Through thick and thin

  Shang Ru looked at Mo Tian Ge with a puzzled expression, unable to understand her meaning.

  She gazed steadily at Yao Zixiu flying in mid-air, and said slowly: "In this life, a thousand years is but a day. In this place, except for leaving, any wish can be fulfilled. If you want a utopia, it will be given to you; if he wants to make a name for himself, it will be given to him." Her gaze fell, looking at Shang Ruyuan with pity and sadness: "So, everything is fake - your three years are fake, his alchemy is also fake."

  Shang Ruyun's expression changed suddenly, and she didn't come back to her senses for a long time.

  "Mo Tian Ge continued: 'This illusionary formation will appear with the thing that each person desires most in their heart. Sister, what you desire most is a life where two people are not disturbed, and he desires...' "

  Mo Tian Ge stopped talking and Shang Ru Xuan already understood what she meant. She was stunned for a long time before slowly asking, "Then, what will be the outcome?"

  Seeing her expression, Mo Tian Ge almost couldn't bear to say it out loud, but he had no choice: "......That Yan Dao friend has already fallen, we've confirmed that she was possessed by the Dao, blinded by illusions, and died from exhaustion of her vital energy..."

  Shan Ruyun was greatly shocked, she stared blankly at her husband who was shrouded in dark fog in mid-air, and did not speak for a long time.

  Death... what he wanted most...

  …………

  She remembered 90 years ago when she first saw her father's newly accepted disciple...

  "Are you Yao Zixiu? Do you know who I am?"

  That little boy, although with a proud and unyielding look in his eyes, did not treat her like a child to play with, but instead respectfully bowed: "Nice to meet you, senior sister."

  She smiled proudly and coughed twice in a pretentious manner, nodding her head: "Yes, polite!"

  The elder brother on the side teased: "Younger brother, you're still older than younger sister by a bit, just call her younger sister."

  "This..." The young man looked at her and said seriously, "I started later than Shizhi, I should be the one calling you Shizhi..."

  She was overjoyed, and rushed to call out to her senior brother: "It's my sister, it's my sister!" Turning around to pat her small chest, "Little junior brother, I'll take care of you from now on!"

  She thought back to seventy years ago when she had just established her foundation.

  "What's so good about that little brat?! You'd better listen to your father and marry Brother Nai!"

  She knelt before her father, motionless, yet with her head held high, refusing to yield.

  "Unfilial daughter!" Father's face turned red with rage, and he slapped her down with a loud slap.

  Building a solid foundation, this palm almost showed no mercy, she spat out fresh blood, her meridians were severely damaged, yet she still gritted her teeth and refused to let go.

  His daughter, who was standing beside him, burst into tears: "Wan'er, just listen to your father!"

  "Did you hear? No, she struggled to get up, using all her strength, and knelt down in front of her father, saying word by word: 'If Father scolds me, I'll go die!'"

  No one has ever dared to disobey Father like this, not even herself, but at this moment, she had no regrets.

  She remembered sixty years ago when he finally laid the foundation ——

  "Father, Shidi has built his foundation!" She joyfully ran into the main hall.

  His father's face showed no joy, but instead said coldly: "If you hadn't secretly given him the foundation-building pill, how could he have built his foundation?"

  She was stunned and couldn't understand why her father, who had already tacitly agreed to this matter, would be so indifferent.

  "Dad, didn't you personally accept Little Shidi as your disciple too? Why are you treating him..."

  "Hmph! If it weren't for the fact that his family had produced a cultivator of the Condensing Dan stage in the past, and must have some hidden treasures, with his talent, I wouldn't have taken him on as my disciple." Unexpectedly, Father said something like this.

  "Father!" she cried out in disbelief, "You...you're using Little Shidi?!"

  "What's the use of not using it!" Father's expression was indifferent, "If I hadn't taken him as my apprentice, how would he have had these good days for decades? How could he have built a foundation? Wanyu, your older brother still has you in his heart. He has already laid the foundation early on. With his qualifications, it won't be a problem to advance to the middle stage in over ten years. You should calm down!"

  "Dad, didn't you promise me that I wouldn't have to marry Brother Nai?"

  "Today is different from the past, I have no choice but to let you take charge!" Father's expression was three parts indifference and seven parts smugness. "The betrothal gift that Ni Shi Bo gave is a Dustless Elixir, something that father has been searching for many years! With this Dustless Elixir, it's possible that father can break through to the Core Formation stage in one go! Wan Er, father's path to Core Formation is now in your hands!"

  She remembered that night——

  "Master's younger brother, let's go! Let's go!" She said with tears streaming down her face, grabbing his hand.

  At that time, the young boy was already a gentle and steady young man. He held her hand, surprised: "Sister, what's wrong?"

  She cried out: "If I don't leave now, it'll be too late! Father still wants me to marry Brother Nai, and the Nai family has already said that even if I die, they will carry me into their house!"

  He was shocked and stunned on the spot.

  "Junior brother, if you don't leave now, it will be too late! My mother is kind-hearted and only let me out for one night. Tomorrow... tomorrow..."

  "Alright...!" His face changed color, and after a long while, he gritted his teeth, "Okay, Master Sister, let's go! Let's fly far away and never be found again!"

  She remembered the day they got married——

  No guests, no wedding dress, only the cold moonlight and two lonely figures.

  "Heaven and earth are witnesses, the bright moon is a matchmaker, I am willing to marry you. I will be the wife of Yao Zixiu for this life, never parting or abandoning each other."

  "He also made a vow: 'Heaven and earth as witnesses, the bright moon as matchmaker, I Yao Zixiu, wish to marry Shang Ruyuan as my wife, in this life and in this world, we will live and die together.'"

  The cold night wind blew by, and in the distance, a pack of wolves howled at the moon. Yet, she felt her heart was full of happiness.

  "Sister..."

  "Do you still want to call me 'sister' now?"

  He stared blankly for a moment, then smiled: "...... You're originally younger than me. From now on, I'll call you Wan Mei, how's that?"

  She also smiled and softly called out: "Xiu Ge."

  …………

  Sixty years have passed, although she has no fixed abode and her cultivation has made no progress, she has always been very satisfied. Her heart is big, not anyone else can make her feel happy; her heart is also small, as long as she is with him, she feels happy.

  Tears fell, this was her first time knowing, happiness is so far away from her, so far away.

  "Be careful!" Mo Tian Ge quickly grabbed Shang Ru Wan and rapidly retreated.

  The black fog floating in mid-air suddenly burst open, and Yao Zixiu opened his eyes, with a surge of momentum.

  Dan Yuan period! Whatever the reason, the Yao Zixiu in front of him is undoubtedly in the Dan Yuan period! In this illusion array, unless the mind shifts and the produced illusion disappears, otherwise, the illusion is no different from reality!

  Mang Tian Ge turned his head to look, Fang Zheng and two others, Lu Xiang Xin and Wang Xiang Zhi, were also shocked. After regaining their composure, Fang Zheng gave a signal with his eyes and whispered: "Let's go!"

  Four people, along with Mou Tian Ge pulling Shang Ru Wan, fled together into the distance.

  In the next moment, a mighty aura burst forth from behind him.

  "Ah—" Two miserable cries, the two Lu Wangs who were behind flew out, one crashed into a tree trunk and the other fell onto a stone pedestal, both spitting out fresh blood, it was unknown whether they were alive or not.

  "Halt!" Yao Zixiu shouted loudly.

  Moy Tian Ge's figure suddenly turned around, and Fang Zheng Dao also stopped not far behind her, turning his head back.

  At this moment, Yao Zixiu's eyes were completely red, burning with fierce flames, and his robes fluttered without wind. The aura of a Dan-forming cultivator rushed forth.

  Yao Zixiu's gaze swept over them slowly, with a proud and cold demeanor, as if looking at several ants.

  Finally, his gaze fell on Shang Ruyuan's body, and that cold, condensed breath finally eased a little.

  "He said: 'Wanmei, we can go back now, I can take you back! Hahaha...!' In the end, he was laughing loudly towards the sky, his voice extremely manic."

  Shang Ruyan slowly pried open Mo Tian Ge's hand and walked forward step by step.

  "Sister Shang!" Mo Tian Ge couldn't help but call out. She could see that although Yao Zi Xiu's cultivation wasn't demonic, his state of mind was. For now, he still recognized Shang Ru Wan, but who knew if he would retain his sanity in the next moment?!

  Shang Ruo Wan's footsteps paused for a moment, and she turned her head to smile at her. For some reason, Mo Tian Ge felt that her smile looked even more desperate than tears. She said softly: "Ye family's younger sister, you're so kind-hearted, thank you. This matter doesn't concern you, let's...just leave later."

  A song from a strange sky, this phrase means...

  Shang Ruyun had already turned her head and was flying towards Yao Zixiu.

  Yao Zixiu stretched out his hand and hugged her, with a satisfied expression: "Wanmei, are you happy?"

  Shang Ruyun shook her head and said lightly: "I'm not happy."

  Yao Zixiu furrowed his brow, and hastily asked: "Why? In all these years, didn't you want to go back? Now we can return with our heads held high, your father won't say anything anymore!"

  "Is it?" Shang Ruyue's gaze was filled with a chilling intent, "Xiu Ge, is your current cultivation really true?"

  Yao Zixiu was taken aback, then furious: "Wanmei! What do you mean? My cultivation is of course real! Come see—" He pulled Shang Ruyun's hand, eager to prove himself. "This is the skill I just obtained. It turns out that there really is a chance here. The master of this place was a great cultivator who sealed his skills after he passed away, and it just so happened that I got them..."

  Shang Ru looked at him with a faint smile, but her heart was filled with deep sorrow. It took a hundred years, a hundred years of time, for her to see clearly the person she loved most. It turned out that in his heart, cultivation had always been the most important thing, and it turned out that he had always wanted this outcome.

  She snatched the jade pendant from Yao Zixiu's hand, infused her spiritual awareness into it, and then sneered, tossing it back to him: "Brother Xiu, take a look yourself, what exactly is this!"

  Yao Zixiu was about to receive Yu Jian back, but his face suddenly changed greatly.

  Mo Tian Ge didn't know what had happened, but he could probably guess. This so-called opportunity was all fabricated by Yao Zi Xiu, and this Yu Jing naturally didn't have any real skills, either it was empty or nonsense, Yao Zi Xiu took one look and naturally knew something was wrong.

  "It can't be, this is real! This is real!" At first muttering to himself, but in the end, Yao Zixiu's face turned ferocious, and he suddenly turned his head, glaring furiously at Mo Tian Ge and Fang Zheng, "Was it you two who stole it? Was it?!"

  "Xiu Ge!" Shang Ruyan shouted, grabbing his sleeve. "It has nothing to do with others, this is an illusion array, so you had an hallucination!"

  "Phantom array? Hallucination? No, you're deceiving me, you're deceiving me!" With a burst of energy, Yao Zixu shook his arm, and Shang Ruyan let out a startled cry as she fell from mid-air.

  Under Yao Zixiu's gaze, Mo Tian Ge didn't dare to move and could only watch as Shang Ruyun fell out.

  No matter how weak Yao Zixiu was before, in this illusion array, she is a genuine Golden Core cultivator. Mo Tian Ge can be arrogant again, but he won't think that he can fight against a Golden Core cultivator. Fighting? Can't win, escaping? The mountain valley is so small, and they can't escape either. Entering the Void Sky Realm? To enter the Void Sky Realm, one needs to activate the incantation, at least for three breaths or more. However, Yao Zixiu is staring closely at them right now, if there's even a slight movement, she might attack and kill them, they don't even have the time of one breath.

  "Xiu Ge!" Shang Ruyue was visibly injured but still struggled to get up, "Xiu Ge, no, don't! You'll go mad!"

  "Wanmei, you don't have to say anything else! Do you think I don't know?!" Yao Zixiu's eyes turned bright red, making him look even more eerie. "Back then, your father took me as his apprentice because he had his eye on the accumulated wealth of my family, the Yaos! I offered up the secret art of my ancestors to get him to agree to our marriage. But how did your father repay me? Ten years later, he still wants you to marry someone else! And this time, I've already been used by him, and yet he's developed a murderous intent towards me!"

  "What?" Shang Ruo Wan was shocked, "My father he..."

  "You don't know, do you?" Yao Zixiu sneered, his calm and refined demeanor nowhere to be seen, replaced by a sinister look that sent chills down one's spine. "Back then, it wasn't that he pitied you as his daughter, but because I handed over the accumulated wealth of the Yao family to him! But even so, it was only enough to let him spare us for ten years! That day when you came looking for me, I had already received news that he wanted to kill me! I originally planned to leave alone... but you showed up... and I couldn't bear to..."

  Shang Ruyan's hands trembled as she spoke, unable to get the words out. It was actually like this, it was actually like this! No wonder he was in such a hurry to cultivate, no wonder he... He must be planning to take revenge after forming his dan...

  She suddenly burst into tears. It turned out that all of this was unsolvable, fundamentally unsolvable! She thought that as long as she could persuade him, it would be enough, but it turned out there was such a reason. Even if he was willing to leave the illusion, his heart had always been thinking about going to take revenge.

  "Wan Mei," Yao Zixiu said with a gentle tone, "don't worry, for your sake, I won't take his life. I just want to cripple his cultivation and that's enough! Hmph, all these years, I've been waiting for this moment. Your father didn't succeed in forming the elixir, what goes around comes around, this is retribution! Hahaha..."

  With a smile, Yao Zixiu shifted his gaze to Mo Tian Ge and Fang Zhengdao, saying slowly and deliberately: "I'll start with you two first, come on, let me see your skills!"

  Mo Tian Ge and Fang Zheng Dao Ren both fell silent, each gripping their magic tools or treasures tightly.

  Yao Zixiu seemed like a cat teasing mice, not attacking immediately, as if really waiting to see their skills.

  After a moment of silence, Mo Tian Ge spoke up: "Yao Daoist friend, don't you believe this is an illusion array?"

  "I believe!" Yao Zixiu raised his head and said, "However, my promotion to the Congealing Dan stage is not an illusion. If it were an illusion, I wouldn't have such a clear feeling. I really have become stronger, this feeling..."

  He is still savoring, Mo Tian Ge has smiled: "That's right, it's a feeling, but feelings can be wrong."

  "You—" was still being denied, Yao Zixiu glared with anger, raised his hand, and a sphere of spiritual energy gradually appeared in the palm of his hand.

  Mo Tian Ge and Fang Zheng Dao Ren became even more tense. A Jie Dan cultivator could materialize his spiritual energy, and such a spiritual energy ball was definitely not something that their Jian Ji cultivators could withstand!

  "Xiu Ge!" It was Shang Ru Wan who called out, "Xiu Ge, let them go, you want to avenge, it has nothing to do with them..."

  "Shut up!" Yao Zixiu shouted, "In the cultivation world, killing a few people is nothing, you're just a benevolent person!"

  "I'm afraid you'll become possessed..."

  "Fall into demonic possession? So what if I do?" Yao Zixiu sneered, "To obtain such immense power, I'm willing to fall into demonic possession! Besides, what's wrong with falling into demonic possession? That Songfeng Upper Realm, isn't he a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator who also recklessly kills the innocent? Yet, his demonic possession doesn't seem to affect his cultivation. What heart demon, what loss of virtue, are all just fabrications, fabrications!"

  Shang Ruo Wan had already tried to persuade him, but he was too far gone. She stared blankly at Yao Zi Xiu, who was furious, and tears rolled down her face as she said sorrowfully: "What about me? What do you plan to do with me? You've fallen into demonic possession, what am I supposed to do?"

  Yao Zixiu fell silent, his eyebrows and eyes softened, as if her words had touched a tender spot in his heart.

  At this time, Mo Tian Ge gave Fang Zheng Dao Ren a glance, and the two of them tacitly understood each other, quietly making their own preparations...

  "Xiu Ge...do you still remember the vow we made that day? I, Shang Ruyuan, will marry Yao Zixiu as his wife, in this life and in this world, never to part..."

  Shan Ru wiped away the bloodstains from her mouth and flew up shakily, stretching out her hand to him: "Xiu Ge, don't leave me..."

  Yao Zixiu couldn't help but stretch out his hand, grasping hers, and his voice softened: "I'm Yao Zixiu, willing to marry Shang Ruyuan as my wife, this life, this world, together in life and death..."

  Shang Ruyun finally revealed a smile and leaned in towards him.

  Watching Yao Zixiu involuntarily embracing her into his arms——

  A sharp object suddenly appeared and fiercely stabbed towards Yao Zixing's heart.

  "Ah——" was Shang Ruyuan's mournful cry.

  That short sword-like artifact appeared in Yao Zixiu's heart. Yao Zixiu grasped the hilt of the short sword, and with a burst of strength, the sword was pulled out, bringing with it a string of blood flowers. He swayed, but still stood firm.

  He stared at Shang Ruyun, who was knocked to the ground by his slap and fell onto a five-line wooden bench, furious and shouting in pain: "You... you actually want to kill me?!"

  Shang Ruo Wan fell onto the Five Elements Stage, unable to move at all. Her eyes, however, were smiling: "Xiu Ge, in this life and this world... let's not part ways... If that's the case, then we'll... die together..."

  She spat out a mouthful of blood with every word she spoke, and by the time she finished speaking, she had become a bloody person.

  Mò Tiān Gē couldn't bear to look, she suddenly regretted it. Why did she have to tell Shāng Rú Wǎn that the outcome of following the Tao was death? Yáo Zǐ Xiū refused to come out of his fantasy, and would ultimately die, so she...

  To live and die together, to live and die together. The romantic love between couples in the mortal world, she never thought it would be realized in the cultivation world, but now...

  "Wan Mei..." Yao Zixiu was stunned, he floated in mid-air, his eyes wide with shock, blood flowing from his chest, but he didn't feel a thing.

  "Qī dān qī dān......" He muttered suddenly, "I've formed a dan, but what about Wan Mei..."

  It was as if he suddenly realized what had happened, and he rushed over, pounced on Shang Ruyun's body, pulled her up, and shouted loudly: "Mei Mei, Mei Mei!"

  Shang Ruyan was still smiling, but she couldn't move anymore. Mo Tian Ge could see that... she was almost certainly going to die.

  "Wanmei, you..."

  Ke Shang was like a gentle breeze that had stopped leaving him with one last sentence, quietly closing her eyes, and her breathing gradually ceased.

  "Wan Mei!" Yao Zixiu shouted loudly, blood and tears gushing out together.

  They saw that Yao Zixiu gradually lost his blood color, as if he was being petrified bit by bit, slowly... turning into a skull wearing a robe.

  The skull still tightly hugged Shang Ruyuan's corpse.

  Thanks for seage's reward, unexpectedly, I've been sprayed with dog blood...