Chapter Thirty-Three: Heaven of Passion, Sea of Sin

In ancient Huaxia parlance, Old Li’s order would be considered an affront to the very order of heaven, for it was likely to cost countless lives.

Yet at this moment, Old Li had no other recourse; he could only proceed as he did.

A desperate gambit, burning the bridges behind.

Gaining command was one thing, but more crucial was turning the Dongli Dynasty into a springboard for the demons’ assault on the human realms.

By their hand, he would have them slaughter all factions within the dynasty indiscriminately, plunging Dongli into utter chaos, driving the realm to the brink of annihilation, and forcing the examinees within to unite.

The reason for such a drastic decision was that Hanlan had already chosen the path of alliance, leaving Earth’s side no option but to cooperate passively.

Only by securing a certain standing for Ye Han within the alliance, granting him a voice and influence, could they ensure that even if Hanlan’s true nature was exposed, Ye Han would not be left at the mercy of the three great civilizations’ vengeance.

For by then, should those three civilizations wish to strike at Ye Han, they would need the consent of other alliance members.

Interests bind not only individuals and nations, but even civilizations among themselves.

As Earth’s side reached its decision—

On Xiyuan Star, in the Xuanyang Dynasty.

Within the secret passage beneath the ruined estate of the King of Yue, Gu Xiaoying finally resigned herself to fate.

After so many failed judgments, she was forced to admit a simple truth.

Her Satira Will, in some respects, simply could not match the planetary will that Ye Han wielded.

“This shouldn’t be possible!”

Gu Xiaoying bit her lip, a trace of confusion flickering in her eyes. “When a planetary civilization’s cohesion exceeds 0.5, it reflects the civilization’s internal unity—a sign of harmony between a civilization and its Bondholder. With the Bondholder’s guidance, ascending the tech tree should be effortless; achievements should surge, and the authority rating should have long since reached level three!”

Among this cohort of Ninth Sequence candidates, how could such a monstrous talent exist?

Most baffling of all, the other party remained completely unknown.

Gu Xiaoying’s chest heaved in frustration, a fire burning within her heart with no way to vent.

Anyone who attained level three authority before the Imperial Examination would be the focus of tremendous attention.

To enjoy wealth and power yet remain hidden, like wearing fine clothes in the dead of night—were it not for her own last-minute misstep, she could have been basking in glory now.

In any faction, only those who display sufficient talent can win the preferential distribution of resources.

Gu Xiaoying refused to believe that anyone could resist the allure of resources.

Yet now, confronted by this Ye Huan, she could not help but accept it, at least a little.

“Ye Huan—surely a false name!”

Grinding her teeth, Gu Xiaoying yanked out a strand of her own hair.

After so many failed attempts, she decided to curse him; if judgment failed, the curse would be triggered.

“By the power of the Lord of Blood Prayers: May the heavens strike you down, may you die with no corpse to bury, may your line be severed, may you be worse than a beast, die a miserable death, be paralyzed for life, heartless and faithless, struck by thunder, damned forever, perish with no grave to call your own…”

Every venomous curse she could think of, Gu Xiaoying recited them all.

The entire process lasted a full half an hour.

Heaven only knows the depth of her hatred for this man.

“Truth or falsehood, seal!”

With a crisp shout, the prayer finally ended.

As before, the blood-red aura devoured the golden glow in an instant.

At last, she had gotten her wish!

“Hahaha, judgment failed—perhaps that’s not so bad, after all!”

Watching as the four characters “Sinful Love, Doomed Sea” vanished into the void, Gu Xiaoying burst out laughing, slapping the stone floor with both hands, her bare feet kicking about like a child’s, her chest quivering with the motion.

Judgment failed.

For the Trickster’s Prayer, a failed judgment meant that one of the curses would be randomly visited upon the target.

If successful, the guiding artifact would be consumed.

Gu Xiaoying had never succeeded before, which was why Ye Han’s blood had always remained.

Now, knowing her Satira Will could not overpower his, she realized that using the Trickster’s Prayer against Ye Han could truly unleash the power of a “Verity” talent.

And she could do this again and again, whenever she pleased.

“I told you, you cannot escape my grasp!”

A smug look on her face, Gu Xiaoying tucked the precious jade vial into the valley of her chest, keeping it close to her skin for safekeeping.

Elsewhere.

Yanyue Sect, in the Scripture Pavilion.

Ye Han and Luan Shuangyu found themselves increasingly engrossed in conversation, ranging from astronomy to geography, from the rise of civilizations to campus gossip.

They had already far exceeded Ye Han’s original half-hour time limit.

Who could say how much truth was hidden in their words?

“How odd, why do I feel so feverish all of a sudden?”

Ye Han bent forward slightly, trying not to let it show.

“As for the dispute between Han Xiaoxiao and Gu Xiaoying, I know a little about that,” Luan Shuangyu said, filling Ye Han’s empty cup with tea, her eyes gleaming with curiosity. “From what I hear, Han Xiaoxiao’s mother was framed on the Celestial Battlefield, her body destroyed by the Silicon Faction, her consciousness trapped on the Bonded Planet with no hope of release. Afterwards, her father married a widow, and that woman brought her own daughter—Gu Xiaoying, theoretically Han Xiaoxiao’s half-sister. But since Han Xiaoxiao is a few months younger than Gu Xiaoying, she’s always refused to acknowledge her as a sister, insisting instead that Gu Xiaoying address her as elder sister, all for the sake of her own mother. That’s the root of their quarrel—their parents, perhaps out of guilt, have never interfered.”

It had clearly been a long time since Luan Shuangyu had spoken so openly with anyone. Now, given the chance, she poured out everything on her mind—a far cry from her icy, aloof demeanor.

Yet Ye Han found her more relatable this way.

They say goddesses act one way in public, another in private; but after all, every woman shares a common essence.

“Really now?”

Ye Han’s eyes sparkled at this juicy tidbit.

He’d never have guessed the wealthy Miss Han had such a backstory.

“So doesn’t that mean Gu Xiaoying is also a rich girl?”

Ye Han’s mouth twitched as he bent forward a little more, trying to hide his discomfort.

If only he still had his slave lord’s robe; the Yanyue Sect uniforms were all close-fitting, leaving nothing concealed.

“What’s wrong?” Luan Shuangyu had noticed Ye Han’s odd behavior by now. With their consciousnesses linked, every movement was visible to the other.

She hadn’t paid it any mind the first time, but now, with Ye Han bending over a second time, she grew curious.

“It’s nothing,” Ye Han replied, face flushing as he waved it off.

Fortunately, his own consciousness shielded his body, offering some cover; otherwise, he’d have lost all dignity.

He’d spoken so boldly of killing her, yet now found himself seized by an inexplicable desire.

Ye Han wondered if this was simply the result of being single too long.

Or maybe, was it the tea?

He glanced sidelong at the cup before him.

Luan Shuangyu, catching his glance, looked at her own cup and said bluntly, “This tea is native to Xiyuan—I’ve been drinking it all along and feel nothing.”

She’d been drinking it herself, perfectly fine.

She would never stoop to drugging someone.

“That’s not what I meant—”

Seeing her denial, Ye Han realized how unlikely it was, and quickly waved his hand.

Even if she were to drug him, it would hardly be with an aphrodisiac.

It would be far simpler to poison him and be done with it; he himself would never resort to such base tactics.

“Disgusting!”

That wave of his hand gave him away. Luan Shuangyu’s face turned icy as she spat her rebuke.

A moment ago he’d threatened to kill her; now this…

Pfah!

Her cheeks flushed, Luan Shuangyu spat on the ground, her gaze toward Ye Han now tinged with contempt.

All men are the same.

Just like those lechers outside who’d devour her if they could—not one of them worth saving.

Their minds, filled with nothing but filth!

“Didn’t you say you wanted to kill me?”

Luan Shuangyu calmly set her cup on the table, giving Ye Han a disdainful look. “Well? What are you waiting for?”

“So sure I can’t do it?”

Ye Han struggled to suppress his desire, breathing heavily as he rose from his seat and reached out.

Luan Shuangyu didn’t even bother to dodge, letting his hand close around her throat.

“My native gene warriors are on par with ninth-rank powerhouses. You can’t even break my defenses!” she said, twisting her neck slightly, easily shaking off his grip.

Ninth-rank warriors stood at the very pinnacle of Xiyuan’s martial hierarchy.

By burning her life force, she could draw upon the strength of the planet’s native beings; Luan Shuangyu simply didn’t believe anyone on this world could harm her.

And if there was such a person, it certainly wasn’t Ye Han.

“In that case, forgive me!”

A chill ran through Ye Han at the power of her native civilization, but he marked her as a must-kill all the same.

Earth had just relayed Hanlan’s situation; Ye Han was furious at Yan Qiluo for acting on her own, and at the same time, his desires surged.

Torn between anger and lust, Ye Han lost all reason.

He leaped outside the Scripture Pavilion, seized a short dagger from a disciple, and charged at Luan Shuangyu.

But because the pavilion restricted flight, each time he tried to warp, he felt an invisible resistance whenever his feet left the ground.

Luan Shuangyu watched him coldly; whenever he moved, she would strike with lightning speed, forcefully swatting at him.

Ye Han dared not meet her blows head-on.

He instantly invoked his Mist Shadow ability.

Bang…

With a muffled thud, his decoy was smashed to pieces by Luan Shuangyu, dissolving into a rain of blood.

“Teleportation and substitute talents—a magical combination, and well suited to you,” Luan Shuangyu sneered, closing her eyes.

Her awareness locked tightly onto the seventh layer of space.

With her gene warrior abilities, Luan Shuangyu had no real battle experience, but her sheer physical strength was enough to overwhelm Ye Han.

For his part, Ye Han was also a novice, with no real combat experience.

Beyond warping and dodging with Mist Shadow, all he could manage were a few harmless grazes.

As for Luan Shuangyu, she hadn’t managed to touch him even once.

She was growing frustrated; even a single hit would have left Ye Han severely wounded.

But Ye Han was just too slippery.

She wanted to strike, but simply couldn’t land a blow.

Under Ye Han’s persistent harassment, Luan Shuangyu’s clothes grew steadily more ragged.

This only spurred her to greater anger; as she grew more adept at channeling native strength, her afterimages filled the entire seventh floor.