"Burn incense and make a vow."

The massive sound of bells and drums echoed above Sword Sect, causing circles of invisible sound waves to rapidly spread outwards.

Su Li and Master Hao Yuan each held a Benming Sword, with their sword tips pointing directly at the sky to manifest their determination.

"I, Haoyuan, hereby pledge a Unity Contract to the Heavenly Dao, wishing to become a Daoist couple with Su Li..."

"I, Su Li, hereby pledge a Unity Contract to the Heavenly Dao, wishing to become a Daoist couple with Haoyuan..."

As the oaths were made, the heavens immediately responded. After lightning and thunder, a purple talisman mark appeared in mid-air, seemingly slow yet very fast, imprinting upon the foreheads of both Su Li and Master Hao Yuan. It flashed once, then vanished, leaving only a purple lightning-shaped mark.

This was the highest-level mark of a Unity Contract.

Once everything concluded, the sky presented a celebratory spectacle of dragons and phoenixes, with waves of incense that, when inhaled, could stir one’s Spiritual Power into an unceasing boil.

The crowd was shocked and taken aback, never expecting that the bond between destined Daoist couples could have such miraculous effects.

Everyone present benefited significantly.

The young ladies who had been crying and wailing ceased their unrest and discontent. Instead, they happily sat cross-legged and formed hand seals, meditating to properly digest the insight that had stirred their hearts.

As good as Master Haoyuan might be, after the Unity Contract, he belonged to someone else. The allure of progress in one’s Cultivation Realm was far more enchanting and desirable.

"Ah Lee, from this moment on, you are my wife, the person I love most in my life."

Master Hao Yuan gazed intently at Su Li, speaking slowly word by word, their noses almost touching as their breaths intertwined.

The observers immersed in the moment’s enlightenment did not notice Master Hao Yuan’s unusual state.

One hand gently caressed his wife’s hair, while the other held the Lifebound Sword, which hadn’t been withdrawn, its sharp blade reflecting Su Li’s close face on its surface.

The woman smiled faintly, her lips subtly curling with a hint of joy.

"Ah Yuan, from this moment on, I ask for your care."

"Of course... I love you."

The sword light flashed brightly, and the sword tip pointing towards the sky was twirled by Master Hao Yuan into a flourish, suddenly reversing its direction to pierce into the flesh of the person in front of him.

There was a "thud" sound, the noise of a sharp blade entering flesh.

I love you... Master Hao Yuan’s heart contracted tightly, expressionless, but grief flashed in his eyes. Quickly, he regained his composure, softly saying, "The Dao is with me, and you shall be engraved in my heart for millions of years, eternal and unfading."

His love flourished at its peak, destined never to wither.

Master Hao Yuan felt that this sword truly pained him, a pain that made his whole body tremble.

Compared to the first time he had killed his wife to prove his Dao, he had gained a deeper understanding.

Rather than fearing love and seeking to sever emotions to prove the great way, why not let love remain eternally in the heart.

Emotionless yet emotional, and emotion that seems emotionless.

If love remains eternal, then calamities would mean nothing to him.

"Ah Lee, I’m sorry. In the next life, I will repay you." Master Hao Yuan’s entire face gradually regained its divinity, indifference deeply etched in his eyes once more. His surrounding aura also seemed transformed, escalating in majesty and momentum.

Indeed, after another instance of killing the wife to prove his Dao, the memories suppressed by the illusion rapidly revived.

The fog on the spirit platform seemed to be dispelled bit by bit by invisible hands. The persistent cluster of Demonic Qi circling his Dantian also gradually faded and dissipated.

His Heart Demon was dispersing at a steady rate.

Master Hao Yuan, not Haojun God, had a premonition that this Heart Realm advancement would lead to a breakthrough once he exited the illusion.

Too bad...

Master Hao Yuan’s pitying gaze fell upon Su Li’s face.

She might depart this world, filled with confusion within this environment. But perhaps that’s better; being unaware of past events means no resentment or hatred.

Wait, wait.... something is wrong.

Haojun God finally realized where his discomfit stemmed from; her face bore only tranquility, with no shadow of other emotions.

No shock, no confusion, no questioning, and no bewilderment... nothing, only emptiness.

She shouldn’t have been so calm like before.

Tick-tock tick-tock, the sound of blood dripping onto the stone slab sent a shiver over Haojun God’s skin.

He glanced down, noticing that a small female sword had pierced through his abdomen. At the other end of the sword, a beautiful female cultivator held it firmly.

Haojun God was astonished; no wonder he felt such pain.

Having a sword piercing through him, with only a small portion of the hilt visible, no wonder it hurt.

Su Li smiled brightly at Haojun God, twirling a sword blossom with ease, causing the sharp blade inside his body to rotate three hundred sixty degrees, eliciting a muffled groan.

"No need to repay in the next life; helping me kill my husband to prove my Dao in this life is already gratifying." Su Li said smilingly.

"How... could you...?"

"Are you asking how I too regained my memory?" As she spoke, Su Li exerted force with her wrist, pushing the female sword entirely into Haojun God’s body, leaving only a blood-stained hilt. "These questions you don’t need to know; just understand that in this contest, you lost."

Su Li’s lips curled into a thin, cruel smile as she withdrew the female sword with a "pfft" sound, then quickly stabbed it back in.

Her hands continued moving, continually stabbing Haojun God dozens of times, driving the soaring aura deeper into the abyss before stopping.

Su Li casually flicked it away, and without support, Haojun God lay dying on the ground.

The Lifebound Sword he presumed had pierced Su Li hung suspended in mid-air, and with a soft tap of Su Li’s forefinger, the blade quickly filled with dense cracks. Alongside a lamenting sword cry, the Lifebound Sword disintegrated completely in the air, leaving no trace.

Lying on the ground, Haojun God suddenly vomited a mouthful of Heart Blood, blood seeping from his mouth, eyes, and nose.

Su Li leaned down, looking at Haojun God’s pitiful state, brushing away the shadows on her heart.

The mountain she once couldn’t overcome, the Divine Monarch who pressed heavily on her heart, now lay humbled before her feet in an embarrassed state.

Haojun God struggled to open his eyes, obscured by blood, hoarsely asking, "You clearly fell in love with me, so why..."

"You’ve already won my love; why can’t you help me achieve my Dao?"

Su Li sneered, saying, "What kind of twisted logic is that."

Things have come to this; make no blame.

The upheaval on the stone platform happened too swiftly, hardly anyone present reacted.

Clearly, the two had become a Daoist couple under the Heavenly Dao, yet suddenly they drew swords against each other, like mortal enemies.

What shocked them most was that Master Hao Yuan’s sword missed, while Su Li Fairy’s sword, with lower cultivation, hit its mark.

Ha, ha... Haha... Master Hao Yuan had a rather unique way of favoring his wife, didn’t he?

What kind of bizarre method is this to prove one’s true heart?

Disciples from various sects remained dumbfounded. But upon witnessing Su Li Fairy’s ruthless act of stabbing Master Hao Yuan dozens of times, turning a True Monarch into a sieve, they slowly began to comprehend.

This, this seemed no joke. They were doing it for real.