34: What you owe me is far more than just these five hundred years!

Outside the Monster Beast Mountain Range, on a high hill.

The Netherworld Spirit Steed panted heavily, constantly stamping its front hooves on the vegetation beneath its feet.

At the edge of the hillside stood a stunningly beautiful figure, gazing coldly at the distant Monster Beast Mountain Range where a mushroom cloud was rising.

Shen Chuyun had witnessed the entire process that took place within the Monster Beast Mountain Range.

Her delicate hand gripped the green collar at her chest, and her cold, jade-like face revealed a hint of faint sorrow.

"Whoa~"

The Netherworld Spirit Steed suddenly let out a whinny, which caused Shen Chuyun's delicate body to tremble slightly.

She knew clearly that the person she had been waiting for had finally returned safe and sound.

Shen Lian paced over to the Netherworld Spirit Steed and gently patted its head.

"The effects of the Ten-Fragrance Soft Muscle Powder will wear off in another half hour. You can go back and tell that Old Bastard exactly what happened in the Monster Beast Mountain Range; I expect she won't make things difficult for you."

Hearing the familiar voice behind her, Shen Chuyun bit her lower lip with her pearly teeth, struggling to suppress the emotions about to erupt within her.

Shen Lian continued, "Chi Chao, Lin Zhi, and Huyan Lie were all killed by me, and the Heavenly Feather Sect elites you brought were also wiped out by me. The other two Peak Revered Masters were also executed by me six days ago. Now, the Heavenly Feather Sect and I are in a situation of irreconcilable enmity. So, you don't need to rush to thank me. If you want to kill me, feel free to come find me, provided you have sufficient strength. Today, consider it repayment for the care you've given me over these past five hundred years. When we meet again in the future, don't hold back against me, because I won't hold back against any of you either."

After finishing, Shen Lian grabbed the reins and prepared to jump onto the netherworld chariot.

"Repayment?"

A tear fell from the corner of Shen Chuyun's eye as she slowly turned to look at Shen Lian.

"With this single word 'repayment,' you want to write off the bond between us? Shen Lian, what exactly do you take me for!"

Shen Lian closed his eyes and said nothing, slowly leaning against the edge of the chariot curtain.

Shen Chuyun took a step closer. "I have waited countless times for a miracle to happen, even when the miracle was so ethereal that I doubted it myself, but I still held fast to my original intention. Yet, when this miracle truly happened, I actually heard such heartless words spoken from your mouth!"

Shen Lian opened his eyes slightly. "Then just tell me what you want me to do. Whether I can do it or not, I, Shen Lian, will satisfy you."

Hearing this, Shen Chuyun's emotions suddenly grew agitated. "You know what I want, but you have never once given it to me!"

Shen Lian frowned slightly but did not answer.

"Do you know, Shen Lian, why I insisted on guarding a detestable Soul for five hundred years without giving up? It was just to wait for the day you returned!"

"What does that mean!"

"Stop pretending. I know the current you is the real you. That lowly Soul has long ceased to exist. No one's personality could change so drastically in such a short time. Only you would not shrink back half a step when facing such a scene, only you would face the difficulty head-on and create a staggering miracle."

"Who exactly are you?"

Shen Lian's expression changed, which was rare. Shen Chuyun actually knew his true identity?

Shen Chuyun gave a bitter laugh. "It seems you really have forgotten me completely. Well, it makes sense. As the dignified Human Emperor Shen Lian, an existence that makes the Nine Provinces and Myriad Worlds tremble in fear, even forcing the Heavenly Dao to bow its head, how could you remember the mortal empress you abandoned?"

Shen Lian furrowed his brows. "Who exactly are you?"

"Still haven't remembered? I am the Empress of Xiyue Kingdom, the one you heartlessly abandoned on our wedding day tens of thousands of years ago, your lawfully wedded wife, Su Luoyan."

Hearing Shen Chuyun's reply, Shen Lian's heart tightened, and a look of pain appeared on his face.

"Shen Lian, I will never forget the scene where you heartlessly abandoned me. Do you know how much my heart hurt back then?"

"I once swore that if you fell into my hands, I would definitely tear you into ten thousand pieces to vent the hatred in my heart. Really, I truly thought that way."

Shen Chuyun's emotions grew even more agitated, and the tears in her eyes had never stopped.

"But when I finally found the Physical Body you condensed, I couldn't muster a single thought of killing you, even though I knew the Soul in this body wasn't yours!"

"Do you know how I spent these five hundred years in torment? How painful it is to face a familiar face every day, yet without the original Soul?"

"Why, why do you have to make me heartbroken again and again?"

"Shen Lian, answer me! Do you even have a heart?"

Shen Lian slowly closed his eyes and snorted, "I think you have probably misunderstood one thing! The Shen Lian you liked back then and the real me are simply not the same person. My encounter with you when I was seriously injured and had lost my memory was a mistake from the start. Now, what is the point of bringing up old matters again!"

"No point?"

Shen Chuyun held the chariot frame with one hand, leaped onto the chariot with force, sat opposite Shen Lian, and stared straight at him.

"You think that by saying it's a thing of the past and meaningless, you can cast everything aside? Shen Lian, I'm telling you, I searched for you for tens of thousands of years, not to hear you say these heartless words. You were the one who failed me first; you owe me an explanation."

Shen Lian opened his eyes. "Speak then, what do you want? Even if you want to be the Dominator of the Nine Provinces and Myriad Worlds, I, Shen Lian, will personally help you sit on that throne."

"Do you think I am some vulgar person like Lu Qinghuan or Liu Yixue who only cares about profit? No, I am greedier than them. I want your heart. Will you give it or not!"

In Shen Chuyun's firm gaze, there was a sense of determination and fearlessness, which made Shen Lian, who could make the heavens and earth yield, feel a rare hint of guilt.

But very quickly, he resolutely replied, "Change it to something else. Other than that, I will agree to anything!"

"Other than that, I don't want anything!"

"Shen Lian, do you still remember those seven years when you had lost your memory? Dare you say you never loved me? Look into my eyes and answer me!"

What answered Shen Lian was an even firmer response.

"Enough!"

Shen Lian gradually lost his patience.

"I don't have time to play these boring games with you. I acknowledge what I owe you. If you feel my sincerity is insufficient, come back to discuss it when you've thought it through."

"Haha..."

Unexpectedly, hearing these words from Shen Lian, Shen Chuyun couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"The way you're getting angry out of shame, is it because you feel guilty toward me? You definitely remember everything from back then, right?"

"Ridiculous! Since you know my identity, you should know what kind of person I am. Someone who pursues the Dao, how could they be swayed by such a small matter of love? Get off the chariot immediately; I have already lost my patience with you!"

"If you weren't anxious, why would you be so nervous!"

"Shen Chuyun!"

A deep shout, and the surrounding air instantly froze.

"What exactly do you want to do!"

Shen Chuyun's emotions became instantly agitated, and she grabbed Shen Lian's clothes. "I want your heart, I want you to marry me, I want to be your wife, I want you to give me a child, I want you to be with me for a lifetime. This is what you owe me, and you must return it to me!"

"Truly utterly boring. Get off the chariot!"

Shen Lian swept his Folding Fan, instantly sweeping Shen Chuyun out of the carriage.

"The arrogant Shen Lian, how could he be swayed by these ridiculous things? Shen Chuyun, I don't want to see you again. The Revered Master-disciple bond between us, as well as the ill-fated connection from our past lives, ends here. Whatever you want me to compensate you for, please think carefully before coming to tell me. Otherwise, next time we meet, whether it's life or death, let fate decide! No one can control my fate!"

After speaking, he spurred the netherworld chariot and quickly left the scene.

Shen Chuyun watched the departing chariot, a faint smile appearing at the corner of her mouth.

"Do you really think I don't know that when you left me back then, it was to protect me, even if it meant bearing the infamy of being a heartless man."

"This time, you are also doing this to keep me from getting involved in the dispute between you and the Heavenly Feather Sect and those seven white-eyed wolves."

"You always protect the safety of those important to you in this way, facing all difficulties alone."

"But I am also your wife. From the moment I decided to marry you, I was prepared to face all the wind and rain with you."

"Shen Lian, we missed each other in our past life. This time, after finally waiting for your return, no matter what you say, I will never let go again."

Shen Chuyun swore silently in her heart.

Reborn for a thousand years, there was nothing that made her feel more joyful than Shen Lian returning to her side.

On the other side, Shen Lian, sitting in the chariot, also fell into deep thought.

Su Luoyan, who is now Shen Chuyun, was a confidante he met during the few years he lost his memory after battling a Peak-level six expert in his seventy-seventh lifetime.

This was also the only time in Shen Lian's ninety-nine lifetimes that he had felt true love, a woman with whom he almost wanted to lay everything down and spend the rest of his life.

From the time they met to falling in love, the short seven years were the warmest moments in Shen Lian's life of slaughter.

Unfortunately, just as they were about to enter the wedding hall, Shen Lian's memories suddenly returned.

His memories returned, but those seven years of time were also firmly imprinted in his mind.

Shen Lian did not despise his experiences when he had lost his memory, but he could not give Su Luoyan any promises, so in the end, he could only choose to leave her in the most cruel way.

Before leaving, he privately left behind a copy of the True Scripture of the Five Emperors as compensation...

After his gentle nature faded, what remained in the world was still that arrogant face that even the heavens dared not look directly at.

Because of his arrogant personality and decisive methods, he had offended too many forces in the already cruel world of cultivation.

The more important reason was that the path Shen Lian walked was destined to be rejected by the Heavenly Dao.

To avoid innocent people being dragged into the vortex because of him and ending up with miserable fates, being a lone wolf was the best choice.

Because, even now, he was not prepared to take on the responsibility of protecting a family.

The difference between protecting someone to ensure they are unharmed for a lifetime and guarding someone to ensure they are safe for a lifetime is huge.

The former is just a consideration of interests; the latter... carries the weight of responsibility.

The reason he dared to make an enemy of the Heavenly Dao and dared to fight against fate regardless of anything else was entirely because he had no attachments.

Only with his heart sealed like cement could he ensure that even the Heavenly Dao could not find a single flaw or weakness, until it yielded every time to Shen Lian's near-mad, world-shaking Dao might.

Now, everything was explained.

Why the way Shen Chuyun looked at him in his memories was always a bit off, why she could accurately know all his preferences, and why she had given him the name Shen Lian.

Because Su Luoyan, she had also been reborn, reborn as his Revered Master, Shen Chuyun.

Even after being reborn, she still had not forgotten him, this heartless man.

Toward Shen Chuyun, Shen Lian only felt indebtedness.

But he would not give up his Dao because of this indebtedness.

No one could stop Shen Lian from stepping onto the path to the Peak.

"Why think so much? Since the matter here is finished, it's time to return to the Longevity Chamber of Commerce and start the next step targeting Su Yuheng."

Problems that couldn't be solved were simply cast to the back of his mind.

Shen Lian quickly regained his usual demeanor and drove the chariot toward Wushuang City.