Ethereal World: Vicious Cannon Fodder's Immortality Road

"Shen Xian, can you let Yueyue return to the Human Realm? Without your permission, who else has the right to leave the Demon Realm?" Tai Hua Lei furrowed his brows, unable to hold back his interference.

"Yueyue? You’re calling her so intimately now? What’s your relationship with her?" Shen Xian’s winter-grey eyes, hidden behind his mask, darkened into a deep red. "Didn’t I accompany you for an entire year during your trial in the Abyssal Throne Ruins?"

"We’re just friends. She’s saved my life many times," Tai Hua Lei replied, rubbing his temples, already feeling exhausted. Shen Xian was jealous again.

"How many times has she saved you? I’ll repay her in full." Shen Xian’s voice turned colder. "From now on, I want you to cut ties with her."

"Y-You!! You’re being unreasonable! I am not your pet!"

"You’re not my pet, you’re my man." Shen Xian stated firmly. "And I won’t allow my man to like another woman."

"I said we’re just friends!" Tai Hua Lei furiously retorted.

"Friends or not, you know the truth in your heart, A’Lei." Shen Xian sneered, leaning lazily on the throne.

The royal demon guards stiffened, sweat trickling down their backs. They bowed deeply, not daring to move for fear of provoking their emperor’s wrath.

"This woman isn’t even worth your admiration. She’s weak, hypocritical, and surrounded by men. She’s like a goblin, seducing both men and women." Shen Xian cast a disdainful glance at Shenlian Yingyue.

Shenlian Yingyue closed her eyes, suppressing the anger bubbling inside her. She clenched her fists, resisting the urge to slap him.

Bear with it. Bear with it, she told herself. Once she left the Demon Realm, it wouldn’t be too late to slap him, when she was strong enough.

"Fool! Who are you calling a goblin?" Bing Xue’s anger flared, stepping forward to defend her.

"You already know how your so-called perfect woman behaves around men and women," Shen Xian sneered. "She flirts with everyone, even her own contracted beasts. She’s selfish. She can’t stand them being with others, yet she keeps countless people in her heart."

"She didn’t flirt!" Before anyone could react, Bing Xue lunged forward.

Shen Xian smirked and snapped his fingers. In an instant, everyone in the room froze, unable to move.

"With your weak strength, you think you can fight me?" His tone dripped with mockery. "You’re not even qualified to vent your anger on her behalf."

Inside the Ethereal Small World, her companions struggled to break free, their frustration mounting.

This villain is too strong!

Bu Si Shu, standing at the sidelines, narrowed his eyes. Though he had remained a bystander, it was clear he disapproved of Shen Xian’s actions. Still, he remained silent, curious to see what Yingyue would do next.

Shenlian Yingyue, though immobilized, lifted her chin and met Shen Xian’s gaze fearlessly.

"If they aren’t qualified to defend me, then who are you?" Her voice was steady. "What gives you the right to judge them when you, yourself, are powerless to make someone love you? Now that I think about it, you’re not even as good as my partners’ fingernails."

Shen Xian’s face twisted in rage. In the blink of an eye, he appeared beside her and clutched her neck.

"Say that again!!!" His grip tightened.

"Don’t hurt her!" Two voices shouted at once, Bing Xue and Tai Hua Lei. They struggled, their eyes burning with fury.

Shenlian Yingyue shook her head at them, silently signaling that she could handle this on her own.

"What now?" she challenged. "Do you plan to torture me? Or maybe you’ll send my partners away to another realm again, just to make me regret speaking my mind? Other than using brute force to suppress people and playing them like puppets, what else can you do?"

Shen Xian towered over her, his long, dark red and winter-grey hair cascading over her face. His winter-grey eyes gleamed with cruelty and killing intent.

"You talk so much. Maybe I should rip that sharp tongue of yours out." His slender, yet powerful fingers tightened around her throat.

The guards fell to their knees, trembling. They had never seen their emperor this furious before.

Shenlian Yingyue’s lips curled slightly. Despite the suffocating pressure, she remained unshaken.

"You keep boasting about your power and heartlessness, but you refuse to face the truth when it comes from my mouth." Her gaze was unwavering. "How can you call yourself powerful when your mindset is this childish? How old are you, exactly?"

Shen Xian’s fury surged. Every word she spoke was like a dagger to his pride. Yet, he couldn’t refute her.

Everyone watching held their breath, their hearts pounding.

Shenlian Yingyue continued, her tone unwavering.

"I’ve never denied that I am weak, selfish, and hypocritical. I accept my flaws, and I’m willing to grow for the sake of myself and my loved ones." Her voice softened slightly but carried undeniable strength. "But you? You refuse to admit your own powerlessness. You think that everything can be solved with strength, but you forget, emotions cannot be controlled by force."

She lifted her head, staring deep into his eyes as if she could see through his soul.

The room was suffocatingly silent.

Shen Xian’s rage burned hotter, but deep down, something cracked within him. The truth was unbearable.

Tai Hua Lei clenched his fists, breaking the silence.

"You’re the Demon Emperor. You can have any man or woman you desire. Countless people admire you! Why does it have to be me?" His voice was filled with frustration.

"No one in this world can replace you." Shen Xian’s voice was colder than ice. A bitter, sarcastic smile twisted his lips. "Those men and women? They aren’t even worth a single strand of your hair."

"But you can’t take away my freedom! I have my own life!" Tai Hua Lei protested.

Shen Xian’s eyes darkened. "From the moment I brought you to the Demon Realm, your life has belonged to me."

Tai Hua Lei opened his mouth to argue, but then—

A voice echoed in his mind.

{A’Lei, don’t forget your identity and origin. You and her are destined never to be friends. Even if she accepts you, do you think the world will allow a human to befriend a demon? Do you want her to be labeled a traitor by the human race?}

Shen Xian’s words struck like a knife to the heart.

Tai Hua Lei’s face turned pale.