Yao Zuizui followed the young attendant, drifting slowly toward Suhei’s celestial palace.
She paused at the entrance, hesitating, her instincts screaming at her with sharp urgency.
*Don’t go in!!!*
Yet she still took a step forward and entered.
She recalled the words Suhei had spoken before she left.
Even though ten thousand years had passed, everything remained vivid—his quiet voice, laced with a bitter undertone, like an invisible, unbreakable thread that coiled around her heart, binding her tender soul.
It was time to settle this.
Yao Zuizui pushed open the door with a creak, and it swung open slowly.
A cold, desolate aura drifted toward her. She took a deep breath and stepped inside.
After ten thousand years, the grand hall was still as vast and silent as ever. Apart from the lofty chair where Suhei usually sat, the space was completely empty.
The moment Yao Zuizui stepped in, the attendant closed the heavy doors behind her.
The hall dimmed instantly, leaving only Suhei’s faint silhouette barely visible at the far end.
Yao Zuizui took a cautious step forward, carefully observing him.
Suhei was watching her too.
His hands were clasped behind his back, his white robes pristine and untouched by worldly dust.
He was still the same aloof yet benevolent Celestial Venerable who cared for all living beings.
But Yao Zuizui felt he had grown even more distant.
*”You’ve broken through, Immortal Qingzhuo.”* Suhei’s voice was like jade—clear, melodious, reverberating through the hall, lingering between the pillars.
Yao Zuizui felt her spirit tremble, and a trickle of blood escaped her lips.
Without her noticing, Suhei had infused his voice with celestial power, directly shaking her soul and wounding her effortlessly.
*”Celestial Venerable, why harm me?”* She wiped the blood from her lips, staring at him in disbelief.
Suhei glanced at her lightly. *”Just testing whether your cultivation has improved after your breakthrough…”*
Yao Zuizui felt a pang of embarrassment.
Though her cultivation had advanced—elevating her from a celestial maiden to an immortal—it had nothing to do with diligent training.
She had simply absorbed celestial energy naturally over time, and when the moment came, she ascended effortlessly.
As a result, her defensive and offensive abilities were pitifully weak. Even Suhei’s minor test had overwhelmed her.
Lowering her head in shame, she missed the flicker of dark light in Suhei’s clear silver eyes.
When she looked up again and tried to take a step, she found herself suddenly encased in a transparent cage of ice, blocking her movement.
The cage was airtight, emitting a biting cold that seeped into her pores, rooting itself in her bloodstream. Her blood slowed, her limbs stiffened.
*”Celestial Venerable, what is the meaning of this?”* She frowned, glaring at him in anger.
Suhei raised an eyebrow and walked over carelessly, tapping the ice with his slender fingers.
*”The temperature is just right—perfect for freezing wine.”* The corner of his lips curled into a perfect, familiar smirk.
*”Suhei!”* she blurted out.
It was *his* signature smile—the one he wore when he intended to kill. The right side of his lips lifted while the other remained pressed, exuding arrogance and cruelty.
It clashed starkly with the usual serene and detached demeanor of Celestial Venerable Suhei.
Yao Zuizui wanted to shake her head in disbelief but couldn’t move. The ice cage tightened further, pressing against her skin, immobilizing her completely.
*”Suhei… you want to kill me?”* Her voice trembled, thick with disbelief and tears.
Suhei’s expression darkened instantly. He kicked the cage viciously. *”Don’t say that name!”*
As he spoke, his brows furrowed deeper, and a faint sheen of sweat appeared on his forehead.
For a few seconds, his face twisted in pain before smoothing back into calm.
He sneered at her. *”He’s dead. Now, there’s only me.”*
Yao Zuizui was baffled by his words. Something felt off, but she couldn’t pinpoint what.
While she was lost in thought, Suhei’s bloodthirsty gaze never left her.
A chill ran down her spine.
Celestial Venerable Suhei… seemed like a completely different person.
In the past, he had been the epitome of kindness in the celestial realm—always willing to lend a hand, never known for cruelty.
He had been a beacon of righteousness—compassionate, fair, and just.
But today, since entering the hall, she had already seen him display malice multiple times.
It was as if… he had been possessed by evil.
*”Immortal Qingzhuo, did you know? The celestial power of wine spirits like you is the purest—extremely beneficial for cultivation.”* Suhei grinned greedily, pressing his palm against the ice cage.
Yao Zuizui was terrified but had nowhere to hide.
She finally understood what he wanted.
He intended to drain her celestial power to fuel his own cultivation!
Desperately, she struggled, trying to awaken Suhei’s conscience.
*”No! Celestial Venerable Suhei, you once said you would show mercy to all living beings, that you would save the world! You can’t harm me!”* She summoned her celestial energy, resisting the cage’s restraints.
Suhei’s hand twitched as if trying to catch the escaping energy.
*”Don’t waste my power!”* he snapped, frantic, as if watching precious aged wine spill drop by drop.
Yao Zuizui scoffed in disgust.
*”Your power? It’s mine!”* She realized now how blind she had been, idolizing him all this time.
*”Soon, it will be mine!”* Suhei’s silver eyes, once clear, now gleamed with a trace of crimson.
*”Immortal Qingzhuo, you should embrace the spirit of sacrifice for all living beings. Offer me your power, aid my ascension, and I shall protect the world even better.”*
*”Your name will be etched in the annals of merit.”*
He spoke with solemnity, as if this were some noble cause.
Yao Zuizui laughed bitterly. *”If it’s so selfless, why don’t you do it?”*
*”I cannot die. I must grow stronger to protect the world—I have always protected them, never faltering.”*
*”Yet you would hurt me!”* Her celestial energy surged, filling the hall with the scent of wine.
*”Sacrificing one to save countless—isn’t that a worthy cause?”* Suhei frowned, as if unable to comprehend her resistance.
*”You and Suhei are the same—selfish, thinking only of yourselves, never of the greater good.”* He shook his head regretfully, distancing himself from such people.
At the mention of Suhei’s name, Yao Zuizui froze.
*”Suhei… what have you done to him?!”* The name sent her heart into chaos.
A suspicion grew—perhaps she had been deceived all along.
The name also seemed to be Suhei’s weakness.
Hearing it, he clutched his ears, standing silently for a moment, his expression strained.
Yao Zuizui noticed something.
She stared at his face and began chanting deliberately.
*”Suhei!”*
*”Suhei…”*
*”Suhei?”*
*”Su—”* Her mouth was sealed shut by ice.
Suhei stood before her, taking a long moment to recover.
When he finally looked at her again, his eyes burned with hatred.
*”Why call that beast? Hoping he’ll save you?”* He laughed coldly. *”He can’t even save himself! Once I absorb your power, I’ll fully merge with his cultivation! Then, across all realms—I alone shall reign supreme!”*
*”Hahaha! I swear, once I unify the realms, I’ll reshape the heavens and earth! A new order—no more slaughter, no more strife! Eternal peace under my rule!”*
His silver eyes blazed with ambition, his gaze distant, as if already envisioning his glorious future.
And the stepping stone was right before him.
He looked back at Yao Zuizui, her mouth still sealed, and smiled in satisfaction.
*”Finally, silence.”*
With a flick of his wrist, a delicate, translucent cup materialized in his palm.
It shimmered with an ethereal glow, as if barely existing, unreal even when held.
Soon, all of Yao Zuizui’s celestial power would be his.
Her body would shrink, condensing into a single drop of wine, to be swallowed and refined.
With that, he would fully assimilate Suhei’s cultivation, skyrocketing his own power.
The mere thought thrilled him.
But one crucial step remained—
Brewing the wine.
The longer wine fermented, the richer it became, its essence more potent.
For a wine spirit like Yao Zuizui, the more intense her emotions, the purer her extracted power.
So Suhei needed to provoke her—
To stoke her hatred to its peak before draining her dry.
Leaning close to the ice cage, he stared at her, his lips curving into a chilling smile.
*”Immortal Qingzhuo, your mother would be proud of you.”* He tapped the cage lightly, the sound crisp.
Yao Zuizui glared at him, her eyes brimming with furious tears.
*”Because she, like you, sacrificed herself for all living beings.”* His grin turned manic, teeth gleaming.
Her eyes widened in shock.
A wave of regret crashed over her.
Had she wronged Suhei?
Had her mother’s death not been his doing?
It was *Suhei*—he killed her mother, tricked her into killing Suhei, and now sought to kill her too!
She *hated* him!
Hatred surged through her, igniting every cell in her body.
Unaware of the changes within, Yao Zuizui didn’t realize her celestial power was refining itself.
All she felt was the searing pain in her chest, Suhei’s words hammering relentlessly at her heart.
His face was familiar, yet his actions were nothing like the man she once knew.
Where was the Celestial Venerable who had once spent a hundred thousand years of cultivation to save her?
Who was this demon before her now?
As if hearing her thoughts, Suhei smirked.
*”Ah, I forgot to tell you.”* He studied her expression. *”The one who spent a hundred thousand years saving you… wasn’t me.”*
*”It was Suhei.”*
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage