“Shen. Qing. Shuang!”
Ye Jiuhuang’s voice seemed to be squeezed out of the depths of the Nine Nether Hells, laden with boundless venom and killing intent.
Seeing Ye Jiuhuang’s face twist with extreme rage, Shen Qingshuang felt an unprecedented thrill of revenge rise within her.
Not only was she not the least bit afraid, she pressed herself even more tightly into Ye Xuan’s embrace.
Shen Qingshuang lifted her chin slightly and held up the bloodstained handkerchief in her hand. Looking at Ye Jiuhuang, her lips curved into an icy, deeply mocking smile.
“My husband... oh, no. Ye Jiuhuang.”
Shen Qingshuang deliberately emphasized the words “my husband,” before changing her form of address with utmost disdain.
“Now that I have offered my first time to Master, I’m terribly sorry to have beaten you to it.”
“You keep claiming that you endured humiliation for the sake of the Sword God Palace. So why is it that, even when it comes to climbing into his bed, you’ve fallen behind a mere bedchamber maid?”
Ye Jiuhuang instantly flew into a towering rage.
Once, Shen Qingshuang had been her wife in name—the Sect Master’s Wife recognized by the entirety of the Sword God Palace.
And now, this “wife,” who had once obeyed her every word, had not only climbed into the bed of the man who had crushed her dignity beneath his feet, but was even waving a handkerchief stained with her maiden’s blood before her, mocking her—the “legitimate wife,” who had not even offered up her body.
“You vile woman!”
Ye Jiuhuang completely lost control!
Her eyes turned blood-red in an instant, her hair whipping wildly about her as the terrifying sword intent of a peak True Immortal erupted. It swept through the hall like a storm of death.
“I’ll kill you, you shameless whore!”
Roaring, Ye Jiuhuang formed a sword with her fingers. A dazzling, terrifying blade of sword light capable of cleaving apart the stars condensed at her fingertips and slashed viciously toward Shen Qingshuang’s brow.
That strike contained all of Ye Jiuhuang’s humiliation and murderous intent. She wanted this wretch who had cuckolded her to be annihilated in body and soul!
Faced with that heaven-destroying strike, Shen Qingshuang did not evade.
She merely looked coldly at Ye Jiuhuang. She even closed her eyes, a smile of liberation on her lips.
If she could die at the height of Ye Jiuhuang’s fury, then her revenge would be complete.
And yet—
“Clang!”
A crisp sound echoed through the hall.
The terrifying sword light, powerful enough to slay even a Great Vehicle cultivator, came to an abrupt halt less than half an inch from Shen Qingshuang’s brow.
Ye Xuan had merely extended two fingers, casually pinching Ye Jiuhuang’s world-destroying sword strike between them.
There was no warmth in his deep eyes as he cast Ye Jiuhuang a cold glance.
With that glance alone, the sword intent Ye Jiuhuang had summoned throughout the hall instantly crumbled. It was as though an ancient divine mountain had slammed into her chest. She let out a muffled groan and staggered back more than a dozen steps, blood spilling from the corner of her mouth.
Ye Jiuhuang instantly regained her senses. Seeing the icy look in Ye Xuan’s eyes, she trembled all over and hurriedly dropped to her knees. Yet her gaze still bored viciously into Shen Qingshuang.
“That bitch, she—”
“Why are you so angry?”
Ye Xuan casually released his fingers, his long, slender knuckles lightly toying with Shen Qingshuang’s silky hair. His voice carried a lazy, lofty authority.
“She is nothing more than a bedchamber maid—a tool for venting desire and warming the bed.”
Ye Xuan looked at Ye Jiuhuang, who was kneeling on the floor. The corners of his lips curled into a wicked smile brimming with charm and control.
“But you... you are the wife I have personally acknowledged.”
At those words, Shen Qingshuang’s entire body stiffened. The satisfaction of revenge that had filled her moments ago instantly froze, replaced by the desolation of being discarded as casually as a used rag.
As for Ye Jiuhuang, the fury and humiliation in her eyes vanished without a trace the instant she heard the words, “you are my wife.”
In their place came an almost pathological ecstasy, along with overwhelmed, flattered disbelief.
“Husband... Y-you mean it?” Ye Jiuhuang raised her head in disbelief. Her peerlessly beautiful, icy face was now filled with fawning excitement. Not a trace remained of the pride once possessed by the First Sword Emperor.
“Of course.”
Ye Xuan replied indifferently, “Our wedding will be held soon. When the time comes, I will announce it to the heavens and all worlds: you, Ye Jiuhuang, shall be my one and only Empress.”
“And as for her...” Ye Xuan casually pinched Shen Qingshuang’s pale cheek. “She is merely a maid trying out the bed in advance. As the Empress, why lower yourself by squabbling with a servant?”
“Yes! Yes, it was Jiuhuang who was narrow-minded! Thank you for your grace, Master! Thank you, Husband!”
Ye Jiuhuang trembled with excitement as she climbed to her feet. She completely ignored Shen Qingshuang, who sat naked upon the bed, her face drained of all color. Instead, she eagerly moved closer to the bedside in an utterly sycophantic manner.
“Husband, since our wedding is to be held soon, where should the ceremony take place? Should we pave the way with Nine Heavens Star River Stone? And those sects that are too blind to submit—Jiuhuang will go tomorrow and slaughter them all, using their blood to lay out a red carpet for you. What do you think?”
Ye Jiuhuang chattered incessantly about the details of the wedding, her eyes gleaming with cruel excitement. She had become utterly immersed in the vanity and power granted by the title of “Empress,” thoroughly transforming into a madwoman completely tamed by Ye Xuan.
“Such trifles are for you to decide. Withdraw. I wish to rest.”
Ye Xuan waved a hand.
“Yes, Husband. Rest well. Jiuhuang shall take her leave! I will immediately begin preparing the grandest wedding in all the heavens!”
With a radiant face, Ye Jiuhuang withdrew from the hall. Before leaving, she even cast Shen Qingshuang a contemptuous glance—the haughty look of a victor—as if to say: See? Even after offering up your body, you are still fit only to be a lowly bedchamber servant!
Bang.
The doors of the bedchamber closed once again.
A deathly silence fell over the hall.
Shen Qingshuang sat blankly upon the dragon bed like a puppet that had lost its soul.
Watching Ye Jiuhuang’s excited yet servile retreating figure, her eyes gradually reddened. At last, great tears spilled uncontrollably down her cheeks.
She had lost.
Lost utterly and completely. Even the last remnants of her dignity had been trampled into the dust.
She had thought that sacrificing her purity for revenge would make Ye Jiuhuang suffer—that it would awaken the Sword Emperor who had once been so proud.
But reality was that Ye Jiuhuang simply did not care!
In Ye Jiuhuang’s heart, so-called love, honor, even the “wife” she had once been, meant less than the title of “Empress” casually bestowed by Ye Xuan!
Shen Qingshuang bit down hard on her lips until they bled. She did not cry out, yet the silent anguish and despair she radiated were more suffocating than any shrill scream.
As he looked at the woman in his arms—her Dao Heart utterly shattered, her despair having reached its depths—
Ye Xuan felt not the slightest sympathy. His gaze remained like a pool of stagnant water: calm and merciless.
Slowly, he lifted a hand. His long fingers gently stroked Shen Qingshuang’s frail back, trembling violently with pain, as though he were petting a pitiful stray cat.
A long sigh, laden with endless mockery and a profound understanding of the coldness of the world, slowly echoed through the vast, lavish bedchamber.
“Don’t cry anymore.”
“Falling in love with her was a mistake from the very beginning.”
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
ts me of treason?" "Correct. The host must return to the capital and gradually build up influence." "Wait—I have half a million soldiers, and you want me to go back to the capital to 'build influence'?" "Host, you are currently the Northern Garrison General, loyal to the Great Xia Dynasty." "Of course I am loyal to Great Xia! Absolutely loyal!" "But you keep referring to yourself as 'We'..." "Never mind the details! Summon all the regional commanders and military officers! We suspect treacherous officials are manipulating the court! They shall march with Us to the capital and purge the corrupt!" "......"
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
