Boom!
With almost no time to react, Ye Shu was instantly swallowed by the erupting Green Lotus Sky Flame. The azure-blue flames swept across his entire body, seeping inward through his pores and beginning to scorch his Eight Extraordinary Meridians, his flesh, his everything.
Before Ye Shu could even process what was happening, a tsunami of pain engulfed him. First came a bone-piercing chill, followed immediately by boundless, blazing flames that burned furiously.
The Green Lotus Sky Flame acted like a venomous snake, slithering madly through his meridians. Wherever it passed, the meridians were scorched and torn apart, only to rapidly heal and be torn apart once again.
This was the unique characteristic of the Green Lotus Sky Flame.
Although it was a flame symbolizing destruction, it possessed an incredibly powerful healing ability.
But this healing ability became Ye Shu's greatest source of agony.
"Argh!!!!!"
He fell to his knees with a heavy thud, pressing his hands tightly against his temples and roaring at the top of his lungs, attempting to alleviate the tearing, burning pain. He rolled on the ground, trying to extinguish the flames on his body, but it was all to no avail.
Pain!
It hurt so much!
This endless cycle of being torn apart and healed was like madly smashing one's toes against the corner of a table until flesh and blood flew and the toenails were ripped off, yet being unable to stop.
It was more painful than anything he had ever experienced.
At this moment, he truly just wanted to die.
"Shu'er!"
Danxia floated out from the ring. Looking at Ye Shu, who was kneeling on the ground and clawing at his own skin like a madman in an attempt to ease the pain, her eyes filled with heartache.
How could this be?
How did it come to this?
Shu'er's plan was nearly perfect, yet something had gone wrong at the very end when absorbing the spiritual flame.
Why did the Green Lotus Sky Flame suddenly riot?
She reached out, wanting to help him suppress it, but it was completely useless. Ye Shu did not practice the Flame Mantra; facing a spiritual flame, there were no shortcuts.
He could only endure it head-on with his willpower and spiritual energy.
"Ugh..."
Ye Shu half-kneeled on the ground, the azure-blue flames burning fiercely on his back, illuminating the entire bedchamber. His throat no longer had the strength to make a sound.
His consciousness had already begun to blur.
Pain... really could kill a person.
The mirror-smooth floor reflected his current appearance.
His hair was scattered, his clothes in tatters, his face contorted like a madman. His body was covered in massive bloody streaks, with sparks seeping out from his pores.
Ye Shu looked at himself in the reflection.
How... pathetic.
He could feel that his body had already begun to beg for death. When pain surpasses a certain threshold, life abandons its survival instinct and instead walks the path of seeking death.
His muscles were collapsing.
His bones were shattering.
His blood was boiling.
Is this... the end?
Having exhausted all schemes and believing he had outsmarted everyone, was he really going to fall at this final step?
Reason told him he could not fall.
But... but it just hurts so much...
It hurts...
Ye Shu's consciousness drifted in the darkness.
He felt as though he had been thrown into a furnace, and then crushed beneath ten thousand fathoms of glacial ice. Cold and heat tortured him in turns, tearing and healing repeating in an endless cycle. His body had gone numb, but his sense of pain was only growing clearer.
Seeing him grow increasingly lifeless, Danxia was going crazy with anxiety.
Meanwhile, in a corner no one could see, in a very hidden spot on Ye Shu's body—at the base of his thigh—a delicate and petite white snake was wrapped around his leg, concealed beneath the burning azure flames.
"You audacious little thief... Daring to take advantage of the critical moment when this Queen was refining the strange flame to flip my skirt and kiss me, and even trying to kill me, forcing this Queen to evolve prematurely and turn into this petite form!" Medusa gritted her teeth, her vertical pupils filled with venomous resentment.
Looking at Ye Shu's agonizing state, a flash of vindication finally crossed Medusa's eyes.
But this was not enough. The booklet said this boy had astonishing willpower, capable of toying with numerous Soul Formation experts. He might actually manage to endure it.
I must add a little something extra.
Medusa's eyes flickered.
Although her evolution was incomplete and her new body was still in its infant form, with less than one percent of her strength remaining, this new form was the legendary Nine Nether Profound Serpent physique. It possessed a rare and deadly venom. As long as she landed a solid bite, even a Void Return expert would perish!
"Boy, to receive this Queen's first bite."
"You can die in peace."
Medusa opened her mouth, revealing two tiny fangs, aimed them at the base of Ye Shu's thigh, and viciously bit down.
Venom was instantly injected.
By now, Ye Shu had already fallen into a coma.
It wouldn't be long before the Green Lotus Sky Flame absorbed all the spiritual energy in his body, stopped healing his flesh, and turned everything he had into fuel, burning him to ashes.
But right at this moment.
Within Ye Shu's dantian, a dark green bead seemed to sense something. It spun rapidly, emitting a piercingly bright light.
"Ye Shu..."
"Ye Shu..."
"Who? Who's calling me?"
On his deathbed, Ye Shu groggily opened his eyes. A beautiful face actually appeared before him. The person was wearing a simple little white dress, her hair dancing in the wind, looking at him with worry.
It... it was Xia Hanmo.
Despite his hazy consciousness, he still recognized the woman in the white dress at a glance.
"Ye Shu, you can't die yet."
Xia Hanmo stared into his eyes, very serious.
"Why? I'm so tired... really so tired..."
Ye Shu's voice was very soft, like a decaying fallen leaf, his eyes filled with confusion.
"Because you promised me you would come back to find me."
Xia Hanmo gently grasped his hand, caressing his exhausted profile. "If you feel tired, just come back. Don't go out risking your life anymore. I'll take care of you."
"Have you forgotten your promise?"
"I..."
Ye Shu was stunned. The scene of him leaving the wooden cabin suddenly surfaced in his mind. The young girl stood on the eaves, staring blankly at his retreating back. Her lips moved, but she said nothing.
He said he would return.
Ye Shu snapped awake.
Right!
I said I would go back.
There are still people waiting for me. I still have unfulfilled promises. I still have attachments.
If I die, what will happen to those half-snake people? They are still waiting for me to return. What about Xiaobai? The system hasn't been resolved yet. What about Master? I haven't rebuilt her body yet. What about Xia Hanmo? Her poison body hasn't been cured yet.
Xiaobai needs me, Master needs me, Little Fairy Doctor needs me, Qingli needs me.
I cannot fall yet!
Back in reality, inside the bedchamber.
Just as Danxia and Xiaobai were overwhelmed by total despair, the fallen Ye Shu suddenly snapped his eyes wide open.
"Cosmic Starry Sky!!!!"
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!
Cheng's father told him he was getting remarried—to a wealthy woman. Cao Cheng realized his time had finally come: he was about to become a second-generation rich kid. Sure, it might be a watered-down version, but hey, at least he'd have status now, right? The wealthy woman also had four daughters!! Which meant, starting today, Cao Cheng gained four stunning older sisters?? But that wasn't even the whole story... "My name is Cao Cheng—'Cheng' as in 'honest, smooth-talking gentleman'!"
