After descending the mountain, my aloof fiancée became completely devoted to me.

A faint crimson light quietly bloomed at the fingertips of the fake Shen Aoxue, and fine blood lines spread from her wrist all over her body.

The symbiotic seal was fully activated, and a violent and destructive Yin energy accumulated wildly within her body. The temperature of the entire secret chamber plummeted instantly, and death filled the air.

She raised her head, her face contorted in a grotesque grin, staring intently at Lin Ping and Zhen Shen Aoxue.

"I lost?"

"My disguise was exposed, my plan was completely ruined, and I truly suffered a crushing defeat!"

"But don't even think about living a good life! This is a symbiotic seal that Little Fish personally placed on me. If it explodes, we'll all perish together!"

Zhen Shen Aoxue's eyes narrowed slightly. She took half a step forward, her spiritual energy quietly circulating around her, ready to resist any impact.

But Lin Ping remained calm and composed, without the slightest ripple of emotion; in fact, a faint, mocking smile appeared on his face.

Seeing this, the fake Shen Aoxue became even more frantic: "You're still pretending to be calm? You're about to die, and you still want to act?"

"A mere, incomplete, symbiotic forbidden seal dares to talk about mutual destruction?"

A crimson glow suddenly intensified at the fingertips of the fake Shen Aoxue, the symbiotic forbidden seal poised to unleash its destructive aura.

Her face was contorted as she stared intently at Lin Ping and the other man, already resigned to her fate of dying together with them.

Lin Ping's gaze was icy, giving her no chance to detonate the forbidden seal.

A wisp of pale golden true energy flashed from his fingertip and landed precisely on the fake Shen Aoxue's brow.

puff!

Her murderous aura instantly locked, and the powerful seal was forcibly suppressed, freezing all her madness and ferocity on her face.

With her eyelids drooping heavily, the fake Shen Aoxue's head tilted to the side, and she fainted on the spot.

Lin Ping bent down and swiftly removed the outer garment from the fake Shen Aoxue, then took the plain white clothes of the real Shen Aoxue from inside the crystal cover and quickly changed her.

Their physical appearance was exactly the same, and after changing clothes, there was no flaw.

He raised his hand and gently lifted her up, a burst of energy slowly sending the unconscious fake Shen Aoxue into the crystal shield, precisely landing her back in the original position where the real Shen Aoxue had been.

The barrier closed again, and it looked exactly the same as before.

To anyone who looked at it, the imprisoned person remained unharmed and in the same place.

After doing all this, Lin Ping turned to look at the unharmed Zhen Shen Aoxue beside him, his tone gentle.

"Let's go."

Zhen Shen Aoxue nodded gently, her eyes filled with peace and trust, and silently followed Lin Ping out of the secret room together.

The two figures blurred as they darted out of the Illuminati stronghold and disappeared into the depths of the dense forest behind the mountain.

They left less than half a minute ago.

Rumbling--

A large number of mechanically modified suicide soldiers rushed in, causing the ground to tremble and billowing dust.

Xiaoyuer stormed back to the main hall, his body radiating rage. The place was a scene of utter devastation, with all his remaining men lying unconscious on the ground, scattered haphazardly across the entire stronghold.

Her heart tightened, her nerves tensed instantly, and she rushed quickly toward the secret room.

Pushing open the stone door, the crystal shield floated silently in place, and inside the shield, the woman in white slept peacefully, still looking as if she were imprisoned.

Little Fish's tense nerves suddenly relaxed, but he was still full of confusion, his mechanical eyes flashing incessantly.

"Is he still alive?"

"Lin Ping used a diversionary tactic, luring our entire army away, but he didn't take any hostages with him?"

"He went through all that trouble to destroy only a secondary stronghold, and then just raided my main base without taking anything?"

She stood in the center of the secret room, her brows furrowed, utterly perplexed.

In her view, since Lin Ping had seen through all the schemes and recognized the real and fake doubles, he must have rescued people and taken away the trump card when he broke into the secret room.

But now the hostages are safe and sound in the same place, and all the restrictions are intact, which is completely contrary to common sense.

"What kind of trick are they playing?"

Xiaoyuer let out a low shout, his unease growing stronger. He felt that he was still being manipulated by Lin Ping, but he couldn't figure out the other party's true purpose at all.

Little did she know that her last trump card, which she had left in the trap, had already been completely replaced.

……

Meanwhile, at the entrance of the Lin Family Manor.

Lin Ping slowly returned with the real Shen Aoxue.

A graceful and slender figure stood quietly in front of the door, smiling serenely. It was Zhu Xiaohan, who had left in a huff earlier.

She glanced at the woman beside Lin Ping, her eyes lit up slightly, and she took half a step forward.

"Sir, this is the real Miss Shen."

With just one glance, she could tell the difference between the real and the fake.

The fake Shen Aoxue was full of sinister and malevolent energy, and her eyes were filled with treachery and deceit.

The person before me possesses a clear and gentle temperament, and a pure and open heart; they are a unique and genuine individual.

Zhen Shen Aoxue nodded slightly, her tone gentle: "Sister Xiaohan."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than footsteps echoed in the courtyard.

Adele hurriedly came out of the house and was stunned when she saw Shen Aoxue returning. Then her face was full of joy.

"Aoxue! You're back!"

As everyone rejoiced, Alu rushed out of the crowd, grabbed Zhu Xiaohan's hand, her eyes filled with grievance and lingering fear.

"Sister Xiaohan! You're finally back! I was almost completely controlled by someone a while ago and was in grave danger. I thought I'd never see you again!"

She paused, then asked with a puzzled look, "You were clearly wronged back then, so why didn't you defend yourself and just turn around and leave? Where have you been all this time?"

Zhu Xiaohan gently patted the back of her hand, smiled faintly, and turned to look at the crowd.

"I have never been wronged, nor have I ever been heartbroken."

"The gentleman was fully aware of the whole rooftop incident. He saw all the shady dealings and the distortion of the truth."

"My silence and departure in public were at the master's behest. The so-called argument and distrust were all just a performance for those in the shadows."

The entire audience instantly realized what was happening.

It turns out that there was no misunderstanding or heartbreak from beginning to end.

Everything was just a smokescreen put out by Lin Ping.

It was used to lull the fake Shen Aoxue into a false sense of security, and to lull the little fish hiding in the shadows.

Adele breathed a long sigh of relief, all the knots in her heart untied, and couldn't help but exclaim, "So the master had planned everything all along."

As everyone realized what was happening, Lin Ping's gaze darkened slightly, all his gentleness vanished, and he looked at the real Shen Aoxue beside him.

He spoke cautiously and solemnly, asking a question that had been on his mind for a long time.

"Aoxue, I have a question for you."

"The Shen family fell silent overnight, and all its members disappeared without a trace. All these years later, where have the rest of the Shen family gone?"

The moment those words were spoken, the air fell silent.

This is Shen Aoxue's deepest weakness, and also a taboo secret she has kept buried for many years.

The once calm and gentle Shen Aoxue suddenly turned pale.

Her brows furrowed deeply, a sudden, sharp pain shot through her head, and she instinctively pressed her hands to her temples, her body swaying slightly.

A severe, intense nerve-related headache instantly swept through her body, and countless fragmented, bloody, and terrifying images exploded wildly in her mind.

Those Shen family tragedy, hidden truths, and ancient secrets that she had deliberately sealed away and forgotten have all broken free of their confinement!

"My...my head...it hurts so much..."

Shen Aoxue's breathing became rapid, her eyes instantly welled up with tears, and her expression was one of extreme pain.

The seal that had kept her memories sealed for so many years was now shattering completely.

The truth behind the massacre of the Shen family, the ancient forces hidden behind the city, and the terrifying existence that hunts down the Shen family and covets Shen Aoxue's soul and bloodline are about to be fully revealed!