The Price of Betrayal

Great Xia Imperial Palace, Weiyang Palace.

This used to be Ye Xuan's favorite place to stay, but now it had been decorated by Wu Lingxiao into something resembling a gilded cage.

Inside the hall, the atmosphere was oppressive to the extreme.

Ye Xuan sat in the seat of honor, holding a cup of spirit tea in his hand, and took a gentle sip.

Wu Lingxiao and Zi Yao, two women who could cause an earthquake in the cultivation world just by stomping their feet, now stood below him on the left and right like two primary school students who had made a mistake. Neither dared to speak first.

Sit.

Ye Xuan put down his teacup. His voice was terrifyingly calm, without the slightest ripple.

This simple word was like an imperial decree. Only then did the two dare to sit down carefully.

But they only dared to sit on the edge of their seats, their bodies tense.

Um... Husband... Zi Yao finally couldn't help it, wanting to break this suffocating silence.

Shut up.

Ye Xuan shot her a cold glance, his eyes devoid of any warmth. Did I tell you to speak?

Zi Yao immediately shut her mouth, wringing her fingers in grievance. Where was the slightest trace of a Demon Venerable's demeanor?

At this moment, she was like a little kitten reprimanded by its owner, only able to shrink her body, not daring to make a sound.

Ye Xuan took a deep breath and leaned back against the chair with a tired expression.

His gaze slowly swept over the two of them. The icy look made both women feel a burst of piercing chill.

Deep in Ye Xuan's heart, a cold killing intent was slowly rising.

Looking at the two women before him, what surged in his heart was not love, but disgust and anger.

Betrayal. This word was like a thorn deeply pierced into his heart. Every time he thought of it, it brought an agonizing pain.

But he couldn't show it. At least not now.

He needed the power of these two women; he needed their protection.

So he had to suppress the killing intent in his heart and use the calmest method to thoroughly tame them.

Ye Xuan took a deep breath, leaned back against the chair wearily, and swept his gaze over them. The reason I called you two together this time is to make things clear.

I don't like beating around the bush, nor do I want to see you two turn the world upside down fighting over me.

In short, this is the situation.

Ye Xuan held up a finger, his tone resolute and decisive. Bai Qianqiu is the fated heroine. She is also the one I acknowledge as my official wife.

This point cannot be changed, and it cannot be shaken.

As soon as these words came out, Zi Yao's face instantly turned ugly, as if she had been slapped in public. Her fingers tightly gripped her sleeves, her nails almost piercing the fabric. Although Wu Lingxiao was mentally prepared, hearing these words still made her heart feel as sour and unbearable as being pricked by needles.

As for you two...

Ye Xuan's gaze lingered on the two of them, the corners of his mouth curling into a meaningful smile. There was no warmth in that smile, only cold calculation.

You will just be my concubines.

What?

Zi Yao and Wu Lingxiao stood up almost at the same time, their faces written with disbelief and anger.

Concubines? Wu Lingxiao's voice changed pitch. Ye Xuan, do you know what you are saying?

I am the Empress of Great Xia! The supreme existence who rules over billions of subjects! You want me to be your concubine?

Wu Lingxiao's body trembled slightly with anger. In the cultivation world, the status of a concubine was as low as dust. It sounded nice to call them concubines, but in reality, they were no different from slaves. They could be bought, sold, gifted, or even executed at will.

Between some mighty figures in the cultivation world, gifting concubines to each other was even considered a good story, just like exchanging precious playthings.

What did this mean?

It meant that if they became Ye Xuan's concubines, Ye Xuan could beat and scold them at will, give them away as gifts, or sell them to a brothel when he was in a bad mood, and they would have no power to resist!

This was not a marriage; this was absolute slavery!

Ye Xuan! Zi Yao's voice was so sharp it seemed to pierce the sky. Are you crazy?

I am the Demon Venerable! I rule the Heavenly Demon Sect, and I have a million demon troops under my command! You want me to be a concubine?

Blazing anger burned in Zi Yao's purple eyes. Demonic energy leaked from her body uncontrollably, forming twisted black patterns in the air.

What is a concubine? That is a commodity that can be bought and sold at will! A plaything that a master can beat to death if he is unhappy!

Do you know how those mighty figures in the cultivation world treat concubines? They give them to each other as gifts! They trade them at will like goods!

You want me, a dignified Demon Venerable, to become the kind of existence that can be disposed of at will?!

Zi Yao pointed at her own nose, her voice trembling with rage.

I would rather die than accept such an insult!

Wu Lingxiao also gritted her teeth and said,

Ye Xuan, you are humiliating us! An absolute humiliation!

Becoming a concubine means our lives and deaths are in your hands! You can sell us to anyone at any time, and you can give us away as gifts!

Do you think we will accept such a condition?! In your dreams!

Facing the fierce protests and angry roars of the two women, Ye Xuan's expression did not fluctuate in the slightest. He just sat there quietly, waiting for them to finish venting their emotions.

Are you done speaking?

Ye Xuan asked faintly, his voice terrifyingly calm.

No! Zi Yao's chest heaved violently. Unless you take those words back, otherwise...

Otherwise what?

Ye Xuan slowly stood up and walked step by step in front of the two. Although he currently had no cultivation base and was only slightly taller than them, in terms of aura, he was completely crushing them.

This unhurried posture instead made the two women feel an inexplicable sense of oppression.

Ye Xuan stood still in front of them, his gaze as sharp as a knife.

You are very angry? You feel I am humiliating you?

He suddenly sneered, his voice becoming bone-chillingly cold.

Then let me ask you one thing.

You once betrayed me. Is that a fact or not?

Boom!

These words were like a heavy hammer, smashing ruthlessly onto the hearts of the two women.

Zi Yao's face instantly turned deathly pale. The one who had been so aggressive just a moment ago now seemed to have all the strength drained from her body. Wu Lingxiao also lowered her head, a deep sense of guilt and pain flashing in her eyes.

Answer me. Ye Xuan's voice brooked no doubt. You betrayed me. Is it a fact?

I... Zi Yao opened her mouth, but found she couldn't say any words of defense.

Yes, she had betrayed him.

For a bit of resources, for a momentary desire, she had betrayed this man. That was an eternal thorn in her heart, a stain she could never erase.

Wu Lingxiao also fell silent. She had likewise betrayed Ye Xuan. Although there were various reasons, betrayal was betrayal, an unalterable fact.

Ye Xuan stood up, walking step by step in front of them, his expression so calm it was chilling.

I, Ye Xuan, am no cuckold, nor am I a man magnanimous enough to forgive being given a green hat. To me, betrayal is an absolutely intolerable bottom line.

He stared at Zi Yao's pale face, his voice bone-chillingly cold.

"You could have been my official wives, possessing all my love. But the moment you chose to betray me, you lost that qualification forever!"

"Let me tell you the truth."

Ye Xuan spread his hands, his tone carrying undisguised mockery. "Right now, my cultivation is completely gone, making me no different from a mortal. I need your strength to protect me. That is why I am showing great mercy by leaving a place for you."

"This is your only chance, and it is also your chance to atone."

Ye Xuan's eyes were ice-cold. "In my, Ye Xuan's, eyes, betrayal must be met with a bitter price! And becoming concubines devoid of any dignity is the price you must bear!"

"If betrayal comes with no cost, and you can be forgiven just by shedding a few casual tears, wouldn't that be indulging betrayal? Wouldn't I, Ye Xuan, truly become a massive joke for anyone to manipulate?"

The two women were pale as paper, biting their lips tightly without saying a word. Endless regret and shame gnawed at their hearts like venomous snakes.

Looking at these two lowly women before him, what surged in the depths of Ye Xuan's heart was extreme disgust and intense killing intent.

Were it not for the fact that his cultivation was currently destroyed and his meridians severed inch by inch, he would have long since taken a sword and chopped these two fickle sluts into minced meat.

Keeping them was nothing more than utilizing trash, squeezing out their remaining value to protect himself through his period of weakness. The day he returned to his peak would be the time of reckoning!

But he concealed it perfectly. On the surface, he still maintained a cold and ruthless appearance, yet tinged with a hint of helplessness.

"Of course..."

Ye Xuan's voice suddenly softened, gaining a trace of pacification in his tone. "As long as you do not betray me again and know your place, I won't actually be so heartless as to sell you off like goods. As concubines, as long as you are obedient, you will always be able to get by."

A slap in the face, followed by a sweet date.

This insignificant grace actually sounded like heavenly music to the two women who were already on the verge of breaking down.

Zi Yao gave a miserable laugh, her eyes full of desolation. "You want me to be your concubine, relying on the current you? Aren't you afraid that I might kill you in a fit of rage?"

"Relying on her."

Ye Xuan pointed at the sky, his tone revealing a despair-inducing certainty.

"Sword God Palace, Sword Son of Heaven, Ye Jiuhuang."

Hearing this name, Zi Yao and Wu Lingxiao both trembled all over at the same time, as if plunging into an ice cave.

"Now, give me your answer!"

Ye Xuan looked at the two coldly and issued an ultimatum.

"Live if you wish, die if you must."

"Anyway, my life is worthless right now. If I die before Ye Jiuhuang comes out of seclusion, you will both be buried with me."

Seeing Ye Xuan's suicidal demeanor of not wanting to live and being ready to self-destruct at any moment, the two women completely lost their temper.

They couldn't bear to hit him, and they didn't dare to kill him. Furthermore, there was a True Immortal-level Sword Immortal glaring like a tiger watching its prey over there.

Other than compromising, there was no other way.

A long silence.

The atmosphere inside the hall was oppressive to the extreme.

Finally, Zi Yao took a deep breath and squeezed out a word through her gritted teeth.

"Alright."

This word was spoken extremely softly, yet it seemed to have exhausted all the strength in her body.

The dignified Demon Venerable, the supreme existence ruling over billions of demonic cultivators, now had to submit to a man without any cultivation and become his concubine. This massive disparity almost completely shredded her self-esteem.

Wu Lingxiao also closed her eyes and said in a hoarse voice.

"I... also agree."

The Great Xia Empress, the ruler of all people, also had to lower her noble head at this moment.

Hearing these two sentences, the corners of Ye Xuan's mouth curled up into an icy arc.

He succeeded.

He had successfully trampled underfoot these two once aloof and remote women.

Deep within Ye Xuan's heart, the icy killing intent did not dissipate; instead, it became even more intense.

He looked at these two submissive women before him, and what surged in his heart was not pity, but an almost morbid thrill.

Yes, he hated them.

He hated their betrayal, hated their disloyalty.

But he still needed them right now. He needed their strength, needed their protection.

Therefore, he could not kill them for the time being.

But one day, when he rose again, when he no longer needed them...

Ye Xuan's eyes became even colder.

That day would be their time of death.

The price of betrayal was absolutely not as simple as just becoming a concubine.

The true price was death.

It was just that now was not yet the time.

Ye Xuan took a deep breath, suppressed the killing intent in his heart, and revealed a gentle smile on his face.

"Very good."

"Then it is decided."

"From today onwards, this Weiyang Palace is your home."

Ye Xuan walked up to the two of them and reached out to gently stroke their cheeks.

His actions seemed very gentle, but the two women felt a bout of bone-piercing chill.

"Welcome home, my... concubines."

Ye Xuan's voice was very soft, but every word was like a spell, firmly binding the two women to his side.

Zi Yao and Wu Lingxiao lowered their heads, tears continuously flowing down.

They knew that from today onwards, their fates had been completely altered.

They were no longer the lofty Demon Venerable and Empress, but Ye Xuan's concubines, mere accessories that could be disposed of at will.

This was the price of their betrayal.

A price so heavy that it was suffocating.