Chapter 33: Love Soul

In the Valley of Eight Sufferings, Liu Shuang had completely transformed into Chishui Liu Shuang.

She was reliving the memories of the original owner’s growth.

The original Chishui Liu Shuang had always understood what kind of heir her father needed. She was undoubtedly a daughter who brought them shame.

She had heard that the Crown Prince of the Feng Clan, Fuming, was born accompanied by the roar of a dragon from the Nine Heavens. The young master of Kunlun in the north, Jimo, had turned the waters of the mountain peak into a spiritual spring the moment he was born.

These descendants of ancient bloodlines, the darlings of the heavens, each possessed extraordinary divine powers.

Only she was born unremarkable, with an incomplete soul. Lady Zi had even spent a long time awakening her spiritual awareness, teaching her to speak, patiently instructing her in the art of forming immortal seals, and teaching her to fly through the air.

Yet, she always caused trouble, and now she had even harmed Lady Zi to such an extent.

Liu Shuang felt the deep sorrow and pain of the original owner, the powerless sense of defeat and self-blame, like a young eagle trying to fly repeatedly, only to fall, bruised and battered, finally realizing she was merely a swallow with broken wings among the eagles.

After that night, the original owner began to change.

She couldn’t distinguish truth from falsehood, couldn’t tell the kindness or malice of others. Afraid of hurting Lady Zi and Chishui Chong again, she turned into someone who trusted no one, becoming suspicious, irritable, and quick to anger.

The thing this little body did the most was secretly cultivate day and night, even though the girl’s efforts bore no fruit.

In the original owner’s memories, Liu Shuang also saw Mi Chu.

It turned out that after the Chishui spiritual vein began to wither, it started to crumble inch by inch, requiring constant guarding and repair. The patriarch of the Lou Clan volunteered to go and guard the heavenly spiritual vein of the southern immortal realm. His only request was for the lord and lady of the realm to help take care of his daughter, Mi Chu.

After Mi Chu arrived at the Kong Sang Heavenly Palace, she was almost universally loved. She was intelligent, thoughtful, gentle, generous, and also very diligent and hardworking.

When Liu Shuang first saw Mi Chu in the original owner’s memories, she thought she had mistaken her for someone else!

The Mi Chu at this time was completely different from the one Liu Shuang would later meet. Although she could still be called charming, she bore no resemblance to Liu Shuang.

Liu Shuang vaguely recalled that Feng Fuming had said Mi Chu didn’t originally look like that.

Now, Mi Chu actively extended her goodwill to the original owner. The little fairy, both afraid and longing, repeatedly drove her away, but Mi Chu didn’t mind at all. She even showed the original owner many interesting techniques. After several interactions, the little fairy finally accepted this friend.

Unfortunately, no matter how hard the original owner tried, she couldn’t learn them. Seeing her disappointment, Mi Chu softly speculated, “Perhaps crossing the thunder tribulation is necessary to improve one’s cultivation. Has Shuang Shuang’s cultivation stagnated because the thunder tribulation has been delayed?”

The little fairy looked over.

Mi Chu smiled gently.

That night, the original owner walked out the door, tremblingly holding the Heavenly Thunder Banner in her hand.

Liu Shuang desperately wanted to stop her, to tell her that Mi Chu’s words were not well-intentioned, but she was afraid that if she intervened, she wouldn’t be able to continue experiencing the original owner’s memories. So, she resisted the urge to take control of the body.

Sure enough, the little fairy went to the Nine Thoughts Pond, locked herself in the lotus platform, and waved the Heavenly Thunder Banner.

Thunder bolts fell one after another. Liu Shuang, within this body, felt the pain scattered throughout.

The little fairy collapsed weakly on the lotus platform, looking at her reflection in the calm pond water. She was covered in blood, her eyes empty: “I will get better, I won’t harm mother anymore, I will strive to protect Kong Sang, I can do it…”

If not… her gaze dimmed as she thought, it would be fine if someone else could do it.

Father was right, the Kong Sang spiritual vein was about to wither. It didn’t matter who the heir was—whether it was Zhuixu, Yuxiao, or even Mi Chu. As long as someone could protect Kong Sang, prevent father from worrying and being disappointed, and ensure mother wouldn’t be hurt like this again, anyone could be the heir.

She was willing to extract the spiritual marrow of the Chishui bloodline from her body and give it to that person, in exchange for their protection of her home.

Liu Shuang sighed in relief; fortunately, the Heavenly Thunder Banner didn’t summon true heavenly thunder, just earthly lightning. She watched as the little heir endured the injuries on the lotus platform and grew up day by day.

Everything seemed calm, but Liu Shuang’s heart was secretly on edge. She remembered she was in the Valley of Eight Sufferings—a place that wouldn’t be kind enough to let her live a peaceful life.

Sure enough, it wasn’t long before the day came when the original owner and Shaoyou were engaged.

Liu Shuang thought, here it comes, this is the moment, and what follows is everything she was familiar with.

According to the progression, the original owner should have gone to Kunlun to break off the engagement. But the scene before her wasn’t like that—

In the Valley of Eight Sufferings, the original owner was filled with hope as she married Shaoyou.

After learning of the engagement, the original owner thought, if she couldn’t protect Kong Sang, then having a powerful person protect it would be fine too.

What was happening before her eyes was completely inconsistent with Liu Shuang’s memories.

They had even successfully completed the Soul Union Ceremony.

Her vision was filled with red, and Liu Shuang felt a growing unease, even though the fairy and immortal lords present were all smiling.

Beside her was the familiar Shaoyou.

As per the Soul Union Ceremony, the original owner extracted her heart’s blood.

Liu Shuang’s unease intensified.

Suddenly, Shaoyou beside the original owner sneered, abruptly reached out, and strangled her, forcibly extracting her spiritual marrow!

Shaoyou then reversed his sword and stabbed forward.

No one had anticipated this. The original owner was powerless to resist, looking at Shaoyou in terror. The sword pierced through her chest, yet it didn’t harm her at all.

Liu Shuang stared blankly, her heart sinking.

Blood spread as the sword pierced into Lady Zi’s body. The original owner’s mother had, at the last moment, shielded her.

Shaoyou stroked the sword, chuckling, “Who would marry a foolish fairy with a broken soul just to prevent the spiritual vein from withering? Only by seizing the Kong Sang spiritual vein can Kunlun thrive.”

Behind him, countless soldiers from the Kunlun immortal realm burst in. The immortal lords were clad in armor, and a battle within the immortal realm was imminent.

Shaoyou crouched down, pinching the original owner’s chin, and said with a smile, “Thank you, Young Lord of Kong Sang.”

He emphasized the last few words with biting sarcasm.

Before Liu Shuang could react, the heart belonging to the original owner ached fiercely, almost as painful as having her soul torn apart.

Something was forcibly separated from her body, and the overwhelming sense of helplessness and pain pressed down on her like a mountain, making it hard to breathe.

Liu Shuang struggled to stay conscious but could only watch as the souls of sorrow and fear separated from her body…

This process felt both endless and fleeting. After passing out from the pain, Liu Shuang opened her eyes again.

The sky was still drizzling, the wind lifting the gauze curtains. She abruptly sat up in bed, finding herself back in the initial scene. Looking down, she still had small hands and a small body.

Sure enough, the fairy maids were gossiping again.

“Is the young lord still asleep?”

Liu Shuang was drenched in cold sweat, finally realizing the terror of the Valley of Eight Sufferings. This was bad. If this continued, not only would the souls of sorrow and fear be lost, but also those of joy, anger, love, hatred, and desire. Once separated, she wouldn’t even be able to keep her three spirits. She would perish in the Valley of Eight Sufferings, consumed by the original owner’s heart’s fears.

The original owner was afraid that her incompetence would lead to the downfall of Kong Sang, just like in her youth when she caused her mother to be injured or even die.

But in the Valley of Eight Sufferings, all of this came true—a nightmare that would loop endlessly until the person’s soul scattered.

Seeing the body heading towards Lady Zi’s room again…

Liu Shuang bit her lip until it bled, trying to take control of the body. This was all fake. Shaoyou was still waiting for her in the Valley of Eight Sufferings! He would never do something like seizing someone’s spiritual marrow and spiritual vein.

Liu Shuang suddenly understood why the original owner had decided to break off the engagement with Shaoyou back then. It wasn’t because of any infatuation with Feng Fuming, but because someone had manipulated her into having a dream similar to this.

Thus, after waking from the dream, the original owner went to break off the engagement without hesitation. Liu Shuang clenched her teeth—Mi Chu!

Unfortunately, now that she was in the Valley of Eight Sufferings, Liu Shuang, who thought she could control the body, found it completely unresponsive.

She was like a puppet, repeatedly reliving the original owner’s nightmare.

Liu Shuang’s red and green souls scattered, not yet dispersed, when they were gathered into the arms of Yan ChaoSheng, who had returned in anger.

When Yan ChaoSheng returned, he thought to himself, if she was going to die, she shouldn’t die here. After all, she was a descendant of Chishui; it wouldn’t be a loss if he devoured her. Since she was determined to follow that hypocrite Jimo Shaoyou to her death, she might as well die meaningfully, making some contribution to him and repaying the cultivation he had lost because of her.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he arrived, the souls of sorrow and fear that had scattered from Liu Shuang in the Valley of Eight Sufferings, pitiful and panicked like a child seeking shelter, rushed into his arms out of fear of the surrounding ghosts.

Souls didn’t know warmth or cold, nor did they have memories. They only understood kindness and malice. In the ghost realm, they only sensed that the person before them had no intention of harming them, so they threw themselves into his embrace without hesitation.

Coincidentally, they bumped into Yan ChaoSheng’s chest, right where his heart was.

The souls were light and faint, but Yan ChaoSheng’s special demon eyes could see them. That gentle bump, though it caused no harm, somehow extinguished the cold fury in his chest.

He grabbed them to look. Well, these two scattered souls—one was weeping pitifully in his palm, the other trembling in fear.

Yan ChaoSheng sneered, tucking them into his embrace, and headed towards the Ghost King’s Tomb.

Only now did she realize that hypocrite was unreliable. Her soul had scattered, and only then did she come crying into his arms. Why hadn’t she been so submissive outside, firmly choosing Jimo Shaoyou?

He found it ironic—was this how Jimo Shaoyou had taken her into the Valley of Eight Sufferings?

When Yan ChaoSheng brought the souls of sorrow and fear to the Ghost King’s Tomb, his eyes had turned silver. What was invisible to others, in his eyes, was a stage where actors performed ridiculous plays.

He patted the two restless, aggrieved souls in his arms, annoyed, “Stay put.”

Below the stage, in the pitch-black area, lay the burial grounds of countless people—the Valley of Eight Sufferings.

The so-called Eight Sufferings were no different from birth, aging, sickness, death, unfulfilled desires, meeting with enemies, separation from loved ones, and the five aggregates of clinging.

No one could experience all of these, whether mortal or immortal; everyone had their weaknesses.

Yan ChaoSheng’s face was grim.

Such a place, naturally, he didn’t dare enter either. His ambitions and desires were too strong; he could never withstand the pain of the Valley of Eight Sufferings.

He frowned deeply. He shouldn’t enter; he’d be mad to do so.

Turning back wasn’t without gain. Now that he had these two scattered souls, devouring them was better than nothing. Why should he venture into the Valley of Eight Sufferings to pull her out?

But the souls that had emerged were those of sorrow and fear; they must be bitter and astringent, with no sweetness at all.

Yan ChaoSheng stood outside the Ghost King’s Tomb, holding the weeping souls in his arms. Stop crying, it’s annoying. No matter how much you urge, I won’t enter. I’m not stupid.

Just then, a pink soul floated out.

Yan ChaoSheng instinctively reached out, wanting to grasp it.

But the naive soul, with a warm touch, directly landed on his face. Like a flirtatious female rogue, it recklessly planted a kiss on his cheek, a brief warmth like a dragonfly skimming water.

Yan ChaoSheng gritted his teeth, quickly pulling it down.

This was… her soul of love.

Among the three scattered souls, it was the most annoying! The pink soul, completely oblivious to his disdain and dissatisfaction, while the other two conveyed oppression and fear, it acted like a child, rubbing against his chest.

Several times, it touched his cold scales.

Yan ChaoSheng was going mad. He grabbed it, threatening, “I’ll devour you first, believe it or not?”

The pink soul didn’t understand, winding around his fingers, still acting coquettish.

He stared at it. There was nothing special to see; it was just a soul, not even resembling a small human form. After a while, Yan ChaoSheng felt there really was nothing to see and stuffed it back into his embrace.

“Only for the sake of those two souls,” he pursed his lips, “certainly not for you.”

He stepped into the Ghost King’s Tomb. The howling yin wind whipped his robes, but Yan ChaoSheng didn’t resist, letting them carry him into the Valley of Eight Sufferings.

He steadied himself as he landed, his demon eyes fully open, the glowing silver eerie and cold.

The scene before Yan ChaoSheng’s demon eyes was filled with white, sorrowful strands of spiritual energy that, upon touching a soul, would tear it apart.

The Valley of Eight Sufferings, he pondered, meant forcing the world to endure all kinds of suffering, eternally tormented within.

If so, wouldn’t the best way to avoid the killing array be to hurt oneself faster and more severely, so it wouldn’t inflict more pain?

Yan ChaoSheng closed his eyes. A dagger appeared in his palm, and he slashed it fiercely across the flesh of his arm.

Large patches of black snake scales fell off. Without a sound, he traversed the Valley of Eight Sufferings.

This method proved effective. The Valley of Eight Sufferings remained unchanged in his eyes. Every few moments, Yan ChaoSheng would slice off another scale.

His figure moved swiftly until, finally, he saw the girl lying on the ground.

She was wrapped in an invisible white cocoon, her breathing almost imperceptible. Missing three souls, she was likely in a daze by now.

Yan ChaoSheng approached, attempting to cut open the cocoon with his dagger. The cocoon didn’t react, but the dagger’s edge curled.

Yan ChaoSheng frowned. Unlike those immortal lords with deep resources, able to wield indestructible treasures with ease, after studying at Kong Sang as a gatekeeper disciple, he didn’t even possess a decent immortal sword.

He silently watched her.

The soul of love still fidgeted in his embrace, and Yan ChaoSheng wished he could kill it: “Stop it.”

It really wouldn’t do.

As another orange soul—the soul of joy—floated out of the girl’s body, Yan ChaoSheng, with a cold expression, pulled out the scale protecting his heart.

Tearing off his own scale, his entire body trembled in pain.

This was probably the most beautiful scale on his body. Unlike the other small, slimy snake scales, it had a faint black-golden luster.

His face pale, he held the heart-protecting scale and slashed it across the white cocoon enveloping Liu Shuang.

Blood dripped. Indeed, the most precious heart-protecting scale of a demon was sharper than most immortal swords.

By the time he pulled the girl out of the cocoon, it had nearly drained all his strength.

Yan ChaoSheng held her, barely able to stand. He knelt, gasping for breath, his mind ringing with pain. He knew he couldn’t stay long. The path back was too far; he wasn’t confident he could carry her back. If he lost consciousness, they would both perish in the Valley of Eight Sufferings.

That left only one path. Yan ChaoSheng looked up, his cold silver eyes fixed on the realm behind her, filled with ghostly energy—the resting place of past Ghost Kings, hidden within the Valley of Eight Sufferings.

Gritting his teeth, he carried her inside.

Amidst the overwhelming ghostly energy, no longer under the control of the Valley of Eight Sufferings, Yan ChaoSheng groaned and collapsed.

The girl’s unconscious body fell on top of him, pressing against his wounds, making him tremble.

He didn’t have the strength to push her away. Since the surrounding ghostly energy was corrosive, he simply rolled over, pinning her beneath him.

After all, he had already been to the Ten Thousand Souls Graveyard; this place was similar. The ghostly energy here was too much for her missing souls, but he could shield her.

In all his years, Yan ChaoSheng had never done anything so foolish.

She lay beneath him, breathing softly, her face veiled, her eyelashes long and curled. Seen like this, she wasn’t unpleasant to look at.

He should have been in pain, wounded like this. He should have been furious, angry at himself for being so irrational today.

Yet, as he protected her, emerging from the Eight Desolates Killing Array, his chest bleeding profusely, his silver eyes reflecting her image, with four restless souls in his embrace, he somehow didn’t feel regret.

Yan ChaoSheng struggled to release the four souls.

As the souls returned to their master, entering Liu Shuang’s body, her pale complexion improved slightly. Her fingers clenched tightly, as if she were having a nightmare.

Beneath her veil, she murmured something unconsciously. Yan ChaoSheng weakly collapsed on top of her. They were so close that he almost immediately heard Liu Shuang’s indistinct murmurs.

A demon who had lost its heart-protecting scale was fragile and vulnerable, his heart still bleeding. Behind him was the vast, chilling ghostly energy. He heard her softly calling someone in her dream.

“Shaoyou…”

Yan ChaoSheng’s expression instantly turned cold and ashen.