She was reluctant; truly reluctant. She didn't know what she had been like before, only that for as long as she had been conscious, this man had been by her side. She was forged by his hands, and in those early days, her only instinct was obedience—absolute obedience to his every command…

As time flowed, as her cultivation deepened, and through every shared moment experienced alongside him, she began to grasp something called emotion. Yes, it was a strange, marvelous feeling.

She couldn't quite define her feelings for him. Even the prospect of marrying him brought none of the usual elation women felt; there was only the familiar, deep-seated calm. It seemed to her that as long as she could remain by his side, her status was irrelevant…

When he was hurt, her heart ached. When he was troubled, her heart ached too. But when he was absent, her heart ached the most.

The day he was gravely wounded by Nezha using the Pangu Banner, she felt as if her own heart had been violently wrenched out, as if the injury had been inflicted upon herself.

Now, though his wounds had substantially healed, they were not completely mended. And even if they were fully healed, unless he took that final, ultimate step, even possessing the strongest sword formation would not prevent him from being injured again.

She did not want him to suffer injury again; she truly wished he never had to be hurt, ever. That time he held back from taking that final step just to preserve her had nearly led to his total destruction. She couldn't bear to see him in such a state again. She desired her man to become one of the most powerful beings in this world; she needed him to step across that threshold perfectly, to take that ultimate stride…

“But, thank you for giving me so many beautiful memories. Thank you for letting me become your bride. Thank you for teaching me love. Thank you for giving me everything. Truly, thank you!” Gongsun Lu gently stroked the still unconscious Liang Xiaoke, two clear streams of tears tracing paths down her cheeks…

“Ke, do you know? I truly do not want to part with you. I truly cannot bear to leave you. Teacher said we also have a chance to take that step, but I’m afraid. I’m afraid that before that happens, something terrible might befall you. That’s why I don’t want anything to happen to you. I’m sorry, Ke, but I can no longer accompany you on this journey. I’m sorry…” Gongsun Lu’s voice cracked with sobs. Faint blue-green light began to radiate from her body—a light teeming with vital energy. As this luminescence brightened, Gongsun Lu’s form began to blur and fade…

But Liang Xiaoke, deep in his slumber, knew nothing of this.

The tears in Gongsun Lu’s eyes multiplied, and her reluctance intensified, yet she had no intention of stopping. She couldn't bear to leave him, but she feared losing him to harm even more.

At that moment, Gongsun Lu’s physical body vanished, completely transforming into that blue-green light and merging into Liang Xiaoke’s interior. Only a solitary sliver of remnant soul remained. Instantly, the Five Elements energy of heaven and earth began to rush toward Liang Xiaoke in a torrent. His physical body was continuously tempered, and his remaining injuries rapidly recuperated upon absorbing this pure essence of Wood spirit energy. An immensely powerful aura began to emanate from within him…

His body was constantly refined, tempered by the forces of the Five Elements. His cultivation soared rapidly, and concepts that had previously eluded him suddenly became crystal clear. Faintly, a cracking sound resonated from within him, like the snapping of iron chains—was this the breaking of the constraints of the Heavenly Dao?

In an instant, Liang Xiaoke, whose eyes had been tightly shut, suddenly threw them open…

“Gongsun Lu…” A mournful roar tore from Liang Xiaoke’s throat. His body sprang up from the ground, and upon seeing the rapidly dissipating remnant soul before him, he erupted in a torrent of curses…

“Gongsun Lu, what the hell are you doing? Don't you know you are my woman? You are mine! Do you understand? Everything about you belongs to me! What right do you have to decide your own life…”

As Liang Xiaoke screamed, bloody tears streamed from his eyes.

Seeing Liang Xiaoke raging, Gongsun Lu merely offered a faint smile—the sweetest, most human expression she had worn since becoming a Blood Corpse. He loved her; yes, he loved her, just as she loved him…

“You smile! You just keep smiling! Do you think you’re so great? Do you think you’re being noble? Do you think this is some kind of fulfillment for me? You know nothing! You understand nothing! You understand absolutely nothing!” As he cried out these words, Liang Xiaoke’s body began to tremble violently. He wanted to rush forward and embrace Gongsun Lu’s remnant soul, but he feared that if he moved, she would vanish completely.

His eyes filled with ever-increasing tears. Where a zombie derived so much fluid, he didn't know. All he knew was that his heart felt heavy, agonizingly, overwhelmingly heavy…

Gongsun Lu said nothing. She simply watched Liang Xiaoke quietly, watching the man she had followed for a thousand years…

“You can’t do this! You know that’s not what I want! You know I don’t care about that damned Grand Completion Realm! I have the strongest brothers, I have the most incredible master! I honestly don’t care about taking that final step! What I care about is you! What I love is you! How could you do this?” Liang Xiaoke nearly shrieked, his face smeared with bloody tears, not bothering to wipe them away. At this moment, he bore no resemblance to the fierce and brutal zombie; he looked like a three-year-old child who had lost his most cherished toy, weeping with such profound sorrow, such utter desperation—desperation rooted deep within his core.

His expression was savage, his hair a wild mess, his demeanor frantic, yet his eyes held only the deepest, deepest, most profound grief…

Seeing Liang Xiaoke’s look of desperate pain, even with only a remnant soul remaining, Gongsun Lu’s heart ached fiercely. Yet, the more pain he showed, the firmer her resolve became. He loved her so much; how could she allow herself to become a burden to him?

“I understand. I understand everything. But I truly love you…” Seeing that Liang Xiaoke was about to spiral further into madness, Gongsun Lu suddenly spoke…

But I truly love you. These few short words instantly calmed the frenzied Liang Xiaoke.

Truly love you. What is love? There are many kinds of love: some love is possessive, some love is selfish. But there is another kind—a selfless love, the greatest love, true love. It pours out everything without demanding any return, even willing to sacrifice one’s own life without hesitation…

Was her love for him this selfless kind?

She truly loved him, so much so that she willingly sacrificed herself so that he would no longer be harmed, so that he could quickly break free from the Heavenly Dao, so that his strength could surge.

And what about him? What about his love for her?

Or perhaps, did he even possess love?

Can a zombie feel love? Can a lustful, philandering zombie truly love one person?

Looking at Gongsun Lu’s fading visage, Liang Xiaoke suddenly felt that she was the most beautiful woman in the world. All the charm of the seductive, all the power of the Drought Demon—compared to her, they were worthless. Why hadn't he realized this sooner?

Love without regret, love without selfishness, love without complaint. He… had fallen in love with her?

“I love you too…” Liang Xiaoke didn’t know how he managed to utter those words. He had spoken this simple phrase countless times to countless women, but never had it felt so labored, never so sincere. He hadn’t spoken it with his mouth; he had spoken it with his heart…

He had always assumed he would never deeply love anyone, never feel love. Only at this moment did Liang Xiaoke understand that his heart, too, could harbor love—and it was a love so deep, so fierce, so profound…

Love, it existed everywhere…

“Thank you…” Hearing Liang Xiaoke’s own confession, Gongsun Lu’s smile radiated absolute happiness. A single tear finally escaped her eye. That tear slid slowly down her cheek, and as it did, her appearance vanished completely…

Do souls even weep?

Liang Xiaoke didn't know. He reached out and caught the single, crystalline droplet. It felt as if a piece of his flesh had been carved away…

Had she truly gone like this?

Examining the tear drop closely, which had already crystallized, he could almost see a woman in green clothing smiling at him within it.

“Gongsun Lu… I… love… you. I swear, in this life, I will only love you, forever and ever! You will exist in my heart for eternity… I will be with you eternally…” Liang Xiaoke spoke solemnly. His right hand instantly transformed, sprouting sharp talons, and he slashed open his own chest, exposing his beating heart. Without the slightest hesitation, he carved a long gash across his own heart, letting the fresh blood spray forth. Then, using his other hand, he placed the crystalline tear drop inside…

Having completed this ritual with utmost seriousness, the immense influx of Wood Spirit energy within him quickly healed even the gaping wound in his chest. But what about the wound in his heart?

Liang Xiaoke wiped the tears from his eyes. Gongsun Lu had sacrificed her life for him; he absolutely could not disappoint her. He would become a strong one, a pillar supporting heaven and earth…

Nezha, Taishang, Yuanshi—you will all die…

Liang Xiaoke swore a silent, venomous oath in his heart. Four streams of sword energy shot out from within his body, piercing straight into the highest heavens…

There, the atmosphere was thick with killing intent, chilled by utter coldness, heavy with absolute annihilation…