Heavens' Laughter

Watching this play out in front of him, Feng Shen chuckled:

"Did you really think you could just end it all? You silly bitch! Survival is hard-wired into every living being, a primal instinct that drives you to cling to life!"

Shaking his head in disappointment and clicking his tongue twice, Feng Shen continued: "Come on, you know this! Your mind and body will fight tooth and nail to keep you alive."

Cai Xiu didn't know what to say. No matter how much self-loathing filled her, she simply couldn't go through with self-destruction, as though her body refused to obey her will.

'I… want… to… live…?' She thought to herself.

Cai Xiu couldn't deny it. In the back of her mind, she didn't truly want to die.

Despite the overwhelming disgust she felt toward herself, a faint whisper of survival was there, quietly urging her to keep on living.

Seeing her expression keep changing, Feng Shen sighed:

"Think of the bright side! You'll be able to cultivate in peace. No one will dare lay a finger on you. You'll grow stronger, wealthier, and gain so many benefits from serving me! Of course, the trade-off is exactly what I mentioned earlier."

Feng Shen, of course, wouldn't mention that he planned to kill her once she outlived her usefulness.

He knew that revealing such a truth would break her mentally, hindering her ability to cultivate and stripping away her value.

After all, Feng Shen wanted a strong, reliable working horse—not a broken one.

Having heard those words, Cai Xiu's eyes widened as she found the offer strangely appealing. She knew now that her fiancé was no longer the man she once knew, but someone else entirely.

He would surely grow into a dragon—no, beyond a dragon!

Although Cai Xiu had countless questions swirling in her mind, there was one thing she needed to know before she could truly accept this role…

Despite how much it went against her entire personality.

"Who are you...?" Cai Xiu asked, abandoning her earlier concern about who had outed her. This question was far more important now.

"Me? I was somebody important. VERY important!" Feng Shen replied with a large amount of sense of pride, his ego practically showing. "Now, don't you forget what I'm about to tell you, because I'll only say it once!"

He crouched down to her eye level and pointed to himself:

"I went by the name: Laughing Demon." Feng Shen's narcissism was palpable. "You know, I was the first ever being to bring the Nine Heavens into despair!"

He truly believed himself to be, above all, the most important existence in the entirety of the cultivation world, considering even his mere breaths more valuable than the lives of millions.

"Who?" Cai Xiu was drawing a blank. She had never heard that name before in her life, despite having been taught the history of the entire cultivation world by a private tutor.

"Huh...?" Feng Shen's mouth hung open at her response, the word "who" piercing his ears like a dagger, making him nearly cough up blood.

This was a deep blow to him!

"Um, how about the name: Zǔ Zhòu?" Feng Shen asked, genuinely curious about why this girl didn't know his past identity.

He also felt kinda hurt…

Everyone had known him and feared him, even the mortals!

"This cultivation world is heartless! Heartless I say! How could they forget me!?" Feng Shen was on the verge of tears. He stood up and turned away, feeling utterly betrayed.

Seeing this, Cai Xiu began to panic a little. She stood up and tried to comfort him, saying:

"I might just be ignorant! I never really paid attention when my private tutor taught me! It's fine; everyone must still remember your past identity!"

Sniffling, Feng Shen replied, "Really? Nobody forgot about me? Do you promise?"

Nodding her head vigorously, Cai Xiu said, "Yeah! Of course! Who could forget about the being who brought the Nine Heavens into despair?"

"Hmm… You're right! How could the cultivation world forget about me? Everyone hated me!" Feng Shen turned back around, laughing as he patted her shoulders.

To be honest, he would hate it if the cultivation world forgot about the pain he had inflicted on them. All his actions would mean nothing, and that thought truly upset him.

Although Feng Shen found it hilarious how panicked this girl became due to his sudden personality switch, it was something he did all the time—often without even realizing it.

After all, he wasn't very sane….

Feeling his touch on her shoulders, Cai Xiu didn't like it; it sent shivers down her spine. However, she forced herself not to pull away.

Despite not knowing how powerful he was in his past life or who he truly was, Cai Xiu knew, no matter what, she had to embrace him as her "master".

Was he just some random dude, or perhaps a Heavenly King, a Sword God, or something even greater?

Cai Xiu didn't know, but one thing was clear: he had to be powerful, especially if he had managed to transmigrate.

Suddenly, a crack resounded through the air.

Both Cai Xiu and Feng Shen instinctively looked toward the source of the sound, which came from mid-air ahead of the boat.

Then another crack sounded, followed by another, repeating in quick succession.

Clicking his tongue in annoyance, Feng Shen went back to sitting down. "It seems our alone time will come to an end."

"Wh-what are you talking about? What's happening?" Cai Xiu couldn't help but ask, her confusion growing.

Sighing, Feng Shen rubbed his forehead. "We're inside a hidden array. Why else do you think your bodyguard didn't notice you being eaten?"

Everything clicked for Cai Xiu. Looking around, she still didn't even notice the hidden array, but it all made sense now.

'No wonder Shadow didn't react.'

Her bodyguard should have come to her rescue; she could have easily heard the commotion, and she should have been watching like a hawk from where she was standing.

Yet, it seemed the reason for Shadow's inaction was because of this hidden array.