Snow fell heavier and heavier as three shadows streaked across the rooftops of Wulong City.
Yun Wu. Lu Xiao. Lin Yuan.
Time was running out.
But this time—they were not moving blindly.
Lu Xiao raised his hand.
On his chakra-interface device, a faint green dot pulsed not far from their current location.
"The tracker is still active," Lu Xiao said coldly."It's the pendant Luo Shixin gave to Xue Yunxue."
His gaze sharpened.
"She's still wearing it… and the signal is moving toward the city gate."
Yun Wu said nothing.
He had already moved.
BOOM!
Snow exploded into the air as his figure shot forward like a black phantom, tearing through the storm.
The gates of Wulong City loomed faintly amidst the blizzard.
An anti-gravity vehicle sped toward the exit.
Inside—
Eyen was carrying the unconscious Xue Yunxue.
Just as the vehicle was about to pass through the gate—
WHOOSH!
Yun Wu descended directly in front of it.
The ground cracked slightly beneath his feet, snow blasting outward. The vehicle screeched to a sudden halt.
Eyen narrowed his eyes.
His expression instantly darkened the moment he recognized the figure.
That damn wolf again.
Always appearing at the worst possible moment.
A killing intent surged in his chest—he wanted nothing more than to tear Yun Wu apart right here and now.
But before he could act—
Blue and black mist surged on both sides of the vehicle.
From within them, two figures stepped out.
Lu Xiao. Lin Yuan.
Three figures stood before him—silent, unmoving, yet exuding a pressure so suffocating it seemed to freeze the very air.
If it were only Yun Wu, Eyen might still dare to test his strength.
But the other two…
A merman with a strange, pulsating aura—and a half-vampire whose dark energy was impossible to read—
That combination was too bizarre. Too dangerous.
Eyen's eyes narrowed, sharp with suspicion.
How did they get here so fast?
His gaze flicked briefly to the back seat.
To the girl lying there.
Xue Yunxue.
His heart skipped.
A tracker?
Damn it.
He had been too rushed leaving the city—too confident to check her body.
A tiny mistake…
That had now turned into a death trap.
Silence lingered.
Then, with a slow breath, Eyen pushed open the door and stepped out.
His expression returned to cold indifference, though a storm was already raging within him.
He knew.
They knew everything.
There was no turning back now.
And yet, his lips slowly curled into a thin, almost deranged smile.
"Seems there's nothing left to talk about," he said softly."So… let's finish this."
He still had one last card.
Without hesitation, he pulled out a small vial from within his robes—Pei Yu's concoction.
The liquid shimmered faintly under the night sky, as if something unnatural slumbered within.
He drank it in one gulp.
The world trembled.
His body convulsed violently. Bones cracked. Skin split—
And in the blink of an eye, his human form vanished.
In its place—
A gigantic white crocodile.
Its scales gleamed pale like bone, its eyes burned crimson like hellfire.
RAAAARGH!!
Its massive tail lashed through the air with enough force to shatter stone.
Yun Wu watched without emotion.
He had known Eyen for a long time.
That man… should have only been at Level Fifty.
But now—
His energy surged wildly.
Eighty… eighty-five… almost ninety.
An utterly unreasonable leap.
But—
Even so, Lin Yuan and Lu Xiao were still far beyond him.
"Is that all?" Lu Xiao murmured.
Dark energy wrapped around the black spiritual sword in his hand.
In an instant—
He moved.
Too fast for the naked eye.
Lin Yuan followed.
A surge of mental force slammed into the white crocodile's consciousness like an invisible storm.
In mere seconds—
The ferocious roar turned into a scream.
The massive body was blasted backward, its scales cracking as pale blood sprayed from gaping wounds.
And then—
A single slash.
Darkness.
Silence.
The giant body collapsed with a thunderous crash, the ground trembling under its weight.
Moments later, it shrank…
Returning to human form.
Eyen lay there, gasping, his body drenched in blood.
Before he could even move—
Clang!
Chains of energy coiled around his limbs, sealing every meridian point.
Yun Wu stood over him, expression cold and devoid of mercy.
"You're coming with us," he said flatly.
The chains glowed faintly—the same ones that once subdued bandits.
Now, they restrained a traitor.
Meanwhile—
Lu Xiao had already rushed to the vehicle.
The back door was flung open.
There—
Xue Yunxue lay unconscious.
Her face was pale, her breathing weak… but steady.
Lu Xiao dropped to one knee, checking her pulse and breath.
A moment of silence.
Then—
He let out a slow breath.
"She's fine… just sedated."
The tension in his eyes eased slightly.
-------------------------
That very night, they brought Eyen before the City Lord.
The three of them barged into the residence without permission.
The old man, freshly roused from sleep, glared at them with undisguised fury.
But—
That anger froze the moment he saw who stood at the door.
Lu Xiao. Yun Wu. Lin Yuan.
The three stood like war gods, their killing intent so dense it made his spine turn cold.
Then his gaze shifted—
To the figure behind them.
Xue Yunxue.
His anger flared again.
"You dare break into the prison," Bai Zhou's voice trembled with rage,"and release a prisoner who was meant to be executed?!"
Yun Wu did not respond.
He simply stepped forward—
And threw the chained Eyen at Bai Zhou's feet.
The body hit the ground with a heavy thud.
"He will explain," Yun Wu said coldly.
Bai Zhou frowned.
But before he could speak—
Lu Xiao had already uncorked a small bottle.
A truth serum.
He forced it down Eyen's throat.
Xue Yunxue had successfully refined the serum—along with several other strange concoctions.
Lu Xiao had taken a few bottles earlier for testing.
And now—
This was the perfect moment.
Lin Yuan stepped forward.
His gaze pressed down like an invisible weight.
"Speak."
And instantly—
Like a puppet whose strings had been seized—
Eyen opened his mouth.
Word after word poured out.
Unstoppable.
He confessed everything.
That Bai Ling's killer was not Xue Yunxue—but a girl from the supposedly extinct Chameleon Clan… named Xuxu.
That they had worked together.
That everything had been a scheme to switch positions within the prison.
That the real goal—
Was Xue Yunxue.
The veins at Lu Xiao's temple throbbed violently. The dark aura around him began to surge.
Eyen let out a low laugh even as he confessed.
He had planned to turn Yunxue into an experiment.
Her blood—
Containing plant attributes, the essence of life—
Was the key.
-----------------
Their mutated humans…
could only survive for seven days at most before their flesh began to rot and collapse.
But with that blood—
They could create beings with longevity.
An army that would never die.
An invincible legion.
And behind all of it—
Was the power of darkness.
Silence swallowed the room whole.
Bai Zhou's body trembled.
The man who had always appeared gentle and refined…was nothing but a spy of the dark forces.
A monster.
Eyen slowly raised his head, madness blazing in his crimson eyes.
"This world will fall," he muttered, his voice trembling with insanity."All those savage humans… will die…"
His smile stretched wider.
"And I—will live forever with them. Those who have devoured other worlds… will soon devour this one."
A flash of cold light.
Yun Wu drew his fang blade—
And with a single swing—
Slash.
Eyen's head was severed cleanly.
It rolled across the ground, his face still frozen in that twisted grin.
His body collapsed, blood spraying wildly in all directions.
"This is the punishment for a spy," Yun Wu said coldly.
Bai Zhou's legs gave out beneath him.
He collapsed.
Never in his wildest imagination did he expect…
that the one behind his daughter's death…
was his own beloved son-in-law.
Rage surged violently within him, his teeth grinding so hard they nearly shattered.
Yet—
He forced himself to calm down.
"Where is the girl named Xuxu?" Bai Zhou asked, his voice hoarse.
Lu Xiao replied quietly,
"She's in the prison… replacing Xue Yunxue. Eyen switched them so everyone would believe Yunxue had already been executed."
Bai Zhou's breathing grew heavy.
"I… I want to see her myself."
Still dressed in his night robe, he immediately ordered his servants to escort him to the prison.
---------------------------
Pain came first—
before consciousness.
Xuxu's head throbbed violently, as if a hammer was smashing against her skull from the inside, over and over again.
Her breath hitched as her eyes slowly opened—
And what she saw…
froze her blood.
A stone ceiling.
Cold. Damp.
The faint stench of iron and blood filled the air.
She was lying on the prison floor.
"What… happened…?" her voice came out hoarse, barely audible.
Memories surfaced—
Then crashed down all at once.
Eyen.
His cunning smile. His false promises.
His betrayal.
Xuxu's face turned deathly pale.
"That damned crocodile…!" she snarled, fury exploding within her chest.
Her fists clenched so tightly her nails nearly pierced her own skin.
And then—
She realized.
She was still in Xue Yunxue's form.
Without hesitation, she activated her power.
Energy surged within her body—
She tried to revert.
But—
Nothing happened.
Silence.
Xuxu froze.
She tried again.
Harder. Deeper.
Still—
Nothing changed.
Her body remained the same.
Her face…
was still Xue Yunxue's.
Panic crept up from her chest to her throat.
"No… no… this can't be…"
Again.
And again.
And again.
Every attempt ended in failure.
Her breathing turned erratic.
What had Eyen done to her?
It must be that injection—
The one that knocked her unconscious.
He switched her with Xue Yunxue.
Her teeth clenched in fury.
Had that bastard also become obsessed with that woman?Did he want to claim her for himself?
Xuxu suddenly felt like a complete fool.
Everything—
had been part of Eyen's plan.
If she couldn't return to her original form—
Then tomorrow…
The one who would be executed—
Would be her.
Not Xue Yunxue.
Her body trembled.
For the first time—
True fear seeped into her bones.
"Eyen… Xue Yunxue… I will make you both pay…"
There was no time left.
Gritting her teeth, she pulled out a token from within her clothes.
A small skull engraved with a faint red banner.
A secret token.
The symbol of the rebel faction—
Noctar.
Her last hope.
With the remaining strength she had, Xuxu sent out a distress signal.
A dim light pulsed from the token—
Then vanished.
She stared blankly.
Hoping.
Praying in silence—
That someone would come before sunrise.
Before her head…
left her body.
Click.
A small slit on the cell door opened.
A pair of amber eyes appeared from the darkness.
Cold.
Sharp.
Emotionless.
Xuxu's body stiffened.
She looked up—
And her heart nearly stopped.
Yun Wu.
She recognized those eyes instantly.
The hope that was almost extinguished—
flared back to life.
She crawled forward, but the chains around her ankles clanged loudly, stopping her.
"Yun Wu! Help me…!" her voice broke, filled with panic and desperation.
Click.
The cell door opened fully.
Four men stood there.
The pressure they carried made the air inside the cell feel heavy.
Suffocating.
Yun Wu stood at the front.
His gaze—
was not anger.
Not hatred.
But deep disappointment.
Far more painful than anything else.
Footsteps echoed.
Lu Xiao stepped forward, his eyes cold like a starless night.
"The records were right," he said softly, each word sharp as a blade."The Chameleon Clan can perfectly imitate appearances."
He stopped right in front of Xuxu.
His gaze pierced through her.
"But there are two things you can never imitate."
"Hm…?"
"Scent."
"And eye color."
In that instant—
Xuxu's world collapsed.
Her face—still bearing Xue Yunxue's appearance—turned utterly pale.
There was nothing left to hide.
No escape left.
Yun Wu stepped forward.
He said nothing.
But from his gaze alone—
He already knew everything.
That scent.
The scent he had known for ten years.
But now…
It felt foreign.
And disgusting.
Soft footsteps sounded from behind.
Xue Yunxue stepped forward.
Alive.
Unharmed.
Her gaze was as cold as morning frost.
"This time," she said calmly,"the real killer of Bai Ling… will be executed."
"No—!"
Xuxu screamed, her voice shattering.
She crawled forward, chains clanking violently.
"Brother Yun! Help me!" tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.
"That wasn't me! This is all Eyen's trap! I didn't kill Bai Ling!"
"It's all a lie!"
She looked at Yun Wu in despair.
Clinging to the last thread of hope—
the bond they had shared for ten years.
"Brother Yun… please…"
Silence.
Yun Wu closed his eyes for a moment.
Then—
He turned away.
Without a single word.
And walked away.
His steps were calm.
Yet each step—
felt like something irrevocable was breaking apart.
"Yun Wu—!!"
Xuxu's voice echoed through the corridor.
But he did not stop.
Did not turn.
Did not hesitate.
That last hope—
was completely shattered.
Outside the cell, the City Lord stood in silence.
His gaze fixed on the girl behind the iron bars—a face identical to Xue Yunxue.
And he—
a City Lord—
had been deceived by such a crude trick.
A long breath escaped his aged lips.
"So… it wasn't her…"
There was a trace of regret in his eyes.
But also relief.
His daughter's killer—
had finally been revealed.
Even if it meant that another party's scheme…
had failed.
"Princess Hu Lian will not be pleased," he murmured softly.
But this time—
he did not care.
That very night, he returned to his study.
With his own hands, he wrote a letter.
Addressed directly—
to the Emperor.
------------------------
The next morning, snow fell gently, blanketing the world in cold silence.
Yet inside the room—
warmth still lingered.
Xue Yunxue lay in Lu Xiao's arms, her body pressed close as if unwilling to part. Her pale skin contrasted sharply against his arm wrapped firmly around her waist—holding, protecting… as if she were something he could never allow to slip away.
Their breaths moved together in a slow rhythm.
Warm.
Intimate.
The remnants of the night before still lingered in the air.
Faint reddish marks bloomed along her neck and shoulders like quiet flowers upon her skin.
Lu Xiao's fingertips traced those marks carefully—slowly—as though afraid to ruin them, yet unwilling to forget how they had come to be.
His crimson eyes rested deeply on the girl in his embrace.
The softness of her body against his chest stirred something within him again—
but he restrained himself.
There was something different now.
Not just desire.
But possession…
and emotions he had suppressed for far too long.
He lowered his head, his lips brushing lightly against her cheek—soft, almost imperceptible.
Yet enough to make his own breath grow heavier.
Memories of last night surfaced unbidden.
The way she had called his name in broken whispers…
The way her body responded honestly, unable to lie…
The way she clung to him, as if he were the only place she could hold onto…
Lu Xiao closed his eyes briefly.
Suppressing the pulse rising within him.
In his previous life—as Junhao—
he had never dared cross that boundary.
His feelings for Xue Yunxue had always been buried deep, locked behind the bond of siblinghood they had shared since childhood.
He was afraid—
afraid of destroying what they already had.
But this life…
was different.
He chose—
to stop holding back.
He no longer wanted to stand beside her as a mere brother.
He wanted to stand by her…
as the one she chose.
As her partner.
His arms tightened slightly around her, as if afraid she might disappear the moment he loosened his hold.
His thoughts drifted back several years—
To the bat cave.
The trial ground of the Lu Clan.
A place meant to prove his worth…
to be accepted into the Vampire Clan.
But instead—
it became the turning point of his life.
A trap had been set there.
By Lu Ning—
his own twin brother.
Gu poison had been planted in the cave to kill him.
The poison nearly took his life.
Yet he endured—
sealing it within his body for two long years.
And in the process…
something awakened that should never have existed—
memories from his previous life.
As Junhao.
For a long time, he lived in confusion.
Was he Lu Xiao?
Or Junhao?
Two identities colliding within him.
But now—
he no longer cared.
Whoever he was—
as long as Xue Yunxue remained by his side…
that was enough.
His gaze fell once more upon her face.
But slowly—
a shadow passed through his eyes.
One secret.
One truth—
he had yet to reveal.
What would happen…
if Xue Yunxue learned everything?
Would she be angry?
Disappointed?
Lu Xiao's breath stilled for a moment.
He knew—
he was not the only one who had reincarnated.
There was still Mo Chen.
One of the children from the orphanage they grew up in.
Someone who had also loved Xue Yunxue—
in the same way he did.
And now…
Mo Chen had been reborn into this world as well.
As—
Lin Yuan.
Lu Xiao closed his eyes briefly.
He knew.
He knew all too well—
how close Xue Yunxue had once been to Mo Chen.
How that closeness had always ignited a sharp, uncontrollable jealousy within him.
How deeply she had once cared for that person.
And now—
fate had brought them together again.
The same people.
In a different world.
But Xue Yunxue…
knew nothing.
About Lin Yuan.
Lu Xiao buried his face into the crook of her neck, inhaling her scent deeply—
as if trying to anchor himself in something real.
But then—
knock. knock.
The sound at the door shattered the moment.
His crimson eyes opened halfway—
irritation flickering within them.