Ye Ziling's face turned pale, a wisp of blood seeping from the corner of her lips as the scene before her gradually blurred.
At this moment, Qing Bai was already high above in the clouds, his gaze cold and his expression grave.
Beside him, Shen Yueru watched with a heart filled with pleasure, her hatred and displeasure finding release in Ye Ziling's pained expressions, her face alight with schadenfreude.
The wind howled, whipping up fine sand that scraped across Ye Ziling's cheek, leaving behind shallow crimson scars.
Her body grew weaker and weaker, the sights before her increasingly hazy. The whistling of the wind filled her ears, carrying with it the sweet, metallic tang of blood.
"You summoned this seat here just to witness this?" Qing Bai's voice was low as he cast a cold glance at Shen Yueru, a flicker of impatience in his eyes.
"Did the Emperor not always wish for her to die?" Shen Yueru smiled charmingly, her gaze burning, her words laced with sarcasm. "I wonder if the Emperor remembers how you tormented her in the Nine Heavens back then?"
Upon hearing this, the man's eyes turned cold, and the fingertips beneath his sleeves clenched sharply.
Shen Yueru rejoiced in her fortune, but a moment later, a large hand suddenly gripped her by the neck.
Her eyes widened in terror, filled with horror.
"Without my decree, you dared to touch her?" The man's thin lips parted, his voice like the ice and snow of winter, carrying a bone-chilling coldness.
Shen Yueru's neck was nearly crushed, her face contorted with panic. She struggled forcefully, her feet kicking wildly, but to no avail.
Qing Bai released his grip, and Shen Yueru collapsed limply onto the ground.
His gaze flickered slightly, and a surge of power gathered in his wrist as he secretly controlled the might of the Jixin Flute.
Ye Ziling sensed the power of the jade flute gradually weakening and, with all her might, resisted it with her own strength.
As the Jixin Flute was an artifact crafted by Jun Lan and possessed vigorous spiritual energy, Qing Bai could not sustain it for long. He was repelled by a surge of power and stumbled back several steps.
Shen Yueru scrambled to her feet and helped him, fawning, "It... it was this concubine's ignorance."
With a thunderous boom, the beam of light instantly dissipated, and a colossal force rushed outwards in all directions, shattering the surrounding remnants of walls.
Ye Ziling was slammed against the wall by this force, spitting out a large mouthful of blood.
She felt as if all her bones had been shattered.
But at this very moment, a golden light condensed in the air, the divine spring was repaired, and peace was restored.
Qing Bai's fingertips twitched, and he looked towards the sky, his heart jolting.
"...Jun Lan?"
Meanwhile, the immortals in the sky, witnessing the peculiar celestial phenomenon, were astonished. "Is this... the heavens about to change?"
The immortals murmured amongst themselves, their expressions filled with bewilderment.
Ye Ziling's eyes were stung by a golden light. She partially covered her eyes and slowly raised her head.
The sky was serene, a clear azure, bathed in bright sunlight.
Soon, her gaze grew hazy, and she dimly saw a tall, upright figure before her, holding the Jixin Flute and extending a palm towards her.
Ye Ziling's lips were dry, her throat feeling as if a fishbone were lodged there, yet she could not utter a sound.
The person was clad in familiar silver armor, his dark hair dancing in the wind, his eyes possessing a soul-stirring brilliance, like the radiant stars in the sky.
"...Ye Ziling." A warm, refined voice emerged from his lips, carrying a captivating magical quality that struck Ye Ziling's heart directly.
She was stunned, her mind a blank canvas, the voice lingering in her ears.
Is this... Jun Lan?
Seeing the familiar attire, she widened her eyes in disbelief, forcing herself to stand, her body swaying precariously.
She walked towards him, her steps faltering.
The man caught her in his arms, his gaze instantly clouded with a layer of frost.
"Is it... Jun Lan?" Ye Ziling asked weakly.
But before she could confirm, Ye Ziling's body went limp, and she fainted.
*
When Ye Ziling awoke again, she found herself lying on an ice bed, enveloped by a hazy chill.
Yet, she felt no cold at all. On the contrary, her injuries had largely healed.
"Awake?" A familiar voice sounded. She turned and saw the man, clad in a black robe, standing behind her. Though he bore Ling Xi's face, his voice was imbued with a greater coolness and composure.
Ye Ziling knew that the person before her was no longer the mortal Ling Xi of the past. She slightly raised her gaze, a hint of realization in her eyes.
It felt as if tens of thousands of years had passed.
For General Jun Lan, the mere twenty-odd years of a mortal's life were but twenty-odd days.
"Thank you, General, for saving me... Ziling will return this body as soon as possible." Ye Ziling's gaze trembled slightly, her eyes not meeting his.
But she felt an intense pressure emanating from above her head.
The world said that General Jun Lan and Goddess Tu Yao were involved, but it was merely rumor.
Before the heavens collapsed, she and General Jun Lan were nothing more than acquaintances, having met by chance only a few times.
At that time, she was not even as important as a celestial maid. She, along with Bi Luo, had danced for the immortals at the Queen Mother of the West's banquet.
On the day she ascended to the position of Goddess, Jun Lan made a bet with her, his stern eyes rarely showing a smile. "Goddess, believe it or not, fate's red thread may not always lead lovers to their destined union."
She placed the invitation in his palm. "Thank you, General, for your care along the way."
He paused for a moment, the teacup in his hand frozen at his lips, and looked at her with a hint of complexity. "Does the Goddess not wish to see her own marriage registry?"
Ye Ziling had not anticipated the deeper meaning in Jun Lan's words. She had made up her mind to marry Qing Bai. It was only on her wedding day, as she drank the poisoned wine, that she understood the meaning of his words.
Her red thread with Qing Bai had been forcibly tied together, and it soon broke. Only then did she comprehend Jun Lan's intention in asking her to look at her marriage registry. Red threads could be faked, but the marriage registry could not.
Her thoughts returning to the present, Ye Ziling withdrew her gaze. "...It was Ziling who was foolish."
Jun Lan looked at her without a ripple of emotion, a coldness suffusing his brow, his voice indifferent, betraying no hint of feeling. "There is no need to return it."
His expression was solemn, but as he turned away, his eyes held an unresolvable sorrow.
"This body was created by the General, why..." Ye Ziling's voice gradually weakened. She could not speak, for any touch of him would cause her celestial power to vanish.
The man turned around, a melancholic smile on his face.
If she held no feelings for him, this body would not have any influence at all.
"You must ask the Goddess herself." With that, he strode away, disappearing from her sight.
Ask her?
Ye Ziling blinked. If she knew, why would she have gone to such lengths to ask him?
Ye Ziling sighed in frustration.
Those born as deities, having lived for tens of thousands of years, naturally grasped things quickly. But for her, it had only been a mere few decades. Even with a sharp mind, she could not comprehend it on her own.