After all of Ye Fengxing's fighter jets were defeated, Yan Jue and Tang Xiaomin stood panting on the ruins.
Watching them stand shoulder to shoulder, images in Ye Fengxing's mind overlapped.
In the Underworld, they had joined forces just like this to defeat him.
"Heh... Tang Xiaomin, you still came."
Whether in the past or now, Ye Fengxing, who was all alone, craved someone like Tang Xiaomin by his side, someone who would never abandon him.
Unfortunately, at no time did he have that.
"No matter what, this time I am finally not alone. Because you will be with me."
That "you" referred to Tang Xiaomin.
No matter what, Tang Xiaomin would not be able to withstand this lightning tribulation.
Her combat skills were formidable, but in the face of the lightning tribulation's might, all techniques were futile.
Tang Xiaomin ignored Ye Fengxing and instead looked at Yan Jue beside her with a chiding gaze.
"Was it fun?"
Yan Jue froze for a moment.
*Slap!*
An ear-slapping blow landed squarely on Yan Jue's face, catching him by surprise.
Feeling the tingling on his face, Yan Jue felt not anger, but rather happiness and emotion.
Her concern for him was all in this one slap, struck so heavily, so genuinely.
He couldn't speak a word and held Tang Xiaomin tightly in his arms.
Her warmth, her scent, warmed him, making him forget everything.
"Why didn't you tell me about something so big?"
"You actually dismissed me and kicked my entire family out, you're too much!"
"Next time you do this, I won't come looking for you like this again, absolutely not!"
She spoke the harshest words she could think of, yet her body couldn't help but tremble and sob.
She was crying.
Never had she felt so afraid, and yet so happy.
The breakup was fake, everything was fake.
In the sky, crisscrossing lightning flashed, illuminating the heavens and earth.
A dull roar, accompanied by an indescribable oppressive force, descended.
Yan Jue looked up at the long-brewing vortex of dark clouds, his sense of crisis escalating to a terrifying degree.
He knew it was coming soon.
"I'm sorry, even if you ignore me, I still have to do it," he said softly, reluctant.
Hearing this, Tang Xiaomin looked up at him in shock.
"What do you want to do?"
"We rebelled together, all of this was done by both of us. I'm not afraid, let me face it with you, we can get through this."
"This time, I won't allow you to push me away again."
Even at this moment, she could still come to his side wholeheartedly and say these unwavering words.
With such a woman, Yan Jue was content.
"Did you hear me, I won't allow you to push me away again! I command you!" Tang Xiaomin, who had just gone through a battle, was also very emotional.
Yan Jue embraced Tang Xiaomin tightly once more.
"As you command, my queen."
Tang Xiaomin buried her head in his chest, doing nothing but quietly waiting for the lightning strike.
Yan Jue's heart was filled with reluctance. He wished he could embrace Tang Xiaomin tightly like this and turn to ashes together.
But his feelings for Tang Xiaomin were too deep; he could not bear to drag her down and let her suffer even the slightest harm.
While Tang Xiaomin was not paying attention, he delivered a sharp chop to the back of her neck.
"You..."
Tang Xiaomin reacted to his sneak attack, unable to finish her sentence. Her vision went black, and she fainted on the spot, beyond her control.
Yan Jue gazed deeply at Tang Xiaomin, who had collapsed into his arms, tears still glistening at the corners of her eyes.
How unwilling he was.
"This time, I cannot protect you. I cannot let you stay here and be in danger."
"If I cannot endure it, I will become the scattered sparks of this mortal world, to accompany you."
He imprinted a kiss of reluctance on her lips. This kiss, for him, was too beautiful, too happy, too unforgettable, and too regrettable.
The regret was that she had already accepted his proposal, but he had not yet married her.
Outside, a fierce wind raged, yet the ruins were remarkably calm.
Yan Jue picked up the unconscious Tang Xiaomin and, step by step, slowly walked towards Ye Fengxing.
His unfocused eyes, once filled with aloofness, now held a deep, dark melancholy.
At this moment, he was the saddest man in the world.
"I'm leaving her to you, take her away quickly."
Yan Jue said to Ye Fengxing.
At this moment, bright red blood was flowing from Ye Fengxing's chest, dripping down his steel battle suit.
He was also severely wounded, and his condition was not optimistic.
Yan Jue's decision surprised Ye Fengxing, who couldn't help but admire him.
"Why are you asking me to take her away? Didn't you want to use the lightning tribulation to destroy me?"
"If I leave, your meticulous plan will fall apart."
"You've schemed for so long, are you really willing to give up like this, just watching?"
"If you cannot endure it, I will reclaim everything I lost, and Tang Xiaomin."
Ye Fengxing laid out all the consequences to Yan Jue clearly.
It was precisely because Yan Jue's decision left him feeling profoundly defeated.
Suddenly, a trace of determination appeared in Yan Jue's eyes.
"I know."
"You know, and you still want me to take her away?" Ye Fengxing asked him again.
At this moment, he inexplicably hoped that Yan Jue would change his mind.
Yan Jue just smiled bitterly, his gaze never leaving Tang Xiaomin.
The more he could look at her, the more he looked.
He wanted to engrave her image into his bones, into his soul.
Even if he were to turn to dust, he wanted to fall upon her.
"Is there anyone you want to protect with all your might?"
Ye Fengxing was stunned by the question.
"Minmin is the person I want to protect with all my might. I've always been terrified that she would come to me like this, heedless of everything."
"I deliberately angered her, stopped contacting her, broke up with her. I've been blaming myself, my heart aching, every moment."
"She came today, completely beyond my expectations."
"I desperately want to be with her, but I cannot bear to watch her be destroyed by the lightning tribulation."
"Ye Fengxing, take Minmin away, and I'll let you go."
Letting Ye Fengxing go was not simply a matter of sparing his life.
It also meant that Yan Jue would abandon everything he had taken from Ye Fengxing, the entire Underworld.
Just because of Tang Xiaomin's sudden appearance, he would abandon his long-planned scheme and everything he possessed.
He made this decision without the slightest hesitation.
It was solely for Tang Xiaomin, and for no other reason.
This love was undeniably profound.
While Ye Fengxing was still hesitating, a muffled thunderclap echoed from above the ruins, and Yan Jue's sense of crisis was reaching its limit.
"There's no time, take her away quickly."
He no longer hesitated and handed Tang Xiaomin into Ye Fengxing's arms.
This simple action, however, felt like his heart was being torn apart, an ineffable pain.
"I'll give you one piece of advice. In the days to come, you had better treat her well. Otherwise, even if you return to the Underworld, you won't be able to get away with it."