Chapter 557 498: Shang Miaoyan's Belated Realization, the Regret of Watching Helplessly as Pei Yuhang Is Taken Away

At this moment, Pei Yuhang, who now possessed only Mortal Power, watched Ji Shenyun approach. He stood as straight as a Treasure Sword, his Silent Sword still raised, poised to strike at a moment's notice.

Ji Shenyun could not detect a hint of fear in the eyes of this man. Though his state was wretched, his bearing remained ethereal, and this inexplicably angered her.

'Why? Why can't he just obediently submit to me!'

'Qing Yueqiu is just like this... Or rather, that little bitch must have learned it from you, her wretched master. You don't know how to bow to power; you just want to draw your sword and fight back!'

'So weak, yet so arrogant!'

'It seems that to train you into a dog that begs and wags its tail for me, I must first shatter that unyielding Sword Bone of yours!'

Ji Shenyun sneered, pointing to the unconscious Nangong Jin and the heavily wounded Shang Miaoyan.

"Pei Yuhang, look at all these gravely injured people. This calamity is all because of you."

She took a step forward, her silver-white hair cascading down like a waterfall. Her eyes flashed with the thrill of a predator.

"A great Sword Immortal, reduced to trembling behind a woman's skirts?"

Ji Shenyun provocatively beckoned to Pei Yuhang.

"If you know what's good for you, come to my side. Beg me. Beg me sweetly, and perhaps my heart will soften and I'll spare your sect-mates."

Pei Yuhang stared at Ji Shenyun's mocking expression. The Silent Sword in his hand, which had not wavered for a moment even with his Cultivation completely sealed, finally trembled.

"Despicable."

Pei Yuhang bit his thin lip, glaring angrily at Ji Shenyun.

He was like a cold and aloof hero of the Jianghu, cornered by a villainess's insidious schemes, with no choice but to grit his teeth and yield.

He did not fear death; he only feared that he would bring harm to his Sect and the people he cared for.

At that moment, Shang Miaoyan's delicate brows furrowed in unease. She looked at Pei Yuhang in her arms, terrified that Xiaohan might fall for Ji Shenyun's wicked scheme and impulsively throw himself into her clutches.

'Especially the part where Ji Shenyun said she would only spare them if Pei Yuhang went to her and begged like a dog—'

'If her beloved Xiaohan were truly forced to do such a thing... she would rather die!'

'Wait, "rather die"... That phrase sounds so familiar.'

Shang Miaoyan looked at the White-clothed Sword Immortal in her arms and then at the domineering, smirking Ji Shenyun before them.

In a flash, she realized something.

'Yes... There was a time when I held the lives of Lin Qianyan and Ye Liyuan in my grasp, smiling as I watched Xiaohan agonize between his dignity and his responsibility.'

'The loathing in his eyes back then was identical to the look he's giving her now... So in Xiaohan's eyes, that version of me was this detestable...'

'This evil. This twisted.'

'No wonder he resisted me, loathed me so much.'

'And yet I reveled in the meekness of his forced submission.'

"So that's how it was..." Shang Miaoyan suddenly let out a low laugh, a laugh that brought two streams of clear tears to her eyes.

'The Celestial Dao truly has a way of coming full circle... All the evil I've done has come back to haunt me.'

Shang Miaoyan saw a reflection of herself in Ji Shenyun, and felt something inside her shatter.

Then, her beautiful eyes hardened with resolve.

'That's it. Because I know exactly how agonizing it is for Pei Yuhang to be oppressed and threatened into submission...'

'That's exactly why I can't let Xiaohan repeat this cycle of being tormented by wicked women!'

'Let all this depravity end with me!'

Shang Miaoyan's arms tightened abruptly, as if she wanted to crush Pei Yuhang into her very flesh and bone, so they would never be parted again.

This sudden, fervent embrace made Pei Yuhang go rigid. His long lashes trembled, casting perplexed shadows on his pale cheeks.

"Xiaohan..."

Shang Miaoyan's bloodstained lips brushed against his cold earlobe, each word seeming as if it were carved from her very soul.

"Have you forgotten how I used to threaten you?"

"A greedy wolf can never be sated, and it is the last thing you should trust. The more you retreat, the more we wicked women will seize upon your weaknesses to control you. We'll devour you whole, again and again, until there's nothing left!"

As she spoke, her voice rose to a roar, as if trying to jolt Pei Yuhang awake.

"So, Pei Yuhang! Stop giving in!"

"Giving in will not win you freedom or a future! It will only tarnish your Sword Heart! I, Shang Miaoyan, played you for decades with tricks this simple. Don't you understand that by now?!"

'Giving in only leads to your boundaries being violated again and again... Peace can only be won through struggle!'

At that, the light finally returned to Pei Yuhang's once-dim eyes.

Seeing this, Ji Shenyun's calm and composed expression instantly twisted into a snarl.

'Damn it!'

'I was so close to destroying Pei Yuhang's will.'

'And you—this woman—had to interfere!'

"Time and again... Why can I never succeed when I'm dealing with you and your disciple!"

Ji Shenyun's fists clenched so tightly they sounded like muffled thunder.

She took a step forward. A terrifying Suppression instantly erupted, rolling forward like a monstrous ocean wave, threatening to utterly crush Pei Yuhang and Shang Miaoyan in their embrace.

Yin Wanqing and Xiao Jiuxing, standing to the side, tried to step forward and intervene. Ji Shenyun snorted, raising a hand to utterly obliterate the two pests.

THUMP-THUMP—

Her heart seized violently.

Ji Shenyun's pupils contracted, and her expression instantly turned grim.

Thirty thousand years of suppression had not been without its consequences for Ji Shenyun.

Not only had her Cultivation fallen from the peak of the Saint Realm, but it had also left her with a lingering affliction: using the Power of the Saint would now inflict a severe backlash on her body.