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

When Shen Shuchou opened his eyes, he found himself lying in a completely unfamiliar room.

The room was not cold at all; instead, it was filled with a delicate and unique fragrance that wafted into the air.

He gently shook his still somewhat heavy head, sat up, and was surprised to find that most of his injuries had healed.

The tearing pain had completely disappeared, and even the circulation of qi became much smoother.

He composed himself and began to carefully examine his surroundings.

The interior furnishings were elegant and exquisite, with carved wooden tables and plain-colored gauze curtains hanging everywhere, exuding an unfamiliar atmosphere.

He was certain that this was neither the Holy Maiden's Palace nor the small courtyard he was used to living in.

My gaze unconsciously drifted toward the doorway, wanting to see what lay outside, but the next second, it met a pair of eyes looking right at me.

Immediately afterwards, a beautiful face slowly came into view, and Shen Shuchou was slightly taken aback.

When the man saw that he was awake, he walked in gracefully, his steps light and slow, as if he were walking on clouds.

Her clear eyes held undisguised curiosity as she stared at him intently, as if examining some novel object.

"Who are you? Where is this?"

Shen Shuchou snapped out of his daze and asked in a deep voice.

Ye Li seemed not to hear him, staring only at his face, and slowly said, "He is quite good-looking."

Shen Shuchou subconsciously touched his cheek, his brows furrowing slightly, and asked again, "Who exactly are you?"

"Me?" Ye Li raised an eyebrow, his tone nonchalant. "I'm your savior."

Upon hearing this, Shen Shuchou frowned even more deeply.

"Tell me, how are you going to thank me for rescuing you from Lu Wanheng?"

Ye Li looked at his guarded expression and a playful smile appeared on her lips.

Upon hearing the name Lu Wanheng, Shen Shuchou's heart stirred. Looking at Ye Li's expression, he vaguely guessed that she and his master must not get along.

But what puzzled him even more was that he was clearly in the Holy Maiden's Palace, so how did he suddenly end up here?

"What do you want?"

Shen Shuchou stared directly at her.

Seeing his tense expression, Ye Li curled her lip in disdain: "How boring."

"Just like your master, so boring."

She scoffed, "At least I helped stabilize your injuries, and you didn't even offer a proper thank you."

Shen Shuchou was silent for a moment, then said calmly, "Thank you. But I must leave now."

After saying that, he was about to lift the covers and get out of bed, wanting to see if he could get out of the room.

But as soon as he moved, an invisible pressure suddenly descended, like a large net that tightly covered him, making him unable to move, and even his fingertips could not be lifted.

"I'll accept your gratitude for now. But you can't leave yet."

Ye Li smiled faintly, but his eyes held an undeniable certainty.

"What do you want?"

Shen Shuchou secretly tried to exert his spiritual power several times, but found that the invisible pressure was like an impenetrable wall, and he could not budge it in the slightest no matter what he did.

"Your master and I have made a bet. And you are the stake in this bet. So until the bet is decided, you, the stake, cannot leave my side even for a moment."

Ye Li spoke in a flat tone.

Upon hearing this, Shen Shuchou's face darkened abruptly, and his aura turned icy cold.

Ye Li didn't offer any further explanation, only leaving behind a warning remark before turning and gracefully departing.

"Stay here obediently and don't try anything funny. If you disobey, I can't guarantee what I might do to you."

Watching Ye Li's departing figure, Shen Shuchou frowned, feeling a sudden, inexplicable headache.

For the next few days, his movements were confined to this room, and he was not allowed to go out even a step.

Ye Li would arrive on time every day, and every time his gaze fell on him, it was as if he were examining a rare treasure, with undisguised inquiry and amusement.

During the conversation, he repeatedly uttered outrageous and audacious remarks, each sentence carrying a sense of provocation and madness.

"Tell me, if I were to devour you right now, what kind of expression would Lu Wanheng have? Would she be so angry she'd want to kill me on the spot?"

"Or, if I were to kill you outright, wouldn't she be so enraged that she would do anything to reduce me to ashes?"

"By the way, are you exceptionally skilled in bed? Otherwise, why would Lu Wanheng, that cold and aloof guy, make an exception and keep you by his side?"

Every time he heard these vulgar, outrageous, and insane words, Shen Shuchou's eyelids would twitch wildly, but he always kept his lips tightly pressed together, remaining silent and responding only with silence.

His silence, however, did not make Ye Li restrain herself; on the contrary, it made her even more interested, and she chattered on and on by his side all day long.

She would even deliberately get close to him, with the two of them no more than half a palm's width apart, their breaths mingling.

Shen Shuchou could always clearly smell the unique, refreshing yet alluring fragrance emanating from her.

As Ye Li continued his mad ramblings and deliberate attempts to get closer to him day after day, seven days passed in the blink of an eye.

On the morning of the eighth day, Ye Li changed into a neat and form-fitting black outfit that accentuated her slender yet upright figure.

That beautiful and refined face no longer held its former carefree and playful air; instead, it was filled with a long-awaited, almost obsessive madness and fanaticism.

She didn't say another word, her eyes surging with intense fighting spirit. She simply raised her hand and used a burst of spiritual energy to lock Shen Shuchou in place.

The next second, the two figures burst through the house and vanished without a trace.

Meanwhile, the summit of Xuanling Mountain was already covered by a blanket of snow. Snowflakes, like goose feathers, poured down from the sky, the cold wind howled, and the world was a vast expanse of white.

Lu Wanheng stood alone on the mountain peak, his white clothes blending seamlessly with the swirling snow, as if he were about to become one with this ancient, cold mountain.

The snow fell wildly, yet it froze within three feet of her, not a single snowflake able to touch her clothes or hair.

She stood there quietly, her back straight as a bamboo on a cliff, without making any unnecessary movements, yet she exuded a chilling aura that could suppress the wind and snow.

Her face was extremely beautiful, a kind of aloof and otherworldly beauty, untouched by worldly affairs, with eyebrows like distant snow-capped mountains and eyes like deep, icy pools.

The drooping eyelashes concealed the turbulent emotions surging in the eyes, leaving only a bottomless, cold desolation.

At the foot of Xuanling Mountain, Qingxuan Sect disciples who had come upon hearing the news had already gathered, their heads thronging and discussions filling the air.

The news that Ye Li and Lu Wanheng made a seven-day bet seven days ago had already spread throughout the entire cultivation holy land, attracting the attention of the entire sect.

Among the crowd, besides many inner and outer disciples, there were also several sect elders in charge, with the entire faction led by Elder Ye present.

Feng Wujiang also stood on a high platform in the distance, quietly watching the movements on the mountaintop.

Everyone was eagerly anticipating this epic duel between the two most outstanding female disciples in the sect.

For Ye Li, this battle was a gamble on the future position of Holy Maiden of Qingxuan Sect, on power and glory.

For Lu Wanheng, who stood atop the snow-capped peak, none of the world's victories, defeats, honors, or disgrace were as important as Shen Shuchou.

She has come today only to reclaim what belongs to her.

Snowflakes fell softly from the sky, and in the blink of an eye, two figures pierced through the snow and ascended directly to the summit of Xuanling Mountain.

Dressed in a black outfit, Ye Li moved with a nimble and dashing air, her fingers firmly holding Shen Shuchou's hand, and stood directly opposite Lu Wanheng, facing her from afar.

One in black and one in white, standing amidst the vast expanse of snow, instantly became the sole focal point of the world.

The moment Lu Wanheng saw the two appear, his icy eyes instantly passed over Ye Li and locked onto Shen Shuchou.

Ye Li was intimately holding his wrist at that moment, and this possessive gesture caught Lu Wanheng's eye, instantly causing a chilling killing intent to erupt in her cold eyes.

"Hehe... Lu Wanheng, you're punctual."

Ye Li took in the surging killing intent in her eyes, but he was not afraid at all. Instead, he raised an eyebrow and smiled with unbridled provocation.

Before she finished speaking, she deliberately raised one hand and gently pinched Shen Shuchou's chin with her fingertips.

He was forced to raise his face slightly, completely exposing his handsome features to Lu Wanheng's gaze.

"Lu Wanheng, how about we change our bet? I don't care about the position of Holy Maiden anymore. How about you give it to me?"

She smiled broadly, her tone flippant and unrestrained.

Then, he casually added a sentence, his voice neither too loud nor too soft, which, carried by the wind and snow, echoed throughout the entire mountaintop, making it clearly audible to everyone watching at the foot of the mountain.

"Oh, right, I forgot to tell you. Not only is he handsome, but I also really love how good he is at serving people..."

As soon as he finished speaking, the foot of the mountain erupted in uproar. Countless gasps of astonishment rose and fell, and discussions exploded. Everyone's face was filled with horror and shock.

Elder Ye, standing at the front of the crowd, instantly turned ashen-faced, trembling with rage. He hissed in a low voice, "You unfilial son! Shameless!"

At the mountaintop, Lu Wanheng remained calm and composed after hearing this extremely humiliating provocation, showing no sign of joy or anger.

She didn't see through Ye Li's provocative words; her gaze was fixed on Shen Shuchou's face. Her thin lips parted slightly, each word carrying extreme suppression and questioning: "Is what she said true?"

Shen Shuchou's heart tightened. Looking at the chilling coldness in her eyes that seemed to burn away everything, he was about to speak in his defense when his throat was suddenly sealed by an invisible spiritual force, and he couldn't utter a single word.

Ye Li chuckled lightly, stepping forward to shield Shen Shuchou behind him. His smile was cunning and manic: "Lu Wanheng, if you have any anger, come at me. What kind of skill is it to make things difficult for me?"

As soon as she finished speaking, she casually pushed Shen Shuchou to her side for safety, then looked up at Lu Wanheng again. The playfulness in her eyes had completely disappeared, replaced by intense fighting spirit and obsession.

"Lu Wanheng, the bet officially begins now. If you can't beat me, not only will you lose your position as Holy Maiden, but your little man will also belong to me completely."

Before the words were finished, the snow that was swirling wildly across the summit of Xuanling Mountain suddenly stopped, and the ancient mountain winds that had been howling for ages fell silent.

All the wind, snow, and killing intent in the world were drawn by her aura at this moment, condensing into a deathly, suffocatingly silent, frozen domain.

The next second, she raised her hand and grasped the hilt of the sword hanging at her waist, and the sword that Shen Shuchou used, Shufeng, was drawn out in response.

This sword, already stained with frost and concealing its sharpness, was now wielded by Lu Wanheng with boundless rage. A layer of shimmering white light instantly covered its blade, blending seamlessly with the snow-covered landscape, making it impossible to distinguish between sword and snow.

The moment the sword's momentum arose, the wind and snow of the entire Xuanling Mountain submitted to it.

Thousands of snowflakes were enveloped by the sword intent, surging and rushing along the trajectory of the Shufeng Sword.

Like a snow-capped mountain collapsing, like a celestial river overflowing, it condenses into a chilling sword light that stretches across the heavens and earth.