The purple light in the sky grew clearer, like a world-shattering bolt of lightning instantly streaking across the firmament, yet it was interspersed with faint traces of lightning patterns. A gaping hole stained with blood marred the young man’s chest. His eyes were tightly shut, his blood rapidly draining away.
His breath, too, was gradually fading.
And at the zenith of the sky, another figure emerged.
A man of impeccable countenance, extraordinarily handsome, now appeared to stagger in mid-air. His voice had completely altered in pitch. He stared, stunned, at the scene before him, feeling the rapidly ebbing lives of the two individuals, disbelief etched on his face.
"Xiao Ci..."
How could this have happened? He had clearly intended to slay that demon!
The purple lightning continued without cease, forming terrifying phantoms across the horizon. Within these phantoms, countless divine talismans were woven, intricate as a fine tapestry. Yet, within the depths of Xuanyuan Yuting's pupils, a searing pain continued to spread relentlessly. He dared not approach.
All he could do was rapidly unleash wave after wave of divine talismans.
But they were utterly useless!
Completely useless. He could only watch as the young girl’s life force rapidly dissipated before him. The speed at which her vitality ebbed was almost beyond his comprehension. He stared at the scene in disbelief, his eyes about to burst from their sockets.
The young girl, however, showed no sign of panic. She slowly extended her hand, her fingertips inching towards the demon’s cold fingers.
His entire being reeked of blood.
Her fingertips, too, were stained with his fresh blood.
His blood was a vibrant crimson, just like any ordinary human. Indeed, he no longer possessed the body of a demon, but was merely a mortal capable of cultivation. After having his heart gouged out, it was only natural that he would perish.
But she would die too.
Her fate was inextricably linked with his. To save him, she had once used the Phoenix’s Shared Life Gu upon him. This was the most precious thing she possessed after losing her spiritual meridians, a latent skill of her Phoenix lineage, allowing her to bear half of his suffering.
Now that he was dead.
Her mortal body, naturally, could not survive either.
She was compelled to undergo Nirvana.
She wished to die with him, to share life and death together. It was a pity that the young man before them would not witness this scene. He remained trapped in agony, likely from the sheer pain. Lin Muci saw his brow still furrowed, and the bloody tears streaming from his eyes.
Her heart ached just as profoundly.
The backlash surged through her in waves, like the tide crashing against a cliff face. But each impact brought only an escalation of pain, a torment so ferocious it nearly stole her breath.
She gazed blankly at his face.
She knew that Ling Qianhe could perceive others' ill intentions, and thus he could discern Qing Que's malevolence.
And for the sake of her disguise, she had allowed the system to cheat for her. In that final moment, the ill intention that Ling Qianhe sensed was absolutely genuine. He would not believe her words spoken against her will; he would only be utterly certain.
That she truly detested him.
And wished him dead.
That she desired to personally gouge out his heart and leave his corpse dismembered.
If not for the resentment that ran deeper than the sea, her reborn body, purified by Phoenix power and the flames of heaven, would have been free of demonic energy. How else, through demonic thoughts, could she have become the most terrifying demon between heaven and earth?
She looked at his pale, bloodless face. She knew how much pain he had endured in his final moments. The moment he’d carved out his own heart, his insides had been consumed by fire. But what hurt even more was the shattering of all his hopes in her!
From then on, the demon would possess no true heart.
Her breathing grew progressively weaker. She gazed blankly at Ling Qianhe's face, then lowered her head and slowly kissed his cold lips.
She knew he could no longer hear her.
She spoke.
"I am already your wife."
The little system’s eyes widened, shouting in her mind.
"Host… don't get too into character… you aren’t… aren’t you supposed to marry that little scoundrel Ling Qianhe?"
Lin Muci glanced again at the young man before her. His face was as serene as a snow-capped mountain. Her heart gradually lost its warmth, her heart feeling as though it was ceasing to beat. Then she said,
"But, he is Ling Qianhe."
"I understand."
"When he dug out his heart, I remembered—"
"This isn't some movie script. This is the first life we experienced. My first mission, where I was supposed to conquer Helian Lanyan and Feng Yuting. They were my mission targets, and Ling Qianhe was just the villain in the mission. But—I became too entangled with him, causing the plot to collapse."
"The system repaired the plot, forcing me to kill him myself so the story could continue."
"Finally, I faked my death."
"Feng Yuting and Helian Lanyan’s favorability towards me reached one hundred percent due to my act of saving the world."
"But Ling Qianhe, due to his deep obsession—this world encountered some problems. They continued to pursue me, leading to minor unexpected events in every world's plot."
"Precisely because of this, you seal my memories every time I undertake a mission."
"Not every mission-taker needs their memories sealed. It is simply because I am exceptionally special."
"My entanglement with Ling Qianhe runs too deep; he can already contend with the system—"
Lin Muci looked at the young man's cold expression. She knew her human body could not hold on much longer. Her heart ached intensely, yet she calmly observed his face. She knew they would meet again.
And opposite Xuanyuan Yuting, a flash of green light suddenly appeared.
Then another man materialized. Seeing the scene before him, his eyes turned blood red in an instant! He rushed forward, but dared not approach. The air around them was thick with the scent of blood. He rapidly unleashed countless talismans.
Golden light emanated from his fingertips, flowing into Lin Muci’s body, yet it was as if it poured into empty air, unable to remain, it dissipated.
He gritted his teeth, his voice seeming to be forced through his molars.
"What did you do to Xiao Ci!"
"You forced her to kill Ling Qianhe? What are you trying to do—what is your relationship with Xiao Ci!"
Helian Lanyan had no idea about the animosity between Si Muci and Xuanyuan Yuting.
When Si Muci left the demon realm, he did not pursue her further as he was tending to Qing Que’s injuries. Moreover, he thought that Xiao Ci must have detested him immensely and never wished to see him.
Xuanyuan Yuting, upon seeing the man who had appeared, was also startled.
He paused, his voice raspy.
"Who are you? You have demonic energy on you…"
"You can unleash the power of the demon race to sustain her body… Wait, you are not an ordinary demon; you are the Demon Emperor!"
He seemed to realize something suddenly.
"I should be asking you, what is your relationship with Xiao Ci!"
Now that Xiao Ci was in grave danger, yet he was filled with both anger and vexation. Even though the demon was dead, why was Xiao Ci’s life force rapidly fading? And why was this man before him questioning and blaming him? Xuanyuan Yuting’s voice was almost a growl.
"I told her to kill the demon to help her!"
"Her artifact, the Shan Hai Tu Ce, was destroyed. It was only after I destroyed that artifact that I realized how important the demons within it were to her… I wanted to use merits to help her revive the demon race. If she just killed this demon, she would earn enough merit."
"Moreover, I wanted to become her Dao companion… I am the Human Emperor, the future master of the immortal realm, how could I deceive her."
"How could I harm her… It was my fault back then for destroying her Shan Hai Tu Ce, but I didn’t know the importance of that treasure at the time."
"I was eager to become the Human Emperor, so I could make a wish to the heavens and form a bond with her—"
"We humans and demons are from different paths… there is no other way…"
Before he could finish speaking.
He saw Helian Lanyan turn his head. His eyes were bloodshot, his expression strange and pained. He was still extending his hand to cast demonic seals, but upon hearing his words, he suddenly spat out a large mouthful of blood!
"You destroyed her Shan Hai Tu Ce?"
He was practically spitting blood from his eyes!
His eyes were as red as blood. He wished he could grab the man before him by the collar, his breathing ragged. His lips parted, and another mouthful of blood flowed out, yet this blood was so thick it was almost purple. His entire body trembled like a sieve, his voice so pained it was as if his soul had been torn apart.
"How could you destroy her Shan Hai Tu Ce… do you even know…"
His voice was incredibly strange, laced with sobs.
Despite being the aloof and refined Demon Emperor, his voice was like a mournful cry, dripping with blood. It was only through reaching the depths of his pain that he could emit such a sound.
"Do you know what that means for her…?"
"Do you know what a demon’s natal artifact truly signifies?"
"How could you do this, how dare you do this, I will kill you!"
The Demon Emperor glared at her. If Xiao Ci’s current body were not about to dissipate, and if he did not need to immediately have her undergo Nirvana, he would never have allowed this man, who claimed to be the Human Emperor, to stand unharmed before him!
"That is a supreme treasure of the demon race, refined by her into her natal artifact. You destroyed the demons within it, almost completely crippling her cultivation!"
"Furthermore, every demon within the Shan Hai Tu Ce willingly entered back then—forming a contract with their Phoenix lineage. If you kill the demons inside, it is equivalent to her suffering the sin of soul fragmentation. Each demon that dies is like a knife being plunged into her heart."
"How dare you do such a thing…"
Helian Lanyan’s pupils were already bloodshot. He couldn't believe how much hardship his Xiao Ci, his childhood sweetheart, had endured after leaving the demon realm.
"You actually say that telling her to kill the demon is a favor to her?"
His voice choked.
The Five-Clawed Golden Dragon was a celestial spirit of heaven and earth, a divine beast of the demon race. And he, the current Demon Emperor, was beyond reach. Yet now, he sobbed like a child, weeping uncontrollably. Golden blood dripped from the corners of his lips. He had even vomited his heart’s blood.
Heart-wrenching.
The pain of having one's heart gouged out was nothing compared to this.
Yet, his heart was still burning like an inferno, unable to cease for even a moment.
In mere minutes, it would reduce his heart to ashes.
Even his breathing was painful. Every word he spoke made him struggle to breathe, his vision blurring.
"What do you know!"
"When Xiao Ci was in the lower realm, she had already used the Phoenix clan’s sole secret technique on this demon. She had to bear half the suffering this demon endured!"
"How could she kill him? Killing him is equivalent to killing herself."
"Her current body is collapsing entirely because of this!"
"If she cannot successfully undergo Nirvana, she will truly have her soul scattered across heaven and earth!"
Helian Lanyan looked at Xuanyuan Yuting.
"You actually claim this is helping Xiao Ci?"
"You killed her, you are dismembering my Xiao Ci!"
He was not worthy of loving her—he had extracted her spiritual meridians, publicly broken off their engagement, making her a laughingstock of the demon realm. But he could never have imagined that someone would wound her so severely a second time, doing something far more egregious than he had. He wished he could kill that person, and he also wished he could kill himself.
His Xiao Ci…
Why must she endure so much suffering?
His heart and soul were shattered.
Boundless pain seemed to devour him inch by inch, yet he could not die. At least not before Xiao Ci’s Nirvana.
He looked coldly at the man opposite him.
"Get lost!"
Xuanyuan Yuting stood rooted to the spot. He felt a chill and numbness spread through his entire body. He simply could not believe his ears, nor could he believe that what he heard was actually true.
Why didn't she say anything?
What foolish things had he done… his self-righteousness had harmed Xiao Ci.
It had harmed his most cherished junior sister.
He had still thought he could mend things… he had thought he had merely destroyed an artifact of hers. He had even thought, in his heart, that she was making a mountain out of a molehill. He had already compensated her with the Human Emperor’s Seal, and she had also destroyed his Human Emperor’s Seal.
What else did she want?
He asked her what else she wanted…
She just looked at him coldly.
Back then, he had no idea she had suffered such torment, endured so much pain… he knew nothing of it all…
His heart felt as though it was being fiercely clutched.
He opened his mouth. Just as arrogant as he was back then, so was his regret now. That sense of regret almost dragged him down to the eighteenth level of hell.
He gasped for air, but the next moment, he suddenly vomited another large mouthful of blood!
His entire body felt cold. He furiously wiped his lips with his fingertips. He wanted to rush towards the young girl without hesitation, he wanted to grasp her, but—it could only be a fantasy.
The young girl’s eyes gradually lost their luster.
The last words she left for Helian Lanyan and Xuanyuan Yuting.
Were for them both.
"Scram!"
Xuanyuan Yuting had never imagined he would shed tears. He could only stare blankly at her face, his eyes brimming with tears, his breathing rapid. His heart ached so much he felt he was dying, but he knew he could not die. He had to save Xiao Ci—he never knew that a person could feel so much heartache that they felt they were dying.
He wept, his voice choked.
And Helian Lanyan’s eyes were equally bloodshot.
The five-clawed golden dragon’s heart’s blood was forcibly vomited, but he paid no heed. He stood in place, thinking.
Xiao Ci had suffered so much.
It was all his fault… If he hadn't been misled by Qing Que back then, if he hadn't forced Xiao Ci to leave the demon realm, would all of this have never happened?
His regret would never be absolved, not for all eternity!
He would never forgive himself!
Even in death, he would atone for Xiao Ci. He humbly begged the heavens to give him a chance, to let Xiao Ci undergo Nirvana, to let him compensate Xiao Ci. He didn’t crave her return; he only begged heaven for a chance to compensate her, to protect her.
He truly regretted it now…
[Everyone, come to the crematorium! It's all fair, the ways of heaven are cyclical, no one gets off easy! Hahaha!]