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

A black crow pierced the sky, its dark afterimage sweeping straight down into the depths of the mountain foothills like an ink line.

In front of the stone hut where Shen Shuchou had been hiding for four years, the figure on the rocking chair with his head bowed remained still, as if blending into the surrounding twilight.

As the cries of the black crow faded into the distance, it suddenly transformed into clusters of dark blue light, like bees returning to their nest, and instantly disappeared into the body of the bowed figure.

The next instant, the person with their head bowed suddenly raised their eyes.

Two clusters of dark light flickered like starlight in his originally dim pupils, but vanished in an instant, leaving only an unfathomable depth.

"A corrupted world?"

A clear, crisp sound, like jade striking jade, escaped from the corner of his mouth, carrying a hint of nonchalant amusement as his fingertips unconsciously traced the patterns on the rocking chair's armrest.

After a brief pause, his smile deepened: "If we could make that power our own... that would seem even more interesting."

The moment the words were spoken, a pair of eyes as sharp as swords suddenly descended from the sky, locking onto the figure on the rocking chair.

The figure remained relaxed, the tapping of fingers on the armrest continuing as he spoke calmly, "Since you're here, why not come in?"

The moment the words left his mouth, a green shadow plummeted from the sky—it was Gu Jian.

He stared at the unfamiliar figure before him, his brows furrowed, and the longsword in his hand trembled slightly uncontrollably, its tassel moving without wind.

This is a reaction that only occurs when faced with an extremely strong threat.

Looking across the world, the only people who could make him feel such a sense of crisis before were Tantai Chigu and Gu Fanqing. This person in front of him was the third.

Just then, the figure on the rocking chair chuckled softly and slowly got up.

When that face came into full view, Gu Jian's pupils contracted sharply, and he exclaimed in shock, "Ya Ye!"

But the next second, he shook his head violently, his tone hesitant: "No...you're not Ya Ye."

The features of the person before him were exactly the same as Ya Ye's, but the solemn aura emanating from him was completely different from that of the taboo figure in his memory.

Intuition pounded in my head like an alarm bell; this was definitely not the night of the ravens.

"Of course not."

The figure responded faintly, its voice carrying an ancient quality that seemed to belong to another world.

"Crow Night? It's merely a vessel I'm using to reside in."

Four years ago that night, he forcibly entered Ya Ye's body and engaged in a long struggle with that divine consciousness.

It took him a whole year to completely suppress his opponent and firmly grasp control of this body.

As for Ya Ye's consciousness, it had already fallen into boundless abyss and could no longer be awakened.

Using this physical body, he spent three years recuperating and slowly regaining his strength.

His true form existed in ancient times; he was originally an insignificant demon, hiding in the depths to eke out a living.

It wasn't until he was corrupted by forbidden power and accidentally glimpsed the threshold of the divine realm that he proclaimed himself an ancient god.

Unfortunately, his good fortune didn't last long. Back then, his foundation was too shallow, and he was besieged by various powerful cultivators, ultimately ending up being sealed away for eternity.

Many years later, a woman came knocking on his door seeking help. Using a secret technique as a pact and her bloodline as a catalyst, he was able to give birth to Ya Ye, the vessel that would hold his remnant soul.

He raised his hand to straighten his pure black robe, his gaze sweeping over Gu Jian's hand gripping the sword hilt, a half-smile curving his lips: "Gu Jian, to be honest, I owe my existence to that sword of yours back then."

Upon hearing this, Gu Jian's brows remained unmoved; he simply stared coldly at the other person and asked, "What do you want to do?"

The life or death of Yaya was of no concern to him.

The only thing he cared about at that moment was what this thing that had taken over Ya Ye's body was up to.

"I would like to borrow something from you."

The Raven God looked at him, his smile undiminished, but a sinister glint lurked in his eyes.

Gu Jian didn't utter a word, but suddenly the long sword in his hand emitted a sharp "clang".

The sword flashed with a three-foot-long cold light in the afterglow, already poised to strike.

Seeing his posture, the smile on the Raven God's lips gradually turned cold: "This body is too weak to withstand my power. Your aptitude is quite good, so I will borrow it."

Before the word "borrow" was even finished, Gu Jian's sword light, like lightning splitting the night, slashed down first with a sharp whistling sound that cut through the wind!

The sword's edge cleaved the ground, sending up a shower of rubble, but at the point of impact, the Raven God's figure had already transformed into a thick black shadow and vanished into thin air.

The next second, a bone-chilling coldness came from behind.

The Crow God had already appeared behind Gu Jian, the black light swirling around his fingertips carrying a chilling killing intent that could freeze blood, piercing straight into his back!

Gu Jian's eyes narrowed, and before the dark streak of light could touch his back, he suddenly twisted his wrist, which was holding the sword.

The longsword moved like a serpent's tail, its spine precisely striking the airflow attacking from behind.

With a crisp clang, the sound of metal clashing together sent the surrounding leaves fluttering and flying.

Gu Jian used the momentum to spin around, his toes touching the ground as he leaped backward about ten feet, creating distance between himself and the Crow God.

As he regained his footing, he pointed his sword diagonally at the ground, his gaze fixed intently on the figure opposite him: "You want to use my talent? With your remnant soul that has possessed another body, you dare to challenge me?"

The Raven God's right hand, which had been parried, curled slightly, with wisps of dark light still lingering between his fingers. Upon hearing this, his icy smile deepened: "Whether you're worthy or not, you'll know once you try."

The moment he finished speaking, the air around him suddenly became viscous.

Countless tiny shadows converged from all directions, coalescing behind him into a pair of enormous raven-wing phantoms.

The air in front of Gu Jian suddenly distorted, like a mirror being struck by a heavy hammer.

With a "crack," a spiderweb-like crack appeared, revealing a dense, impenetrable darkness deep within.

A warning bell rang in Gu Jian's heart, a cold light flashed in his eyes, and his sword intent erupted like a drawn sword, but he was a fraction too slow.

At the very instant the air shattered, a completely black hand emerged from the crack, its five fingers like withered claws, carrying a bone-chilling coldness, aimed straight at his face!

Where the hand swept past, only a deathly silence remained.

The sun and moon revolve, and a month has passed in the blink of an eye.

This month, the entire forbidden world was thrown into turmoil by the upheaval at the Purple Smoke Cloud Pavilion, and subsequent storms followed one after another without ceasing.

At this moment, many sects also learned that the forbidden master from four years ago had descended once again.

The news spread like wildfire throughout the cultivation world in an instant, and all the major sects dispatched their experts to search for her whereabouts, following the slightest clues.

What's even more chilling is that the forbidden power that permeates the entire world has been undergoing a bizarre transformation over the past month.

Tens of thousands of forbidden cultivators have died suddenly without warning, their bodies turning into pools of foul-smelling blood.

This matter spread like a plague, plunging the entire cultivation world into unprecedented panic.

This is the qualitative change that Gu Fanqing once mentioned.

Many years ago, the forbidden power of this world had already quietly given rise to a wisp of consciousness.

At that time, it was still dormant, with only a faint instinct hidden like a seed within the corrupt Heavenly Way.

Until Tantai Chigu descended in his complete form, the immense power originating from the forbidden realm struck like a thunderclap, completely awakening this dormant consciousness.

The awakening of consciousness requires a massive amount of nourishment.

Those forbidden cultivators who died suddenly became its food source for growth.

The forbidden power flowing within them was being silently devoured by that awakened consciousness, transforming into nourishment for its growth.

Between heaven and earth, that invisible consciousness is growing at a visible speed, like a giant net that is gradually unfolding.

At that moment, a piercing scream echoed through the silent Taoist temple, shattering the surrounding tranquility.

"Tantai Chigu! Kill me! Kill me!"

The voice came from Su Jue Luo.

Her limbs were pierced by chains that gleamed with an eerie light, and she was nailed to mid-air, her body convulsing violently from extreme pain.

Blood trickled down the chains, staining her robes and soaking the ground beneath her.

That face, already distorted by madness, looked even more ferocious and terrifying now, stained with blood.

The forbidden power flowing along the chains was slowly gnawing at her flesh.

The veins beneath the skin throbbed and pulsated under the corrosive power of darkness, each contraction bringing excruciating pain.

But whenever her breath became extremely weak, the hidden formation within her body would suddenly activate, forcibly pulling her dying body back into a state of lucid purgatory.

The wounds slowly healed in the dim light, and the broken bones were pieced back together, but she wasn't even given a moment to catch her breath.

The next wave of torment was about to begin.

Over the past month, the line between life and death has repeatedly blurred in her life, yet her consciousness has remained terrifyingly clear.

She can accurately capture every inch of the sensation of flesh being cut and soul being torn apart.

Inside the house, Tantai Chigu remained oblivious to the tragic scene outside.

She sat upright, her fingertips holding a plain white handkerchief, patiently wiping Shen Shuchou's face on the bed.

"You could have just killed her with one sword."

Gu Qingran stood alone beside Tantai Chi, listening to the agonizing screams outside that nearly overturned the Taoist temple, her brows furrowing even more deeply.

His voice was filled with undisguised exhaustion, "Even if we torture her until her soul is scattered, Master will never come back."

Tantai Chigu's fingertips continued moving, gently brushing the face with a handkerchief dipped in water, her voice as soft as a breeze: "The Dao Lord is not dead, I can feel it, he is right beside me."

Gu Qingran's face was expressionless, she just looked down at the ground. She had heard these words too many times in the past month.

Shen Shuchou's disappearance left her with an unyielding pain in her heart, but reason told her that staying here and repeatedly tormenting Su Jueluo was nothing but futile self-destruction.

During that month, she secretly went out to investigate several times, but the information she gathered only made her more and more uneasy.

Those sects have formed an alliance and are using the Purple Smoke Cloud Pavilion as the center to cast a wide net in their search for Tantai Chigu's whereabouts.

Once they are found, it will be another bloody battle for the two of them.

The screams outside suddenly rose in pitch, then abruptly fell back down, turning into soft sobs.

Tantai Chigu finally raised his eyes and looked out the window at the sky that was stained red with blood.

His eyes were calm and still, only the handkerchief between his fingertips paused slightly at Shen Shuchou's brows and eyes.

"Tell me, should I really not have shown up?"

Tantai Chigu suddenly stopped, the handkerchief hanging in mid-air.

"If it weren't for me, the Dao Lord might not have ended up in this situation."

Gu Qingran gazed at her lowered eyelashes, where a faint shadow hung, and whispered, "Since you have been born, it is your destiny."

"Fate...?"

Tantai Chi Gu murmured these two words repeatedly, as if weighing their significance.

The next second, she suddenly looked up, and a deep light suddenly burst forth in her purple eyes: "I don't believe in any destiny."

Her voice wasn't loud, but it carried a powerful, moving force: "I only want my Dao Master."

The wind outside the window seemed to pause for a moment, and even the intermittent sobs seemed to weaken.

Looking at the almost obsessive light in her eyes, Gu Qingran suddenly felt that perhaps there really is something in this world that can withstand so-called fate.