Shen Fuxin stood where she was, her head bowed slightly as a shadow of blackness crept into her eyes, spreading ever wider.
âSenior Xue Hen, may I have more time to think about this?â
Though her tone remained calm, the chill behind it radiated pure rejection.
Xue Henâs expression soured at once. âMore time to think? Youâll always dodge me with that line! When I saved your life atop Juexin Peak, I fell for you at first sight. Yet you rejected me then, and you still refuse now. I wager you havenât forgotten that wraith called Ye Yu, have you? He even brought his âwifeâ hereâwhy canât you let go?â
In the rear courtyard, Ye Yuâs expression shifted sharply.
She likes me? When? And how does Xue Hen even know that?
In the front courtyard, the darkness in Shen Fuxinâs eyes deepened. She shook her head hard but said nothing.
Xue Hen sneered, âYou snuck glances at him with your Reflection Stone, and now that he stands before you, you donât even dare look at him. If thatâs the case, why wonât you give me a chance?â
Shen Fuxin grit her teeth and replied softly, âI havenât decided yet. Give me more time.â
âFine,â Xue Hen snapped. âIâll give you timeâuntil you choose me. Only then will I save that woman. Otherwise, let her wait forever! Truth be told, the longer her inner devil remains, the weaker her true consciousness grows, until it vanishes entirely. She doesnât have long left!â
Dropping all pretense, Xue Henâs threat rang out as he swept his sleeve and turned to leave.
But at that moment, Ye Yu thundered forward and struck him with a single punch.
Caught off guard, Xue Hen flew backward in an arc.
âThat bastardâusing people like this to threaten others, youâve no shame at all!â Ye Yu snarled, moving to advanceâbut a hand gripped his wrist.
âShen Fuxin, donât stop me. Iâll beat him half to death first. As for banishing her inner devilâwait until...â
Before Ye Yu could finish, a voice cut in.
âYou call him a bastardâyet what you did just now wasnât any less shameless.â
Ye Yu spun around, shocked to see Shen Fuxinâs eyes now completely black.
Utterly grotesque.
She yanked him forward until he stood before her, her inky gaze locked on his.
âChu Ge was right! We knew each other first, I brought you into the Divine Realm. We should be the ones together. Why did you choose Gu Ji as your wife?â
âAnd most importantly, Gu Ji doesnât mind you being with meâso why did you refuse? Do you despise me so much? If you despised me so, why appear now? Do you enjoy teasing me, keeping me forever lost in illusions? Tell meâis that it? Answer me!â
Shen Fuxinâs voice rose to a shriek, brimming with fury.
A number appeared above her: eight million.
âNegative emotion value: heartbreak.â
At that moment, Xue Hen, shaken by Ye Yuâs blow, had recovered and returned. Seeing the scene, he sneered, âYe Yu, Ye Yuâyouâre truly a calamity. Both women by your side fall to â NĐŸvĐ”lŃgÒ»t â (Only on NĐŸvĐ”lŃgÒ»t) inner devils. How entertaining!â
Indeed, Shen Fuxin was now wholly controlled by her inner devil.
But when had it taken hold? Why had no one noticed?
Ye Yu knew now was not the time to ponder. He swiftly struck Shen Fuxin with a disabling blow.
Given his current realm, subduing a late-stage New God like her was far too easy.
Xue Hen snapped his fingers, and crystalline snowflakes drifted down from the sky.
âHow desperateâboth of them under inner-devil control. Want to save them? Kneel and beg me!â his voice taunted.
Ye Yu laid Shen Fuxin aside and strode toward Xue Hen. âHas anyone told youâyouâre truly detestable?â
Before he could strike, Xue Hen dissolved into a swirl of snowflakes, vanishing entirely. His presence felt utterly gone from the pavilion.
Yet the snow continued to fallâand fell ever more thickly.
Xue Henâs mocking voice echoed around them: âI wonder where a mere wraith like you found such power. A single punch shook my spiritâbut donât forget, this is the Divine Realm. Mortal strength cannot rival divine arts!â
Ye Yu frowned, feeling a sudden pain in his shoulder. Snowflakes, sharper than blades, had pierced his divine robe and flesh. Since mastering Magic Over Heaven, he had not been woundedâbut this was different. Instantly alert, he formed a thought.
A gale-force wind sprang up, sweeping the snowflakes into a dense swirl.
At first he meant only to stop their assault, but as they gathered, numbers appeared above them: sixty-eight million.
âNegative emotion value: resentment.â
Ye Yu realized then that Xue Hen was everywhereâthe snowflakes were both his weapon and his true form.
That made things far simpler.
He refined his divine power to unleash Fearful Hell.
From all around, Xue Henâs voice cut through: âWhat divine art is this? So strange, stirring resentment in the heart. It almost made me abandon torturing you and kill you outright! If you think to disturb my mind this way, itâs not nearly enough!â
âPatienceâthereâs more to come!â
Ye Yu brought his hands together and unleashed Fearful Hell upon the snow.
Moments later, Xue Hen lay dead as a corpseâand Ye Yu accessed all his memories.
Rage surged within him. He turned and reduced the frozen body to ash.