Chapter 27: The Ghost Gate Encounter

Thud!

Bu Xiwei’s head slammed into something hard, and the sharp pain finally tore her free from the memory.

With all her senses dulled, she had mobilized nearly all the strength she could muster to shatter the cage imprisoning her.

She desperately didn’t want to hear another word from Su Miaoyu.

So she used force—brutally and directly—to destroy the memory fragment, cutting off Su Miaoyu’s voice.

Of all the countless memories from her past and present lives, why did this one have to surface now?

In her past life, when she saw Su Miaoyu confess her feelings to Yu Xiu, Bu Xiwei hadn’t yet understood her own emotions.

But even then, she had felt a powerful surge of displeasure.

Later, unable to hold back, she directly asked Yu Xiu about their relationship—and received a helpless smile in return.

“We’re just a disciple and an elder from the same sect, but different peaks,” Yu Xiu had patiently explained.

“It wasn’t until I broke through to the Nascent Soul stage and became the next Peak Master of Chiyang Peak that I had any real interaction with Master Su, who is also a Peak Master.”

“Oh.” Bu Xiwei had responded coldly. “So what you mean is, there’s no real connection between you, and she’s just fallen head over heels all on her own?”

As soon as the words left her mouth, she realized her tone was off—too sharp, too accusatory.

…But Yu Xiu hadn’t done anything wrong.

Bu Xiwei had wanted to apologize, but she didn’t know how to soften her tone. Annoyed with herself, she snapped,

“Fine, whatever! So many people admire you anyway. One more doesn’t matter, one less isn’t a loss. Who cares about her!”

At the time, she didn’t realize how sour she sounded.

Ever since she and Yu Xiu began fleeing together, a steady stream of fellow sect members, old friends, and admirers had shown up—trying to persuade Yu Xiu to return. Just from the communication talismans alone, Bu Xiwei had heard enough admirers to form a small faction.

But among those who directly chased after Yu Xiu, Su Miaoyu was the only one.

In response to Bu Xiwei’s outburst, a faint curve rose on Yu Xiu’s lips.

“So many admire me,” she said softly, “but now, at my side… isn’t it just you, Demon Lord?”

That one gentle sentence had melted all of Bu Xiwei’s doubts.

Yu Xiu’s voice then grew slightly heavier:

“And it’s not just me. You—when have your pursuers ever been few?”

Bu Xiwei frowned, full of disbelief. “What pursuers do I have?”

But Yu Xiu had always known when to stop. She said nothing more and gently changed the subject.

To this day, Bu Xiwei still didn’t know who Yu Xiu had been referring to.

—

In the past, whenever she awoke from a mad state, Bu Xiwei would fall into a period of extreme weakness—so frail that even a Qi Refinement cultivator could harm her.

And now, having forcibly awakened early, that weakness would only be worse.

She didn’t even need to meet a cultivator. Even a mortal could kill her in this state.

At this moment, although her senses were gradually returning, she couldn’t lift a single finger.

Whenever she entered a mad state, her consciousness would vanish entirely. She never knew where she ran to—nor where she’d eventually end up.

Once, in her past life, she had awoken hanging from a withered tree over the edge of a ten-thousand-foot abyss. If she’d taken one more step—or if the tree had broken a second later—she would’ve fallen to her death.

Even with her Soul Formation cultivation, the impact would’ve seriously injured her, if not outright killed her.

This time, she still had no idea where she was. She could only tell that her head had struck something hard—either a rock or a tree trunk—when she’d forcibly jolted herself awake.

Now, all she could do was wait.

Wait for her strength to return.

The earlier memory still stirred in her chest like an unspoken resentment.

She couldn’t help but wonder—was the reason she thought of Su Miaoyu this time because Yu
Xiu had met that woman earlier than she had in her past life?

Bu Xiwei remembered something Yu Xiu had once said. What was it called?

Ah, right—the butterfly effect. Something about a small change triggering a huge impact.

Had her rebirth become that butterfly’s wingbeat?

No, no—that’s impossible. Su Miaoyu is arrogant and proud. Yu Xiu hasn’t even formed her

Golden Core yet. Even if they did meet this early, Su Miaoyu wouldn’t have developed any improper feelings for her…

Her thoughts had been in a complete mess for a long while.

In the end, only one desire remained.

She wanted to see Yu Xiu.

She wanted to be by Yu Xiu’s side. She wanted to see her again…

No matter how long it took, Bu Xiwei firmly believed she would open her eyes again.

—

Before her lay a sparse and withered forest.

Only twisted, gnarled trees stood—bent at strange angles, forming grotesque, almost skeletal shapes.

From sky to ground, everything was cast in an ashen black. Not even a single birdcall echoed through the air.

It was like a land of death—utterly devoid of life.

Bu Xiwei’s eyes snapped open.

This was the border between the immortal and demon realms—territory both sides rarely touched.

Ordinary folk called this place Ghost Gate Pass.

And she… was lying within its ghostly forest.

The last time Bu Xiwei had awakened from madness and escaped the Demon Realm into the Immortal Realm, she had also passed through here.

Enduring the piercing pain in her skull—like a hundred needles stabbing at once—Bu Xiwei struggled to recall what had happened before she lost control.

It was as if she had given herself one final command:

Stay as far away from Yu Xiu as possible.

If she lost herself again, she might hurt her.

A splitting headache throbbed violently at her temples. Bu Xiwei let out a low groan, pressing her limp, trembling left hand against the top of her head.

Judging by the result, she had succeeded.
She had fled to the furthest edge of the Immortal Realm.

Just a few more steps and she would’ve crossed back into the Demon Realm. But something in her instinct refused that path, and so she had collapsed at the threshold—right here.

After resting for quite a while, Bu Xiwei finally regained enough strength to move. With great effort, she pushed herself up from where she had slumped beside a withered tree.

This state wasn’t unfamiliar to her.

Most of the time, after one of her mad episodes, she only began regaining clarity once her body had exhausted every last drop of destructive power—left drained and on the verge of hysteria.

It wasn’t until she met Yu Xiu that she learned there was another way to return to herself.

She staggered forward, her body swaying with every step. She nearly fell.

“I was wondering which filthy pest was hiding here all this time,” Bu Xiwei said mockingly. “Turns out it’s the filthiest one of all. No wonder the stench is so strong—I’m absolutely disgusted.”

Her voice was weak and ragged, each word rasped out through broken, uneven breaths.

Yet despite that, her words carried a chilling authority—deep and innate. No one who heard her would dare take her lightly.

As her voice faded into the dead silence, a man stepped out from behind a withered tree—exactly where Bu Xiwei’s dull gaze had landed.

He wore a dark purple robe, lush to the point of excess, and held a folding fan painted with gaudy birds and blossoms. His skin was deathly pale, as if sunlight had never once touched him.

His facial features were sharp and alluring—almost disturbingly beautiful in contrast with his pallor.

If Yu Xiu were here, she would’ve recognized him immediately.

This was Han Boya, head of the Han family in the Demon Realm—nicknamed “the vampire” by many players of Five Elements Immortal Domain.

The Han family was the only major faction in the game that had no romanceable characters. But Han Boya, with his striking appearance and sinister charm, still attracted enough popularity that players once petitioned to have him added as a romance option.

However, up to the moment Yu Xiu transmigrated into this world, the official list remained unchanged.

Even the overwhelmingly popular Demon Lord, Bu Xiwei, wasn’t romanceable—let alone someone like Han Boya, who was little more than a “pretty threat.”

Han Boya kept one hand behind his back, leisurely fanning himself with the other.

Even though Bu Xiwei had exposed him without hesitation, he didn’t appear the least bit embarrassed.

On the contrary, he smiled at her with the practiced charm of a noble gentleman.

“As expected, I couldn’t hide from you,” Han Boya said, squinting as he smiled. “Forgive me for the uninvited interruption, Your Excellency, the Demon Lord.”

Had it been anyone else, he might’ve paused here—allowing them a chance to respond before continuing.

But since it was Bu Xiwei, he didn’t bother with such formality and simply kept talking.

After all, he’d met her enough times to know how she would respond:

“I do not forgive. Now get lost.”

He had heard it before—many times.

He could pretend not to hear it, but that didn’t make it hurt less.

And if he could avoid being insulted again, he would.

“You, exalted as the sole supreme of the Demon Realm, yet reduced to such a sorry state…”

Han Boya sighed dramatically as he shook his fan. “It’s truly… a shame.”

“Spare me,” Bu Xiwei sneered. “This place is so barren even the Han family’s damn bugs can’t survive. There’s not even half an audience to witness your pathetic little act. Who exactly are you performing for?”

She made no attempt to give him face.

Just as Han Boya knew her, she knew him just as well.

A snake in silken robes. A liar whose words weren’t worth believing—not even the empty ones.

Yet despite every venom-laced word Bu Xiwei threw his way, Han Boya didn’t move from his spot.

He remained twenty or thirty meters away, carefully keeping his distance.

Not daring to take a single step closer.

His fear of her was carved into his bones.

Even now, with Bu Xiwei barely able to stand—her body swaying like she might collapse at any second—he didn’t dare lower his guard.

As the head of one of the Demon Realm’s four great powers, Han Boya understood one truth very, very well:

As long as the Demon Lord still drew breath—she had the power to drag anyone to hell with her.