As Nagni slipped back into the shadows, I turned to Yunfei and rested a hand on her shoulder.
"Do you remember what I told you?"
She held my gaze for a long moment before nodding. "I don't know what to think… or what to say right now, Shen—Ren."
"You may call me either," I said gently. "Shen is my name now, but Ren will always be my true one."
Yunfei's voice softened. "Shen… did you ever truly love me?"
"Yes," I answered without hesitation. "I do love you—truly. Everything I've said to you, everything I told you about myself, was real. I admire your strength, your persistence, and the way you push yourself to grow. I know this is overwhelming, but I will protect you and your family."
"Our family," Yunfei whispered.
"Our family," I echoed.
She looked up at me, her expression conflicted yet tender. "Can I see your true face, Shen?"
"As you wish."
My features shifted, the illusion dissolving as my real face emerged. Yunfei said nothing at first—only studied me, her eyes tracing every unfamiliar contour.
"So this is your true face…" she murmured. "Your hair, your eyes—you're completely different. Can you change back?"
I transformed once more into Shen Wuyin. A faint smile touched her lips.
"It will take time to get used to it. But… I still love you, Shen."
Her voice trembled. "It hurts, knowing you lied. But I won't be ungrateful for all you've done—for me, for my family. Thank you, Shen. I just need time to process everything. Would it be alright if you left me alone for a while?"
"Of course."
"I won't stop you," she added quietly. "This realm is my home, but I am your wife, and you my husband. I'll support you however I can… and I hope you'll do the same for me."
"I will. I intend to fulfil your wish—to help you grow stronger, to stand proudly beside those you love. That's a promise I can make real."
When I left the room, Nagini joined me. No one else was around, so she walked at my side.
"That girl keeps interrupting us," she said sharply.
I stopped. Her eyes held a seriousness that cut through the dim hall.
"Don't ever try to push me away again, Ren."
She pulled me into her arms. I let my fingers slip through her hair, twirling a strand before releasing it. Her eyes softened with affection—and something deeper.
"I'll be leaving soon with Lingxue," I told her. "We're visiting the Luo family. Their ancestor, Luo Xianling, still insists on marrying me. Her husbands will make things difficult, and her descendants even more so."
"Don't marry her, Ren." Nagini's voice was low. "She isn't who she once was. She used to be calm and gentle, like still water. Now she is destructive—like a rising tide."
"How close were you two?" I asked.
"Not very… but close enough."
"I can handle her. In fact, marrying her might be necessary. I've rejected her twice already, but entering her household would make it easier to remove the clansmen who oppose the Sun and Moon Sect.
"The Nine of the Fallen Genesis Empire remain powerful. After the Luo family, only six of the Nine remain—six to convince, or to force, into joining the Blackdragon Sect."
I paused.
"Some will have to die."
Nagini's voice softened. "If you've already decided… then I won't argue. I just dislike the thought of you binding yourself to that overbearing woman." She embraced me again, worry lingering in her touch.
I entered the Blooming Blooms Brothel and asked directly, "Is she here?"
Madam Yuelin smiled knowingly, her eyes flickering with recognition. She seemed to understand the weight of my question before I even spoke.
"Yes, she is," she replied smoothly. "Come this way."
She turned without another word, her silken robes trailing behind her like shadows. I followed, the lantern-light casting long, ghostlike shapes along the walls. The deeper we ventured into the brothel, the more the air seemed to thrum with energy—laughter, music, whispers, and secrets.
When we arrived, I saw her again—Luo Xianling. She sat at the far end of the room, her gaze fixed on the dancers performing before her. The dancers moved gracefully, their bodies flowing in time with the music, but Luo Xianling's expression was detached. It wasn't admiration she showed, but cold calculation, like someone who had long grown bored of beauty.
Her husbands lingered nearby, their presence subtle yet impossible to ignore. Their eyes flickered towards me as I entered, a mix of curiosity and caution in their gazes, but they remained silent.
Luo Xianling's gaze shifted, locking with mine. There was no surprise in her expression—only that same quiet, predatory awareness that had always marked her.
A small, knowing smile curved her lips. She motioned for me to approach. "Have you changed your mind, then, Shen Wuyin? Finally ready to take my hand in marriage?"
"Yes," I replied, my voice steady.
"That's good to hear. You're not playing hard to get anymore, and that makes me very happy." Luo Xianling's smile deepened, a glint of calculation in her eyes. "But before I agree to anything, I want you to fight my husband—the one you embarrassed last time. Give him a fair chance. You may face my other husbands as well."
"As you wish," I said calmly.
As I looked at my opponent, I could see the wariness in his eyes. He remembered well who was stronger between us. He stood in the Demigod Realm, and to everyone watching, I appeared to be the same.
She spoke again, her voice soft but edged with cold amusement.
"Neither of you will hold back. Use weapons. I want to see who can kill the other first—how about that?"
Her husband turned sharply towards her, disbelief flickering in his eyes. But Luo Xianling didn't spare him even a glance. There was no pity in her expression, no affection, not even irritation.
She simply looked bored—bored, and waiting to be entertained.
"Let's begin, then," she said.
A slow smile curved across Luo Xianling's lips as she turned to her husband. "Don't die too quickly, husband. I doubt Shen will show you mercy this time." Her tone was playful, yet her eyes remained cold. "It would be such a shame to tell our children their father was killed by his hand… though perhaps they'll try to avenge you. I promise I'll support them in the attempt."
Her husband's jaw tightened, but he said nothing.
I stepped forward. Determination burned in his eyes—he had no intention of dying by my hand.
I summoned the Blackdragon Blade.
Its dark edge hummed with restrained power, casting a faint shadow across the floor. Luo Xianling's gaze flicked towards it, her interest sharpening. She leaned forward slightly, studying the weapon as though it confirmed something she had always suspected.
"You know," she said calmly, "I still believe you're a descendant of Emperor Genesis."
Her husbands shifted uneasily at her words, but she continued without acknowledging them.
"After all, he had countless women who adored him. How could he not leave behind countless children? And he did create the very realm we live in now."
Her eyes lingered on my blade—on me—full of that same unsettling certainty, as though she were looking directly through the illusion of Shen Wuyin and into the truth beneath.
We stood now within her God Domain, the very heart of her power, and everyone present watched us with rapt attention. Their gazes tracked every movement, every clash, hungry for violence and spectacle. The air itself felt heavier here, infused with her authority, amplifying the tension with each strike.
Our blades collided again and again, ringing through the hall as we fought with ferocity and determination, neither of us willing to give ground.
I held back.
If I ended this too quickly—if I overpowered him in an instant—it would only sharpen her suspicions. Luo Xianling already knew far too much about my past identity. She believed I was a descendant of Emperor Genesis, and that alone was dangerous.
But as long as she hadn't realised that I was him…
That was good enough for now.
As I continued trading blows with her husband, the thought settled firmly in my mind: persuading Luo Xianling to dispose of certain members of her own family wouldn't be difficult at all. It seemed my intuition had been correct from the start; her coldness ran deep, so deep that blood ties meant little to her.
I merely needed to determine whether there were any members of her family she still held close—if such people even existed.
I drove forward, planting my foot hard against his shin. Bone shattered beneath the impact. His leg buckled instantly, fracturing completely as he screamed in agony.
I didn't let it last.
With a single, decisive swing of my blade, I cleaved off his head. Before the body had even collapsed, I caught the severed head and tossed it straight towards Luo Xianling.
It landed cleanly in her lap.
She looked down at her husband's lifeless face resting against her silken robes, then brushed a speck of blood from her sleeve with calm indifference. A slow smile curved her lips.
"I'm impressed, Shen. You actually killed him. I like you even more now." Her tone was light, almost amused. "He was becoming dreadfully boring, anyway."
Her gaze shifted to one of her remaining husbands. She tilted her head, eyes gleaming with cold amusement.
"Your turn. Don't disappoint me like the last one."