Wei Ji pushed the doors open, and what greeted his eyes made him catch a surprise breath.
Inside the Vermillion Savannah Chamber, a group of young women in bright silk robes surrounded one figure on the floor. That figure was kneeling, body curled in on itself, face pressed down against the cold tiles like she wanted to disappear.
The women turned when they saw him. Their smiles widened, and they rushed over as if eager children greeting their master.
"Young Master Han, you're here!"
They clung to his arms, chattering one after another, laughing as if they had done something wonderful.
"You should have seen her cry when we poured the tea over her head!"
"And when we cut her hair? She begged us to stop!"
"I made her scrub the floor with her sleeves—look at the stains!"
"She's such a pitiful wife, isn't she? You married the ugliest girl in the city, so we thought we'd make her learn her place."
Their voices piled on top of each other, shameless, boasting about every cruel little thing they had done. None of it was deadly, but it was ugly, mean-spirited, the sort of abuse that a normal girl didn't want to experience.
Wei Ji's eyes fell on the girl they mocked.
She still wore her wedding dress. Red silk, the symbol of joy and union, but now torn and dirty. The hem was black with soot, the sleeves stiff with dried tea. Her long veil hung down like wilted petals, hiding her face, but the way her thin shoulders trembled told him enough.
For a moment, Wei Ji's chest tightened. A dull throb echoed in his heart, a sound he couldn't ignore.
What is this? he thought, his jaw clenching. What are they abusing her? This is the Celestial Demon Empress… Lu Shaonan. Why is my heart beating? Don't tell me.
The answer came to him from his memory: the Celestial Demon Heart. That thing responded to pain, hatred, despair, and any negative energy. And here she was, clearly looking like humiliated on the night after her wedding, drowning in every dark emotion that would feed that cursed heart.
His face hardened. He needed to get others away from her; otherwise, Lu Shaohua's Celestial Demon Heart might awaken.
"Get out."
Their laughter stopped at once. They blinked at him, confused.
"What?" one asked. "But young master—"
"Did you not hear me?" Wei Ji's voice sharpened. "Guards. Take them away."
The guards at the door hesitated, trading uneasy glances. These women were his concubines. They had always been pampered, untouchable.
"Young Master Han," one guard stammered, "these are your concubines. You never—"
"What are you waiting for?" Wei Ji cut in, his tone like steel.
The women's smiles twisted into shrieks.
"Why, young master? Why are you treating us like this?"
"You've never been this cruel!"
"Did we do something wrong? Why are you angry with us?"
"We thought you hated her."
Their wails filled the room as the guards, still uneasy, began pulling them away one by one.
"Young Master Han," the lead guard muttered one last time, searching his face.
Wei Ji met his eyes with a steady look. "Do what I said. Close the door when you're done."
The guard nodded.
The concubines struggled, crying as if they had lost everything. "Why are you ignoring us? Why are you so cold today?! Is she the reason you're being like this?"
Wei Ji didn't spare them another glance. His patience was gone. These women were nothing but distractions, spoiled shadows of the man whose body he now lived in.
Suddenly, looking at the defeated look of Lu Shaohua. His heart beat became heavier, faster. Thump. Thump. Thump.
The sound mixed with memories, voices that came up from the very depths of his mind.
"Master, save us!"
"They're breaking through the barrier!"
"Elder, fall back! She's here! The Celestial Demon Empress is here!"
"Run! RUN!"
"Why won't she leave us alone? Why must she destroy everything?"
The cries of his disciples, the desperate shouts of elders, the dying gasps of comrades—every sect he had built, every home he had tried to create, burned away under her shadow.
"I only wanted to build a sect," Wei Ji whispered to himself. His hands trembled as he looked at the kneeling bride. "Just once… to have a place as a mark in this cultivation world before I die. Before I leave this world. But you—" His eyes narrowed. "You destroyed them all. Again and again."
The words in his mind sharpened into a vow.
"This time, I won't make the same mistake. I won't build anything. Not until I end you first. Lu Shaonan, Celestial Demon Empress of tomorrow… this is where it ends."
His hand rose, fingers stiffening into a blade. Slowly, he stepped forward, intent on striking the back of her neck.
But the moment he moved—
BANG!
A shockwave exploded out from her body, throwing him across the chamber. He slammed against the door with a grunt, the air knocked from his lungs.
The force wasn't enough to kill him. But the dread that followed made his skin crawl.
No… don't tell me…
A sound filled his ears. Thump-thump. Thump-thump. At first, he thought it was his own heartbeat. But the rhythm was too strong.
His eyes widened. He looked at Lu Shaohua, kneeling in a curled position. It's hers.
The Celestial Demon Heart.
"No!" Wei Ji hissed. "The heart awakened already? But I've kept my hatred sealed, I've hidden every trace of killing intent—how?!"
The chamber darkened as black energy bled from her curled figure, twisting the air like smoke. If he stood frozen even for a moment, she would awaken fully. And once she did…
Wei Ji staggered to his feet. "I can't let that happen!"
He dashed forward, pressing his palm against her back, sending his spiritual qi surging into her. His goal was simple—block the flow of negative energy before it sank into her heart.
But the moment he touched her, he realized how bad it was. The corruption had already rooted itself deep, coiled around her core. It wasn't starting now. It started last night.
"No, no, no…" Wei Ji's teeth clenched as he poured more of his Qi into her. "I'm too late!"
If he killed her now, the backlash would birth the true Celestial Demon Empress instantly, stronger than anything he could fight. If he left, she'd awaken on her own, just as dangerous.
Every path is death. No way out.
His chest heaved. His mind screamed.
Think. Think!
Then it hit him. The prophecy. The projection said the only way to kill her was to extract the Celestial Demon Heart from her chest with rare treasures scattered across the lower realms. But it's all useless. These treasures? He didn't even have a single one of them.
Right now, there was a way to keep her from fully turning into the Celestial Celestial Demon Empress.
Delay her. Keep her calm.
"Yes… that's it!"
Wei Ji pushed everything he had into her, making his spiritual energy flooding like a river. Pain ripped through his body, hot and sharp, as if knives were carving him from the inside out.
His veins bulged. His vision blurred. Sweat poured down his face.
"Hold it together… just a little more…"
Every second felt like giving up. Her body shook under his hand, the black energy biting against his Qi, fighting to consume her. He gritted his teeth and forced his will through it.
Thump. Thump. Thump. The sound of her heart echoed louder and louder.
He wanted to scream. He wanted to let go. But he pressed harder, driving his Qi until his muscles felt a stinging tear and his spirit felt a warm heavy scratch.
"Not… yet!"
The final push tore through him. Agony spiked from head to toe. His knees gave out, and with one last heave, his body collapsed.
Thud.
The world around him began to spin. He could feel his cheek pressed against the cold floor. He stared at Lu Shaohua's face; as her eyes slowly fluttered open, she woke up. Meaning she was fine now.
Soon, Wei Ji let go. Darkness crowded his vision, but he was satisfied. Because the last thing he felt was the faint slowing of that cursed heartbeat.