Many children, many blessings: Stealing the offspring of powerful figures to cultivate immortality.

Above the desolate ruins, the raging storm of spiritual energy seemed to have been snapped off by an invisible hand.

The massive "Map of Mountains and Rivers" that blotted out the sky disintegrated into countless tiny fragments of light in mid-air, scattering down like a golden snowfall.

The five figures who once stood at the pinnacle of the cultivation world now resembled five stone sculptures weathered for thousands of years, frozen in the ruins.

Tick.

A drop of bright red liquid hit the scorched earth, splashing up a tiny flower of blood.

Ji Lingxiao's natal spirit sword "Severing Thoughts" hung by his side, its tip touching the ground, emitting a hum that seemed to groan under the weight of the weight.

This most aloof sword master in the cultivation world was now hunched over, two lines of bloody tears streaming down his face, which was sculpted like ice and snow, dripping onto the collar of his white robe and staining it with a striking red plum blossom.

His left hand gripped the void tightly, his knuckles turning bluish-white from the excessive force, as if he were trying to grasp something that was disappearing, but he only managed to grab a handful of empty wind.

"puff--"

Not far away, Chu Jinglan knelt on one knee, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

His once righteous and noble spirit, symbolizing the supreme sagehood of Confucianism and Taoism, was now in complete disarray. His fingers, clutching his chest, dug deep into his flesh, as if only this intense physical pain could slightly suppress the emptiness of having his heart ripped out.

"roar……"

Bai Ze remained frozen in mid-air, his hands still in a chopping stance.

This arrogant demon emperor let out a mournful cry like a dying cub, and his muscles convulsed violently.

It hurts too much.

The helplessness of watching your beloved vanish into starlight in your arms, even after the illusion shatters, lingers like a leech, clinging tightly to everyone's soul.

Memories of reality and illusion intertwine and overlap wildly at this moment.

Is it the powerful regent or the powerless, down-on-his-luck general?

Is he the lofty Sword Master, or the humble Prime Minister who couldn't win the heart of his beloved?

At that moment, an extremely shrill roar suddenly rang out.

"Sister-in-law!!"

Tianji Pavilion Master Situ Kong curled up on the ground.

He held his arms loosely across his chest, maintaining a supporting posture, as if he were still holding the woman who was gradually losing her warmth.

His face, usually so calculating and always wearing a fake smile, was now contorted beyond recognition, tears streaming down his face.

"Don't die...please...I have medicine...I have lots of medicine..."

Situ Kong frantically pulled things out of his storage ring.

Nine-Turn Rejuvenation Pill, Ten-Thousand-Year Spirit Milk, Heavenly Secret Pavilion's Secret Medicines...

He scattered these priceless treasures all over the ground like trash.

With trembling hands, Situ Kong tried to stuff the illusory pill into the mouth of the person who no longer existed.

"Drink it...drink it and you'll feel better...sister-in-law, it's me, Sikong..."

His voice was hoarse and broken, carrying a chilling madness.

The gentle glow of the Divine Tree of All Spirits receded like the tide.

Jiang Yining sat cross-legged in the center of the ruins and slowly opened her eyes.

Those eyes were clear and cold, like the cold moon hanging high in the sky, silently overlooking the mess, forming an almost absurd contrast with the men around them who were crying their hearts out.

Memories, like a flood bursting its banks, surged wildly through everyone's consciousness at this moment.

The confrontation in the Golden Palace, the passionate kiss in the carriage, the lingering intimacy in the ancestral hall late at night, the shared bath in the tub... and the final moment, as she slowly grew cold in my arms, transforming into a sky full of stars.

The boundary between reality and illusion completely collapsed at this moment.

Bai Ze's empty golden eyes suddenly focused.

He stared intently at Situ Kong, who was still rolling on the ground, calling out "sister-in-law," and the "green tea blind man" in his mind who was always sickly in the illusion and would faint at any time, begging for a hug in Jiang Yining's arms.

This perfectly overlapped with the treacherous and cunning Master of the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion before him.

creak.

The mad blade in Bai Ze's hand emitted a teeth-grinding scraping sound.

"Chu, Si, Kong!!"

A furious roar sent rubble flying all around.

Bai Ze's demonic power surged instantly, and his body, which had been hunched over due to grief, suddenly straightened up, like a tyrannical dragon that had been completely enraged.

"So it was you, you blind idiot!!"

In that illusion, it was this bastard who pretended to be blind and sick, not only sleeping in his bed, but also...

"I'm going to skin you alive and use your skin to make a drum!!"

Bai Ze slashed down with his sword, the golden blade light mixed with earth-shattering fury, heading straight for Situ Kong's crown.

"Bai Ze! Are you crazy?!"

Situ Kong hadn't completely detached himself from the role of "Chu Sikong" yet; his eyes were unfocused, half of him a sinister pavilion master, and half a wronged younger brother-in-law.

"Since you call me elder brother..."

On the other side, Chu Jinglan slowly stood up. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his refined eyes now bloodshot, and his righteous aura transformed into countless tangible blades, his killing intent more chilling than the winter wind.

"The eldest brother is like a father."

Chu Jinglan's voice was as cold as if it came from hell: "Today, I will clean house."

"Shameless."

The "Severing Thoughts" sword in Ji Lingxiao's hand emitted a clear and melodious sword cry.

He remembered the bell.

The bell tied to Jiang Yining's ankle, the one that was personally untied by this "blind man" in the illusion, and the scene of him repeatedly playing with it in the bathtub.

The Supreme Emotionless Sword Intent instantly sealed off the space within a hundred miles.

Ji Lingxiao didn't waste any words; he immediately unleashed a deadly sword strike.

boom--!!!

Three attacks, powerful enough to destroy heaven and earth, struck Situ Kong simultaneously.

At the critical moment of life and death, the instincts of a seasoned expert finally allowed Situ Kong to break free from that frenzied state.

His body twisted into an unbelievable angle, barely avoiding Bai Ze's blade and Chu Jinglan's sharp edge, but Ji Lingxiao's sword energy still managed to slice off half of his sleeve.

"I...go!"

Situ Kong rolled away in a disheveled manner, his hair disheveled, and his face still bearing traces of wet tears.

"Sister-in-law..."

Situ Kong's divine sense bypassed the three men exuding murderous intent and landed directly on Jiang Yining.

"You're not dead..."

He grinned, revealing a smile that was more like a grimace, his eyes twitching violently between madness and lucidity.

"Thank goodness... Sister-in-law isn't dead... But I have to kill you... No, I can't kill sister-in-law... I have to take her away..."

His schizophrenic-like ramblings made the atmosphere even more eerie.

While the three men were busy mixing up "house cleaning".

A dark figure appeared silently behind Jiang Yining.

It moved as fast as a black lightning bolt, tearing through the barriers of space.

A cold hand gripped Jiang Yining's wrist.

Ye Wuhen had already arrived there without anyone noticing.

He wore a black dragon robe, his body was filled with surging demonic energy, and his narrow phoenix eyes held a chilling obsession and possessiveness.

He didn't care about Situ Kong or the grudges in the illusion at all.

Only that living, warm Jiang Yining.

"Empress."

Ye Wuhen lowered his head, his lips almost touching Jiang Yining's earlobe, his voice hoarse and dangerous, carrying a strong smell of blood.

"This time, I will not let you die in front of me again."

"Come with me."

Before he finished speaking, he suddenly pulled, intending to take advantage of the moment when the group was fighting amongst themselves to forcibly remove them from the ruins.