Ye Jingyu held Luo Ling'er's increasingly cold body tightly, his tears already soaking through his clothes, while desolate cries tore from his throat—sounds so heartbreaking, so utterly devastating.

Dark clouds gathered overhead without warning; bolts of lightning flashed, and then a torrential downpour descended, the rain so heavy it should have drowned out Jingyu’s cries, but it could not.

Was Heaven itself weeping for him?

Zhuge Siyu awoke at some unknown moment, standing beside Hei Ming Shixuan. Both women gazed at Ye Jingyu’s desolate silhouette, their eyes swimming with tears.

The rain saturated their garments, yet they seemed oblivious, standing there silently, keeping vigil over Ye Jingyu, accompanying this heartbroken man.

The mournful wails echoed across heaven and earth, Ye Jingyu’s voice beginning to crack, his long white hair starkly visible against the oppressive darkness.

After an immeasurable time, when the downpour had half-filled the deep crater, Ye Jingyu suddenly ceased his cries, and his body slowly collapsed.

"Big Brother..." Hei Ming Shixuan gasped, instantly moving to intercept the now utterly spent Ye Jingyu, catching him as he fell, completely unconscious.

Liang Ren dared not linger. Though grief-stricken, she supported Ye Jingyu and swiftly fled the scene. Their lives had been bought with Luo Ling’er’s sacrifice, and they could afford no further mishap.

The rain continued to fall, and a semblance of quiet returned to the site. Only minutes after Hei Ming Shixuan and the others departed, a body began to float up from the earth pit, which was now largely submerged by the deluge.

It was a body that looked like shattered glass, not a single part intact from head to toe, appearing terribly mangled.

Gazing at the massive pit and the churning dark clouds above, Xuan Yuan Ruoxing’s eyes gleamed with brutal malice.

"Ye Jingyu, you were lucky this time—you had a woman nearby who knew the Blood Curse and was willing to use it for you. Next time, you won't be so fortunate!" Xuan Yuan Ruoxing sneered, his lips curling coldly as he slowly pulled himself out of the crater. Despite the protection of that white pagoda, the immense recoil force had nearly shattered his body and soul; now, his power was almost nonexistent—even a Martial Saint could end him.

Yet, Xuan Yuan Ruoxing showed no real discouragement; instead, a faint smile touched his lips. Though the encounter had been perilously close, it had proven the incredible defensive power of that pagoda, which had shielded his soul from annihilation under such violent force. This artifact surely surpassed the Heavenly Grade.

He had never expected Fang Guyou to possess such a heaven-defying treasure, nor was that ancient sword an ordinary weapon. He only wondered when he would finally be able to unleash its true, formidable power.

Smugly, he retrieved a semi-transparent crystal orb from his robes. Within it, a shadowy figure seemed trapped. Upon closer inspection, it was indeed a figure, a translucent silhouette struggling faintly.

Watching the struggling phantom, Xuan Yuan Ruoxing smiled faintly. "Huangfu Buyue, though your spirit was saved by the Heavenly Dragon, you never imagined your Dragon Seizing Sect’s Heavenly Dragon would be captured, did you? And certainly not that you would end up in my grasp. I had planned to annihilate your soul immediately, but since you are the man my sister favors, as an older brother, I must plan for her sake. What do you say?"

The figure in the crystal was the annihilated Huangfu Buyue, now merely a remnant soul, lacking even his complete sense of self.

"Heh, forget it, forget it. With only one soul and one spirit left from your Three Souls and Seven Spirits, what could you possibly comprehend? Rest assured, I will help restore your spirit, but only the portion I require. Your body, I will also fully restore. Then you will become my most capable sword. Ye Jingyu, you could never have anticipated this, could you!" Xuan Yuan Ruoxing chuckled softly, tucking the crystal orb back into his robes. His broken body slowly managed to stand, and he began to walk away, step by painful step...

He needed to find a place to recover from his injuries, then figure out how to weather the final Heavenly Tribulation, after which he would fully assimilate all the power and influence Fang Guyou had accumulated, and then, finally, the unification of the realm...

It had to be admitted that Xuan Yuan Ruoxing’s ambitions were sound, and he currently possessed the strength and potential to achieve them. As for how he planned to resurrect Huangfu Buyue, that was his own affair...

Time always flew by with disconcerting speed. In the blink of an eye, three months had passed, at the junction of the demonic realm's Burlas Great Plains and the Tianjue Forest, specifically where the Ox-Man tribe congregated.

Amidst a sea of flowers, rested a water-blue crystal coffin. Inside, clad in a palace gown, lay Luo Ling’er, who had sacrificed her soul.

Though her physical body had disintegrated, Ye Jingyu had used his immense divine power to recast a new vessel for her—yet a body without a soul remained merely an empty shell.

Beside the crystal coffin sat Ye Jingyu, clad in black, his white hair dishevelled down his back, his expressionless face covered in stubble. His dark eyes were fixed unblinkingly on Luo Ling’er, on her once-lovely face.

He had maintained this posture for seven days and seven nights, a layer of dust accumulating on his form, yet he seemed utterly unaware.

Not far from Ye Jingyu, the enchanting woman in the blue gauze dress, Jiufeng in black silk robes, and Zhuge Siyu in white sheer attire stood silently, watching Ye Jingyu’s forlorn back. In the eyes of all three flashed an expression called heartache—a sorrow for Ye Jingyu’s condition, and a sorrow for the bond between him and Luo Ling’er.

They spoke nothing, offered no comfort. They merely stood there quietly, accompanying him, accompanying this deeply devoted man.

Chi Yixiu, whose power had reached the Seventh Grade Demon Lord level, sat cross-legged nearby. He had grown to a height of seven zhang, and he let out a soft sigh as he observed the silent Ye Jingyu.

Hufeng Qi and Hufeng Meng also watched Ye Jingyu from a short distance away.

Hei Ming Shixuan, however, held the still-sleeping Luo Ling’er, standing dutifully behind Ye Jingyu without uttering a word or mentioning a thing. She understood that her Big Brother needed this time to himself.

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