Thriving after the Moon Falls (I Can’t Possibly Take Pity On A Demon) - Chapter 20-Part 1

Chapter 20-Part 1

After the blue flame at her fingertip was extinguished, it was reignited by Liu Shuang.

She moved closer, confirming she hadn’t seen wrong—it was indeed the future demon lord, Yan Chaosheng.

“Enemies always meet on a narrow road,” she thought, encountering the last person she wanted to see.

Liu Shuang recalled what Lord Su Lun had said: Seven hundred years ago, when Yan Chaosheng was young, he studied at Kong Sang. Based on her calculations, this should be around that time.

However, this current Yan Chaosheng appeared much more immature. His hair tie was loose, and he looked utterly disheveled.

His ink-black hair spread out as he lay sprawled on the lotus platform, his skin pale and his limbs twisted in a strange posture.

It was evident that Bai Yuxiao had struck him ruthlessly.

Liu Shuang noticed beneath his slightly disheveled collar that his skin was covered with patches of serpent scales.

These cold, black scales were hideous, with some peeling back and bleeding profusely.

She was somewhat surprised; in her memory, she had never seen Yan Chaosheng with such scales on his body.

Propping her chin on her hand, Liu Shuang’s clear eyes studied Yan Chaosheng, but her heart was cold.

This man had once been her husband—or rather, her ex-husband.

She still remembered how deeply she had loved him in her past life, willingly accompanying him in the ghost realm for a hundred years, planting a garden of brilliant flowers, and waiting alone on a cold, lonely mountain for his return.

In the end, he didn’t even leave her the Mingxi Pearl that Shao You had gifted her.

She wondered how he reacted when he found out about her death.

With Mi Chu by his side, he probably didn’t even think of her.

Without a heart, one becomes wise.

Once an insider, now an outsider, Liu Shuang could clearly see that Yan Chaosheng was quite the scumbag.

It didn’t matter that he didn’t love her.

What was unforgivable was that, knowing he had someone he loved, he still deceived her, using her as a stand-in.

Later, because of his beloved Mi Chu, she was captured and forced to crush her heart, fleeing from the Heavenly Realm back home, where her soul was ultimately scattered.

The past was already over.

Without a heart capable of feeling, love and hate were meaningless.

Liu Shuang touched her chest.

Upon seeing him again, the heart in this body beat calmly, as if analyzing an insignificant stranger.

Reborn, Liu Shuang knew many events that were bound to happen—

Yan Chaosheng would one day destroy Kong Sang.

To prevent this and protect the original owner’s home, the simplest solution was to kill him now.

Without Yan Chaosheng, this Kong Sang immortal realm wouldn’t be destroyed.

With this thought, a faint blue flame formed at her fingertips, and she pressed it against Yan Chaosheng’s neck.

After a long while, she withdrew her hand.

It wasn’t quite right.

The original owner had a knack for getting into trouble but was timid.

She couldn’t even bear to kill someone—if the Realm Lord scolded her harshly, she’d burst into tears.

If Bai Yuxiao returned and saw Yan Chaosheng dead, the Realm Lord would surely figure out she wasn’t the original owner.

Then she’d be in deep trouble.

Though Liu Shuang didn’t particularly care for Yan Chaosheng, she wasn’t going to sacrifice her newfound life for him.

The scent of blood on the young man was overwhelming, and Liu Shuang moved further away from him in disgust.

Looking around, she saw the lotus platform floating on the pond.

She stretched out her leg, planning to quietly push Yan Chaosheng into the water before he woke up.

Nine Thoughts Pond held mist-converting waters, so it wouldn’t drown him.

Once he’d been cleansed, Bai Yuxiao could come back and take him away.

Just as her dainty purple shoe touched the young man’s shoulder, his eyelashes trembled, and he opened his eyes.

In the darkness, Liu Shuang quickly withdrew her foot.

Having spent so much time with the older Yan Chaosheng, she instinctively thought he was still the demon lord who could command the wind and rain.

“If he doesn’t move, neither will I,” she thought.

Liu Shuang carefully observed Yan Chaosheng’s reaction.

She blinked gently, her bright eyes reflecting a flicker of light.

In this setting, she could clearly see his every move.

The young Yan Chaosheng didn’t lift his head to look at her.

He struggled, trying to move his broken arm back into place, as if he needed to complete some action.

He was laboring intensely, blood from his veins staining the lotus platform red.

Completely oblivious, his eyes were red at the corners, and he bit his lip with determination.

Blood trailed down as Yan Chaosheng trembled, finally pulling his arm back.

Liu Shuang heard the sound of bones grinding together—a sound so horrifying it made her wince in pain just watching.

Finally, with his two broken hands trembling, he managed to adjust his disheveled robe.

As his clothing was pulled back into place, the ugly serpent scales were no longer visible. He seemed to have exhausted all his strength, cold sweat covering his forehead as he panted heavily.

The lotus platform was stained with his blood, the petals trembling slightly in the water.

Liu Shuang glanced at the pond.

The shallow red color spread in ripples.

A wicked idea popped into her mind—if she told Yan Chaosheng she’d seen everything, would he spit blood and die on the spot?

But remembering he couldn’t die on the lotus platform, she suppressed her mischievous urge.

After witnessing Yan Chaosheng’s attempts to fix his clothing, Liu Shuang felt suffocated by the stench of blood emanating from him.

Bai Yuxiao had truly tortured him.

He was absolutely filthy.

Who knew how long he had been wearing those bloodstained clothes?

The smell was unbearable.

Liu Shuang held her breath for a while, intending to ignore him, but she couldn’t stand it any longer.

She finally spoke, her voice filled with disdain: “Should I clean you up with a cleansing spell?”

The boy’s shoulder trembled, and after a long pause, he coldly replied, “No need, Young Miss.”

Oh? Another acquaintance of the original owner.

Connecting this with Bai Yuxiao’s earlier mention of a “little demon,” Liu Shuang finally remembered—

Fu Liu had said that after Chishui Liushuang broke off her engagement, she returned from Kunlun to Kong Sang, where she ran into a disciple guarding the mountain gate.

The disciple wanted to search her waist token to verify her identity.

Chishui Liushuang, in her haste to flee the Kong Sang immortal realm, had completely forgotten to bring her jade token.

The disciple, dressed in black, had a stern face.

“No jade token, no entry into Kong Sang.”

Chishui Liushuang had responded, “I’m the Young Miss of Kong Sang! How dare you stop me? Step aside!”

“I’ve never seen the Young Miss,” the boy said, holding his staff horizontally.

“I won’t listen to your one-sided nonsense. If you have a jade token, you may enter. If not, leave.”

Chishui Liushuang attempted to bribe him, but he sneered and struck her hand holding the spirit stone intended for bribery.

This enraged the pampered young Miss.

Even the eldest son of the Bai family usually treated her with great care, yet here was a mere gatekeeper of Kong Sang’s immortal realm daring to raise a hand against her.

Furious, she decided to force her way in.

But this disciple wasn’t easy to deal with.

After exchanging dozens of moves, he managed to drive the inept Young Miss out of the mountain gates.

Liushuang, with her face already changed, trembled with anger and humiliation.

How could the esteemed Young Miss of Kong Sang lose to a mere gatekeeper?

As she saw Fuliu approaching, she feigned unconsciousness, shutting down her spiritual consciousness and blaming her fainting on the audacious young boy.

What she didn’t expect was that after she fell asleep, her soul would be replaced by the current Liushuang.

Recalling the recent night when Bai Yuxiao barged in, saying he would teach the “little demon” a lesson for her, Liushuang couldn’t help but sigh.

So it turns out that Yan Chaosheng was that unlucky disciple who had dared to hit the Young Miss!

Others might not know the details, but Liushuang and Fuliu were well aware that for Yan Chaosheng, this was truly a disaster.

He was dutifully guarding the gate, yet now bore the blame for harming the Young Miss, leading to his current torment by Bai Yuxiao.

It’s impossible that Yan Chaosheng doesn’t hate both herself and Bai Yuxiao.

Now, not only must she eliminate him for the safety of Kong Sang, but with the added grudge, she must also ensure her own survival by not letting him live.

Yan Chaosheng was a prodigy in cultivation.

Once he became the Demon Lord, even a thousand years of her cultivation wouldn’t be enough to defeat him.

While she couldn’t act now, she would immediately find a way as soon as they left the Nine Thoughts Pond.

Liushuang had been observing for a while, and it seemed that Yan Chaosheng was truly very weak.

This made things easier.

There was no need to negotiate.

She dragged him over and performed a cleansing spell on him.

The smell of blood dissipated from the air, and with the fresher scent, Liushuang felt more at ease.

Satisfied, she released him.

The boy, after being tossed around by her, had a faint blush on his cheeks. Whether it was from shame or anger, his chest rose and fell heavily as he opened his eyes and looked at her coldly.

His pupils had a faint silver hue, and as their gazes met, Liushuang realized he could likely see in the dark as well.

She instinctively thought he would curse at her, but after a moment, his lips moved, and not a single word came out.

Finding him uninteresting, Liushuang lowered her eyes.

She withdrew her attention from him and sat far away, returning to her cultivation.

The boy remained silent, not uttering a word.

Initially, the two coexisted peacefully, but before long, Liushuang felt something wet touch her shoes, and the smell of blood resurfaced.

She opened her eyes to see blood oozing from beneath Yan Chaosheng again, flowing toward her feet.

Taking a deep breath, Liushuang realized that demons seemed to have a lot of blood. As long as they had a breath of life, they wouldn’t die.

At this rate, it wouldn’t be long before his blood soaked the entire lotus platform, covering her as well.

Over and over again, without end.

The image of being submerged in a sea of blood made Liushuang shudder.

Overwhelmed by disgust, she quickly moved over and placed her hand over his body.

First, she needed to stop the bleeding.

If Yan Chaosheng kept disturbing her cultivation, and she remained trapped here without an escape, she might have to spend her entire life with him.

She wasn’t the immortal herb anymore; she had no desire to stay with him.

A soft green light enveloped his body from her palm, healing Yan Chaosheng’s wounds.

As she treated him, Liushuang immediately realized just how bad his condition was.

His limbs had been twisted, his meridians severed, and on top of the internal bleeding in his heart and lungs, several ribs had been broken, and his cultivation crippled.

Finally, after much effort, she managed to stop the bleeding.

But she wouldn’t heal any more of his injuries.

Liushuang quickly distanced herself from him and cast a cleansing spell on herself.

Throughout the entire process, Yan Chaosheng remained silent, allowing her to manipulate him.

Had it not been for the occasional twitch, Liushuang would have thought he was already dead.

This time, she closed her eyes, free from any further disturbance.

When Yan Chaosheng was thrown onto the lotus platform, despair filled his heart. He knew that Bai Yuxiao had captured and humiliated him to vent the Young Miss’s frustrations from the Nine Thoughts Pond.

He tried not to dwell on what was to come, shutting his eyes to hide the hatred within.

When the Transcendent Mirror transported him to the lotus platform, he nearly believed it was his deathbed, and he began to reflect on the rare and dull moments of his life.

Born with a demon vein, his earliest memories were of living in a forest with a group of small demons.

Strangely enough, while all demons had a true form—like tigers becoming tiger demons, leopards transforming into leopard spirits, and bird demons taking bird forms—Yan Chaosheng had none.

From the moment he gained consciousness, he looked like a human boy of seven or eight, with no memory of his past except for the black scales covering his body, making him otherwise indistinguishable from a human.

In the demon world, strength was respected, and Yan Chaosheng’s weak appearance made him a target for all.

Every demon wanted to tear a piece of flesh from him.

He could no longer recall how he survived those difficult days, constantly bowing and scraping before the great demons, allowing them to trample on his fragile back.

Many times, he was left half-dead, yet he still crawled and kowtowed to stay alive.

He endured the humiliation, struggling to survive, working tirelessly day and night to cultivate.

Eventually, his power surpassed most of the demons in the forest.

No longer would he be trampled underfoot, nor would he fear being devoured.

But as he grew stronger, his hunger grew as well.

His stomach felt like a bottomless pit, and he devoured everything that could move in the forest.

He grew so hungry that he was forced to consider leaving to find food elsewhere.

However, his demon underlings blocked his way, shaking their heads in fear.

They warned him that the world outside was ruled by the immortal realm.

Since the fall of the ancient emperor Xiangliu, the scattered demons across the eight wilderness had been living in hiding, tails tucked between their legs.

The immortal clan wouldn’t bother with their feeble powers, dismissing them as unworthy of being subdued. But if they dared to step foot on other lands, not only the immortals but even mortal Taoists would capture them.

Unable to endure his gnawing hunger, Yan Chaosheng stayed in the forest, continuing his cultivation.

Not all demons had his patience, though.

One day, a demon ventured out of the forest, only to return as a pile of ashes beneath a Taoist’s spell.

Day after day, the number of demons in the forest dwindled.

Yan Chaosheng refused to wait for death any longer.

He set out to find a way, with a few demons by his side, all trembling as they ventured into the human world.

Though they disguised themselves carefully, it wasn’t long before they encountered a Taoist.

Yan Chaosheng initially avoided violence, knowing that once he killed, it would be a bloody path of no return.

Captured and caged, he heard the Taoists sneer in contempt.

“They think putting on clothes makes them human. A beast will always be a beast, destined to bring chaos to the world. Born lowly, the only value they have is in death.”

The Taoists glanced at the cowering demons in the cage.

“This one has fine fur. Maybe we can fashion a protective charm from it. Ah, and those fangs might make a sharp weapon.”

“Senior Brother, look at this little runt. We’re lucky—this one’s a ginseng spirit. A stew with it will surely boost our strength.”

When they reached Yan Chaosheng, the head Taoist scrutinized him for a moment, then frowned.

“Nothing special about this one. Gouge out his eyes and extract his inner core.”

Yan Chaosheng’s eyes filled with bloodlust and cold rage.

He snapped the cage bars—it was his first time killing humans.

The Taoists’ blood stained the ground at his feet, and he became a wanted criminal in the immortal realm, pursued as a wicked demon incapable of reform.

Again and again, Yan Chaosheng narrowly escaped, but the demons who followed him were not so lucky.

They had turned to him for protection, yet he could neither feed them nor keep them alive.

For every junior Taoist killed, a senior one would come.

The prophecy from long ago came true—demons were skinned, their fangs were ripped out, and the worst fate of all was to have their inner core extracted and their souls trapped.

Yan Chaosheng nodded in silence.

From that point on, he began to strive for immortality and seek the Dao. The words of the little wolf demon echoed in his ears.

Yan Chaosheng endured countless hardships and setbacks, until finally, three years ago, the gates of Kong Sang Immortal Sect opened, announcing they would accept disciples from all corners of the world.

Yan Chaosheng prostrated at their feet, knocking his head on the ground until it bled, finally earning a chance for a test.

He was filled with longing: if he could become a disciple under a master, he would gain respect and finally step onto the path of immortality.

Yan Chaosheng passed through all the trials, his power surpassing that of all the new disciples, but during the bloodline test, the examiner shook his head.

“A disciple with demon blood can only do menial tasks. You are not permitted to enter the immortal sect. You may leave on your own, or stand over there and await further instructions.”

An immense sense of disappointment surged within Yan Chaosheng, but he couldn’t bring himself to leave. He took the token and chose to stay in Kong Sang.

He was assigned to guard the entrance to the immortal realm.

He had heard that three years later, Kong Sang would hold a grand competition, and as long as you were a disciple of Kong Sang—no matter how lowly—if you performed outstandingly, you might catch the eye of an immortal from one of the great clans and have a chance to be accepted as a disciple.

Clinging to this hope, Yan Chaosheng guarded the gate day and night, diligently and faithfully watching over the entrance to Kong Sang.

Yan Chaosheng feared making even the slightest mistake and losing this precious opportunity.

Sometimes, when he looked up, all he saw was the celestial mist, and above him was the boundless sky—a place where one could live long and realize the greatest ambitions of a man.

But when he looked down, he saw an endless abyss—the scattered remains of those who had died around him, their inner cores extracted.

Yan Chaosheng didn’t want to meet the same fate as the little wolf demon.

He was determined to win the competition.

Even if a lesser immortal with modest power and status were to accept him as a disciple, he would be immensely grateful and serve that master loyally.

Season after season passed, and as the competition drew closer, everything was ruined.

All because he had stopped an unidentified woman.

The cultivation he had worked so hard to acquire was abolished, his meridians shattered.

How ridiculous.

Simply because she was the Young Miss.

She was like the clouds in the sky, while he was nothing but dirt beneath her feet.

When she threw him down and he felt her gaze upon him, Yan Chaosheng lay on the ground, suppressing the hatred in his eyes.

After enduring so much hardship, after facing countless hardships in the mortal realm, had he really come to this—unable even to touch the threshold of the immortal path, only to die here?

The pain and unwillingness in his heart were overwhelming.

What would Chishui Liushuang do to him?

Would she swiftly burn his soul, or slowly torture him, like Bai Yuxiao?

Before long, a dainty shoe embroidered with vibrant begonia flowers pressed against his shoulder.

As it was about to stomp down, Yan Chaosheng opened his eyes.

Yan Chaosheng did not want to expose his unsightly body to others, no matter who it was.

He knew that, in the eyes of others, his snake-scaled body was far from pleasing.

Recalling the disdainful gazes of the Taoists when they saw his black scales, he thought, since he was going to die anyway, and no one would bury him, he might as well die with dignity.

Gritting his teeth, Yan Chaosheng straightened his clothes before facing her.

The first thing he saw was a repulsive face.

They said the immortal world was full of beauties, and that was true.

Yan Chaosheng had seen many beautiful fairies passing through Kong Sang.

But the one before him, from the noble ancient Chishui clan, was so ugly it defied description.

It wasn’t surprising that Yan Chaosheng didn’t believe her claim of being the Young Miss of Kong Sang.

Anyone with eyes wouldn’t believe it either.

Rumor had it that the Young Miss of Kong Sang, though young, was an unparalleled beauty, a rarity in millennia.

Could this face really be called “unparalleled beauty”?

Suppressing his pain, Yan Chaosheng was ready to die with her if necessary, but unexpectedly, he heard her say, “Let me clean you up with a cleansing spell.”

Her voice was clear, like pearls dropping onto a jade plate, incredibly pleasant to the ear—completely at odds with her face.

Yan Chaosheng didn’t know what her intentions were, but he knew all too well how cruel and malicious Chishui Liushuang and Bai Yuxiao could be, so he immediately refused.

He thought she would fly into a rage, but she merely blinked and gave up.

After a while, she suddenly dragged him over again.

Yan Chaosheng’s entire body tensed—she still had an interest in tormenting him. A cold fury surged within him as he despised his current powerlessness.

If only he were stronger, fierce and powerful, he wouldn’t be hanging by a thread today, subject to her whims.

She formed a hand seal.

Yan Chaosheng braced himself for the pain to come, but instead, a flash of white light passed, and his dirty clothes were suddenly clean, the bloodstains gone.

Yan Chaosheng couldn’t control his heavy breathing.

Realizing she hadn’t tortured him but had cast a cleansing spell instead, he lifted his gaze.

In the pitch-black Nine Thoughts Pond, Yan Chaosheng could see as clearly as if it were daylight.

His cold, silver eyes could pierce through any darkness, for the dark was where he belonged.

She didn’t touch him, leaving a small, clean space on the narrow lotus platform for him, and went off to cultivate by herself.

For a moment, Yan Chaosheng was confused.

Was that it?

He waited for a while, but seeing that she had no further intentions, exhaustion and pain overcame him, and his long lashes drooped.

Compared to earlier, his body felt much more comfortable and clean.

Yan Chaosheng remained silent.

As long as Chishui Liushuang didn’t pay attention to him, perhaps he could survive.

But not long after, she returned.

Yan Chaosheng clenched his fists.

He hated this feeling of walking on eggshells, of having his fate in someone else’s hands.

It was just like when the little wolf demon and the others had died—there had been nothing he could do.

Despair and hatred consumed him, and he couldn’t help but think: if he self-destructed and destroyed his inner core, would it be enough to injure her?

If he were to die, he’d at least bite off a piece of her flesh.

But before he could self-destruct, the girl’s palm emitted a soft, gentle light that enveloped his body.

Yan Chaosheng felt as if he were bathed in a misty, gentle water.

The green light soothed his pain little by little.

His body trembled involuntarily under the healing. His silver eyes flickered with a mix of anger and confusion.

What was she up to?

After destroying him and shattering his last hope, she now cleaned him up, gave him space, and even healed the injuries inflicted by Bai Yuxiao.

His tightly clenched fists ached, and even after the pain in his body had lessened, Yan Chaosheng still couldn’t understand her intentions.

Was she really not going to kill him?

After his bleeding stopped, he stayed on the lotus platform for three days, silently observing her.

Yan Chaosheng knew that although Chishui Liushuang’s spiritual energy was weak, she still possessed the immortal bloodline of the Chishui clan.

If she wanted to kill him now, it would be easy.

She kept her eyes closed, her face as ugly as ever, but her long lashes were light and graceful like a fan.

Yan Chaosheng had a vague feeling that she might have even forgotten he was beside her.

His pupils shifted, turning silver due to his severe injuries.

Once his condition improved a bit, they finally returned to their normal pitch-black color.

He lowered his head, filled with vigilance and hatred.

Chishui Liushuang and Bai Yuxiao were playing a good cop-bad cop game.

One was harsh, the other kind, hitting with a stick and then offering a sweet date—clearly they had a plan.

Whatever it was, he thought coldly, she wouldn’t succeed.

For Liushuang, cultivation was now the most important thing in her life.

She paid no attention to Yan Chaosheng’s gaze and focused entirely on observing the spiritual marrow of the body she now inhabited.

For those born with an immortal bloodline, the spirit marrow determined a person’s talent and foundation. The purer the color of the spirit marrow, the better the foundation.

Liushuang channeled a trace of immortal energy to examine the spiritual marrow.

It was a pure ice-blue color, so faint it was almost transparent.

The spiritual marrow would become brighter with cultivation, but with such a faint spiritual marrow, like a pearl covered in dust, the power of the Chishui clan’s immortal bloodline could not be fully realized.

Over time, as it became brighter, she would grow stronger.

Liushuang worked hard to absorb immortal energy to fill it, and eventually, after some time, there was progress—it was as if a hand had wiped away the dust.

Liushuang was delighted, but she didn’t show it.

A thin layer of ice-blue mist gently surrounded her, light as silk.

After a while, however, Liushuang realized something was wrong.

Although she could absorb the immortal energy into her body, she couldn’t properly control it.

The energy was chaotically swirling inside her, and for a moment, the lotus platform seemed to be scattering blue snow.

Liushuang regretted cultivating so hastily.

The body she now inhabited was used to slow, steady progress, and with the accelerated pace of cultivation, it couldn’t keep up.

She could sense the faint signs of a heart demon forming.

Liushuang tried hard to regain control of the rampaging immortal energy.

Recalling her past life’s mastery of healing techniques, she had no choice but to attempt converting the energy into gentle healing spell.

Across from her, the young man let out a low, stifled groan.

Liushuang opened her eyes to see Yan Chaosheng in a sorry state on the other side of the lotus platform.

Under the impact of her chaotic immortal energy, his already damaged meridians were in excruciating pain.

The energy was like knives, repeatedly slicing through his body.

He must have endured it for a long time before he finally couldn’t hold back that groan.

Seeing the veins bulging on the back of his hands as he tried to break through the lotus platform, Liushuang hurriedly called out, “Don’t move!”

She was at a critical moment with her damaged spiritual marrow, and any disturbance in the Nine Thoughts Pond would be disastrous.

But expecting him to remain completely still while in such pain was clearly asking too much.

Liushuang thought of how seriously Su Lun used to deceive her and decided to adopt a similar tactic, saying seriously, “Bear with it. Don’t you want to restore your meridians and start cultivating again?”

A cold laugh escaped from his lips.

“Since the Young Miss has harmed me like this, why would she help me now?”

Liushuang couldn’t let Yan Chaosheng realize she was facing a huge challenge with her spiritual marrow.

If she could successfully control the immortal energy and avoid damaging her spiritual marrow, her cultivation would progress rapidly.

If she failed, her spiritual marrow would be ruined, and even a good foundation would be lost.

She coughed lightly and spoke softly, “I realize I was wrong. I shouldn’t have treated you that way, and I regret it. Truly. When I returned, I was in a deep sleep and didn’t know Bai Yuxiao had tortured you like this. I want to make amends—really, I just want to heal you. Please, give me a chance to make it right.”

In the past, the little immortal herb used to speak to him with nothing but affection.

Although Liushuang couldn’t feel that emotion anymore, the skill of acting it out came naturally.

The young man stared at her for a long time, and Liushuang felt especially nervous.

Finally, he gritted his teeth and remained silent, enduring the pain without making another sound.

He actually believed her!

Liushuang was thrilled and focused entirely on converting the immortal energy.

Gradually, the icy blue energy softened, swirling gently around the lotus platform.

Liushuang carefully guided it, and in the end, she successfully protected her spiritual marrow from harm.

The chaotic energy transformed into a soft green healing light.

She exhaled and opened her eyes, only to find Yan Chaosheng on the other side of the lotus platform, nearly collapsed from exhaustion.

The boy was drenched in sweat, his face deathly pale, as if he had experienced agonizing pain akin to dying and coming back to life.

Yet, by some twist of fate, the words Liushuang had casually said to deceive him had actually come true.

Trapped on the lotus platform, Yan Chaosheng had endured the purest of her immortal energy.

The soft green energy threaded through his body, miraculously mending his broken meridians.

Liushuang: “…”

She didn’t know whether to say Yan Chaosheng was lucky or unlucky.

He had suffered a hundredfold of the pain but had regained his fully healed meridians in return.

For the first time, she realized that the person before her was still a young and naive boy.

She had tricked him into staying still, and despite such unbearable pain, he hadn’t moved a muscle, clinging to the hope of healing his meridians.

If this had been the arrogant demon lord Yan Chaosheng seven hundred years later, he would have likely jumped up and attacked her by now.

When Yan Chaosheng finally groaned in pain under the rampaging immortal energy, he was almost ready to kill the girl in front of him.

Her immortal energy rampaged through her body, like sharp, merciless blades, tearing at his already damaged meridians.

The pain was so intense he nearly lost all reason, wanting to smash through the lotus platform.

His blood nearly reversed its flow, his teeth chattering from the pain.

Just then, the person opposite him opened her eyes and said, “Bear with it. Don’t you want to restore your meridians and start cultivating again?”

Of course, he wanted that.

He had dreamed of joining the immortal sects and becoming the strongest being in the world, no longer hunted by Taoists, no longer at the mercy of others.

How could he resign himself to being a cripple?

But it was a bitter joke.

Why would she, the one who harmed him, now help him heal his meridians?

Yan Chaosheng didn’t believe a word she said.

She was the one who had trapped him, and now she claimed to want to heal him?

It was absurd.

He didn’t trust her.

Then he heard her soften her voice, gently saying, “I realize I was wrong. I shouldn’t have treated you that way, and I regret it. Truly. When I returned, I was in a deep sleep and didn’t know Bai Yuxiao had tortured you like this. I want to make amends. I just want to heal you. Please, give me a chance to make things right.”

Did she really not know what Bai Yuxiao had done?

No, a voice inside him told him not to believe her—she was just a liar.

Yet, Yan Chaosheng had wandered through so many lonely years, and no one had ever coaxed him in such a gentle tone.

Perhaps the pain had clouded his judgment, but Yan Chaosheng found himself wanting to take a chance, to bet on that tiny possibility she offered.

He still wanted to return to the path of immortality, to compete in the grand competition. He couldn’t fall here.

If she truly wanted to kill him, she wouldn’t have bothered coaxing him—she could have just killed him outright.

With this thought, he gritted his teeth and silently chose to gamble.

Yan Chaosheng had always been ruthless with himself.

Under the onslaught of her chaotic immortal energy, time felt endless, and countless waves of pain swept over him, but he endured every bit of it.

By the end, he was in so much pain he could no longer even tremble.

He passed out from sheer agony.

Before losing consciousness, he thought, “Thank goodness. My meridians have really been reconnected. She wasn’t lying.”

He didn’t know how much time had passed before he regained consciousness and opened his eyes.

He caught the scent of something sweet, coming from the girl across from him.

Yan Chaosheng, being of a demonic body, could devour anything he desired if he willed it.

Chishui Liushuang, with her ancient bloodline and the immortal energy she had cultivated, exuded an aroma that was irresistible.

Her body’s immortal energy, rich and powerful, smelled so sweet it was intoxicating.

In the past, Yan Chaosheng had heard people say the young miss of Kong Sang was a weakling, but now he saw that wasn’t true.

Her cultivation had progressed rapidly, and in just a few days, the once thin, mist-like spiritual energy had nearly solidified into tangible form.

His Adam’s apple moved as he looked away. He could now sit up, examining his core, which had shrunk significantly after his cultivation had been destroyed. His fists clenched slightly.

The Kong Sang competition was approaching, but everything had already been lost.

A flash of ridicule passed through Yan Chaosheng’s eyes.

If he could, he’d devour Chishui Liushuang, regaining all the immortal energy he had lost. But such a method would not only defy the heavens but also be impossible to escape from Kong Sang after killing the young miss. The old realm lord could crush him with just a finger.

Suppressing the killing intent in his heart, he lowered his eyes.

Did she really think that healing his meridians and showing remorse would make up for everything?

How laughable.

A few days later, the spiritual energy dissipated, the lotus platform bloomed to its fullest, and Liushuang joyfully opened her eyes to find that she had broken through!

Outside the Nine Thoughts Pond, the sound of bells rang out.

Liushuang glanced over and saw that the restraint on the lotus platform had disappeared without a trace.

Liushuang stood up lightly and flew out of the pond without even glancing back at Yan Chaosheng, who remained on the lotus platform.

As she had expected, the realm lord, though stern on the surface, deeply adored his daughter.

The moment there was any disturbance in the Nine Thoughts Pond, he had already been waiting outside for her.

As soon as Liushuang emerged, she was enveloped in a warm, fragrant embrace.

A woman gently stroked her face, her eyes brimming with tears of heartache.

“My dear Shuangshuang, how did you become so thin? It’s all your father’s fault for punishing you like this. I told him the spiritual veins were his concern. How could he bear to sacrifice my darling Shuangshuang?”

The woman’s tears fell onto Liushuang’s hair, and in her embrace, Liushuang’s cold heart felt as if it had been softly touched.

Unlike the imposing Chishui Chong, the sight of this gentle and elegant lady brought forth a rush of warmth and grievance.

Liushuang couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed, unsure if these emotions were her own or remnants of the original owner’s feelings.