Chapter 150: Demon Heart

The laws here are cruel—forcing two lovers to kill each other; if the law is exposed but not promptly broken, it may grow even stronger.

When Lu Fang heard the deity's words, his heart turned cold.

Liu Yifeng and Zhao Qingzhu could only leave this place if one of them died; even though Lu Fang desperately wanted to escape this strange place, he could not bring himself to urge her.

Regardless, he respected their choice.

He could only hope the deity's words were not the truth—that perhaps another way existed to break this law and escape this hellish place.

"Qingzhu, listen to me—kill me and leave to care for our daughter."

Liu Yifeng pleaded.

Zhao Qingzhu's eyes were filled with tears; she seemed to have made up her mind, yet when she raised the Sword of Righteousness, she could not take a single step forward.

Her entire body trembled—she simply could not harm the one she loved.

Liu Yifeng smiled, his large hands overlapping hers on the hilt, nodding firmly: "Next life, I still want to meet you. Thank you…"

His voice cut off abruptly.

As Liu Yifeng's hands touched Zhao Qingzhu, she suddenly spun the Sword of Righteousness and drove it deep into her own chest.

She would rather die than harm Liu Yifeng.

Liu Yifeng lifted Zhao Qingzhu's body, drenched in blood, and roared to the heavens—his voice shattered with grief, making all who heard it weep.

Blood spilled from Zhao Qingzhu's lips; weakly, she reached up with both hands to stroke Liu Yifeng's face and smiled: "Yifeng, the luckiest thing in my life was going to Da Zhou and meeting you."

Liu Yifeng was heartbroken: "Why did you do this! Waaahhh…"

This scene unfolded too quickly—even though Lu Fang had been wary, by the time he realized Zhao Qingzhu had killed herself, it was already too late.

Whether in his past life or this one, he had always held a certain prejudice against the words "love." Perhaps love truly existed in this world, but deep down, he did not believe in it.

So witnessing this scene struck Lu Fang deeply.

Wow—so there really are people who would sacrifice their own lives to save the ones they love.

At this tragic moment, a solemn voice echoed from the horizon; his words came fast and dense, unintelligible to Lu Fang, yet he somehow understood their meaning.

The meaning was roughly: "The Place of Punishment is officially unsealed."

Liu Yifeng's massive body, over ten zhang tall, rapidly shrank to normal human size, transforming from a horned, red-eyed demon back to his true form.

Zhao Qingzhu, who should have been dead, blinked her eyes, touched the dissolving Sword of Righteousness, and murmured in disbelief: "I'm not dead? What happened? Where did the Sword of Righteousness go?"

Liu Yifeng also noticed this, and with ecstatic joy, he tightly embraced Zhao Qingzhu, repeating: "It's wonderful…"

At this moment, the surrounding space began to twist—the ancient castle and the vast grassland vanished; within a dozen breaths, the scene changed.

They had truly escaped that strange place and now stood in a desert.

But upon exiting, everyone had been scattered; Zhao Qingzhu and Liu Yifeng, still locked in each other's arms, were teleported out together.

The two clung to each other, weeping with joy, for a very long time.

On the other side, Lu Fang, teleported out of the special place, stood pale-faced, visible black mist rising from his abdomen.

When the special place vanished, a strand of black mist had slipped into his body; at the time, he was in a daze and could not resist at all.

Though he did not fully understand what had happened, he had guessed something.

The black mist that entered Lu Fang's body might have been some hidden entity within the Place of Punishment—the so-called breaking of the law was a lie; the place existed solely to let it find a new body to possess.

This place was indeed dangerous!

Impossible to guard against.

He had no choice at all.

"How interesting."

A voice echoed in Lu Fang's mind—strangely familiar. Ah, it was his own voice, only slightly tinged with cynicism and malice, so he hadn't recognized it at first.

"Who are you?"

He asked the question aloud.

The sinister voice replied: "In the past, you could call me Mo Xin. Now, I am you."

Lu Fang frowned deeply in thought. The situation had turned to its worst possible direction—he still clearly remembered how Song Ce had been possessed by some entity, a living example.

Mo Xin: "Don't worry. Because of your outstanding performance in the Place of Punishment, I chose you. Think of me as a stroke of fortune."

"Fortune?" Lu Fang scoffed.

Mo Xin: "Yes—a fortune. Feel it—don't you sense an extra heart in your body? When danger comes, use this heart, and you will become incredibly strong."

Lu Fang closed his eyes and sensed within—sure enough, a new heart pulsed in his chest and abdomen, beating rapidly, brimming with terrifying energy.

Mo Xin chuckled: "You felt it, didn't you? Try its power—I guarantee you'll be astonished. I'm not your enemy, understand? On the contrary, I can help you."

"What's the price?"

Lu Fang asked.

Mo Xin replied instantly: "No price at all."

Lu Fang smiled. "I understand. But I have no intention of ever using it. I believe nothing good in this world comes without cost. I suspect—if I don't use this heart of yours, you can't do anything, can you?"

Mo Xin sounded unconcerned: "You don't believe me? Fine. We've got plenty of time ahead."

"Wenguan Marquis?"

A familiar voice came from afar.

Lu Fang turned to see Song Ce, possessed by some entity, standing at a distance with a sly smile—he had clearly witnessed Lu Fang's muttering.

Mo Xin whispered: "Kill him and seize his fortune. His fortune must be immense. Didn't he try to kill you in the Place of Punishment? Now you have the power—this is a perfect chance."

Lu Fang had indeed planned to do so—but hearing Mo Xin's words felt like being doused in ice water; he instantly calmed.

The deity across the way grinned. "Wenguan Marquis, you seem off. Did some unknown entity from that strange place possess you? I told you—those places are dangerous."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Lu Fang replied coldly.

The deity chuckled. "Wenguan Marquis, don't pretend. I saw everything. That black mist inside you—it's likely demonic energy. Be careful. Once you return to Shangjing, someone might recognize it."

"Shangjing, the capital of Da Zhou, is full of hidden dragons and tigers. If they discover demonic energy in your body, I guarantee they'll execute you on the spot."