Clear daylight filtered through a small opening at the highest part of the wall, falling at Zhi Xi’s feet. She stared blankly at that spot of light, having been lost in thought for quite some time.

Suddenly, footsteps echoed in the dark corridor. Soon, the footsteps stopped in front of her cell. She slowly raised her eyes, and through the clear light of the Truth-Binding restraints, she saw Tai Yao’s concerned face. She couldn’t help but speak softly: “…Senior Brother Tai Yao?”

Tai Yao sighed. “What on earth happened? How did Junior Sister suddenly become a demon clan member, and then get sent to the Celestial Prison?”

Fortunately, his identity as the Ninth Imperial Prince allowed him access, or else he wouldn’t even be able to enter the Celestial Prison.

Zhi Xi shook her head, tears suddenly welling up in her eyes as she said softly: “It’s all my fault… all my fault… I must have gone mad…”

At the sight of the goddess crying, Tai Yao became flustered. After clumsily comforting her for quite a while, through questioning and guessing, he finally pieced together the general outline. Instead, he fell into contemplation for a long moment: “For what reason would she go absorb the Zhuyin darkness from the Sea of Departed Regrets?”

She only shook her head. She didn’t know either.

Never expecting this trip to be fruitless, Tai Yao shook his head and was about to turn and leave when, after thinking it over, he stopped once more.

“With Junior Sister’s temperament, if she and Shao Yi were to clash, that would be quite something. Moreover, their two clans have an old grudge between them. In my opinion, you’re worrying too much.”

The weeping Zhi Xi was finally silenced for a moment by his words. At last, her voice hoarse, she spoke: “Actually, I know everything. I just…”

But Tai Yao laughed once: “Just lost your head? Such a small matter, and yet you’re crying like this.”

She had been tormented to death and back by these feelings, yet in this Imperial Prince senior brother’s mouth, it had become a light and breezy “small matter.” Zhi Xi felt a kind of humiliation as her self-respect was damaged. She lowered her head in silence, forcefully wiping away her tears with her sleeve.

Tai Yao continued: “Since you’ve already lost your head, you should wake up now. Don’t forget your pride.”

Having said this, he turned to leave. He was quite worried about Yan Xia’s side, where she had gone to find their teacher. This junior sister’s ability to handle matters was truly not praiseworthy. Turning back for one last look at Zhi Xi, he said: “It’s just unfortunate that you’re trapped in the Celestial Prison. If you were outside to mediate, I’d be more at ease.”

After Tai Yao left, Zhi Xi remained lost in thought for a long time.

Her pride—it seemed she had forgotten about her pride for many years now. Before, her goal had been to enter the Ministry of Justice to become a fair and impartial divine official. But for Shao Yi, she had completely erased all her own goals, as if she lived solely for him.

Shao Yi’s last words echoed in her ears: At least before, I had some admiration for you.

Zhi Xi pressed her sleeve against her forehead, tears flowing like a spring.

She had been too foolish, too foolish, always presuming to imagine love, deceiving herself and giving herself hope. The persistence that had moved her countless times now seemed incredibly stupid in hindsight. She had harmed herself and harmed Xuan Yi as well. Now imprisoned, there was no room left even for redemption.

*

The tea in the glazed cup had gone from cold to hot and hot to cold countless times already. The tea leaves steeping inside were practically rotting. Baize Dijun picked it up for a look, then set it back down. His gaze fell once more upon the one hundred and twenty chief commanders of various war departments within Lingxi Courtyard.

For Xuan Yi’s matter, they had already been discussing in this broken courtyard for an entire day. He was trying to figure out the reason for Xuan Yi’s fall into demon nature, but it seemed the various deities weren’t interested in this. The shadow of Gonggong Dajun from years past ran too deep. The four words “celestial deity’s fall” made them speak of it with horror.

The towering auspicious light made his eyes somewhat dazzled. He couldn’t help rubbing his eyes when the irascible Gouchen Dadi immediately barked sternly: “Baize Dijun! Is now the time for dozing off? What do you mean by holding onto the summoning order this whole time?! Are we to watch helplessly as another Gonggong Dajun pops up? The celestial order is already chaotic enough!”

Using that detestable big accusation to pressure him again, Baize Dijun finally ignored the ruined tea leaves and took a large gulp. Suddenly he said: “As for Zhongshan’s side…”

A divine official in charge from Wenhua Hall immediately responded: “All correspondence has already been intercepted. Although we don’t know if Zhongshan Dijun and Xiaolong Jun’s serious injuries and leave are genuine, it’s still best not to alarm them.”

Gouchen Dadi held a tremendous grudge against the Zhuyin Clan. The Sea of Departed Regrets was their doing, and last time, because Zhongshan Dijun’s Zhuyin darkness had been absorbed, it caused the All-Heavens Demon Slaying Decree. He said coldly: “Perhaps this family of three have all gone to absorb the turbid qi from the Sea of Departed Regrets. Better to dispatch war generals to strictly guard Zhongshan!”

Baize Dijun looked at him kindly: “Why doesn’t Gouchen go?”

Gouchen Dadi immediately bowed his head in silence.

Just as things reached an impasse, a divine official from Zhuxuan Yuyang Palace suddenly ran into the courtyard from outside, gasping for breath as he bowed in greeting: “Greetings to all the high deities. May it please Qingyuan Dadi to know that our Dijun has followed your instructions and already sent the Houyi Arrows to the lower realm.”

The Houyi Arrows, the deity-slaying weapon?! So that was what was inside the wooden box that Qingyuan brat had been holding that day?

Baize Dijun’s expression finally changed. He turned to look at Qingyuan Dadi, who had remained silent all along. Qingyuan Dadi cupped his hands: “Baize Dijun, I know that Princess Xuan Yi was once your disciple, but a celestial deity’s fall is no small matter. It cannot tolerate your protective willfulness. I have already reported this matter to the Tian Di. We should await His decision.”

Even Gouchen Dadi’s expression changed: “Using the Houyi Arrows against that princess—isn’t that going too far?”

Those were the fierce weapons mortals used to slay gods, fundamentally a humiliation to all deities.

Qingyuan Dadi said: “That princess is unruly by nature, with no sense of celestial duty or responsibility. She’s likely no good person. Her falling to this state is hardly surprising. The Zhuyin Clan’s dragon scales are difficult to pierce, impervious to all methods. If the princess has fallen, presumably Zhongshan Dijun and Xiaolong Jun haven’t escaped either. Since the Houyi Arrows are so formidable, why not let them be put to use?”

Baize Dijun’s brow furrowed tightly. He had an excellent relationship with the previous generation’s Zhongshan Dijun and understood how many divine clans hated the Zhuyin Clan’s domineering arrogance enough to gnash their teeth. As long as they didn’t show weakness, it was fine, but the moment they revealed even a trace of vulnerability, it became a fatal wound.

This was truly a case of when the wall falls, all the deities push. They were even forcing the Tian Di to take a stand, trying to drive the Supreme Dragon War God toward extinction? What a bunch of short-sighted fools.

One day later, the Tian Di’s decree reached Lingxi Courtyard: The full war department summoning order was issued. All one hundred and twenty war department generals were to make every effort to hunt down and kill the fallen celestial deity.

When Tai Yao hurried from the Celestial Prison to Lingxi Courtyard, the chief commanders who had been gathered inside had already dispersed. Baize Dijun’s small figure sat lost in thought in the main seat, while Yan Xia beside him had a pale face with tearful eyes.

It seemed they were still too late. He couldn’t help but sigh. Stepping forward, he relayed everything Zhi Xi had said, which instead caused Baize Dijun to fall into contemplation once more.

Xuan Yi and Shao Yi, the Zhuyin Clan and the Qingyang Clan, the Sea of Departed Regrets. His intuition told him there was likely some connection here.

And his intuition was always accurate.

Baize Dijun suddenly stood up and spoke: “Yan Xia, continue looking after Gu Ting. Tai Yao, accompany me on a trip to the Langhuan Library in the Celestial Palace.”

At this critical juncture, why was their teacher still going to the library? For a moment, Tai Yao couldn’t figure it out and could only follow him on the trip to the Celestial Palace.

On countless massive bookshelves at the lowest level of Langhuan Library, what was collected were mostly biographies and major events from the lives of various titled Dijuns and Dadis throughout history. Because demon clans had frequently caused trouble in recent ages, there were more and more titled Dijuns in the divine realm. Gradually, the practice of writing biographies for Dijuns ceased. This lowest level, because of its numerous and miscellaneous records that were too troublesome to organize, had been sealed away beneath the Celestial Palace, with no one coming to read them anymore.

Utterly bewildered, Tai Yao watched his teacher rummage through mountain-high piles of books for a very long time. Suddenly, as if discovering something, he held up a blue-covered volume in his hand and called to him: “Come look.”

Tai Yao moved closer and saw that inside the volume was unmistakably painted a Dijun wearing the ceremonial robes of a Qingyang Clan Dijun, crowned with a fire-red jewel, lips and teeth curved in a smile, incomparably handsome—and looking exactly like Shao Yi.

Beside it, in flowing ink, was written a line: Qingyang Dijun Shao Yi.

He gasped: “This is?”

Baize Dijun blinked his eyes: “In my view, this is the Qingyang Clan Dijun who, together with the previous previous generation’s Zhongshan Dijun, created the Sea of Departed Regrets.”

He had originally only wanted to look at the biographical records of the two Dijuns who created the Sea of Departed Regrets, but hadn’t found them. Presumably, creating the Sea of Departed Regrets wasn’t any glorious deed, and since both Dijuns had died young, they simply weren’t given biographies. Just when he thought there was no hope and casually flipped through a volume, he unexpectedly found this painting.

This was truly a matter of karmic coincidence—the accidental discovery of a sealed secret.