Prologue: Overthrow
Deep within the Demon Palace, the cries of ten thousand demons had been completely swept away by the sharp sword energy.
Jiu Che stepped over shattered bones and broken demonic patterns, his snow-white fairy shoes stained with dark purple demonic blood, and walked step by step toward the Youxuan Palace, which symbolized the supreme authority of the demon race.
The palace gates burst open before him, or rather, they had already been cleaved open by his sword.
Inside the gate, there was not the expected tense atmosphere.
Only her.
Demon Lord Qi Yuan still leaned lazily on the Xuanjing Throne formed from countless vengeful souls, one hand supporting his chin, the fingertips of the other hand flickering with a dark purple demonic fire, burning the last jade slip containing the demon race's military strength to ashes.
It was as if the upheavals in the outside world had nothing to do with her.
She looked up at him, who stood against the light, his aura as ethereal as a drawn sword, and a familiar yet distant smile curved her lips.
"Oh, a rare guest." Her voice was slightly husky and lazy, as if she had just woken up from a nap. "My Demon Palace is honored to receive your presence today."
Jiu Che stood in the center of the hall, separated from her by the lingering smoke and the still-present stench of blood. The longsword "Frost Condensation" in his hand still emitted a clear, resonant hum, its tip pointing towards the throne, its chilling killing intent almost freezing the air.
Yet his face was expressionless. There was no victor's arrogance, no reminiscence of the past, not even hatred. Only a bottomless, ultimate tranquility, the result of mastering the ruthless path.
"Qi Yuan," he said, his voice eerily calm, like a frozen abyss, "you lost."
Qi Yuan gently blew away the last bit of ash from her fingertips and stood up. Her black and red demon lord robe trailed on the ground, making her face appear almost transparently pale. Only her eyes remained deep and unfathomable, carrying a mocking gaze that seemed to see through everything.
"Loss?" She chuckled softly, slowly descending the throne steps, her bare feet treading on the cold ground, each step feeling like stepping on fragments of the past. "Little fox, let me teach you a lesson. In some battles, winning the show doesn't necessarily mean you've won."
She stopped three steps in front of him, ignoring the sword tip that gleamed with a cold light, her gaze carefully tracing his cold, jade-like features.
"I heard you cultivated the Path of Ruthlessness?" She spoke casually, as if evaluating an unrelated object. "It suits you quite well. Severing emotions and love, deceiving yourself, is the choice that your fox clan is best at, and also the most... cowardly, when facing the tribulations of love."
These words were like a poisoned ice pick, piercing the most hidden scar on Jiu Che's heart.
However, not even the slightest ripple stirred in his aura. The tip of the Frost Condensation Sword remained steady.
"The demonic energy has been sealed, and the demonic army has collapsed." Jiu Che's voice was flat, simply stating the facts. "Your life or death is in my hands."
"Is that so?" Qi Yuan suddenly laughed, a laugh with a chilling, eerie quality. She even took another step forward, almost touching the tip of her sword. "Then what are you waiting for?"
Her gaze was fixed on his icy eyes, her voice low and seductively malicious:
"Jiu Che, make your move."
“Just as you swore when you cultivated the Path of Ruthlessness, sever all causality, including… me.”
The hall was deathly silent.
Only the barely perceptible, almost non-existent tremor at the tip of the sword revealed something that had been forcibly suppressed to the extreme.
But that tremor was fleeting.
With a slight turn of her wrist, Jiu Che's Frost Condensation Sword emitted a clear hum, its tip narrowly missing her heart. Several silver runes shot out from the sword, instantly wrapping around Qi Yuan's limbs and torso as if they were alive!
The powerful binding force instantly contracted, completely sealing off the surging demonic energy around her!
Qi Yuan groaned, the feeling of being powerlessly drained made her sway slightly, but she still managed to stay upright. She simply raised her eyes, and the mockery in them was almost tangible.
"What? You can't bear to part with it?" she gasped, her tone growing increasingly sharp.
Jiu Che sheathed his sword with fluid, indifferent movements. He walked up to her, looking down at her as she trembled slightly from exhaustion. In his icy eyes, he finally saw her somewhat disheveled reflection.
“Death is too good for you.” He leaned down and whispered in her ear, his breath cold and devoid of warmth. “Qi Yuan, you owe me, and you should pay it back slowly.”
After saying that, he straightened up, no longer looking at her, leaving only a command that drifted away with the wind.
"take away."
Two celestial generals appeared silently, one on the left and one on the right, blocking the helpless Qi Yuan.
She was escorted towards the patch of sky outside the palace that had been purified by the immortals.
As she stepped out of the palace gate, she turned back for one last look at that solitary, snow-white figure.
He stood there, his back to her, like an ancient, unyielding glacier.
But Qi Yuan's lips slowly curved into a very faint, very cold smile.
Jiu Che, your ruthless path...
It seems that it is not without flaws.
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