They thought, at least...
No matter how much pretense was mixed between these two, there must have been a sliver of genuine affection.
But...
While Liu Jiang Fusheng might have existed, Gu Yi had deceived everyone.
She feigned liking him as a mortal would, and not a single person suspected her sincerity.
Even Danyan believed that all her tenderness and pampering were reserved solely for Liu Jiang Fusheng.
Gu Junshi lowered her gaze, brushing away the folds in her sleeves that had curled up to her wrist, slowly smoothing them out. With those indifferent lips, she said, "If he's willing to continue playing the fool, perhaps I'd be willing to indulge him and continue the charade. But..."
She lifted her light, glassy eyes, and anyone could tell that her attitude was one of utter disregard for matters that didn't concern her. "Liu Jiang Fusheng, since you now know everything, there is no longer any point in me staying by your side. Thus, let us divorce."
The first calm statement was directed at the demonized dragon, but the latter was not meant for it.
She knew that even though the demonized dragon had invaded Liu Jiang Fusheng's body, intertwining their souls, Liu Jiang Fusheng's consciousness still existed.
She also knew that he could "awaken."
Indeed, upon hearing the word "divorce," delivered in that ethereal tone, "Liu Jiang Fusheng's" pupils violently trembled.
A broken sound escaped his throat, his exquisite and handsome eyebrows furrowed tightly, the terrifying demonic patterns crawling across his face deepening and fading. Blood rushed to his face, turning his lips a blood-red hue. He struggled in agony, trying to reclaim his consciousness from the demonized dragon's grip.
He was the Dragon King, the Son of Destiny favored by the world's luck, and he would not be easily possessed in this most sacred and luminous body crafted for him.
But it wasn't enough.
Her voice became hoarse for a moment. She said faintly, "I told you to remember my name, so that if you ever had a chance to seek revenge, you wouldn't mistake me for someone else. And you have indeed remembered well."
Her words were like a sharp knife, suddenly gouging flesh and stripping bone from Liu Jiang Fusheng's heart.
Liu Jiang Fusheng's memories were instantly pulled back to that thatched hut in the mortal realm.
Outside, the rain lashed down, and water streamed down the windowpanes.
The outside was dark, the inside dimly lit with a yellowish hue.
The blood spreading across the floor leached away his body heat, his senses gradually vanishing—first the feeling in his limbs, then his sight, and finally, listening to the sound of the rain outside until silence completely engulfed him into the void and the deep night...
He could no longer feel anything.
He thought all his obsession would be consumed in this hopeless love that demanded his life as repayment.
But who knew that he would be resurrected.
His breathing grew ragged, the thin muscles of his back and shoulder blades tensing and bulging. The demonized dragon on him roared and raged, but it was also being squeezed, appearing and disappearing grotesquely, like a double exposure splitting and rejoining on his body. Black energy swirled around him like steam.
He suddenly opened a pair of blood-red eyes towards Gu Junshi, filled with trembling hatred. "Di-divorce? What right do you have to talk about divorce with me?"
Now, stained by darkness, his white form was soiled and defiled. The demonized dragon did not fail to affect him; its demonic energy could ignite the deepest resentment, anger, and fury in a person's heart.
Seeing that Liu Jiang Fusheng's rage and hatred towards her were now suppressing the demonized dragon, Gu Junshi's eyes sharpened, and she let out a low command.
"Gu Er!"
Gu Er, who had stealthily approached them at some point, responded immediately upon hearing the order, "Got it, Sister!"
Before he could finish speaking, he was already close to Liu Jiang Fusheng, acting as shackles to bind Liu Jiang Fusheng's limbs. Gu Junshi's figure flickered, and she instantly closed in.
The distance between them was narrowed to within an arm's length in an instant. Despite her cold and ruthless demeanor, every glance Liu Jiang Fusheng cast at her deepened his affection.
His breath hitched, and the pain in his heart intensified.
Her gaze fixed on the demonic patterns, then drifted to his terrifyingly red eyes. Her voice was very low, like a gentle caress with a hidden blade. "Do you hate me? Then hate me."
She condensed an invisible black sword in her hand, its tip pressing against Liu Jiang Fusheng's abdomen.
The demonized dragon felt itself being manipulated. It had never dreamed that a cultivator who hadn't even reached Nascent Soul stage could possess such immense divine sense. More importantly, the body was a pure and immaculate Lotus Body, and a demonic soul could gain no advantage in such a vessel.
It now essentially demonized Gu Junshi, believing that her initial special treatment of Liu Jiang Fusheng was merely to lure it into a trap.
As things stood, she had trapped it within Liu Jiang Fusheng's body, and it could not break free. It cursed furiously, struggling, unwilling to accept that its long-planned scheme would end in such a futile manner.
It felt extreme unwillingness and was prepared for mutual destruction.
Thus, it lowered its voice and mockingly sneered at Liu Jiang Fusheng, "Fool, it's obvious this woman will never love anyone."
"She even wants to kill you."
"Look, has she ever been moved by you? Your sincere feelings are cheaper than weeds at the bottom of the earth. Even if you begged with all your might, she wouldn't spare you a glance."
Liu Jiang Fusheng's mind echoed with the resounding admonishment left by "Heavenly Dao" when it disappeared.
"Ridiculous devotion, forget it, forget it..."
"Ridiculous..."
He murmured these words softly and smiled.
"Gu Junshi, in your eyes, am I particularly ridiculous?"
His voice trembled with a choked sob, rough and uneven.
Gu Junshi saw the demonic patterns on his face deepening and her fingers trembled as she reached out towards him.
He, however, tilted his head slightly, evading her hand. He then grabbed her sword and, without blinking, plunged it fiercely into his abdomen.
Blood splattered, dripping onto her face.
Gu Junshi's gaze was fixed. Blood droplets slid from her cheek to her jawline. She looked at him, her lips seeming to move, then closed them in a flat line.
Everyone's eyes widened, their gasping breaths catching high in their throats, their hands and feet turning cold.
"Didn't you always want to kill me?" he asked her with a smile. Beneath his thick lashes were eyes filled with lingering affection, but at this moment, the moisture in his eyes could no longer be contained, and tears streamed down like pearls.
His heart felt as if it had a great hole in it, forever insatiable.
Gu Junshi's voice was hoarse, but she had nothing to say.
A strange mockery permeated Liu Jiang Fusheng's smile. Enduring the bitterness, he said hatefully, "You tricked me, deceived me, killed me, and then humiliated me like this, yet I am still pathetic. I still can't bear to let you go..."
He lowered his head, his lips curved into a smile, his eyes brimming with tears. Sorrow welled up uncontrollably, as if he were muttering to himself, "Why?"
His teeth gnashed, drawing blood from his gums, his words a lament: "Why do you treat me like this? What have I done to wrong you? What did I do wrong?"
The desolation and heartbreak in his words were so profound that not only others, but even Gu Er, who usually sided with family regardless of the reason, felt a pang in his heart.
He even felt that his sister was being... too much towards their cheap brother-in-law.
Gu Junshi had once been diagnosed with an emotional deficiency. She lacked empathy, had no attachment to love or family, and was naturally cold-hearted. Yet, hearing Liu Jiang Fusheng's endless "Why?" for the first time, she felt a sense of bewildered retreat, unsure how to respond.
The only thing she could be sure of was... she seemed to have felt a sentiment called softness towards someone for the first time.
She lowered her eyes and said faintly, "I'm sorry."
She continued, "If you were waiting to hear me apologize..."
But it was precisely this apology, devoid of explanation and sounding like a perfunctory utterance, that completely broke Liu Jiang Fusheng.
"Hahahaha—"
He saw clearly, yet couldn't stop his liking, which was what truly broke him.
His whole body trembled. "How could I almost forget? You are such a heartless person..."
Others who heard this also had red eyes.
Ru Lan couldn't help but tear up, calling out upwards, "Gu Yi, Gu Junshi, no matter what you call yourself, do you truly not feel any pain for this man who wholeheartedly devoted himself to you? What is wrong with you?"
Seeing Liu Jiang Fusheng so angry that he stabbed himself with the sword, one could imagine how much pain he was in at this moment. kanδん
Yan Tianjiao was also seeing for the first time a woman who dominated the emotional landscape yet could be so cruelly heartless. His mother, while appearing strong and domineering, had actually become a subservient puppet to his father after falling in love.
Later, she had only chosen to give up after accumulating enough disappointment. In his eyes, all women in this world seemed to be driven by emotions.
But Gu Junshi had clearly refreshed his perception of women.
As for Cheng Hong, he seemed to have anticipated this outcome.
Through the memories of "that person," he had witnessed what a world-reversing individual Gu Junshi was. Generally, such people, regardless of gender, disdained love and instead pursued more substantial things and a broader sky.
Therefore, the situation that had unfolded between her and Liu Jiang Fusheng was actually foreshadowed.
Seeing Liu Jiang Fusheng's disheveled state, Danyan felt a sense of schadenfreude mingled with an inexplicable chill of empathy.
If even Liu Jiang Fusheng meant so little in Gu Junshi's heart, then he probably meant even less.
Wei Li's expression was dazed. It was then he confirmed her statement: I didn't do those things for him because I liked him.
In the past, he had often privately criticized her for being like a fool, only knowing how to silently contribute from behind, like a devoted maiden. Her appearance of unrequited love had once made him look down on her. But now that she had revealed her true nature, everything he had believed was destroyed. It seemed he finally understood her words to him.
"Wei Li, I'll advise you one more time: don't like me, don't hold any hope for me, and don't think I'll be a good person. This is my most sincere advice and well-intentioned reminder to you."
Could this be considered... besides being a complete scoundrel in relationships, she still retained a trace of kindness towards those who had benefited her?
Wei Li, though he wouldn't admit it before, had secretly been jealous of the Celestial Spirit Root. But now, he felt no joy, only pain.
The demonized dragon sensed Liu Jiang Fusheng's mental turmoil and rejoiced, feeling that everything was unfolding as it had imagined. It transformed into a heart demon and burrowed into Liu Jiang Fusheng's Dantian. Consequently, Liu Jiang Fusheng's pupils instantly turned half purple-black and half a brilliant gold.
A powerful surge of energy erupted from him. Gu Er could no longer hold him and was violently thrown back, all his bones feeling as if they were shattered and uncontrollably numb and stiff. Gu Junshi, however, blocked with one arm in front of her abdomen, using the force of the surge to quickly evade backward.
Seeing Liu Jiang Fusheng's body invaded by the demonized dragon's demonic energy, stirring up the deepest resentment and hatred in his heart, she admonished herself, "Don't rush, don't be impatient. Only one step left..."
If even a single step went wrong, everyone on this island would cease to exist.
No one noticed that Gu Junshi's face had turned deathly pale, devoid of any color. Beneath her calm facade, she was already at the end of her strength. The fact that she could summon the "Gate of the Yellow Springs" had exhausted all her power, so she was unable to open it again to drag the demonized dragon into hell.
Her eyes could hide all the raging storms, and her heart could bear all the accusations and pressure. She could not show any unusual behavior in front of the demonized dragon.
She was waiting for the moment her elaborate plan finally reached its culmination.
"The biggest mistake I made wasn't falling in love with you, but mistakenly believing that one day you would fall in love with me too. But I won't make that mistake again."
Liu Jiang Fusheng raised his head again, but all his emotions were neatly concealed. His eyes were bloodshot, his face as cold as ice, yet with clouds of emotion swirling across it, he calmly drew his immortal sword and moved towards Gu Junshi, everything indicating the direction of their inevitable breakup.
Gu Junshi met his gaze, enduring his hatred, and faintly pulled at the corner of her mouth. "Is that so? I really didn't know..." She paused, her voice somewhat hoarse. "That you were waiting for me with such feelings."
Seeing Liu Jiang Fusheng being controlled by the demonized dragon, Cheng Hong projected a golden light to block in front of Gu Junshi.
"Get out of the way—"
With a sword slash that ripped through the void, a black and white intermingled sword energy was unleashed. Cheng Hong placed a palm in front of him, a Buddhist light emanating from the surrounding cauldron. But Liu Jiang Fusheng was now not only himself but also the demonized dragon, so Cheng Hong's surrounding cauldron instantly shattered, and he was forced to retreat.
"Liu Jiang benefactor, calm down!"
Cheng Hong rubbed his chest, which felt like it was about to explode, spitting out a mouthful of blood.
Liu Jiang Fusheng's gaze did not fall on Cheng Hong at all. He stared fixedly at Gu Junshi, a sinister and unhealthy smile gracing his snow-white face. "Since you said you wanted to change, then change. But this time, I will set the rules. Whether you love me or not, you will not be allowed to leave."