Chapter 326

She hadn’t seen such an expression in Pei Ji’s eyes for a long time.

His dark pupils were desolate, like a lifeless, barren snowfield strewn with dead things, as if an eternal night loomed, with not a hint of hope in sight.

Blood hung in the cold winds like fog that refused to dissipate.

This was Pei Ji’s sea of consciousness, and Ning Ning, unable to break free from the demonic energy binding her hands, could only try to speak, “Pei Ji, I—”

But he left no room for her to explain.

Pei Ji’s voice was terrifyingly cold, filled with unmasked disgust: “Impostor.”

No sooner had he spoken than the demonic energy coiled back up her legs, swiftly binding her entire body and tightening with sudden force.

Ning Ning stifled a painful groan, biting her teeth hard.

The youth’s gaze grew more irritated and impatient, his demonic energy engulfing her like a surging tide.

Each thread of it closed in tighter and climbed ever higher, stopping only when it reached her neck.

Her slender neck seemed so fragile, yet he showed no hesitation as he reached out, his icy fingertips touching her pale skin.

Then he began to squeeze, gradually applying pressure.

Only as he witnessed the onset of death did a glimmer of morbid interest light up the depths of Pei Ji’s dark eyes.

He looked at her pained, furrowed brows as though she were a helpless insect, struggling pointlessly.

His expression remained impassive, save for the tightening grip of his fingers.

The demonic energy overwhelmed nearly her entire body, her bones crying out in agony.

Ning Ning couldn’t breathe; she couldn’t resist.

“He’s a madman,” the voice of the system whispered in her mind, as though watching a spectacle.

“Truly terrifying. I’ve cycled through countless reincarnations, but I’ve never seen him like this… If it weren’t for Tian Xianzi’s sudden appearance, not only you but probably all those demons would have died at his hand.”

Ignoring it, Ning Ning struggled to gather her dissipating consciousness and muster whatever strength she could.

Pei Ji’s face was devoid of emotion, but beneath his hand, he could feel her pulse, beating frantically against the side of her neck.

His eyes sparked with a strange interest as he applied more pressure, causing the girl before him to tear up slightly.

She was so fragile, her skin a mere thin layer, with countless ways it could be torn open.

Just like on that sand dune, where with a slight twist of the blade, vivid red blood had splattered out.

The memory was sharp, and Pei Ji’s gaze grew darker.

“…You lied to me.”

His voice carried bitterness, his tone quivering with barely restrained anger and pain.

“You said you liked me… that you would treat me well.”

This was what he really wanted to tell Ning Ning.

His fingers tightened, but just as the demonic energy swirled around her, something lightly tapped his lowered left arm.

—She’d broken free of her bonds, at least enough to free a short length of her right hand.

He frowned impatiently and lowered his gaze.

And in that instant, he froze.

The girl’s hand was pale, marred with cuts, and covered in a fine layer of dust from the wind.

And in her hand she held a tiny toy.

…It was a rabbit made of grass and twigs.

The very same rabbit he’d once given to Ning Ning in the floating tower.

His fingers paused against her throat.

Back then, he had been a reserved and solitary figure, unsure of how to interact with others, without a single valuable item to his name.

Even if he wanted to make Ning Ning happy, all he could do was clumsily hand her the little toy he had crafted.

An insignificant, almost worthless thing.

And yet she had kept it so carefully, as if it were truly precious to her.

Who else, besides her, would have preserved it?

His heart beat violently, and an intense, twisting pain surged within him.

The demonic energy around them shuddered, like tree branches struck by an icy winter wind, suddenly retreating in confusion.

Pei Ji’s mind was blank.

His eyes, once dark and fathomless, slowly turned a delicate shade of red, like peach blossoms quietly blooming on water, casting a pale pink reflection across its surface.

His crow-black lashes quivered, rippling out a faint pink hue from his gaze.

In a voice that was broken, hoarse, and almost disbelieving, he whispered, “Ning… Ning?”

The hand gripping her neck was rigid, uncertain, and helpless.

Pei Ji’s heart was in turmoil as he stood, staring blankly into her eyes.