Chapter 11: The Fairy's Fall and the Final Prelude
The "Christmas" snow had melted, replaced by the sharp, oppressive tension of the Final Selection. But for Xu Yanluo, the real games were played in the shadows of the imperial gardens, far from the prying eyes of the judges.
[System Notification: "Ling"]
[Target: Ye Ziyun]
[Current Purity: 45/100 (Critical Decline)]
[Warning: One more 'push' and she'll be ready to betray the Sword God for a head pat.]
Yanluo leaned against a frosted willow tree, his white hair blending with the winter mist. Beside him stood Ye Ziyun. She was trembling, not from the cold, but from the proximity of the man who had spent the last three days systematically dismantling her worldview.
"You shouldn't be here," she whispered, her breath hitching as Yanluo stepped into her personal space.
"And yet, you didn't leave," Yanluo countered. He reached out, his fingers sliding beneath her chin, tilting her face up. "Tell me, Ziyun... when Lin Feng looks at you, does he see a woman? Or does he just see a sword-sheath for his 'Godly' ego?"
"He... he loves me," she stammered, though her eyes were unfocused, her gaze dropping to Yanluo's lips.
"Love is a heavy word for a man so full of himself." Yanluo leaned down, his lips brushing against her ear. "I don't want your 'honor,' Ziyun. I just want to see what's behind that ice."
He took a daring liberty, his hand sliding down to rest firmly on her waist, pulling her flush against him. Ye Ziyun let out a soft, broken gasp, her hands rising to push him away—but instead, they gripped his black silk robes.
Yanluo didn't hesitate. He claimed her lips in a deep, ruinous kiss that tasted of mint and betrayal.
[System: Ding! Purity hit: -20! Ye Ziyun's 'Heart Bond' with the Protagonist has shattered!]
When he pulled back, her eyes were dazed, her lips slightly swollen. Yanluo smirked, wiping a trace of her moisture with his thumb. "Go back to him for now. Let's see if his 'Sword Heart' can handle the scent of my aura on your skin."
The Villain's Pre-Game Warmup
Returning to his villa, Yanluo found his "Core Three" waiting. Yao Qingxue and the Fox Princess Ruyan were already in a heated debate over who would provide the "Stamina Buff" for the final match.
"The Fox is too energetic," Qingxue argued, her fur-lined robe slipping off one shoulder. "He needs the calm, deep cultivation only I can provide."
"Calm is boring!" Ruyan barked, her nine tails swishing. "He needs the fire of the Fox Clan to burn through the Sword God's defense!"
Yanluo walked between them, grabbing both by the waist and pulling them toward the massive spirit-stone bed. "Why choose? I have two hands and a very long night ahead of me."
The following hours were a blur of "Dual Recovery" and scandalous whispers. Between the Regent's mature elegance and the Fox's playful aggression, Yanluo's mana pool didn't just refill—it overflowed, his red eyes glowing with a terrifying, saturated light.
The Arena: The Final Duel
The morning sun rose over a packed stadium. Lin Feng, the Sword God, stood in the center, his eyes bloodshot. He had felt it—the subtle shift in Ziyun's aura. The way she wouldn't look him in the eye this morning.
"XU YANLUO!" Lin Feng screamed, drawing his Divine Sword. The sky split open, a phantom of a colossal blade appearing in the clouds. "Today, I end your bloodline!"
Yanluo ascended the stage, not walking, but flickering through space. He had discarded the blindfold. His white hair was wild, and his aura was no longer hidden.
[Cultivation: Dao Seeking (Peak) — Temporarily Boosted by 'Dual Harem' Buff]
"You talk too much for a man whose fiancée smells like my cologne," Yanluo said, his voice carrying to every corner of the arena.
The Sword God roared, launching the 'Judgment of the Sword God.' Ten thousand blades of light rained down, each one capable of erasing a city.
Yanluo didn't dodge. He raised a single hand, his fingers forming a claw.
[Skill: Heavens-Collapse Palm]
The air itself turned into a solid wall of black obsidian. As the swords hit the barrier, they didn't shatter—they were absorbed. Yanluo stepped through the storm of blades, his movements cinematic and slow, like a god walking through a light drizzle.
He appeared in front of Lin Feng in a flash of black lightning.
"Is this the power of a God?" Yanluo asked, his hand glowing with a dark, devouring light. "Because it feels... underwhelming."
He thrust his palm forward. The shockwave stripped the marble from the arena floor and sent a ripple through the protective arrays that made the Elders scream in terror.
Lin Feng's sword snapped.
The "God" was sent hurtling toward the edge of the abyss, his chest caved in, his pride in tatters. But as he reached the edge, a cold, ancient aura erupted from his ring.
Empress Feng Yaoyin was no longer hiding. The ghost of the Empress appeared, her massive spectral hand catching the Hero.
She looked at Yanluo, her eyes narrowed with a mix of fear and recognition.
"You... you aren't a Prince," she hissed, her voice echoing through the soul of everyone present. "You are a Monster from the Void!"
Yanluo stood in the wreckage, his black robes fluttering, a dark smirk on his face as the entire Upper Realm watched in stunned silence.
"Monster? No," Yanluo whispered, looking directly at the camera—or rather, the reader. "I'm just the guy who wrote your ending."