Chapter 570 504: Ji Shenyun: "Nangong Jin, You Wouldn't Want Anything to Happen to Pei Yuhang, Would You?

"It's quite addicting."

Pei Yuhang remained silent, a suppressed rage roiling in the depths of his dark eyes. Bound and unable to move, he could only glare at her fixedly.

Ji Shenyun, however, was no longer looking at him. She lazily raised a hand, and a dark golden contract rune materialized at her fingertip, floating lightly before Nangong Jin.

"Come, little girl, swear on your Dao Heart." Ji Shenyun's voice was indifferent, yet permitted no argument. "Don't keep me waiting."

Nangong Jin bit her lower lip, a flicker of struggle passing through her eyes. She knew that if she signed this contract...

'It would be the same as betraying the Sect!'

'No, it's not just betraying the Xuanyuan Dao Sect. It's betraying the entire Human Race, helping a monster do its evil work! But...'

Nangong Jin raised her head and glanced at Pei Yuhang, who was held hostage by Ji Shenyun.

Finally, she slowly closed her eyes and branded the contract with her Divine Soul.

The moment the rune sank into the space between her brows, Ji Shenyun's eyes narrowed in satisfaction, her red lips curling into a contented arc.

Pei Yuhang watched in silence as Ji Shenyun forced Nangong Jin to swear on her Dao Heart, binding her to a Divine Soul Contract.

'With this contract in place, it will be nearly impossible for Junior Sister Nangong to escape Ji Shenyun's control.'

'Of course. I should have realized it sooner. Ji Shenyun captured both me and Junior Sister Nangong. She plans to drain me dry, so how could she not make use of Junior Sister Nangong?'

'Keeping Junior Sister Nangong imprisoned in the dungeon these past few days, letting the bone-chilling cold and heavy chains wear her down, was all just to break her spirit.'

'And today's threats, the coercion, and even this "blessing" were all just part of Ji Shenyun's long-laid plan.'

"Very good."

Ji Shenyun flicked her sleeve, and the chains fell away with a clatter.

Nangong Jin's delicate body, which had been suspended for days, could finally touch the ground again.

The moment his mobility returned, Pei Yuhang rushed to Nangong Jin's side, catching her slender, soft waist.

Ji Shenyun looked down on the two of them, her voice returning to its usual indifference.

"Since you've both been so obedient, I'll make an exception and give you two an incense stick's worth of time to catch up."

After speaking, Ji Shenyun turned and left. Her silver hair, illuminated by the Luminous Pearls, cascaded like a river of stars, tracing a cold streak of light in the dim dungeon.

But as she reached the door, she suddenly stopped and looked back with a smile.

"However, after the incense stick has burned, Pei Yuhang... remember to come to my bedchambers."

Watching Ji Shenyun leave completely, Pei Yuhang's tense body finally relaxed slightly. He reached out with his long fingers, grasping Nangong Jin's slender wrist to feel her pulse.

"Junior Sister, after Ji Shenyun's contract sigil entered your body, have you felt anything strange in your Divine Soul or Spirit Veins?"

Nangong Jin shook her head lightly. She looked up, her eyes clear.

"Don't worry, Brother Pei. I should be fine until that Female Demon activates the Curse Technique..."

"But I'm afraid it will be impossible to break free from her control."

Nangong Jin looked at Pei Yuhang with a calm expression and said softly:

"Once I undo the Restriction on the ring, Brother Pei, you should take the Qiankun Shifting Order and leave this troubled place."

Pei Yuhang clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white from the force.

"No... If I leave, what will happen to you, Junior Sister?"

The cold, damp air of the dungeon seemed to freeze at that moment.

Nangong Jin watched him quietly, then suddenly broke into a smile.

The smile was like the first clear sky after a snowfall, so pure it made one's heart tremble.

"Brother Pei, I could never truly aid a villain, betray the Sect, or the entire Human Race."

Within her calm tone lay a clear resolve to die.

Perhaps... from the very beginning, Nangong Jin never thought she would leave this place alive.

Just as she had given the one and only Qiankun Shifting Order to Pei Yuhang without any hesitation.

'As long as... Brother Pei can get out of here alive, that's all that matters. This obsession is branded into the marrow of my bones, more natural than breathing, more instinctual than a heartbeat. Everything I'm doing now is to ensure Pei Yuhang can escape. Now that I'm free, my efficiency in undoing the ring's Restriction will increase greatly. Perhaps I can send Pei Yuhang away very soon. My goal is about to be achieved.'

"No."

The resolute refusal made Nangong Jin look up in astonishment, meeting Pei Yuhang's burning gaze.

"I don't agree."

He said, word by word, each syllable seemingly forced through gritted teeth.

Pei Yuhang pursed his lips, looking seriously at Nangong Jin, who was like an exquisite doll, completely disregarding her own life and death.

He reached out and took her small, cold hand.

Warmth flowed ceaselessly from their touching skin, searing Nangong Jin's heart and making it tremble.

She instinctively tried to pull her hand back, but he held it even tighter—the force was almost painful.

Feeling the heat and envelopment of Pei Yuhang's large hand, a charming cherry-pink blush spread across Nangong Jin's long, swan-like neck.

Just a moment ago, she had been a cold and aloof Fairy who seemed above mortal trifles, indifferent to life and death. Now, however, she was as shy as an unopened flower bud.

"Brother Pei, this is the only chance..."

Nangong Jin's voice was almost inaudible.

"Then we'll wait for the next chance together!"

Pei Yuhang suddenly raised his voice.

"Jin'Er, I won't allow you to treat your own life so lightly!"

"If I can't leave with you, then I won't leave at all!"

THUMP—THUMP—

The deafening sound of a heartbeat drowned out even Pei Yuhang's voice.

'Whose heartbeat is that?'

Nangong Jin subconsciously looked around.

Finally, she looked down in a daze, only to discover that the source of the violent throbbing was her own heart.

Her Ice Heart, cultivated through years of practicing the Forgetfulness Dao, was now like a thawing lake in early spring, shattered into pieces by the dazzling sunlight.

"Brother Pei... you're so warm."

Nangong Jin no longer rejected Pei Yuhang's decision.

She lowered her gaze, her voice barely a whisper.

Seeing the death wish in Nangong Jin's eyes fade, Pei Yuhang breathed a sigh of relief.

"Junior Sister Nangong, the time is almost up... I have to go see Ji Shenyun now. For the next few days, cultivate peacefully and don't let stray thoughts disturb you."

"Okay."

Seeing Nangong Jin nod obediently, Pei Yuhang also stood up and walked toward Ji Shenyun's bedchambers.

Walking through the intricate Underground Palace, Pei Yuhang looked at the diverging paths around him, and the urge to escape this place rose in his heart again.

But he suppressed the thought.

'Ji Shenyun probably made all these paths intentionally, just to tempt me into making a mistake.'

'I have to leave, but the time isn't right... Liyuan, Yueqiu, Senior Sister, Xiaoxiao, they're all still waiting for me!'

Pei Yuhang took a deep breath and walked resolutely toward Ji Shenyun's bedchambers.

...

...

"Ah Han—!!"

Ye Liyuan's eyes flew open, her pupils contracting violently. Her slender, pale fingers grasped futilely at the air like a drowning person's.

Her nails scraped through the cold air, ultimately clenching onto nothing but emptiness.

The only response was the dead silence and chill of the room.

Ye Liyuan paused for a moment, glancing at the Silent Sword lying quietly beside her. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

'It's happening again... Every time I try to meditate and cultivate, I'm startled awake.'

A look of loneliness flashed in Ye Liyuan's eyes. The thought that not even the Taoist Lord could divine the exact location of her Dao Companion, whose fate remained unknown, made her feel a heart-wrenching pang, and tears began to flow uncontrollably, like a bursting dam.

Ye Liyuan hugged the Silent Sword, her tears hitting the scabbard and splashing into tiny droplets.

This was Pei Yuhang's Lifebound Spirit Sword, now her only solace.

But. "...Just being sad is useless, hahaha~"

"You're such a waste. Tears are the cheapest things in the world, and they're all you have."

Ye Liyuan suddenly let out a low laugh, a laugh filled with heartbreaking self-mockery.

Beneath her plain white nightclothes, her thin body trembled violently, like a flickering candle in the wind.

"Ever since you were nearly struck down by the Celestial Tribulation, Ah Han has been giving everything for you..."

"And you, you're just a weak burden who can't help Ah Han with anything."

"Your body is even frail and flawed. You can't even satisfy him, or give him a child!"

"And now... you can't even protect your own Dao Companion. You've lost him."

"Power... I need the power to protect my Dao Companion! At any cost!"

Ye Liyuan was like a cornered lioness, growling through gritted teeth.

The ferocity and determination in her eyes were like a wildfire on a deep winter wasteland that refused to be extinguished, determined to burn through the darkness even if only a single spark remained.