At that critical moment, just as the Qian Yan Sword was about to pierce Er Sheng’s shoulder, her eyes suddenly twisted to an eerie angle, fixing the Immortal Lord with a fierce stare. She neither dodged nor evaded, abandoning even the Yi Lin Sword. Instead, she curled her fingers into claws, their sharp black tips driving straight toward Chang Wu’s chest—she meant to rip out his heart!
The Immortal Lord had steeled his resolve. Recognizing Er Sheng’s ruthless move, he didn’t withdraw his attack. As his sword descended, even though it would cleave Er Sheng, it would cost him his heart in return.
In that instant, white fluff scattered through the air. No one saw how Chang Yuan had gotten there, but by the time Er Sheng’s blood-red eyes could focus on him, the Immortal Lord’s Qian Yan Sword had already struck his back. Though the sword’s edge had burned his clothes to tatters, it failed to truly wound Chang Yuan—black dragon scales had materialized, completely blocking the sword’s assault.
With a single flex of the dragon scales on his back, Chang Wu, already weakened, was forced back several zhang. When he finally steadied himself, he clutched his chest, gravely wounded.
Specks of blood had splattered across Er Sheng’s face, but the warm liquid hadn’t come from Chang Wu.
Er Sheng’s eyes widened in apparent terror. Struggling to move her eyeballs, her gaze finally settled on Chang Yuan’s chest, where her sharp fingertips had deeply penetrated his flesh. She could seemingly feel his heartbeat within—steady and calm, just like Chang Yuan had always been.
“The… the dragon scales?” Er Sheng asked, trembling instinctively.
She didn’t know that Chang Yuan had long ago removed the hardest heart-protecting scale from his body, crafting it into the Yi Lin Sword and giving it to her like a piece of candy.
“*Cough.*” As he coughed, thick blood spilled from his lips, wetting the Yi Lin Sword lying on the ground. Seeing the terror in Er Sheng’s eyes, he raised his hand to pat her head comfortingly, speaking as if nothing were wrong: “It’s fine, the heart vessels weren’t damaged.”
Er Sheng’s thoughts scattered in chaos. She wiggled her fingertips, trying to withdraw her nails. Chang Yuan’s entire body trembled slightly, as if in extreme pain, but he bit down hard and didn’t make a sound. After a long moment, Chang Yuan finally sighed softly and said gently, “Er Sheng, relax, don’t force your fingers…”
Before he could finish speaking, Er Sheng, startled by something unknown, quickly pulled her fingers out.
Even though Chang Yuan was incredibly tolerant of pain, his face still went pale in that instant.
“I’m… I’m sorry.” Seeing this, Er Sheng’s face became even more distressed than Chang Yuan’s. She clutched her head, hitting it repeatedly. “There’s someone inside, someone telling me to crush your heart… That person wants to harm you, and I’m afraid I’ll lose control again.”
“I’m scared…” Er Sheng continued hitting her head while stumbling backward. Her voice was hoarse as she spoke, “I can’t control him. Every time he sees me, he’s laughing, and every time he laughs, when I come to my senses, my hands are covered in blood. Chang Yuan… I’m scared.”
Er Sheng had rarely uttered the word ‘scared’ in front of Chang Yuan before. She had always been bold and proud. For her to admit fear now meant she must truly be at her wit’s end, terrified beyond measure.
She hugged her head, stepping backward, her expression frantic and helpless. Her sharp nails pierced the demon mark on her brow, causing black blood to trickle out, crawling across her face like thin snakes, making her appear horrifying and grotesque.
Chang Yuan forcefully suppressed the surging blood in his chest, stopping the external bleeding. He stepped forward and firmly grabbed Er Sheng’s wrist. Though she struggled to push him away, he silently pulled her into his embrace, holding her tight. The more violently she struggled, the more impossible it became for him to let go.
He didn’t know what words of comfort to offer, nor what he could do to ease her fears. Holding Er Sheng like this, he wasn’t sure if he was comforting her or himself.
He despised his powerlessness.
When the Dragon Clan faced extinction, he had been too young, only able to watch helplessly as his clansmen used their bodies to form the towering Dragon Pillar before being sealed away. In the Wan Tian Void, no matter how desperately he sought freedom, he remained bound by endless darkness, unable to break free. And now…
Despite possessing divine power, he still couldn’t help Er Sheng bear even a fraction of her suffering.
No matter what he became, there were always things in this world beyond his power to change.
After what seemed like an eternity, Er Sheng gradually calmed down. She leaned against Chang Yuan’s shoulder, both of them covered in blood and looking disheveled. Suddenly, Er Sheng spoke with cold clarity: “Chang Yuan, kill me.”
His heartbeat missed at that moment, and Chang Yuan lowered his eyes in silence, only tightening his arms around her.
“They’re right, I can’t go on living,” Er Sheng said softly. “After slaughtering so many, taking so many lives, I can no longer convince myself that I’m still good, that I can still atone. I live in madness, sacrificing countless lives—what meaning is there in such ‘living’?”
Er Sheng lifted her head from Chang Yuan’s embrace and watched the blue sky and white clouds drift overhead. Her calm expression slowly grew rigid, then twisted into a grimace. Her eyes again filled with bloodred killing intent, though a bitter smile still hung at the corners of her mouth. Her voice taut, she gritted out: “Chang Yuan, save me…”
As her words fell, a fierce wind arose, sweeping all the white fluff into the sky. The black blood covering Er Sheng’s face resembled raised veins, viciously entangled across her features, fragmenting her appearance into a grotesque mask.
Suddenly, a surge of black energy erupted from her body, forcefully pushing Chang Yuan away. She seemed overwhelmed with joy, letting out sharp, piercing laughter that grated on the ears.
This Er Sheng was no longer his Er Sheng.
At this moment, Shen Zui and Ji Ling arrived, both shocked by the scene before them. The Immortal Lord, clutching his chest with an ashen face, stared at Er Sheng. Ji Ling quickly pulled medicine from his robes and gave it to Chang Wu. After closing his eyes to recover for a moment, the Immortal Lord said, “We cannot let her transform into a demon.”
Hearing this, Shen Zui’s expression darkened, and he drew his sword, flying toward Er Sheng.
Er Sheng’s eyes turned rigidly within the black demonic energy. Upon seeing Shen Zui, her eyes suddenly moistened, and she looked helplessly at him: “Master, please save Little Ears.”
Shen Zui’s heart wavered, his sword’s killing intent faltering. But then Er Sheng’s lips curved into a bloodthirsty smile: “Fooled you!” She stomped her foot, and the Yi Lin Sword flew up from the ground. Er Sheng waved her hand casually, hurling the sword straight at Shen Zui.
The sword came so fast that Shen Zui had no time to dodge. Just as the blade was about to slash his throat, Ji Ling cried out in alarm. Suddenly, the sword’s trajectory paused, making an impossible turn in mid-air before landing in Chang Yuan’s hand.
Everyone’s gaze fixed on Chang Yuan as he gripped the sword, gently wiping away the remaining dirt and blood with his sleeve. The black blade gleamed brilliantly in his hands as if the sword itself had developed emotions, alternating between sorrow and joy.
Er Sheng gazed quietly at Chang Yuan for a moment before two streams of clear tears suddenly fell. She spoke mournfully, “Even Chang Yuan stands against me now? You promised we would always be together.”
Chang Yuan lowered his gaze, remaining silent. The Yi Lin Sword’s tip drooped toward the ground.
Er Sheng wiped her tears and smiled with delight: “Chang Yuan is still on my side.”
Chang Yuan took a single step forward, and instantly the earth shook and mountains trembled. He raised his eyes, golden pupils flickering with the magnificent divine power of an ancient divine dragon. His righteous energy surged forth, and in a single breath, the dragon’s aura spread across hundreds of li, carrying the momentum to sweep away thousands of armies, purging all demonic energy from the world.
Er Sheng had only just begun her demonic transformation. No matter how powerful her demonic energy was, she couldn’t withstand such a direct, overwhelming assault. Her face darkened as the meridians throughout her body bulged layer by layer—Chang Yuan had forcefully severed several of her energy channels. Her legs weakened, and she collapsed powerlessly to the ground.
Chang Yuan approached her slowly, sword in hand. Er Sheng looked at him sorrowfully: “Chang Yuan, will you strike me down?”
His face remained expressionless, but the hand gripping the Yi Lin Sword showed bulging veins and rigid, whitened joints. The turmoil in his heart at having to strike Er Sheng was beyond words.
“Chang Yuan, I always knew you were good to me…” Er Sheng suddenly said sadly, “I had no choice but to reach this point. It’s truly heaven’s cruel joke. I had originally thought… I had thought about laying several eggs with you. I thought even ten eggs wouldn’t be enough to show how much I loved you.”
“Chang Yuan, just kill me. I can’t accompany you across thousands of mountains and rivers anymore… I’m sorry.”
Chang Yuan gently closed his eyes, his grip on the Yi Lin Sword gradually relaxing.
Suddenly, Er Sheng curled her fingers into claws and, taking advantage of Chang Yuan’s closed eyes, lunged violently toward his heart. She didn’t hesitate at all, showing a ruthless determination to kill him.
Blood sprayed through the air, accompanied by a soft “thud.”
Everything fell silent.
Er Sheng looked at the sword piercing her heart and laughed coldly: “After this sword strike, Er Sheng will no longer exist in this mortal realm. Divine Dragon Chang Yuan, you will face ten thousand years of solitude. Through countless days and nights, will your heart ever know peace?”
Chang Yuan remained silent, only quietly pulling out the Yi Lin Sword. Amidst the spraying blood, he violently cast aside this peerless weapon he had crafted with his own hands.
The sword rang out in grief as if weeping in great sorrow.
Er Sheng’s body gradually softened. The cold mockery and hatred on her face completely vanished, leaving only pure tranquility. If not for the mottled black marks, she might have simply been sleeping.
Chang Yuan crouched down, gently lifting her onto his lap. He said, “I will accompany you…” But then he remembered—Er Sheng wasn’t mortal. She was Si Ming, and after this life, she would return to the upper realm to continue being the carefree Divine Lord. There, she had someone else she loved, a supreme emperor.
He didn’t even know where he could accompany her.
As he caressed Er Sheng’s cheek, lost in thoughts about his future path, he suddenly felt movement beneath his fingertips—Er Sheng, though breathless, had opened her eyes.
Chang Yuan held his breath, fearing that even a sigh might cause Er Sheng to dissipate.
Her eyes held a long-lost clarity and brightness, just like when they first met—when she was a rough, willful child desperately longing for someone’s love. She looked at the sky, where familiar yet strange clouds still drifted across the blue expanse as always. She suddenly said, “This is the forest behind the village. I remember this is where I met Chang Yuan.”
She smiled faintly: “As the teacher said, ‘Their child’s beauty knows no bounds.'”
Chang Yuan’s throat constricted with heart-wrenching pain.
Er Sheng’s eyes quietly closed, but this time they didn’t open again.
A gentle breeze arrived, carrying humid warmth. Chang Yuan remembered Er Sheng had just said she would turn eighteen after this year’s seventh month—her brief life hadn’t even reached eighteen years.
Si Ming, if this was the fate you arranged for yourself, you were truly too cruel to yourself.
Shen Zui stood dazed in the distance, his heart a jumble of emotions. As he stared fixedly at Er Sheng, he suddenly noticed black bubbles forming at her mouth. His expression changed again as he cried out in horror: “Corpse transformation!” At his shout, everyone’s attention returned to Er Sheng’s face.
The Immortal Lord raged: “That demon dares to possess Er Sheng’s corpse, turning her into a walking corpse!”
Chang Yuan stroked Er Sheng’s head, his voice full of bitterness, and sighs: “I never thought I couldn’t even preserve your whole body.” With that, he lowered his head, ignoring the sinister demonic energy flowing from Er Sheng’s mouth, and parted her lips with his tongue.
This was a kissing technique he had only recently learned, yet he never imagined he would use it in such circumstances.
He pressed one hand against Er Sheng’s chest and violently infused divine power. Er Sheng’s corpse convulsed violently as Chang Yuan forcefully shattered her heart! The divine power pushed the heart’s fragments into his own body as he absorbed them.
With her heart gone, the demonic energy in Er Sheng’s body completely dissipated. The mottled black marks and demon seal on her face gradually disappeared, returning it to its original pure whiteness.
Chang Yuan forcefully suppressed the surging blood within him as the demonic energy from the Evil Spirit Pearl battled fiercely with his dragon power, the pain making his entire body tremble uncontrollably.
Acting as if he felt nothing, he looked at Er Sheng’s clean face and smiled with narrowed eyes: “Girls look better when they’re clean.”
Shen Zui was deeply moved by this scene. He suddenly heard a sob—it was the usually cold-faced Ji Ling, covering his mouth as he cried out. Even the Immortal Lord watched in a daze.
Chang Wu lowered his gaze, his features suddenly showing traces of world-weariness and sympathy.
Suddenly, a pure, refreshing energy arrived from the horizon. Chang Wu looked up, his spirit greatly shocked—the immortal approaching on clouds looked identical to his childhood mentor, Chong Hua. He didn’t know that his mentor was merely one life of War God Mo Xi’s three-life tribulation. But that’s beside the point.
The one arriving now was indeed War God Mo Xi, followed by thousands of celestial soldiers, all following the Celestial Emperor’s orders to capture the evil dragon who had escaped from the Wan Tian Void.
Yet the scene before them was not what they had expected. The evil dragon showed no fierce expression, no tyrannical rush to escape with his life.
The man in tattered, blood-stained clothes appeared surprisingly calm. Seeing them, he merely gently laid down the dead woman in his arms and said to the others: “Just cover her body with a bamboo mat. You… shouldn’t touch her.”
The other three knew there was likely residual demonic energy in the corpse. Chang Yuan must have feared the celestial army would discover this and not even leave Er Sheng’s corpse behind, so he deliberately concealed the demonic energy on her body. He also worried they might be contaminated by demonic energy if they handled her body afterward.
He was truly a kind person…
Mo Xi cast a bland glance over everyone, pausing briefly when he saw Chang Wu, giving a slight nod before turning to Chang Yuan: “Chang Yuan, do you acknowledge your crime of escaping from the Wan Tian Void?”
Chang Yuan shook his head and answered honestly: “I don’t.”
The celestial soldiers’ expressions changed, thinking this dragon was subtle and difficult to deal with. But then they heard Chang Yuan continue: “However, I no longer wish to stay in the mortal realm. I am willing to return to the Wan Tian Void.”
After all, there was nothing left in this world worth lingering for.