Thirteen days passed quickly. Han Ling awoke once more. Thanks to the help of the soul pearl, his soul had strengthened and stabilized.
"Yu Yui... Answer a few questions for me." Han Ling's voice echoed in Yu Yui's mind, making her chest visibly tremble.
"Master, ask me anything. I'll be happy to answer." Yu Yui was eager for even the tiniest bit of Han Ling's attention.
It had only been thirteen days, but for her, it felt like an eternity.
"Alright, tell me—how did you reach the Void Refinement realm?" Han Ling's voice was calm but sharp. "If I remember correctly, you were only in the Qi Refinement realm when we first met."
"Master..." Yu Yui murmured, a shy smile forming on her lips. "I acquired a few rare treasures."
"Ah... I see."
Han Ling was momentarily speechless.
Even with Han Xinrou's help, I couldn't advance that quickly... I'm curious about what Yu Yui found. Han Ling pondered the opportunities she had obtained—such cultivation speed was simply absurd, even for him.
Yu Yui walked slowly through the garden of twisted flowers, her red hair flowing in the ethereal wind. Within her, Han Ling's presence remained like a silent fire, observing every detail of her expression, every shift in her breath.
"Actually, Master…" she began, her voice taking on a more restrained tone. "Before we met, I was already a cultivator at the Soul Formation realm."
Han Ling said nothing, but his soul stilled for a brief moment, weighing her words.
"...I was considered a rare talent in my sect and was betrothed to one of the core disciples. We were to be married." She gave a bitter smile, glancing away as if recalling a long-buried pain. "But my sister... my own sister... seduced him."
Yu Yui's hands clenched into fists.
"On the day of the wedding, he abandoned me in front of everyone. He said my heart was weak, that I wasn't worthy of him."
Han Ling remained silent.
"And as if that weren't enough... he and my sister launched a surprise attack with poison, crippling my cultivation. They even sent cultivators after me, as if I were some mistake that needed to be erased."
Both of them had been betrayed by those they loved, both had their cultivation crippled. The only difference was that Lin Yan died. As he thought about Yu Yui's story, Han Ling reflected on Lin Yan's fate.
Just as Yu Yui was about to continue, Han Ling's disinterested voice cut her off.
"There's no need to go on. I already know—you stumbled upon some opportunities and recovered your cultivation." He paused. "Not only that, but you managed to raise it even further."
"I remember you said you would serve me in exchange for vengeance, and yet I've done nothing to help so far. How do you feel about that—you, who became my slave with vengeance in mind?"
A crushing silence followed those words.
She turned her face slightly, and a smile appeared on her lips. It wasn't a happy smile. It was something between devoted submission and the quiet pleasure of pain.
"Master..." her voice was soft but firm. "When I chose to become your slave, I didn't just give you my body—I gave you my will."
She touched her chest with an open palm, where Han Ling's soul pearl pulsed like a divine seal.
"Revenge still matters… but," her voice trembled, "not as much as you."
"I just want... to stay by your side."
Han Ling remained silent for a long while. Inside the soul pearl in Yu Yui's spiritual sea, his remnant soul stood unmoving—a still shadow, with amber eyes that pierced into the deepest layers of her soul.
"You're... strange." His voice came again, cold as the tip of a blade resting on skin. "You're saying your revenge no longer matters? That your pride, your past, your pain... are meaningless before me?"
Yu Yui didn't hesitate. She knelt in the sea of twisted flowers, her red dress spreading around her like a blooming scarlet flower under the spiritual moonlight that filtered through the torn dimension.
"Yes, Master."
She raised her face, her red eyes fixed on the sky—or perhaps on the presence within her.
"I've come to realize something these past months. I was a proud cultivator, humiliated, betrayed, cast aside... But when you entered my life, when you marked me—even if it was only as a soul..."
She pressed her fingers tightly over the mark on her skin.
"...I felt whole. For the first time, I felt complete… I felt happy."
Han Ling stayed silent, watching.
"I am yours, Master. What drives me now... isn't hatred, but the desire to serve you. If you want me to destroy my sister and that man, I'll do it gladly. But if you want me to forget them and lose myself in you, I'll forget their names with just as much joy."
A cruel smile formed on the illusory lips of Han Ling's soul.
"You really are a good bitch."
Yu Yui trembled. That wasn't an insult. To her, it was a blessing.
"Thank you, Master..."
"In that case, there's no longer any need for me to act on your behalf." He paused. "If you want your revenge, claim it yourself. And if you fail... I'll simply laugh at your weakness."
"Yes, Master. If I fail, you may break me as punishment."
His spiritual presence stirred slightly.
"If you continue growing like this... maybe I'll let you lick my boots when I recover my body."
Yu Yui let out a muffled moan, almost as if she were climaxing from just that phrase.
"That would be a privilege, Master..."
Han Ling sighed, indifferent, yet a spark of curiosity and expectation burned quietly within him.
Even without a body, he was still capable of bending the wills of those who once held pride.
Yu Yui had tasted something the world rarely offered: absolute loyalty — not bought with promises, but forged through domination.
"Very well, Yu Yui. The next time I awaken... I hope to see you even stronger."
"Yes, Master!" She bowed to the ground, her forehead touching the cold stone, her body trembling with restrained emotion. "Please, continue using me... until the end."
"Why are you kneeling?" Han Ling said, his voice making Yu Yui's soul tremble. "Wait until I have a physical body, then you can crawl at my feet all you want."
Yu Yui didn't answer. She only bit her lip hard, her eyes wet with suppressed excitement. Her whole body trembled — not from fear, but from sick devotion. Her mind spun around that image: Han Ling, standing tall, imposing and cruel, while she crawled to his feet, licking the ground he walked on.
"Yes, Master..." she finally whispered, her voice unsteady. "I... will wait eagerly for that moment."
Silence returned to the forgotten dimension, broken only by Han Ling's voice echoing inside Yu Yui's mind.
"Putting that aside. Our current concern is the outer god. For Mara to attack the outer god, she needs a vessel."
"I don't have a body, and I don't want Mara to take your body. Even with her promise that she wouldn't harm your body, we shouldn't believe that. So, we only have one option left."
Yu Yui lifted her face slightly, still kneeling, her red eyes glowing with a spark of doubt and anticipation.
"One... option?" Her voice came out low, nearly inaudible. She swallowed hard. "Master... what are you thinking?"
Han Ling's soul, wrapped inside the spiritual pearl pulsing in her chest, seemed to emit an invisible pressure. His voice came again — heavier, burdened with a decision that would seal fates.
"You will use the flesh and blood lotus to create a body for the goddess."
Yu Yui blinked, stunned. Her heart pounded erratically.
"A... body for the goddess...?"
"Yes." Han Ling confirmed indifferently.
Han Ling's reply was direct, cutting like a blade slowly descending upon Yu Yui's throat.
"You will use the flesh and blood lotus to create a physical body for Mara. The goddess needs a vessel strong enough to bear her soul… and you will help create the body that brings her into this world."
The silence that followed was suffocating.
Yu Yui's eyes widened. Her expression, once overflowing with devotion and submission, was now overtaken by sudden disbelief. A shiver ran down her spine, and for the first time in a long while, she felt filthy — but not in a way that pleased her.
"...You're… telling me..." She lifted her gaze, eyes trembling with shock. "…that you're giving the lotus to her?"
Yu Yui's voice quivered. Not from fear, but from something deeper. Something sicker. A poisonous jealousy sprouting like thorns in her soul.
The flesh and blood lotus was an incomparable treasure, capable of rebuilding Han Ling's physical body. It was the bridge to his return, for him to become whole again… so she could one day worship him with her body, her tongue, her soul — completely.
But now… he wanted to waste it on some... slutty goddess?
"Master..." Her voice was low, muffled, as if the air had been ripped from her lungs. "That lotus... I found it for YOU. It… should be used to rebuild your sacred body, not to gift some... random intruder..."
Her head lowered, red hair partially covering her face, but her tone wasn't rebellious. It was painful.
"It's not... fair..."
The spiritual pearl in her chest pulsed violently — Han Ling had felt the fluctuation of emotion in her soul, like the muffled growl of a wounded and possessive bitch.
"The goddess is still a stranger," Yu Yui continued, fists clenched, nails digging into her palms. "She's not yours. She doesn't belong to you the way I do. She hasn't... crawled... a single second for you."
Jealousy burned through her insides like hot venom.
Han Ling remained silent for a moment. When he spoke, his voice was cold, but laced with cruel disdain.
"Are you saying you know better than I do about what needs to be done, Yu Yui?"
The pressure of his soul suddenly increased, crushing the young woman's thoughts. The spiritual pain was real — like needles stabbing her spiritual sea at uneven intervals.
"N-no... Master...!" Yu Yui whimpered in pain, bowing even lower, her face touching the cold rock as silent tears rolled down her cheeks. "Forgive me... I just... don't want to lose my place..."
"Your place?" Han Ling repeated, as if savoring the irony. "You're a slave. Your 'place' is wherever I order you to kneel."
Yu Yui's soul trembled, her tears turning into muffled sobs, her eyes wide with a mix of despair and pain… but not the kind she liked.
Han Ling took a deep breath, and the pressure crushing her soul vanished.
"Listen carefully, Yu Yui," his voice was firm, though behind its coldness lay a rare sliver of sincerity. "If the outer god doesn't die... it'll be the two of us who do."
Yu Yui lifted her face, tears still shining on her lashes, but now her hands trembled with resolve. The blush of shame and pain gave way to a cold flame of determination — a will forged by the fear of losing everything.
"Very well, Master…" her voice came as a whisper, almost inaudible, but laced with obedience. "I will do as you command."
The spirit pearl on her chest glowed red, as if responding to the sealed pact. Yu Yui stood up carefully, staring at the immortal void sword manual in front of her—the place where, according to Han Ling, Mara waited, imprisoned in a sealed dimension.
"Where… where should I take the flesh and blood lotus?" she asked, each word trembling.
"Don't be hasty, Yu Yui..." Han Ling's voice came coldly. "The outer god is refining his corpse to grow stronger, so we must wait for a critical moment in that refinement — when he cannot afford to be distracted by us."
"Because, whether we like it or not, the outer god has already noticed your odd behavior. Acting now will only alert him further."
Yu Yui's tears dried, replaced by a cold determination as she nodded.
"Understood, Master."
***
End of Chapter.