Somewhere in the City of Gods and Demons, a group of divine beast youths surrounded Liang Yihan and another disciple of the Yuandao Sect, waiting for Liuli's order to attack them.

Liuli had no time to pay attention to Liang Yihan. She stared coldly at the demon god in front of her. After he finished speaking, he grinned and raised his hand. Demonic energy emanated from his hand and condensed into a huge cleaver, which he then chopped down.

Liuli wanted to escape, but under the demon god's ferocious gaze, a faint, ethereal force held her back, preventing her from moving an inch.

Seeing that something was wrong, the many mythical beast youths nearby rushed over to rescue Liuli, but what happened to Liuli only happened in an instant, and by the time they realized what was happening, it was already too late.

The enormous cleaver enveloped both Liuli and Shichan, its mysterious power binding their bodies and rendering them immobile. Amidst the demon god's ferocious laughter, they were about to die under the cleaver.

Suddenly, Liuli saw a flash of golden light before her eyes, and the man she had been protecting behind her had appeared in front of her, hugging her and using his back to shield her from the cleaver.

Liuli didn't know how he broke free from the shackles of that mysterious power, nor why he didn't escape on his own. But she knew the power of the cleaver in the demon god's hand, and she could foresee that even with the Seven Treasures Kasaya protecting him, this strike would still be enough to kill him.

On the contrary, she, who was held firmly in his arms, was able to escape with her life under the dual protection of the Seven Treasures Kasaya and his Zen practice.

Liuli's heart skipped a beat. She struggled violently, trying to push him away and make him escape, but she couldn't move an inch.

Nestled in Shi Chan's warm embrace, Liu Li heard the sound of something cutting through the air growing ever closer, indicating that the knife was about to strike his back.

Liuli's face turned ashen, and she instinctively cried out, her voice hoarse, "Little monk, run! Run away quickly!!"

Shi Chan held Liuli tightly, feeling the cold light behind him and the chill that had already penetrated his body. Even with the Seven Treasures Kasaya protecting him, a chill still ran down his back. He thought, that menacing blade was so close, perhaps he was about to die. Fortunately, he could protect her so that she wouldn't die with him.

So, before dying, could one set aside thoughts of Buddha and all sentient beings, and whisper the words hidden deep within one's heart into her ear, telling her—

With his eyes slightly closed and a gentle smile on his lips, Shi Chan whispered in Liu Li's ear, "Liu Li, I... love you."

Liuli froze. At that moment, all the sounds around her blurred, and all that entered her ears was his gentle voice. Those three words slowly seeped into her heart, bringing a tremor to her heart.

After saying this, Shi Chan was free from his deepest obsession. He quietly awaited death, but the sound of something cutting through the air behind him suddenly stopped.

The next moment, the chilling sensation brought by the magic that had already penetrated the body slowly dissipated, and the unwilling roar of the demon god gradually faded away and soon could not be heard anymore.

At that moment, the group of divine beast youths had just run to a place about ten feet away from Liuli and Shichan. They saw clearly that just as the demon god's cleaver was about to strike Shichan, a large patch of black light suddenly appeared on the distant horizon, enveloping the demon god's illusory body and dragging him away quickly.

Seeing that Liuli was safe, they stopped in their tracks and began to discuss the sudden departure of the demon god with puzzlement.

Meanwhile, while most of the divine beast youths were rushing to rescue Liuli and discussing the matter of the demon god in small groups, Liang Yihan nimbly flew away with the young disciple of Yuandao Sect and successfully escaped.

Shi Chan felt the killing intent behind him disappear, and listening to the discussions of the group of divine beast youths, he realized that he might have been given a second chance at life. However, the words he had spoken when he thought he was going to die were now irretrievable.

He held Liuli tightly for a long time, not letting go, truly unsure how to face her.