Her black dress fit neither too tight nor too loose, clinging to a petite, delicate frame that radiated an icy, alluring beauty.
Her shoulders seemed sculpted by divine craft; her waist was slender as folded silk, bound by a golden sash embroidered with intricate patterns.
Standing in the void, she resembled a goddess stepping forth from the midnight heavens.
Ning Tao's cool, aloof eyes swept over Lüzhu. Away from Qi Yuan's side, she had regained that frost-chilled temperament characteristic of the Thirteen Northern Demon Fiends.
Cold on the outside, enchanting on the inside.
"Senior, you are..." Lüzhu respectfully bowed her head, countless thoughts racing through her mind.
Not only the mortal foe from moments ago, but also the mysterious powerhouse before her, who looked like a goddess—neither was anyone she could ever hope to match.
"Do you not already have a guess in your heart?" Ning Tao spoke. Her voice was quite unlike her frosty demeanor, carrying a hint of sweetness melted within ice. "Qi Yuan... he is my husband."
There was a clear sense of claiming ownership in her tone.
When facing Xiao Jia, as Ning Tao she was willing to call her 'younger sister,' while as the Canary she would address her as 'Sister Xiao Jia.'
Yet she was by no means willing to address just anyone like that.
Of course, if her husband instructed otherwise, that was a different matter.
"Greetings... Mistress!" Lüzhu hastily bowed in salute, a pang of dejection mixed with envy welling up within her.
Only a woman as divine as this could ever be worthy of Master.
Whether in beauty or cultivation realm, she was peerless under heaven.
Hearing this, Ning Tao looked at Lüzhu with a somewhat gentler gaze. "The worlds are about to converge. Be prepared, and do not cause senseless slaughter!"
"Understood!" Princess Lüzhu replied immediately, then looked at Ning Tao and murmured, "Mistress possesses peerless elegance and grace; surely every man in this world must admire you. For Master to marry Mistress is truly his great fortune."
At those words, Ning Tao smiled enchantingly. "The world feared my appearance. Only he... did not care in the slightest."
Back then, as the Canary, she had trespassed into the Gate of Myriad Demons and suffered a curse, despised by heaven and loathed by earth.
Everyone detested and reviled her, dreading even to gaze upon her face.
Only her husband had dared look at her with clear, untainted eyes, speaking to her with gentle and sincere words.
Back then, in the heart of the young girl in the pool, a seed had long since been planted.
"This...?" Lüzhu was taken aback, unable to make sense of it.
As if recalling the past, Ning Tao smiled faintly. "There are still many vermin outside that might spoil the morals of this world and ruin my husband's mood while playing his game. I shall go handle them."
A surge of killing intent flickered in Ning Tao's eyes.
Sometimes, she was the carefree, slightly vain Canary who tagged along behind Qi Yuan as his little follower.
But right now, she was Ning Tao—the one who kept pace with her husband, solved his problems, and was the very Ning Tao the Canary most desired to become.
Having spoken, her figure vanished into thin air.
Leaving only Lüzhu and Wang Yuanyu behind in the Mountains and Seas Picture Scroll, their expressions complicated.
At this moment, Wang Yuanyu whispered, "Were those wrapped around that goddess's legs... silk stockings?"
Ning Tao's legs had indeed been covered in sheer stockings.
The attire of her present body was identical to when she had first met Qi Yuan.
"Most likely," Lüzhu nodded.
"Is this what Qi Yuan wants to give me?" Wang Yuanyu mumbled, covering her mouth with her hands. "I just wonder if wearing something like that would frighten him."
...
Meanwhile, in the Black Sea, a petite young girl was dripping with sweat.
She flew back and forth through the sky, endlessly casting Daoist arts with her hands.
With every spell she unleashed, elderly men and women tumbled from the air.
"Demoness!"
"Despicable! Daring to obstruct us—she is a sinner against the world!"
"She is merely in the Martial Lord realm as well. If we join forces, we can execute her!"
Martial Lord Heilu declared in a deep voice.
Nearly ten thousand Martial Lords spread out like a great net, closing in to besiege the young girl.
Just moments ago, they had been roaming the Black Sea, searching for the entrance to the Mountains and Seas Picture Scroll.
Out of nowhere, this girl had appeared, attacking them relentlessly.
Her strength was terrifyingly high; not even Titled Martial Lords were a match for her.
However, their numbers were overwhelming.
United as nearly ten thousand Martial Lords, they were determined to wipe her out.
Faced with so many Martial Lords, the girl began to panic.
"Ning Tao, hurry and save this young lady!"
The girl yelled toward the sky.
This girl was none other than Ning Tao's past body after attaining the Yang God realm—the Canary.
Currently, she possessed only the strength of peak Mythological.
Ning Tao, on the other hand, was a Yang God.
Over the years, she had meditated in the Black Sea, absorbing the power of time and comprehending space-time until she finally achieved perfection and stepped into the Yang God realm.
"No one can save you here!"
"Hmph! Heavenly Venerable Qi Yuan has already gone to meet Dongjun. He will become our fellow traveler. He won't feel the slightest thing over your death!"
"Bullshit!" The Canary flew into a rage, planting her hands on her hips. "Ning Tao, get over here and beat him into mincemeat! Rip his mouth apart and bury him in a cesspool for ten thousand years!"
The Canary was genuinely furious.
How could anyone dare say Qi Yuan did not care about her?
She was the number one beauty of Mount Jiupan, certified by Qi Yuan himself!
The person Qi Yuan doted on most was without a doubt her!
To claim Qi Yuan didn't care about her was simply committing the second greatest sin in the universe!
"Hmph, I'm afraid you are the one who will die," that Titled Martial Lord sneered, though his eyes were wary as he watched her.
Right at that moment, an enchanting voice echoed in the hearts of everyone present: "My husband is fighting the big boss, so naturally this humble one should clear the trash mobs for him."
Boundless killing intent churned across the Black Sea.
Ning Tao appeared in her black dress, standing in the void with her black hair cascading like a waterfall.
Joy lit up the Canary's eyes. "You're finally here!"
Seeing Ning Tao, the expressions of the Martial Lords changed drastically.
"A Heavenly Venerable..."
"It's actually a Heavenly Venerable!"
They could not comprehend how another Heavenly Venerable could possibly exist within the Black Sea.
"Heavenly Venerable, Heavenly Venerable Qi Yuan is currently meeting with Dongjun. If there is any matter, could we wait until Heavenly Venerable Qi Yuan emerges before discussing it?" Martial Lord Heilu urged anxiously.
"Oh? And why didn't you wait until my husband came out before acting?" Killing intent surged in Ning Tao's eyes.
Martial Lord Heilu said hastily, "This concerns the very survival of our world! We had no choice but to resort to this desperate measure!"
The other Martial Lords joined in with self-righteous fervor: "Though our actions violate heavenly harmony, for the continuation of the world, we willingly bear the burden of being villains!"
"Indeed! Once Heavenly Venerable Qi Yuan emerges and sees that we have saved the world, he will surely forgive us!"
The Martial Lords spoke out one after another, impassioned and vehement, looking as though they were ready to lay down their lives for the world at any second.
Ning Tao stood above the Black Sea. Its waters flowed beneath her feet, and the power of time twined around her form, making her body appear ethereal, as though she did not truly exist in the present moment.
She smiled—a radiant, breathtaking smile.
"What does the fate of the world have to do with me? My husband is all that matters."
After becoming one of the Thirteen Northern Demon Fiends, detested by heaven and loathed by earth, she had tasted the full malice of the human heart.
To her, the world and everyone in it were no different from roadside pebbles and weeds.
The world despised her, and mankind reviled her—why should she repay grievance with kindness?
Her husband alone was the one she cherished.
She gazed at this mob of "righteous" Martial Lords, her expression cold as frost.
"I am not my husband. I am not as reasonable as he is.
"Since saving the world is the most important thing in your hearts...
"Then... please die for the world!"
Ning Tao wasted no more words.
Or rather, she couldn't be bothered to entertain their "lofty principles."
Her husband was the only thing that mattered to her.
So what if she was love-struck?
"Kill!"
She thrust out a palm—plain and devoid of any flashy flourishes.
Although she had only just stepped into the Yang God realm and had not yet fully mastered her power, the might of that single palm was far beyond anything these Martial Lords could match.
The Black Sea overturned in an instant as boundless power of time surged and washed over them.
"No!"
"It cannot end like this!"
"Our world!"
Nearly ten thousand Martial Lords screamed in agony.
As the seawater crashed over them, time rushed through their bodies.
Some aged and withered, while others regressed into powerless infants.
Their mouths were finally no longer stubborn.
"Don't you love women whose minds are filled with nothing but romance?
"That would be me!"
Without sparing them another glance, Ning Tao struck out with a second palm.
In an instant, nearly ten thousand Martial Lords were wiped out.
The gulf between a Yang God and a Yin God was simply too immense.
Not to mention that the Divine Domain Ning Tao wielded was the power of space-time.
"Hee-hee, who knew this young lady could be so strong!" The Canary flitted over to Ning Tao's side, staring at Ning Tao's gorgeous face with an air of smug satisfaction. "This young lady is simply too beautiful—no wonder Qi Yuan adores me so much!"
Ning Tao glanced at her past body, feeling somewhat exasperated. "Could you tone down the narcissism? Besides... I am still not strong enough."
"This still isn't strong?"
"I don't even have the power to lock my husband away by my side forever."
"...Hey, don't go full yandere!"
"Don't tell me you don't want me to lock him up so the three of us can live together?" Ning Tao asked in a sultry voice.
"Well..." The Canary pressed a pale, slender finger to her lips, stars gleaming in her eyes. "That does sound rather thrilling."
...
"Immortal winds brush the clouds to nourish the grottos;
Divine light reflects the moon to illuminate jasper pavilions."
In the Land of the Great Cataclysm, Qi Yuan looked at the words carved into the stone cliff ahead, a grin spreading across his face.
"This place is fated for me!"
"Godfather, what does that have to do with you?" Qi Qi asked, tilting her head in confusion.
Old Geezer Shenlei stroked his beard. "Whatever catches his eye is fated to be his. It's that simple."
"Hey, how can you ruin an innocent man's good name out of thin air? I'm no Kong Yiji—I happen to know three hundred and twenty-seven ways to write the character hui!"
Qi Yuan retorted defensively, pointing at the stone cliff ahead. "See that? It has the words 'Divine Light' right there! I hail from the Divine Light Sect, and I am about to become the first Purple Mansion cultivator in its entire history. Isn't it only natural that this place is fated for me?"
Old Geezer Shenlei was struck speechless.
Qi Qi cocked her head. "Godfather makes a lot of sense."
Just then, a gentle and refined voice rang out.
"You... have finally arrived."
The voice was like heavenly music falling upon their ears, clear as jade striking a jade plate.
Everyone immediately felt as if bathed in a warm spring breeze, ripples stirring in their hearts.
They all looked up to see a man in a tattered white robe walking toward them from amidst a kaleidoscope of colors.
Though covered in scars, his eyes shone as bright as sunlight.
When he looked at Qi Yuan, his gaze overflowed with boundless tenderness: "A-Qiao, you have finally come to see me. Do you still remember me? I am your husband, Sheng Kongming."
With his voice, endless memories flooded Qi Yuan's mind.
The insights of the Myriad Dao Martial God flared intensely at this moment.
Qi Yuan seemed to see himself transformed into the woman from the mural, walking hand in hand with Sheng Kongming beneath a starry sky.
Meanwhile, the Divine Infant Yang Gods behind Qi Yuan all looked at him with sheer fascination, as if they had uncovered the scandal of the century.
"His Lordship and Sheng Kongming are Dao companions?"
"They're actually a couple!"
"Could it be that the person Sheng Kongming has been waiting for all this time is His Lordship?!"
"How touching!"
"To save his beloved, he journeyed alone into an alien realm, suppressing his nemesis for a million years, refusing to depart just so he could wait in the mortal dust for your return!"
"Keeping vigil over an entire realm—how deeply moving!"
Qi Qi's eyes sparkled even more. Clenching her fists, she was on the verge of bursting into tears.
Watching this, Sheng Kongming's expression remained tranquil.
Members of the Holy Light Clan were exceedingly few and rare.
Yet to the Holy Light Clan, numbers were the most useless thing in existence.
There were several thousand Yang Gods before him—a sight that, frankly, would strike terror into the heart of even an Ultimate Principle Yang God.
However... he belonged to the Holy Light Clan.
So long as someone was not an entire major realm higher than him, they were merely playthings in his palm.
Thus, even facing several thousand Yang Gods, he remained utterly at ease.
These Yang Gods were mostly in the first realm of the Yang God, the Lesser Heavenly Position.
Those in the Great Heavenly Position were few and far between.
As for him... he was in the Great Heavenly Position of the Yang God, a mere half-step away from the Ultimate Principle Realm.
Beneath the Ultimate Principle Realm, he was naturally invincible and could toy with them effortlessly.
Even against an Ultimate Principle Yang God, with a little effort and planning, he could handle them all the same.
He looked at Qi Yuan with eyes overflowing with tenderness. "Though you have now become a man, my love for you has never wavered!"
Seeing this, Qi Qi couldn't help but exclaim, "I told you love can transcend gender!"
Dong Jianghe widened his eyes. "True love!"
Zhu Zhuangshi scowled. "Hey, don't try to steal Old Zhu's—!"
From the moment Sheng Kongming appeared, the entire tone had taken a sharp turn.
Qi Yuan pressed down his furiously lengthening nose and couldn't help rubbing his forehead.
"Could you stop being so revolting?!"
The developers of this game were unbelievable.
A perfectly good big boss, initially known as Dongjun.
Painting the Mountains and Seas Picture Scroll with the Mountain and River Sheji Brush, repeatedly rebooting the world, battling the Root Demon alone for a million years...
How magnificent and imposing that sounded!
And what did he turn out to be? Some guy escaped straight from a gay bar!
"Get the hell away from me!" Qi Yuan couldn't help shouting.
At the same time, with a wave of his hand, he swept all the Divine Infants present back into his body.
Even though he wouldn't be fooled by Dongjun, these Divine Infants of his were not him and could easily be duped.
Right now, their gossiping, popcorn-munching stares made Qi Yuan's skin crawl.
Qi Yuan's reaction did not exceed Dongjun's expectations.
"I know you cannot accept this right now, but I will stay by your side until you break free from worldly prejudice." Saying this, Dongjun Sheng Kongming extended a hand toward Qi Yuan, his eyes full of anticipation.
It looked as if he were encouraging Qi Yuan to bravely take the step toward him.
"Between us lies a distance of one hundred steps. I will walk ninety-nine of them; would you walk the remaining step for me?" Sheng Kongming asked gently, radiating the utter warmth of a doting partner.
Hearing this, Qi Yuan was completely at a loss for words. "Damn dog game, I want to quit!"
By now, Sheng Kongming had already walked ninety-nine steps. Holding out his left hand, he looked at Qi Yuan with expectant eyes.
"A-Qiao, will you take this step for me?"
Sheng Kongming was filled with anticipation and brimming with confidence.
Setting aside the fact that the Heavenly Venerable before him had yet to reach the Ultimate Principle Realm, Qi Yuan had also received the legacy of the Myriad Dao Martial God.
That legacy was a secondary safeguard he had left for "her."
Whoever absorbed the memories of the Myriad Dao Martial God would be molded into the "her" in his mind.
Qi Yuan before him was naturally no exception.
His current disgust and speechlessness were merely a temporary inability to accept reality.
Once he reached out his hand and soothed him with his warm, magnetic voice, Qi Yuan would surely be moved.
"If you are unwilling to accept that we are both men, I can also turn into a woman. As long as it pleases you, A-Qiao."
Dongjun was so tender, his voice ringing with pure sincerity.
A voice like this seemed potent enough to melt the heart of any romantic drama heroine.
"Hold your hand my ass!"
"I'll chop off your damn dog paw!"
"You disgust me!"
Under Dongjun's incredulous gaze, a streak of blood-red sword light flashed.
Boundless, surging might roiled and permeated the air at this instant.
Dongjun's left arm was actually severed on the spot!
Qi Yuan fumed with rage. "Dare to act shameless again?! Try disgusting me one more time!"
Qi Yuan felt more and more that mystery truly was the best charm.
After meeting Dongjun, all the mystique had vanished.
He was nothing but a scheming, ick-inducing creep.
Chapter 379