Splatter!
The rushing rainwater continuously struck Li Shixue’s Dao heart.
She studied her junior brother’s face, a rare trace of struggle appearing on her exquisite features.
Even though she was the one meant to execute him, Li Shixue inexplicably found herself remembering—
During those years, he had clumsily learned how to comb her snow-white hair that had been frayed by sword qi;
He had quietly moved away every plant and flower she disliked, replacing them with elegant emerald bamboo;
On countless late nights when she practiced her sword alone, there was always a jade lamp that never went out, placed silently at the corner of her corridor…
Various things from the past… every detail carried his cautious gaze and that disappointed, yet forced, smile he wore after she treated him with indifference.
Li Shixue stood dazed, lost in thought.
Beside her, Chu Yunlan watched with growing impatience. “What is it, Fairy Li? This demon’s crimes are monstrous; the entire world demands his execution! Although you were disciples under the same master, how can personal feelings be allowed in the face of great righteousness? If your conscience is clear, you should slay your own kin for the sake of justice!!!”
Li Shixue lowered her head. “What if I say my conscience is not clear?”
Splatter!
The rain continued to fall.
Yet the entire world seemed to lose its voice at that very moment.
The victorious smile on the corner of Chu Yunlan’s mouth instantly froze, and he pointed at her in anger. “Hahaha! Fairy Li, you couldn’t have actually developed feelings for this wretch, could you? You are the eldest disciple of the Heavenly Sword Sect’s Extinction Sword Venerable. If her ladyship finds out about this, I wonder how she will handle it?”
One had to know that the Realm of True Emotions where they resided emphasized “attaining the Dao through emotion,” pursuing the “pinnacle of emotion.”
Cultivators had to choose one path to enter the Dao from the countless emotional paths evolved from the Seven Emotions: joy, anger, sorrow, fear, love, hate, and desire.
Among them, the Heavenly Sword Sect’s Extinction Sword Venerable was a ruthless figure who practiced the Extinction Emotion Path.
If she found out that both of her personal disciples had brought such shame to the sect’s reputation, she would definitely intervene personally to suppress them.
Chu Yuan, however, was even more panicked.
After following the script for 300 years to reach this point, his reputation was ruined, and his soul was severely wounded…
It could be said that this account was nearly destroyed; there was no point in trying to clear his name now.
Only by finishing his role and reincarnating could Chu Yuan truly maximize his gains.
He absolutely could not let this woman ruin his grand plan for rebirth. He immediately burst into laughter. “Hahaha! Senior Sister, why would you have regrets? It is nothing more than a trick to make me defect and reveal the location of the Black Dragon Emperor of our Demon Path Alliance! If you had not practiced the Ruthless Path, I might have actually believed you!”
Chu Yuan did not believe for a second that his senior sister had developed feelings for him now.
After all, Li Shixue practiced the Ruthless Path.
In her eyes, not just Chu Yuan, but everyone was as insignificant as straw dogs!
Furthermore, Li Shixue was already a powerhouse in the Domain Transformation Realm. With such a stable Dao heart, how could she be moved by emotion?
Hearing her junior brother’s ridicule, Li Shixue’s pupils trembled.
In truth, she did not know why she was acting so out of character either.
But since things had reached this point, Li Shixue could only take the opportunity to back down. “Since you have already guessed it, why not simply accept my kindness and make amends for your crimes? Afterward, I can plead with Master to let you live a meager existence.”
Her face remained indifferent, but her gaze was a swirling mess of struggle and pain, eventually settling into a near-desperate pressure. “You only have this one chance! Junior Brother, please do not be ungrateful!”
Feeling the chill condensing on his senior sister’s sword, Chu Yuan gave a disdainful, cold laugh. “Heh! If you want to kill me, then kill me! Why hesitate?”
The rain washed away the blood on Chu Yuan’s face.
The way he laughed still somewhat resembled the youth from back then who held osmanthus cakes, but his eyes held only mockery. “This does not seem like your usual self, Senior Sister!”
Li Shixue’s brows furrowed tightly.
Her junior brother’s words were like a blunt knife, sawing back and forth across the heart that had been frozen by the Ruthless Path for 300 years.
That ruthless Dao heart, which had been indestructible for 300 years, quietly began to crack.
The hand holding her sword shook violently, and the cold air on the blade began to backlash against her.
Li Shixue gritted her teeth. “Do you want me to kill you that badly? Fine! I will…”
She raised her sword to strike, but her jade-like arm lingered in the air, refusing to fall.
Because Li Shixue knew—
Once this sword fell, the junior brother who had been by her side for many years would truly be gone forever.
For the first time in 300 years, she tasted the feeling of a chaotic heart.
Thump!
At the very moment Li Shixue’s internal world was being turned upside down—
A sound as dull as a war drum echoed from the far distance, overpowering the wind and rain.
Boundless demonic qi rose into the sky like a bursting black tide, carrying the scent of sulfur and blood, dyeing the horizon a heart-palpitating dark red.
Within those churning clouds, a massive shadow slowly rose.
The thick, winding dragon body looked as though it could coil around mountains. Even though only a portion was revealed, its terrifying prestige crashed down like a physical tsunami.
The cultivators with lower cultivation levels nearby immediately groaned, their faces turning pale as they fell to the ground heavily injured.
Chu Yunlan, under the protection of an elder, hurriedly fled back to the safety of the army 100 miles away to avoid the brunt of the pressure.
The Black Dragon lowered its head, its gaze finally landing on Chu Yuan, who was restrained by the Immortal-Binding Rope.
Its cold, vertical pupils constricted slightly. “Who gave you permission to harm my subject?”
The voice was not loud, but it carried an unquestionable power of laws, making one’s soul tremble.
With its appearance, the remaining evil cultivators of the Demon Path Alliance gathered in the west.
At the same time, Chu Yuan disappeared from his spot.
When he reappeared, the Immortal-Binding Rope had been removed, and he was surrounded by evil cultivators in the position of the Demon Path Alliance leader.
Seeing her junior brother rescued, Li Shixue subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief.
However, the rescued Chu Yuan showed no joy at all. Warning bells rang frantically in his heart.
‘It’s all over!’
According to the original script, Feng Aotian should have killed him by now. The Black Dragon Emperor would have arrived right after, flown into a rage, and engaged in a final battle with Feng Aotian.
This interruption had caused the Black Dragon Emperor to save him… everything was a mess now!
Chu Yuan thought to himself: ‘Lao Tong, quick, speak! Are you setting a trap for me? Otherwise, why would Feng Aotian’s behavior deviate from the script???’
[Script Ending: Li Shixue leads the Righteous Path Alliance to slay the Black Dragon Emperor.]
[As long as this fact is met, the host may improvise and still receive the final reward.]
Chu Yuan suddenly understood. ‘Good, good, good! It looks like I have to add more drama to my role!!!’
Having made up his mind, he turned his gaze toward the Black Dragon in the sky and bowed with cupped hands. “My Emperor! Your subordinate is incompetent and forced you to break your seal early! However, the Righteous Path has gone too far. Today is the time for us to show our loyalty!!!”
He suddenly turned his head, his bloodshot eyes sweeping over the remaining cultivators of the Demon Path Alliance in the air. “Three armies, hear my command! Activate the Heavenly Demon Sacrifice Grand Art! Offer our demonic souls to the Emperor to forge supreme demonic might! The moment to wipe out the Righteous Path is now! Everyone, follow me and commit suicide to return to the heavens!!!”
As the final word left his mouth, Chu Yuan summoned a longsword and pressed it against his own neck, seeking a heroic end.
Seeing this, the expressions of the various evil cultivators were filled with the shock of *’Huh? We have to die too?’*
As evil cultivators of the Demon Path Alliance, they were only temporary collaborators for various benefits; they were not willing to sacrifice themselves like this.
Shua!
However, the moment Chu Yuan committed suicide, the eyes of those evil cultivators—who had long been secretly planted with a Demonic Contract—turned crimson.
In the next moment, they were forced to raise their weapons or reverse their cultivation techniques, turning into beams of bloody light that surged toward the giant Black Dragon in the sky.
Only Chu Yuan, his demonic power drained, was left as a broken husk falling straight toward the ground.
“No—!”
Li Shixue cried out in shock, rushing forward to catch her junior brother.