In that moment, all the previous pride and arrogance seemed to vanish from within him, leaving only disbelief and fragile astonishment. However, this was just a fleeting moment. What surged next was a fiery rage. A cold and defiant look crossed Gu Yunkai’s face as he spoke, “Let go.”
But Lu Ran didn’t seem to care. He looked at him with unwavering determination, his eyes flashing with a cold glint. His fingers gradually tightened, and he even showed a faint smile, a smile that seemed both gentle and cruel. “What if I don’t let go?”
Before Gu Yunkai could respond, he felt a sharp pain in his back. His hands were completely restrained as Lu Ran knelt before him. A cold and clear voice echoed in his ears, “Master, do you know what I’ve been thinking about day and night for the past hundred years?”
Being overpowered by someone, especially when that someone was his own disciple, left Gu Yunkai feeling humiliated. However, it added a touch of vividness to the situation, Lu Ran thought. He was always so cold and aloof, as if nothing could affect him, no matter what he did.
Lu Ran continued to gaze into his eyes, not missing the embarrassment and pain hidden within them. He clearly sensed the hatred and mockery welling up deep within himself. It felt like scorching snakes coiled around his heart, and a kind of pleasure accompanied by intense pain enthralled him, like drinking poison to quench his thirst.
Turning hatred into violence and humiliation, watching him suffer, feeling that he was better off dead – this was the meaning of his existence now.
Lu Ran’s eyes were dim, and his slender fingers touched Gu Yunkai’s thin, cracked lips without a trace of blood, and he rubbed them back and forth, as if he were playing with a beautiful treasure. Then he pinched Gu Yunkai’s chin hard, forcing him to raise his head and kissed his lips forcefully.
The kiss carried a strong sense of humiliation, and there was a faint smell of blood when their lips and teeth met, but this bloody kiss, like a sweeping fire, burned the surging hatred and pain. Reason was all burned to the ground, and strands of heat spread from the bottom of his heart. The joy of plundering and ravaging made his whole soul tremble.
The entire hall plunged into a heart-pounding silence. Gu Yunkai’s chest heaved rapidly, and his fingers clenched so hard that the veins stood out.
The sapphire candlelight was piercing, causing a painful ache in the eyes. Gu Yunkai simply gazed at him, his long eyelashes forming sharp arcs at the corners of his eyes. If you didn’t look closely, you wouldn’t even notice the faint quiver of his lips.
For some reason, that gaze caused an indescribable pang deep within Lu Ran’s heart. It was an uncomfortable feeling, as if he were the only one who had fallen into the mud, while this person remained as noble and untouchable as ever.
Lu Ran lowered his head, sensing Gu Yunkai’s faint breath. His movements hesitated for just a moment, and then he used his finger to tuck a strand of Gu Yunkai’s hair behind his ear, wearing a smirk that wasn’t quite a smile. “Master, have you never experienced this feeling before?”
His words were unbearable to hear, and Gu Yunkai finally closed his eyes. He remained silent and unresponsive, his face devoid of any expression, only the slight rise and fall of his chest indicated life.
After a long while, he spoke in a hoarse voice, “So, this is your way of revenge against me?”
The smile at the corner of Lu Ran’s lips faded, and he turned to look at Gu Yunkai. The candlelight in the hall was dim, casting fragmented light on his pale, cold face. His black hair was matted against his cheek, damp with sweat, and his lips were dry and pale. However, his demeanor remained calm. When he lowered his gaze, not even his eyelashes moved. The high bridge of his nose cast half of his profile in shadow, making it impossible to guess what he was thinking.
The fact that the Peak Master of the prestigious Floating Light Sect, the genius of the sword, and the pride of the heavens, Gu Yunkai, had fallen to such a state was truly ironic.
Lu Ran tried his best to ignore the bitter feeling in his heart, the kind that made his heart contract suddenly. After a moment, he exhaled a hot and scorching breath. “No, of course not.”
Gu Yunkai suddenly opened his eyes and saw Lu Ran’s deep gaze. His finger lightly slid over the pulsating vein on his neck, then came to a stop. The eyes of the Demon Sovereign, as dark as the night, were filled with a blood-red aura, and the demonic energy that carried a hint of blood surged at his ice-cold fingertips. “Let me think, what else does Master care about?”
Lu Ran gazed at his paper-white complexion, as if it were made of ice and snow, transparent and fragile. The veins on his jaw and neck were visible, giving him an ethereal look. “Floating Light Sect? Cloud Crane Peak? I will destroy them all, one by one.”
Gu Yunkai looked up at him in disbelief, his expression filled with pain. “You only hate me… it’s my fault…”
“Fault? Fault?” Lu Ran burst into hearty laughter, but the chilling and desolate emotions in his gaze left one feeling unsettled.
As his words trailed off, there was a fierce surge of violet-black demonic energy swirling at his fingertips. Sensing the uncontrollable torrent of this dark power, Lu Ran struggled to suppress his violent urges. He tightened his fingers and his smile turned both cruel and gentle. “Master, you detest evil and uphold righteousness, what’s wrong with that? Isn’t it the duty of a great demon like me to be vanquished by everyone?”
At the same time, he saw Gu Yunkai’s face turn suddenly pale, sweat pouring down his forehead. He bent over and unexpectedly spat out a mouthful of blood.
Lu Ran’s heart tightened, his brows furrowed. His gaze eventually landed on his own fingertips, and a vague, indistinct haze seemed to shroud his heart. In his jet-black eyes, a hint of confusion and bewilderment flickered.
The cultivation method he practiced was domineering and powerful. While it allowed for rapid progress, the more powerful something was, the harder it was to control. Everything in the world had its own checks and balances, and there was no such thing as absolute benefit without any harm. Such demonic energy was difficult to control and suppress, and it could even backlash against oneself. That’s why so many people entered the Devil’s Eye, but very few survived.
Lu Ran withdrew his hand, his gaze falling coldly on the person in front of him. He looked at the pale face that had turned even paler due to pain, with traces of blood at the corners of the lips. On one hand, he wanted to see this seemingly indifferent person reveal a look of humiliation and suffering. On the other hand, he hesitated and wavered…
It was truly ridiculous…
Feeling the turbulent demonic energy inside him, Lu Ran’s face tensed, and veins popped on his forehead. He finally got up abruptly, turned around, and walked out of the room.
[He’s really saying one thing and thinking another.] Chu Yan lay on the bed, feigning weakness. For a character like him, who had no challenging lines in this role, it was effortless.
In this world, Gu Yunkai, emotionally speaking, wasn’t a terrible person because, in fact, he had never deceived Lu Ran’s feelings. Moreover, he had never responded to Lu Ran’s feelings. Gu Yunkai’s character was originally portrayed as a proud and aloof figure, so the real challenge was how to make Lu Ran understand that he truly loved him without breaking the character’s persona.
[It’s really tough for a mighty Demon Sovereign to end up like this, not displaying any dominance, yet still managing to put on the brakes in such a situation…]
[Host, have you considered that if the male protagonist really asserted his dominance, do you think you could still maintain your charm?]
However, although Lu Ran showed some restraint, Chu Yan still felt the stark difference in their true power. This was the quirky, illogical world setting where no matter how powerful someone was, they were just trash in front of the protagonist.
Although Lu Ran had placed restrictions on Gu Yunkai’s soul, it did not limit his activities. Perhaps it was precisely because he knew that someone who was severely injured and had restrictions placed on them by the Demon Sovereign posed no threat at all.
During these days, however, Lu Ran had not appeared in his own palace. Strangely, rumors began to circulate, and it’s unclear who started them, that the usually calm and detached Demon Sovereign had suddenly acquired a demon pet. What surprised people even more was that this demon pet bore a striking resemblance in both appearance and temperament to the young sword genius from the Floating Light Sect, Gu Yunkai.
Although this person had secluded himself in cultivation after the great battle in the Demon Realm a hundred years ago, and even the newer generations had never seen him, his name was still well-known throughout the Purple Cloud Realm as the youngest sword genius.
However, very few people actually believed that these two individuals were connected. Firstly, given Gu Yunkai’s cultivation level and status, how could he have fallen to the point of becoming a male pet? Secondly, if the Demon Lord had really done such a thing, the entire Floating Light Sect would have already come looking for them in the Demon Realm, and there would have been consequences by now.
[Host, have you figured out what to do? The mission isn’t making any progress like this.]
[How can you say there’s no progress? He dares not come to see me; isn’t that progress?]
[Is that really considered progress?]
Before the system could continue, the window was pushed open, and what followed was an unfamiliar and dominant presence. In the chamber of the Demon Sovereign, a cold spring flowed down from the starry sky, harmonizing with the transparent stars. The dim blue moonlight shone into the hall. When the window was opened, the entire room was filled with fragmented starlight, dancing and swirling in the interplay of light and darkness.
As Gu Yunkai raised his eyes, he saw Duan Chongque, dressed in black, standing in front of him. His dense eyebrows furrowed slightly, and he gazed at Gu Yunkai with a deep and heavy expression.
“It’s indeed you,” he said.
Duan Chongque scanned Gu Yunkai from head to toe and said coldly, “I never expected that you, Gu Yunkai, would end up like this. It’s truly unexpected.”
Back when he was young and brimming with energy, just a young master of the demonic clan, he had challenged and confronted many sects’ disciples. With his formidable skills and the many techniques at his disposal, he had defeated numerous renowned disciples from various sects.
However, Gu Yunkai was an exception. This man possessed an unparalleled talent in cultivation that left everyone in the dust. Not only that, but his dedication to the path of cultivation was unwavering. It seemed that nothing could deter him on his journey.
Even though he had lost to Gu Yunkai several times, Duan Chongque didn’t hold any grudges.
“How does it feel to be betrayed by your own disciple, Peak Master Gu Yunkai?” Gu Yunkai gazed at him with a calm expression, even though he was seriously injured. His voice and tone remained steady. “And what about you? The mighty Sovereign of the Demonic Realm, reduced to this state, how does it feel?”
Duan Chongque, his face illuminated by moonlight, showed no emotion as he responded, “In the Demonic Realm, strength has always been paramount. If one’s skills are inferior, it’s only natural to acknowledge defeat.”
“However, it’s a bit regrettable that our esteemed Sovereign of the Demonic Realm, it seems, is unaware of certain things,” Duan Chongque bent down, his gaze fixed on Gu Yunkai’s neck, and his slender, clean hand rested on the most vulnerable part of his throat.
Duan Chongque’s lips curled into a faint smile, but he eventually withdrew his hand, saying, “Peak Master Gu Yunkai indeed possesses natural beauty, which is why even after a hundred years, our Sovereign of the Demonic Realm can’t seem to forget about you.”
Gu Yunkai closed his eyes and turned his head away, refusing to look at him.
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