Shao Yi stood quietly for a moment. Yan Xia had already been taken away by several inspection spirit officials. The noisy and rather undignified chief official was still exclaiming in admiration over Fucang’s Chun Jun sword.

He slowly walked outward. Suddenly Zhi Xi asked curiously: “Where is Junior Martial Brother Shao Yi going? Won’t you return to the Southern Heavenly Gate together with us?”

Shao Yi smiled: “I will return, but I want to walk alone for a bit first, clear my mind.”

Zhi Xi was stunned: “The lower realm is very chaotic right now. Where do you want to go? Moreover, you don’t have a mount. You should just come with us.”

Shao Yi still smiled, lightly declining: “No need.”

Watching him walk straight out and rise up on clouds, Zhi Xi couldn’t help but bite her lip. This time she bit too hard—it hurt so much she herself was startled. She quickly turned back and said: “Chief Official, Junior Martial Brother Fucang, let’s return to the Southern Heavenly Gate. We still need to deliver the locust demon to the Justice Ministry.”

The chief official voiced his agreement repeatedly. The three celestial deities emerged from the cave to find the sky outside already filled with evening clouds. Who would have thought they’d spent an entire day in the locust demon’s lair?

Recalling the experience, they couldn’t help but feel lingering fear. For some reason, Zhi Xi particularly hoped at this moment that someone could casually chat with her for a few words. She immediately smiled and said: “Junior Martial Brother Fucang, I once heard Father say that the sign of the Huaxu Clan’s sword path awakening is being able to execute sword energy transforming into a dragon. Back then, Qing Di comprehended sword energy transforming into a dragon at fifty thousand years old. Junior Martial Brother Fucang has surpassed his teacher—truly remarkable.”

Fucang still said not a word, sitting silently on the back of the Nine-Headed Lion. Zhi Xi felt even more surprised. Although he had always been taciturn, he would never impolitely ignore others’ attempts at conversation. What was going on? She looked over at him, only to see this white-robed divine lord’s body suddenly sway and collapse softly downward.

She was immediately greatly alarmed. The chief official at the side hastily tested with divine power. After a moment, he revealed an expression of astonishment: “…It seems like he’s fallen asleep.”

Zhi Xi recalled that strange greeting between Qing Yan and Fucang before he left, and couldn’t help but feel her scalp tingle: “Could it be that Xiaolong Jun did something to him?”

Xuan Yi had been feuding fiercely with Fucang. For this willful princess to call her own elder brother to help vent her anger would be completely normal.

However, the chief official shook his head repeatedly: “I’ve heard that the Zhuyin Clan’s style has always been bold and sweeping. If they truly took action, it shouldn’t be so light. Even if they intended to harm the Huaxu Clan, how could it be such an easy matter? I see that Shenjun Fucang doesn’t look like he’s injured. We should return to the upper realm first.”

Zhi Xi was worried. At this moment, she could only resent that the Southern Heavenly Gate was built too far away—they’d still have to fly for several days to arrive. The Nine-Headed Lion exerted all its strength, racing through the sea of clouds while flying and howling chaotically. The chief official was greatly surprised: “This Nine-Headed Lion can actually cry!”

Little Nine, who could both cry and howl wildly, ran nonstop for three days. The outline of the Southern Heavenly Gate finally became distantly visible. As a result, it cried even harder, tears falling from its eighteen eyes like rain. Zhi Xi comfortingly patted its back when she suddenly heard her teacher’s voice from afar: “Zhi Xi!”

She hastily turned around to see a magnificently golden and jade-green giant carriage identical to before being pulled by eight golden qilins. In the blink of an eye, it stopped before them. Baize Dijun was riding on the back of a golden qilin, extremely rarely showing a trace of fatigue.

Clearly not even one day had passed in the divine realm, yet seeing her teacher at this moment, Zhi Xi had a feeling as if a lifetime had passed. She hastily bowed and called out: “Teacher.” Her eyes were already slightly red.

Baize Dijun jumped onto the lion’s back. Seeing Fucang lying motionless, he immediately tested lightly with divine power on his forehead. After a moment, he made a sound of surprise and said: “It’s the Huaxu Clan’s sword path awakening. Nothing to worry about. Let him sleep—he’ll wake within three days.”

So it really was a realm breakthrough. Zhi Xi breathed a sigh of relief and asked: “Teacher, what about the other martial brothers and sisters? Are they all safe?”

“Aside from you few, I’ve already brought all the other disciples back to the upper realm. Where are Shao Yi and Xuan Yi?” Baize Dijun looked around in a circle.

That day when the Sea of Parting Regret fell, he had expended countless divine power to finally allow the various disciples to successfully avoid the clear and turbid air currents and descend to the lower realm, nearly falling down himself in the process. Afterward, the divine realm was thrown into chaos. After hastily reporting the situation to Tian Di, he immediately descended to the lower realm to search for his disciples. Skilled in divination, he calculated the disciples’ locations one by one from near to far. Zhi Xi’s group of four disciples were together and especially far away. To prevent further accidents, he first sent the other disciples back to the upper realm before rushing to retrieve these four. He’d only just left the Southern Heavenly Gate when he encountered Zhi Xi. Looking at her currently listless expression, she must have experienced hardships these past few days. It truly wasn’t easy.

Zhi Xi slowly recounted the experiences of these days. When she mentioned that locust demon who couldn’t be killed no matter what and was now trapped within Chun Jun, Baize Dijun immediately took Chun Jun in hand and looked at it for a moment, saying: “The locust demon is already dead. There is no truly infinite healing power in this world. He was first burned by Shao Yi’s fire of destruction, then frozen by Xiaolong Jun’s Zhuyin White Snow, and finally injured by sword energy transforming into a dragon. These are all famous divine clans’ ultimate techniques. As a small locust demon, he couldn’t withstand them.”

As he spoke, he pinched with two fingers, and the locust demon’s corpse immediately fell onto the lion’s back. His entire body was mangled with flesh and blood, both legs severed—his death was quite miserable.

Baize Dijun was startled by how ugly it was and jumped back two steps in distaste. He fumbled in his robes for a long time but couldn’t find anything to hold the corpse, so he could only take off one sock. The locust demon’s corpse was immediately wrapped inside, becoming as small as a leaf.

He quickly handed the sock to the chief official at his side: “Although dead, the corpse still has some use. Send it to the Hall of All Gods for those youngsters to examine carefully. Perhaps they can discover something.”

Seeing it was a sock, the chief official couldn’t very well say anything. With a difficult expression, he accepted it while grumbling inwardly, then hastily flew toward the Southern Heavenly Gate.

Baize Dijun looked at the sky: “Take Fucang back to the Southern Heavenly Gate. Since Xuan Yi was picked up by Xiaolong Jun, she should be fine. I’ll go find Shao Yi.”

He pulled out bamboo divination sticks from his robes and was just about to divine Shao Yi’s location when he heard a clear wind sound cutting through the sea of clouds in the lower realm. A giant cloud roc suddenly flew high and stopped nearby. Shao Yi was sitting on the cloud roc’s back, his arms around an unfamiliar beautiful goddess, smiling as he greeted them: “Teacher, Senior Martial Sister.”

Baize Dijun never concerned himself with his disciples’ romantic debts. Seeing him return safely, he nodded with relief: “Good that you’re safe. Let’s return.”

Shao Yi lightly descended onto the lion’s back. The beautiful goddess he’d been holding in his arms also descended, intimately holding his arm, her beautiful eyes curiously looking at Zhi Xi and the sleeping Fucang.

…In three days in the lower realm, he’d already gotten involved with a new goddess. Zhi Xi suddenly didn’t know what to say. In the past, she wouldn’t have even glanced at this, but now somehow… He’d clearly embraced Yan Xia and said he was sorry, resolving her karmic ties—why could he turn around and flirt ambiguously with other goddesses?

“Junior Martial Brother Fucang is asleep?” Shao Yi lowered his head to look carefully. “Could that sword energy transforming into a dragon technique earlier have awakened his sword path? That truly would be remarkable.”

Zhi Xi nodded silently. She endured and endured, but still couldn’t hold back. She said in a low voice: “Junior Martial Brother Shao Yi, this lady is…?”

Shao Yi smiled: “This is Shennu Han Shuang of the cloud roc clan. If we calculate relations, she should be my distant cousin. I didn’t expect she’d also gone to visit Yuyang Prefecture this time and fortunately escaped disaster. I happened to encounter her in the lower realm and we returned together. Thanks to the cloud roc flying fast—otherwise if I were riding clouds alone, who knows how long I’d have to fly.”

She had clearly asked him to come with them before… Zhi Xi forced a smile, having nothing to say.

Returning to the familiar Southern Heavenly Gate, aside from the guard soldiers and generals, it was rarely so bustling with celestial deities crowded everywhere. Baize Dijun’s disciples were gathered under an imperial rest tree, each still shaken, chattering about their various experiences in the lower realm.

Seeing Zhi Xi from afar, Gu Ting eagerly waved to her: “Senior Martial Sister Zhi Xi! Where’s Xuan Yi? Fucang… Fucang?!”

Fucang’s deep sleep set off another small round of astonishment among the disciples. Knowing that all his fellow students were safe and sound, Gu Ting breathed a sigh of relief. He’d originally wanted to ask Zhi Xi about her specific experiences in the lower realm, but seeing that she didn’t seem very spirited, he considerately didn’t ask and instead continued chatting with Tai Yao about their experiences in the lower realm.

When they descended to the lower realm, the two of them had actually ended up together. Their luck was surprisingly excellent—they encountered nothing at all and instead played for several days in mortal towns, quite leisurely.

Zhi Xi listened absentmindedly for a while, her thoughts drifting far away. Subconsciously she wanted to search for Shao Yi’s figure amid the vast auspicious light, but in the end she couldn’t find him.

For a long time, she had been very averse to Shao Yi, convinced he trampled on genuine feelings and toyed with emotions. The atmosphere of dissolute behavior in the divine realm was so prevalent precisely because there were too many divine clan members like him.

When they encountered the heavenly disaster and descended to the lower realm, meeting him midway, she had always remained vigilant. As long as his words or actions showed even a trace of flirtation, she would immediately seize the opportunity to admonish him, harshly reprimanding him. Who knew that all along the way he’d been perfectly proper, not even saying many words, making her own anxious self seem like a fool by comparison.

Later when he said he wanted to rescue Yan Xia alone, it shocked her even more. She’d originally thought his going to the lower realm to see Yan Xia was just idle talk, but unexpectedly he’d truly taken it to heart. From that moment on, she immediately changed her opinion of him.

But just now, that goddess from the cloud roc clan…

Even she herself was terrified. As if it had come suddenly, her mind was filled with thoughts of nothing but Shao Yi.

*

The wind in the mortal realm carrying turbid air was still uncomfortable. Xuan Yi brushed aside the strands of hair sticking to her face and looked up at Qing Yan.

He hadn’t spoken at all since leaving the cave. They hadn’t seen each other for three hundred years—supposedly they should have much to say. He wasn’t a dull gourd like Fucang either, yet he just kept staying silent, looking as if he had heavy matters on his mind.

Xuan Yi bumped her forehead against his chest and said in a low voice: “Qing Yan, you already knew that Shao Yi of the Qingyang Clan, didn’t you? And what really happened when I was injured as a child?”

Qing Yan’s expression was calm, showing no fluctuation. He only asked: “Did that Shao Yi tell you? I was asleep for three hundred years. I didn’t expect Qi Nan and Father to find you a teacher so quickly, and it was Baize Dijun no less. If I’d known, I definitely wouldn’t have let you go. Unfortunately, it’s too late to say this now.”

Xuan Yi looked at him without speaking. The gloomy color between Qing Yan’s brows grew heavier. After a long while, he said in a low voice: “Back then, Mother hated that Father was constantly unfaithful, so she left Zhongshan and took you away with her. Afterward, when the Tongshan Clan came to provoke us, Mother was gravely injured by them, causing her to perish. You were also injured because of it. After your injuries healed, you forgot this episode. Since it was too painful, it was probably better to forget.”

Xuan Yi’s expression changed abruptly. This happened? She… how could she have completely forgotten? She only remembered Mother’s endless tears at that time, her low and suppressed sobbing, the continuous snowflakes outside the window, and the crimson fresh blood covering the ground when Mother perished.

“It’s true that I’ve known Shao Yi for a very long time, but the reasons have nothing to do with you. It would be pointless to ask. I didn’t expect you’d become fellow students… Keep your distance from him. This divine lord has always had a reputation for philandering. One incident like Mother’s is enough.”

Xuan Yi laughed instead: “Afraid I’ll be like Mother? Qing Yan is overthinking.”

Qing Yan said coolly: “Whether you’ll be like Mother or not, I don’t know. But you’re still young. In these four wilds and eight wastelands, there are plenty of divine lords and emperors even worse than Father. If anyone bullies you, I can step in and teach them a lesson for you. But if someone breaks your heart, I’ll be utterly helpless.”

Xuan Yi sighed: “Now your skill at changing the subject is becoming as profound as Qi Nan’s. I don’t even know what to say.”

Qing Yan couldn’t help but laugh, but then he heard her say softly: “I won’t be like Mother.”

He was somewhat surprised. Bringing up Mother was indeed only to change the subject, to make her stop pursuing questions about Shao Yi. He hadn’t expected her to say such a thing.

Qing Yan looked at her calm and unruffled expression, momentarily feeling quite astonished instead.