"Before we begin," she said softly, her voice echoing through her god domain, "I'll grant you some of my divine blessing."
In the next instant, Luo Xianling vanished.
Then—
She was suddenly right in front of me.
She raised a single finger and pressed it lightly against my chest.
A surge of divine water spiralled from her fingertip, pouring into me like a cold, expanding tide. It flowed through my bones, my meridians, my very soul—like a boundless lake flooding every corner of me.
Her eyes softened with a dangerous, possessive warmth.
She mistook the silence for composure.
Her husbands exchanged uneasy glances.
Her children froze.
Even her servants stiffened, understanding all too well what it meant for their goddess to share even a fraction of her divinity.
"You withstand my power better than I expected," she said. "This blessing is not something I grant lightly. Consider it a sign of my favour."
Her energy flared, wrapped around me, then faded.
"Your cultivation will rise faster now," she added. "And your body will endure more of what lies ahead."
My body could already endure anything, but I nodded politely.
Nothing could injure me unless I allowed it.Nothing could pierce my skin.Nothing could destroy me except myself.
But she didn't know that.
Her gaze lingered on me with a fascination that had become… familiar.
Then she smiled—a slow, satisfied curve of her lips.
"It is not easy to kill someone in the same realm," she said. "You can defeat them, yes… but to kill them outright? That requires talent. And killing someone above your realm… that requires something unearthly."
I listened silently.
"In Mìngjiè Xiānlù, there are only three realms," she continued. "Mortals begin at the first step. Demigods at the five hundredth. Divines at the thousandth. And at one billion steps, one becomes truly immortal."
Her eyes narrowed slightly, assessing me as if trying to peel back a layer I didn't show.
"But even immortals can be killed by other cultivators," she said. "I wonder… could you kill me? Someone who passed a billion steps long ago?"
She leaned in, studying me like a puzzle.
"I have done what others believed impossible," she said quietly. "I killed a god while still at the four hundred and ninety-ninth step—just shy of becoming a demigod. They called my talent monstrous."
A soft breath left her—somewhere between nostalgia and pride.
"People forget that some can kill within their own realm. Some can defeat those a few steps above them. But to cross an entire realm…" Her voice dropped. "To kill a Divine while still mortal…"
She paused, eyes distant.
"That is when I met her."
"Do you know of whom I speak?" Luo Xianling asked.
I held her gaze. "Empress Lingxi."
She laughed softly — a warm, nostalgic sound layered with centuries of memory."Good guess. Yes… her."
Her expression softened.
"One of my oldest and dearest friends. She, too, killed a god while still mortal. But unlike me, she killed a Divine who had already reached one billion steps — someone truly immortal, untouchable, eternal."
Xianling shook her head slowly.
"She was monstrous in my eyes. I killed a god in the Divine Realm before reaching Demigod, yes… but not one who had touched true immortality. That feat was hers alone."
She let out a long breath.
"Not long after that, I followed her. Served her. Became her subordinate, her blade, her shadow. You know the rest."
We faced each other in the centre of her god-domain, surrounded by witnesses too terrified to breathe.She wasn't holding back.I still was.
Luo Xianling was clever—far too clever. With her intuition, it wouldn't take her long to realise the truth:the man Empress Lingxi admired so deeply…was me.
And when she did realise it, she would be delighted. Possessive.A goddess who believed she had found something worth claiming.
A small giggle slipped from her—a soft, delighted sound completely at odds with the cold, dead look in her eyes.
I didn't smile back.My eyes were just as lifeless as hers.
She sprang forward in a high roundhouse, summoning a massive divine water dragon mid-spin. It roared toward me, jaws open wide. I cut straight through its head, splitting the beast in half—yet she was already behind it.
Her hand clamped around my face.
In the next heartbeat, she smashed me into the ground hard enough to crater her own domain. Her cold, dead gaze bore into mine.
"You're still holding back on me, Shen Wuyin," she said, voice flat, unamused. "You killed five of my husbands without hesitation. Are you underestimating me? Playing me for a fool?"
Her grip tightened on my face.
"I'll kill you without hesitation — whether you become my husband or not. Your bloodline won't save you.Though…"A soft sigh escaped her."It would be such a waste. I did want at least one child from you."
She raised her leg high with divine flexibility—intending to crush my skull.
I moved before her foot fell.
The next instant, I was sitting on her throne.
Relaxed.
My black dragon blade dangling lazily from my hand as I rested my cheek against two fingers.
"Over here," I called.
She turned.
She laughed—bright, cold, thrilled.
"Now you're provoking me. Very good."
In a blur she appeared directly in front of me—then sat on my lap.Her face inches from mine.Her breath brushing my ear.
"I told you," she whispered, voice low as silk, "not to—"
I stabbed her through the heart.
The blade slid cleanly between her ribs, straight into her divine core.
Her eyes widened for only a moment… then she smiled.
A slow, trembling, delighted smile.
"You really are a ruthless man," she murmured, blood spilling from her lips. "I like that… about you."
Her husbands, children, and servants all lurched forward at once, panic flashing across their faces as they saw the blade buried in her chest.
Before any of them could take a single step closer—
Luo Xianling's eyes snapped toward them.
Cold.Dead.Unblinking.
"Not. One. Of. You. Dare interfere in my fun."
The hall froze.Her tone was soft—but it carried the absolute authority of a goddess who had ended empires for less.
She looked back at me.
"I won't die that easily."
I twisted the blade.
Her breath hitched—then she coughed violently, blood splattering across my face and dripping down my chin. She didn't even look away. She only smiled wider as the blood poured from her lips.
For a brief moment, I glanced past her.
Nagini was staring at me—her human eyes wide, bright, and unmistakably pleased.No one else noticed, but I did.
She was smiling.
She loved seeing me ruthless.Loved seeing me defy someone like Luo Xianling without fear.
My gaze shifted again.
Madam Yuelin held her cup with steady hands, drinking her tea slowly, calmly—unbothered by the violence. Her eyes were on me as well, full of interest… deeper than before. Almost amused. Almost impressed.
In this entire hall, the only ones not afraid of Luo Xianling were:
Me.Nagini.Madam Yuelin.
Everyone else trembled.
Xianling, bleeding out on my lap, only smiled harder.
She moved before anyone could even breathe.
Her hand punched straight through my chest.
Fingers wrapped around my heart.
She squeezed.
Hard.
Blood dripped down her wrist, but I didn't flinch. I looked back at her steadily, unmoving, as if her crushing my heart was nothing more than a minor inconvenience.
Xianling chuckled, breathy and delighted.
"Now I'm certain," she whispered, eyes gleaming. "You are a descendant of Emperor Genesis."Her fingers tightened around my heart again, veins of divine water spiralling up her arm."I definitely have to have you as my husband."
She leaned forward, her forehead nearly touching mine.
"You're not running from me," she murmured. "And if you dare try? I'll hunt you forever. I never stop. Not until I have what I want."
Her lips brushed my ear.
"And I will birth a very, very strong child from you… won't I?"
She squeezed harder.
I grabbed her by the throat.
Her eyes widened—only for a split second—before I ripped her hand out of my chest, forcing her to release my heart. With one fluid motion, I hurled her across the hall.
Her body smashed into a jade wall with enough force to crack it apart. The entire structure crumbled down over her, dust and shards collapsing in a wave.
Silence.
Then—
Xianling rose from the rubble.
Her robes were torn, exposing smooth, pale skin marked only by dust. Her long hair fell wild around her face, clinging to the blood trailing from her lips. She coughed once—twice—then the wound in her chest sealed as divine water spiralled across it, shimmering like liquid moonlight.
Her expression twisted into frustration.
"You're still holding back," she spat, her voice low and dangerous. "Why, Shen? What is it you refuse to show me? Something you don't want me to see…?"
Her eyes slid slowly across the watching crowd.
"Or something you don't want anyone to see?"
I was already seated on her throne.
Black flames curled around me, rising higher, heavier, the killing intent turning into something suffocating and abyssal. Her divine water surged in answer, crashing like storm tides against the intact marble.
Two forces—dark flame and divine water—clashed across the hall, snapping the air between us like chains being pulled taut.
Luo Xianling stood amidst the rubble, wiping blood from her mouth, staring up at me with a look that mixed annoyance… fascination… and hunger.
Her killing intent deepened, colder, sharper.
Mine burned hotter.
The hall trembled as our auras collided again.
She took a slow step forward, lips curling.
"But not one person is leaving my god domain until I tear your secrets open — and everyone here sees whatever you're restraining inside yourself."
I didn't reply.I simply stared at her, my eyes cold, empty, unblinking.Leaning against my fingers, I listened in silence as she continued her little rant about me "holding back," as if her frustrations could stir anything in me at all.
She froze for a breath — then smiled.
Such arrogance, her eyes seemed to say.
But she liked it.
"That arrogance of yours, Shen Wuyin…" she murmured, stepping closer as divine water coiled around her ankles like living ribbons. "I adore it."
Her expression shifted — softer, but no less hungry.Affectionate, even.
She stood there as her divine water clashed with my dark black flames, the two forces twisting and crashing like two worlds tearing at the seams. I remained on her throne, leaning against two fingers, bored, unbothered, unshaken.
She walked closer slowly.
I didn't even look at her fully — I simply let my flames pulse once.
The pressure forced her back a step.
She clicked her tongue."You're still playing too hard to catch, Shen. How annoying."Her eyes flicked over me, hungry and irritated at the same time."But you've already proven yourself worthy to take my hand in marriage. You didn't hesitate to kill me — not even for a moment. You have more courage than any of my husbands here."
Her gaze slid to the trembling men behind her.
"Some disobeyed me, so I punished them," she added with a casual shrug. "Others… I simply killed."She looked back at me, expression softening disturbingly."But you… I don't want to kill you. Not yet. Maybe not ever."
Her jaw clenched.
"And I don't want to punish you either — even though your arrogance should infuriate me. You don't listen to me. You do whatever you want. You sit on my throne."Her voice dropped."And you're still holding back. How infuriating. How irritating."
Her killing intent burst outward."It makes me want to beat you into a pulp until you show me what you're really hiding."
She lifted both arms.
A massive tsunami of divine water materialised behind her, towering above everyone in the domain. The hall screamed under the pressure as people fled desperately for safety.
Except two.
Nagini didn't move.Madam Yuelin didn't move.
They sat calmly near my throne, watching.
The tsunami roared toward me. I didn't lift a finger. I didn't blink. I let it come.
Luo Xianling watched me… then stopped it.The entire ocean froze a hair's breadth from my nose.
"You're annoying, Shen," she muttered.
I disappeared.
My foot drove into her back mid-sentence, launching her straight through another jade wall. The structure exploded around her like wet paper. Dust filled the air.
But I didn't let her fall.
I dragged her out of the rubble by the collar and dangled her in front of me. My eyes were dead. Cold.
She only smiled — a devilish, delighted smile — even as blood spilled from her lips. Her robes were even more torn now, clinging to her skin.
Her husbands tried to move.Her children tried.Her servants tried.Even a few terrified guests tried to intervene.
We froze all of them.
My flames cut off their path.Her divine water locked down the other half of the hall.
None dared breathe.
"So?" she said, still smiling through the blood. "Are you going to kill me or not?"
I let go of her throat.
"I'm tired of this," I said, voice flat. "I want to go to the Luo clan estate and get married. As soon as possible."
My cold, dead eyes met hers.
"Don't you?"
She stopped smiling for a heartbeat… then met my dead gaze with one of her own.
"Of course I do."
Her body healed in an instant. Robes rewove themselves across her skin as divine water coiled around her, forming a shifting armour of liquid light. She stepped toward me again—untouched, perfect, and infinitely more dangerous.
She moved close.
Then closer.
Until her shadow merged with mine.
"Tell me, Shen…what are you hiding so deep inside that even I can't see it?"
I didn't blink.
"Does it matter to you that much?"My voice was flat, cold."I've already proven enough to you. Haven't I?"
She breathed out a soft, delighted laugh—far too pleased.
Her hand lifted toward my face, fingertips hovering just short of my skin.
"It makes me want to rip apart whatever mask you're wearing," she whispered, voice dropping into something feral, "and drag out the thing hiding inside those void-black eyes of yours."
"There's something buried inside you…" she whispered, her voice lowering into a dangerous purr, "something you refuse to show."
Her eyes narrowed, hungry.
"And I intend to see it."
As she spoke, a familiar voice echoed through my mind.
Emperor Shadow.
"I like this woman, Ren," he mused, his tone darkly amused. "She's entertaining. Cold. Ruthless. She gives affection to no one unless they earn it. She reminds me of our ex-girlfriend."
I didn't respond aloud, but my eyes remained fixed on Luo Xianling as his voice continued.
"She was affectionate at first, too. Then she became cold… distant. Until we caught her cheating."A low chuckle. "And she still had the nerve to be angry when we ended it. Hmph. This one is similar— not entirely, but enough. The cold attitude. The cold heart."
I listened in silence.
Perhaps he was right.There were faint similarities—shadows of old memories—but Luo Xianling was something else entirely. Far more unhinged. Far more dangerous.
And far more fascinated with me.
I pushed the Emperor Shadow's voice aside, sealing him away for now. I didn't need him. The fight was over, and Luo Xianling's excitement for battle had faded into something else—curiosity, hunger, a maddening desire to rip open whatever I was hiding.
Even now, I could feel it radiating off her.
She wanted to see me break.Or kill me trying.Or be killed by me just to witness it.
Unhinged… beautifully unhinged.
And she stared at me as though she wanted to peel open my very soul.
I didn't look away.
She stepped even closer, close enough that her breath cooled the skin of my neck — tinged with the scent of divine water and something sharper underneath.
Xianling tilted her head.
"Beautifully unhinged…?" she echoed, a slow smile spreading across her lips. "Is that what you think of me, Shen?"
Her fingers brushed my jaw.Not gentle. Testing. Measuring.
"You stand there," she murmured, "covered in black flame, dripping with killing intent… and you dare call me unhinged?"
Her eyes narrowed, more curious than offended.
"Tell me," she whispered, "which part of me you find beautiful?"
I didn't answer her.
Instead, I forced myself out of her god domain.Light warped, pressure snapped, and the next moment I was standing back in the Blooming Brothels.
The noise, the perfume, the warm lantern glow — all of it washed over me like a sudden return to reality.
I sat down at an empty table. Someone who worked there rushed over, hands slightly trembling, offering me a cup of wine. I nodded, took it, and drank.
He blushed when I glanced at him — then quickly looked away.I ignored it.
Moments later, Lingxue entered.
Cold. Regal. That icy princess aura that made the room drop a few degrees.
Her eyes locked onto me instantly.
"There you are," she snapped. "I've been looking everywhere. They said you were with Luo Xianling, but when I checked you weren't—"
"I was in her god domain," I said, cutting her off as I raised the wine to my lips again. "A lot happened. Just trust me."
Lingxue paused, clearly wanting to probe… but she exhaled sharply instead, folding her arms.
"Fine. I won't ask. But why did you meet her in the first place?"
"I agreed to her hand in marriage," I replied calmly. "It's beneficial."
Her face froze.Then twisted into something between shock, outrage, and disbelief.
"…Really? Shen, you're so arrogant — I should be used to it by now, but still — what makes you think she can't hear us talking about her right this moment?"
"Believe me," I said, sipping again, "she can't. So don't worry about it."
Lingxue looked unconvinced, but before she could respond—
I added,
"She'll be here soon anyway."