Now, Su Tong finally realized that she had no chance of escaping alive.

There was no time to mourn for her beloved Xuan-gege, but instead, she saw her body tremble beneath her black dress, and she forced herself to kneel before the Desolate Empress, whose beautiful almond-shaped eyes instantly filled with tears.

"Godmother, I know I was wrong, please forgive me."

Su Tong burst into tears, her voice trembling, her face filled with grief, making one's heart ache.

Seeing this scene, Zhou Xingdou couldn't help but sigh that although Su Tong was a piece of junk, her crying scene was excellent.

But seeing her once beloved goddaughter in such a pitiful and pathetic state did not lessen the hatred in her eyes in the slightest.

Sensing the unwavering killing intent of the Desolate Empress, a hint of panic appeared in Su Tong's pitiful eyes. She hurriedly pointed to Ye Xuan, who was lying dead in the distance, and hatred instantly surged on her face:

"Mother, it's all because of that Ye Xuan! That beast seduced and bewitched me, and that's why I did such a bad thing!"

Su Tong's voice was excited, even dropping the word "godmother" from her name. She looked at the dead Ye Xuan with the eyes of someone who had killed her father, wishing she could eat his flesh and drink his blood.

Empress Huangtian remained silent, only stroking the Blood Refined Ferocious Sword in her hand and tightening her grip on the hilt.

At this moment, Su Tong completely panicked. She scrambled to the feet of the Desolate Heavenly Empress, tears and snot streaming down her face, pleading incessantly:

"Mother, no! I'm your daughter! I really know I was wrong."

"Mother, it's me, Tong'er. You saved me that snowy night and fed me medicine. I remember you loved it when I massaged your back..."

Su Tong's words finally touched the Desolate Heaven Empress, but instead of pity, she received a kick to the heart, sending her petite figure flying.

Immediately following was a cold, sharp shout:

"Shut up! You deserve to die!"

Su Tong let out a muffled groan. Seeing the cold killing intent in the eyes of the Desolate Heaven Empress, she trembled like a leaf. Her heart was pounding, and her desire to survive made her look at Zhou Xingdou.

The fear of death drove her to utter humiliation. She crawled towards Zhou Xingdou on all fours like a dog, terrified that a moment's hesitation would mean being killed by the Desolate Empress. She lunged at Zhou Xingdou's trouser leg, her face contorted with madness.

"My lord, master, I am also your spoils of war! Save Tong'er! Tong'er can serve alongside her godmother..."

Bang!

However, Zhou Xingdou was even more indifferent than the Desolate Heaven Empress. Before she could finish speaking, he kicked her towards the Desolate Heaven Empress's feet.

He wouldn't want such junk; if he actually took it, he'd be stuck with a lot of accusations.

Empress Huangtian stepped on Su Tong's jade-like back, raising the scarlet blood-forged sword to strike, but then paused, suppressing the boiling killing intent in her heart, and looked at Zhou Xingdou, saying:

"I remember your divine palace seems to require eighteen palace-guarding slaves, otherwise..."

But before she could finish speaking, Su Tong, who was struggling on her feet, cried out urgently, as if grasping at the last glimmer of hope:

"I'm willing, Master, I'm willing! I can be your palace-guarding slave! I'll show you how to use me, Master! I will..."

Bang!

Desperate to survive, Su Tong felt an unstoppable force pressing down on her head, burying her fair face into the mud.

Tears and snot mixed with dirt flooded her mouth, rendering her speechless for a moment, only allowing her to whimper in pain.

Do I need to teach you how to kill?

In the instant the Desolate Empress froze, she felt a large, scorching hand grasp her cold, jade-like hand that was holding the Blood Refining Fierce Sword.

Pfft!

Immediately following was the sound of a sharp blade piercing flesh, and the continuous whimpering stopped abruptly. Only when scalding blood splattered on the face of the Desolate Empress did she come back to her senses.

Only then did she realize that Zhou Xingdou had grabbed her waist from behind, grasped her hand, and severed Su Tong's snow-white neck, ending the life of this beginner-level cultivator.

The crimson, scalding blood stained the earth, but the Desolate Empress felt no horror, only romance.

The warmth coming from behind made her lean back contentedly, nestled into Zhou Xingdou's arms.

Is this what it feels like to have someone to rely on?

Empress Huangtian asked herself this question in her heart, but she wasn't really sure.

She was originally just a beggar. If she hadn't been lucky enough to find a cultivation manual in the snow and embark on the path of cultivation, she might have died under the heavy snow.

This is also why she took in Su Tong. They were both beggars in the snow, so how could she not be moved by their encounter?

Throughout her journey, she never knew what it meant to rely on others. She had no background or relatives, and all her resources and cultivation were earned through hard work and battles.

Until she became the number one cultivator in the Desolate Heaven, the number one female cultivator in the world, and the Empress of the Desolate Heaven.

Throughout her journey, there has only been one word: killing. No man has been able to be relied upon by her, and no man is worthy of being relied upon by her.

But in the end, he went blind and died at the hands of his most trusted goddaughter.

But now, feeling the glassy hand holding her blood-stained little hand, the strength and warmth emanating from it told her that this man was someone she could rely on.

In contrast to the deep thoughts of the Desolate Empress, Zhou Xingdou stared blankly at the dead Su Tong.

To be honest, it was a bit of a waste, but there was no other way. After weighing the pros and cons, Stephen Chow knew how to choose.

Although the Desolate Empress is a bit silly, it's quite boring without her arguing with him.

It would be too dishonest of us to let Empress Huangtian's enemies go today.

Moreover, she was just a piece of junk; once she was killed, that was that. Even the palace-guarding servants of the Creation God Palace wouldn't use such a worn-out shoe.

Empress Huangtian's body is now forged from her own essence and blood, so it's much safer to use.

Therefore, he still needs to consider Empress Huangtian's feelings.

Unlike ordinary people, the Desolate Empress's body temperature is very cold, almost frigid. When Zhou Xingdou held her, it was like holding a block of ice from the heavens.

For Stephen Chow, whose yang energy is at its peak, this is actually quite comfortable.

At this moment, the Desolate Empress became somewhat hesitant. Although the two were not face to face, she lowered her head, and her cold and stern voice seemed to melt away, becoming somewhat soft and gentle:

Thank you.

Zhou Xingdou raised an eyebrow, finding the Desolate Heavenly Empress's posture rather amusing. He tightened his embrace around the cold, jade-like body and teased:

"You're too kind, Consort Huangtian."

The words "Desolate Heavenly Consort" made the Desolate Heavenly Empress blush, and she felt a little flustered for some reason, yet she couldn't refute them.

After all, this was a bet between the two of them.

"What...what did you mean by 'add money' back then?"

Empress Huangtian's voice was so soft it was almost a whisper; if Zhou Xingdou had seen her face, he would have noticed it was already flushed red.

"Didn't you already know?"

Zhou Xingdou turned the Desolate Empress around, so that their chests touched...

In an instant, the weather in the grotto changed dramatically, and the garden was filled with rosy light; everything fell into place naturally.