My Arch-Nemesis is My Wife! - Chapter 1

As the final bolt of heavenly lightning struck, a dark silhouette in mid-air brandished a black spear. With a thunderous roar, he lunged upward from the earth, meeting the lightning head-on. This was Qi Zhen, the Sovereign of the Demon Realm, currently undergoing his Tribulation.

With a single strike, the lightning was shattered into fragments, scattering across the sky like brilliant white fireworks that turned the dark night into day. Not far away, the Left and Right Protectors—Ye Lan Jialuo and Shenzhang Lingxi stood guard. Their eyes were glued to the figure in the sky, their voices thick with excitement and anticipation.

The Sovereign’s Tribulation has lasted so long this time. As expected of a perfect Great Circle Nascent Soul cultivator.

Shenzhang Lingxi added eagerly, “Eighty-one bolts of lightning… and that was the last one. The Sovereign has passed! Our Demon Clan shall rise!”

As the words left his mouth, the lightning faded. From within the thick black mist came Qi Zhen’s boisterous, arrogant laughter. “Hahaha! The Great Circle of Nascent Soul! This seat shall sweep the six directions and unify all under heaven!”

Hearing this, Ye Lan Jialuo was overjoyed. He hissed to Shenzhang Lingxi, “Quick! Start the flower petal rain for the Sovereign!”

“On it!” Shenzhang Lingxi replied.

But before they could toss the flowers, a sphere of white light descended from the heavens. It streaked straight toward Qi Zhen, who had just emerged from the mist, and—to their utter shock—the orb slammed into him, driving him straight down into the depths of the Demon Abyss.

The two protectors froze, blinking in confusion. Shenzhang Lingxi asked blankly, “So… do we still do the flower petals?”

“Petals my ass!” Ye Lan Jialuo snapped, rushing toward the abyss. “Go see if the Sovereign is still alive!”

They reached the edge just as Qi Zhen emerged, laughing maniacally once more. Ye Lan Jialuo hurried forward. “Sovereign, are you alright?”

Qi Zhen’s lavish robes had been shredded by the lightning. With a wave of his hand, he manifested a new set of shimmering black feather-robes. He tilted his chin up, looking incredibly smug. “I have peeked into the secrets of Heaven! That insufferable brat, the one currently acting all righteous and noble? He’s a total hypocrite. In the future, he will be the one to destroy the Three Realms!”

The protectors were lost. Ye Lan Jialuo asked, “Wait, so that white orb just now… was a message from Heaven?”

Qi Zhen nodded. “Exactly. It seems even the Will of Heaven knows that only I can save the world from disaster. Since Heaven has entrusted me with this burden, I suppose I’ll endure the trouble of being a ‘Savior’ for once.”

Shenzhang Lingxi grew curious. “The Spirit Realm is full of insufferable people, Sovereign. Which one is it specifically?”

Qi Zhen countered, “Who is the most insufferable person you know?”

Ye Lan Jialuo gasped. “It’s actually him?”

Shenzhang Lingxi was still catching up. He looked between the two. “Who? Who are we talking about?”

Ye Lan Jialuo glanced at him. “Xue Yunbi. Lord Lanyu of the Tianyan Sect.”

Shenzhang Lingxi’s eyes lit up. “Finally, the Demon Realm can hold its head high! Once we get rid of Xue Yunbi, our Sovereign will be number one under the sun!”

Qi Zhen snorted. “I don’t care if his name means ‘fine jade’—I’m going to turn him into a pile of rubble. Move out! To the Tianyan Sect!”

Qi Zhen strode forward, his protectors scrambling to follow. Shenzhang Lingxi shouted, “Just us? Are we not taking an army?”

“Once we get to the Tianyan Sect and show them the secret from Heaven,” Qi Zhen said confidently, “I won’t even have to lift a finger. Those hypocrites who call themselves the ‘Righteous Path’ will do it for me. They’re always screaming about ‘enforcing the Will of Heaven’ well, let’s see how sincere they are.”

Shenzhang Lingxi gave a thumbs-up. “I’ll bring the petals. When the time comes, I’ll release a massive burst!”

When they arrived at the Tianyan Sect, the place was swarming with people. Qi Zhen clicked his tongue. “I haven’t been to the Spirit Realm in a hundred years. Humans have become as cheap as ants.”

Ye Lan Jialuo looked at the dense crowds and felt something was off. “Sovereign, it looks like they’ve gathered here for a reason.”

“Is it because everyone knows that brat is going to destroy the world?” Qi Zhen wondered. “Are they all here to kill him?”

“I don’t think so…” but Ye Lan Jialuo’s voice was drowned out as Qi Zhen ascended into the air.

“Listen up, you lot!” Qi Zhen roared. “Tell that insufferable brat to come out and meet his death!”

The Tianyan Sect had noticed them long ago. Now, the disciples and elders swarmed out like a rising tide. Qi Zhen nodded, satisfied. “Look at them. They all know they’re insufferable. One shout and they all come running.”

“Today, this seat has come to”

Before he could finish, a powerful blast of energy surged from the sect’s back mountain. A streak of white light flew straight for Qi Zhen’s face. He blocked it with all his might, but the attacker was clearly stronger; the impact forced Qi Zhen back two steps.

Qi Zhen realized one of the old fogies of the sect had intervened—at least a mid-stage God Transformation cultivator. Qi Zhen had only just reached the Great Circle of Nascent Soul. Being on their home turf with several God Transformation masters around meant a head-on fight was suicide.

He raised a hand. “Hold your horses! I’m not here to fight. I have something important to say!”

The nine Immortals of the Tianyan Sect watched him coldly. Today was a major day for the sect, so they didn’t immediately kill him, opting instead to see what game he was playing.

Seeing them pause, Qi Zhen lifted his chin. “I have peered into the secrets of Heaven. I am here to eradicate a scourge of the Three Realms.” He scanned the crowd before pointing a finger accurately at Xue Yunbi. “It’s you! You’re the disaster that will ruin us all!”

“Presumptuous!” A man in blue and white robes embroidered with auspicious clouds—Lu Jin’an, Lord of Kunlun—interrupted him. “Nonsense! A demon dares to come to the Tianyan Sect and spout lies? You must be tired of living.”

As Lu Jin’an prepared to strike, Qi Zhen held up a hand. “I have proof!”

“Produce it then!” Lu Jin’an barked.

Qi Zhen sneered. He reached into his spiritual sea to pull out the orb. He searched… and searched… and searched some more.

“Slanderer. Nothing but a clown,” Lu Jin’an sneered, lunging with his sword. The other eight Immortals followed suit.

Qi Zhen was still frantically trying to find the light orb in his head. Distracted and outnumbered, he couldn’t dodge in time. Xue Yunbi’s sword pierced his shoulder. Qi Zhen gritted his teeth, cursing inwardly. Damn this overpowered brat!

“Retreat!”

Knowing he was beaten, Qi Zhen turned and fled, with Ye Lan Jialuo and Shenzhang Lingxi hot on his heels. Shenzhang Lingxi’s storage ring was clipped by an attack and shattered, causing the thousands of flower petals inside to explode. Suddenly, the sky above the Tianyan Sect was filled with drifting, vivid red petals. It was strange, beautiful, and utterly confusing.

Lu Jin’an brushed a petal away with disgust. “Absurd. They have nothing but petty tricks.”

The trio made it back to the Demon Realm in a sorry state. Qi Zhen, nursing his wound, cursed loudly. “Those wretched, insufferable bastards! Next time, I’m going to make them crawl!”

Shenzhang Lingxi, clutching his bruised face, asked, “Sovereign, why didn’t you just throw the light orb in their faces?”

At this, Qi Zhen got even angrier. The orb was gone. He had clearly placed it in his spiritual sea, but now it was empty.

“Infuriating! Call the troops! We march on the Tianyan Sect immediately! If I don’t raze that place to the ground, I’m not the Demon Sovereign!”

Ye Lan Jialuo quickly cut in. “Sovereign, calm down. I think there’s a mystery here.”

“What mystery?” Shenzhang Lingxi asked.

“Think about it,” Ye Lan Jialuo explained. “If it’s a ‘Secret of Heaven,’ it probably can’t be revealed so easily. If everyone knew it, would it still be a secret? Heaven gave this task to you; it won’t be that simple. We need a better plan.”

Qi Zhen glared at him. “Plan my foot! We kill them all and the scourge is gone.”

“The Tianyan Sect is powerful,” Ye Lan Jialuo argued. “A full-scale war would only end in mutual destruction. Besides, if Heaven revealed this to you, it means Xue Yunbi is incredibly capable. If he escapes the battle, all our effort is wasted.”

Shenzhang Lingxi nodded. “True. They say Xue Yunbi is a once-in-a-millennium genius. He won’t be easy to kill. That’s probably why Heaven took the long way around and asked you to do it.”

Qi Zhen looked at them. “Fine. What’s the idea?”

Ye Lan Jialuo mused, “There were so many people at the sect; something big is happening. Sovereign, heal your wounds first. I’ll send spies to find out what’s going on, and then we decide.”

Qi Zhen’s shoulder was throbbing. He wanted blood, but he knew they were right. “Do it quickly.”

He went to his room to recover. Demons heal fast, but Xue Yunbi’s cultivation style was specifically designed to counter them. The wound wouldn’t close on its own; it had to be nursed slowly. This triggered another round of cursing.

“I will carve the meat off his bones one piece at a time! I’ll grind his soul to dust!”

Ye Lan Jialuo returned before Qi Zhen even finished his rant. “Sovereign, I found it. The Tianyan Sect is holding its Disciple Recruitment Ceremony, which happens only once every fifty years.”

Qi Zhen, who usually ignored sect politics, was confused. “Only every fifty years?”

“This time is different,” Ye Lan Jialuo explained. “The masters of the Nine Peaks are looking for ‘closed-door’ disciples. It’s a huge deal. Even commoners and outer-sect disciples can participate.”

Qi Zhen’s eyes lit up. “The nine peak masters… including that brat?”

“Yes, including Xue Yunbi.”

Qi Zhen slammed his hands together. “Perfect! A gift from the gods! We’ll join the recruitment ceremony. Once we’re close to him, we’ll strike!”

“Brilliant, Sovereign!”

“No time to lose. Let’s go!”

“Wait!” Ye Lan Jialuo called out. “Before we go, we need a way to hide our demonic aura.”

Qi Zhen had been in seclusion so long he’d forgotten that simple fact. A demon in the Spirit Realm would be spotted instantly. To hide, they needed a rare herb called ‘Heaven-Shrouding Mist.’

It grew only on the sheer cliffs of the highest snowy peaks. It was rare, buried under layers of snow, and named for its ability to mask any scent or aura in existence. Legend said the herb was so spiritual that it would nourish the mountain, creating Snow Monsters to guard it.

Qi Zhen looked at the distant snowy peaks and sighed. “So we have to go monster hunting first?”

There were countless mountains in the Spirit Realm. If they searched blindly, they’d attract cultivators before they found the herb. If the Tianyan Sect caught them looking for it, they’d know something was up.

“Don’t worry,” Shenzhang Lingxi chirped. “We’re doing Heaven’s work. Heaven will surely be on our side.”

Suddenly, a streak of white light flew across the sky toward the very mountain they were standing near, leaving a trail of clouds behind. Qi Zhen, having just felt that sword, knew the aura instantly.

“Holy.  It’s the brat!”

Qi Zhen prepared to fight, but Ye Lan Jialuo sensed danger. He grabbed Qi Zhen and Shenzhang Lingxi, dragging them downward. They plummeted into the snow, the impact creating a massive crater and triggering a small avalanche that filled the air with white mist.

Qi Zhen fanned the snow away and realized they were wedged into a cliffside crevice. Not far away, a few green stalks were emitting a faint, golden light.

Qi Zhen couldn’t believe his luck. They had literally crashed right into the ‘Heaven-Shrouding Mist.’

However, his joy was cut short by a sound.

Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.

The sound of footsteps on snow came from directly above them. The trio collectively held their breath.

Crunch. Crunch.

The footsteps got closer, deliberate and slow, like a cat playing with a mouse. Qi Zhen, as the Demon Sovereign, had never felt so humiliated. He opened his mouth to shout a curse, but Ye Lan Jialuo, terrified he’d lure Xue Yunbi right to them, slammed a hand over his mouth.

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