Shao Yi remembered—it was a spring day with floating willow catkins when a divine official suddenly brought news: Zhongshan Emperor Chang Yu would be marrying the Wushan Goddess who had already borne him a son. The grand wedding banquet was being prepared at the Sea of Parting Regret, reportedly the place where they had pledged their love.

Upon learning this news, Liu Sang hurriedly left Qiongsang City. She was gone for half a month, and when she returned, her eyes were completely red and she looked utterly haggard. For a moment, Shao Yi was actually startled by her reaction. Perhaps in his imagination, Liu Sang should have casually bid Chang Yu farewell with a wave. What was this state she was in?

Liu Sang lowered her head. Large tears rolled from her eyelashes. She said softly: “Brother, he said I should be a goddess who knows how to play around. What does he mean? I didn’t want to play with him. I truly liked him. Why doesn’t he believe me?”

Not only did Chang Yu not believe it—even he didn’t believe it.

What kind of illusory thing was liking someone? She liked him today—would she still like him ten thousand years from now?

Shao Yi shook his head: “…Go rest in your room.”

Liu Sang’s complexion was pale. Unusually docile, she nodded and turned to leave.

This time she lay in bed for more than half a month, refusing to get up or eat. When Shao Yi went to Yufeng Tower to see her, she had lost a great deal of weight and just lay under the covers in a daze.

“Try to let it go.” Shao Yi sat on the edge of the bed and stroked her hair. “There are so many divine lords in the world. You’re not short one of him.”

Liu Sang didn’t speak, only shook her head.

Truly fickle and unpredictable.

Shao Yi picked up a tender leaf from the windowsill and blew out a little tune. This was something Mother often played for him in his childhood, usually to lull him to sleep. It would be better if she also fell asleep quickly and stopped thinking about all this nonsense.

The invitation to Zhongshan Emperor’s grand wedding banquet was soon delivered to Qiongsang City, casually inviting Qingyang Emperor and the princess to attend the ceremony. Shao Yi didn’t have Liu Sang accompany him. She had been extremely dejected these days. If she burst into tears at Chang Yu’s wedding banquet, that would truly be too terrible.

He went to the Sea of Parting Regret alone. This azure and clear ocean in the far west of the Upper Realm was probably one of the most beautiful sights there. Countless small islands like white jade and emerald dotted the sea surface. Chang Yu’s wedding banquet was spread out on an island in the heart of the sea.

For a Zhuyin Clan marriage, guests came and went endlessly. When Shao Yi found Chang Yu amidst a dazzling auspicious glow, he was intimately whispering with the Wushan Goddess who was about to become the Emperor’s wife. Seeing him arrive, this Zhongshan Emperor dismissed his wife and gazed at him expressionlessly.

Shao Yi looked at him coldly and said lightly: “Has Zhongshan Emperor perhaps forgotten that Liu Sang is a princess of the Qingyang Clan?”

The wild and unrestrained Zhuyin Clan finally revealed their arrogant and contemptuous side: “I thought agreeing to cancel the marriage alliance was already my attitude. But the princess is alluring, and moreover bold and unrestrained. I had no reason to refuse. Qingyang Emperor is usually amorous—naturally you understand.”

But his amorous pursuits shouldn’t have involved the Qingyang Clan.

Shao Yi took a cup of wine to toast him. Chang Yu had just received it when suddenly that cup of wine transformed into a ball of ghostly blue flames, nearly burning his clothes. He retreated a step, his expression also gradually darkening.

“I heard your talent is quite good,” Shao Yi smiled slightly. “In my view, it’s only average.”

Chang Yu said slowly: “I’ve also heard your natural gifts are exceptional. I’ve long wanted to exchange pointers.”

Neither of them said anything more. Between Emperors, this was enough. Chang Yu’s action was a complete trampling of the Qingyang Clan’s dignity. The last veil of warmth between the two clans was torn to shreds. The small island that had just been bright with sunshine suddenly became dark. Dense white snow fell like a sudden downpour. The deities who had come to observe the ceremony never imagined a fight would break out at the wedding banquet and couldn’t help but cry out in alarm and dodge.

At first, they merely tested each other’s depths and didn’t strike viciously. But very quickly they discovered that both were Emperors with exceptional talent. When evenly matched opponents met, it became extremely difficult to stop. Perhaps as the fight wore on, both felt a trace of regret, but they could no longer stop. The massive Zhuyin Darkness swallowed the entire beautiful Sea of Parting Regret. The ghostly blue flames of destruction burned the small island to ashes.

The earth-shattering battle between Emperors lasted three days. Even the Heavenly Emperor of that time was alarmed but powerless to stop it. No one could enter that enormous Zhuyin Darkness from outside. The Qing Emperor of the Huaxu Clan could only use sword energy transformed into dragons to drill in with difficulty to observe the situation.

At the very end—in truth, Shao Yi could no longer remember clearly. Their battle had already stopped. Their divine power was completely exhausted. They hovered between annihilation and non-annihilation. In this dying moment, the regret in his heart surged up like a tidal wave. Countless feelings of nostalgia and reluctance pressed on his chest like huge stones.

He had been impulsive. He still didn’t want to be annihilated. The Qingyang Clan could continue to become even more glorious under his leadership. Mother was pregnant with a third child—he didn’t know if it would be a princess or a phoenix lord. His joyful and indulgent career, his refined ambitions, his rational schemes. So many beautiful things and hopes in heaven and earth.

He didn’t want to be annihilated.

In the profound darkness, a thin figure was struggling to approach him. Shao Yi narrowed his eyes, trying to see her outline clearly, but was powerless to do so. She threw herself on him. Scalding tears fell on his face one by one. She called to him with difficulty: “Brother! Hang on! I’ll give you a Heart Feather!”

Liu Sang?! How could she be here?! Had she been hiding here all along? Then she must have suffered extremely severe injuries. Not treating herself, what Heart Feather was she giving him?

The intense pain of having the Heart Feather planted made his vision even more blurred. His ears also buzzed chaotically. Liu Sang seemed to keep apologizing. If only she hadn’t gone to like Chang Yu, or if only she could have been stronger. It was her willfulness that had turned everything into this.

But in fact, it wasn’t. He and Chang Yu had fought to the death for more reasons stemming from his own pride, the Qingyang Clan’s pride. Perhaps for Chang Yu it was the same. They were evenly matched opponents of equal strength. This was the most exhilarating battle of their lives.

Also, he had never planned to make a marriage alliance with the Zhuyin Clan. Regardless of whether Liu Sang liked this Zhongshan Emperor or not, her devotion in his view was just a minor trouble. He didn’t believe it, and he disdained it. But now, hearing her crying and apologies, Shao Yi didn’t know what he was feeling.

“Brother, he’s been annihilated.” Liu Sang turned and lay on Chang Yu beside them. “You won. Congratulations.”

If not for her Heart Feather, he probably would have been annihilated too by now. It really couldn’t be considered winning.

“How about this—when you can get up, if I’m still alive, we’ll support each other together. If I’ve been annihilated, you’ll just have to support yourself alone.”

What she said after that, Shao Yi could no longer hear. He was tormented by the intense pain of the Heart Feather until he nearly fainted. But when the intense pain receded like a tide, his injuries had also completely healed.

He suddenly sat up and slowly groped around in this suffocating darkness. He only felt handfuls of sand. An annihilated divine being would dissipate into clear energy within an hour. Liu Sang hadn’t yet reached fifty thousand years old. Caught between two Emperors’ earth-shattering battle, the trauma she suffered was enough to cause her annihilation, not to mention she had also given him a Heart Feather.

Why did she come? He, as her older brother, had never taken her feelings to heart. This Zhongshan Emperor even less so—Liu Sang was merely one completed item on his list of romantic conquests. She had lost her life for two bastards. Stupidly fatal. Hadn’t she always loved laughing and playing around with other divine lords? Why was it different with Chang Yu alone? He truly didn’t understand her devotion.

He now somewhat wanted to fulfill her wishes, but she was gone.

Therefore, no matter what, living was best. Don’t be annihilated. Once annihilated, there was nothing left, nothing at all.

Shao Yi stayed in this pitch-black darkness for a very, very long time, constantly activating the divine soul jewel on his forehead that held the Qingyang Clan’s prayer power, having the Qingyang Clan’s people transmit divine power to him. By every possible means, using all methods, even if the Qingyang Clan’s descendants would become frail from his constant demands, he still had to stay. He had to survive.

But he also couldn’t leave this massive Zhuyin Darkness. They were immune to all magic.

After who knows how long, turbid energy inexplicably arose in the darkness that had originally been full of pure clear energy. The longer the time passed, the more turbid energy accumulated. And the Sea of Parting Regret—someone from outside kept throwing in the corpses and bones of demons and monsters, even a pair of Di Jiang wings. Turbid energy and clear energy collided and entangled with each other. Gradually, demonic evil began to breed in this darkness, and it also began to truly make Shao Yi feel suffocated.

The turbid energy mixed with regenerating divine power and the Zhuyin Darkness for too long, gradually fusing together, and also gradually being absorbed by his body.

He felt himself once again hovering between annihilation and non-annihilation. Only the obsession of having to survive supported him.

By the time he realized something was wrong, it was already too late.