At these words, Ying’er stopped playing and looked curiously at the Azure Emperor.
Ye Xuan also stopped what he was doing and slowly turned around.
The Azure Emperor stood there, her hands tightly clasped together, her knuckles white from the force.
Her eyes were filled with anticipation and nervousness.
“Ye Xuan, let me become your Dao companion.”
The Azure Emperor’s voice trembled, the longing and yearning she had suppressed for ten thousand years buried deep in her eyes. “I truly love you. For all these ten thousand years, I’ve thought of you day and night. I’m willing to spend the rest of my life making up for the pain I once caused you.”
“I only ask that you… give me one more chance.”
In the middle of the lake, Ye Xuan gazed silently at her.
His face was devoid of expression, and his eyes betrayed not the slightest emotion.
He simply looked at her, his gaze like a cold blade scraping across the Azure Emperor’s face inch by inch.
After a long while, he finally spoke.
“Why should I?”
His voice was soft, yet it carried a suffocating chill.
“What use would I have for a fickle woman like you?”
The Azure Emperor’s heart sank.
She hurriedly took two steps forward, nearly stepping into the lake, her voice almost pleading. “I’m not fickle!”
“Ye Xuan, from beginning to end, there has only ever been you in my heart! I was only with Lu Yanchen to repay my debt to my sister. I never loved him! You have to believe me!”
Ye Xuan watched her frantic attempts to explain herself, the corners of his lips slowly curling into a mocking smile.
“I believe you.”
The Azure Emperor froze. She had never expected Ye Xuan to say those three words.
An overwhelming surge of joy instantly rose in her heart, and her voice trembled with excitement. “Then… are you willing to—”
“I’m not finished.”
Ye Xuan cut her off without mercy.
He slowly stepped out of the lake, water droplets sliding down his chest.
One step at a time, he approached the Azure Emperor until only three feet separated them.
“I believe that I’m the only one you love.”
Ye Xuan’s voice was ice-cold, without the slightest trace of warmth. “But so what? A woman like you doesn’t love me, nor do you love Lu Yanchen. The only thing you’ve ever loved is your cultivation.”
The Azure Emperor’s eyes widened, and all color drained from her face.
“To destroy your inner demon, you could trample your own fiancé without hesitation. To pursue the Great Dao, you could rip out my kidneys, throw me into a dungeon, and watch coldly as others tortured me.”
Ye Xuan’s voice was not loud, yet every word was a blade, gouging into the Azure Emperor’s heart. “If I became Dao companions with a woman as vicious as you, I’m afraid I wouldn’t even be able to sleep peacefully.”
“Who knows? Perhaps one night, when you’re trying to break through a bottleneck, you’ll rip out my heart as well.”
The Azure Emperor’s face was as pale as paper. Her lips trembled violently, but she could not utter a single word.
“If I got together with you, and you developed another inner demon, would you trample me all over again?”
Ye Xuan stared at her coldly, undisguised disgust filling his eyes. “Back then, you used me as a scapegoat for your sister’s death. What will it be next time? Your master’s death? The rise or fall of your clan? Or some other trivial matter?”
“No… I won’t!”
The Azure Emperor shook her head desperately, tears streaming from her eyes like pearls from a broken string. “Husband, believe me! I won’t do that again! I truly know that I was wrong! I’m willing to swear on my life…”
“That’s enough.”
Disgust filled Ye Xuan’s eyes, and his face was full of impatience. “Your oaths are worthless. If you truly knew you were wrong, you wouldn’t have done those things back then.”
“If you truly loved me, how could you have been willing to hurt me like that? Your love is terrifying.”
“Now, get out of my sight. Don’t let me see you again.”
With that, Ye Xuan turned and walked toward the center of the lake, unwilling to spare her even one more glance.
The Azure Emperor stood there in a daze, as if struck by a thunderbolt.
She wanted to argue. She wanted to explain. She wanted to tell Ye Xuan that she was not that kind of person.
But when she opened her mouth, she found that she could not come up with a single convincing word.
That was right.
What she had done back then had been utterly unforgivable.
Ripping out his kidneys, imprisoning him, allowing others to torture him, wearing a wedding dress and marrying someone else…
Every one of those things had been done by her own hands. No matter how many reasons or hidden circumstances there had been, none of them could change the fact that she had hurt Ye Xuan.
Ye Xuan’s coldness was the punishment she deserved.
But… she couldn’t accept it!
At that moment, Ying’er emerged from the lake and walked over to the Azure Emperor with an expression of sympathy.
Her voice was as gentle as water, her face full of pity. “Sister Azure Emperor, don’t be too upset. Husband was only speaking in anger. Once he calms down, he’ll definitely forgive you.”
The Azure Emperor looked at that utterly hypocritical face before her, and a burst of furious anger shot straight to the top of her head.
It was this woman!
This woman had stolen Ye Xuan from her!
This woman relied on Ye Xuan’s favor to flaunt her power before her!
“You have no right to speak to me!”
The Azure Emperor’s voice was shrill and piercing, filled with uncontrollable fury.
She admitted that she had wronged Ye Xuan, but what was Ying’er to her? A lowly servant who had risen to power by pretending to be weak—how dare she put on such a false show of kindness in front of her?
However, her voice had only risen slightly…
“Ah!”
A terrified scream rang out.
Ying’er’s entire body seemed to be struck by an invisible force, and she staggered backward two steps.
Her face instantly turned deathly pale. Her body swayed unsteadily at the edge of the lake, and then…
Splash!
Ying’er fell backward into the lake!
“Husband… Husband, save me!”
Ying’er thrashed desperately in the water, her hands beating wildly against the surface.
She choked on several mouthfuls of water, her face turning bluish-purple, terror filling her eyes. The water was only waist-deep, yet she acted as though she were about to drown, completely panicked.
“Ying’er!”
Ye Xuan’s expression changed drastically. With a single movement, he rushed into the water and pulled Ying’er out, holding her tightly in his arms.
Ying’er was soaked through, her clothes clinging tightly to her body.
She huddled against Ye Xuan’s chest, trembling all over. Her small face was deathly pale, and tears filled her eyes as she spoke pitifully. “Husband… I-I was so scared…”
“Don’t be afraid. Husband is here.”
Ye Xuan lovingly stroked her back, gently comforting the girl in his arms.
Then he abruptly turned his head, his eyes blazing with towering fury.
“Madam Lu!”
Ye Xuan ground out the words through clenched teeth, his voice exploding across the surface of the lake like thunder. “How dare you! You actually dared to make my Ying’er fall into the water! Were you trying to kill her?”
his freshman year, Su Bai accidentally bound the "Indulgence Tycoon System." 【Sleeping in? Reward: +$1,000】 【Spent $288 at a street barbecue stall? Cashback: +$2,880】 【Dropped $14,396 on in-game skins? Special reward unlocked: A brand-new Porsche Panamera!】 Luxury cars, penthouses, corporate shares, financial empires… College life was all about living freely and doing whatever he pleased! … When the adorably naive academic genius faced family medical bills and financial struggles, Su Bai waved his hand dismissively: "Your future is on me." "Wuwu~ Big Brother is so good to me! I’ll become a scientist to repay you!" When the genius girl got bullied by a shady professor? Su Bai casually dropped a billion-dollar investment, forcing the university to grovel and beg for her return. A company’s funding chain collapsing? Su Bai smirked—cash was the one thing he’d never run out of. Years later, when people traced the rise of the AI prodigy beauty, who was the man behind her success? Not just that—Su Bai also became the tsundere campus belle’s unattainable dream, the contrast senior’s daily necessity, and the beautiful counselor’s emotional anchor…
lity and could only live as an ordinary mortal. He only wished to live a peaceful life. Yet he didn't know— The dog he adopted, because it ate his food, became a legendary demon king. The kitchen knife he casually forged became a peerless divine weapon, causing numerous experts to fight desperately for it. The young disciple he took in became an immortal lord that led an era, due to cultivating the techniques Ye Feng taught him. Even the skeletons he looked down on the most were ominous demon kings that suppressed countless worlds. Many years later, looking at the void shattered with a punch, Ye Feng murmured to himself: It turns out the peerless kings were myself all along...
with countless casualties. As a top-tier gamer, Liu Xuan volunteered to join the fight, intending to dominate with his skills, but instead he obtained the hidden class: [Pacifist]. Unable to attack. Unable to use active skills. Fortunately, with each level gained, he acquired a new passive skill. And so, armed with a body full of passives, Liu Xuan slaughtered his way through the battlefield of ten thousand races! [You attacked Liu Xuan] [You gained the debuffs: 'Poison', 'Fear', 'Burning', 'Bleeding', 'Freeze', 'Silence', etc.] [Your attack speed has been reduced by 99%] [Your armor and magic resistance have been reduced by 99%] Warriors of the Ten Thousand Races: How the hell am I supposed to fight this?!
to panic—he has a system. As long as an investment target dies, he can claim a reward. And since he is immortal, the one thing he has plenty of is time. ... Countless years later. “Immortal Emperor of Longevity? I invested in him.” “Supreme Celestial Venerable? I invested in him.” “Undying Empress? I invested in her.” “...” “Heh. Once they’ve all died, even the Heavenly Dao will have to kneel and call me Dad.”
