The Beginning of Hell

That was something that happened an unknown number of years ago.

In a remote corner of the Southern Province, within the Yin Demon Sect.

A youth wearing a heavily patched gray robe, possessing a chaotic five-element spirit root, was casually picked up by an elder of the Yin Demon Sect who was out on business, becoming the most lowly chore disciple in the sect.

And he was none other than Ye Xuan.

Despite his lowly status, he was incredibly handsome.

Even his tattered clothes could not conceal his clear and refined features. His aura, like that of a banished immortal in distress, made him a peculiar sight within the Yin Demon Sect.

Countless female demonic cultivators drooled over him, wanting to capture him to use as a human cauldron.

It was also at that time that he met Zi Yao.

At that time, Zi Yao was not yet Fairy Zi Yao, nor was she a female demon who killed without blinking an eye.

She was just a newly admitted junior sister with a similarly tragic background.

The two fell in love at first sight.

Within this cold, cruel, and deceitful demonic sect, two lonely hearts leaned closely upon each other.

Those were Ye Xuan's happiest days.

They cultivated together in the mass grave on the back mountain, shared a single moldy spirit cake, and looked forward to a future where they achieved the true fruit of cultivation and roamed the world freely.

However.

Sweet dreams are easily broken, and beautiful clouds easily scatter.

During a sect assessment, Zi Yao unexpectedly awakened the legendary Profound Yin Dao Body.

For demonic cultivators, this physique was the world's top-tier human cauldron, as well as an absolute genius for cultivation.

The Sect Master of the Yin Demon Sect, Patriarch Yinku, an old devil in the late Golden Core stage notorious for his cruelty and lust, immediately took Zi Yao as his personal disciple on the spot.

From then on, they were as far apart as the clouds and the mud.

Ye Xuan remained that outer sect chore disciple struggling in the mud.

Meanwhile, Zi Yao leaped onto a high branch and became a phoenix, transforming into an aloof and exalted true disciple senior sister.

Everything changed.

At first, Ye Xuan still went to look for her, full of joy.

He waited in the back mountain for a whole night, just to give her a bottle of Qi Gathering Powder he had desperately completed tasks to exchange for.

But that day, when Zi Yao appeared, she was surrounded by several inner sect senior brothers dressed in brocade clothes with profound cultivation.

They talked and laughed cheerfully, full of high spirits.

Zi Yao wore a gorgeous purple-gold flowing immortal dress, with exquisite makeup and a smile like a flower. It was a kind of charm Ye Xuan had never seen before—captivating, confident, yet carrying a hint of pandering to the men around her.

Ye Xuan stepped out from behind a tree, just about to call out Yao'er.

Zi Yao's gaze swept over him.

For a split second, her eyes dodged, but then they became incomparably cold.

Oh, isn't this that piece of trash chore disciple?

A senior brother beside her saw Ye Xuan and mocked him with a face full of banter: What? You also want to come and admire Junior Sister Zi's beautiful face?

The crowd roared with laughter.

Ye Xuan ignored them, only staring fixedly at Zi Yao. His eyes were full of anticipation, hoping she would stand up to defend him like before, or at least... call him Brother Ye.

But Zi Yao did not.

She merely cast a faint glance at Ye Xuan, as if she were looking at a beggar by the roadside, a stranger.

Junior Sister, this kid is staring at you, it's so disgusting. Do you want me to gouge out his eyes? a senior brother asked ingratiatingly.

Zi Yao covered her mouth and chuckled, her voice clear and cold:

Senior Brother must be joking. He's just an ant, why dirty your hands?

Let's go, Master is still waiting for me.

Having said that, she turned and left.

The hem of her dress swept across the ground, bringing up a fragrant breeze.

From beginning to end, she never looked at Ye Xuan again.

Ye Xuan stood stiffly on the spot. The medicine bottle in his hand dropped to the ground with a smack, shattering to pieces.

The powder scattered all over the ground was just like his instantly broken heart.

The following days were like death by a thousand cuts for Ye Xuan.

Rumors and gossip spread throughout the entire sect as if they had grown wings.

Did you hear? Junior Sister Zi Yao spent the night in Eldest Senior Brother's cave dwelling last night.

Ha, what's that? The day before yesterday, I even saw her and the Law Enforcement Elder 'sparring' in the back mountain.

Tsk tsk, that Ye Xuan's head has long been green enough to be a vast grassland, and he's still foolishly going to deliver spirit stones.

Ye Xuan didn't believe it.

He didn't believe that the pure and kind Zi Yao would become like this.

He crazily took on tasks, earning meager spirit stones day and night, just to buy some spirit food that Zi Yao loved to eat, or pills beneficial to her cultivation.

Even though he was only in the Qi Condensation stage, he still wanted to do his utmost to treat her well.

Until that day.

Carrying the Clear Heart Pastry he had bought with spirit stones he painstakingly saved for three months, Ye Xuan braved the heavy rain and arrived outside Zi Yao's cave dwelling.

He wanted to give her a surprise.

However, the moment he pushed open the door.

Smack!

The food box fell to the ground.

He saw Zi Yao sitting in front of the dressing table, her clothes somewhat disheveled.

And standing behind her was an old man with a withered appearance and a face full of corpse spots. It was none other than the Sect Master, Old Devil Dry Bone!

One of the old devil's hands, withered like a chicken claw, was brazenly wrapped around Zi Yao's slender waist, and was even slowly caressing it.

Zi Yao's body trembled slightly, but she did not resist.

Disciple, who is he?

The old devil glanced at Ye Xuan, who stood dumbfounded at the door, his voice sinister and bone-chilling.

Through the mirror, Zi Yao saw the youth at the door, drenched and deathly pale.

A trace of imperceptible pain flashed in her eyes, but it was instantly replaced by coldness.

Replying to Master.

Zi Yao's voice was so calm that it didn't have a single ripple:

Just a stranger.

A stranger.

These words were like a sharp sword, viciously stabbing into Ye Xuan's heart and stirring it to pieces.

Ye Xuan trembled all over. Pointing at that old devil, his voice was hoarse:

A stranger...?

Zi Yao... I am your husband!

Your master... why is he in your room? What are his hands... doing?!

Hearing this, a trace of killing intent flashed in the old devil's murky eyes.

Oh? Is this that trash husband of yours?

The old devil released his hand around Zi Yao's waist, took a step forward, and the pressure of his Golden Core stage pressed down on Ye Xuan like a massive mountain:

Since he is trash, keeping him around is just an eyesore. How about your master helps you get rid of him?

Hold on!

Zi Yao suddenly stood up and blocked the old devil.

What? Does your heart ache for him? The old devil narrowed his eyes.

No.

Zi Yao's expression was cold. Without even looking at Ye Xuan, her tone carried a bit of disgust:

Killing an ant like this will only dirty Master's hands.

Furthermore...

Zi Yao paused, then said coldly:

I divorced him a long time ago.

Since we no longer have any ties, what crime warrants his death? Just chase him away.

Divorced?

How could I not know?

Ye Xuan stood frozen on the spot, looking at the woman who used to act coquettishly in his arms and swore she would marry no one but him, now looking at him with the most unfamiliar gaze.

Scram!

Zi Yao shouted sternly. With a wave of her sleeve, a surge of spiritual energy directly blasted Ye Xuan flying.

If you dare to come and harass me again in the future, there will be no need for Master to take action. I will kill you myself!

The heavy rain poured down.

Ye Xuan collapsed in the muddy water. Looking at that tightly shut door, he let out a heart-wrenching wail.

A few days later.

Ye Xuan, like a walking corpse, arrived by a small river.

This was the place where they had once pledged their love.

Ye Xuan looked at the surging river water, his heart like dead ashes.

Ye Xuan.

A soft, melancholy voice sounded from behind.

Ye Xuan snapped his head around.

He saw Zi Yao standing under the willow tree, her face somewhat pale, looking at him with a complex expression.

"I missed you so much," Zi Yao said softly, her eyes slightly red.

Hearing this, a nameless anger flared up in Ye Xuan's heart.

Missed me?

Missed me while you were in that old devil's embrace?

Missed me while you were in the beds of those senior brothers?

"True Disciple Zi."

Ye Xuan took a step back to distance himself, a sneer of unprecedented mockery hanging on his face:

"Why say such things?"

"You are a lofty personal disciple, and I am but a lowly outer sect handyman."

Hearing the title "True Disciple Zi," Zi Yao trembled all over as if struck by lightning. "What... what did you just call me?"

"I called you True Disciple Zi."

Ye Xuan pulled out a letter of divorce from his robe—one that had been written long ago, repeatedly soaked by tears and dried—and threw it viciously in front of Zi Yao.

"We were never people of the same world."

"You party every night with those big shots; how could a piece of trash like me ever be worthy of you?"

"It is only fair and reasonable for you to divorce me!"

"This is the letter of divorce! From now on, we go our separate ways, and neither of us has anything to do with the other!"

Zi Yao looked at the divorce letter on the ground, then at Ye Xuan's resolute gaze.

Suddenly.

"Sob..."

She crouched down, covered her face, and began to weep bitterly.

"I was forced to do it... I had no choice..."

"No choice?"

Ye Xuan sneered repeatedly, pointing at her nose as he cursed:

"You looked pretty happy when you were with them!"

"You smiled so sweetly when you were toasting the eldest senior brother!"

"I just wonder, which one of them is your new Dao companion? Is it that master of yours who wants to kill me? Or those senior brothers? Or..."

Ye Xuan gritted his teeth and said viciously:

"Or are they all your Dao companions?"

Slap!

A crisp slap echoed through the air.

Zi Yao stood up and slapped Ye Xuan fiercely across the face.

Her eyes bloodshot and tears streaming down her face, she pointed at Ye Xuan and roared:

"Is this really how you see me?"

Ye Xuan clutched his cheek, throwing his head back in laughter until tears fell from his eyes:

"How else am I supposed to see you?"

"I saw your master in your room with my own eyes! I saw him wrapping his arms around your waist!"

"A lone man and a lone woman in the same room—how do you expect me to believe you?"

Zi Yao took a deep breath, wiped away her tears, and a look of desperate sorrow emerged in her eyes:

"Do you think I wanted this?"

"My master... that old beast, he is the enemy who slaughtered my entire family!"

Ye Xuan froze. "What?"

Zi Yao gritted her teeth, her voice overflowing with monstrous hatred:

"Before I joined the sect, my clan was exterminated, and he was the one who did it! It was because he needed a special cultivation vessel physique to practice his demonic arts, and I am exactly the vessel he is raising in captivity!"

"How could I ever give myself to the man who murdered my father?"

"As for those senior and junior brothers..."

Zi Yao closed her eyes and said in agony:

"I only mingle with them to sow discord."

"That old beast wants me to cultivate to the Golden Core stage before he harvests me, so he won't touch me right now."

"But he has an intense desire to control me. I have to act promiscuous so that those senior brothers and elders will fight over me. Only by throwing the sect into chaos... will I have a chance to take my revenge! Only then will I have a chance to survive!"

"Ye Xuan, I am doing all of this just to stay alive, just for revenge!"

"I have never lost my purity! I am still clean!"

Hearing all this, Ye Xuan was completely dumbfounded.

So... this was the truth?

She was bearing such humiliation, dancing among a pack of wolves, all for the sake of revenge?

A wave of pleasant surprise instantly surged into his heart.

"Is it true?" Ye Xuan grabbed her shoulders excitedly.

Zi Yao threw herself into his arms, nodding with grievance. "How could I lie to you... You are the only one in my heart..."

Ye Xuan's heart ached beyond measure, and he apologized repeatedly:

"I'm sorry... I wronged you..."

"But we are no match for that old devil. It's too dangerous here!"

"Zi Yao, let's go! Since you are still pure, let's flee right now! Let's run far away! We can come back for revenge after our cultivation has grown stronger!"

However.

Hearing the word "flee,"

Zi Yao pushed him away and shook her head, her eyes full of bitterness:

"We can't escape."

"That old beast planted a 'Yin Demon Heart-Devouring Seal' inside my body. The moment I step a hundred miles away from the sect, my heart will explode and I will die."

"Furthermore... because I cultivate a special demonic art, if I don't receive his spiritual energy infusion for a period of time, my meridians will reverse, and I will suffer a fate worse than death."

"I can't leave."

"I've lost my freedom. My fate is no longer my own."

Ye Xuan grew anxious. "Then what should we do? Are we just going to wait around?"

"He isn't touching you now because he wants to fatten you up for the slaughter. Once you reach the Golden Core stage, you still won't be able to escape death!"

Zi Yao looked at Ye Xuan's anxious yet utterly helpless demeanor, and an extremely concealed, yet undeniably real trace of disdain flashed in her eyes.

Yes, disdain.

She loved him, but she also looked down on his weakness.

In this cruel cultivation world, what use was love alone?

His anger was merely incompetent fury, and his concern was nothing but cheap words.

"Husband."

Zi Yao looked at him, her tone turning somewhat cold:

"Aside from telling me to flee, do you have any good plans?"

"Can you kill him? Can you break my seal? Can you fight your way out of the siege and take me with you?"

Ye Xuan opened his mouth but found himself speechless.

He was only at the Qi Condensation stage, while the other party was at the Golden Core stage.

He couldn't even withstand a single finger from that man.

"I..." Ye Xuan lowered his head, overwhelmed with shame.

Zi Yao sighed, adjusted her clothes, and returned to her usual aloof demeanor:

"Since you don't have the ability, then listen to me."

"My interactions with those senior brothers are all fake. I have already made preparations. Right now, there are many within the sect who have a poor relationship with the old devil. I will use my body as bait to contact them, and even contact other sects."

"This is a massive gamble."

"Ye Xuan."

Zi Yao looked at him deeply and delivered her final verdict:

"For the sake of the big picture, and so that we can survive."

"Starting today, we must not have any contact on the surface."

"No matter what you hear or see, you must endure it."

"Only then can you survive, and only then can I fight for that sliver of hope without any worries holding me back."

"Rest assured, I will not lose my purity."

With that said, Zi Yao turned and walked away.

Leaving Ye Xuan all alone, standing by the river, watching her back and feeling like absolute trash.

And this was merely the beginning of hell.