"I was so close... so close to never seeing you again!"

As Ye Chuxue spoke, tears started plopping down her cheeks again.

In all her life, she had never been so wronged.

Song Wanning bullied her time and again, and even tried to kill her. Wasn’t it all because Master favored her?

But that wasn’t her fault.

"What do you mean? How is Song Wanning involved in this?"

Gu Qingyuan’s brow furrowed. The mere mention of Song Wanning’s name made him deeply uncomfortable.

The memory of being trampled underfoot by Song Wanning and utterly crushed by Lu Xingyao had left an indelible scar on his psyche.

That woman was his nemesis, a constant obstacle on his Immortal Path.

Ye Chuxue quickly recounted the events of that day. When Gu Qingyuan heard that she had nearly died, rage surged through him. The fury was so intense it struck him from within, and he violently spat out a mouthful of blood.

He had already been on the verge of collapse. The shock was too much, and he passed out.

Gu Qingyuan collapsed into Ye Chuxue’s arms, startling her.

"Master? Master? Don’t scare me! What’s wrong?"

Her voice trembled as she hastily pulled out an Elixir Pill and pressed it into Gu Qingyuan’s mouth.

But his face remained deathly pale, and he showed no signs of waking.

Ye Chuxue then noticed the damage to his Divine Soul and couldn’t help but recall how his Divine Thought had fought to the death to protect her.

Tears welled in her eyes. She bit her lip hard, forcing herself not to cry again.

Sitting by the bed, she gazed at Gu Qingyuan’s ethereal face as scene after scene from the past flashed before her eyes.

Her master had always protected her, cherished her. No matter what she went through or how she changed, he had always been there, never once letting her down.

Meanwhile, the man she yearned for only ever chided her for mistreating Song Wanning, never once truly considering her own feelings.

A strange feeling slowly bloomed in her heart, and she unconsciously reached out to touch Gu Qingyuan’s face.

But she quickly snatched her hand back as if she had been burned.

’No, he’s my master. How could I have such thoughts?’

Ye Chuxue patted her cheeks, trying to snap herself out of it.

’A relationship between a master and a disciple never ends well...’

’No matter how wonderful he is, he can only ever be my master.’

...

「Demon Palace.」

The Demon Lord angrily swept everything off the table onto the floor. He slammed his hand down, and the table shattered with a CRACK, turning into a pile of splinters.

"Useless! All of you are useless! All this time has passed, and you can’t even capture Mo Yuan. How dare you make such exorbitant demands of me?"

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became, and he lashed out with a kick at a nearby Demon Servant.

The Demon Servant was sent flying with a THUD. He convulsed in pain on the ground but didn’t dare make a sound, only curling into a ball before struggling back to his feet.

Qu Shang, the Young Master of the Demon Palace, gave the Demon Servant a look, dismissing him. He then walked over to the Demon Lord and gently pushed him back down onto his seat.

"Father, calm down. Mo Yun and Mo Yu must have run into some trouble. Give them a little more time, and they’ll surely bring him back."

"Mo Yuan has been in hiding for years. Now that we’ve finally found him, there’s no way he can escape."

"Hmph! Those two made all sorts of boasts. They swore they’d have him back within three days. And the result?"

A muscle in the Demon Lord’s cheek twitched, making his already grim face even more frightening.

"If they fail to bring him back again, I’ll send someone else!"

Qu Shang smiled at his words. "Rest assured, the two Demon Monarchs will surely..."

Before he could finish, the Demon Lord received a Communication Talisman from the two Demon Monarchs.

Both of them had a bad feeling. They immediately activated the Communication Talisman and heard Mo Yun report that Mo Yuan had escaped. They had lost him.

"What did you say?"

The Demon Lord flew into a rage. Even Qu Shang’s face darkened, a murderous glint flashing in his eyes.

"A Spirit Cultivator was protecting him! We chased them for a long time, but they still managed to get away!"

Mo Yun’s voice sounded guilty, which only made the Demon Lord erupt in a stream of curses.

’He had protection? Why didn’t they say so earlier?’

’If I’d sent more men, we would’ve had him by now! But no, they wait until he’s gone to tell me!’

The Demon Lord berated the two for being useless, and they didn’t dare to talk back.

After ranting for a full ten minutes, the Demon Lord finally calmed down and immediately issued a wanted order for an all-out search for Mo Yuan.

"The Demon Sea is about to open again! If we can’t bring him back now, we’ll have to wait another thirty years!"

"I have been stuck at the Peak of Divinity Transformation for decades! This is my best chance to ascend. If I miss it, I’ll have to wait another thirty years!"

For a Cultivator, thirty years wasn’t an especially long or short amount of time.

But for one eager to ascend and another eager to secure his succession, it was far, far too long.

"Father, rest assured. I will personally lead the search. I will absolutely bring Mo Yuan back for you!"

A dark glint flashed in Qu Shang’s eyes.

’That useless Mo Yuan... he shouldn’t even dream of escaping with his life.’

’Only with his death can I rightfully take my place. It will stop certain people in the Demon Palace from holding onto their lingering attachments to him.’

’He must die on the day the Demon Sea opens!’

...

After evading the two Demon Monarchs, Song Wanning brought Mo Yuan back to Wuyuan City.

’The most dangerous place is the safest. Those two wouldn’t think to search here again so soon.’

She rented two rooms as before, took Mo Yuan to buy a change of clothes, and made sure he had a full meal before they went back upstairs.

The dynamic between them had changed dramatically.

Mo Yuan followed her around like a lost puppy, hanging on her every word. On his perpetually gloomy face, a shy blush or even a smile would occasionally appear.

Even though Song Wanning remained indifferent toward him, he didn’t mind in the slightest, convinced she was merely cold on the outside but warm on the inside.

After they went to their separate rooms in the inn, Mo Yuan eagerly began to cultivate.

Song Wanning had treated him exceedingly well, even giving him a precious Eighth-grade Elixir.

’Once I take this elixir, my manhood will grow back!’

’I can be a real man again!’

In contrast to his elation, Song Wanning’s patience was wearing thin.

She had been playing this part with Mo Yuan for some time now. Having achieved her goal, she had no desire to waste any more time on him.

Song Wanning had never liked putting on an act, and one could only imagine her mood, having to look at an enemy’s face every day.

Fortunately, her efforts these past few days had paid off, so it wasn’t a total waste.

Now, she planned to find Ye Chuxue. After all, with the Heavenly Dao’s favoritism, Ye Chuxue was probably already safe and sound.

At the same time, Song Wanning sent a Communication Talisman to the Shopkeeper to inquire about Lu Nanfeng’s location.

Upon learning that he was nearing the Demon Clan’s territory, a slight smile touched her lips. A murderous intent flashed in her eyes before she returned to her usual calm.

’It was time for her "benevolent master" to start plotting on behalf of his own dear disciple. And if she could drag Ye Chuxue down with him, all the better.’

’Murdering a fellow disciple... that sounded like an excellent charge.’