From Yue Xuan's point of view, the world had once been filled with light.
Not the warm kind that soothed, but the blinding brilliance of authority, faith, and absolute trust.
She stood in the upper realm, her face reflected faintly on an endless jade floor, blood running down her temple, soaking into her white-gold robes.
That face, calm even in pain, was the same face she wore now as Shangguan WanWan. Only back then, her eyes were clearer, untainted by doubt.
Before her stood a man.
Faceless.
Not because he had none, but because heaven itself refused to let her remember it anymore. His presence was familiar, terrifyingly so. His sword dripped with immortal blood, each drop striking the ground like a bell tolling for her fate.
"Why?" Yue Xuan asked, her voice hoarse yet steady. "Why did you do this?"
She took a step forward, ignoring the pain tearing through her meridians.
"What have I done wrong?" she demanded. "I did everything for you."
Her memories surged.
She remembered standing behind him when the Nine Heavens trembled, when rival immortal courts knelt, when divine beasts roared in submission.
She remembered refining pills until her hands bled, breaking through forbidden realms to stabilize his cultivation, sacrificing her own divine roots so he could ascend faster.
She remembered shouldering karma that was never hers, enduring heavenly tribulations meant to erase him from existence.
"I gave you my heart," she said softly. "I gave you my life."
But the sword in the faceless man's hand suddenly flashed.
Immortal, a cold light split the world.
Pain exploded across her chest, deeper than any wound she had ever suffered. She felt herself falling, the sky spinning as darkness crept into her vision.
As she sank, the faceless man looked down at her.
Emotionless.
Like her life didn't even matter.
In the darkness, her thoughts scattered like dying stars.
She remembered kneeling before the Nine Heaven Court, vouching for him when others accused him of ambition and treachery. She remembered breaking immortal contracts, burning bridges, betraying allies, all so he could rule.
She remembered smiling through exhaustion, telling herself it was worth it as long as he stood at the top.
And in the end, she remembered his sword.
That was how it ended.
Betrayal.
To her, in that final moment, all men became the same.
Liars.
Users.
Destroyers.
Hatred filled the void where love once lived.
Then—
She woke up.
Not in the upper realm, not on a jade floor stained with immortal blood, but in a weak, fragile body gasping for breath. The spiritual energy around her was thin, impure, laughable by her old standards.
Shangguan WanWan.
That was the name of this body.
A low-level cultivator. A woman married for alliance, discarded the moment her family backing weakened. Left to rot, humiliated, treated as expendable.
The irony was bitter.
Different world. Same ending.
She understood instantly.
This body had died the same way she had, abandoned by men once she lost her value.
That was when she swore.
She would take revenge. Not just on the faceless man from her past life, but on every man who resembled him.
Her plan had been simple.
Divorce Lin Youming.
She knew he wouldn't accept. His pride wouldn't allow it. Then she would demand compensation. Cultivation resources. Pills. Spiritual stones.
Anything she needed to regain her strength.
Once powerful enough, she would leave him and crush the Lin Family without mercy.
Clean. Efficient. Predictable.
But now—
What the hell was this?
Standing before her, Lin Youming was releasing spiritual Qi.
Not weak. Not unstable.
Strong. Dense. Alive.
It rolled off him in waves, pressing against her senses like a living thing.
This wasn't bluffing.
This wasn't bravado.
This was real cultivation energy.
How come!? At first, she thought he would not accept it. After all, crippling their own dantian was like a death sentence but he actually did!
He actually didn't!
Yue Xuan couldn't believe it!
As a Goddess from a higher realm this shouldn't surprise her. But this is another matter. Something impossible even in the higher realm.
Suddenly, she'd say, no! I must check this!
Shangguan WanWan stepped forward slowly, her heart pounding in a way she had not felt since her death in the upper realm.
Her face remained calm, but inside, panic was blooming.
It's indeed what she thought it was!
That can't be.
That's impossible.
A crippled middle dantian meant death to cultivation. Heaven's law was absolute on this matter. Even immortals couldn't escape it.
Yet the spiritual Qi in front of her was undeniable.
She walked closer, each step heavy.
Lin Youming stood there, watching her approach, utterly unaware that he looked like an impossible anomaly to her eyes.
She reached him.
So close she could feel the warmth of his body.
Her gaze dropped to his chest.
There it was.
The wound.
The spiritual scar left by his own strike.
She leaned in, eyes narrowing, fingers hovering just short of touching him. Her lips moved as she muttered softly, ancient words spilling out unconsciously.
"Meridian fracture… reversed flow… dantian core collapse…"
Her breath hitched.
It was real.
Truly crippled.
The middle dantian was shattered, its structure distorted beyond repair. Any normal cultivator circulating Qi through it would suffer immediate backlash, spiritual corrosion, even madness.
Her hands trembled.
Yet the Qi was flowing.
Smooth. Controlled. Obedient.
"How…" she whispered, disbelief seeping into her voice. "How is this possible?"
She looked up at him, questions burning in her eyes.
Lin Youming froze.
What should I say? He thought frantically. I can't say it's the system.
He scratched his head, then suddenly grinned, putting on an exaggerated expression.
"Well," he said proudly, "it's called the power of love."
Silence.
He spread his arms dramatically. "When a man truly loves his wives, heaven itself moves aside. The more I dote on you, the stronger I become."
He went on and on, spinning nonsense with absolute confidence. "You see, when my heart resonates with my devotion, the spiritual Qi obeys my will. It's a miracle born of affection."
Cai Cai Yun stared at him, dumbfounded.
Liu Mei Mei blinked.
Shangguan WanWan's expression went blank.
"…Be real," she said flatly.
Lin Youming laughed and leaned forward, pinching her nose lightly. "Ahaha. That's a secret."
She stiffened.
No one had touched her like that in two lives.
Before she could react, he turned away, muttering happily to himself. "Now then… system shop… pampering points…"
He was already mentally planning his next move.
That was when a voice rang out from the doorway.
A male voice.
"Lin Youming bastard!"
The single word sent a chill through the hall.