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The tension between the three had escalated, thick enough to ignite the entire alchemical cauldron. The ethereal voice of the Immortal Monarch’s remnant soul resonated once more, soft and lingering.
His voice carried both resignation and profound understanding.
“The word ‘love’ is the most inscrutable; what use are these verbal skirmishes?”
The phantom figure seemed to solidify slightly, becoming more distinct than before.
“Since each of you believes your affection to be the purest, then come forward and prove it yourselves.”
He raised a hand, pointing towards the Three Lives Stone, the immortal fragment at the heart of the array.
“This stone can reflect one’s true heart. You need only place your hand upon it and pour your unreserved feelings for that girl into it; it will then reveal the truth.”
“Whoever’s feelings resonate most deeply with it shall be able to claim it.”
“However, I must offer a warning,” his tone grew solemn. “This is a trial of the true heart; no deceit is possible. Should even a hint of falsehood or wavering exist within your spirit, the immortal stone will retaliate. At best, your Divine Soul will be wounded; at worst, your Dao Heart will shatter.”
His gaze slowly swept over the three of them.
“Now, who among you will be the first?”
This was a contest devoid of clashing blades, yet more brutal than any battle of life and death.
It was a test of who dared to lay bare their heart, their love for Shen Zhaoqing, completely and unreservedly, before the heavens and this stone that could discern all.
Gu Chang’an’s eyes flickered imperceptibly. She considered her protective resolve as unyielding as bedrock, yet Ling Shuangjue’s piercing remark of “prisoner” had left a faint, almost undetectable ripple on her otherwise placid Dao Heart.
Yuange gently bit her lower lip. Could the possessive desire to keep her prey forever confined to her own nest truly deceive the Three Lives Stone?
Only Ling Shuangjue remained unfazed.
Upon hearing the Immortal Monarch’s words, her face showed not the slightest hesitation; instead, a smile verging on cruelty bloomed.
“Lay bare one’s heart?”
“Heh, since none of you dare,” Ling Shuangjue swept a contemptuous glance over Gu Chang’an and Yuange, “then this first prize shall be claimed by this Venerable!”
Before her words fully faded, her form shifted, transforming into a streak of crimson light. Disregarding the array’s oppressive force that could tear space asunder, she surged directly towards the heart of the immortal manor.
Behind her, the pupils of Gu Chang’an and Yuange simultaneously contracted sharply.
****
The crimson streak of light, like a comet hurtling backward, tore through the myriad years of silence within the Guixu. Ling Shuangjue’s figure collided directly with the luminous orb at the immortal manor’s core. The surrounding seawater shrieked with a sizzling lament, as if scorched by an invisible inferno, due to the murderous intent emanating from her.
Gu Chang’an and Yuange had not anticipated that this madwoman would truly dare to go first!
That was the Three Lives Stone! A thing that reflected one’s true heart, capable of shattering a Dao Heart with the slightest misstep! Could this woman truly be so confident in her twisted, aberrant possessiveness?
The crimson streak plunged into the luminous orb, like a drop of ink falling into clear water—silent, yet instantly dyeing all pristine white with its own hue.
Ling Shuangjue’s consciousness plummeted into an abyss of absolute darkness. Then, her vision abruptly cleared.
This was the deepest part of the Myriad Flower Blood Palace, her personal sleeping chambers. The air was thick with the familiar scents of blood roses and cold fragrance. The floor was paved with ten-thousand-year Mystic Ice Jade, and every furnishing in the hall was a “trophy” she had personally collected from across the Three Realms and Nine Continents.
And at this very moment, the “trophy” she had scoured the entire cultivation world for sat quietly by her bed.
Shen Zhaoqing wore a soft, loose black silk robe, revealing a slender collarbone. Her long hair, unbound, fanned out behind her like ink. Her almond-shaped eyes, usually holding three parts languor and seven parts wariness, were now as docile as still water.
She held neither her wine gourd nor that broken bone hairpin. Instead, she kept her head bowed, meticulously polishing the blade of the Abyssal Slaughter Sword with a cloth from Ling Shuangjue.
Her movements were gentle, her expression utterly focused.
“Zhaoqing.”
Ling Shuangjue spoke tentatively, a hoarseness she hadn’t noticed herself present in her voice.
The figure by the bed looked up at the sound, a faint, pure smile gracing her delicate face.
“Demonic Venerable, you’ve returned,” her voice was soft and light, like a feather brushing against the heart. “The sword has been polished for you.”
Ling Shuangjue walked over, extending a hand, and with a fingertip adorned with an obsidian thimble, gently lifted Zhaoqing’s chin.
There was no evasion, no resistance, not even a hint of aversion. Her beautiful eyes clearly mirrored Ling Shuangjue’s reflection, filled entirely with her.
This… wasn’t this what she had always desired?
A Zhaoqing who belonged entirely to her, one who wouldn’t run or cause trouble, wouldn’t infuriate her to the point of murder with her sharp tongue. A Shen Zhaoqing who would only obediently stay by her side, with eyes solely for her.
She could lock her in this palace, forever and ever…
Ling Shuangjue leaned in, her cold lips nearly touching the other’s.
However, at the merest breath away, she paused.
‘No.’
‘Something is wrong.’
She gazed at the perfectly submissive face before her, yet the frenzy born of her search, the rage born of her loss, were not soothed. Instead, they crackled and surged, giving rise to an even more hollow and agonizing vexation.
‘What I desired was not this… exquisite doll with its soul extracted.’
‘What even is this?’
‘I, Ling Shuangjue, master of the Myriad Flower Blood Palace, wielder of world-destroying demonic weapons, could my lifelong pursuit truly be to obtain a beautiful, soulless husk?’
‘What a joke!’
“Demonic Venerable?”
Shen Zhaoqing paused, then leaned forward, wrapping her soft, boneless arms gently around Ling Shuangjue’s neck. Her hot, scorching breath brushed against Ling Shuangjue’s exposed skin.
“What’s wrong?” Her innocent tone was an almost perfect imitation.
“Didn’t you always want this?”
Ling Shuangjue abruptly let go, her eyes instantly chilling. ‘You are not her.’
Ling Shuangjue abruptly released her, her eyes instantly growing cold. Her Demonic Energy surged like a tide.
‘Get lost!’
‘I am her.’ The person in her dream desperately tried to burrow into her embrace. ‘Didn’t you say you liked me the most?’
‘Daddy.’
‘Shame.’ Her sleeve looked aggrieved. ‘Didn’t you say you liked me the most?’
‘Look.’
‘Now I’ve returned with you to the Myriad Flower Blood Palace.’
Ling Shuangjue followed her gaze. Vast swathes of rouge roses bloomed behind her. ‘These are the roses you planted for me with your own hands. You… you forgot?’
Ling Shuangjue remained stunned for a long moment.
Shen Zhaoqing leaned in, her arm draped over Ling Shuangjue’s shoulder and neck. In the blink of an eye, their positions shifted, and they were lying amidst the sea of roses.
Their ink-black hair intertwined. The person above her casually picked a single petal. The petal brushed past Ling Shuangjue’s eye corner, then her nose, before slowly slipping into her slightly parted lips.
‘There.’
She heard the person above her say. Then, Shen Zhaoqing’s face grew larger and larger in Ling Shuangjue’s vision. She could even see her own reflection in Shen Zhaoqing’s pupils.
Their foreheads touched. Then their noses, as hot breaths kissed the other side of the petal in her mouth. The Shen Zhaoqing above her gasped softly, biting the petal as she moved closer. Their breaths gradually intertwined.
It was as soft as she had imagined.
And as sweet as she had imagined.
*Drip-drop.*
A sound of dripping water seemed to echo in Ling Shuangjue’s mind. Ling Shuangjue’s eyes snapped open. The Shen Zhaoqing before her, still wearing that smile, shattered into countless fragments like smoke.
The surrounding magnificent palace also collapsed, transforming into endless void.
A cold voice resonated within her Divine Sea:
[Possession, is it love?]
[Trial failed.]
Boom!
A powerful, irresistible force struck, and Ling Shuangjue’s consciousness was violently kicked out of that void!
You think this chapter was thrilling? Wait until you read Escaping the Psycho? You Were Hypnotized Into Her Doting Little Wife! Click here to discover the next big twist!
Read : Escaping the Psycho? You Were Hypnotized Into Her Doting Little Wife
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