Gazing at the majestic grandeur of the Taiqing Sect in the distance, Ning Menglan exchanged glances with the elders beside him. Each could see the tears of overwhelming joy in the others' eyes:
They had finally returned to their sect!
Though it had only been half an hour, it felt longer than their very lives.
Had they stayed any longer, they might not have held on.
As the flying vessel touched down, Ning Menglan and the others dared not move recklessly. They rose to their feet, heads bowed, waiting respectfully for Immortal Venerable Qingyan to disembark first.
On the open ground before the vessel, all the peak masters and inner disciples of the Taiqing Sect had gathered, kneeling in perfect unison.
The events of the Seven Blazing Desert were no secret, and the Taiqing Sect had long since received word.
Thus, the entire sect had assembled here to welcome the Immortal Venerable’s return.
As Xu Wanci stood from the vessel, she saw countless figures bowing in her direction.
Instinctively, she took a few steps to the right, avoiding the line of their reverence—and coincidentally evading Xiao Yuyan’s outstretched hand.
Without pause, she leaped off the vessel, her fingertips twitching slightly as she took in the sight of hundreds of figures prostrating before her.
Perhaps it was because the Xiao Yuyan before her seemed so harmless that she kept forgetting his true identity.
The lofty, untouchable Immortal Venerable Qingyan, before whom the entire cultivation world would kneel.
A Shattered Void Supreme—one whose mere fabricated tale of a shared past with her had rendered her untouchable to all.
At this thought, she glanced sideways at the man who had also disembarked.
Xiao Yuyan was staring fixedly at her, his right hand—which had meant to steady her—now tucked behind his back.
His lips were pressed together, his gaze holding a trace of imperceptible reproach, a departure from his usual tenderness and indulgence.
Looking at him like this, Xu Wanci was struck by a strange notion:
At this moment, if she were to kneel before him like the others, he might just redden with grievance.
But she dismissed the thought instantly:
How could that be?
Given his status, it was already a mercy if he didn’t reduce others to dust. Who would dare provoke his anger?
She must have been too strained lately, imagining such absurdities.
Not far away, Ning Menglan didn’t dare lift his head. Sensing the stifling silence around him, he took several deep breaths before mustering the courage to step forward and bow to Xiao Yuyan.
As the sect master of the Taiqing Sect, he couldn’t hide like the other elders. Summoning his resolve, he asked with utmost deference:
"Immortal Venerable, shall we open the barrier of Luoyu Peak?"
Luoyu Peak was the Immortal Venerable’s spiritual mountain, sealed for a century after his sacrifice to the heavens, its barrier unbreakable by any.
Thus, he had no choice but to seek permission.
Xiao Yuyan’s gaze had never strayed from Xu Wanci, nor had he spared a thought for anyone else.
From the moment he awoke, only one person existed in his eyes.
Hearing the voice beside him, he seemed to finally notice the presence of the crowd, his aura cooling by degrees.
A frigid wave of Shattered Void spiritual energy rippled outward—yet around Xu Wanci, the air remained warm as spring.
Feeling the oppressive, suffocating weight of that energy, Ning Menglan broke into a cold sweat. Realizing his misstep, he hastily added:
"The Immortal Venerable has just returned. We shall not impose further and will take our leave."
With that, sensing the slightest easing of the pressure, he signaled frantically to the elders and peak masters behind him.
In three breaths, the crowd had dispersed in utter silence.
Only upon returning to Guiyuan Peak did Ning Menglan finally exhale in relief.
Gazing at the endless stretch of spiritual peaks within the Taiqing Sect, his eyes held a mix of emotions—complexity and a tinge of gratitude:
The Immortal Venerable’s power was too overwhelming, so vast that a mere flick of his hand could shake the cultivation world.
Let alone the innate suppression he exerted over all cultivators. No one wished to live eternally beneath such a mountain.
And yet, it was precisely because of this that no one in the Seven Blazing Desert had dared lay a finger on Xu Wanci.
The "Voice of the Heavenly Dao" had tempted them with ascension—an offer no cultivator could refuse.
Had it been only the Taiqing Sect’s elders, they could never have held back the swarm of Transcendent Realm experts.
In this, they were fortunate.
At this thought, Ning Menglan smiled ruefully:
Had it not been for the Immortal Venerable, how could the cultivation world have enjoyed a century of peace?
Now, they were merely returning to how things were a hundred years ago. What was there to fear?
Moreover…
Remembering how Xu Wanci had risked life and limb time and again to revive the Immortal Venerable, Ning Menglan shook his head with a sigh:
A century of waiting had finally borne fruit.
A happy ending beyond anyone’s wildest dreams.
With Xu Wanci by his side, the Immortal Venerable would likely never again be as detached and willing to sacrifice all as he had been a hundred years ago.
On a secluded, winding path, Xu Wanci and Xiao Yuyan walked side by side.
Their blue robes occasionally brushed against each other, painting a picture of warmth and intimacy.
With every step Xu Wanci took, she kept thinking about how to separate the two of them.
Yet, sensing the faintly familiar spiritual energy lingering around her, she couldn’t bring herself to speak up in the end.
Her gaze fell on the pale wooden door of the courtyard. Though she tried her best to remain composed, her thoughts were still in disarray.
So, she didn’t notice the wisp of spiritual energy that lingered, reluctant to let go of her hair.
She pushed the door open, and the leaves of the Illusionary Beauty Tree rustled in the wind, drifting down softly.
Beside the tree stood a dark jade table, where a pot of unfinished spiritual tea sat, as if the owner of the courtyard had never left.
Xiao Yuyan observed every plant and tree in the courtyard, the spiritual energy around him exuding a quiet serenity.
Though the scene was identical to the void he had known, it was only here that he felt truly at peace.
He withdrew the strand of spiritual energy that had been entwined with her hair, a faint smile touching his eyes.
Xu Wanci sensed the increasingly gentle spiritual energy around her and turned hesitantly to face him.
Softly, she spoke, "You must be tired from the journey. You should return to Luoyu Peak and rest."
At her words, Xiao Yuyan lowered his gaze, and the air around him visibly dimmed with melancholy.
His fingers twitched slightly, but in the end, he only replied gently, "Alright."
It was only natural that she would feel distant after so long apart.
After all, they still had a long future ahead of them.
Outside the window, the moon hung high in the sky.
Xu Wanci lay in bed, wide awake, not meditating or cultivating through the night as she once would have.
She pressed her lips together, the events of the day replaying uncontrollably in her mind.
From the way Xiao Yuyan had addressed her, to the Rain-Blooming Lotuses that had covered the desert and the Jade Fruits that tasted exactly like those from her dreams, to every word he had spoken…
And his aura.
That cold yet harmless presence that made it impossible for her to feel any wariness.
The same aura that only one person in her dreams had ever carried.
Every detail seemed to beckon her toward a revelation.
Xu Wanci’s breathing grew heavier.
In the original novel, the Immortal Venerable Qingyan had been described in just a few words:
Aloof and indifferent, untouched by the world.
If her suspicions were correct—if his memories had been tampered with, if he had only learned of their relationship from others—
Would he really accept it so readily, without a single doubt, and indulge her so completely?
This near-pampering, this willingness to give her anything, as if he would agree to anything she asked.
And what about her?
She prided herself on self-awareness, but were her reactions to Xiao Yuyan today truly normal?
Under normal circumstances, would she dare to repeatedly test a Void-Shattering Supreme, someone who could end her life with a mere wave of his hand? Would she have the audacity to tell him to leave?
All these doubts pointed to one conclusion.
Xu Wanci abruptly closed her eyes, her steady heartbeat now erratic.
No matter how much reason told her how absurd her thoughts were, a voice in her heart urged her to believe.
If it really was as she suspected…
She clenched her hands, as if convincing herself of something, then got out of bed and stepped into the courtyard.
Gazing toward the gate, she had a vague premonition:
He’s still here.
With a flick of her hand, Xu Wanci’s Transcendent Tribulation-level spiritual energy silently opened the wooden door.
In the night, a figure stood quietly.
The silver moonlight bathed him, casting a thin layer of frost-like glow over his form.
His face was noble and handsome, his aura cold and distant—until the moment he saw her. Then, it softened instantly, like the gentle touch of spring snow.
Xiao Yuyan had been carefully restraining his spiritual energy and divine sense, not allowing it to cross the threshold of the door.
So, he hadn’t noticed her movements in the courtyard.
When she appeared before him, a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes, followed by a flustered explanation:
"Wanwan, I just…"
"Wanted to see you."
And didn’t want to disturb you.
Xu Wanci could tell from his reaction alone that he hadn’t been monitoring her every move.
But she wasn’t surprised.
She abruptly cut him off, her voice slightly hoarse:
"Why didn’t you return to Luoyu Peak?"
She remembered what he had told her in the dream:
He didn’t like it there.
At the same time, his voice reached her ears:
"I don’t like it there."
Xu Wanci froze, the realization crashing over her like a tidal wave.
She looked up, studying him with unprecedented intensity.
His cold, detached eyes that were always tender and indulgent when they rested on her.
His slightly pursed lips.
The striking red mole on his left wrist.
Just as she had in the dream, she softly called his name:
"Xiao Yuyan."
Before this, she hadn’t known how to address him.
"Immortal Venerable" was too distant and would raise suspicions.
But the name Xiao Yuyan—she hadn’t wanted to use it for anyone else, not even the true Immortal Venerable Qingyan.
Her Xiao Yuyan was the only one.
Hearing her voice, Xiao Yuyan's aura surged violently before he forcefully suppressed it.
Under the turbulence of emotions, the lotus patterns at his sleeves faintly shimmered into view.
Xu Wanci stared fixedly at those crooked, seemingly mismatched lotus motifs adorning the tranquil jade.
That one-of-a-kind design was something she had crafted for the man in her dreams.
Her lips curved into a smile, yet her eyes abruptly welled with tears.
She remembered the words Xiao Yuyan had once spoken to her:
"If that person truly loves you, he will naturally return to your side."
He had truly come back for her.
Xu Wanci took step after step toward Xiao Yuyan.
With each stride, the remnants of her rationality coldly reminded her—
reminded her of how powerful Xiao Yuyan had become in reality, how unlike the dreams, she could never hope to control him here.
Warned her of the danger ahead, that if she continued forward, there would be no turning back.
Yet she kept walking, each step resolute, unwilling to retreat.
She remembered everything from the dreams and was willing to believe—
to believe that even if she couldn’t command him, Xiao Yuyan would never harm her.
That was the confidence he had given her within the dreams.
When Xu Wanci finally stood before Xiao Yuyan, gazing at the figure who existed not just in dreams but now before her in reality, her voice came out hoarse:
"Xiao Yuyan, I want to eat a Rain-Slumber Fruit."
Xiao Yuyan clenched his hands, restraining the urge to reach out. He asked cautiously,
"But last time you ate one…"
Remembering how Xu Wanci had nearly cried from the fruit's sourness, his voice softened,
"Would you like to try another spirit fruit instead…?"
At his reply, Xu Wanci blinked lightly, and a single tear fell silently.
This time, Xiao Yuyan caught it.
The warm teardrop burned against his palm like a searing sting.
His hand hovered midair, afraid to move further. In that moment, he cast aside the warning Xu Wanci had given him after eating the Rain-Slumber Fruit before. His voice held no hesitation, only surrender:
"I’ll go find one for you right now."
Xu Wanci stepped forward, wrapping her arms tightly around him, stopping him from leaving. Word by word, she whispered,
"Xiao Yuyan, I missed you so much."
Those words had come a full day late.
But fortunately, it wasn’t too late.
