Jiang Che entered carrying an exquisite food tray with several light but spirit-infused breakfast items and a bowl of spiritual rice porridge, perfectly cooked.
He immediately noticed Xi Yan's somewhat pale complexion and dazed expression, asking with concern: "What's wrong? You don't look well. Did you... not rest well last night?"
His tone was gentle, carrying the thoughtfulness and slight apology typical of a newlywed husband, clearly attributing her unusual state to exhaustion and shyness from the previous night.
Xi Yan's heart tightened. She quickly shook her head, forcing a natural smile: "N-nothing, probably just still a bit groggy from just waking up." She took the porridge bowl Jiang Che offered, the warmth slightly warming her cold palms.
Just then, a disciple's respectful voice came from outside: "Reporting to Elder Jiang, the Alliance Leader requests your immediate presence at the side hall for a meeting. There seems to be urgent business."
Jiang Che frowned slightly—an urgent matter on the second day of his marriage. But he knew Xiao Chen wouldn't disturb him unless it was important. He turned to Xi Yan, speaking softly: "My senior brother summons me, so I must go. Eat well, and if you feel tired, rest a bit longer. I'll return as soon as I can."
"Mm, important matters take priority. Go quickly." Xi Yan nodded obediently, but secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Jiang Che glanced at her once more before turning to leave with the disciple.
The door gently closed, and silence returned to the room.
Xi Yan's smile instantly vanished, replaced by grave tension. She took a deep breath, no longer hesitating, and quickly retrieved the black jade ring that had quietly materialized once more from her sleeve.
Her fingertips trembling slightly, she channeled a thread of spiritual energy into it.
The ring's surface rippled with ghostly light, and that cold, deathly aura spread once more. A blurred yet incredibly majestic phantom slowly coalesced above the ring—it was her Master, Zhu Qingcheng!
Xi Yan immediately rose and knelt respectfully, her voice carrying a barely detectable tremor: "Disciple Xi Yan pays respects to Master!"
She kept her head bowed, heart pounding, waiting for the expected interrogation or new orders. Her mind was already in chaos, having prepared herself for the worst.
However, the anticipated cold command never came.
Zhu Qingcheng's phantom quietly hovered, her gaze seemingly falling upon Xi Yan. That majestic voice unexpectedly carried a trace of... quiet warmth?
"Rise." Zhu Qingcheng's voice came through the ring, somewhat less sharp than in days past. "Yesterday was your wedding day."
Xi Yan froze, rising as instructed but still daring not to look up, her heart even more uncertain.
"From your aura, your cultivation seems to have improved, and your state of mind has... opened up somewhat." Zhu Qingcheng's voice revealed neither joy nor anger, as if merely stating a fact. "It seems you are doing well at the Immortal Spirit Holy Land."
Xi Yan's heart suddenly ached. For this Master who had taught her since childhood and entrusted her with her mission, she had always held respect and affection deep within. She had never imagined there would come a day when she would stand against her Master. So hearing these caring words, she quickly said: "Disciple... disciple is doing well. Thank you for your concern, Master."
What she feared most was that Master would force her to choose between her sect and her husband, between her mission and her true feelings—that would be unimaginable torture for her.
Zhu Qingcheng's phantom seemed to move slightly, her voice remaining calm: "Since things have come to this, follow your own heart and live well at the Immortal Spirit Holy Land."
"Master?!" Xi Yan looked up abruptly, her eyes filled with disbelief, joy, and astonishment! She almost thought she had misheard!
Zhu Qingcheng offered no explanation, only saying calmly: "The various tasks I previously entrusted to you are all hereby concluded. You need not continue your investigations or transmissions. Simply be yourself."
Before the words had fully faded, the black jade ring flickered with ghostly light. A small plaque, roughly palm-sized, completely black, of indistinguishable material, with a surface smooth as a mirror yet faintly emanating an aura similar to but more restrained than the ring, slowly flew out, hovering before Xi Yan.
"Take this item." Zhu Qingcheng's voice came. "You need not do anything—simply carry this plaque with you at all times. From this moment on, your karmic connection to the sect is bound to this object."
Xi Yan looked at the hovering black plaque, her heart surging with emotion, yet also carrying a subtle, instinctive feeling she couldn't quite name. But this tremendous "absolution" and sudden freedom instantly swept away all her doubts and anxiety!
Master no longer required her to be a spy! Allowed her to stay at the Immortal Spirit Holy Land! Allowed her to be with Jiang Che! This was simply the best outcome she had never dared dream of!
"Thank you, Master! Disciple... disciple will obey! I will not fail Master's grace!" She knelt once more, her voice choked with emotion as she carefully accepted the small black plaque. The plaque was cold to the touch, yet it felt like the key to her new life.
Zhu Qingcheng's phantom flickered slightly, a trace of something complex flashing through her eyes, then she seemed to nod before slowly dissipating. The black jade ring also faded from sight, as if it had never appeared.
In the room, only Xi Yan remained, tightly clutching that cold little plaque, her face radiant with relief and an incredibly brilliant smile, her eyes glistening with tears of hope for the future.
Immense joy drowned everything else.
...
Upper Realm, Heartless Dao Palace.
Zhu Qingcheng wore a pristine white Daoist robe, her aura cold and isolated, as if one with this ice-cold palace.
She slowly closed her eyes. Before her, the black jade ring that had connected her to Xi Yan in the Lower Realm had its light completely fade, becoming an object of ordinary iron, sinking into her wide sleeves.
She stood in silence for a moment, sighing wordlessly, then slowly turned around.
Not far behind her, a Daoist youth in pale green robes with twin hair buns and a youthful face but deep, profound eyes had quietly appeared at some point, wearing a faint smile that seemed far beyond his years.
"All has been settled." Zhu Qingcheng's voice echoed through this empty hall, still cold but carrying an almost imperceptible weariness and compromise. "I trust you will keep your promise and preserve my disciple's... life."
Upon hearing this, the youth's smile deepened. He cupped his hands in a salute, his voice clear yet carrying an undeniable weight: "Immortal Venerable speaks too humbly. Now that the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths of the Upper Realm are united, all Immortal Venerables sharing the same breath to face the great tribulation together, how could we possibly betray our trust and destroy our own foundation?"
Zhu Qingcheng's expression remained unchanged, only nodding slightly. Her gaze passed over the youth to look at the endless rolling sea of clouds and winds outside the hall, her voice flat and waveless: "I hope so."
The youth bowed once more: "In that case, this little Daoist will take his leave to report back. If Immortal Venerable has any doubts, you may inquire through the jade talisman at any time." With that, his form wavered, and like merging into the void itself, he disappeared without a trace, leaving not the slightest mark.
In the vast, cold palace, only Zhu Qingcheng remained once more.
Only after the youth's aura had completely vanished for a long while did Zhu Qingcheng's always-taut spine relax almost imperceptibly. She slowly walked back to the main seat in the hall but didn't sit down, only leaning against the railing, gazing at the boundless, murderously hidden sea of clouds below.
After a long time, an extremely soft sigh escaped her lips, carrying indescribable complexity and... guilt.
"Xi Yan..."
Her voice was so low it was almost inaudible to anyone but herself, yet in this absolutely silent palace, it seemed especially clear.
"Do not blame your Master..."
"This time, the Lower Realm has absolutely no chance of winning. Heaven's decree has long been set, and the tribulation cannot be reversed."
Her gaze grew profound, as if piercing through layers of space to see the earth-shaking changes occurring in the Lower Realm, and those about to occur.
"That one... has already re-established the 'Investiture of the Gods List.'" Even as she spoke this name, a trace of deep reverence and helplessness flickered in her eyes. "All those in the Lower Realm blessed by fortune, all who have made names for themselves, regardless of friend or foe, immortal or mortal, are on that list. This is but the beginning of the Great Tribulation's reckoning—no one can escape, no one can avoid it."
"Those whose names appear on the list have their true spirits bound. In the future... their lives and deaths will not be their own, all driven by the Heavenly Court, no different from puppets... That will be an ending more tragic than complete annihilation of body and soul."
She closed her eyes, Xi Yan's face and voice flashing through her mind—that disciple she had raised herself, lively and cute, seemingly having nothing to do with the 'Heartless Dao.'
"Only in this way... can her name be wiped from that destined list of reckoning."
"Only in this way... can a thread of survival be won for you in that approaching tribulation that will sweep through the heavens, preserving your free true spirit."
"This is already... the best ending your Master could fight for you
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