The Transformation of Ye Xuan

The heavy black iron doors of the hall slowly closed behind him, completely isolating Xia Lengyue's miserable screams and the pungent stench of blood in another world.

Ye Xuan stopped in his tracks, tilted his head up slightly, and took a deep breath of the outside air.

He adjusted his collar with a look of immense satisfaction, the residual warmth of Xia Lengyue's blood still lingering on his fingertips.

The lingering traces of tyranny had yet to completely fade from his pitch-black eyes, replaced instead by the ultimate pleasure of trampling and mercilessly crushing his enemy beneath his feet.

Passing through the gloomy corridor, Ye Xuan stepped onto a wide and luxurious white jade gallery within the imperial palace.

On both sides of the gallery, gilded pillars carved with dragons and phoenixes reflected a cold and majestic luster in the sunlight.

It was early afternoon. The sunlight poured down through the gaps in the glazed tiles, yet it could not warm the chilling aura of murder that wreathed Ye Xuan's body.

Thud!

Thud!

As Ye Xuan's lazy and casual footsteps echoed, the eunuchs and maids who had been sweeping and patrolling on both sides of the gallery suddenly felt their knees give way, kneeling in unison on the freezing white jade floor tiles.

They pressed their heads firmly against the ground, trembling like leaves in the wind, not even daring to breathe too loudly. In extreme terror, everyone shouted out with voices trembling so much they cracked:

Your servants greet Her Highness, Consort Xuan! May Your Highness live a thousand, thousand years!

Consort Xuan.

This possessive harem title, specially established for him by the Great Xia Empress, Wu Lingxiao, would likely be seen as a humiliating disgrace if bestowed upon an ordinary male cultivator.

But Ye Xuan did not care at all; in fact, he greatly enjoyed it.

He looked down condescendingly at these people kneeling at his feet like ants, a careless sneer curving the corners of his mouth.

Just then, a set of exceedingly soft footsteps came from the corner of the gallery.

The newcomer was a young girl in a cyan silk dress with flowing water sleeves.

She wore her hair in a drooping bun, her face delicate and gentle, and her autumn-water-like eyes were filled with worry and deep, unmelting tenderness. It was none other than Ye Xuan's current personal maid, Ying'er.

Ying'er closely followed to Ye Xuan's side, stopping half a step away from him.

She dared not get too close, yet was reluctant to stay too far away. She raised her head, and when her gaze met the heart-palpitating smile on Ye Xuan's lips, she blanked for a moment.

Master... Ying'er's voice was as soft as a spring breeze, trying to soothe the murderous aura around him. You look... to be in a good mood?

Ye Xuan stopped and turned his head to look at Ying'er.

His eyes, which had just been filled with brutality, miraculously withdrew all their sharpness the moment he looked at her, becoming gentle and profound.

He even raised his hand and completely naturally tucked a stray strand of hair behind Ying'er's ear, nodding. Yes, I just went to the cellar and thoroughly tortured Xia Lengyue. Listening to her desperate and helpless screams, looking at her wretched, wishing-for-death appearance... my mood is indeed much better.

These extremely cruel words, floating so lightly from his peerlessly handsome mouth, made Ying'er's heart suddenly throb with pain.

Her eyes reddened slightly, and her nose felt a bit sour.

Others only saw the viciousness and madness of Consort Xuan, but what she saw was her master's riddled heart, which had been brutally carved to pieces and barely stitched back together with hatred.

Master... Ying'er called out softly, her voice carrying uncontrollable heartache.

Ye Xuan ignored her sentimentality. He turned around and leaned casually against a cold, gilded pillar.

He narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze looking somewhat misty and entranced as the sunlight refracted across them.

Ying'er, aren't you curious about something? Ye Xuan's voice suddenly deepened, carrying a trace of self-mockery.

Ying'er looked up, gazing at him obediently, waiting for him to continue.

Ye Xuan chuckled lightly. His gaze swept past Ying'er to look at the endless sky beyond the imperial palace, his eyes becoming incomparably profound. Why was the me of my past life so infatuated, so devoted?

His voice paused, and his gaze sharply snapped back, locking firmly onto Ying'er's face as a complex emotion flashed in his eyes:

But the present me has you, has Zi Yao, has Empress Wu Lingxiao, and even Bai Qianqiu. Compared to the Ye Xuan of the past life who felt that even looking at another woman was a betrayal.

The current me is truly such a scumbag, don't you think?

Ying'er was startled by his sudden words.

She lowered her head in trepidation, her slender fingers anxiously twisting the hem of her clothes. Her voice was as quiet as a mosquito. This servant's status is lowly, how could I ever be mentioned in the same breath as Big Sister Bai or Her Majesty the Empress? As long as I can stay by Master's side and serve you, Ying'er is completely satisfied...

I asked you to answer my question.

Ye Xuan's tone abruptly turned cold, interrupting her self-deprecation.

He suddenly reached out, two fingers pinching Ying'er's chin like iron pincers, forcing her to raise her head and look him straight in the eyes.

Tell me.

Ye Xuan leaned in slightly, his gaze as sharp as a falcon's, carrying an irresistible sense of oppression. Why have I turned into this current state?

Pinched so hard it hurt, tears welled up in Ying'er's eyes, but she dared not dodge. She could only meet Ye Xuan's highly aggressive gaze and hurriedly say in a trembling voice:

Th-that... that is because you are different from your past life, Master!

Oh? Ye Xuan raised an eyebrow. The force in his fingertips loosened slightly, and a cold smile of great interest hooked the corners of his mouth. How am I different? Tell me about it.

Ying'er took a deep breath. Forcibly enduring the pain in her chin and the sorrow in her heart, she enunciated every word, The you of your past life only had the memories of one lifetime. You were blinded by Xia Lengyue, thinking that was the entirety of deep affection. But...

Ying'er's voice began to tremble, and her tears finally broke their banks, sliding over Ye Xuan's cold fingers. But the you of this life, in your mind, you don't just have the memories of one lifetime, but the memories of many, many lifetimes!

Ye Xuan's pupils suddenly shrank, and the fingers pinching Ying'er's chin abruptly stiffened.

In those memories of reincarnation... they are all filled with pain!

Crying, Ying'er shouted out the secret hidden in the deepest depths of Ye Xuan's heart. They dug out your heart, extracted your bones, and stole your destiny!

Because you have seen your own tragic deaths too many times, because you have endured the pain of betrayal stacked over a hundred lifetimes... that is why you are in so much agony! You no longer believe in any hypocritical devotion; you can only use this cold ruthlessness to disguise yourself.

That is why you have become the way you are today.

Hearing these words, the kneeling maids and eunuchs around them buried their heads even lower in terror. Breaking out in cold sweats, they wished they were deaf, absolutely not daring to listen to such royal secrets.

Ye Xuan stared fixedly at Ying'er's tear-stained face, stunned for a full half an incense stick of time.

His chest began to heave violently, and bloodshot veins spread across his eyes at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Haha...

An extremely deep laugh vibrated from his chest.

Immediately after, this laughter grew louder and louder, becoming more and more hysterical.

Hahahaha!

Ye Xuan abruptly released Ying'er's hair and threw his head back, erupting into an extremely mad and tragic roar of laughter directed at the dome of the corridor.

There was not a shred of joy in his laughter, only a shrill and desperate sound like an evil spirit from the abyss.

"You are right! You are so right! Hahahaha!"

Ye Xuan looked like an absolute madman. He stumbled back two steps, covered his face with his hands, and shot a twisted glare through the gaps between his fingers. "Those memories... the memories gifted to me by my good sisters and good wives... they are truly unforgettable!"

Seeing his frantic, deranged state that bordered on qi deviation, Ying'er pushed aside her fear. She hurriedly took a step forward and gripped Ye Xuan's arm tightly, her voice laced with tears.

"Master! Please don't be like this... You are in pain, Ying'er knows you are in pain!"

"Pain?" Ye Xuan suddenly lowered his hands and pulled Ying'er into his embrace with a backhand grab.

His eyes became incredibly cruel in that moment, and his lips curled into an extremely tyrannical arc.

"Memories are always painful, I won't deny that."

"But the current me no longer wants to suffer this pain in silence!"

Ye Xuan raised his head, his gaze seemingly piercing through the heavy palace walls to look into the distance. A chilling malice and savage delight flickered in his eyes.

"I will return the pain of these hundred lifetimes of reincarnation a thousand, ten thousand times over to them! Most importantly... I will make those women who once stood high above and betrayed me suffer even more! More desperate! Wishing for death!!"

Looking at Ye Xuan's highly unstable mental state, Ying'er bit her lower lip so hard that blood seeped out.

She held Ye Xuan's trembling body tightly, the worry in her eyes thick and unyielding.

She knew that her master's soul had been completely twisted by hatred and the agony of a hundred reincarnations.

Right at this moment, Ye Xuan's maniacal laughter came to an abrupt halt.

The madness on his face receded like the tide, replaced by a bone-chilling, absolute calmness.

This jarring transition—from hysterical one second to as placid as an ancient well the next—felt incredibly eerie.

Ye Xuan turned his head to look at the still-shaken Ying'er. The corners of his mouth even lifted into an extremely gentle yet utterly temperatureless smile.

"When I first arrived in this world, my memories were still chaotic, and I couldn't remember many things."

"But just recently, I suddenly awakened the memories regarding Yun Meng."

"It was exactly because of this memory that I completely obtained the core inheritance of the Six Paths of Samsara Heavenly Scripture."

Ye Xuan tilted his head back slightly. Deep within his pitch-black pupils, six ancient golden vortexes slowly rotated, exuding a desolate aura that stood above all living beings. "This also means that before long, I will completely merge the reincarnated memories of ten thousand lifetimes."

He spread his arms wide and took a deep breath, his eyes alight with excitement.

"At the same time, I will also master all the cultivation methods, all the secret arts, and all the cultivation experience I have accumulated over these ten thousand lifetimes!"

Hearing these words, Ying'er's stunningly beautiful eyes instantly widened, and she stood frozen in place.

Memories of ten thousand lifetimes? Cultivation methods and experience of ten thousand lifetimes?

If he could truly assimilate all of that, what kind of terrifying existence would her master become in this world?! This was a stroke of fortune capable of overturning the entire cultivation world!

However, after her brief shock, Ying'er's heart suddenly tightened.

She immediately realized the suffocatingly cruel truth hidden behind this monstrous fortune.

"B-but..." Ying'er's lips trembled violently as large teardrops smashed against the white jade floor tiles. She looked at Ye Xuan with a tragic expression. "Master, you just said... all those memories involve being betrayed by the ones you loved the most... they all end in a tragic death..."

Facing Ying'er's heartbroken gaze, Ye Xuan merely adjusted the hem of his clothes nonchalantly, his expression as calm as a pool of dead water.

"It doesn't matter."

Ye Xuan turned around and slowly walked to the edge of the corridor, looking at the blooming peonies in the imperial garden.

He reached out a finger and casually pinched off the most beautiful flower bud, crushing the crimson petals between his fingertips. The juice stained the pads of his fingers red, like dried blood.

He looked at Ying'er with a hazy gaze, muttering to himself in a tone that was almost a whisper.

"Ying'er, tell me... I was wondering, do I love you more, or do I love Yun Meng more, or... do I love Bai Qianqiu more?"

This question was like a sudden thunderclap, leaving Ying'er at a loss for what to do.

She opened her mouth but couldn't make a sound.

Seeing Ying'er's flustered state, Ye Xuan didn't press for an answer. He threw away the crushed petals in his hand, looked at the residual red on his fingertips, and laughed mockingly at himself.

"Heh... maybe, I don't love anyone."

He slowly turned around. In those deep eyes of his, there was now only endless desolation and emptiness, like ruins left behind after a raging fire, where not a single blade of grass could grow.

"This scarred and battered heart of mine has already been filled with hatred and blood. It's too crowded, and too rotten... it can no longer hold anything beautiful."

Speaking up to here, Ye Xuan suddenly raised his head.

He took a step right in front of Ying'er, his hollow eyes instantly ignited by a borderline psychopathic madness.

He stared fixedly into Ying'er's clear eyes, and a terrifying killing intent locked onto her without reservation.

"Ying'er, listen to me carefully."

Ye Xuan's voice was deep and hoarse, like a curse from the Nine Nether Underworld. "If there ever comes a day when I find out you betrayed me... or if I discover that your past incarnation once betrayed me..."

He abruptly reached out, his cold fingers gently caressing Ying'er's pale, fragile neck. With just a slight application of force, he could completely snap this beautiful life.

"I will absolutely not let you off easy! I will make you experience what it truly means to beg for life and pray for death! I will make you endure the most cruel, most degrading punishment in this world! Do you understand?"

A fierce wind suddenly whipped up, blowing Ying'er's hair into a mess.

Facing this death threat that would shatter the courage of any female cultivator, Ying'er didn't show the slightest hint of fear. Instead, a gentle, almost relieved smile slowly blossomed in her tear-filled eyes.

She didn't dodge Ye Xuan's icy fingers. Instead, she tilted her neck up slightly, voluntarily pressing against the warmth of his palm.

"Yes."

Ying'er's voice was very soft, yet exceptionally firm, as if she were making a vow that would span across lifetimes. "If Master wants to kill Ying'er, Ying'er will absolutely not resist. As long as I can die by Master's hand, it will be Ying'er's greatest blessing."

Looking at those eyes devoid of any impurities, containing only a blind infatuation, the madness in the depths of Ye Xuan's eyes flickered slightly. The fingers caressing her neck stiffened for a moment before slowly withdrawing.

He took a deep breath, and the berserk baleful aura surrounding him retracted back into his body like rivers flowing into the sea.

He quickly regained his composure. Without sparing even a single backward glance, he turned around and continued walking toward the depths of the corridor.

He left Ying'er standing alone in place, gazing blankly at his lonely and resolute back.