‘Vengeance Path and Path of Depravity.’
These two terms circled in her mind like a curse.
Vengeance?
Did she really still have a chance to take revenge on the man before her?
In her mind, scenes of clashes with that bastard Horned Demon flashed by.
Every time, she had thought her plan flawless, victory within reach, certain she could completely crush that demon and wash away all her humiliation.
Yet reality kept proving her wrong, over and over again—her defeat was even more miserable, her loss more thorough each time.
Horned Demon… was like a mountain she could never cross.
Now… it seemed she’d finally understood a little.
Letting go of the obsession for vengeance, her future would instead hold more possibilities.
There really was no need to keep butting heads with that overwhelmingly strong, and horrifyingly twisted, Horned Demon.
At least, not now.
Besides that suffocating feeling of near death just now, that cold despair was so real.
Even now, every breath she took trembled ever so slightly.
It felt as if her throat still bore the ache of being strangled.
If next time, she foolishly triggered vengeance again…
If, by any chance, that bastard Horned Demon really lost all patience and simply killed her on the spot…
She didn’t have that many lives to gamble away.
She’d sensed Horned Demon’s killing intent in that instant with absolute clarity.
Yes.
She, Su Nian, had to admit, at the very moment she faced death, she was truly afraid.
Especially since the System had painted for her such a grand and magnificent blueprint.
A god above the heavens…
Eternal Life…
If she died, then there’d truly be nothing left.
On the other hand, if she stayed by the Horned Demon’s side—even though the process would be incomparably humiliating and degrading… she could continuously gain Humiliation Value.
The System, after all, was called the Humiliation Value System…
If she really killed or left the Horned Demon, and wanted to quickly amass large amounts of Humiliation Value elsewhere…
It would be far too difficult.
She couldn’t possibly, as a dignified Saint-level powerhouse, a top-tier Magic Girl Idol, and the youngest instructor at Red Maple Academy, go running off to a Goblin lair or Bandits’ Camp, pretending to lose so she could intentionally suffer humiliation at the hands of such lowly beings, could she?
If so, then she might as well… stay with this bastard Horned Demon!
At least she wasn’t walking in of her own accord…
And, putting aside the Horned Demon’s wretched personality and twisted tastes, just in terms of appearance… he was barely, barely passable.
And in that aspect…
Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey!
What on earth was she thinking, all this nonsense!
So was her future truly going to head down that path called [Path of Depravity], with no way back?
Just thinking of those words made Su Nian’s cheeks burn and her heart race uncontrollably.
It didn’t sound like a glorious path at all but… it seemed, for now, this was her only choice.
Circumstances were stronger than people.
Though Su Nian was proud, she wasn’t a fool incapable of adapting.
First, she would stay by this bastard Horned Demon’s side.
Then, she’d do everything possible to amass a vast amount of Humiliation Value.
All that humiliation—she would treat it as an investment, a cost.
Her goal: one hundred million!
Once she’d gathered a hundred million Humiliation Value, she’d become that god above the heavens, gazing down on all living things!
Once she became a god, what was a mere Horned Demon?
No matter how he jumped and raged, she’d easily defeat him.
Yes!
She, Su Nian… she wasn’t truly “depraved.”
That word sounded too harsh.
She was enduring humiliation for the sake of a greater goal, a necessary sacrifice.
She was… she was using the Horned Demon!
That’s right, using him!
He would be nothing more than a stepping stone on her path to godhood—a stable, efficient “tool” for accumulating Humiliation Value.
Only then could her interests truly be maximized.
After all, compared to all the world’s riches, power, and status…
Eternal Life, supreme divine power—those were far more enticing.
Such a yearning from the depths of her soul was irresistible.
And compared to that Vengeance Path, filled with unknown dangers, this “enduring humiliation for a greater cause” route was, at least in the short term, much safer…
As long as she acted “obedient” enough, at least she wouldn’t have to worry about her life at every moment.
Though the Horned Demon was twisted, as long as she behaved, he definitely wouldn’t kill her.
Once she really acquired a hundred million Humiliation Value and succeeded in becoming a god…
At that point, with absolute power, maybe just a flick of her finger would be enough to wipe out that bastard Horned Demon!
At this thought, Su Nian felt a bit more at ease.
Of course there was another, albeit remote, possibility.
Maybe, when she truly stood at the peak as a god, looking down on all she’d once experienced…
Her state of mind, her outlook, would have changed completely.
Perhaps by then, all the humiliation and hatred of the past would seem petty and ridiculous.
Maybe, she’d be magnanimous… and let him go?
Or, if she was in a good mood, take the Horned Demon as a tea-serving lackey…
Who could say what the future held.
Chu Tian gazed at the girl whose face, flushed red from suffocation yet still heartbreakingly beautiful, was caught in his grip.
Su Nian had, in the end, chosen to yield.
The taut strings in his heart slackened ever so slightly.
Using “death” as a threat was, indeed, effective against Su Nian, this rebellious little wildcat.
However, Chu Tian did not therefore underestimate the girl before him.
He’d already experienced first-hand her indomitable will and formidable strength.
After a defeat, choosing to treasure one’s life was only human, and not shameful.
Just now, he’d genuinely worried for a moment, afraid this little wildcat would truly stubbornly resist to the death.
If that had happened, he wouldn’t have known what to do.
Chu Tian slowly released his iron grip, the hand clad in a sinister black gauntlet.
He hoped this “thorough” lesson would help his little Nian’er understand a thing or two.
Death was never something to be lightly risked in a moment of reckless pride.
He wanted the girl to completely abandon such thoughts, no matter what.
The cold killing intent faded from Chu Tian’s eyes, replaced with a hint of playful mockery.
His warning had worked wonders.
“Oh? You don’t want to die, so you’re surrendering?” he drawled, dragging out the last word with amusement.
As he let go, Su Nian’s petite body, suddenly unsupported, slumped weakly to the ground.
He looked down from above at the girl collapsed at his feet.
Her hair was a mess, her armor battered, her face streaked with tears and dirt, yet her breathtaking beauty still could not be concealed.
Chu Tian’s lips curled into a cold yet smoldering arc.
“But I’ve never heard of…” He paused, enunciating each word: “anyone surrendering to the enemy while still wearing such a magnificent and intact suit of armor.”
He emphasized “magnificent and intact,” his gaze sweeping deliberately over the silver-white armor, now stained with dust and energy scorch marks, that still shimmered with holy radiance on her body.
“You… what do you want…?” Su Nian’s voice trembled uncontrollably, alarm bells blaring in her heart.
A terrible premonition grew and spread within her, nearly suffocating her once again.
‘This bastard Horned Demon—what new form of torment had he devised this time!’
Chu Tian acted as if he hadn’t heard her trembling question, admiring her distress at his leisure.
After a while, he spoke lightly, two words falling from his lips.
“Remove your armor.” Chu Tian’s tone was as casual as if he were stating a trivial matter.