let out a low shout. A silver light rippled out from his body, making all the practitioners shudder, some even spitting blood.

Chang Yuan was suffering, but the opponents weren’t faring much better. It was a stalemate. Suddenly, that androgynous voice appeared in her mind again.

“Er Sheng, this is the ancient Art of Dragon Taming, a technique specifically designed to subdue dragons. It was supposedly lost long ago, yet somehow has fallen into the hands of these mortals. It seems your Chang Yuan will be either dead or severely injured today.”

Er Sheng was shocked but didn’t dare speak loudly for fear of disturbing Chang Yuan’s concentration. She could only think silently: “You’re lying! How could so many mortals learn an ancient technique? You must be trying to trick me into killing again, to make me fall to demonic cultivation. I won’t listen to you today!”

“Er Sheng, you forget, you are me and I am you. While you live, I live well too. Our lives are bound together, how could I harm you? I’m probably the one in this world who most sincerely wants you to live,” the shadow said. “What’s wrong with falling to demonic cultivation? Gaining immense power, doing as you please, no one can force you, no one dares bully you.”

“Like now, Chang Yuan is in danger, and you without power can do nothing but watch helplessly as he faces danger alone. He might die, disappearing from your life forever, just like your parents and the village where you grew up, vanishing completely and cleanly.”

“Shut up!”

“What’s wrong with falling to demonic cultivation? Don’t you want to hold the power of life and death? Like power and wealth, people covet them only because they want to live better. Living better is just the most basic desire of all things in this world.”

Er Sheng violently shook her head, shouting “Shut up!” She drew the Yi Lin Sword and charged forward, thrusting it toward the nearest practitioner’s throat with quick, fierce strikes.

However, when still a foot away from the practitioner, the Yi Lin Sword felt as if it had struck cotton, unable to move forward even an inch.

Er Sheng grew furious, as if a mouthful of rage urgently needed release. She directed qi to her dantian, let out a great shout, and suddenly pulled back the Yi Lin Sword before striking at that practitioner again. Instantly, spiritual power and Buddhist dharma clashed violently, creating increasingly intense friction that sparked dazzling sparks.

Er Sheng poured spiritual power into the Yi Lin Sword without reserve. The recoil split open her tiger’s mouth callus, blood staining the sword handle, but she continued pouring in spiritual power without noticing.

Gradually, under the Buddhist dharma protection, a crack began forming on the practitioner’s forehead, growing deeper and wider. Crimson blood flowed down the practitioner’s forehead, making his face grotesque.

At this moment, after Er Sheng had cut a bloody gash in that practitioner, similar wounds appeared in the same position on all the other practitioners’ foreheads, blood flowing down. The smell of blood suddenly grew strong in the air, and the Buddhist light in the sky suddenly weakened.

Seeing the opponent bleed, Er Sheng felt a strange surge of pleasure. Though she had already helped Chang Yuan escape danger, she still couldn’t stop herself from wanting to continue striking, until this hateful golden Buddhist light completely disappeared, until all the practitioners lay dead in the wilderness…

“Er Sheng!” With the Dragon Taming technique’s power greatly reduced, Chang Yuan finally had the attention to call out, “Stop this. Calm your mind.”

Like a sudden blow to the head, Er Sheng’s hand trembled, her spiritual power completely receding. However, the opposing force remained. Er Sheng only saw a flash of golden light before her whole body was thrown backward.

Chang Yuan’s concentration wavered, and suddenly one practitioner shouted: “Release the Dragon Slaying Poison!”

Hearing the name of this poison, Chang Yuan froze for a moment. By the time he recovered, countless silver threads had already intertwined densely in the sky above, and a suffocating scent pressed down from all directions, penetrating his skin through every pore.

Golden light blazed in Chang Yuan’s black eyes, his lips gradually darkening until completely black. Snow-white fangs rapidly lengthened, and his throat emitted deep dragon calls. The ordinary soldiers and Imperial Envoy Huang Cheng a hundred paces away all had blood flowing from their seven apertures, falling unconscious where they lay.

Er Sheng watched Chang Yuan’s transformation in horror, suddenly realizing: Could it be… could it be that this poison was forcing out his true form?

“Hehehe…” The androgynous voice rang terrifyingly in Er Sheng’s mind. “These mortals do have some skill, not only obtaining an ancient formation but also ancient poison. Er Sheng, I’m afraid your husband is doomed today.”

“What?”

“Er Sheng doesn’t know, the ancient dragon race was fierce and untameable, but their only fear was this Dragon Slaying Poison, their natural bane. Once this poison enters the body, it forces them back to their true form, leaving them unable to move, until they’re finally sealed alive or killed.”

Er Sheng looked at Chang Yuan’s nearly savage face, never having felt such intense fear in her heart.

“The ancient divine dragon race was destroyed by this poison. Seeing Chang Yuan’s expression earlier, he must have recalled many interesting things, hehe…”

Er Sheng suddenly remembered many years ago, in that place called Return Dragon Valley, Chang Yuan looking up at the dragon pillars that stretched into the sky, his expression desolate and sorrowful. Like an abandoned child, resenting fate yet powerless to do anything but accept it…

“Er Sheng, fall to demonic cultivation. Give everything to me, I’ll give you power, and help you save Chang Yuan. If he dies, what will you do?”

Chang Yuan…

“Hehe, that’s right, that’s right, good child, trust me, I’ll help you.”

Er Sheng lowered her eyes, softly murmuring: “I’ll help you… I’ll help you…” Her voice grew increasingly hoarse toward the end.

The moment she raised her head again, her eyes were filled with a bloody crimson light.