Chapter 1: Disdained by His Wife for Growing Old and Frail

"Old Demon Chu, your time is almost up, your life is nearly over. From now on, you and I will go our separate ways, never to meet again in life or death. Let's end this marriage here."

On a solitary mountain within the Supreme Mystic Dao Sect, a stunningly beautiful woman shouted these words with a face full of hatred.

She was dressed in pure white, exuding a gentle elegance. Her skin was as fair as freshly fallen snow, her features breathtaking, the breeze brushing past her, stirring her long, jet-black hair. Her delicate figure was refined and graceful, like a celestial maiden descended to the mortal realm.

Opposite her stood an elderly man, his hair entirely white, skin withered and mottled, gray eyes dull and lifeless—every sign indicating his life was at its end.

This old man was named Chu Feng, one of the five Nascent Soul Grand Elders of the Supreme Mystic Dao Sect.

He was also a transmigrator.

He had arrived here one month prior, inheriting everything from the old man—body, cultivation, and a lifespan teetering on the brink.

As a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, the old man's lifespan could reach a thousand years, but to Chu Feng's dismay, his predecessor had already lived to the ripe age of 999. At most, he had a single year left.

Others who transmigrated often arrived as newborns or in the prime of youth, ready to shout those grand declarations about rising from obscurity, with endless years ahead and all sorts of cheats at their disposal.

He, on the other hand, had nothing—no advantages at all.

It’s said that there’s great terror in the face of death, and Chu Feng was no exception. In his previous life, he was just an ordinary man in his thirties, who could have expected to live at least another fifty years, still strong and healthy, able to enjoy all the pleasures wealth and power could bring.

Now, unless he wanted to throw his life away, even walking had become difficult.

The beauty before him was named Lin Xiyue—his wife.

An old husband and a young wife—a common pairing in the world of cultivation.

They had been married for a hundred years.

Chu Feng discovered, to his indignation, that in all his memories, not once had they shared a night together. A truly wretched fate: to have such an otherworldly beauty at his side and never taste her.

A century ago, Lin Xiyue had just joined the sect. Her aptitude was mediocre; aside from her pretty face, she had nothing to recommend her. There were hundreds, if not a thousand, like her in the Supreme Mystic Dao Sect.

The usual fate for such people was to fade into obscurity, accomplishing nothing, eventually being cast out by the sect.

How could someone as ambitious as Lin Xiyue accept such an end?

Just as she had nowhere else to turn, she learned of Chu Feng’s existence.

So, on a dark and windy night, with no one around, she ventured alone up Chu Feng’s solitary mountain, slipped into his bed, and offered herself to him.

But Chu Feng, focused on cultivation and seeking breakthroughs, did not touch her.

Instead, the next day, he married her, making her his wife and bringing her to live on the lonely mountain.

From then on, Lin Xiyue served at his side for nearly a century. Chu Feng treated her well, providing her with all manner of resources and cultivation methods.

Within a hundred years, Lin Xiyue advanced to the late stage of the Golden Core realm, extending her lifespan to five hundred years.

A year ago, Lin Xiyue suddenly disappeared.

Now, she reappeared only to demand a separation.

Chu Feng sneered inwardly: "You want me to remove the slave mark I placed on you."

Enslavement—perhaps the only thing his predecessor did right.

It was, in fact, Lin Xiyue herself who, desperate for Chu Feng to marry her, offered up her soul for him to brand.

Once marked, her life and death were in another’s hands.

It was just as they said: one must be ruthless to survive.

Moreover, should the one who cast the slave mark die, the branded would suffer terrible damage to their soul.

Otherwise, Lin Xiyue would likely never have shown her face again.

Chu Feng continued, "Disappeared for a year and now you suddenly show up. Looks like you’ve found a new protector."

"Yes," Lin Xiyue admitted without a trace of hesitation. "I have been fortunate enough to become Immortal Sovereign Linglong’s disciple. I am here by my master’s command to end things with you and dissolve the enslavement."

Chu Feng snorted, "So it’s Junior Sister Linglong. Are you threatening me, or do you really think I’d be afraid of her?"

Lin Xiyue grew flustered.

There’s a saying: if you’re ready to risk everything, you can pull down the emperor himself.

Chu Feng’s days were numbered—if truly provoked, he feared no one.

He said, "We are still husband and wife. Must we really part on bad terms? Why not end things peacefully?"

"Husband and wife?" Chu Feng snorted again. "A hundred years of marriage, and we’ve never once consummated it. Do you think you’ve fulfilled your duties as a wife?"

Lin Xiyue’s face turned pale. "Was it not because you cared for me, that you never touched me?"

Nonsense.

Chu Feng wanted to curse aloud.

His predecessor, perhaps. But not him.

What was wrong with the old man? To spend a hundred years with a beauty at his side and never touch her? If not for the fact that he now inhabited this body and woke each morning as strong as ever, he might have doubted his own manhood.

Care for her? If she truly cared, she wouldn’t be scrambling for a new protector the moment the old one was about to fall.

And the old one had not even fallen yet.

Sensing Chu Feng’s icy gaze, Lin Xiyue quickly changed her tone. "What will it take for you to release me and remove the slave mark?"

Chu Feng laughed. "Simple. Let’s be husband and wife in truth, just once."

"You… You rogue!" Lin Xiyue was both furious and ashamed, her face flushed with anger.

Chu Feng’s voice was cold. "How dare you."

"Lin Xiyue, who gave you the courage to speak to me like this? Don’t forget, we have not parted yet. You are still my wife, and your soul mark is still in my hands."

"If you want to die, I can grant you that wish right now."

A wave of terror surged from the depths of Lin Xiyue’s heart.

She had nearly forgotten what death felt like.

She trembled. "I’m sorry, that’s not what I meant. I was only worried for your health. Doing such a thing would surely drain your life force. You might have a year left, but if you truly insist, you may not last three days!"

Chu Feng sneered, "That is none of your concern."

"Just do what a wife should. Of course, you can refuse. I can crush your slave mark right now, and from then on, our paths will never cross again."

If he forcibly destroyed the enslavement mark, Lin Xiyue might not die, but she would be utterly crippled.

The very thought made her soul quiver.

Yet, as Lin Xiyue had said, if Chu Feng truly went through with it, his life might end on the spot.

But what of it?

To die under the peony is still a romantic end.

Better to enjoy life one last time than to drag out a miserable existence.

Especially with a celestial beauty—such a death was worth it.

"Come here. Help me to the bed," Chu Feng commanded.

Lin Xiyue dared not resist. She hurried to his side, her heart a tumult of emotions. If not for the knowledge that, even at death’s door, she still could not defeat Chu Feng, she would have killed him long ago.

Now, she could only support him as they walked to the bed.