With the help of the inner demon who created a gap in the senses of the outer god, a small fragment of Han Ling's soul — one that contained a portion of his consciousness — managed to escape.
He was like mist in the wind. Fragile. It seemed like a simple breeze could destroy his form and make him dissipate.
But thanks to this, he escaped the perception of the outer god, finally managing to flee the prison that was his own body.
The appearance of the "end of the world" became even more distorted with the awakening of the outer god.
Nothing made sense. It was impossible to discern any direction, as even time and space had been warped.
If Han Ling wasn't careful, he could get trapped in a time loop — or worse, end up in a parallel dimension.
After wandering aimlessly through that chaotic place, Han Ling let his guard down for a moment and ended up falling into another dimension.
In this dimension, there were flowers. But not ordinary flowers.
A twisted and dreamlike sea of pulsating petals covered the ground like living flesh, exuding overly sweet, almost poisonous fragrances. The colors pulsed in the wrong way, with shades that didn't exist in the natural world. In the center of that unnatural sea, Yu Yui, dressed in white, sat with her knees together and hands clasped on her lap, like an abandoned sacred doll.
The soul fragment silently approached, almost fading in the process.
Yu Yui seemed to sense something and immediately looked in his direction.
"Han Ling?" Her voice came out hesitant, yet hopeful.
It seemed Han Ling's strength had been completely drained, his soul beginning to slowly dissipate.
Han Ling didn't even have the strength to say anything to Yu Yui.
Guided by a supernatural instinct that this was truly her master, Yu Yui took a treasure from her storage ring.
It was a Celestial Soul Pearl. An ancient divine artifact, lost countless ages ago, but found by Yu Yui during one of her wanderings.
It was called divine due to its absurd nature — capable of protecting, healing, or even restoring soul fragments in extreme situations.
Yu Yui held the pearl with both hands, her red eyes fixed on the faded mist floating before her. Her heart was in complete chaos — not just from the constant fear she felt from the false Han Ling, but also from the cruel and painful hope that the real one was there somehow.
"…I knew it wasn't you." She whispered, staring at the fragment. "The way he looked at me… the way he spoke… too gentle. Too soft. You're not like that. You never were."
The pearl began to glow with an ethereal light, slowly absorbing the fragment's essence.
"You're cruel. Cold. Bossy. And…" her voice faltered slightly, "…that's exactly why I love you, Han Ling. I know you better than anyone."
Tears welled up in her eyes, but she didn't cry. Instead, her fingers trembled as she pressed the pearl to her chest.
"If you're still trying to save me, even after everything… then I'll protect you too. Even if I have to die for it."
The pearl merged with her skin, disappearing into her body, completely concealing any trace of Han Ling's existence — as if he had never been there.
But that didn't go unnoticed by the outer god. He didn't feel the soul fragment, but he did notice Yu Yui's strange behavior.
He slowly opened his eyes — Han Ling's eyes now tinged with a bottomless abyss.
"…Tsk. Stubborn insects, still squirming after being crushed," he murmured with Han Ling's voice, but filled with undeniable emptiness and mockery. "Do you still not understand that nothing you do can change this situation?"
He closed his eyes again, his goal being to refine the corpse to recover part of his powers.
He didn't have time to extract the soul fragment from Yu Yui's body, since he didn't want to damage the body he considered his — and besides, this might even benefit his plans to break her.
A wide smile spread across Han Ling's face at the thought — a grotesque grin stretching from ear to ear.
***
After a few hours, Yu Yui felt a vibration in her chest — Han Ling had recovered and was calling for her.
Yu Yui felt overwhelming euphoria at the prospect of finally being able to talk to Han Ling — not the fake one, but the real one.
Yu Yui's heart pounded so hard it felt like it might burst. The vibration in her chest intensified, as if the soul fragment were awakening inside her, pulsing in sync with her anxiety and hope. A warm feeling spread through her body, contrasting with the suffocating atmosphere of the "end of the world."
She stepped away from the altar of twisted flowers and hid among the monstrous petals, as if afraid the outer god might hear or sense that connection.
Closing her eyes, she placed a hand over her chest.
"Han Ling… are you there?"
There was a moment of absolute silence — an unnatural silence, as if the world itself had held its breath.
Then, the voice sounded. Weak, hoarse, but unmistakable.
"Yu Yui."
Her body trembled. Tears fell without warning. She bit her lip hard to keep from crying aloud.
"You're really here…! Han Ling…!"
"Yes… but listen carefully. I don't have much time."
The voice came straight from her soul, intimate and intense. Yu Yui clenched her fists.
"What did they do to you?! I knew… I knew that 'Han Ling' wasn't you. He was too kind. Too sweet. Almost… human."
"…I was afraid you'd believe him."
"I'm yours, Han Ling. I always have been." She smiled with pain and devotion. "I'd know who you are even if you were reborn as a monster."
"Yu Yui… I need you now. That pearl protected me, but I can't maintain this consciousness for long."
She nodded, even though he couldn't see her. "What do I have to do?"
"The demon helped me escape, just barely. But now… I need a vessel. A safe place where I can reconstruct myself. Something hidden from the outer god's gaze."
Yu Yui hesitated.
"My body… you can use my body."
"No!" Han Ling's illusory voice sounded deeper, as if denying any objection she might raise.
Yu Yui bit her lip hard, tasting the metallic flavor in her mouth, and offered another suggestion.
"Hmm... I have a treasure called the Flesh and Blood Lotus. It could regenerate your body… But how could it be used in this situation where we're under a god's watch?"
"Yu Yui… I'm getting weaker…" Han Ling's voice sounded fragile, like it could vanish at any moment. "You have the manual of the Immortal Void Space Art… master it… I'm going to sleep now…"
"Han Ling?!..."
The silence that followed was suffocating.
Yu Yui had several questions—about how mastering a technique could solve their situation—but the words got stuck in her throat when she realized Han Ling wouldn't answer.
With a wave of his hand, a black book appeared in his palm, the words "Sword Art of the Immortal Void" engraved in golden letters.
Yu Yui had obtained this technique when she took Han Ling's body with her after he passed through the heavenly tribulation.
All of his clothes had been destroyed, including his storage rings—every item inside had been lost.
The black book was the only item that survived, so Yu Yui decided to keep it. Even if the technique was useless, the material of the book had to be valuable, since it had withstood such a destructive tribulation.
Yu Yui never imagined that this technique would prove useful now. She had already tried to comprehend it once before, only to understand nothing. Still, she would try again—all because she didn't want to disappoint her master.
Surprisingly, this time she had no trouble understanding the technique. It was very smooth—even faster than Han Ling.
Within a few hours, Yu Yui had fully grasped the essence of the technique, discovering that it involved opening a portal to another dimension.
She didn't understand how that would help, so she decided to just wait for Han Ling to wake again so he could explain.
It didn't take long for the familiar vibration in her chest to return.
The vibration intensified in Yu Yui's chest, as if Han Ling's own heart were beating in sync with hers.
"Han Ling… you're awake?"
"Yes… it seems you really did understand the technique." His voice returned, more stable than before, but still faint.
"I… I don't understand how this is supposed to help us. Opening a portal to another dimension… what does that have to do with saving you?"
For a moment, there was only silence. Then Han Ling replied, his voice now clearer, though still as cold as ever.
"I don't know either."
Yu Yui's eyes widened.
"What?"
"That's what my sister said."
"Sister…?" she repeated, her voice filled with confusion—and something else—a hint of unease.
"Han Xinrou. She's the one who gave me this book and said that if I was ever on the brink of destruction, this technique could save me." Han Ling's voice grew deeper. "If she said it… then it's true."
Yu Yui felt a strange tightness in her chest—a discomfort she didn't want to admit was jealousy.
She laughed, but the sound came out dry.
"You trust her that blindly?"
"Yes." The answer came without hesitation. "Xinrou has never deceived me. Everything she does… is for me. Even when she hates me, it's still because of me. She doesn't lie to me. She hides nothing from me."
"…I see." Yu Yui pressed her lips together, looking at the ground covered in vibrant petals, trying to hide the lump in her throat. "She seems… important."
"She's more than important."
Those words pierced Yu Yui like fine needles. She knew Han Ling was direct—cruelly honest at times—and it was part of what she loved about him. But hearing that still hurt.
Before she could respond, Han Ling's voice came again, softer, almost a whisper.
"But… you've become important too." His voice was low, almost inaudible. "I feel pathetic for falling for a girl I barely know—especially when my heart already belongs to someone else."
Han Ling's words struck Yu Yui like lightning in a clear sky, hitting her in the depths of her soul. The air thinned, the vivid colors of the flowers around her seemed to fade, and the chaos of the "end of the world" went silent for a moment, focusing only on those words.
The slight discomfort from earlier turned into sharp, searing pain. "Pathetic for falling for a girl I barely know." "My heart already belongs to someone else." Each phrase was a sharpened blade, piercing the newborn hope in her chest. She had given herself, sacrificed herself—and still… she was only a "pathetic" detour in a heart already claimed.
Yu Yui pressed her lips together so tightly that she felt blood in her mouth, but the physical pain was nothing compared to the emotional one. She wanted to scream, to cry, to rip that soul fragment from within her and throw it away. But she couldn't. She was his—and even if Han Ling shattered her into a thousand pieces, she would still be his.
"…I see," she managed to murmur, her voice barely audible, trembling like a leaf in the wind. "Don't worry, Han Ling. I… I'll save you. You… you'll go back to her."
A heavy silence filled the space between them. Han Ling's soul fragment seemed to shrink inside her, as if Yu Yui's words had wounded him more deeply than the outer god ever could.
"Yu Yui…" his voice returned, even weaker, nearly fading. "It's not that simple… love… is a useless complication. It destroys people."
She laughed, a humorless, bitter laugh. "Maybe. But it's the only thing keeping me sane in this hell."
Han Ling was silent for a few moments before responding with an indifferent voice, tinged with possessiveness.
"Yu Yui, even if my heart already belongs to someone else, you were a thief who managed to sneak into it. Now you must bear the responsibility—never forget that."
Han Ling's words—possessive and cruel—echoed in Yu Yui's soul, stirring a storm of conflicting emotions. A thief. That was how he saw her—someone who had slipped into a heart already claimed. Responsibility. What kind of twisted burden was he placing on her now?
Yet beneath the pain and confusion, a familiar spark of masochistic devotion ignited. This was the Han Ling she knew—the master who had shaped her. That imperious tone, that rough claim over her existence—it was a poisonous balm for the wound still bleeding inside her. To be acknowledged, even as an intruder, was better than being a pathetic footnote.
"I…" Her voice came out choked, but firm. "I understand, Han Ling. I always knew following you would have consequences. I accept them." She swallowed hard, the metallic taste of blood still on her tongue. "If I stole a place in your heart, then I'll defend it with my life."
"We need to hurry." Han Ling's voice shifted back to its cold, commanding tone, as if none of the earlier emotion had ever existed. "You understood the technique. Now, open the portal. This may be our last hope…"
Han Ling said this because deep down, he truly didn't want Han Xinrou to come—for she would be in danger… and he wouldn't have the courage to look her in the eyes.
***
End of chapter.