What scenery lay at the bottom of the Heavenly River? Other than Chen Yixin, the Soul of the Heavenly River, only the immortals and gods who had sunk into its depths—whether dead or suppressed there—had ever known. Now there was one more: Wenren Li.
Compared with the last time, when he had felt that crushing pressure and the sense that he could not survive there, Wenren Li felt none of it now.
The water shimmered brilliantly. The Heavenly River itself was made from strings upon strings of fragments of time pieced together, along with that utterly pure water aura. Water nourished wood, and this was the same water aura that emanated from Chen Yixin, so it caused Wenren Li no discomfort at all.
Wenren Li let his awareness spread outward for a moment, then immediately drew it back to the person before him. Chen Yixin’s features were beautiful, but what stirred Wenren Li even more was the way he kissed him—utterly focused, steadfast, and deeply moved.
When the kiss ended, Chen Yixin released Wenren Li and clasped his hand tightly instead. Together, they continued sinking toward the riverbed.
Yet before Wenren Li’s eyes, a series of disjointed fragments of time suddenly flashed past. They belonged to the period before his spiritual consciousness had awakened—or perhaps to years so impossibly distant that he had simply forgotten them.
Above the Myriad Worlds lay the Immortal Realm, and through it ran a Heavenly River that had existed since time immemorial. It had already existed before Father God opened up the Immortal Realm—or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that the Immortal Realm itself existed by relying upon the Heavenly River.
It was water of absolute purity, without any source, and nothing could contain it. Eventually, it became the burial ground of the gods, washing away slaughter and washing away all their former glory as well.
Yet the Heavenly River had always possessed a mission of its own. Too many gods had been buried within it, bringing with them no small burden. Without realizing it, they strengthened the Void Origin. When the Heavenly River weakened, the Void Origin flourished, and thus came the Age of Dharma Decline.
All things in existence engendered and restrained one another. Such was the relationship between the Heavenly River and the Void Origin.
The Heavenly River existed to restrain the Void Origin, and the Soul of the Heavenly River likewise took shape because the evil intent within the Void Origin had grown too strong. But unlike the formless Void Origin, the Heavenly River’s soul required both immense time and the proper opportunity before it could be born and take form.
“So a seed from beyond the Realm Gate really can be watered by the Heavenly River and grow to maturity, but it still cannot be used by me…” A youth formed from the waters of the Heavenly River gazed at the tiny sapling that had grown beside him for countless ages and could not resist reaching out to give it a light flick.
“A spiritual consciousness and soul form have already taken shape. If I seize it for myself, that would be evil. I cannot take it…”
The Heavenly River was formless and could only take shape by borrowing an external vessel. He had originally nurtured this seed of the Longevity Dao Fruit with Heavenly River water because he wanted to build a stronger foundation for himself, allowing him to better oppose the Void Origin. Yet unexpectedly, the seed had developed a spiritual consciousness of its own. As the source of absolute purity, he could not erase it.
Elio’s Notes: 道果, literally “Dao fruit,” refers to the fruit or perfected result of one’s Dao or cultivation. Here, the “Longevity Dao Fruit” is the seed Chen Yixin nurtured that ultimately became Wenren Li.
“Very well. Grow in peace, then.”
The youth touched one finger to the sapling, leaving behind a sheen of water before returning to the Heavenly River. Countless more years passed before he came to visit it again. The sapling had grown somewhat taller, becoming a small silver tree, but before the youth could say anything to it, he collapsed unconscious beside it.
From then on, whenever the youth became exceptionally weak, he would come rest beside the little tree.
“To pass through the Realm Gate, my body must be severed. If the Heavenly River is severed, I cannot survive either. This is my destiny.” The youth smiled faintly and lifted his hand, allowing one of the little tree’s branches to curl around his wrist. He did not seem particularly unwilling to accept the destiny the gods had assigned him.
“If I must be severed, then so be it. Since it is destiny, it is not something I can defy.”
As the little tree’s spiritual consciousness gradually awakened, its branches and leaves trembled faintly, perhaps stirred by the winds of the Extradimensional Realm—or perhaps because it was worried about the youth’s fate.
The youth slept beside the little tree, his expression peaceful as ever, yet a mass of gray Void Origin aura churned within his chest. It was the Void Origin that tormented him each time and left him so terribly weakened.
The little tree extended its roots and climbed onto the youth’s chest. Its roots wrapped around the Void Origin, and before the youth could awaken, it tore through space and fled. It escaped all the way to the end of the Heavenly River, only to be intercepted by the youth after he woke.
“So you intend to use the Void Origin to cross that Realm Gate?” Sadness flickered across the youth’s face, but his expression quickly hardened. His existence was the foundation upon which countless living beings in this world depended. The lives of innumerable creatures were not something he could casually abandon for anyone.
The waters of the Heavenly River surged forward, engulfing both the little tree and the Void Origin. Yet when the water curled back to the youth’s side, neither the Void Origin nor the silver tree he had raised for all those years remained.
Feeling strangely bereft, the youth sank to the bottom of the Heavenly River and continued sleeping. The Void Origin had escaped. Who knew how much evil it would bring when it returned? Or perhaps that would be the day his destiny finally arrived.
The sequence of images flashed by rapidly, yet remained so clear that Wenren Li could not possibly mistake them. That youth was Chen Yixin, and the silver tree that had carried the Void Origin away from the Heavenly River was Wenren Li himself.
“Back then, A-Li must have wanted to take the Void Origin away so I wouldn’t be weak anymore…”
Thinking about it now, Chen Yixin no longer felt the sorrow he had felt then. But back then, Wenren Li’s thinking had been far too simple. The Void Origin was born from the evil thoughts of all living things. Once it left the Heavenly River and lost even more of its restraint, the danger would become immeasurable if it fell into the hands of someone with a corrupt nature.
“I came because of the Void Origin, and I also came to find A-Li.” Chen Yixin skipped over everything that had happened afterward and said no more. Taking Wenren Li with him, he passed through the underwater passage connecting to the Heavenly River of the Heavenly Realm and finally returned.
Wenren Li turned his head to look at Chen Yixin and nodded gently.
It was likely that Chen Yixin had sensed something and therefore had no choice but to risk entering the world. For the Soul of the Heavenly River to leave the Heavenly River was equivalent to abandoning his strongest armor and weapon. The danger involved was easy to imagine.
Only after Wenren Li was carried away by the Void Origin were his memories of growing beside the Heavenly River erased. He forgot Chen Yixin. Chen Yixin, forced to enter the world, forgot him as well. Yet the bond between them had already been planted. It was no longer something memory alone could dictate.
“Elder Brother and the others must be worried sick waiting for us. Let’s hurry.”
As he spoke, Chen Yixin pulled Wenren Li out of the water. Qingruo, Lin Yu, and the others had already been brought to the bank of the Heavenly River by Yinzi and were waiting there.
“Elder Brother!” Chen Yixin’s smile brightened even further. He released Wenren Li’s hand, walked toward Qingruo, and was immediately gathered into an embrace.
“A-Rong is back… As long as you’re back, that’s enough.” Qingruo gently stroked Chen Yixin’s back. He could not bring himself to utter a single word of reproach. As far as he was concerned, so long as Chen Yixin and Wenren Li returned safely, however many years he had waited were worth it.
“Mhm.” Chen Yixin responded softly, leaning against Qingruo’s shoulder as he explained in a low voice, “A-Li and I were both trapped within the Heavenly River, so we couldn’t return at the time we promised.”
When he had taken Wenren Li into the Heavenly River, it had effectively meant abandoning his Heavenly Phoenix body. He had needed to use Heavenly River water to reconstruct his soul and body. Although it had not been as difficult as the first time, it still required a considerable amount of time.
Afraid that Qingruo and Lin Yu would worry, they had first sent Wenren Li’s true body back. Even so, the entire process had still taken some two hundred thousand years.
“I understand.” Qingruo rubbed Chen Yixin’s hair and finally released him. Had he continued hugging him, the two people standing off to the side looked as though their eyes might have popped out from glaring.
But before Chen Yixin could return to Wenren Li’s side, Yinzi had already leapt into his arms.
“Mother, Yinzi wants Mother to hold me too.”
Yinzi had resented missing out on this embrace for far too long. The long whiskers on his forehead curled around Chen Yixin’s hair while both his hands clung tightly to Chen Yixin’s shoulders. His round eyes were not looking at Chen Yixin at all. Instead, he turned his head and glared at Wenren Li, who was always preventing him from getting close to Chen Yixin.
“All right, I’ll hold Yinzi for a little while.” Chen Yixin smiled with pursed lips. He held Yinzi with one arm and extended his other hand toward Wenren Li, his brows and eyes radiant just as they had been in the beginning.
Lin Yu likewise took Qingruo’s hand, while Jiuyu followed beside them. Together, they slowly made their way back toward Yuxu Palace.
“By the way, Elder Brother, Big Brother Lin Yu—your wedding should have happened already, shouldn’t it?”
Chen Yixin looked back, only to see Qingruo and Lin Yu both shake their heads, neither of them appearing particularly concerned about it. Then again, with Chen Yixin and Wenren Li missing, how could they possibly have had the heart to think about a wedding?
Chen Yixin stared at them a little longer before turning back toward Wenren Li. “A-Li, do you think they still haven’t… ahem, done that…?”
Chen Yixin’s senses were even sharper now than before. When he hugged Qingruo earlier, he had not sensed another person’s aura on him at all. Qingruo and Lin Yu might both possess strength on the level of Ancient Gods, but in this particular matter, the two of them probably knew even less than an ordinary minor god.
“A Heavenly Phoenix must maintain its strongest possible combat strength. The purer its aura, the better,” Wenren Li explained, resolving Chen Yixin’s confusion. He glanced back at the somewhat awkward expressions on Qingruo’s and Lin Yu’s faces before continuing, “Now that everything has settled, you may simply follow your hearts.”
In the past, whenever Qingruo and Lin Yu dual cultivated, it had only been dual cultivation of their divine souls. They helped one another increase their cultivation and heal their injuries, but nothing beyond that.
Lin Yu understood Qingruo’s feelings and had never forced him or demanded anything of him. Thus, although all the gods already regarded the two as an old married couple, in truth, they were more “pure” than anyone else.
“Then let’s get married. A-Rong and Great Emperor have returned. We should celebrate.”
Qingruo finally spoke. The last trace of hesitation faded from his face. There was really nothing left to hesitate over. In his previous life, Lin Yu had braved life and death to protect him, and Qingruo’s heart had long since found where it belonged. There was no reason to delay any longer.
“All right.” Lin Yu agreed, smiling at Qingruo again and again, only to receive two completely unprovoked glares in return.
They walked from dawn until dusk before finally returning to Yuxu Palace. Along the way, through their conversations, Qingruo and Lin Yu finally learned the full details of the battle from all those years ago. Even now, merely thinking back upon those dangers made them break into a cold sweat on Chen Yixin’s and Wenren Li’s behalf.
“What about the Void Origin? Was it really destroyed?”
Qingruo had to ask. It had been born from all the evil in existence. Surely it could not disappear that easily.
Wenren Li and Lin Yu both turned toward Chen Yixin. After a brief hesitation, he shook his head. “No. The Realm Gate exists precisely to isolate and purify the Void Origin. As long as both the Realm Gate and I exist, it will never truly disappear.”
“You don’t need to worry so much. Things are different now. I can already leave the Heavenly River and continue cultivating without being bound by the Heavenly River’s true body. One day, I’ll find a way to suppress it completely.”
The human heart was complex. One thought arose, and myriad evils followed. To eradicate the Void Origin completely, every living being in this world would have to cease to exist.
As for making every person choose goodness, that was essentially impossible. Even immortals could not escape intrigue and scheming, much less the countless cultivation worlds and mortal realms.
Thus, the key to keeping everything suppressed still lay with Chen Yixin. He had to remain strong forever in order to face every danger that might someday arise. Once he entered the world, he was no longer beyond the cycle of reincarnation, but in exchange, he now had room to grow.
There were gains and losses in everything. At this point, how could Chen Yixin fail to understand that?
“Besides, I still have A-Li and all of you watching over me.” Chen Yixin turned and smiled at Wenren Li. His eyes shone brightly, with not the slightest trace of worry. Troubles might arise again someday, but at this moment, he was unquestionably happy.
“Mhm.” Wenren Li nodded softly and tightened his grip on their joined hands.
Outside Yuxu Palace ahead of them, all the gods had already gathered. The Ten Divine Generals had all returned, and even the weakest among them had reached the ranks of third-rank Immortal Lords. Qing Peng and Ze Fang, meanwhile, were seventh-rank and eighth-rank Immortal Lords respectively. Their paths of growth would have been considered legendary even in the outside world.
They knelt upon the ground, their hearts filled with countless emotions. Chen Yixin and Wenren Li had shown them immense kindness, enough that they were willing to repay it with everything they possessed.
“Everyone, rise. An Cheng, you may begin preparing Qingruo and Lin Yu’s wedding.”
Wenren Li turned and gave An Cheng several instructions. His gaze then lowered slightly toward Jiuyu, and the next instant, Yinzi lost control of his own body and flew directly into Jiuyu’s arms.
Chen Yixin pressed his lips together in a faint smile and let Wenren Li do as he pleased. He nodded to An Cheng, then allowed Wenren Li to lead him back to their palace.
Everything inside had been kept exactly as it was when they left. Even the furnishings had largely been arranged according to their old habits.
Chen Yixin sat down on a soft couch and gave Wenren Li a gentle tug. Wenren Li sat beside him, whereupon Chen Yixin immediately nestled into his arms.
Wenren Li wrapped both arms around him, supporting Chen Yixin so he could lean against him more comfortably. After a moment, he lowered his head and kissed Chen Yixin’s face again and again, as though this were the only way to reassure himself that the person before him truly was the one he loved.
Chen Yixin’s aura had changed, but his appearance had not changed much. Even to Qingruo and the others, he seemed almost no different from before. In fact, even in the past, the water aura around him had always surpassed his Heavenly Phoenix aura, and they had all long since grown familiar with it.
Chen Yixin blinked and contentedly enjoyed Wenren Li’s kisses, occasionally returning one himself.
Wenren Li continued kissing him, his lips lingering over Chen Yixin’s brows and eyes as though he wanted to imprint Chen Yixin’s aura into those excessively pure eyes of his. He lowered his lips again, but this time Chen Yixin turned his head aside.
Chen Yixin widened his eyes slightly and spoke with complete conviction. “A-Li, don’t tell me you think I won’t feel anything when you keep doing this?” Even if he had felt nothing at first, Wenren Li had already kissed those feelings into existence. Besides, Chen Yixin had always been extraordinarily easy to arouse when it came to Wenren Li.
“If you don’t intend to do anything else with me, then you need to stop while you still can.” Otherwise, Chen Yixin would no longer be able to obediently sit there and let himself be kissed.
“Then what does A-Rong intend to do?” Wenren Li lifted Chen Yixin’s chin with two fingers and pressed his lips against Chen Yixin’s, murmuring softly in a pleasing voice that had somehow become unexpectedly sensual.
Chen Yixin suddenly felt as though he were the one being seduced. His voice unconsciously dropped as he answered, “Naturally, I’m going to pounce on A-Li…”
Since he was already aroused, then naturally he wanted to do something more intimate. Chen Yixin saw nothing wrong with that. He rubbed his lips against Wenren Li’s again before pursuing the matter. “Will you?” Would Wenren Li let him pounce?
Wenren Li did not answer. He simply lifted Chen Yixin from the couch and carried him toward their large bed. Woven Cloud covered it, while silver merfolk silk rested off to one side.
Chen Yixin never managed to pounce on Wenren Li. Instead, he was the one laid down upon the Woven Cloud.
Wenren Li’s gentle kisses gradually turned heated. Along with them came all the deep affection that words could never fully express, drawing them both completely into it. Reaching this point together had been anything but easy, and that only made every moment they could spend at each other’s side more precious.
Clouds and rain gathered, and all living things flourished. The Upper Realm, where rain was seldom seen, was suddenly blessed with a long, gentle spiritual rain. Plants flourished, and countless divine herbs long thought extinct pushed their way out of the soil in forgotten corners of the world.
Elio’s Notes: 云雨, literally “clouds and rain,” is also a classical euphemism for sexual intimacy. The source deliberately plays on both meanings here: Chen Yixin and Wenren Li’s lovemaking is followed by literal spiritual rain across the Upper Realm.
This was even more pronounced within Yuxu Palace, where Chen Yixin and Wenren Li lived. Apart from a handful of newly recruited Demon Guards, no one inside or outside the Demon Palace showed the slightest surprise. Everyone went about cutting grass and trimming trees with practiced efficiency.
Inside a medicine pavilion on the outskirts of Yuxu Palace, Qiu Yi was brewing tea. Sitting opposite him was his regular guest, Ze Fang, and there were two additional visitors as well: Jiuyu, who had arrived with Yinzi in his arms.
Nearly every living being rejoiced at the arrival of the spiritual rain. Jiuyu alone found it difficult to feel happy.
He was an Otherworld Demon born from the Void Origin. Over the years, not only had his cultivation failed to improve, it had actually begun regressing. Had it not been for the black cord Chen Yixin had given him to stabilize his form, he would already have vanished like all the other Otherworld Demons.
“The Sovereign Consort can’t attend to your situation just yet. Wait another few days. He’ll come find you.”
As Qiu Yi spoke, he placed a bowl of tea in front of Jiuyu. To them, these two hundred thousand years had merely been a period of waiting. To Chen Yixin and Wenren Li, however, they had been a perilous struggle between life and death. They needed time to recover as well.
“Will he really have a way?” Jiuyu took a sip of tea and muttered under his breath. His origins meant he was destined never to leave the supervision of Yuxu Palace, but if he continued staying here, he felt as though death was his only possible end.
“My mother is the greatest. Of course he’ll have a way,” Yinzi protested before Qiu Yi could answer. Trapped in Jiuyu’s arms, he turned his head to look toward the main palace, then dejectedly looked away again.
“Bad Daddy stole my mother away again…”
“Oh, give it a rest. He let you cling to him all the way back. That was already pretty generous…”
In the past, Yinzi would never even have found such an opportunity. It was only because they had just returned, and because Wenren Li understood how long everyone had waited for them, that he had allowed Qingruo his hug and let Yinzi take advantage for once. From here on, Yinzi would probably find it rather difficult to get Chen Yixin to hold him again.
After saying that, Jiuyu stopped dwelling on his earlier problem. In truth, Chen Yixin’s and Wenren Li’s return had not only reassured him, it had made him accept his fate. Had those two remained absent, he might still have entertained other ideas. From now on, however, he absolutely could not.
Otherwise, instead of slowly weakening to death, he would probably be slapped dead on the spot by Chen Yixin or Wenren Li.
“Speaking of which, how are you two still sitting around drinking tea? Even I’m getting anxious for you…”
The moment Jiuyu said this, Qiu Yi turned his face slightly away while the normally composed Ze Fang’s ears turned red. A moment later, Ze Fang’s gaze sharpened slightly. Realizing he had said the wrong thing, Jiuyu promptly fled with Yinzi in his arms.
Yet Qiu Yi and Ze Fang gradually developing feelings for one another had long since ceased to be a secret within Yuxu Palace. If anything, it was their lukewarm, unhurried way of getting along that left all the outsiders watching them anxious.
The spiritual rain continued falling. Even after Chen Yixin and Wenren Li emerged from their bedchamber, it had not stopped.
“It’ll probably keep falling for another two days.” Chen Yixin reached out to touch the rain and smiled faintly. Pulling Wenren Li with him, he sat inside the pavilion beside the garden, then tapped his foot against the ground twice. “Come out.”
The moment he spoke, a crack opened in the void before them. Yinzi appeared through it, bringing Jiuyu along with him.
It was hard to say which of the two had fooled the other, but it was true that both had been keeping watch outside the main palace all this time.
“Mother, it’s Yinzi, not a bad person.” Yinzi rolled directly to Chen Yixin’s feet and wrapped both arms around his leg. Sensing another gaze settle on him, he did not dare climb any higher, but neither was he willing to simply let go.
Chen Yixin rested one hand on top of Yinzi’s head and gently rubbed it twice. “I know it’s you two.”
As he spoke, he looked up at Jiuyu. “Come here.”
Jiuyu glanced at Chen Yixin, then at Wenren Li, before slowly shuffling over. The hand Chen Yixin had just been resting on Yinzi’s head then settled upon Jiuyu’s.
“As expected…” Dongfang Jin had planted the Root of the Void Origin directly into Jiuyu’s divine soul. If Jiuyu had not been clever enough, and if he had not trusted Chen Yixin enough to keep wearing that black cord, then the moment he removed it and left Yuxu Palace, both the Void Origin and Dongfang Jin would have taken control of his mind.
The day they were reborn would be the day Jiuyu’s spiritual consciousness was completely erased.
Yinzi’s jealous gaze landed on Jiuyu. Jiuyu himself still did not understand what was happening, but Wenren Li’s expression turned serious. He looked at Chen Yixin. “Can you remove it?”
Chen Yixin nodded. “Yes. I just need to make some preparations first.”
As he spoke, Chen Yixin rubbed Jiuyu’s head. “Don’t worry. I won’t harm your life. Sleep for a while first.”
Jiuyu’s throat inexplicably tightened. He knew very well that Chen Yixin was not some indiscriminately benevolent person. Most of his kindness and gentleness were reserved for those he regarded as his own, which only made that kindness more precious. At last, Jiuyu himself had somehow become fortunate enough to be included among them.
And when he saw the look Yinzi was giving him, Jiuyu no longer felt entirely innocent either. Perhaps deep down, the closeness he felt toward Chen Yixin surpassed anything he had ever felt toward any living being he had encountered before.
Jiuyu fell asleep. His human form dispersed, turning into a pale gray sphere of light. Chen Yixin stored it inside a porcelain bottle, then rubbed Yinzi’s hair once more. Taking Wenren Li’s hand, he stood, and the two of them disappeared directly from Yuxu Palace.
“A-Li isn’t even going to ask where I’m taking you?”
They traveled through the void, stepping out into one world only to disappear again, repeating the process over and over. A moment’s carelessness would have been enough to become completely lost.
But even if Chen Yixin somehow managed to lose himself, there was no possibility of him losing Wenren Li. Their journey through the void was to find Nangong Chuan’s emotional spirit—Han Zichuan.
Back then, besides everything Han Zichuan had gathered along the way, the black pouch Chen Yixin gave him had contained a handful of soil from the bottom of the Myriad Worlds Well. Where Han Zichuan had ultimately been carried was completely random. Their present search depended largely upon the general location the Myriad Worlds Well had provided; otherwise, finding him would have been extraordinarily difficult.
When they finally found him, Han Zichuan had become an herb gatherer in a mortal world. He stayed in any one town for no more than five years before moving elsewhere.
The incomplete Heavenly Dao of this mortal world suppressed his cultivation to the Golden Core stage, but his body remained that of an Immortal Lord. He would neither age nor die for one or two epochs. He had considered returning to the Upper Realm, but compared with being reabsorbed by Nangong Chuan and having his independent consciousness completely erased, he preferred his life as it was now.
Chen Yixin and Wenren Li descended in front of a wooden cottage in the wilderness outside a small town. Han Zichuan, returning with a basket of medicinal herbs on his back, froze when he saw them. Then obvious relief appeared on his face.
“Come in and sit for a while. There’s nothing good to offer in this little world. I only have a few liang of ordinary tea.”
Chen Yixin nodded. Neither he nor Wenren Li had changed, but Han Zichuan now carried the weary air of someone who had seen through the affairs of the world. He glanced once at Chen Yixin before withdrawing his gaze. Whatever inappropriate desire he had once harbored had long since been worn away by time.
Chen Yixin was alive. That was enough. Those hundred years had been a gift Heaven granted him, and the peaceful years he had spent in this mortal world had given him enough time to slowly understand all the things he had once failed to comprehend.
Perhaps there truly had been some unseen thread in the dark guiding him toward certain places and even toward certain choices.
The so-called “love tribulation” his master had once divined for him had never referred to another person at all. It referred to Han Zichuan himself. He was merely an emotional spirit belonging to the High God Nangong Chuan. Nothing more. It had nothing to do with Chen Yixin, and nothing to do with Wenren Li.
This mortal world possessed practically no spiritual energy. As Chen Yixin and Wenren Li flew across it, they even noticed that the people here dressed rather differently from those of other worlds. Both men and women could wear their hair short, and since it was summer, their clothes were correspondingly lighter.
As for Han Zichuan’s tea, it could not even compare with tea from the mortal lands of Taixuan, much less anything from the Upper Realm.
Chen Yixin lifted the teacup, merely sniffed it, then set it back down. “This place looks like it needs spiritual rain even more than the Upper Realm…”
He had only muttered the complaint, but Wenren Li immediately looked over, shook his head with an amused smile, and drew Chen Yixin’s hand onto his own thigh. “This place was once fertile spiritual land as well. After the Void Origin ravaged it, its immortal roots were severed. Add to that the human greed and material desire that continued flourishing here, and it eventually became what you see today.”
Verdant forests had been replaced with sand and dust, while filthy, polluted miasma continued forming without end. Restoring the place would likely require far more than a single spiritual rain.
Chen Yixin had merely been lamenting the terrible tea, only for Wenren Li to give him an impromptu lesson in basic knowledge. He secretly glared at Wenren Li, then turned back toward Han Zichuan, who was concentrating on brewing tea in front of them.
He did not waste time exchanging pleasantries. “I can completely sever your connection with Nangong Chuan, but you have to give me the Star River Map you carry.”
The Star River Map was the treasure that had once belonged to the Tianji Sect. Han Zichuan had used it to leave Taixuan all those years ago. Chen Yixin now had another use for it. He wanted the map, but he would not take it from Han Zichuan without giving something in return.
Han Zichuan froze briefly. He had not expected Chen Yixin and Wenren Li to come because of the map. Apart from helping him leave Taixuan, it had spent most of the intervening years untouched. When he first arrived in this world, he had considered using it to leave.
But precisely because he feared Nangong Chuan, Han Zichuan ultimately chose to remain here. At first, like Chen Yixin, he had found everything in this world difficult to stomach. By now, however, even tea he grew himself and brewed with spring water from deep in the mountains was perfectly drinkable.
Without saying anything more, he took the Star River Map from his storage ring. “This is it.”
It was a damaged sheet of parchment. Once Chen Yixin took it and infused a little divine power into it, its entire presence seemed to change.
Chen Yixin nodded to Han Zichuan, then lifted his index finger and tapped toward the center of Han Zichuan’s brow. Beside Han Zichuan’s ear came what sounded like the faint snap of an invisible thread being severed.
From that moment onward, Nangong Chuan was Nangong Chuan, and Han Zichuan was Han Zichuan. There would never again be any connection between them.
Having obtained what he wanted, Chen Yixin did not remain long in the mortal realm. He left Han Zichuan a talisman stone capable of returning him to the Upper Realm, then departed with Wenren Li.
“The aura here might not be particularly pleasant, but this mortal world has plenty of interesting things. When we have time later, let’s come back. Elder Brother is finally getting married. We absolutely can’t miss it.”
Besides, knowing Qingruo’s temperament, if Chen Yixin and Wenren Li had not returned, his wedding with Lin Yu would probably have been delayed even longer.
“All right.” Wenren Li answered softly, but he also took the initiative to wrap an arm around Chen Yixin’s waist and carry him as they flew out of the mortal realm. He was still somewhat worried that a place once ravaged by the Void Origin might affect Chen Yixin.
Understanding the concern behind Wenren Li’s actions, Chen Yixin kissed his cheek. “It’s so good having A-Li with me.”
The Chen Yixin of today could no longer endure those ages when he had existed solely by depending upon the Heavenly River. His destiny of eventually leaving the Heavenly River had been decided the moment he personally planted Wenren Li. Once even the Heavenly River learned the warmth of companionship, it could no longer endure the loneliness of solitude.
Wenren Li kissed Chen Yixin’s hair without answering aloud, but he felt exactly the same. Only with Chen Yixin beside him did he truly feel the beauty of the world.
By the time they returned to Yuxu Palace, nearly half a month had passed. Given An Cheng’s and the Demon Guards’ efficiency, Yuxu Palace and Heavenly Phoenix Valley had long since been decorated in festive splendor. Invitations had been delivered to the residences of gods and immortals throughout the realm. Once the auspicious date arrived, it would be a day of celebration throughout the Upper Realm.
Yuxu Palace and Heavenly Phoenix Valley were close to one another. Qingruo and Lin Yu would ride a wedding palanquin together from Heavenly Phoenix Valley to Yuxu Palace for the ceremony, then return to Heavenly Phoenix Valley after the banquet to spend their wedding night.
Chen Yixin had actually wanted to prepare a bridal chamber for them inside Yuxu Palace, but Qingruo and Lin Yu both refused. Being permitted to hold their wedding at Yuxu Palace was already an extraordinary honor. To spend their wedding night there as well would have been overstepping.
Chen Yixin suggested it once. When they refused, he did not force the matter.
Still, he could not help thinking that with his current cultivation, even if Qingruo and Lin Yu moved somewhere much farther away for their wedding night, he would probably still know what was happening. But he had to be considerate of how difficult these countless years had been for Elder Brother and Big Brother Lin Yu, so he kept that observation to himself.
“What are you thinking about?” Wenren Li gently rubbed Chen Yixin’s cheek, drawing his wandering thoughts back.
Chen Yixin blinked. He had nothing to hide from Wenren Li and answered with genuine concern, “Do you think we should teach Elder Brother and Big Brother Lin Yu a few basic things? Otherwise, what if they get flustered when the time comes?”
Chen Yixin had apparently placed himself in the position of an elder. The concern on his face was so sincere that Wenren Li had no idea how to refute him.
Instead of withdrawing his hand, Wenren Li continued kneading Chen Yixin’s cheek until the worried expression there turned rosy. “They understand.”
If Qingruo and Lin Yu still did not understand after all these years, then they truly ought to reincarnate and start over.
“I’m only worried… If they understand, then how did they manage to hold back for all these years? Anyway, I certainly couldn’t.” Chen Yixin tilted his head and licked Wenren Li’s palm, his eyes curving with delight as though he had just gotten some enormous advantage.
Wenren Li shook his head helplessly and pulled him firmly into his arms.
A month later, the wedding proceeded as scheduled. A red wedding palanquin borne by sixteen phoenixes departed Heavenly Phoenix Valley, circled across more than half the Upper Realm, then finally arrived at Yuxu Palace. Gods gathered from every direction to offer their congratulations.
Qingruo and Lin Yu were both dressed in magnificent crimson wedding robes. They approached hand in hand and could not help smiling when they saw Chen Yixin and Wenren Li seated above them, making the scene appear all the more joyous.
Counting their previous lives, Wenren Li was technically an elder to Qingruo and Lin Yu, so it was only natural for him to occupy the seat of honor. Chen Yixin, meanwhile, had regained his memories from when he was the Soul of the Heavenly River. His status was even more exalted, and he too could readily accept their bow.
They bowed to Heaven and Earth, swore their covenant, and drank their covenant wine. Another pair of divine lovers in the Upper Realm was formally joined.
“I offer this cup to Elder Brother and Big Brother Lin Yu. May the two of you live in harmony and happiness… and may everything go smoothly.”
Chen Yixin’s toast had sounded perfectly respectable at first, but those final four words made both Lin Yu and Qingruo freeze. They wondered if they had misunderstood him, but before they could even question themselves, Chen Yixin added with complete seriousness:
“I mean that… smoothly.”
Elio’s Notes: 顺顺利利 is an ordinary blessing meaning for things to go “smoothly and without difficulty.” Chen Yixin deliberately turns the harmless wedding wish into an innuendo about Qingruo and Lin Yu finally consummating their relationship.
“Drink.”
Wenren Li steadied the cup and guided it to Chen Yixin’s lips, then nodded toward Qingruo and Lin Yu, sending them off to drink with the other Immortal Lords and Divine Lords. He himself remained behind to keep Chen Yixin under control, lest the two people who should have been able to proceed perfectly smoothly become so embarrassed by him that nothing went smoothly at all.
Qingruo and Lin Yu could only look helpless, although Chen Yixin’s words had undeniably added another measure of heat to their thoughts.
The banquet continued for half a month before finally dispersing. As the newlyweds, Qingruo and Lin Yu had returned to Heavenly Phoenix Valley shortly after midnight on the wedding day and had not appeared again in the half month since. Chen Yixin remained somewhat worried, but with Wenren Li watching him closely, he ultimately refrained from doing anything inappropriate.
With Qingruo and Lin Yu’s wedding successfully completed, one of Chen Yixin’s lingering concerns was finally settled. Since Wenren Li was watching him so closely that he could not get up to anything else, he could only drag Wenren Li into studying the Star River Map with him.
“A-Li, have you discovered anything?”
Chen Yixin half reclined in Wenren Li’s arms and casually set the Star River Map on the stone table beside them before looking up at him.
Wenren Li’s gaze swept across the Star River Map before returning to Chen Yixin’s face. Clearly, he had not found much. Chen Yixin, however, had. “This doesn’t seem to be a map of the present starry sky.”
Chen Yixin shook his head and continued, “It isn’t merely a map from some other point in the present, nor is it an ancient star chart. In fact, it cannot be matched against any star chart from any point in history. It should be… a Star River Map from beyond the Realm Gate.”
“When I found A-Li back then, you were the only thing I recovered. The Star River Map was probably concealed by the Void Origin, then eventually fell into Nangong’s and Dongfang’s hands. They used it to send their avatars into Taixuan, and only afterward did it end up in Han Zichuan’s possession.”
The one who had truly come from beyond the Realm Gate should have been Wenren Li. The stellar power contained within the Star River Map was extraordinarily strong—strong enough to break through the barrier of the Taixuan Heavenly Prison Realm. And after being nourished by their divine power over this period, it had begun slowly recovering.
Once it returned completely to its peak, could it perhaps break through the barrier of the Realm Gate as well?
“What does A-Rong intend to do by studying it?” Wenren Li continued looking directly into Chen Yixin’s eyes. Unless Chen Yixin explained this clearly, Wenren Li would not allow him to continue studying the map.
Chen Yixin did not look guilty in the slightest. He answered truthfully, “I originally wanted to use its stellar power together with the other methods to suppress the Root of the Void Origin. I didn’t expect to discover all this.”
“Come to think of it, sometimes A-Li seems more like the Void Origin’s natural nemesis than I am. I can only suppress it, but A-Li can actually use it to grow stronger.”
Chen Yixin and the Void Origin existed in a simple relationship of one waxing as the other waned. Wenren Li, however, could convert the Void Origin’s energy into his own divine power. The fact that he could withstand the power of divine punishment was proof enough of that.
But Wenren Li was not satisfied with Chen Yixin’s answer. He swept a hand out, intending to put the Star River Map away, only for the map to borrow the divine power he had released and coil itself directly around his wrist. At the center of Wenren Li’s wrist appeared a Silver Star Mark.
Chen Yixin immediately sat upright and pulled Wenren Li’s hand toward himself, examining it again and again. Only after confirming that the Star River Map posed no danger to Wenren Li did he finally relax.
A chain of water then extended from Chen Yixin’s fingertip and wrapped around Wenren Li’s waist. For some inexplicable reason, Chen Yixin suddenly worried that the Star River Map might simply carry Wenren Li away.
“It’s fine.” Wenren Li pressed the increasingly worried Chen Yixin back into his embrace. In the end, he simply could not bear to see Chen Yixin so uneasy.
“This contains the next stage of the cultivation method. As for the map itself, ten Silver Star Marks must be connected before it can fully recover.” Wenren Li lowered his head until his forehead touched Chen Yixin’s, and the cultivation method for stellar power immediately entered Chen Yixin’s sea of consciousness.
“So that’s how it is…” Chen Yixin opened his eyes, his heart finally settling somewhat. He rubbed his cheek against Wenren Li’s and tightened the arms already wrapped around him. “Once we’ve cultivated far enough, let’s go take a look at the world A-Li came from.”
Stellar power was the true key to crossing the Realm Gate. All the Ancient Gods before them had been searching in the wrong direction.
A trace of hesitation appeared on Wenren Li’s face, but in the end, he nodded.
If there truly was a higher realm beyond the Realm Gate, then neither he nor Chen Yixin could simply avoid it forever. Only by reaching greater cultivation and possessing greater strength would they have the power to protect what mattered to them whenever an unexpected calamity descended.
Several days later, Chen Yixin removed the Root of the Void Origin from Jiuyu’s divine soul as planned, using both the power of the Heavenly River and the stellar power Wenren Li had only recently begun mastering to suppress it.
Jiuyu remained weak for a period afterward, but his form eventually stabilized. Chen Yixin also severed his connection to the Void Origin. Whatever achievements Jiuyu attained from that point onward would depend entirely on his own effort and fortune.
Scarlet phoenix flowers bloomed throughout Heavenly Phoenix Valley. Chen Yixin and Wenren Li wandered nearby for a while but did not disturb Qingruo and Lin Yu. Instead, they took two jars of wine and went to sit beside the Myriad Worlds Well and the Three Lives Well.
Chen Yixin felt rather helpless about the three wells he had personally created. The Demon Abyss Well had been directly occupied and corrupted by the Void Origin. The Myriad Worlds Well had later been exploited to suppress Qingruo, Lin Yu, and the others. And the Three Lives Well had even managed to lose the message Chen Yixin had left for himself.
That ridiculously simple little drawing Chen Yixin had once mocked had actually been drawn by Chen Yixin himself, only for the Three Lives Well to go and lose an entire corner of it.
“I’ll let bygones be bygones. From now on, the two of you had better make me proud.”
The Myriad Worlds Well and Three Lives Well trembled gently to indicate that they accepted the order. Only then did Chen Yixin pour the wine into the wells.
Chen Yixin completely ignored An Cheng, who secretly wiped sweat from his brow. Pulling Wenren Li along, he returned to their bedchamber. Now that everything they absolutely had to deal with had finally been settled, the two of them at last had time to cultivate properly.
For Chen Yixin, “cultivating properly” naturally meant dual cultivation.
Whenever the two dual cultivated, spiritual rain would fall throughout the Upper Realm for days. Lands once depleted of immortal power by wars and battles became covered in immortal grasses, and the Upper Realm finally became an Immortal Realm worthy of the name.
Naturally, whenever they were in the mood, they would also travel through mortal worlds and cultivation worlds together.
Nearly three epochs later, the waters of the Heavenly River stirred once again. Chen Yixin and Wenren Li arrived there, broke through the Realm Gate, and departed together, beginning an entirely new journey of cultivation.
Elio’s Notes: This is finally over. One of the hardest novels we’ve ever translated. Hope you enjoyed it. Feel free to leave a review for the story on Novel Updates here. If you have any comments or suggestions regarding our translation, feel free to leave a comment on any page. Thank you for following this story! Til next time again.
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