Not Contending Is the Greatest Contention

“Yes… husband! Jiuhuang obeys!”

Hearing that Ye Xuan had finally stopped saying he would abandon her, Ye Jiuhuang was not frightened in the slightest. Instead, she was overjoyed. Her pretty face, smeared with blood, blossomed into an intensely fervent and almost deranged smile of happiness.

Without the slightest hesitation, she dropped to the ground and supported herself with both hands. Under the stunned, worldview-shattered gazes of countless Sword God Palace disciples and elders, she crawled forward on her knees like the most docile she-wolf, obediently allowing Ye Xuan to seize her by the hair and lead her along at his side.

Thus, beneath the eyes of everyone present, Ye Xuan tugged the First Sword Emperor of the Heavens along by her hair as though she were a pet, striding into the depths of the main hall and into a luxurious bedchamber that had already been prepared.

Bang!

As the heavy palace doors slammed shut, countless profound and mysterious restrictions and barriers instantly appeared around the room, layer upon layer of dense curtains of light, completely cutting off all outside prying eyes and spiritual senses.

Ye Qingcheng, Zi Yao, and Xia Lengyue—the three former female demon queens—were still sprawled helplessly on the floor, their cultivation firmly sealed by the sword-law shackles Ye Jiuhuang had placed on them earlier.

After witnessing Ying’er’s earth-shattering slap with their own eyes, followed by Ye Jiuhuang’s utterly humble submission, the three women who had once wielded immense power throughout the human realm all turned deathly pale, their teeth grinding audibly.

“Ying’er… that lowly maid… she actually hid her strength so deeply?” Ye Qingcheng hissed through clenched teeth, her eyes filled with undisguised jealousy and terror.

“So this is what they mean by ‘not competing is the greatest competition’!”

Zi Yao’s beautiful face was dark and grim, her voice filled with deep apprehension. “We were all fools before. We kept focusing on each other, and even on Ye Jiuhuang. But who could have imagined that Ying’er, who did nothing all day except eat sunflower seeds and watch the drama, appearing harmless to both humans and animals, was actually the one hiding herself the deepest—and the person who posed the greatest threat to us?”

“Exactly… Even Ye Jiuhuang, who is at the peak of the True Immortal Realm, was sent flying by her as easily as swatting a fly. Ying’er’s true identity must be terrifying beyond imagination.” Xia Lengyue was also ice-cold from head to toe, a trace of despair surfacing deep within her eyes.

Just as the three women were gnashing their teeth and harboring their own schemes, Ying’er had somehow already made her way before them.

The golden flames in Ying’er’s eyes had vanished, restoring her once more to her pure, charming, and utterly harmless appearance.

She looked at the three women, who were all grinding their teeth in fury, and slightly curled her lips into an exceedingly wicked and provocative smile.

“Have you three sisters enjoyed the show enough?”

Ying’er clapped her hands, then turned toward the Sword God Palace elder standing nearby, who was still frozen in dumbfounded shock. She playfully winked at him, but her tone carried the unquestionable authority of someone at the very top.

“Guards! These three women who harbor improper intentions toward my husband are to be thrown into the deepest level of the Sword God Palace dungeon! Remember—keep them separated, and don’t allow anyone to visit them.”

At this point, none of the elders dared show Ying’er even the slightest disrespect. In their eyes, this sweet-looking young girl was simply ten thousand times more terrifying than an ancient ferocious beast.

“Yes! We shall obey Miss Ying’er’s command!”

Several highly accomplished Sword God Palace elders hurriedly wiped the cold sweat from their brows and bowed in unison as they accepted the order.

An hour later.

The heavy palace doors swung open with a thunderous boom.

Ye Xuan stood with his hands behind his back, his black-and-gold robes billowing in the night wind. His expression remained as cold and gloomy as still water, while anger that had yet to fully subside churned deep within his eyes.

At his side, Ye Jiuhuang emerged with graceful, measured steps.

Yet upon closer inspection, the First Sword Emperor’s demeanor was now completely different from before.

Her peerlessly beautiful, aloof face was tinged with a rare flush, spreading from the roots of her ears all the way down her slender neck. It was as though snow had been stained by peach blossoms in spring, a sight of breathtaking beauty.

Her gaze remained lowered, never daring to meet Ye Xuan’s eyes. Her long eyelashes trembled lightly like the wings of a startled butterfly.

Her hands were tightly clenched around the hem of her clothes, her knuckles faintly white from the force. Her entire being radiated an unprecedented gentleness and softness.

She did not want to think about, much less recall, everything that had happened in the bedchamber just now.

But each of those blush-inducing, heart-racing scenes had been branded into the depths of her mind, impossible to erase.

She only knew that from this day forward, she would never again dare to disobey her husband’s wishes in the slightest.

“Husband…” Ye Jiuhuang timidly raised her eyes, her voice as gentle as a breath of spring. “Jiuhuang… knows she was wrong. From now on, Jiuhuang will never presume to make decisions for you again. Whatever you say, Jiuhuang will do.”

Ye Xuan stopped and turned his head slightly. His deep eyes were like two bottomless, frigid pools as he stared directly at her.

He said nothing. Instead, he reached out and gently pinched Ye Jiuhuang’s still-flushed cheek between two fingers. His fingertips rubbed over her delicate skin, carrying the air of someone examining a subordinate from above.

“So you know how to behave now?”

Ye Xuan’s voice was low and cold, yet the corner of his lips curved into an arrogantly domineering smile.

“What was it you said in the square just now? You told me to remain in the Sword God Palace and report all my actions to you. Otherwise, you wouldn’t allow me to leave even half a step?”

Ye Jiuhuang’s entire body trembled. She hurriedly shook her head.

“Jiuhuang wouldn’t dare anymore! Jiuhuang truly wouldn’t dare! I was muddleheaded for a moment—my mind was clouded by greed. Please, husband, don’t take it to heart!”

“Heh…”

Ye Xuan let out a cold laugh and suddenly increased the pressure of his fingers, deforming her cheek slightly.

A dangerous light flashed in his eyes, and his tone was domineering and utterly beyond question.

“Ye Jiuhuang, don’t provoke my anger. In this life, the thing I hate most is anyone daring to point fingers over my head. I’m in a good mood today, so I only gave you a few slaps. If you were anyone else, I would have already crushed your bones, obliterated your body, and destroyed your soul!”

“Yes, yes, yes! Husband is right! Jiuhuang will never dare anger you again!”

Ye Jiuhuang nodded frantically, tears shimmering in her eyes, though she did not dare reveal the slightest trace of resentment.

Instead, an almost deranged smile of happiness appeared on her distorted cheek.

“If husband is willing to discipline Jiuhuang, that is Jiuhuang’s good fortune. Jiuhuang… Jiuhuang was only afraid that husband wouldn’t be willing to control or correct Jiuhuang.”

Ye Xuan released her and glanced at her indifferently without saying another word.

However, at that very moment…

“That’s enough!”

A shrill, furious roar exploded through the night sky like a thunderclap.

Everyone turned toward the source of the voice. From behind a white jade pillar at the side of the main hall, a figure in blue staggered out, her entire body trembling.

Shen Qingshuang wore a blue robe, her features as beautiful as a painting. Yet now, her face was deathly pale, her eyes bloodshot, and she was biting her lower lip so hard that bright red blood slowly trickled from the corner of her mouth.

Her hands were clenched into fists, her fingernails digging deeply into her palms as blood seeped between her fingers. She was completely unaware of it.

Pain, fury, despair, and a humiliation that reached deep into her bones were all intertwined in her eyes.

She truly could not endure it any longer!

She, Shen Qingshuang, was a peerless daughter of heaven—yet for a full eight thousand years, she had remained by Ye Jiuhuang’s side in name as his wife!

Eight thousand years of sharing his life. Eight thousand years of companionship. Eight thousand years bearing the title of his wife!

Throughout those long eight thousand years, she had rejected countless prodigies and heroes who pursued her. She had given up the glory and happiness that should have been hers, willingly hiding behind Ye Jiuhuang and becoming an obscure “Palace Mistress.”

She had believed that she was simply waiting—waiting for the day Ye Jiuhuang would truly accept her and grant her a proper place at his side.

But what had all that waiting brought her in the end?

The husband she held in the highest regard was now kneeling at another man’s feet like a docile little dog, wagging his tail and begging for mercy!

To her, this humiliation was even worse than death!