Chapter 194: Affection
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As if reshaping their very bones, Shangguan Rou and Su Muchan were beaten senseless!
Su Muchan was the most pitiful—she'd already taken four sword strikes!
If she weren't the female lead, she'd likely be dead already!
But she was Su Muchan—the future Demon Emperor, the future Sovereign of the Demon Realm!
Just four stab wounds, just a dozen or so broken bones—no way I'm dying!
"Muchan, are you okay?"
Su Muchan grimaced, staggering as she leaned against nearby rubble to pull herself up. She tilted her head, glaring fiercely at the Jade-Stealing Immortal.
"Shangguan Rou, you go ahead. Leave this one to me."
"Stop talking nonsense! You'll die!"
"You're just getting in the way. I'll finish her off!"
Fortunately, the fractures were concentrated in her upper body, allowing Su Muchan to charge forward and clash swords!
Shangguan Rou was stunned. This girl was seriously badass!
He can still get up? Is this even human?
Uh…
She really wasn't human…
Even demons aren't this resilient!
But soon, the big fox kicked her flying back, sending her crashing back into the pile of rubble.
The giant fox stood rooted to the spot, unshakable. To be blunt, she hadn't unleashed a single skill yet—just basic attacks.
In this world, it wasn't that no one could stop her—it was that the one who could had already promised not to intervene.
Apart from that flower-seeking Immortal Sovereign, this Jade-stealing, Fragrance-thieving Immortal Sovereign had no equal.
"Shangguan Rou, you disappoint me."
Shangguan Rou was seeing this Jade-Stealing, Fragrance-Thieving Immortal for the first time today and had no idea what she was talking about!
"You hold the power to sever all things in this world, yet you are so utterly pathetic. Do you even deserve such a fine blade?"
The great fox now felt she might have chosen the wrong person. Perhaps that Su Muchan wasn't so bad after all—at least her gaze held the essence of a warrior.
Shangguan Rou was utterly bewildered. What was this fox talking about?
Was it mocking her?
"What are you trying to say?"
"Let me tell you something you don't know. The original owner of this blade and I were quite close."
Another flick of her wrist sent Shangguan Rou flying toward her. With a gentle sway of her sleeves, Shangguan Rou obediently sat down beside her…
"She was the strongest person I've ever known. This blade could sever anything in the world."
"I met her when she was fourteen. Even then, she possessed power that rivaled the gods."
"I thought you might be the next one like her, but you've disappointed me."
Shangguan Rou felt overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information, struggling to process it all at once.
"Power that rivals the gods?"
The great fox chuckled softly, casting a slightly amused glance at Su Muchan.
"Want to see power that rivals the gods?"
Like Ye Qinghan, when faced with the realization that the answers they sought lay within the box before them, the courage required to open it was something most people simply didn't possess.
"Yes!"
"I knew you'd say that. Look into my eyes…"
The great fox's tone remained utterly devoid of emotion.
Shangguan Rou couldn't fathom what the Immortal Lord before her was trying to convey, nor what his intentions might be.
The answer slipped out before she could stop it—she craved power!
As if hypnotized, she did as the great fox instructed, gazing into those icy eyes.
They were beautiful fox eyes—as deep as a starry river, yet as treacherous as a black hole, drawing one in with inescapable pull.
"You are too weak, unable even to gaze upon the power of the divine."
"Your task is to grow stronger and stronger, until you defeat me."
Only then did Shangguan Rou tear herself away from those eyes. She had no idea what kind of supernatural power this was!
Cold sweat poured down her back as she gasped for breath, her legs trembling uncontrollably. They were merely beautiful eyes, yet she could feel the suffocating power emanating from them!
This was no exaggeration. In those mere seconds, she truly felt as if she were gazing upon a deity itself. Only just now did she remember to breathe.
"Want to know about this blade?"
"Yes!"
"It has a name. It is called the Blade of Judgment, pure power manifested in the form of a weapon."
"We call this kind of power 'authority'—a unique force that can sever despair and bring hope to you and those around you."
As she spoke, she kicked Su Muchan—who was howling and scrambling upward—flying with a single swift motion, continuing…
"Do you think you're worthy of it?"
"Cheng Liang couldn't handle me, and neither can Su Cheng. Pinning your hopes on others will only lead you to despair."
"The power to sever despair is already in your grasp. Are you going to stand there frozen like before, or try swinging the blade?"
The old fox felt sick to her stomach from her own words. She was no good at teaching children.
Whether with her daughter or her subordinates, she always failed at this sort of thing.
"Su City is about a hundred and seventy li south. Now get lost."
With that, she kicked Shangguan Rou forward, controlling the force to ensure she wouldn't die—just break a couple of bones. For Shangguan Rou, that probably wouldn't be much of a problem.
And so, the only one left by the old fox's side was Su Muchan—the good child who had always been "cherished beyond measure" wherever she went.
She kicked Su Muchan from behind: "Stop playing dead. You've been listening for ages. Time to get up."
Su Muchan desperately wanted to spring up like a carp, but her body refused to cooperate. She could only struggle to her feet.
"What do you want from me? If you're going to kill me, just do it!"
"You seem pretty pissed off?"
"Of course I am! Any sane person would be furious if everyone came to beat them up! Since I arrived in the Northern Realm, nothing good has happened to me!"
"Why get angry about getting beaten? Why not reflect on whether you're just too weak?"
"So what you're saying makes some kind of bullshit sense? That I deserve to get beaten up?"
"If you were just an ordinary person, maybe not. But you're Su Muchan, and you're this weak? Then you deserve it!"
Su Muchan stared at the big fox. Though covered in wounds, her gaze remained resolute.
"To be honest, I hated you at first. But now? I think you're not so bad."
The big fox couldn't smile, and Su Muchan couldn't tell if it was joking or what. If this was some kind of bullshit test.
Su Muchan just wanted to say, "Go to hell!"
"Now I think you're utterly despicable. I'm not Shangguan Rou. If you beat me today, I'll remember you!"
The look on Su Muchan's face at that moment practically carved the saying "What goes around comes around" right onto her face!
"You're right up my alley. If you're stronger than me, feel free to try your hand at it."
As if nothing could rattle her composure, the cunning fox remained perpetually calm, her thoughts impenetrable to all.
Powerful, enigmatic, and unsmiling—these seemed to be her defining traits.
Su Muchan was just like Su Cheng back then, though she hadn't yet attained his level of power.
"If you spare my life, I'll join the Lingxian Hall the moment I return. Just wait—I'll come back to beat you senseless sooner or later!"
"And that womanizer! She won't escape either!"
Truth be told, the old fox was growing increasingly fond of this Su Muchan. One had to admit, she had a certain charm!
"Fine, fine, fine~ I'll be waiting for you!"
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