Today, The Villain Couple is Settling Scores Again

The soul, glowing faintly with a green light, drifted like a dandelion, fluttering lightly through the tower as Jian Huan looked around.

Yet the voice came from all directions within the tower, and she couldn’t pinpoint its source.

"Child," the voice spoke again, its tone slow and deliberate, like that of a revered sage. "You need not search for me. The tower you see before you—it is all me."

Jian Huan paused, hovering in mid-air.

She remembered losing consciousness in the Demon Palace. Though she wasn’t entirely sure what had happened afterward, she vaguely recalled being enveloped by something, carrying her swiftly to an unknown destination.

And the tower—

The only tower in the Demon Palace was the Bodhi Tower.

So, she was still on the Nine Provinces Continent, still within the Demon Palace!

Concerned about the situation outside the tower and the people there, Jian Huan’s voice, clear and urgent, spilled out like a sponge soaked in water, unable to hide her anxiety. "Senior, are you the spirit of the Bodhi Tower? What’s happening outside? Are Shen Jizhi and the others safe...?"

Before she could finish, the voice continued on its own. "I am the spirit of the Bodhi Tree."

Jian Huan was momentarily stunned.

The Bodhi Tower was made from the remnants of the Bodhi Tree, so whether it was the tower spirit or the tree spirit, to her, it didn’t make much of a difference.

But now, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off about this tree spirit.

It felt as though she was listening to a scripted play, with lines prepared long in advance.

"What you just witnessed was the last prophetic dream I saw three years ago," the Bodhi Tree spirit said, pausing as if carefully choosing its words.

Jian Huan instinctively looked up at the crystal-clear Bodhi seed at the tower’s peak, her heart rippling with the implications of the tree spirit’s words.

She murmured softly, "Three years ago..."

That was when she had transmigrated into this world.

So, her arrival here was no accident...@@novelbin@@

"Child, the Heavenly Dao gives birth to all things, and everything has its purpose. Flowering trees bloom, fruit-bearing trees yield fruit, spiritual trees nurture spiritual energy, and I—I was born for the Nine Provinces, to sense its calamities," the Bodhi Tree’s warm voice echoed through the tower, carrying the weight of countless years, overwhelming Jian Huan’s murmurs. "I have existed on the Nine Provinces Continent for eons, so long that even I cannot count the years. For most of that time, when the land was at peace, I remained in deep slumber."

Though she could only hear the voice and not see its source, Jian Huan felt as though she could visualize a painting drawn by the words.

In the painting, it was a season of lush grass and singing birds.

Behind the ancient temple on the mountain peak, with its pristine pillars and vast halls, stood a verdant Bodhi Tree.

The temple’s incense smoke rose with the wind, swirling among the emerald leaves. The leaves rustled in the fragrant breeze, harmonizing with the ancient, solemn chants of scripture.

"All things have their yin and yang. The Nine Provinces are yang, giving birth to me. The Dark Abyss is yin, giving rise to the Demon Heart Tree. The Demon Heart Tree, in turn, gives birth to the Demon Heart Worms, which feed on the tree and drink from the Dark Abyss’s source, ultimately giving birth to the Demon Heart Worm King."

"However, due to the Heavenly Dao barrier between the Nine Provinces and the Dark Abyss, the Demon Heart Worm King, whose consciousness is tied to the Dark Abyss, can never leave it. The moment its demonic consciousness crosses the barrier, it will be struck down by heavenly lightning. For millions of years, though conflicts between humans and demons have occurred, they have never escalated into major catastrophes, and the Nine Provinces have always managed to avert disaster."

"And so, I slept for a long, long time. Until a thousand years ago, when I was awakened by a nightmare," the Bodhi Tree sighed, its tone tinged with sorrow. "The Demon Heart Worm King, unwilling to remain trapped in the Dark Abyss, spent millions of years gathering the power of countless demons to create the Bodhi Demon Heart Formation."

"My tree body is of pure yang and supreme spirituality, while the Demon Heart Tree is of pure yin and supreme demonic energy. The fusion of yin and yang, spirit and demon, creates the Sea of Yin and Yang. Ancient texts say that the Sea of Yin and Yang is the path of yin and yang, capable of extracting the souls of all things. The Demon Heart Worm King sought to use the Sea of Yin and Yang to separate its demonic consciousness from its worm body and the Dark Abyss, merging it with the Demon Origin Stone and transferring it into a yin-yang vessel. A yin-yang vessel, crafted from mutated spiritual roots and demonic flesh, could deceive the Heavenly Dao’s gaze, allowing the worm king to cross the barrier and enter the Nine Provinces in human form, bringing endless demonic energy to overthrow the continent."

"I saw all this in my dream..." The Bodhi Tree’s voice grew softer, weary. "I tried to stop it, to warn the world. Thanks to those brave souls a thousand years ago, Hua Dihai, who carried the worm king’s demon core, failed to steal my tree body. Hua Dihai was discovered, and those children sacrificed their lives to kill him, securing a thousand years of peace for the Nine Provinces."

Jian Huan listened quietly, not interrupting.

So that was the truth.

No wonder, a thousand years ago, Hua Dihai had tried to steal the Bodhi Tree. And now, Jing Chi and his group were willing to risk everything to take the Bodhi Tower.

No wonder Jiang Wei had slaughtered the entire Mu family, taken Ran Mu'er and Yin Yusheng’s sister, who possessed a mutated wind spiritual root, and used Qi Wan’s formation to create Jiang Qiaoqiao, a vessel with demonic flesh and a mutated wind spiritual root.

"The Heavenly Dao is always fair. It granted the Demon Heart Worm King terrifying power but also confined it to the Dark Abyss for eternity. It gave me the power of foresight, but if I interfere with the future, I will suffer backlash. Since then, my spiritual power has been greatly weakened, my influence on the Nine Provinces diminished, and I can no longer reveal everything to the world."

"Yet the demonic threat remains unresolved," the Bodhi Tree said with deep concern. "Killing Hua Dihai was not enough. As long as the Dark Abyss’s source remains and the worm king’s consciousness endures, the Nine Provinces will never be at peace. A thousand years ago, there was Hua Dihai. A thousand years later, there is Jiang Wei. Over the centuries, I have intermittently foreseen the future. Knowing my tree body is crucial to their formation, I tried to destroy myself, to let my tree body wither. But this only led the Buddhist sects and the Hundred Artifacts Sect to rush to my aid, building the Bodhi Tower to preserve my tree body. Those who built the tower were later killed by Jiang Wei. I saw Jiang Wei and Qi Wan working together to create Jiang Qiaoqiao, the yin-yang vessel. I tried to guide events to prevent this, but my actions inadvertently pushed Qi Wan away from the righteous path, leading her to serve the demons..."

"I did many things to try to prevent the Nine Provinces from falling, but in the end, everything circled back to the path it was destined to take."

The Bodhi Tree’s tone remained steady, but its long, sorrowful sigh made its regret and helplessness clear to Jian Huan.

"Three years ago, I saw the vision you just witnessed," the Bodhi Tree said, this time refraining from interfering. "After much contemplation, I decided to disperse my spiritual consciousness."

This was an extremely dangerous move.

With its spiritual consciousness gone, only the indestructible tree body would remain, making it easier for the demons to steal the Bodhi Tower and fulfill their plans.

But if it didn’t disperse its consciousness and continued to influence the Nine Provinces, making things worse, what then?

The Bodhi Tree had no choice but to take the risk.

"I was born of the Heavenly Dao. As my spiritual consciousness began to dissipate, I was able to touch the mysteries of the Heavenly Dao, perhaps catching a glimpse of hope," the Bodhi Tree’s voice grew lighter, as if recalling the moment three years ago when its consciousness scattered. "My consciousness rose into the sky, leaving the Heavenly Dao barrier, and I saw the vast expanse of the cosmos, countless worlds, each with its own sun and moon, its own laws of the Heavenly Dao."

Radiant green light swirled around Jian Huan as the Bodhi Tree’s voice took on a tender tone. "And you, child, were the soul from beyond this world that I found with my last ounce of strength before my consciousness completely dissipated."

"The only thing capable of completely destroying the source of the Dark Abyss is the heavenly lightning tribulation. But the Heavenly Dao barrier between the Dark Abyss and the Nine Provinces not only prevents the Dark Abyss’s source from flooding into the Nine Provinces and stops the Demon Heart Worm King from leaving, it also blocks the heavenly lightning from entering," the Bodhi Tree explained. "The Dark Abyss barrier is sustained by the karmic forces of all things in the Nine Provinces. But child, your soul is not of the Nine Provinces. Your karma is not tied to this land. Only your lightning tribulation can bypass the Heavenly Dao barrier and enter the Dark Abyss!"

The last four words were spoken with resolute force.

Within the Bodhi Tower, in the Sea of Yin and Yang, green waves suddenly surged, momentarily overpowering the black tide of demonic energy.

The sound of roaring waves reached Jian Huan’s ears, and her thoughts, following the Bodhi Tree’s vivid narration, seemed to glimpse the boundless expanse of the universe.

So that was it.

This was the truth.

Jian Huan lowered her head, gazing at the body of the original host in the Sea of Yin and Yang, her emotions a tangled mess, unsure of what to think.

She pushed aside her chaotic thoughts and focused on the present.

Right now, Shen Jizhi and the others were still outside the tower, facing the Demon Heart Worm King and its demonic horde, their lives hanging by a thread.

Even though she knew in her heart that everything the Bodhi Tree Spirit was saying now was likely just fragments of words left behind three years ago, she couldn't help but ask, "Senior, what should I do then?"

"Child, I am glad you can hear my words." The voice of the ancient Bodhi Tree carried a hint of relief and warmth. "When I saw you, the aura of death around you was strong, but it was not yet your time to die. The laws of heaven in your world are beyond my reach. I cannot intervene or leave you any guidance. I could only pass on this final will to the Bodhi Pagoda, which is connected to my flesh and blood, before my spirit dissipated. The fact that you can hear this means you arrived at my side before the Bodhi Pagoda was destroyed and my prophetic dream came to pass. There is still a chance to turn things around."

The Bodhi Tree's voice grew heavy, each word weighted with solemnity: "Remember this, child.

"If ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‍the Bodhi Pagoda has not yet fallen into the hands of the demons, you should bide your time and, when you are about to face your tribulation, do everything in your power to head to the Dark Abyss Demon City. There, you must summon the thunder tribulation and destroy the foundation of the Dark Abyss.

"If the Bodhi Pagoda has already fallen into the hands of the demons, then the Bodhi Demon Heart Formation has likely been completed. The Bodhi Pagoda only contains half of my body, and with this half, I can barely hold the formation for one day and one night. After that, the pagoda will be destroyed, and my tree will wither. You must act quickly and pluck the Bodhi Seed. The Bodhi Seed will aid you in attaining enlightenment... However, if you fail to attain enlightenment, the prophetic dream will come true, and the Nine Provinces Continent will fall. But child, this is not your fault. Achieving enlightenment in a single day and night is no easy feat. Do not blame yourself. This is my debt to you."

"Three years ago, in your world, your soul should have entered the cycle of reincarnation and been reborn. But I forcibly brought you to the Nine Provinces Continent. For that, I am deeply sorry." The Bodhi Tree's voice was filled with regret. "If the Nine Provinces Continent falls, the Bodhi Seed I left behind will protect your soul and allow you to return to your homeland. However, as a wandering soul, I cannot resurrect you under the laws of heaven in your world. The Bodhi Seed can only use its power of prayer to bless each of your reincarnated lives with happiness. If you succeed, the Bodhi Seed will ensure your cultivation journey is smooth and safe. You can live a long life on the Nine Provinces Continent, as eternal as the heavens and the earth. And if you ever grow tired of living in the Nine Provinces, you can choose to end your life and return to your world to be reborn. The choice is yours."

"Child." The Bodhi Tree's voice softened, like the gentle embrace of a mother's love, enveloping Jian Huan's soul in a warm, comforting sea. "I entrust this to you."

"I entrust this to you... I entrust this to you..."

Its pleas grew weaker and fainter, its words drifting through the pagoda like the distant tolling of a temple bell, echoing further and further away.

Then, gradually, the voice faded, until it ceased altogether, becoming a final, haunting melody.

In this world, the Bodhi Tree Spirit was no more.

In a daze, Jian Huan saw the ancient painting of the Bodhi Temple shatter into pieces, just like the strange and surreal dreams the Bodhi Tree Spirit had shown her earlier.

She watched as the Bodhi Tree walked toward a distant, unseen horizon, joining Dao Master Fang Quan, Elder Lotus Heart, Senior Wu Yin...

And the countless martyrs who, over thousands of years, had shed every drop of blood for this land, these mountains, and rivers.

Together, they ascended into the heavens, beyond the Nine Provinces, becoming shining stars in the vast cosmos, eternal and radiant.

...

Jian Huan stood in the pagoda, her gaze lifting as if it could pierce through the pagoda's walls and the barrier of the Dark Abyss, reaching toward that sea of stars.

She raised her hands and bowed deeply, her voice soft but resolute: "Senior, I will do my utmost."

With those words, Jian Huan tilted her head slightly, quickly wiping away a single tear of soul essence from the corner of her eye. Without further delay, she swam through the air like a mermaid, her soul's form gliding toward the Bodhi Seed at the top of the pagoda.

Suddenly, the Bodhi Pagoda trembled violently. Caught off guard, Jian Huan was thrown off balance by the shockwave, pushed further away from the Bodhi Seed.

She reacted quickly, steadying herself and glancing down. What she saw made her heart sink.

The pagoda had nine floors.

Before she awoke, the black tide of demonic energy had only just begun to surge on the first floor.

But now, after this tremor, a massive wave of demonic energy rushed into the pagoda through the Bodhi Demon Heart Formation. The demonic tide rose rapidly, already flooding the second floor and showing no signs of stopping.

Jian Huan looked outside the pagoda.

If the situation inside was this dire, the outside was undoubtedly far worse.

He must have... broken through the Demon Origin Stone by now.

Jian Huan lowered her gaze, took a deep breath, and propelled herself forward. Her soul's legs, shimmering like a mermaid's tail, left a trail of green light as she soared toward the top of the pagoda.

She reached out, her fingers enclosing the soft, glowing green Bodhi Seed in her palm, carefully plucking it.

The moment it was removed, hundreds of green rays of light radiated outward from the tiny seed, filling the pagoda with a sea of emerald light.

The Bodhi Seed sensed Jian Huan's presence and, like a piece of candy, melted into her palm.

A cool, refreshing sensation spread through her entire being, as if she had just eaten a mint.

Jian Huan's soul shivered, her consciousness wavering. When she regained her senses, she found herself in another world.

"Run! Run!"

"The Jade Clarity Sect has become a demon nest! The demons are coming to slaughter the city! Run!"

"..."

At the bridgehead of Approaching Immortal Bridge, Jian Huan stood at the edge, staring at the familiar yet unfamiliar Approaching Immortal City, momentarily stunned.

Clearly, this was not the real world.

Every major sect had illusionary realms for disciples to train and attain enlightenment. As a reward for participants in the Nine Provinces Grand Competition, the Bodhi Pagoda naturally had one as well.

It seemed that everything before her eyes was a custom-made enlightenment illusion created by the Bodhi Seed.

Perhaps this illusion was one of the final scenes from the Bodhi Tree Spirit's prophetic dream.

The demons slaughtering the city, the Nine Provinces Continent falling into ruin.

Jian Huan stepped forward, moving against the flow of people crossing the bridge, heading toward the main street.

The street that led straight from Approaching Immortal Bridge had always been the most bustling part of the city.

During festivals, countless vendors lined the road, selling flowers and pastries. At night, lanterns hung on either side of the stalls, each one vying for attention with their intricate designs—cute rabbit lanterns, vibrant peacock lanterns...

From the bridge, the distant lights of the street seemed to merge with the stars above.

But now, all Jian Huan saw was devastation.

Panicked crowds, laden with bulging bags, clutched their children and supported the elderly as they jostled to cross the bridge.

The piercing cries of infants mingled with the clamor of the crowd, sounding like the ominous cawing of crows.

Overwhelmed, a woman who had held back her tears for too long finally broke down, sobbing as she walked: "I don't want to be eaten by demons, I don't want to..."

Someone behind her shoved her aside, snapping as they passed: "If you have the energy to cry, you should use it to run faster!"

"How did this happen? Everything was fine just a moment ago..." The woman muttered through her tears, her voice trembling with fear. "I was just in the fields yesterday. The vegetables I planted had sprouted, and I was so happy, thinking I could sell them for a good price in a few days. How did everything turn out like this overnight?"

"We were all deceived by Jiang Qiaoqiao!" someone in the crowd shouted angrily.

"Jiang Qiaoqiao?" The crowd gasped. "But wasn't she a hero?"

"Bah! Jiang Qiaoqiao was no hero who slayed demons. She was the greatest demon of all! The Jiang family—they are the demons! We in the Nine Provinces have all been deceived!" The man waved the Xuantian Mirror in his hand, his voice filled with hatred. "The demons are cunning! They turned Shen Jizhi into a demon, then killed him, making themselves the heroes of the Nine Provinces! But in the past six months, the demons, disguised as members of the Jiang family, have wiped out all the great powers of the Nine Provinces! The Ancestor of the Gong Family, the Jade Clarity Sect Leader, the Holy Monk of the Buddhist Sect, the Lord of South Dust Island... They are all dead. The Nine Provinces have no hope left..."

Jian Huan listened in silence, pressing herself against the wall as she moved against the crowd.

As she passed a teahouse, several books, torn in half, were hurled out with a loud crash.

The books landed at Jian Huan's feet, kicking up a cloud of dust.

She paused, looking down, and her eyes narrowed.

On the dusty, shoe-marked cover of one of the books, six characters were clearly written:

"The Biography of Junior Sister Jiang Qiaoqiao."

Jian Huan's long lashes cast a shadow over her eyes as she bent down to pick up one of the books. Her hands trembled slightly as she opened it.

The books the teahouse storyteller had thrown away were the same ones she had read three years ago.

The entangled love and longing between Shen Jizhi, Jiang Qiaoqiao, Jing Chi, and the original protagonist. Shen Jizhi, who fell into demonic obsession from unrequited love, Jiang Qiaoqiao and Jing Chi, who are revered across the Nine Provinces Continent for wielding their swords to vanquish demons.