Jiang Ruan’s entire body stiffened.
She almost instinctively wanted to push Nan Qingyun away, her hands already placed on the other woman’s shoulders, but she stopped because of Nan Qingyun’s next action.
Because Nan Qingyun parted her lips and took a bite.
Jiang Ruan immediately frowned and drew in a sharp breath.
A clear tooth mark appeared on the side of her neck.
But Nan Qingyun didn’t pull away. Instead, she lowered her head and gently licked over the painful spot on Jiang Ruan’s skin.
“Shizun…”
Her eyelids drooped halfway, her pitch-black pupils filled with a hazy, enamored emotion.
Nan Qingyun gripped Jiang Ruan’s shoulders with both hands, refusing to let her pull back and retreat.
Jiang Ruan had no choice but to remain frozen in place for the moment.
Nan Qingyun said in a low voice, “Shizun, can you… please stop caring about Lu Ning? Clearly, I am the disciple you love the most.”
Nan Qingyun’s rationality and memories had not fully recovered, and at this moment, she was acting purely on instinct.
Perhaps she had no trace of her original memories right now, but that emotion was already deeply imprinted in her mind.
She was rejecting Lu Ning—even without her memories, she would follow her instincts.
Nan Qingyun’s eyes were tinged red at the corners, and like a fledgling bird begging for affection, she pressed close to Jiang Ruan, her voice soft and pitiful.
“Let’s ignore her completely, alright?”
She truly minded Lu Ning’s existence.
Jiang Ruan reached out and gently rubbed her head.
The two of them quietly embraced each other, and for a moment, neither spoke first.
“Shizun, I have something I want to tell you.”
Nan Qingyun’s heart burned hot. At this moment, she no longer wanted to hide anything. Her fingers clenched Jiang Ruan’s clothes slightly nervously, as if drawing courage from the action.
If this were reality, Nan Qingyun might have many reservations.
But in this illusion realm, with her memories blurred and her rationality impaired, words she could never say in everyday life now came out easily.
The Dream Beast lurked right behind her, stirring restlessly.
Nan Qingyun hugged Jiang Ruan, resting her chin on the other woman’s shoulder.
At this moment, she didn’t notice that Jiang Ruan had fallen silent.
Nan Qingyun said softly, “Shizun, actually, I used to treat everyone the same. I didn’t want to get close to them or have deep interactions with anyone. I only wanted to achieve my goals, no matter how lonely the path.”
“Even, I actually despised and rejected other people.”
“But Shizun is different.”
“Shizun was the first person to get close to me, to soothe me, and to not mind my background or Devil Cultivator Bloodline at all…”
“My feelings for Shizun aren’t just simple fledgling affection. They are…”
Her eyelashes trembled chaotically, her earlobes flushed red.
“My feelings for Shizun are romantic love, not mere respect. I want Shizun’s eyes and heart to hold only me. I want to become Dao Companions with Shizun.”
She knew she wasn’t qualified yet and that she had goals she must accomplish.
But she wasn’t afraid.
Cultivators had far longer lifespans than ordinary mortals. As long as Shizun agreed, they would have plenty of time to work hard together.
“Jiang Ruan’s” hand also gently fell onto Nan Qingyun’s back.
“Is that so? So you have those kinds of feelings for me?”
Nan Qingyun nodded.
Because they were embracing, she couldn’t see the shadow of the Heart Demon Gu flash through Jiang Ruan’s eyes.
“Jiang Ruan” said, “But you’re too weak.”
Nan Qingyun suddenly stiffened.
The color drained rapidly from her face, and the flush on her earlobes vanished.
“Jiang Ruan” continued, “The person I like must be strong. I won’t reject your identity, and I know it’s not your fault. But Qingyun, if you continue walking the path of Righteous Path cultivation, your strength will surely never surpass Lu Ning’s.”
“Lu Ning is extraordinarily talented and unburdened by a Devil Cultivator Bloodline. Her future achievements will surpass yours.”
Nan Qingyun’s body went rigid, frozen in place.
“Jiang Ruan” didn’t push her away. Instead, she hugged Nan Qingyun and whispered softly in her ear, “So if you don’t change your cultivation method, you’ll never catch up to Lu Ning. How could I like someone like that?”
“No, Shizun, I…”
She wanted to say she would work hard, that given time, she would definitely surpass Lu Ning.
But when the words reached her lips, Nan Qingyun couldn’t say them.
Because a thought suddenly entered her mind: She had even lost to Lu Ning in the trial of the Questioning Heart Ladder, and her cultivation speed had always been slower than Lu Ning’s. Could she really surpass Lu Ning like this?
Nan Qingyun took a deep breath, her fingertips trembling slightly.
Her voice was dry and hoarse. “Shizun, you have to believe me.”
Yet Nan Qingyun herself did not believe these feeble words.
“Jiang Ruan”: “Since you can’t become the strongest, why would I ever choose you?”
Nan Qingyun froze like a stone statue, her face drained of color.
“Jiang Ruan”‘s voice echoed faintly: “Tell me, how can someone like you ever grow strong?”
“Disciple…”
“Jiang Ruan” suddenly smiled. “So become a Devil Cultivator. Only by becoming a Devil Cultivator can you turn into the strongest. You have the perfect constitution and bloodline for it—you were born to be one.”
With that, she gently pushed Nan Qingyun away. The other woman staggered back two steps, lost in a daze.
Nan Qingyun bit down hard on her lower lip. Even the sharp pain failed to pull her back to her senses.
In this moment, every thought in her mind revolved around Jiang Ruan’s earlier words.
Nan Qingyun clenched her fists tighter, her eyes growing darker. Red marks appeared at the corners, faintly spreading across her skin like intricate talisman patterns.
The entire Illusion Realm shook, on the verge of collapse.
She could not match Lu Ning. Even Shizun believed that.
Shizun favored the strong. If she fell short of Lu Ning, she would never wrest Shizun away from her.
She did not want Shizun looking only at Lu Ning.
No. No. No…
She wanted Shizun to see only her—to care for no one else.
Let all the others die.
Shizun.
Look at me. Only me.
“Thump, thump.”
That was the fierce pounding of her heart.
Nan Qingyun clutched at her chest with her other hand and collapsed to her knees. Her face was ghostly pale, her pupils sinking into bottomless black.
A voice whispered endlessly in her mind.
“Come on, choose this path. You’re a natural Devil Cultivator, aren’t you?”
“The Righteous Path will never bear fruit for you. Not with your filthy bloodline.”
“Do you even know what a Half Devil Heart means? The Thunder Tribulation of the Soul Transformation Realm will never let you pass—you’ll die beneath it. It means your heart is half pitch-black inside. Only Devil Cultivators would ever accept you.”
“Stop fighting it. Fall. Fall. Come on…”
The patterns at her eyes shifted from vivid red to a murky shade, veering toward blackish crimson.
Faint black mist began to swirl within her already ink-black pupils.
But in that instant, a massive blue talisman materialized on her back. Nan Qingyun cried out in agony and crumpled to the ground.
It was the talisman Elder Baihua had implanted in her body earlier to suppress the devilish qi.
Excruciating pain surged through every inch of her being.
In moments, it left her breaths shallow and her body limp with exhaustion.
The black mist threatening to spill from her pupils vanished. The patterns on her face gradually faded.
Nan Qingyun forced her eyes open. The torment jolted a sliver of reason back into her.
Yes—she had promised Shizun she would stay on the Righteous Path.
She could not break that vow.
And…
Enduring the pain, a single tear traced down from the corner of her eye.
Shizun was so gentle. How could she ever speak such demeaning words?
Shizun loved her more than anyone.
A ruthless glint flashed in Nan Qingyun’s eyes. She summoned her dwindling strength, channeling the last traces of spiritual power to her fingertip. She aimed it squarely at the “Jiang Ruan” before her.
With her wits returned, distinguishing truth from illusion came easily.
Impersonating Shizun was a crime punishable by death.
A streak of white light slashed through the figure. The Illusion Realm shattered.
Amid the overwhelming pain, Nan Qingyun lost consciousness.
~~~
On Jiang Ruan’s side, Han Lin, Chen Xu, and Shan Hu slowly stirred awake.
Jiang Ruan hurried over to check on them.
Han Lin was not fully lucid yet, his mind still trapped in the grip of his recent illusion. Her voice snapped him back with a jolt.
He drew in a sharp breath. “So that really was an illusion… Terrifying. Impossible to guard against.”
Jiang Ruan: “Are you all right?”
Han Lin: “No major harm. Waking up fixes it. Staying lost in there forever? That’d be real trouble.”
At his words, Jiang Ruan’s brows furrowed faintly.
She gazed anxiously at Lu Ning and Nan Qingyun, who had yet to rouse, and nibbled on her finger.
Han Lin: “So you were the first to wake up, Junior Sister.”
Jiang Ruan nodded. “That illusion was way too obvious. Just resist the temptation, and you’re good. Seemed pretty straightforward to me?”
Han Lin rubbed his chin. “Hmm, to put it simply, it’s simple—but to put it another way, it’s not. After all, those are your own memories. One slip-up, and you could easily fall for it.”
Jiang Ruan’s attention was drawn by Han Lin’s words, and she frowned involuntarily. “Our own memories?”
Han Lin nodded. “Yeah.”
Jiang Ruan turned to Chen Xu and Shan Hu. “What the two of you saw in the Illusion Realm—was that your own memories too?”
Both of them nodded.
Shan Hu chimed in. “That’s right. It felt real enough at first, but it showed its flaws in the end. Hmph, I’m not so easy to fool. They thought they’d seen through my weaknesses, but little do they know—I have none!”
In the past, Jiang Ruan might have let out an amused smile at Shan Hu’s words, but now all her focus was on their content.
Was it… truly her most authentic memories?
Jiang Ruan recalled Xuanling Divine Lord from her dream, remembering how the woman had insisted she was her lover.
Back then, Jiang Ruan had denied it without hesitation. Had she been wrong?
Lost in thought, Jiang Ruan unconsciously ran her fingers over her wrist.
The skin there was smooth and unmarred, showing no irregularities.
Noticing her odd behavior, Han Lin asked, “What’s wrong?”
Jiang Ruan hesitated, then shook her head. “Nothing.”
No matter how she looked at it, she had at least escaped the Illusion Realm. Perhaps… perhaps those were the Original Host’s memories?
Besides, Xuanling Divine Lord was a thing of the 【past】, wasn’t she? Her lover’s death must have happened in some previous life, no matter the circumstances.
The realization weighed heavily on Jiang Ruan’s heart.
It was simple, really—it just made her feel a twinge of guilt and shame.
