Gao Qingxuanâs body froze on the spot. She shut her eyes, lifted her head, and remained silent.
Long Xingquan also silently stood beside his wife.
âItâs not your fault.â After a long while, Gao Qingxuan finally opened her eyes and declared lonesomely, âSuch is my masterâs unyielding attitude.â
She sighed, âRelax, Iâm fine. We should work together to purge our mutual enemy â the Nine Underworlds. Weâll discuss the matters regarding my master after everything is over.â
âRegardless, we still have to locate Little Ye and Little Friend Nieâs whereabouts. We wouldnât want them to be used by the Nine Underworlds, just like what happened to my master previously.â
Gao Qingxuan lowered her eyelids, and her tone gradually turned calm.
âNaturally.â Yan Zhaoge said, âI believe that those two will surely be safe.â
Gao Qingxuan silently nodded and went ahead first.
Long Xingquan immediately followed after her and gently held her palm. Then, he saw Gao Qingxuanâs sorrowed face.
As her husband, Long Xingquan was well aware of how deep the sorrow was within his wifeâs heart. She wasnât as calm as the front she put up.
The Vine Sovereign â Li Ying had many exceptional disciples.
The Tai Sovereign and Di Qinglian perished fairly early, the Lofty Sovereign â Zhang Qingchao deserted the Roving Jade Heavens, and Kong Qingxi had perished.
Other than them, most of the Vine Sovereignâs disciples had also perished.
As Li Yingâs eldest disciple after the Great Calamity, Gao Qingxuanâs achievements far surpassed other disciples. At the same time, the Vine Sovereign relayed all her hopes onto Gao Qingxuan.
More of her peers started perishing, and her master had to go through the saddening experience of sending off the young. Gao Qingxuan hoped that her master could be more forgiving during her older days.
Yet, in regards to her relationship with the Exalted Gold Luminary â Yan Xingtangâs lineage, Gao Qingxuan couldnât obey her masterâs will.
Since Li Yingâs confrontation with Yue Zhenbei, the grudges had been accumulating non-stop.
When the Roving Jade Heavens moved into the Pill Hall, the Vine Sovereign showed no objections whatsoever, as it was indeed beneficial to the Roving Jade Heavens. Only, she ultimately left the Roving Jade Heavens in the end.
Initially, Gao Qingxuan hoped that the grudges would slowly dissolve with the flow of time and ultimately resolved. Then, when that time comes, she could welcome her masterâs return.
Yet, beyond her wildest imaginations, the parting that year became eternal.
When she last met the Vine Sovereign, the Vine Sovereign had already been captured by the Nine Underworlds.
Through Yan Zhaogeâs original plan, the Vine Sovereign and the Blood Star Devil Monarch were transported to a specified location. Yet, the one awaiting there was Yue Zhenbei. In the end, the Vine Sovereign â Li Ying, would rather perish than receive Yue Zhenbeiâs favor.
She couldnât blame Yue Zhenbei, nor could she blame Yan Zhaoge and the others.
What she harbored were only the emotions of self-blaming.
She questioned herself. If everything restarts all over, will my choice change? Or will everything remain the same?
Her heart turned more bitter as such thoughts flashed across her mind. Sorrow and guilt wreathed together, making it hard to digest such emotions.
Long Xingquan knew what was going through her mind. However, such matters werenât related to him. He had no qualifications to consult Gao Qingxuan. He could only silently remain by her side.
Yan Zhaoge helplessly let out a sigh.
While saying so was disrespecting the deceased, the Vine Sovereignâs decision had plunged everyone into an awkward situation.
Fortunately, Yu Ye was still around. As long as Yu Ye returned safely, and her narration fits Yue Zhenbeiâs description, the Jade Clear lineage would remain rational.
However, one couldnât be certain whether countless cracks would appear between the bonds of the Roving Jade Heavens and the Sky beyond Skies.
Fortunately, Gao Qingxuan was currently in-charge of the Roving Jade Heavens. At the very least, no havoc would occur.
âIf we had to blame someone, Iâm the one to blame.â Yan Zhaoge sighed. He then looked to the Sword Sovereign â Yue Zhenbei and said, âI only considered the fact that the Female Emperor â Senior Jie was close to you, which was why I tasked you to await there.â
If Long Xingquan or Daoist Cloud Conquest were there instead, things would turn out differently.
âNo one expected Daoist Ziteng to be captured by the Nine Underworlds.â Yan Di sat atop the Grand Simplicity Splendour Cloud and said, âLetâs just say, fate toyed with us.â
Yue Zhenbei shook his head, âEven if todayâs matters never happened, I would ultimately be forced to face off Li Ziteng. In fact, the day could very possibly arrive very soon.â
Due to the old injuries, the Vine Sovereign â Li Ying couldnât challenge the Profound Origin Tribulation, achieve the Five Qis Unification, and ascend to the Grand Virtual Realm.
She was someone that lived before the Great Calamity, someone that lived in the same era as the Earthly Sovereign â Jiang Shen.
When taking a Profound Immortalâs maximum age into account, the Vine Sovereign was already old enough to be meeting her end soon enough.
On the contrary, Yue Zhenbeiâs improvements were drastic. He had already achieved the Four Qis Fused Aura level, which placed him in the Profound Immortal peak Realm.
If nothing out of the ordinary happened, based on his potential and strength, it was only a matter of time before he ultimately reached the Virtual Immortal Realm.
While the Vine Sovereign acquiesced to the Roving Jade Heavensâ move, her actions just showed how stubborn and how strong of a temperament this Prime Clear Old Grand Master had.
One could already foresee her challenging Yue Zhenbei either before he ascends to the Virtual Immortal Realm or before her vitality meets its end.
Such grudges couldnât be described by the term âobsessionâ alone.
Yan Zhaoge remorsefully said, âIf she didnât lose her mind even under such circumstances, the Vine Sovereignâs willpower is truly unwavering. On the other hand, thanks to her resoluteness, she ended up suffering from such tragedy.â
Excessively intense sinister intents or obsessive intents would ultimately turn into devilish intents, causing one to succumb to darkness, turning them to the Nine Underworlds.
The Vine Sovereign â Li Ying harbored intensely deep grudges against Yue Zhenbei and Yan Xintangâs entire lineage. Moreover, she was even captured by the Great Devils, threatened, and tortured. Yet, she could still maintain her heartâs cleanliness and even discern her thoughts very clearly. Even Yan Zhaoge was impressed by her resoluteness.
Unfortunately, precisely because of this, she ended up in such a horrid state.
Yue Zhenbei and Yan Di both looked at each other with a complex expression. Yan Zhaogeâs words were exactly what they were thinking.
âThe deceased had already perished. May she rest in peace,â said Yan Di slowly.
âMay the deceased rest in peace.â Yan Zhaoge smiled bitterly, âWe have to worry about those still alive. Hopefully, senior apprentice-brother Nie and senior apprentice-sister Yu would turn out safe.â
Yue Zhenbei shook his head, âThe spatial distortion could lead one to multiple different universes. After I settled down, I tried to locate them in my surroundings, yet it was no avail. They shouldâve been transported to somewhere very far away from me.â
âNow, I can only hope that theyâre still within the voidâs boundless outskirts, and not in the lands of the heretics, the Buddhists, or the Demons.â Yan Zhaoge asked, âThey couldnât possibly separate from each other, right?â
Yue Zhenbei thought for a while and said, âThey shouldnât have.â
âIf thatâs the case, the two can take care of each other. It should be safer for them.â Yan Di added, âWhether itâs Nie Jingshen or Yu Ye, theyâre both outstandingly talented. If the two work together and try their best to remain low-key, they should be capable of dealing with most situations.â
âOne reveals their true self in adversity. I wonder when the two share their hardships, would some sparks kindle between them?â Yan Zhaoge made a joyous remark amidst his bitterness, âWhile the two occasionally fought against each other, they do admire each other. They have no problems conversing with each other.â
Yan Di and Yue Zhenbei threw queer gazes.
âDonât look at me like that. Iâm thinking about this matter very seriously.â An amusing expression overtook Yan Zhaogeâs face, âAccording to senior apprentice-uncle Yue, the two disappeared without witnessing the Vine Sovereignâs final moments. Now, they should be filled with worries and still harbor a sliver of hope.â
He looked at Yan Di, âFrom what I heard, you only knew mother after you fought her in the past. The same goes for my grandparents, senior apprentice-uncle Long and Senior Gao. All of you transitioned duels into marriage. Since senior apprentice-brother Nie and senior apprentice-sister Yu are of their lineage, I canât help but think in that direction.â