This Is What a Villain Is Like

Dark clouds gathered, rain poured in sheets, and the roars of thunder overlapped.

Beneath the pitch-black sky, bolts of lightning periodically tore through the darkness, bathing the cliff in brilliant light.

It was accompanied by a soft tearing sound, like a sharp blade slicing effortlessly through silk.

A spray of brilliant, scalding blood erupted, flooding Jiang Ruxian's vision. Her world became a blur of crimson.

She felt as if she had returned to that courtyard where fiery maple leaves once drifted on the wind.

Only then, she had been the one to strike, piercing the heart of the boy in white. Scalding blood had splattered her dress and hands.

She had fled in a panicked rush. In the final moment she glanced back, the boy in white had been slowly collapsing, blood pooling beneath him like an unstoppable stream.

It was a horrifying sight.

And tonight, as the rain fell in a torrential downpour, a similar scene was playing out once more.

The only difference was that this time, Jiang Lan had done it to himself.

His expression was perfectly calm, as if he felt no pain. The rusted Ancient Sword in his hand, wreathed in Sword Qi, sliced effortlessly through his robes and into the old wound on his chest.

It was the wound she had given him.

Now, that wound was widening. As the Ancient Sword pierced through, a seven-colored, hazy light shone from within. Spiritual Mechanism and Dao Rhyme surged forth, resplendent and dazzling.

But even more than the light, scalding blood gushed out, flowing unstoppably. Mixed with the driving rain, it stained the surrounding earth a deep crimson…

"No…"

Watching this, Jiang Ruxian's pupils contracted. Her beautiful eyes flew wide, her voice hoarse with desperation.

"No… Don't do this…"

Her voice trembled and she began to sob, her vision blurred by tears. Ignoring that she couldn't use any of her cultivation, she lunged forward and grabbed his hand, trying to stop him from stabbing himself any deeper.

Jiang Lan looked at Jiang Ruxian, his expression still calm, his eyes as indifferent as an abyss, as if he felt no pain whatsoever.

"All our history, all our grievances, began with this Seven-Aperture Exquisite Immortal Heart."

"This Seven-Aperture Exquisite Immortal Heart originally belonged to you. After tonight, it will be returned to its rightful owner."

"From this day forward, there will be nothing between us…"

His tone was completely flat, just as it had been moments before. With one hand, he pushed her away without haste.

Powerless to use her cultivation, Jiang Ruxian couldn't resist at all. A vast force shoved her back, and she collapsed onto the muddy, blood-soaked ground.

But even so, she struggled to her feet, mustering every ounce of strength she had to try and stop Jiang Lan.

She finally understood why Jiang Lan had secretly used the Soft Soul Immortalization Powder. He had anticipated that she would try to stop him from cutting out his heart.

'He never meant to kill me at all. He just wants to give the Immortal Heart back to me, and in doing so, sever the last connection between us and part ways for good.'

The emotions Jiang Ruxian had suppressed for so long finally burst forth like a broken dam. She couldn't bear it anymore.

"Don't…"

"I don't want you to give the heart back to me…"

"Don't do this… please…"

"Without a heart, how will you live? Lan, please stop hurting yourself."

"Treat me however you want, hate me, punish me, I'll accept it all. I'm begging you…"

She reached out, trying to stop Jiang Lan, but an invisible force held her back, preventing her from taking even a single step forward.

Before her, the crimson blood was a glaring stain on his once-spotless white robes, blooming like a sinister flower.

Her voice was choked and trembling. The blood on her face mingled with the rain and her tears, blurring her vision.

Jiang Lan remained silent. The wound torn open by the Eternal Damnation Ancient Sword widened, growing more resplendent and dazzling, a light like a fresh blood-red diamond shining out from within.

The beating Seven-Aperture Exquisite Immortal Heart, pulsing with a seven-colored, hazy light, became visible within the wound.

The Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi of the entire region converged, drawn by its rhythmic pulse.

His face grew increasingly pale, all color draining from him as the connection between the Immortal Heart and his body was severed.

In that moment, Jiang Lan could no longer feel the blood-deep connection he'd shared with the woman before him.

For him, it felt as if a shackle that had bound him for ages was finally coming undone.

The rain grew heavier, pouring down as if the heavenly river itself had burst. Below the cliff, the runoff was already forming murky streams.

A bolt of lightning tore across the night sky and exploded in the distance.

"Why… why are you doing this…?"

Jiang Ruxian seemed to be in a stupor, watching as Jiang Lan continued to carve into himself with the Eternal Damnation Ancient Sword.

Inside the bloody wound, the Seven-Aperture Exquisite Immortal Heart throbbed like a drum, pulsing with an immense life force.

But as the connection between Jiang Lan and the Immortal Heart faded…

She could no longer feel his presence, no longer hear his heartbeat, no longer sense his emotions…

She reached up and touched her own chest. In an instant, it felt hollow, as if something precious beyond measure had just been lost to her forever.

A heart-wrenching, suffocating pain spread from that spot.

"Lan…"

Jiang Ruxian's tears streamed down her face. She tilted her head back, letting the rain wash over her, soaking her dark hair and plastering it to her flawlessly beautiful face.