I Enthrone You as the Mysterious Consort

"You are not allowed to die! I forbid you from dying!!"

Wu Lingxiao went mad.

She threw herself forward, recklessly channeling the vast, ocean-like spiritual energy of her Tribulation Stage cultivation.

Countless precious pills were crushed in her hands as if they were worthless, transforming into a surging medicinal force that was driven into Ye Xuan's body.

"Reverse Yin and Yang! Come back to me!!"

The terrifying spiritual energy forcibly sealed Ye Xuan's severed blood vessels, repairing his damaged windpipe and tissues.

Under the desperate, cost-ignoring treatment of a Tribulation Stage almighty, even someone with half a foot in the grave could be forcefully dragged back.

Half an incense stick's time later.

The wound on Ye Xuan's neck healed at a visible rate, until even the scar disappeared.

He slowly opened his eyes. The dead silence in his gaze turned into endless despair the moment he saw Wu Lingxiao.

"Why..."

Ye Xuan's voice was hoarse as tears slid down his cheeks:

"Why... won't you even let me die..."

With that, he raised the bloodstained hairpin in his hand again, about to plunge it into his chest.

Smack!

Wu Lingxiao slapped the hairpin away and, with a backhand motion, shot a stream of spiritual energy into Ye Xuan's body, completely sealing his ability to move.

"Want to die? Do you even have the right?"

At this moment, where was even a shred of the Empress's grace in Wu Lingxiao?

Her face was covered in blood, her hair disheveled, and her expression as ferocious as a man-eating demon.

It was an extreme rage born from extreme fear.

For a split second just now, she truly thought she was going to lose him.

This sense of losing control drove her insane.

"Didn't you think I was dirty? Didn't you want to preserve your purity?"

Wu Lingxiao tore away the last remaining shreds of clothing on Ye Xuan's body and pressed down on him with a sinister smile:

"Good! Very good!"

"Since you want to die, I will grant your wish!"

"I will make sure this body of yours, even if turned to ash, belongs only to me!"

This crazy torment lasted for three whole days and nights.

The doors of the Weiyang Palace were tightly shut. Only intermittent sounds that made one blush and their heart race, mixed with painful whimpers, drifted out.

Outside the door.

A heavy snow was falling.

The Empress Consort, Zhou Xubai, dressed in plain white clothes, stood quietly at the bottom of the steps.

He had been standing there for three days.

Every sound that came from inside the palace was like a poisonous thorn stabbing fiercely into his heart.

"Your Highness, let us go back..."

The old eunuch behind him advised sympathetically, "Her Majesty is still in high spirits. I'm afraid... she won't be coming out anytime soon."

Zhou Xubai remained expressionless, but his hands hidden in his sleeves had their nails dug deeply into his palms, dripping with blood.

"Three days..."

He muttered to himself.

He remembered clearly that on the night of their grand wedding, Her Majesty had only stayed in his room for a single night.

The next day, she hurried off to handle state affairs.

Because of that, he was envied by everyone in the harem for a long time.

But now.

For a lowly commoner at the Qi Condensation Stage, for a useless piece of trash who only knew how to cry and make a fuss.

Her Majesty had skipped morning court? She hadn't taken a single step out of her bedchamber for three whole days and nights?

Jealousy, like a venomous snake, frantically bit into Zhou Xubai's originally gentle and jade-like heart.

"Ye Xuan..."

A strong trace of murderous intent flashed beneath Zhou Xubai's lowered eyelids:

"You really have good methods."

It wasn't until the morning of the fourth day.

The palace doors that had been closed for three days finally opened a crack.

A few court ladies went in carrying hot water and a change of clothes. When they came out, their faces were flushed red.

"This Ye Xuan... truly has Her Majesty's favor."

In a corner, two young court ladies were whispering to each other.

"Yes, I heard his voice is completely hoarse. Her Majesty is truly enamored this time. I've never seen her so... so devoted to anyone."

These words drilled into the ears of Zhou Xubai, who hadn't gone far, without missing a single syllable.

He stumbled and almost fell.

"Your Highness!" The attendant quickly supported him.

"I am fine."

Zhou Xubai pushed the attendant away, took a deep breath, and put back on his dignified and virtuous smile, though it looked incredibly stiff no matter how one looked at it:

"Her Majesty favoring a newcomer is a blessing for the state. I must be magnanimous."

Inside the bedchamber.

It was a mess.

Wu Lingxiao, wearing a loose sleeping robe, sat on the edge of the bed looking refreshed.

She looked at Ye Xuan, who was lying motionless on the bed like a broken doll. A hint of satisfaction flashed in her eyes, along with a barely noticeable trace of pity.

She reached out and undid the restriction on Ye Xuan's body.

"Alright, you've made enough of a fuss, and you've already tried to die."

Wu Lingxiao's voice softened considerably:

"You should rest now. I really liked your performance these past few days."

"I have already drafted the decree. From this moment on, you are titled Consort Xuan, and you are granted residence in the Sweet Dew Palace, which is closest to me."

"This is an extraordinary honor that even Lin Zimo and the others couldn't beg for."

However.

She hadn't even finished speaking.

Ye Xuan, having just regained his mobility, didn't hesitate at all, nor did he even spare her a glance.

He suddenly sprang up from the bed and threw himself headfirst toward the nearby golden pillar!

Bang!

"Damn it!"

Wu Lingxiao reacted extremely fast, instantly wrapping the golden pillar in a soft layer of spiritual energy.

Ye Xuan crashed into the soft spiritual energy barrier, bounced back, and fell to the floor.

But he didn't give up.

He crawled up, opened his mouth, and bit down hard on his own tongue!

"Freeze!"

Wu Lingxiao practically teleported in front of him, grabbed his chin, and sealed the meridians throughout his body once again.

This time, Wu Lingxiao wasn't furious.

Looking into Ye Xuan's eyes, which were filled with the will to die, a deep sense of powerlessness rose in her heart.

Three days and nights of possession, countless acts of favor, and even the promise of a high position.

Was it all completely useless?

"Ye Xuan."

Wu Lingxiao stared fixedly at him, her voice trembling:

"What exactly do you want?"

"Is living not good? Is wealth and glory not good? Have I not treated you well?"

Ye Xuan couldn't move, nor could he speak.

But he answered her with his eyes.

His gaze was terrifyingly calm, still conveying the same message—

What I want is one lifetime, one couple. If you can't give me that, then set me free. Otherwise, I will die.

Wu Lingxiao understood that look.

She suddenly began to sneer, her laughter shrill and mournful:

"One lifetime, one couple? Does a Qi Condensation ant like you even deserve that?"

"For you, I should give up the three thousand beauties of the harem? Give up my Empress Consort, Zhou Xubai? Give up the marriage alliances with the Four Great Families?"

"Ridiculous! It's simply an idiot's daydream!"

Ye Xuan slowly closed his eyes.

Since that was the case, there was nothing left to say.

His lips moved slightly, soundlessly mouthing three words:

You are filthy.

"Ahhhh!"

Wu Lingxiao completely broke down. She raised her hand, wanting to strike dead this ungrateful wretch with a single palm.

The wind from her palm was fierce, blowing Ye Xuan's hair into a mess.

But he didn't even twitch an eyelash; there was only the anticipation of release.

In the end.

The palm stopped three inches from Ye Xuan's forehead.

Wu Lingxiao's hand was trembling, her chest heaving violently. After a long while, she dejectedly lowered her hand, looking as if she had instantly aged ten years.

"Men."

She turned her back, her voice hoarse:

"Take Consort Xuan... back to the Sweet Dew Palace."

"Wash him... clean."

Sweet Dew Palace.

It was a hundred times more luxurious than the Changmen Palace, and as warm as spring.

But for Ye Xuan, this was just another, more exquisite cage.

After he was sent back, the palace maids prepared to serve him his bath.

"Get lost!"

Ye Xuan shoved everyone away.

He rushed into the bathing room, grabbed a loofah like a madman, and scrubbed viciously at his own skin.

Over and over again.

His skin turned red, broke open, and beaded with blood.

But he felt no pain.

He only felt dirty.

That woman's scent, that woman's touch, was like a festering ulcer attached to his bones, seeping deep into his marrow.

"I can't wash it off... why can't I wash it off..."

Ye Xuan scrubbed as he wept.

Bloody water dyed the bathing tub red.

After washing, he put on his clothes expressionlessly.

He glanced at the airtight array formations surrounding him, and at the Body Integration realm guards stationed at the door.

There was no way out.

Then he would starve himself.

Then he would smash his head against the wall.

As long as he had a breath left, as long as he could move a single finger, he would try every possible method to seek death.

Wu Lingxiao dispatched over a dozen eunuchs to watch him around the clock, twenty-four hours a day.

When he tried to bash his head against the wall, he was stopped.

When he tried to bite his tongue, his mouth was gagged.

When he went on a hunger strike, Fasting Pills and spiritual liquids were forced down his throat.

Every time a suicide attempt failed, Wu Lingxiao would storm over, cursing at him while healing him, followed by another bout of frenzied humiliation, attempting to use physical pleasure to numb his will.

But Ye Xuan was like a stubborn rock.

His body could be possessed, could be broken.

But his heart would forever remain cold.

One month later.

The side hall of the Sweet Dew Palace.

This place had been converted into a special prison cell.

There were no sharp edges or corners in the room; the walls and floors were lined with thick, soft padding.

Ye Xuan lay on the bed.

At this moment, he could no longer be called a complete human being.

To prevent him from committing suicide, Wu Lingxiao had used a secret art to seal his divine soul and imprison his flesh.

Aside from breathing and thinking, he couldn't even blink his eyelids on his own.

He just lay there with his eyes open, staring blankly at the ceiling like a living corpse.

The Imperial Study.

Wu Lingxiao sat on the dragon throne, looking haggard, with deep dark circles under her eyes.

Over the past month, she had been driven nearly insane by Ye Xuan's torment.

"Your Majesty."

A cold yet melodious voice sounded.

A woman dressed in a purple official's robe, with an aura as elegant as an orchid, walked in.

The Prime Minister of the Great Xuan, Shangguan Wan'er.

She was Wu Lingxiao's closest friend, the mastermind of this Great Xuan Immortal Dynasty, and the only person who dared to speak the truth to Wu Lingxiao at a time like this.

"How is... Ye Xuan?"

Wu Lingxiao rubbed the space between her eyebrows, her voice utterly exhausted.

Shangguan Wan'er sighed, a flash of pity crossing her eyes.

"Still the same. As long as the seal on his divine soul loosens even slightly, the very first thing he does upon waking is attempt suicide."

"Even... even in his dreams, he cries out that he is dirty."

Bang!

The imperial memorial in Wu Lingxiao's hand was crushed to powder.

She looked up, her eyes bloodshot, and gritted her teeth.

"He actually... still finds me disgusting?"

"I have already humbled myself so much! I have already held him in the palm of my hand! Why is he so insatiable?"

Shangguan Wan'er looked at her crazed friend and shook her head helplessly.

"Your Majesty, do you still not understand?"

Shangguan Wan'er said softly,

"For a person like Ye Xuan, his heart is made of colored glaze. It is utterly pure and clear, but also utterly fragile."

"Trying to make him submit is not that easy."

Shangguan Wan'er stepped forward and advised in a low voice,

"Your Majesty, let him go."

"It would be better to grant his wish and let him leave the palace."

"With a temperament like his, you cannot control him. If this continues, all you will get is an empty shell, or even... a corpse."

Wu Lingxiao froze.

Let him go?

Let Ye Xuan leave?

Let him live that kind of free and unrestrained life, poor but happy?

Let him marry an ordinary woman in the future, smile at that woman, and treat that woman well?

The moment she thought of that scene...

Wu Lingxiao's heart felt as if it were being bitten by ten thousand ants, driving her mad with jealousy.

No!

Wu Lingxiao stood up abruptly and let out a hysterical, maniacal laugh, the sound filled with a sickly paranoia:

"Ridiculous! Absolutely ridiculous!"

"A mere man, and you think I cannot control him?"

"I am the Empress of the Great Xia! All men in this world are my playthings! If I want him to live, he lives; if I want him to die, he dies!"

"He wants freedom? In his dreams!"

Inside the Sweet Dew Palace, the candlelight flickered, yet it failed to warm the freezing chill that filled the room.

When Wu Lingxiao once again stepped into this luxurious cage, everyone around held their breath.

She dismissed her attendants. Her bright yellow casual robes gave off a cold gleam in the candlelight, and every step she took closer felt as if she were stepping on the tip of one's heart.

On the bed, Ye Xuan remained in the exact same posture.

His ability to move had been sealed, leaving him to lie there like a wooden puppet.

But when he felt Wu Lingxiao's aura drawing near, his originally hollow and lifeless eyes instantly focused.

What kind of eyes were those.

There was no fear, no reverence, only a hatred and disgust so intense it could not be dissolved.

This gaze was like a rusty, blunt knife, slicing away at Wu Lingxiao's pride again and again.

"Do you really hate me that much?"

Wu Lingxiao looked down at him from above, her voice suppressing a rage on the verge of erupting. "I have given you the best palace, the finest pills. As long as you nod your head, you would be second only to one and above tens of thousands in the entire Great Xia! What on earth are you being so pretentious about?"

Ye Xuan could not speak, but he stared dead at Wu Lingxiao, the muscles at the corner of his eyes twitching slightly. That was him trying to bite his tongue, trying to use any method possible to express his resistance.

This silent defiance drove Wu Lingxiao even more insane than his previous hysterics.

"Good... very good!"

Wu Lingxiao violently flicked her sleeves. The oppressive aura belonging to a Tribulation Transcendence realm mighty figure shook the furnishings in the hall until they trembled.

"Since you don't want to see me, then I will leave you to fend for yourself! I'd like to see just how long those stiff bones of yours can hold out!"

After saying that, she turned and strode away, her back revealing an unconcealable wretchedness and fury.