Yuanhou glanced at Qingsui beside him. She had changed from initial astonishment to faint disappointment. Shen Nong Ding had chosen Jin Zhan—she and Shen Nong Ding ultimately lacked the necessary fate.
Yuanhou raised his hand and grasped hers. His comfort needed no words. Qingsui didn’t dodge as she usually did, nor did she pretend not to care and play dumb. She smiled slightly at him. Thick poisonous fog, dim light—yet Yuanhou felt as if he had fallen into warm spring breeze and sunshine. For several hundred years, her heart had always held someone else. He found every excuse to stay by her side, knowing full well that Qing Ze’s heart held no place for her, yet still never spoke the truth.
She wanted to wait for Qing Ze, so he would wait for her. They all said that matters of love couldn’t be forced in the slightest—he believed it. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been entangled and lingering by her side for one or two hundred years without achieving proper fruition. But he believed even more that feelings could accumulate bit by bit. If she couldn’t wait for Qing Ze, then he could wait for her.
Jin Zhan had already leaped up borrowing force, steadily retrieved the divine cauldron, and jumped back onto the axe. Looking back at the dragon’s mouth cave that had sunk into darkness and appeared unfathomably deep, Jin Zhan exhaled a long breath. Just now the situation had been urgent—he hadn’t thought at all. Now he was frightened into a cold sweat after the fact. If those stone pillars had suddenly sunk down, never mind his arm—he would probably have been crushed to powder.
He held up the divine cauldron with both hands, solemnly offering it to Qingsui. Qingsui smiled, shook her head, and didn’t accept. “Since the divine cauldron chose you, from now on you are its master.”
Jin Zhan wasn’t surprised by Qingsui’s proposal. She had privately mentioned many times that she wanted him to take over as Wood Administrator Dijun—it was just still too early now. Jin Zhan opened his mouth about to speak when he felt the entire Dragon Prison Valley shake. Everyone standing on Heaven-Opening Axe was jolted and staggered.
Xiang Su nearly fell off Dong Tianyun’s back. Dong Tianyun reached back to support her and smiled reassuringly at her. Xiang Su’s heart warmed at the sight and she couldn’t help kissing his slightly upturned mouth corner. Dong Tianyun’s smile froze, then he gave a helpless bitter smile, turning back to carefully investigate what change had occurred.
The entire Dragon Prison Valley’s terrain was undergoing changes. The thorned spirits let out desperate dying screams that grew louder and louder, making one’s hair stand on end. The solitary peak that had imprisoned Shen Nong Ding trembled violently, as if the stone dragon wanted to break free of its restraints and fly into the sky.
“Not good! This solitary peak is probably about to achieve sentience and turn demonic!” Yu Mu shouted loudly, his voice quickly drowned in the screams of the thorned spirits.
Dong Tianyun’s expression became grave. He raised his hand to pass Kunpeng to Yanji, glanced at Xiang Su once, then held her down and handed her to Jin Zhan. “Take good care of her.” Speaking thus, he drew Gujun and leaped out from the axe surface.
Xiang Su reached out wanting to grab his clothes, but he left too quickly—she didn’t even touch his garment hem. He was leaving her behind again! Jin Zhan drew in his arms to hold her tighter, understanding the situation: “It’s different now. If you follow him now, you’ll only drag him down.” Xiang Su’s shoulders drooped dejectedly. Dragging him down… indeed.
Once Gujun emerged, the thorned spirits’ screams became even more shrill. Jin Zhan had to cover Xiang Su’s ears, afraid of damaging her hearing. The divine cauldron had already been collected into Jin Zhan’s primordial spirit. The surroundings had no light at all. Though Xiang Su couldn’t see anything, she still refused to close her eyes, afraid that with one blink, Dong Tianyun would disappear again.
Suddenly she heard Dong Tianyun give a short shout. Though not passionate, it covered the thorned spirits’ screams. Gujun emitted dazzling, sharp radiance, as if lightning was attached to the sword’s edge, illuminating the entire Dragon Prison Valley brilliantly. Xiang Su’s eyes squinted from not adapting to the light. She tried hard to look toward the strongest point of light—Dong Tianyun’s tall, handsome figure, his flowing black hair, the world-shocking divine artifact in his hand, and that fatal swing… all too beautiful. Like everyone else, Xiang Su watched in shock and fascination, forgetting everything around her. Her eyes held only Dong Tianyun’s handsome features bearing charming killing intent, cutting down the dragon head of the solitary peak with one sword in peerless elegance.
The dragon head let out a tremendous roar. Gujun sword’s radiance also instantly withdrew. The collision between massive rocks produced earth-shaking, mountain-trembling force. The thorned spirits’ screams also seemed much lower.
The dust raised by the dragon head’s fall was suffocating. Xiang Su coughed uncomfortably. A pair of hands, firm yet gentle, picked her up. “Dong Tianyun!” she called out softly. She only heard him laugh lightly and hum in acknowledgment.
All the gloom in her heart completely dissipated. The repeated self-blame and grievance of fifty years was instantly obliterated by his laughter. He had returned. He hadn’t abandoned her again.
The valley’s trembling slowly subsided. Yuanhou said lightly: “All right, let’s go.”
Before his words fell, the surroundings suddenly erupted with heaven-shaking, earth-shattering thunder. The thorned spirits once again howled miserably, but gradually were buried in the earth’s roar.
“Hurry!” Chilin urged Yuanhou. Only then did Yuanhou discover he could no longer urge Heaven-Opening Axe at all. The axe surface shook violently, as if struggling hard to break free yet futilely powerless.
“Not good! The valley heart’s demonic energy has scattered underground. The entire Dragon Prison Valley seems to be closing!” The Ruyi in Yu Mu’s hand also kept clanging.
Yuanhou gradually couldn’t maintain it and could only recall Heaven-Opening Axe. Everyone rapidly fell to the ground. Sure enough, Dragon Prison Valley’s ground trembled severely. Ash and dust filled the air. Breathing became increasingly difficult.
Yu Mu held the Ruyi and chanted incantations, then suddenly shouted: “I know! The valley heart is the ‘wind eye’ that suppresses the entire Dragon Prison Valley. Dragon Prison Valley belongs to earth in the five elements—there must be a wood spirit stationed at the wind eye for Dragon Prison Valley to remain stable.”
Jin Zhan frowned and said resolutely: “First put Shen Nong Ding back. We’ll think of a strategy and come retrieve it again!” He was about to sacrifice the divine cauldron.
“No!” Qingsui was choked until she coughed continuously, but her voice was incomparably resolute. Having finally recovered what was lost, no matter what, she couldn’t risk it again.
“The valley heart has already split. If the divine cauldron is put back, it will be sucked into the earth veins and can never be retrieved again.” Yu Mu also shook his head. “The current plan is…” At such a critical juncture, he hesitantly stopped.
“What exactly do we need to do? Speak!” Chilin was anxious and urged him sternly.
“The current plan is to choose a wood spirit to fill the wind eye!” Yu Mu’s voice dropped, clearly making a major decision. “Dong Tianyun, now is not the time to be indecisive. Let the little flower spirit go!”
Xiang Su had originally been desperately resisting the heavy ash and sand. She never expected calamity would suddenly descend upon her.
“Unacceptable!” Several voices said simultaneously. Except for Chilin and Yuanhou, almost everyone objected.
Xiang Su breathed rapidly, not entirely because of the dust and sand, but also because he hadn’t spoken.
She also understood—Jin Zhan and Qingsui were the leaders of the wood spirit realm, of crucial importance. So indeed she was the most suitable to fill the wind eye. Did Dong Tianyun think so too? Among the three wood spirits, did he also believe she was the person most deserving to be sacrificed?
Because of Dong Tianyun’s lack of response, the matter seemed to fall into a deadlock. The valley was still continuously closing. The ash and sand grew thicker. The air was turbid and thin.
“We can’t delay any longer! Otherwise we’ll all die here!” Yu Mu gritted his teeth and reached out to grab Xiang Su.
Dong Tianyun slapped his hand away with a crack. Yu Mu also became anxious. “It’s just a little flower spirit—there are as many as you want! You’re only cherishing her because she’s the same gardenia flower as Xiang Su. Once we leave here, I’ll help you find Xiang Su…” Yu Mu was pushed back several steps by Dong Tianyun’s palm strike.
“If I exist, she exists!” Dong Tianyun said slowly, word by word.
Chilin let out a nearly crazed shriek: “Dong Tianyun, are you going to let us all die here for one insignificant little flower spirit?”
Dong Tianyun didn’t answer. He swiftly threw out Gujun’s scabbard, caught it with his other hand, and chanted an incantation. “You all leave using Gujun sword’s scabbard!” He waved his hand. The scabbard kept rotating, becoming broad and large, also emitting bright light.
Chilin didn’t board the scabbard. Having lost her reason, she rushed over and grabbed Dong Tianyun. “You’re going to die here for her? No! I don’t agree! You’re supposed to be with me, be with me!”
Yu Mu stood up, still unwilling to give up. “Dong Tianyun, don’t blame me for being rude!” He urged the Ruyi to try to snatch Xiang Su.
Jin Zhan and Yanji wanted to step forward to help but were blocked by Yuanhou. Right now, sacrificing Xiang Su was indeed the best choice, and moreover… it was what he had secretly hoped for all along. Both Jin Zhan and Yanji’s eyes turned red. Dragon Prison Valley’s earth veins were out of control with tremendous gravitational force. Magical artifacts couldn’t be sacrificed at all. The three Dijun fought in a tangled melee like common peddlers.
Xiang Su lay quietly on Dong Tianyun’s back. The surroundings were shaking violently. Everyone’s anxious struggles seemed to have nothing to do with her. After he said those words, she had no regrets about life or death. Whether she was Xiang Su or that clumsy name he gave her, Dong Tianyun Youyue, he refused to abandon her. He wanted to share life and death with her.
When he sank into the Abyss River, she repeatedly comforted herself saying that rather than spending a life ordinary and mediocre, meeting him painfully was also good. When missing him became unbearable, she felt that an ordinary life would also be good.
But at this moment, she had no regrets.
Her small arms released Dong Tianyun’s neck. She had the naturally light and nimble movement technique of wood spirits. She used her feet to laboriously tap the sword scabbard and borrowed force to fly toward the wind eye.
In this life, she owed him far too much. Although leaving him would still make him sad, at least… she could do something for him.
Inside the wind eye was a huge cyclone from the valley’s closing. Xiang Su only approached slightly and was firmly pulled toward the wind eye.
“No!” Dong Tianyun’s eyes split with rage. Disregarding Yu Mu’s Jade Ruyi striking at him, he lunged trying to rush over and grab her.
Chilin and Yuanhou firmly grabbed his arms. He shook them off bitterly. Chilin couldn’t withstand his strength and was dragged several steps along the ground. Where was any Dijun dignity? She was just a pitiful girl desperately trying to retain her beloved.
At the last moment, Xiang Su only wanted to tell him that she was Xiang Su, that she hadn’t betrayed him. But she still smiled and looked at him with attachment. Since she was destined to perish, why speak this unbearable truth again? She hated Chilin, but at the final moment of death, she felt that letting Junshang be with Chilin… was also good. At least there would be someone who truly cared for him by his side.
“Let go!” Dong Tianyun’s eyes were bloodshot. He raised his long sword with his other hand.
“You want to kill me?” Chilin hugged his leg, her hair disheveled, face covered in tear tracks. In extreme pain and disbelief, she looked up at Dong Tianyun.
A figure like a wisp of blue smoke, light and peaceful, swept past all the arguing and angry people, caught back Xiang Su who was about to be swept into the wind eye, and forcefully threw her back. She herself fell into the wind eye even faster because of exerting that force.
Everything was too fast—so fast that no one could react.
Yuanhou released his grip on Dong Tianyun. Dong Tianyun caught Xiang Su. He still stood there in a daze.
“Qingsui!” Jin Zhan cried out in panic and rushed toward the wind eye wanting to pull her back. Yanji also ran over with him. The wind eye had already closed. The violent wind had ceased. Even the earth was gradually stabilizing.
Yuanhou still didn’t move. Dong Tianyun first glared fiercely at Xiang Su, then looked back at the ashen-faced Yuanhou.
Just now because Yuanhou stopped him from saving Xiang Su, he had been full of resentful anger. He never expected that in just a moment’s turn, the situation would reverse like this. “Yuanhou…” He wanted to say some comforting words. Just now he had already experienced heart-rending feelings. Words had no effect in the face of such feelings.
“What is this?” Yanji called out in confusion. He reached into the now-calm wind eye and fished out something. Looking closely, it was a pine cone. He lowered his eyes, turned, and handed the pine cone to the expressionless Yuanhou. This was the last thing Qingsui left behind. It was left for… him.
Yuanhou accepted it numbly, holding it in his hand with no reaction.
“There’s soul light!” Jin Zhan cried out in delight. Perhaps Sister Qingsui was like Xiang Su, leaving behind her soul through the pine cone! He quickly sacrificed Shen Nong Ding, using the cauldron’s energy to envelop the pine cone in Yuanhou’s hand.
No miracle occurred. As Qingsui departed, she only used her weak soul to leave one sentence. Her voice was relaxed, even carrying faint laughter.
“I lived with regrets but die with peace of mind. Yuanhou, I never once liked you…”
Hearing this, Yuanhou’s hand trembled and the pine cone dropped to the ground with a thud. The thorned spirits had already fallen silent. The earth was also calm as before. Even sunlight faintly shone through the dense fog. But his world was more shattered than before. The valley had long since returned to normal, yet he still forgot to ride the clouds, stumbling as he ran out.
Yanji walked over and slowly picked up the pine cone. His pitch-black eyes were stained with the faintest moisture. “Fool…”