This feeling came abruptly and was utterly baffling.

He gripped the egg tightly, his expression momentarily twisting into something strange.

But this was a critical moment for him to atone, so he didn’t dare show anything was amiss. He forced a smile onto his face.

Seeing this, Song Wanning’s mood brightened considerably, and her expression gradually grew gentle.

"I found this egg in the mountains. It looks like it should be quite tasty. Let’s roast and eat it together."

’Wasn’t this Divine Beast Egg desperate to become Bai Yang’s contracted beast, even at the cost of its life?’

’So if it can reside within Bai Yang’s body after death, it will surely thank me, won’t it?’

"Hehehe..."

Song Wanning couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

Bai Yang hadn’t seen his master so happy in a long time. The moment he saw her smile, all the doubts in his heart vanished.

He suppressed the strange feeling in his heart and immediately began to roast the egg.

He deftly placed the Divine Beast Egg on a spit, turning it and brushing it with seasoning.

He was practically buzzing with excitement.

Song Wanning watched him, her smile never faltering.

’Bai Yang’s betrayal had been a greater blow to her than even Gu Qingyuan’s.’

’She had truly treated Bai Yang like a son, painstakingly teaching him, doing everything she could to nurture him, and wanting to give him the best of everything.’

’Unfortunately, he had betrayed her devotion.’

’Therefore, the best punishment for Bai Yang would be to be cast aside by her own hand, right when he trusted her the most.’

At that moment, Song Wanning could almost see the look of shock and heartbreak on Bai Yang’s face in the future.

’When that time comes, grinding him to dust will surely be quite amusing, won’t it?’

The smile at the corners of her lips deepened.

After a while, the Divine Beast Egg was roasted, emitting a fragrance that far surpassed that of an ordinary demon beast egg.

"Master, this Demon Beast Egg smells incredible!"

Bai Yang said, somewhat surprised.

Song Wanning raised an eyebrow. "If you like it, then you can have some more in a bit."

"Yes, yes!"

Bai Yang nodded, his heart pounding with excitement.

’Master hadn’t said anything, but her actions spoke volumes. She had forgiven him.’

’Just like this egg. It looked different from any ordinary Demon Beast Egg, yet she had saved it to eat with him. Not even Li Rao had received such an honor...’

’He was still the one Master cherished most.’

Bai Yang happily peeled the eggshell, carefully giving half to Song Wanning and keeping the other half for himself.

Song Wanning picked up her fork with deliberate slowness and brought a piece of the egg to her lips.

’Mmm...’

’Worthy of a Divine Beast Egg, indeed.’

’The flavor is exquisite.’

Across from her, Bai Yang was also stunned for a moment, then began to wolf it down in large bites.

Perhaps trying to please Song Wanning, he showered it with praise as he ate. "This egg is delicious! It’s absolutely amazing!"

The corners of Song Wanning’s mouth curled higher and higher.

’What a little glutton.’

...

「On Xuelai Peak」

Gu Qingyuan had been ignoring Ye Chuxue, remaining in seclusion for several days. She couldn’t even catch a glimpse of him.

This vexed her, but she knew her master was only angry because he was worried she had disregarded her own safety. He was doing this because he cared.

"Sigh!" 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Ye Chuxue let out a sigh.

’Why isn’t anything going my way?’

After much thought, she decided to have a proper talk with her master.

Under the cover of night, she went to her master’s door and knocked softly.

Gu Qingyuan sat inside, his low-pressure aura tinged with a malevolent energy.

’Ye Chuxue was actually willing to risk so much for Bai Yang...’

’Then what did that make him?’

’It was supposed to be over between her and Bai Yang!’

Gu Qingyuan squeezed his eyes shut, trying to dispel the suffocating frustration in his chest.

During the suppression of the beast tide, he hadn’t managed to break through the shadow in his heart. On the contrary, the sight of that terrifying Heavenly Tribulation had cast yet another layer of darkness over it.

He knew there was a problem with his Dao Heart; the proud man he used to be was slowly slipping away.

Sometimes he truly couldn’t understand. He was clearly ahead of his peers, so how had he fallen to such a state?

Suddenly, a knock came from the door.

"Master? May I come in?"

It was Chuxue’s voice.

Gu Qingyuan’s heart skipped a beat. He still couldn’t bring himself to be harsh with her, so he opened the door with a cold expression.

Ye Chuxue stepped inside and, without a second thought, threw herself into Gu Qingyuan’s arms.

’She knew that once she started acting spoiled, her master’s anger would melt away.’

"Master, I was wrong. Please don’t be angry anymore, okay? It really hurts me when you ignore me..."

Ye Chuxue put on her usual spoiled act. Feeling her master’s body tense up, she smiled to herself.

’Master was always so restrained. He would never cross the line, which was precisely why she dared to do such things.’

She hugged her master tightly, her mind racing with thoughts.

’Last night, she’d had a dream.’

’In the dream, Song Wanning had fallen to the demonic path out of jealousy, and Bai Yang, Gu Qingyuan, and all the others had abandoned Song Wanning for her sake.’

’In the end, they ground Song Wanning to dust, and the entire Song Family was annihilated.’

’But when she woke up, she was faced with a cruel reality.’

’Ye Chuxue’s heart filled with resentment. As a transmigrator who was blessed with constant opportunities, she was supposed to be this world’s protagonist.’

’The events of the dream were the life she was meant to live. It was Song Wanning who had changed everything.’

’She never got the upper hand whenever she ran into Song Wanning.’

’A vicious side character like Song Wanning was supposed to meet a miserable end.’

Ye Chuxue concealed the ruthless glint in her eyes.

’Now, she and Song Wanning were officially at war. Whether it was people or status, she was going to seize it all, bit by bit.’

Hearing the sweet, soft words of the small person in his arms, Gu Qingyuan was momentarily dazed.

Suddenly, he recalled what Song Wanning had said to him on the Spirit Boat.

"Tsk, tsk. Our dear Lord Gu is so devoted to his disciple. What a pity no one appreciates it!"

"She was willing to venture into the mountains alone for Bai Yang. Do you think she’d do the same for you?"

"Hahaha, our Lord Gu, the True Monarch who supposedly surpassed his own masters, has somehow managed to turn his life into a complete joke... Hahaha..."

The piercing mockery seemed to echo right in his ears.

A surge of malevolent energy erupted from the depths of his heart. He suddenly seized Ye Chuxue, pinning her as he fell with her onto the nearby daybed.

The sudden move drained all the color from Ye Chuxue’s face. She scrambled to push him away.

But his large frame pinned her down easily. With one hand, he caught both of hers and held them above her head.

Gu Qingyuan’s eyes were bloodshot as he stared down at her.

Like a maddened, caged beast, he lunged for her lips.

Ye Chuxue cried out, "Master, have you gone mad?"

"Let me go!"

At that moment, she was filled with regret.

’In her dream, her master had been restrained his entire life and had never so much as laid a finger on her.’

’But now?’

’Master was terrifying!’

Ye Chuxue was so scared she started to cry.

Seeing her terrified expression, Gu Qingyuan suddenly snapped back to his senses and scrambled away from her.

He stared at her torn robes and half-exposed shoulder as if he’d been burned, then fled the room.