The pure moonlight cascaded down like mist and smoke. The mountain ridges were serene and secluded, tree shadows swaying gently as if draped in a thin veil.
Ye Fan and Ji Ziyue strolled together. There was no need for much to be said — none of that weeping for joy, none of that sorrow at parting and happiness in reunion, none of that speechless, throat-tightening emotion. None of that would have been real between them.
Their footsteps fell softly, rustling sounds drifting through the moonlit forest. Having passed through the joy of their reunion, a quiet calm had settled in their hearts. No words were needed — silence spoke louder than any sound.
Of course, a hundred years apart, separated by the vast shores of the starry cosmos, naturally left much to be said. Yet neither wished to break the stillness and peace of this moment.
Not far away, a lake lay crystal clear, mirroring the brilliant silver moon above. They strolled to its edge and walked along its banks, their minds open and untroubled.
Having survived countless bloody trials, having crossed mountains of corpses and seas of blood, having set foot on the Ancient Stellar Path, separated by the vastness of the universe — and now, to be reunited beneath this same canopy of stars. That, too, was its own kind of beauty.
Ye Fan had fought his way across the world, witnessing more death and bloodshed than most, advancing over the bones of one young supreme after another. By now, anyone would feel a measure of weariness.
In an unguarded moment, looking back, one realized that what a person truly craved was a sense of peace and tranquility — and in such moments, certain faces would drift to the mind, certain things would linger in the heart.
If life could be held just so — spent alongside those people and those moments, feeling the serenity and contentment of the heart — then perhaps that was what blessing, joy, happiness, and fortune truly meant.
A gentle breeze swept past, carrying the fragrance of wildflowers and green growth, spreading along the lakeshore, adding a natural, quiet beauty to the moonlit air.
The soft light poured down, casting a hazy glow over the two figures walking side by side. In that moment, they felt a profound stillness and peace rising from deep within their souls.
“I thought you’d cry,” Ye Fan said with a smile.
Ji Ziyue gave him a magnificent roll of her eyes, sneering, “Please. What is there to cry about? That’s what little children do. Why don’t you cry first, then.”
She wore a playful, mischievous grin. Her large eyes curved like crescent moons, a pair of small dimples appearing on her cheeks. The corners of her lips lifted, revealing a glint of tiny, crystalline canine teeth that she ground lightly together as if ready to bite someone.
“That still doesn’t mean you get to look down on me the moment we meet,” Ye Fan laughed.
“I wanted to suppress you, but that seems a little difficult. So I suppose I’ll have to settle for looking down on you instead. How about you seal your cultivation and let me rough you up a bit? Don’t worry — I’ll only beat you, not make you cry.”Ji Ziyue said with a grinning chuckle.
So many years had passed without them seeing each other. Naturally, both had much to feel. Yet Ji Ziyue was exactly as she had always been — fresh, unburdened, free of pretense. There were no tearful laments over separation at their reunion; instead, she teased Ye Fan with easy, lighthearted banter.
There had been times of sorrow. Times of gazing up at the stars. Times of quietly murmuring to oneself in the shadows, staring across at the other shore, replaying the memory of farewell — nothing but melancholy.
But now, reunited at last, tears were unnecessary. What remained was understanding, recognition, and that singular, unshared ease between them.
“It’s not what I imagined,” Ye Fan said, rubbing his chin.
“My tears are like rivers of stars — precious beyond measure. Weeping and wailing is for children. A transcendent immortal like me, peerless in grace and beauty, has long seen through the ways of the mortal world. What I wish to say, I leave unsaid — suffice it to say, the autumn air feels rather cool today.” Ji Ziyue struck a self-admiring and slightly world-weary pose that left Ye Fan completely speechless.
Of course, what was said wasn’t always what was truly meant. Tears had been shed, laughter had been shared, and the words spoken weren’t always the true voice of the heart. What mattered most was simply the feeling of understanding.
“Dinner time — the outdoor feast has begun!” came a shout from the distance. Pang Bo, Long Ma, and the others were calling out. A great cauldron of primordial mother energy was simmering and rising above a divine flame surging up from deep within the earth, and the irresistible aroma drifted over.
It was without question a grand feast: serpent-dragon broth, roasted divine crocodile meat, mountain tortoise soup slow-simmered to perfection… every delicacy imaginable, extravagant beyond all measure, too much to take in at once.
So many young supremes had just fallen, many of them ancient beasts — the supply of ingredients was naturally more than sufficient. All thrown together, it amounted to a true feast fit for the most ravenous appetite.
The golden, glistening sacred flesh crackled and sizzled as its fat dripped onto the flames, while the translucent tendons shimmered with a divine radiance, sending their fragrance drifting for several miles around. Ordinary people could never dream of such delicacies — melt-in-the-mouth textures, with Life Essence soaring to the heavens…
The broth, naturally, had been simmered from the life spring divine fluid of an Ancient Heavenly Venerable, fragrant enough to overwhelm the senses.
Pang Bo tore off a golden, oil-glazed divine crocodile elbow, divided it into portions, and placed each in the silver plates of those gathered. He turned to Ji Ziyue and asked, “Though we all set out on the Ancient Path, we never crossed paths all these years. You haven’t changed one bit — how is Brother Haoyue?”
Ji Ziyue smiled. “You’ve changed enormously — far more imposing than before. A man standing over ten feet tall — I almost mistook you for a descendant of the Golden Giants.”
Pang Bo looked like he might burst into tears. “My tragic life began the moment a certain coffin entered the picture. All of this is the coffin’s fault. Though I suppose you could say the same about yourselves — it was a coffin that sent you all down your paths as well.”
Everyone laughed. They all understood Pang Bo’s grievances all too well.
Ji Ziyue’s eyes sparkled with curiosity, clearly not fully understanding what had happened. Her expression shifted to one of puzzled amusement. “What do you mean?”
“They say you won’t shed a tear until you see the coffin. Well, my entire life has been bound up with one.” Pang Bo heaved a long, dramatic sigh.
The Nine Dragons Pulling the Coffin had carried him and Ye Fan away from Earth. And from then on, as he grew and broke through each barrier, every major turning point in his life had been connected to a coffin in some way. He had eaten the coffin board of the Undying Heavenly Emperor’s enlightenment tea tree. He had gnawed on the Ancient God Peach coffin from the Demon Emperor’s hollow grave.
“Being dragged off by a coffin at the start, then spending years gnawing on coffins every single day — my connection to that thing runs too deep. Deep enough that I want to bite it. No — I’ve bitten it so much I want to spit it out.”
The whole group burst into laughter. Pang Bo wore an expression of deep grievance and long-suffered resentment. His gains in constitution had been truly unusual — built on the foundation of the Ancient Demon Emperor’s scripture, with the indirect nourishment of the divine enlightenment tree and the ancient peach trunk having left a tremendous mark on him.
Ji Ziyue grinned, her tiny canine teeth gleaming brightly. “You came all the way here looking for us — don’t tell me you’re after my ancestor’s coffin too. I’m warning you: it’s made of stone. You won’t be able to bite through it.”
The whole group doubled over laughing. Pang Bo buried his face in exasperation.
Beneath the moonlit night, surrounded by fine food and good wine, old friends reunited in joy and laughter, each sharing stories of their experiences and the years that had passed.
“Where is Brother Haoyue? He hasn’t run into any trouble, has he?”
“He’s not far from here. I’ve suppressed him.” Ji Ziyue shook her little fist with an expression of great excitement and pride.
Everyone fell silent. Suppressing her own brother — and she said it as if it were the most natural thing in the world. It was, somehow, both astonishing and deeply, deeply amusing.
Ye Fan could still remember the sight of her from years past — rosy-cheeked from wine, demanding loudly that she suppress her “absolutely insufferable brother” for always meddling in her affairs. He’d never imagined she would actually make good on it.
“When Brother Haoyue heard those words back then, his whole face went dark. He blamed every single bit of it on you, Ye Fan — haha!” Pang Bo roared with laughter.
“With my heaven-defying gifts, I turned the tables and suppressed him in one move.” Ji Ziyue had drained a whole jug of aged wine. Her cheeks had gone rosy again — a little drunk, just like she used to be.
Beside her, the Little One murmured quietly, blowing her cover: “Big Sister is boasting. She ambushed them. She suppressed both me and Haoyue with a sneak attack.”
“Nonsense. Don’t you dare expose me.” Ji Ziyue protested loudly. The second jug of fine wine had already gone down, and she was genuinely a bit tipsy — quite annoyed at the Little One’s so-called betrayal.
Clang!
Long Ma suffered an undeserved calamity — a wine jar came crashing down over its head, leaving it staring into darkness with a forehead full of confusion and dismay. And yet it plastered a shameless grin across its face and turned to the culprit, saying, “Immortal Ziyue, I’ve heard there’s a divine demon liquid produced here. Have you seen any?”
Everyone looked at Long Ma with contempt. The creature’s brazenness truly knew no bounds. It shook the wine jar off its head, wiped itself clean, and continued grinning shamelessly, pushing for an answer.
“Don’t you dare try to trick Big Sister out of her precious liquid!” the Little One said protectively, glaring at Long Ma with righteous fury, ready to breathe fire at a moment’s notice.
“Children should go off and cool down somewhere.” Long Ma paid it no mind whatsoever, turning its thick-skinned attention entirely to Ji Ziyue and pleading to be shown what the divine demon liquid actually looked like.
Ji Ziyue stretched her slender waist, gave a small yawn, produced a precious bottle, and twisted off the cap.
“Let me see.” Long Ma’s reaction was lightning-fast. It snatched the bottle, then put on its most earnest expression. “We’re all family here — no need to stand on ceremony. I’ll just have a little taste first.”
Glug glug glug!
It tilted its head back and poured the contents straight into its mouth, smacking its lips as it muttered to itself, “Strange — why does the divine demon liquid have no taste? Is it transparent?”
“Mm.” Ji Ziyue made a soft sound through her nose, then started hollering for more wine. The Little One hurriedly tried to stop her, insisting she’d had enough.
“You ridiculous horse — you’ve nearly drunk the whole thing!” Ye Fan reached out and grabbed Long Ma by the throat, telling it not to be so greedy.
“It’s fine, I have more.” Ji Ziyue flipped her hand and passed Long Ma another bottle.
There was this much divine demon liquid? One bottle was worth an entire lake — the vessel itself contained spatial laws within it, vast and enormous on the inside.
“I… I can barely keep drinking.” Long Ma gave a tremendous belch. It had consumed what amounted to a full lake of liquid — yet it still took the second bottle, puzzling aloud, “Why don’t I feel anything? The divine demon liquid doesn’t seem to be doing much.”
Operating under the principle of leaving no opportunity untouched, it forced the second bottle down as well, then announced brazenly, “Don’t stare at me like that. We’re all family here — no need for formality. Besides, Immortal Ziyue has so much of it, surely there’s enough for everyone.”
When Ji Ziyue extended a third bottle, Long Ma genuinely could not manage any more. Its belly had already swollen up visibly — after all, it had consumed the equivalent of two entire lakes of liquid.
“How can there be so much divine demon liquid?” Long Ma grew suspicious, a sense of impending doom creeping over it. It looked over at Ji Ziyue.
Ji Ziyue’s beautiful eyes were a little hazy. “Oh, the divine demon liquid? There’s very little of it — barely half a gourd. It has to be diluted in water and used to soak the body; that’s when it works best.”
“Then what did I just drink?” Long Ma was beginning to panic. Its enormous belly was lurching and heaving, swaying back and forth like a waterbed gone haywire.
Ji Ziyue pressed a hand to her smooth, pale forehead. “Oh, that. The divine demon liquid is extremely scarce and highly concentrated — it needs to be diluted first. What you drank was the highest-quality water source. Two full lakes worth of it.”
“I…” Long Ma had no tears left to cry. It had drunk a belly full of plain water. It felt the overwhelming urge to vomit, lurched to the side, and began retching violently.
What followed was a scene of spectacular proportions. A great river took form, roaring and unstoppable, surging out from its mouth in a torrent — and before long, a vast new lake had appeared downstream, grand and turbulent.
“Hahaha!” The whole group roared with laughter.
Long Ma gnashed its teeth and cursed viciously, “You conniving little brat — you’ve made an enemy of me today! You have no idea what you’ve gotten yourself into! Just you wait — I’ll make you pay for this!”
“Please. I wasn’t even afraid of that black dog back in the day — you don’t stand a chance.” Ji Ziyue was no longer drunk — she was perfectly clear-eyed. She blinked her large eyes, rested her chin in her hand, and watched it continue to gush water from the side, barely suppressing her laughter.
Long Ma stared at her with sudden reverence. In its own words, the Black Emperor was the greatest role model of their kind — and yet even that legendary figure was not looked upon with fear by this girl. A woman worth knowing, without a doubt.