What if I am Li Tianxing

In the dungeon of the Sword God Palace, the farther down one went, the thicker the air grew with the stench of blood and decay.

The place had not seen daylight for countless years.

At the end of the passage stood a death cell sealed by layer upon layer of black-violet formations.

At the center of the cell, nine chains of ten-thousand-year-old mystic iron—each as thick as an adult’s thigh—bound a woman by her limbs, collarbones, and neck.

She was a woman of breathtaking beauty.

She wore what had once been an incomparably luxurious violet, wide-sleeved flowing fairy dress. Now it was tattered beyond recognition. The vast fields of Manjusaka flowers, embroidered with golden and silver thread, were stained with dried blood and the grime of the dungeon.

Large patches of snow-white, delicate skin showed through the tears in the fabric. Yet after being eroded by frigid energy for so long, they had taken on a horrifying bluish-purple hue.

She was none other than the Peerless Demoness who had shaken the entire demonic path—the Mahayana-stage Demon Venerable Ziyao.

At the sound of those familiar footsteps, Zi Yao suddenly raised her bowed head.

Her face, beautiful and seductive to the very bone, was now as pale as paper, utterly drained of color.

Her once-smooth hair, soft as purple satin, had become a tangled mass of withered grass, spilling messily over her gaunt shoulders.

The instant she saw that the person approaching was Ye Xuan, great streams of hot tears welled up in her deep-purple eyes.

“Husband… Husband!”

Like a pitiful creature that had been drowning in darkness for countless years, Zi Yao suddenly lunged forward.

“Clang!”

The heavy mystic-iron chains snapped taut, biting deeply into her flesh. Blood seeped from her collarbones in glaring red streaks, but she felt none of the pain.

She desperately stretched out the hands that had once been soft and boneless, now covered in bloody abrasions, trying to touch the lofty man standing beyond the bars.

“I know… I know you could never forgive me…” Zi Yao broke down sobbing. Her tears washed the grime from her cheeks, and her anguished voice was filled with endless humility and despair. “But I’m begging you, please stop tormenting me… I really can’t take it anymore. As long as you let me stay by your side and atone for my sins, I’m willing to do anything—even become your dog, even serve you tea and water every day… Please, don’t abandon me…”

She wept until her heart seemed to tear apart. The ragged purple hem of her dress dragged across the icy floor, and her entire being had been reduced to the dust.

Behind the formation’s light curtain, Ye Xuan looked down at her from on high.

His eyes were deep as an abyss. Zi Yao’s pitiful state failed to stir even the slightest ripple within them. Instead, the corners of his lips curled into a deeply mocking smile.

“Atone for your sins?”

Ye Xuan’s voice was gentle, yet every word cut like a blade.

“Zi Yao, do you still remember how you betrayed me back then—for the sake of a little cultivation resource?”

Zi Yao’s entire body trembled violently, as though struck by lightning. Her sobs came to an abrupt halt.

Ye Xuan slowly paced forward, his eyes filled with undisguised contempt.

“You despised me because I couldn’t provide you with enough resources or status, so you joined the Heavenly Demon Sect without the slightest hesitation. In order to establish yourself there, you climbed into the bed of the Young Sect Master Li Tianxing and became his woman.”

“No… Don’t say it… Please, stop!” The moment she heard the name “Li Tianxing,” Zi Yao went completely berserk.

As though electrocuted, she recoiled and clapped both hands over her ears. She writhed across the floor in agony, clawing frantically at her hair with her broken fingernails. Great handfuls of purple hair were torn free, leaving her scalp drenched in blood.

“It was my fault! It was all my fault!”

Zi Yao screamed hysterically, repeatedly smashing her forehead against the cold floor.

“I was shameless! I was vain! I was blind to betray you for those pitiful resources… Sob… Husband, I truly know I was wrong. I’m filthy. Every night when I close my eyes, I feel sick…”

Seeing her in such a wretched state, Ye Xuan showed no sympathy. Instead, the amusement in his eyes grew even more pronounced.

With a wave of his hand, the sealing light curtain silently vanished.

Ye Xuan stepped into the cell and crouched before Zi Yao, who was still rolling across the floor.

He extended a long, slender finger and seized her bloodstained chin, forcing her to raise her head.

Ye Xuan slowly leaned toward her ear. A demonic smile curved across his lips as he spoke in a voice that was exceedingly soft, yet struck like thunder across a calm plain.

“But Zi Yao… what if I told you that the Li Tianxing who toyed with you every night in the Heavenly Demon Sect’s bed… was actually me?”

The moment those words were spoken, the dungeon fell into deathly silence.

Zi Yao’s sobs caught painfully in her throat. Her eyes widened, her pupils shrinking to pinpoints, and her entire body froze as though she had been struck by a petrification spell.

“You… What did you say?” Her lips trembled violently, and even her teeth chattered.

Ye Xuan gave a cold laugh and offered no further explanation.

In the next instant, the pure and richly concentrated immortal spiritual energy within his body suddenly changed!

Boom!

An intensely frigid, domineering, and savage demonic aura erupted from Ye Xuan’s body. The demonic energy was so pure that it transformed in midair into a black dragon, baring its fangs and brandishing its claws.

Then, under Zi Yao’s incredulous gaze, Ye Xuan’s originally handsome and refined features began to twist and change. His black-and-gold robes transformed into a flamboyant dark-red blood robe.

In the span of only two or three breaths, the man standing before Zi Yao had become the arrogant, bewitching, and utterly imperious Young Sect Master of the Heavenly Demon Sect—Li Tianxing!

Whether it was the sinister air between his brows, the aura of the Heavenly Demon Sect’s ultimate demonic art, or even the wicked smile at the corner of his mouth, everything was exactly the same.

Zi Yao was utterly dumbstruck. She had even stopped breathing.

“What… What is going on…” Her voice was hollow and ethereal, as though she were trapped in a dream.

Wearing Li Tianxing’s face, Ye Xuan let out a cold laugh. His voice had also changed into Li Tianxing’s deep, magnetic tone, brimming with aggression.

“My Master Wei Wuji once taught me a lost primordial art known as ‘A Thousand Faces for a Thousand People.’”

“This art can perfectly imitate a person’s cultivation techniques, aura, and appearance. It can even seize a portion of the target’s core memories when it strips away their soul.”

Looking down at the stunned Zi Yao, Ye Xuan’s eyes were filled with the cruel pleasure of playing with the human heart.

“Back then, when I realized that you despised poverty and admired wealth, and were preparing to betray me by joining the Heavenly Demon Sect and seeking refuge with Li Tianxing… I didn’t stop you.”

“I simply infiltrated the Heavenly Demon Sect before you did, slaughtered the real Li Tianxing, and took his place.”