The Tomb of Ye Xuan

She's gone mad.

Xia Lengyue has completely lost her mind.

Her entire worldview, her understanding of the world, every last bit of affection she had clung to so fiercely, was at this moment torn to utter shreds by Ye Xuan's cold, ruthless calculation driven purely by self-interest.

There was no love. No deep devotion. No acceptance.

From start to finish, it had all been nothing but a meticulously planned, ice-cold scheme aimed entirely at obtaining the True Phoenix Heart!

She, Xia Lengyue, the awe-inspiring Female Demon Lord who struck fear into every corner of the realm, was nothing more than a tool in this man's eyes — a vessel meant to incubate the True Phoenix Heart.

"No... I don't believe it... I refuse to believe this!"

Xia Lengyue let out a scream that sounded as though it tore right through her throat, her body convulsing violently on the ground.

Driven by this overwhelming despair and total breakdown, the cultivation base inside her body began to crumble off a cliff all over again.

Crack! Crack!

Peak of the Tribulation Transcendence stage... Early stage of the Tribulation Transcendence stage...

With a dull, muffled boom, Xia Lengyue's realm plummeted once more, falling straight down to the Integration stage.

The formidable magic power that had once filled every inch of her body was now more than seventy percent gone. She did not even have the strength left to stop her own body from trembling.

Yet she still stared fixedly at Ye Xuan, her eyes burning with a stubborn, utter madness. "Husband, you're lying to me! You're only saying all this on purpose to get the True Phoenix Heart, aren't you? You do love me deep down! If you didn't love me, why would you keep me locked up here? You could have just killed me whenever you wanted!"

"You don't love me? All of this was just for the True Phoenix Heart? I won't believe it! I will never believe a word of that!"

Hearing Xia Lengyue's hysterical outburst, the look in Ye Xuan's eyes turned completely icy.

"Love?"

Ye Xuan let out a sneer, his laughter laced with unmasked disdain. "Xia Lengyue, have you lost your wits? Who on earth would ever fall in love with a loose, shameless slut that writhes under other men? You think I spared your life because I loved you? I just thought killing you right then would be far too kind. I wanted you to watch with your own eyes as I toy with you like a dog, as you remain completely under my thumb."

Ye Xuan glanced at Xia Lengyue, who was still shaking her head frantically on the ground, muttering over and over that she did not believe him, and a flicker of impatience crossed his face.

Still not convinced, huh? Ye Xuan sneered. "Since you refuse to let go of this delusion, I might as well do you a favor and bring you somewhere. I'll make sure you let go of this foolish hope once and for all."

With that, he did not give Xia Lengyue any chance to react. He reached out abruptly, grabbed a fistful of her disheveled, hay-like hair, and wrenched her upwards.

"Ah!"

Xia Lengyue cried out in agony. A tearing, searing pain shot through her scalp as Ye Xuan lifted her clean off the ground with one single hand, as easily as if she weighed nothing.

"Ying'er, let's go," Ye Xuan said plainly.

"Yes, husband," Ying'er replied obediently, a hint of cruel excitement glinting in her eyes.

The next instant, the space around Ye Xuan warped. Holding Xia Lengyue like a limp, worthless cur, he took Ying'er along and vanished in a flash from the dark, damp dungeon.

Gales howled overhead, and heavy black clouds pressed down low enough to smother the world.

This was one of the most famous forbidden grounds in Central Province — Broken Soul Cliff.

It was right here that Xia Lengyue had been betrayed all those years ago, and it was also right here that Ye Xuan had supposedly taken a sword through the heart from Zhao Wuji for her sake, his soul scattered to the four winds.

Chilly, biting rain lashed mercilessly against the jagged boulders lining the edge of the cliff, letting out wailing moans that sounded just like ghosts weeping in agony.

Thud!

Ye Xuan flicked his wrist casually, flinging Xia Lengyue he had been holding in his hand away like a piece of trash, and she crashed heavily onto the ground full of mud and gravel.

"Ugh..."

Xia Lengyue let out a muffled groan. Ignoring the searing pain wracking her body, she lifted her head with great difficulty, and through the hazy veil of rain, she got a clear look at the scene before her.

Right at the very edge of the Broken Soul Cliff stood a lone, solitary tombstone.

Carved from the hardest basalt, the tombstone bore no ornate decorations at all. There were only a few deep, bone-deep blood-red characters, etched out forcefully by a finger:

[Tomb of Beloved Husband Ye Xuan]

She was the one who had carved every stroke of those characters, back then, using her own blood and tears.

Every single day and night that had passed after that, no matter where she was, no matter what hardships she had endured, she would make the journey back here regularly. She would sit motionless in front of this tombstone for days and nights on end, pouring out all her longing and regret.

This place was the last safe haven for her soul, her only sustenance in this cold, unforgiving world.

"So it seems you really do come here often," Ye Xuan stood with his hands clasped behind his back, letting the raging gale and torrential rain lash at his dark golden robe, not a single drop of which could dampen the fabric.

He glanced coldly at the long-withered spiritual herbs and exotic blossoms laid before the tombstone, as well as the smooth, worn edge of the tombstone that had been rubbed smooth by years of repeated touches.

"To tend the grave of a rotten piece of wood for all these years, Xia Lengyue, you really are quite the devoted one."

"Shut up! You are not allowed to insult my husband!"

Xia Lengyue was like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. She scrambled up from the ground in a flash, spread her arms wide and planted herself firmly in front of the tombstone, glaring at Ye Xuan with ferocious eyes. "He is no rotten piece of wood! He is my husband! He died saving me!"

Seeing Xia Lengyue in this frenzied state, like a mother hen guarding her chicks, Ye Xuan did not get angry. Instead, he burst out laughing.

"Xia Lengyue, oh Xia Lengyue, you really refuse to admit the truth until you are staring death in the face."

Ye Xuan stopped laughing. He strode slowly over to stand right before Xia Lengyue, looking at her with the amused gaze of someone watching a show. "You have always been convinced that the person who died back then was me. And it is true, that lotus root avatar of mine was refined from the Nine Nether Lotus Root and my own life essence blood. As long as it was alive, even the immortals themselves could not tell the difference between it and the real me."

"But..." Ye Xuan drew out his words, his gaze turning cruelly sharp. "It was only ever an avatar. Once it died completely, the life essence blood within it would dissipate. It would not be long before it could no longer maintain a human form, and reveal its true identity as that rotten lotus root."

He pointed at the grave right behind Xia Lengyue, his tone carrying an almost hypnotic, bewitching edge. "Right now, the truth is buried right beneath your feet. All you have to do is dig open this grave, take a look at what exactly is lying inside that coffin, and everything will become crystal clear."

"Boom!"

A pale white lightning bolt tore through the night sky, illuminating Xia Lengyue's ashen, contorted face drained of all color.

"Dig it up," Ye Xuan's voice was as cold as a Yama King's death sentence. "If you are so sure your perfect husband was real, what are you so afraid of? Dig it up!"

"No... don't..." Xia Lengyue shook her head frantically, her body trembling uncontrollably as she shrank back step by step.

"You dare not dig it?" Ye Xuan let out a cold sneer. "Since you won't, Ying'er, go on, help her blow this pile of broken rocks apart!"

"Understood!"

Ying'er responded, and in an instant, a ball of violent spiritual power coalesced in her hand, about to hurl it straight at the grave.

"Stop! Don't touch him!"

Xia Lengyue let out a heart-wrenching scream. She threw herself forward abruptly, wrapping her arms around Ying'er's leg, only to be kicked away harshly by Ying'er.

She knew she could not stop Ye Xuan.

If Ying'er made a move, this grave would be reduced to dust in the blink of an eye, and even whatever was buried inside would vanish into thin air without a trace.

"I'll dig... I'll dig it myself..."

Xia Lengyue murmured in utter despair. She turned around and stumbled, collapsing onto the grave.

At this moment, she had completely lost her senses.

She did not use any spells, nor did she channel her spiritual power, even forgetting about her cultivation base that had fallen to the Nascent Soul stage.

Just like the most vulgar, ordinary mortal woman, she drove her fair, delicate hands deep into the cold, hard dirt and sharp gravel without hesitation.