After nine lifetimes of reincarnation, the yandere villainous heroine descends.

Demonic power soars through the heavens, and forbidden things descend upon the world.

The thick, as dark as tar cracked as it trembled, and the vast expanse of the sky was pressed down by the silhouettes of several forbidden beings.

His pupils were like slumbering hills, churning with a greedy desire that could devour everything, carrying a terrifying power capable of crushing mountains and rivers, and crashing down on the figure in the courtyard.

Tantai Chi stood alone in the courtyard, his body surrounded by forbidden energy surging like a boiling black sea.

Each strand seemed capable of tearing through the void and melting the laws, yet it was bound within three feet by an invisible shackle, creating continuous spatial cracks beside her.

Her consciousness sank into boundless chaos, with only her eyes shimmering with a dark purple light.

The light was as cold as if it had been tempered by ancient ice, with no focal point, yet seemingly able to pierce through everything. Even the approaching forbidden creatures paused for a moment under the reflection of those eyes.

Behind him, Shen Shuchou convulsed and struggled in excruciating pain, his gaze passing over the massive shadow that loomed around him.

Those forbidden creatures, powerful enough to crush the heavens, did not evoke the slightest fear in his eyes. Only his gaze toward the center of the courtyard burned with intense heat, as if scorched by fire.

What he feared was not these creatures that had emerged from the forbidden land, but rather the current state of Tantai Chigu.

That extreme evil was seeping out from the forbidden energy around her; if this continued, she would be completely devoured by evil.

If it really comes to that, Shen Shuchou's mission in his sixth life will be completely shattered.

If the mission fails, Shen Shuchou doesn't know what the consequences will be. Will he have to start all over again, or will he be completely reduced to nothingness? But no matter what, this is an outcome that Shen Shuchou does not want.

He originally intended to use blood as a guide and his own body as nourishment, letting his blood seep into her forbidden essence drop by drop along that lifeline.

Like spring rain spreading across frozen earth, like stars illuminating the long night, it slowly warmed that desolate land that had been silent for millennia, allowing her to emerge from the chaos and taboo with the outline of a human being.

Instead of watching helplessly as she is devoured by evil thoughts and reduced to an empty shell without a soul.

Even though Tantai Chigu absorbed the portion of her power that originally belonged to him, he still couldn't control it.

Her forbidden origins were still in their infancy; for her, that power was not a return to its rightful place, but a calamity that would destroy everything.

If things continue like this, she will only lose all the glimmer of her newborn light and fall back into that original, pure taboo that floated in the void and darkness.

With the last vestige of his fading consciousness, Shen Shuchou tried to sever the bloodline that was wrapped around his evil thoughts.

But the excruciating pain had already drained his life force, leaving his body as limp as a piece of rotten wood crushed by a gale, unable to even lift his fingertips.

He could only watch as the evil within that line of blood, like ink spreading through clear water, grew thicker and thicker, almost dragging that slender figure completely into the eternal night.

Shen Shuchou's death-like movements were noticed by Gu Jian, who had just withdrawn his gaze.

With just a glance, he could clearly see the blood-red threads binding the body and the internal turmoil of its life force being exhausted.

"That's quite interesting."

Gu Jian's tone was calm, but a hint of interest flashed in his eyes.

"Within a human body flows blood capable of nurturing forbidden things... but in the end, it's just a vessel."

"elder brother……"

Gu Qingran's gaze finally fell back on Shen Shuchou. Seeing him curled up in the shadows, convulsing in pain, she couldn't help but feel anxious in her voice.

"Is there really no other way?"

Yaya flicked her fingers slightly, remained silent for a moment before slowly speaking: "I am powerless, but there is one person who might be able to..."

"Who is it?"

Gu Qingran immediately pressed for an answer, but before she could finish speaking, a cold voice drifted to Ya Ye's ear, carrying a chilling aura.

"If I remember correctly, I said last time that if I saw you again, I would kill you."

Ya Ye's heart skipped a beat, and his back tensed instantly.

Gu Qingran looked in the direction of the sound and saw a solitary figure standing not far away, his clothes swaying slightly in the wind, exuding an imposing aura.

For some reason, the moment Gu Qingran caught a glimpse of that figure's back, something within her seemed to tremble slightly, like an ancient jade buried deep within encountering a shared aura.

But the resonance was too subtle and fleeting; even she herself thought it was just an illusion and didn't examine it closely.

Ya Ye was speechless for a moment, while Gu Qingran beside him had vaguely guessed that the person he was talking about who could save Shen Shuchou was the figure not far away.

Even though Gu Jian exuded a faint sense of oppression, she still gritted her teeth and asked, "Can you do me a favor?"

Upon hearing this voice, Gu Jian's back trembled almost imperceptibly, but he quickly regained his usual composure.

"I'm showing you the greatest mercy by not killing you. What makes you think I'd help you?" His tone was completely indifferent.

Ya Ye watched from the sidelines, wanting to reach out and stop him several times, but ultimately restrained himself. He knew that Gu Jian would never really lay a hand on Gu Qingran.

"intuition."

Gu Qingran raised her eyes, her voice soft yet firm, "My intuition tells me you will help me."

She knew perfectly well that the reason was absurd, but she had no other choice but to gamble her hopes on this vague intuition in order to save Shen Shuchou.

The real reason she insisted on saving Shen Shuchou was to rescue Tantai Chigu.

Her brief interaction with the little girl during the day gave her a different perspective on her.

Besides, Shen Shuchou had only rejected her before, and in her eyes he wasn't some heinous person. If she could save him, that would be the best outcome.

"Heh... intuition? What a ridiculous and absurd excuse."

Gu Jian chuckled softly upon hearing this.

Upon hearing this, Gu Qingran's lips suddenly pressed into a thin line, her eyelids lowered, and the desperate light in her eyes dimmed instantly.

Just as her fingertips twitched slightly, thinking all hope had vanished, that cold voice pierced her ears again: "I've agreed to this favor, but you must remember to repay me someday."

These words were spoken lightly, and Gu Qingran remained unmoved. However, Ya Ye, who was standing beside her, suddenly tensed up, his brows furrowing.

"What do you want me to do?"

She looked up and asked again.

Gu Jian simply stretched casually, twirling his wooden stick in the air and creating a flowing sword flower, saying lazily, "We'll talk about it another day."

After saying that, he strode forward, his back straight as a pine tree, never looking back from beginning to end.

It wasn't that he was unwilling, but that he couldn't. He feared that if he turned around, the turmoil he couldn't hide in his eyes would shatter the sword in his heart that had already developed fine cracks.

If we were to say that Gu Jian stood there just now, his aura was nothing more than a wisp of autumn wind, carrying only a hint of chill.

The moment his figure stepped into the courtyard, it suddenly transformed into a swirling autumn wind that soared straight into the sky, accompanied by a devastating storm.

This momentum instantly shattered the stalemate in the arena.

The beings who were initially testing each other out of fear of Tantai Chigu's aura now had no more hesitation.

"presumptuous!"

The forbidden creature with six eyes roared, its terrifying power like a collapsing Netherworld mountain range, carrying dark mist as it rushed straight towards Gu Jian.

Gu Jian merely raised his eyes.

Those eyes held no emotion whatsoever, neither anger nor contempt, but rather a gaze upon the sky above ants, so calm it could contain the Milky Way, yet so cold it could freeze all living beings.

He didn't even turn his body; he merely parted his lips slightly, uttering a single, barely audible word, yet it struck like a thunderclap in mid-air, causing the swirling black mist to swirl backward.

Aside from the bottomless crack in the sky and the still, unmoving Tantai Chigu standing before him, whom he kept a close eye on.

These so-called forbidden creatures were nothing more than rotting flesh waiting to be crushed in his eyes.

Even without his ancient sword, the wooden stick he casually picked up was enough to shatter mountains and split rivers.

The wooden stick in his hand still hung casually, his knuckles resting carelessly on the shaft, but just as the forbidden power approached, he slightly twisted his wrist.

The trajectory of the wooden stick seemed to hold the ultimate truths of the universe, and the sword energy that suddenly shone from the tip of the stick was like a galaxy tilting over.

Millions of silver rays burst forth from the wooden stick, not as tiny fragments of light, but as a continuous, dazzling river.

The sword energy was wrapped in wind and swirling with thunder; it was only a fleeting moment of light, yet it seemed to dye the entire sky silver-white.

There was no deafening collision, only the sharp sound of sword energy tearing through the darkness. The black mist was instantly shredded into dust, and even the residual power of the forbidden creature was crushed to nothing by this starry river sword energy.

P.S.: More to come later.