With three supreme masters, they were invincible upon descending the mountain.

"Where...am I?"

Ji Mingyue opened her eyes, stared at the dim world, and remained stunned for a long time.

She remembered this place; it used to be a place where birds sang and flowers bloomed, and medicinal herbs were everywhere.

But now, the sky is gray and the earth is barren and desolate, with traces of ruin everywhere.

"How did it become like this?"

She murmured softly.

But curiosity was quickly replaced by disappointment.

She raised her hand and gently pressed it against her chest.

I can feel the faint sound of my own heartbeat, but I'm still alive.

This finally brought a glimmer of light to her lifeless eyes.

But when she looked up at the gray sky, her pupils seemed to be tinged with the same desolation.

A single image kept flashing through my mind.

That was Ye Yaocheng turning around.

Those eyes held disappointment, alienation, and resolve.

Like a knife, it pierced her heart.

"I know it's an illusion."

"But why... does my heart still ache so much?"

[Sorry, host, this system is just too weak.]

The system's voice echoed in my mind, tinged with guilt.

The situation was too dangerous; I couldn't wake you.

And... it seems like you don't want to wake up either.

Hearing the system's explanation turn into a complaint, Ji Mingyue remained silent for a long time.

"I know."

She closed her eyes and cultivated the Heartless Divine Skill, which should have made her heart as hard as stone, unmoved by emotions.

But Ye Yaocheng's appearance, without her noticing, had somehow managed to pry open a crack in her long-sealed heart.

This isn't a system commenting on you.

Why bother practicing that stupid cultivation technique if there's nothing wrong with it?

Look at the mess you've made!

After nagging for a while, the system finally shut up reluctantly.

After all, it really didn't help this time.

Although, it may not actually have much to do with it.

Ji Mingyue's expression was complicated. Was it really that she didn't want to give up this cultivation technique?

Her gaze drifted into distant memories.

When she was five years old, she contracted a strange illness.

It felt like her meridians were being pierced by countless needles, causing her to curl up in bed and tremble with pain every night.

Every breath was an extreme pain.

But she endured it for three years without telling her parents or anyone else.

Because she didn't want her parents to worry or for others to criticize her.

Those three years also forged her into an incredibly resilient person.

At just eight years old, she began to stand out in the Ji family and became a true genius.

But the pain in my body is getting worse and worse.

Until that person appeared.

She still remembers that hunched back; he was her guide.

The man placed two cultivation manuals in front of her, and the sound of his aged voice still echoed in her ears.

"Pick one, little girl, it can stop your pain."

She remembered a book called "The Heartless Divine Skill," which taught one to sever all emotions and love, and to achieve a state of perfect tranquility.

One of them is "The Art of Forgetting the Heart," which teaches you to forget everything and be reborn.

At eight years old, she had no concept of love at all.

So without hesitation, I chose "The Heartless Divine Skill".

Then, my body miraculously recovered.

She is a grateful person.

So after recovering from her injuries, she resolutely joined the Xuan Yin Sect and became a formal disciple.

It wasn't until she was bound to the system that she realized it wasn't some strange illness at all.

She awakened her innate spiritual body.

Without any guiding techniques, every breath is a passive form of cultivation.

The pain was caused by absorbing too much spiritual energy, which blocked the meridians.

You could have given up the Heartless Skill back then.

The system seemed to sense Ji Mingyue's thoughts and spoke softly.

Ji Mingyue sighed bitterly. Yes, but she had already joined the Xuan Yin Sect.

Her master's sect had been kind to her.

In addition, as she grew older, she gradually came to understand matters between men and women, and she no longer found any of the men around her attractive.

So there's nothing wrong with continuing your cultivation.

Even now, she asks herself in a low voice.

Did I really make the wrong choice?

No one answered.

Just then, she heard staggering footsteps behind her.

Ji Mingyue was startled and turned around abruptly.

A figure emerged from the dimly lit corner.

He was disheveled, dressed in rags, and his aura was extremely weak.

But those eyes were bloodshot and filled with hatred.

This person was none other than Lin Yan.

When he realized that the person in front of him was Ji Mingyue, the hatred in his eyes almost overflowed.

The scenes in the illusion flashed by once again.

Ye Yaocheng defeated him time and time again, stepping on his face.

Ji Mingyue left him and went into Ye Yaocheng's arms.

All those humiliations and resentments have returned.

"Ji Mingyue, you bitch... you actually came here."

His voice was hoarse, like sandpaper scraping against a stone, and his eyes looked like he wanted to kill someone.

"What happened to that good-for-nothing Ye Yaocheng?"

"I'm going to kill him!"

He practically shouted the last sentence.

He charged toward Ji Mingyue like a madman, his eyes filled with nothing but insane killing intent!

Ji Mingyue frowned and raised her hand to block.

"Lin Yan, what's wrong with you?"

But as soon as she began to circulate her internal energy, she experienced excruciating pain throughout her body's meridians.

This is different from the tearing pain she experienced as a child. This is the backlash from the Heartless Divine Skill caused by her feelings for Ye Yaocheng!

Her inner energy was running wildly, and she couldn't unleash her full power at all!

Lin Yan threw a punch, which she could barely block, but she staggered back several steps.

"Hahaha!"

Lin Yan laughed wildly, his mind beginning to go mad.

"Since I can't have you... then I'll destroy you!"

A blue flame ignited on his right hand, clinging to his fist, creating a terrifying aura!

"Lin Yan! Wake up!"

Ji Mingyue dodged while trying to wake him up.

But it was no use; Lin Yan had been completely consumed by the negative emotions within the illusion.

"Get out of here, you bitch!"

He punched Ji Mingyue in the chest, showing no mercy whatsoever!

"puff!"

Ji Mingyue coughed up a mouthful of blood and collapsed to the ground.

The backlash from the Heartless Technique, combined with that punch, left her without even the strength to stand up.

At this moment, she was like a withered flower, despairing and tragically beautiful.

Looking at her, Lin Yan's eyes suddenly ignited with malice.

"That good-for-nothing Ye Yaocheng... how dare he look down on me."

He licked his lips, his gaze greedily sweeping over Ji Mingyue's delicate body.

"Since we can't find him, let's extract some interest from you."

He rubbed his hands together, approaching step by step, the lustful fire in his lower abdomen burning ever brighter.

Ji Mingyue closed her eyes helplessly; she couldn't move.

They can't escape it either.

All we can do is wait in despair.

What should I do? What should I do?!

The system was pacing anxiously in her mind.

Where has the invincible Lord Ye gone?! Why isn't he here yet?!

A bitter smile appeared on Ji Mingyue's lips.

"Ye Yaocheng? Will he come to save me?"

Those disappointed eyes reappeared in my mind.

"Maybe not, considering how I treated him."

Her heart ached, and the backlash from the Heartless Technique intensified.

He coughed up another mouthful of blood.

"Hahaha!"

Lin Yan laughed even more maniacally, as if this was the scene he wanted to see.

"You bitch, are you scared already?"

"Too late!"

"I will make you my slave, to serve my pleasure for eternity!"

"I'll take care of that good-for-nothing myself!"

Just as he reached out his hand, his demonic claws about to strike Ji Mingyue's body, a white light shot out from afar!

It hit Lin Yan's right leg accurately!

"ah--!!!"

Lin Yan screamed and collapsed to the ground!

"who?!!"

"What kind of skill is a sneak attack!"

"Come out and fight me one-on-one if you dare!"

He clutched his leg and roared madly.

But all around him was deathly silent, and no one paid him any attention.

Ji Mingyue was stunned for a moment, then immediately realized what was happening. She used the last of her strength to struggle to her feet!

Not far ahead, a portal with a white halo is slowly emerging—it's the exit!

As long as we escape, there is hope!

"You bitch! Trying to run away?!"

Lin Yan forced himself to stand up and limped after him!

"stop!!!"

In the shadow of ruins.

Su Mei watched this scene with a complicated expression.

That white light just now, it was her who shot it.

"Sister... this is all I can do for you."

"From now on, it's up to you."

Actually, she had also fallen into that illusion before, where she and Ye Yaocheng were husband and wife for ten lifetimes.

We've been through thick and thin together, through life and death.

Even though the illusion has disappeared, those memories and feelings still vividly remain in her mind.

Her feelings for Ye Yaocheng have changed.

The reason I helped Ji Mingyue is because she is Ye Yaocheng's current wife.

The reason she was unwilling to help him to the end was because she also loved Ye Yaocheng.

I felt uncomfortable, a very uncomfortable feeling, so naturally I didn't want to keep helping.

That's fine.

She turned and disappeared into the shadows.

A flash of white light.

Ji Mingyue stumbled and fell out of the secret realm.

The sky was overcast, and the ground was covered with cracks left from the collapse of the secret realm.

But she couldn't care less about any of that.

As long as you escape, there is hope!

"Bang!"

Suddenly, she was struck hard in the back and fell to the ground!

The back of her clothes was charred black, revealing her fair and jade-like skin.

Lin Yan slowly walked out of the secret realm's exit.

His right leg has recovered considerably; although he still limps, it's enough for him to catch up with Ji Mingyue.

"You bitch, you think escaping will make a difference?"

"Who will rescue you in this desolate wilderness?"

"Even if you scream your lungs out, no one will answer, hehehe."

Ji Mingyue lay on the ground, her whole body wracked with pain.

She struggled to get up, but her hands went limp and she fell back down.

Lin Yan approached step by step, his smile growing more sinister with each step.

"Give up the struggle, this is your fate."

Ji Mingyue closed her eyes in despair, her heart filled with sorrow.

Perhaps, this really is her end.

Lin Yan extended his hand.

The shadows completely enveloped her.