Consciousness slowly revived amidst a sharp pain that felt as if the soul had been torn apart and forcibly reassembled.
Her last memory was of Xie Chen's clear yet sorrowful eyes burning with black flames, and of him pressing his forehead against hers, uttering a vow that was both a curse and a promise: "No one shall ever separate us again."
Then came endless darkness and turbulence, as if being thrown into a high-speed spinning vortex. Countless bizarre fragments swept past, and the memories and perceptions belonging to "Su Nian" and "Lin Nuannuan" were frantically stirred and stripped away. And something new was forcibly pouring in.
After the excruciating pain came a heavy exhaustion and a sense of emptiness, as if floating in the clouds, with nothing to rely on.
Su Nian (she knew she was still Su Nian) struggled to open her eyelids, which felt as heavy as a thousand pounds.
What comes into view is no longer the cold, hard black, white, and gray of a city penthouse, nor the luxurious cage of a suburban villa. Instead, there is a swirling, ethereal mist, and above it, the eaves of ornately carved buildings, appearing and disappearing in the mist. The air is filled with a faint scent of sandalwood and the fresh aroma of some kind of vegetation, refreshing and invigorating, yet also carrying a sense of untouchable, aloof detachment.
She lay on a cold, jade bed that shimmered with a warm glow, wearing an elaborate, layered white gauze dress with flowing sleeves. The fabric was so light it seemed to be nonexistent, yet it shimmered with a faint spiritual light.
here it is……
Fragments of memories surged in like a tide, no longer belonging to Lin Nuannuan, but to the original owner of this body—
Yunzhi.
The only direct disciple of Qingxu Immortal Lord, the Supreme Elder of the Qingyun Sect. Also recognized throughout the cultivation world as aloof, ethereal, and exceptionally talented person, who perished in the war between immortals and demons a hundred years ago to protect the sect and take the calamity in place of her master... the white moonlight.
And she, Su Nian, is now one of those dead people.
"Ding—Host consciousness detected, world coordinates location complete."
"Current World: Advanced Cultivation Dimension - A Derivative World of 'Nine Heavens Mystic Demon Record'"
"Host identity: Yun Zhi (the fallen white moonlight)."
"Core mission: [Prevent the Immortal Lord from falling into demonic possession]."
"Mission Background: The target character [Xie Chen, identity in this world: Immortal Lord Qingxu] has had his Dao heart shattered due to the death of the host (Yun Zhi), his cultivation has stagnated for a hundred years, and he has developed deep-seated inner demons, teetering on the brink of falling into demonic possession. The world line is facing the risk of collapse."
"Mission prompt: The host's 'resurrection' status is abnormal and has been detected by the target. The target has identified the host as a 'psychic illusion,' and is extremely hostile and dangerous. Please proceed with caution."
The familiar, yet seemingly less noisy and more formulaic and cold notification sound of System 088 rang in Su Nian's mind.
Su Nian lay on the cold jade bed, processing this massive amount of information, her heart feeling icy cold.
A new world, a new identity, a new mission. It's still Xie Chen, only now he's transformed from a domineering, obsessive CEO into a celestial lord on the verge of demonic possession. And she, from a substitute supporting character, has become… the very embodiment of his deceased, unattainable love?
Moreover, the game starts at hellish difficulty—he is tormented by his inner demons, and she, his "resurrected" white moonlight, is seen by him as an illusion of his inner demons that needs to be "purified"! Extremely hostile and dangerous!
She subconsciously tried to sense her body, to contact System 088, which had resonated intensely with her in the final moments of her previous life and then seemed to have fallen silent, to explore Xie Chen's (Immortal Lord Qingxu) current state...
However, she could not sense anything. Apart from the cold voice of the system in her mind, she could not feel any special power. Although this body was full of spiritual energy, she was like a strange tenant, unable to control it freely. And Xie Chen, who seemed to have formed a deep connection with her soul, was now even more unreachable, with only the cold message in the system prompt: "Extremely high hostility, extremely dangerous."
"Squeak—"
A soft sound interrupted Su Nian's thoughts.
The heavy palace doors, seemingly forged from millennia-old cold iron, were silently pushed open a crack. A tall, slender figure walked slowly in, against the cold sunlight streaming in from outside.
As he stepped in, the temperature in the entire hall seemed to drop suddenly, and the spiritual energy flowing in the air seemed to freeze. A vast and oppressive pressure, mixed with icy immortal energy and deep baleful aura, instantly filled every corner of the space like an invisible tide, making Su Nian's breath catch in her throat and her whole body stiffen.
She looked up.
The newcomer wore a spotless, moon-white Taoist robe with wide sleeves, his figure as upright as a solitary pine tree. His dark hair was tied up with a simple jade hairpin, and his face... was still that incomparably handsome face, enough to make the world pale in comparison. However, compared to the cold and sharp demeanor of the domineering CEO Xie Chen, he had gained a more refined and otherworldly air, imbued with the wisdom of time and the presence of immortals. A layer of unyielding ice and loneliness shrouded his brows.
Immortal Lord Qingxu. Xie Chen.
His gaze, like two solid icicles, pierced through the swirling mist, landing precisely and coldly on Su Nian on the jade bed.
That gaze was empty and cold, carrying an indifference as if scrutinizing something inhuman, and a trace of pain and disgust hidden deep within, almost imperceptible...
He approached step by step, his footsteps landing on the gleaming, cold jade ground without making a sound, yet each step felt like stepping on Su Nian's heart.
Finally, he stopped in front of the jade bed, looking down at her as if a god were looking down at an ant.
“The inner demon…” he began, his voice clear and cold like shattered jade, yet carrying a chill that seemed to emanate from the depths of ancient ice, “daring to… transform into her likeness.”
His tone was one of absolute, unquestionable certainty.
Su Nian's heart clenched. She knew that any explanation would be futile at this moment, and might even anger him.
She forced herself to calm down and recalled the fragments of memory belonging to "Yun Zhi" transmitted by the system—that aloof, dignified fairy who held reverence and affection for her master.
She propped herself up slightly, mimicking Yun Zhi's posture and tone from her memory, with a hint of waking confusion and just the right amount of weakness, and spoke softly, her voice carrying the unique clarity of this body, yet also somewhat hoarse:
"Master...?"
The moment those two words were uttered, the icy pressure emanating from Immortal Lord Qingxu suddenly surged! It was as if invisible ice blades condensed in the air!
He suddenly reached out and grabbed Su Nian's slender neck! The movement was as fast as lightning, filled with ruthless cruelty!
That hand, with its distinct knuckles, was as white as jade, yet as cold as millennia-old iron, containing a terrifying power capable of shattering mountains and breaking peaks!
Su Nian suffocated instantly, her vision went black, and her hands instinctively grabbed his cold wrists, but it was like an ant trying to shake a tree!
"No..." He leaned closer to her, and for the first time, a violent, almost frenzied surge of emotion clearly welled up in his deep, icy eyes. It was the fury of having one's sore spot touched, the extreme hatred of seeing something sacred being desecrated. "Call me with her voice..."
His fingers tightened, and Su Nian felt as if her neck bones were about to shatter at any moment! The shadow of death was more real and more terrifying than when she faced Gu Lishi in the world of domineering CEOs!
This is... a celestial lord on the verge of demonic possession? This is... his attitude towards his "inner demons"?!
Just as Su Nian's consciousness was about to plunge into despair once again, the hand that Qingxu Immortal Lord was holding by the neck suddenly trembled!
He stared intently at her face, reddened by suffocation yet still bearing the same features as the person in his memory; at the unmasked, instinctive fear and will to survive in her eyes; at the single, glistening tear that oozed from the corner of her eye due to physical pain…
The madness and violence in his eyes clashed fiercely with a deeper, seemingly soul-deep throbbing and struggle.
He seemed to see through her "illusionary" shell something... something that pierced his very soul.
The tear slid down her pale cheek and landed right on the back of his cold hand.
The slight dampness seemed to carry an indescribable, scorching heat.
He released his grip abruptly, as if he had been burned!
Su Nian collapsed onto the cold jade bed, clutching her neck and coughing violently, gasping for breath of the icy air, her whole body trembling uncontrollably.
Immortal Lord Qingxu took a step back, looking at his slightly trembling hands, and then at her on the bed, so fragile that she seemed to break at the slightest touch. His brows furrowed tightly, and the chaos and struggle in his eyes became even more obvious.
He stood there silently, his aura fluctuating wildly. Immortal energy and demonic energy clashed violently within his body, causing the spiritual energy of the entire hall to become chaotic.
After a long silence, he spoke in an extremely suppressed, cold voice, as if he were struggling to restrain himself, declaring, word by word:
"Since it is a manifestation of inner demons, it should be imprisoned here and cleansed by the icy, jade-like energy until... its soul is scattered!"
After saying that, he stopped looking at her, turned around resolutely, his moon-white Taoist robe drawing a cold arc, and his figure disappeared behind the slowly closing heavy palace doors.
"boom--"
The palace doors were completely closed, separating the inside from the outside into two separate worlds.
Su Nian lay on the cold jade bed, feeling the lingering pain in her neck and the omnipresent chill that seemed to freeze her soul. Gazing at the tightly closed palace door that seemed like it would never open, her heart sank to the bottom.
Imprisonment. Cleansing. Soul scattered.
This is how she begins in this world.
And in his mind, the cold notification sound of System 088 rang out again:
"Warning: Target's murderous intent is 85% and inner demon activity is 70%."
“Host’s personality fit is 65%, which needs to be improved as soon as possible to reduce the target’s hostility.”
"Special environment detected: [Ice Soul Jade Bed]: continuously eroding the host's soul. Please find a solution as soon as possible."
The suspense of the story takes deep root at this moment—the female protagonist is immediately identified as the "inner demon" to be eliminated and is trapped in a desperate situation; the male protagonist struggles between madness and instinct, with murderous intent and a strange sense of unease coexisting. In this cage atop Qingyun Mountain, how will Su Nian reverse her inevitable fate and prevent the Immortal Lord from falling into demonic possession? Everything awaits to be revealed in the next chapter.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com