The Heavenly Dao had crafted a perfect design to lure her into falling into darkness. But if it turned out all of it had merely paved the way for her success, wouldn't it be driven mad with rage?
It had schemed and plotted endlessly, all to make Ye Chuxue merge the lower realm with the Spirit Realm. Yet she refused to play along.
A broken lower realm should stay broken. It had no place dreaming beyond its station.
Song Wanníng withdrew her gaze and turned toward the two floating bubbles nearby. Then she retrieved a recording stone and tossed it at the bubble where Lu Nanfeng was trapped.
Killing Lu Nanfeng outright would certainly be satisfying, but that would be such a waste.
Let him at least be of some final use before he died.
…
"Where is this now?"
Ye Chuxue had suddenly been transported again. Her heart lurched, an ominous sense creeping in instinctively.
The painful memories from before still haunted her, and now another teleportation? What if she was about to encounter something just as horrible?
Just thinking about Lu Nanfeng made her skin crawl. Her stomach twisted, tight and cold, as if she'd swallowed something rotten.
She forced herself to breathe. It's nothing, she told herself. "You've done it before. In your past life, it wasn't sacred. It was just sex. So this—this shouldn't matter."
She had been with men in her past life. She'd made choices, had control. But this... this wasn't that.
No matter how many times she whispered it didn't matter, the shame clung to her like oil. Her body felt tainted. Her mind, louder than ever, refused to let it go.
She wanted to throw up.
Lu Nanfeng had always been someone she could control with ease, yet he had turned around and done that to her.
Ye Chuxue clenched her fists. A flash of cold hatred flickered in her eyes. She would never let Lu Nanfeng go. The next time they met would be the day he died. Shoving down the surge of emotions, she resumed exploring the area. After eliminating a demon cultivator who tried to ambush her, she continued forward.
But she hadn't gone far when she spotted a figure she would recognize even if it had burned down to ash.
Lu Nanfeng looked utterly miserable. He staggered as he walked, barely able to stay upright, falling to the ground repeatedly.
When he managed to stand again, another figure appeared in the distance—the woman he had loved for so long. The same woman who had made him a joke.
In that moment, he felt both guilty and resentful.
If Ye Chuxue hadn't toyed with him, he never would have gone that far.
Yes, he regretted it. But in his heart, he still blamed her. It had been a moment of impulse. A mistake, yes, but not entirely his alone.
They stood twenty meters apart, silently staring at each other.
"Lu Nanfeng…"
Ye Chuxue squeezed the name through clenched teeth. Her fists were trembling from how tightly she held them. She had just been thinking about killing him, and now here he was. Even the heavens couldn't bear to let him live.
A cold smile tugged at her lips as she walked toward him, step by step. Seeing how wretched Lu Nanfeng looked only made her feel one thing: he deserved it.
"W-what are you doing?"
Lu Nanfeng watched her approach, a creeping dread washing over him.
Especially when he saw the killing intent in her eyes, so naked and unrestrained.
His heart skipped a beat. He turned and ran.
He had no illusions that Ye Chuxue would show mercy. She wanted him dead.
Panicked and desperate, he stumbled through the terrain. But his injuries were still severe, and he fell to the ground with a crash, kicking up dust.
By the time he turned over, Ye Chuxue was already standing behind him. His face went pale as he looked up in terror.
"Junior Sister Ye, it was all a misunderstanding…"
"Misunderstanding?"
Ye Chuxue cut him off sharply, her voice dripping with disdain. "Then if I kill you and call it a misunderstanding, would that be alright with you?"
She pulled a longsword from her storage ring. Its tip struck the ground with a sharp scrape that made Lu Nanfeng flinch.
"No, please, Junior Sister Ye, I acted on impulse, I swear! Please, you have to believe me! I treated you well. Don't tell me you didn't know that?"
Lu Nanfeng tried to plead, leaning on their past.
"How many times did I save your life? I nearly died trying to get you pills, but I never once complained. I just thought, as long as you're doing well, I'll be fine…
Really, Junior Sister Ye, I'm willing to make amends. Just please, don't be impulsive…"
Ye Chuxue was in the Golden Core stage. Killing him would be as easy as flipping her palm. Especially when he was already injured from Song Wanníng's beating and could barely move.
"Heh."
Ye Chuxue actually laughed. His righteous-sounding words only made her angrier.
None of it could erase the pain he had inflicted on her.
"Lu Nanfeng, stop with the nonsense. You made yourself a pathetic little sycophant, and when that failed, you took advantage of me! You really think you can walk out of here alive?"
Her gaze turned colder. "This matter will only be known between us."
Once Lu Nanfeng was dead, she could pretend none of this had ever happened.
"No—!"
Lu Nanfeng's pupils shrank. A scream of desperation tore from his throat.
Ye Chuxue's eyes were dead calm as she raised her sword and slashed down.
"You wretched woman, Ye Chuxue! I treated you so well, and this is how you repay me?"
"You and your master are both heartless—ugh!"
The sword came down. One arm flew through the air.
Blood spurted. Lu Nanfeng screamed in agony.
Ye Chuxue's expression was frigid. She slashed again.
Lu Nanfeng panicked. One moment he was begging, the next he was cursing. He looked like he had gone mad.
But Ye Chuxue looked like a demon risen straight from hell. Her strikes came relentlessly, one after another.
She didn't grant him a quick death.
First his arms, then his legs.
Then she carved up his body, piece by piece.
In moments, Lu Nanfeng was soaked in blood, reduced to a wailing, limbless husk.
And still, it wasn't enough.
Ye Chuxue stared him down. Her mind swam with images of the humiliation she had endured.
Dark thoughts surged to the surface. She ignored his cries and began dismembering him slowly, deliberately.
The scene was so brutal even the golden little sword hiding nearby broke into a cold sweat.
"This woman is terrifying…"
Lu Nanfeng clung to his last breath. His body could no longer move, his soul barely tethered to life. He lay on the ground, watching Ye Chuxue's sword rise again. Despair filled his eyes.
He regretted everything.
If only he hadn't betrayed his master. If only he hadn't gotten involved with Ye Chuxue.
Wouldn't his life have turned out completely differently?
He had once been a favored son of Heaven, admired by all. Now, he was dying a pitiful, humiliating death.
In those final moments, a blurry image surfaced in his vision—his master. She wore a crimson dress, glowing like a radiant sun, and extended her hand toward his younger self.
Lu Nanfeng tried to reach out.
But his arms were gone.
He let out a sorrowful smile.
And then, drowned in endless regret, he took his last breath.
Lu Nanfeng was dead.
Slain by the very woman he had once loved deeply.
But Ye Chuxue wasn't done.
She kept cutting until the body was reduced to minced flesh, then tossed it to a nearby beast.
Only when the beast swallowed the last scrap did the clarity return to her eyes.
Her revenge complete, a flicker of satisfaction passed over her face.
This was Lu Nanfeng.
Next would be Song Wanníng.
One day, she would grind Song Wanníng's bones to dust.
…
"Holy crap… Ye Chuxue is really vicious…"
The little golden sword trembled, goosebumps running across its entire body. It dared not imagine what Ye Chuxue might do to its master if she ever got the upper hand.
Song Wanníng's expression remained cold as ever. Even after witnessing Lu Nanfeng's brutal death, not a ripple stirred in her heart.
She reached out her hand. The recording stone flew back into her palm.
A smirk tugged at her lips. Her eyes shimmered with wicked delight.
Now it was her turn to perform.