Zhou Kai stared at Shen Hanyi, his mind a whirl of confusion.

What was Shen Hanyi’s nature? Cold, aloof, solitary. She disliked interacting with others. Usually, her life consisted of nothing but cultivation and spending time with him.

For someone with her temperament, a sense of loneliness was normal.

But Li Youci?

She was the Grand Miss of the Li family, backed by immense power. Judging by how her brother, Li Qiwen, acted like a demon-level sis-con, she hardly seemed like someone suffering from loneliness.

Furthermore, Shen Hanyi had said, “I will help you.”

If those words had come from the mouth of Chen Ziqing—that manipulative sweetheart—Zhou Kai wouldn’t have been surprised. It would have felt natural.

But hearing it from Shen Hanyi? It felt completely wrong. Since when did his Hanyi help him conquer other women? It was absurd!

The more Zhou Kai thought about it, the more his brow furrowed. He had a vague feeling that this situation wasn’t as simple as it appeared.

Little did he know, Shen Hanyi’s next words would be earth-shattering, frying Zhou Kai’s brain until he was crisp on the outside and tender on the inside.

“Husband,” Shen Hanyi said, her starry eyes flickering. Her tone was calm, yet it carried a scorching heat. “Youci possesses extraordinary aptitude. If we can make her truly submit to us, Taiji Peak can be thoroughly utilized for our cause.”

“Using that as a foundation, once our strength advances further, we can scheme for Yantian Peak. Ultimately… even the position of Sect Master is not something we cannot fight for.”

“!!!”

Zhou Kai’s eyes nearly popped out of his skull. A chill shot from the soles of his feet straight to his spirit, leaving him numb!

Sect Master?

Was she joking?!

He was currently just a small fry at the third layer of Foundation Establishment. Sure, he had the System, and his future held infinite possibilities, but he had never even dared to think about the words “Sect Master”! At least, not yet!

What was wrong with Hanyi?

Something was wrong. Very wrong!

Zhou Kai abruptly reached out, placing a hand on Shen Hanyi’s forehead. His Divine Sense, comparable to the eighth layer of Foundation Establishment, cautiously flooded into her body.

He examined her carefully. Her body was fine. Although her aura was slightly unstable from the previous battle, her foundation was solid, and her meridians were unobstructed.

The problem lay in her Sword Embryo!

Zhou Kai’s Divine Sense sank into Shen Hanyi’s Dantian. The small sword, which had once been a mere prototype shining with pure gold, had transformed. It was now a complete, cold, gleaming longsword.

But this sword no longer radiated the brilliant, righteous golden light he had seen in the Crouching Tiger Mountain range. Instead, it glowed with a bizarre, dark-gold hue!

On the blade, incomparably sharp golden sword radiance intertwined with wisps of gloomy black energy. They coiled and spiraled like two wrestling dragons, exuding an aura that was simultaneously sacred and terrifyingly evil.

[Suppress Demon Return to Ruins Sword Embryo]

The name provided by the System instantly surfaced in Zhou Kai’s mind.

Suppress Demon Return to Ruins… Is it suppressing demonic essence until all things return to silence?

He understood instantly. Even if the Heavenly Demon Vitality was converted into Sword Essence, at its root, it was still a demonic technique!

Both the brilliant golden light and the strange demonic energy were the Source Origin power of Shen Hanyi’s Sword Embryo. This newly birthed power—suspected to be demonic essence—was subtly influencing Shen Hanyi’s personality.

Usually, this influence wasn’t obvious. But during the great battle with Li Youci, Shen Hanyi must have unleashed her Sword Essence without reservation. This caused the power to fully manifest, retroactively affecting her state of mind.

No wonder!

No wonder Shen Hanyi said she “liked” Li Youci. No wonder they chatted like sisters after fighting.

Li Youci was half-Ghost Cultivator, her body heavy with Yin energy. The current Shen Hanyi, with a devil-tainted Sword Embryo, was half-Demonic Cultivator, carrying a sharp, evil edge.

Like attracts like? Or did their similar auras create a resonance?

Zhou Kai realized the truth, but his heart sank. This was not a good sign. Demonic arts were easy to cultivate but prone to twisting one’s nature. A single misstep could lead to a fall into the demonic path, doomed beyond redemption.

“Hanyi,” Zhou Kai suppressed his worry and asked in a low voice. “Can your Sword Embryo continue to transform?”

Shen Hanyi nodded slightly.

“All sword cultivators’ embryos transform as their cultivation breaks through. Just as you spell cultivators condense Vitality into a Golden Core, then nurture a Nascent Soul, which grows into Soul Formation. That is the standard path.”

“But my Sword Embryo is unique. It can absorb and fuse with specific external forces, fundamentally changing its nature, far surpassing the shackles of ordinary embryos.”

Speaking to this point, Shen Hanyi gazed at Zhou Kai. On her usually cool, aloof face, a rare and moving blush appeared. Her voice softened.

“Husband, let us not speak of this anymore. It has been a long time since we dual cultivated. I… want to.”

That shy appearance, carrying a trace of seduction she would never usually show, made Zhou Kai’s heart skip a beat.

Who cared if it was demonic essence or not? As long as Hanyi was still Hanyi, and as long as she loved him, that was enough!

As for the Sword Embryo issue, there would be ways to solve it later. Or perhaps, it didn’t need solving at all! As long as she didn’t turn into a monster that didn’t recognize her own family… a little extra ambition seemed… kind of exciting?

“Good.” Zhou Kai grinned. He scooped Shen Hanyi up in a princess carry and strode toward the quiet chamber deep in the cabin.

The spring scenery was boundless; no words were needed for the night.

The next day, just as dawn broke.

Zhou Kai walked out of the cabin, feeling refreshed and spirited.

“Hmm?”

A bone-chilling gust of wind assaulted him from the side!

Almost on instinct, white light flashed over Zhou Kai’s body. He pushed Dragon Roaming the Void to its limit, tapping his foot to dodge.

But the wind was too fast, too weird!

A ghostly hand—pale as jade but laced with black energy—reached out of the void. Its fingers hooked like claws, seizing Zhou Kai by the collar!

“What the f*ck?!” Zhou Kai was horrified. The immense force from the ghost hand was impossible to shake off!

The world spun. Zhou Kai was hoisted into the air by the hand and then, like a discarded rag, slammed viciously onto the deck!

Bang!

A dull thud. Zhou Kai was smashed until he saw stars. His skeleton felt like it was falling apart, his back burning with pain.

“Filthy insect! Get lost!”

The voice was icy, biting, and filled with gnashing teeth—but also a trace of panic and shame.

Zhou Kai looked up dizzily. He saw Li Youci standing nearby. Her pretty face was frosty, her beautiful eyes spitting fire. She glared at him viciously, her chest heaving.

The offending ghost hand slowly dissipated beside her.

“I…” Zhou Kai was utterly confused. “What did I do? Why are you going crazy first thing in the morning? Grand Miss Li, did you get the wrong person?”

Who did he offend? Did he disturb her meditation? But he had used a Soundproof Barrier!

Just then, a white figure drifted over. It was Shen Hanyi.

Seeing Zhou Kai’s wretched state, a clear apology flashed in her cool eyes. She quickly stepped forward to help him up, then turned to Li Youci. “Youci, you…”

Li Youci snorted coldly and jerked her head away. The tips of her ears were burning red, but her eyes still sliced into Zhou Kai like knives—three parts disgust, seven parts humiliation.

“Hmph! Who gave you permission to covet this Grand Miss!”

Zhou Kai grimaced as he stood up, dusting himself off. “Hanyi, what’s wrong with her? Did she take the wrong medicine?”

Shen Hanyi looked at the frost-faced Li Youci, then at her husband. Her expression became strange. After a hesitation, she spoke.

“Husband, I simply… had a talk with Youci earlier. I told her that you look upon her with favor, and that she often pays attention to your cultivation. Since that is the case, I suggested she become your Dao Companion, so we may pursue the Great Dao together.”

“Pfft—”

Zhou Kai felt like he’d been struck by lightning. He nearly sprayed a mouthful of blood!

He whipped his head around, staring at Shen Hanyi in disbelief. His eyes were wide circles, his voice cracking. “You said what?!”

Let her become my woman?!

Shen Hanyi, my good Hanyi!

Is this how you help your husband???

You call this help?! You’re trying to get me killed! Look at Li Youci’s murderous eyes—she’s going to grind my bones to dust!

Zhou Kai felt the world spinning again, dizzier than when he hit the deck.

Even if the Heavenly Demon Sword Essence had influenced Shen Hanyi, her blunt, straight-shooting personality was clearly still intact!

Gao Feiyang and Fish Baibai poked their heads out of the cabin. Seeing Zhou Kai looking like he’d seen a ghost, and Li Youci radiating solid killing intent, the two exchanged a glance and silently pulled their heads back in.