At that time, Ming Ye did not truly understand Sang Jiu's hatred.
When the dagger pierced his shoulder, his steadfast Dao Heart was not enough to make him suffer immensely. How resilient an Immortal Body was—with a mere lift of his hand and a blink, he erased the mark left by the dagger.
Gazing at the Conch Princess's Demon Eyes, he remained silent for a long while before saying, "I won't let anything happen to you."
He reached out his finger and touched her between the eyebrows.
The Conch Princess's hazy eyes gradually cleared. He had thought her emotions would settle, but the moment she saw him clearly, an even more profound hatred surged in her gaze.
She slapped his hand away, her voice soft yet icy: "It's you."
The lofty Immortal Lord Ming Ye felt somewhat at a loss. His fingers trembled slightly as he spoke to her like he would to a junior in the immortal realm: "Even if Demon Eyes appear, it is not beyond salvation. As long as your Dao Heart remains firm, you can still walk the Righteous Path."
Upon hearing this, the Conch Princess laughed uproariously, as if she had heard the most ridiculous joke.
"Dao Heart? Dao Heart! You actually speak to me of Dao Heart." She pushed him away, tears streaming from her eyes as she laughed. "A century ago, my Dao Heart was you, but you did not love me and scorned me for being lowly. Later, I gave up on you—my Dao Heart became the future of the Clam Tribe. But the Clam Tribe is gone, my Father King is dead."
She chuckled bitterly, "For a hundred years, the immortals of Shangqing called me a Sprite. Now that I have finally become a Fallen Demon, you dare speak to me of Dao Heart."
Ming Ye's face turned deathly pale. His lips moved, but no words came out.
After her laughter subsided, the Conch Princess stared coldly at him, red Demonic Marks appearing on her forehead.
Su Su turned to enter the Secret Realm again but was stopped by Ming Ye.
The Immortal Lord's tone was detached: "Who are you trying to save?"
Su Su looked back and smiled, "My brother, Sang You. Immortal Lord, after a hundred years, you probably never even knew I had a brother, did you?"
Ming Ye said nothing. In truth, he did know.
During those years he spent with the little river clam sprite, he had slowly begun to understand her. The little clam sprite was both cheerful and prone to tears, bold and fearless, yet she was cautious around him, like a child.
She had a sweet tooth, loved soaking in streams, and was well-liked—butterflies and flower sprites adored her.
He knew every little detail about her. Even though he had once looked down on the Clam Tribe, he had later tried to understand them.
But under the demon-slaying decree, the Clam Tribe was destroyed.
Ming Ye lowered his gaze and said, "I will go in."
His expression was devoid of joy or sorrow as he walked ahead of the Conch Princess, entering the Secret Realm before her.
When Su Su tried to follow, she found herself trapped by a Barrier.
After what felt like an eternity, Ming Ye emerged carrying a battered and bruised River Clam.
"Brother!" Su Su carefully took Sang You, who had reverted to his Original Form.
Sang You was grievously injured, having lost almost all of his Cultivation.
She hurried away with Sang You, not sparing a single glance at Ming Ye behind her.
Blood trickled from the corner of Ming Ye's lips, and the white divine marks on his forehead had turned completely black.
He watched her carry Sang You farther and farther away. He followed a few steps before collapsing inside the Secret Realm. Half of Ming Ye's Primordial Spirit remained trapped there forever.
As he lay at the exit of the Secret Realm, Ming Ye remembered a time long ago when Sang Jiu's eyes held only him.
Whenever he returned injured, no one else noticed, but the next day, Soul Calming Spirit Medicine would always appear by his window.
Naturally, he had scorned such things, coldly ordering the Fairy Maidens to take them away and discard them.
But this time, the Conch Princess never looked back.
By the twelfth month, Ming Ye heard that a Demoness had emerged in the mortal realm.
She killed to cultivate, slaughtered demons, and even took the lives of several immortals from Shangqing, devouring their souls alive.Demonic cultivation did not require Spirit Marrow. The Demoness's Cultivation grew rapidly, and when the female Immortal Souls of Shangqing were crushed by her hand, Tian Huan could no longer remain seated.
She came to the cave abode, pleading sorrowfully, "Ming Ye, everyone has seen it—that Demonic Cultivator is Sang Jiu. You promised to protect Shangqing forever."
Ming Ye opened his eyes.
He left the cave abode, following the aura to find her.
Ming Ye witnessed Sang Jiu killing with his own eyes. Her dark hair flew wildly, a pair of Demon Eyes radiating delight. Seeing his arrival, she knew she was no match for him and angrily tried to flee.
Ming Ye closed his eyes briefly and said, "You have killed two hundred and thirty-four people."
Su Su asked mockingly, "Can the Immortal Lord still cleanse my sins and guide me back to the Righteous Path this time?" The War of Gods and Demons had ended, yet now she had become a Demonic Beast enslaved by slaughter.
Ming Ye remained silent.
A Trident appeared in his hand. When the Conch Princess was trapped within the Immortal Artifact, Ming Ye declared, "I will imprison you in Wangchen Mountain."
After a pause, he added, "I will guard you personally."
Whether for a century, a millennium, or ten thousand years.
Upon hearing this, she struggled violently within the Immortal Artifact, willing to die destroying it rather than remain captive.
Ming Ye's hand trembled, almost instinctively releasing the Immortal Artifact.
She fled without a trace.
He stood under the moonlight for a long time, realizing for the first time that there was no turning back.
For her, and for him as well.
After that, the Demoness grew increasingly rampant. She searched everywhere for fragmented Divine Artifacts, and it was later heard that she had consumed the Green World-Toppling Flower.
Additionally, she had obtained the Huoyang Cauldron.
Everyone knew that Demoness Sang Jiu would eventually perish under Heavenly Thunder, but she paid no heed, already consumed by madness.
Aside from Ji Ze guarding the Desolate Abyss, there were no Gods left in the world. No one could subdue her, and the one closest to a God was Ming Ye.
Yet he began secluding himself in meditation, indifferent to the outside world.
Rumors spread that Sang Jiu had once been Ming Ye's wife. The former True Lord Ming Ye gradually fell into disrepute.
In the fiftieth year, the Tribulation Thunder failed to strike the Demoness dead.
Battered and bloodied, she rushed to Shangqing and killed Saintess Tian Huan and Venerable Tian Hao.
The Conch Princess used the Huoyang Cauldron to burn Tian Huan for forty-nine days in the skies above Shangqing.
On the final day, everyone witnessed Tian Huan initially cursing and condemning, then weeping and begging for mercy, before gradually turning to ashes. Sang Jiu, holding the Huoyang Cauldron, walked through Shangqing, leaving it barren and lifeless.
Immortals fled in panic, and from then on, the Upper Clarity Immortal Realm ceased to exist.
The wolf demon Shao Ju watched her with pity from the mountaintop. She did not pause, her eyes filled with the ecstasy of slaughter.
Step by step, she approached the cave abode of Immortal Lord Ming Ye.
Shao Ju chased after her, urging, "Sang Jiu, stop this. You are not this kind of person. If you continue like this, you will be struck dead by Heavenly Thunder, never to reincarnate, with no afterlife."
Sang Jiu pushed him away. Her Demonic Marks were eerie, and she nearly lost control, almost killing Shao Ju.
Suddenly, Tribulation Thunder rolled across the sky.
Shao Ju was startled, initially assuming it was Heavenly Thunder meant for Sang Jiu. To his surprise, purple lightning encircled the cave abode without dispersing—it was Ming Ye's Tribulation Thunder for ascension to Godhood!
The Three Realms were astounded, all watching the Tribulation Thunder in awe and terror.
They rejoiced, for Divine Lord Ming Ye was about to undergo his tribulation. Success would mean he could kill Demoness Sang Jiu.
The door to the cave abode opened, and the Immortal Lord, unseen for fifty years, slowly emerged.
He had always been stern and unyielding, but now his white robes appeared even more sacred.
He walked directly toward the Conch Princess.
One in red robes, the other in white.
At the sight of Ming Ye, all cultivators felt a surge of confidence."Immortal Lord, no, Divine Lord, kill this demoness!"
"Yes, she deserves a miserable death, kill her!"
Amid the shouts of the crowd, Ming Ye reached out and gently caressed the Conch Princess's cheek.
Su Su froze.
Ming Ye said, "Whether you believe it or not, I know about those seven years in the bamboo grove."
I know how you once loved me cautiously, timidly, yet recklessly.
You probably won't believe this either - that kiss on your forehead wasn't accidental, but deliberate.
The Conch Princess sneered coldly, "So what?"
Tribulation Thunder roiled above.
Ming Ye looked at her and said, "Sang Jiu, you once asked me if you could atone for your sins and walk the righteous path. I answer you now - yes."
Ming Ye suddenly smiled, for the first time in exactly one hundred and sixty years showing such a helpless expression.
"With my Divine Marrow, I shall exchange for your Demonic Bone."
From now on, you shall be blessed with merit, while I bear all the sins. You can remain pure - whether you choose to be a little fairy or aspire to become a god, it no longer matters.
When the Tribulation Thunder fell, the Three Realms turned pitch dark, with only one spot remaining bright.
They witnessed Immortal Lord Ming Ye tightly embracing the demoness, intending to use the Tribulation Thunder to perform the Dragon-Phoenix Transformation and transfer his Divine Marrow to her.
If successful, he would perish under the Tribulation Thunder.
The divine patterns on Ming Ye's forehead faded as he firmly held the person in his arms, preventing her from breaking free. He whispered, "There's something I've always wanted to tell you, Sang Jiu. This is my first time being someone's husband. I didn't know how to cherish you, all these years I haven't done anything for you, never gave you a single flower or gem."
The Conch Princess in his arms wept silently, tears streaming down.
"By the time I began to understand, you no longer wanted anything. I failed to protect you, and for that I'm sorry." He touched her cheek, feeling the wetness of tears, then paused before continuing gently, "Sang Jiu, you're not a demon - you're an immortal."
It was your husband's inadequacy that made you fall into demonhood.
The Tribulation Thunder struck repeatedly.
The Conch Princess's suppressed sobs went unheard by anyone: "But I don't love you anymore, I stopped loving you long ago."
As the divine patterns on Ming Ye's forehead completely vanished, he said calmly, "I know."
"You don't know," she murmured softly.
The Huoyang Cauldron fell from her hand as the Conch Princess vomited copious amounts of blood.
Ming Ye tried to catch her, only to find her body had become soft as water.
The Conch Princess looked at the horrified Ming Ye and whispered, "You know nothing, Ming Ye."
She gazed at the Tribulation Thunder in the sky. Having lost half his Primordial Spirit, Ming Ye could never become a god. He was forcibly undergoing the tribulation just to give part of his Divine Marrow to her - giving her everything he had.
But long ago, when she jumped into the Ruoshui, she had lost the shell that protected her. She should have died then.
Perhaps even earlier - meeting him had been a mistake from the start.
She had killed so many people. When the Heavenly Dao's thunder struck, she had already been shattered, only sustained until now by the Green World-Toppling Flower.
And this was as far as she could go.
The Conch Princess's body gradually dissipated.
She showed no pain, instead reaching toward the void with a light laugh, speaking with sincere joy: "Father King, you've come for me."
The moment Ming Ye touched her fingers, the Conch Princess turned to ashes, vanishing between heaven and earth.
A small pink-white conch shell fell down, shattering easily into fragments.
*The curved jade shimmered on Su Su's wrist. As Su Su was about to break free from the Prajna Floating Life, the jade suddenly realized what was happening and urgently cried out, "Quick, young mistress! The Prajna Floating Life is ending!"
Su Su had to do something.
This would determine whether the Flood Dragon beneath the Mohe River would become righteous or evil years later.
Finally freed from Sang Jiu's emotional influence, Su Su took a deep breath and swiftly snatched the white pearl from the fading Sang Jiu's neck, tossing it into the fragments.
A white pearl rolled out from among the shards.
Watching the chaotic upheaval in the Prajna Floating Life, the curved jade hastily said, "We must leave now."
Before departing, the jade glanced back and saw the tear-streaked "Ming Ye" suddenly contort his expression.
Tantai Jin's consciousness had awakened. The moment Tantai Jin regained awareness, Ming Ye's pained expression instantly transformed into one of disbelief.
After a pause, he coldly spat out, "Worthless fool. To abandon Supreme Power for a woman."
Perhaps he too had realized that Ming Ye's decision would affect the Flood Dragon in the Mohe River a thousand years later.
Before the Prajna Floating Life collapsed, Tantai Jin casually wiped away Ming Ye's tears from his face and sneered, "What's wrong with becoming a demon? With Supreme Power, why fear not being able to retrieve a woman?"
The curved jade watched him muttering to himself: "..."
This was truly going too far.
The next moment, the Prajna Floating Life collapsed. Having accompanied Su Su through this journey, the curved jade gradually understood what the Prajna Floating Life truly was—
It wasn't that they chose to become the people in the memories, but rather the people in the memories chose to become them.
Sang Jiu, wishing she could be as brave and steadfast as Su Su—not hindered by love, protecting her clan—had chosen Su Su to become her.
Ming Ye, who initially understood nothing of emotions, detected that Tantai Jin entering the Prajna Floating Life lacked a love thread, and chose Tantai Jin to become himself, wanting to see what choices someone equally emotionless would make. In the end, that madman from the Tantai family cared only about power.
Shao Ju, with his righteous and gentle heart, even for the sake of the demon tribe, would choose someone equally responsible like Xiao Lin to become himself.
Sang You, sharp-tongued but soft-hearted, naturally resonated most with the inexplicably involved Pang Yi Zhi.
As for Tian Huan...
The curved jade pondered, even now it still didn't understand what Tian Huan truly wanted.
She was the only person it couldn't see through.
And what did Ye Bingshang want by entering?
Although knowing Tian Huan and Ye Bingshang weren't the same person, just as Su Su would never be like Sang Jiu, the curved jade remained secretly wary of Ye Bingshang.
Outside the Prajna Floating Life, Yu Qing, Uncle Ji, Nian Bai Yu, and Ye Chu Feng all looked up at two luminous objects contending in the air.
Several people emerged from the Prajna Floating Life one after another.
The curved jade teased its young mistress: "So, young mistress, how do you feel?"
Su Su thought that in the Prajna Floating Life, the Conch Princess had shed too many tears—crying until her head ached. Rubbing her sore eyes, she reflected how terrible love could make people suffer.
Traces of Sang Jiu's despair still lingered in her heart.
She replied to the curved jade, "Not great. Even if I fall in love someday, I must never become as humble as Sang Jiu."
If you lack affection, I shall cease. She must first be Su Su, before being someone who loves another.
Some people deserve to be loved, while others truly deserve their fate.
OpenNovel