Hearing Heavenly Venerable Longyue's words, Jin Li subconsciously glanced at Qi Yuan.
Her gaze turned resolute.
"I wish to relinquish my status as a Yue Nü!"
Becoming a Yue Nü of the Moon Goddess Palace meant one could never marry; indeed, upon stepping into the Yang God Realm, one was required to sever all mortal ties.
What this entailed was clear as day.
At these words, Heavenly Venerable Longyue let out a faint sigh.
The status of Yue Nü was not something just anyone could obtain.
The privileges and treatment enjoyed were on par with a Yang God.
One's clan also enjoyed abundant resources and preferential treatment.
If she stripped herself of this title and forfeited the Moon Goddess Palace's backing, not only would her family's resources vanish, but even for Jin Li herself, stepping into the Yang God Realm would become extraordinarily difficult.
The Yang God Realm... required far more than mere talent.
Across the Sixth Heaven lay countless worlds, too numerous to reckon.
Paragons abounded like swarms of fireflies.
Yet on average, an entire world might not produce a single Yang God.
For Jin Li to sever herself from the rank of Yue Nü was an immense loss.
In fact, such an occurrence had happened only once or twice in the entire history of the Moon Goddess Palace.
"This is not a matter I can decide; it must be submitted to Moon Goddess Yuanjun," Heavenly Venerable Longyue said placidly. "However, Moon Goddess Yuanjun is currently in seclusion and likely cannot see you, so the matter must be temporarily shelved. Still, since your merits are sufficient, Her Eminence will presumably not make things difficult for you. Until she emerges... just keep a low profile during this period."
At present, Moon Goddess Yuanjun was severely wounded and in seclusion, and no one knew when she would reappear.
Heavenly Venerable Longyue's meaning was crystal clear: renouncing her status was permissible, but she had to wait until Moon Goddess Yuanjun came out of seclusion. During this period, she needed to maintain discretion and preserve some face for the Moon Goddess Palace. Ostentatious talk of marriage and betrothal was utterly out of the question.
"Thank you, Heavenly Venerable." Jin Li curtsied gracefully, unable to repress the delight rising in her heart.
At that moment, Qi Yuan looked at Heavenly Venerable Longyue. Recalling something, he took out a token.
"May I ask, Fellow Daoist, does this Moon Token originate from the Moon Goddess Palace?" Qi Yuan presented it.
Back then, when he climbed to the summit of Seven Colors Peak to seek an audience with his master, he had not seen her. Instead, he had found this Moon Token.
The information his eyes provided indicated it was a keepsake of Moon Goddess Yuanjun.
"This token was bestowed by my master, Ruan Yixi, and seems to bear some connection to the Moon Goddess Palace. I wonder if Senior knows whether the Moon Goddess Palace has ever had someone by my master's name?" Qi Yuan asked earnestly.
Jin Li knitted her brows in contemplation.
She had never imagined Qi Yuan possessed such a tie to the Moon Goddess Palace.
Heavenly Venerable Longyue's gaze fell upon the Moon Token, her pupils contracting slightly as her expression turned solemn. "This is... a keepsake of the previous generation's Moon Goddess Yuanjun."
"The previous generation?" Qi Yuan was taken aback, not expecting such an outcome.
"I know very little regarding the previous Moon Goddess Yuanjun. As for Ruan Yixi... I have never heard of such a person," Heavenly Venerable Longyue replied.
Secrets concerning supreme experts of the realm of Great Ultimate Reason—especially mysteries tied to a figure like Moon Goddess Yuanjun—were not something a minor Ultimate Principle Realm Yang God like herself could be privy to.
Hearing this, Qi Yuan felt a pang of disappointment. "Would it be possible for me to meet Senior Moon Goddess Yuanjun?"
He wanted to uncover the truth of Master Ruan Yixi's identity and where she was now.
Heavenly Venerable Longyue shook her head. "In the short term, I fear that is impossible. However... if it concerns the previous Moon Goddess Yuanjun, you could inquire with... Heavenly Venerable Yuehua."
Heavenly Venerable Yuehua was the only other expert of Great Ultimate Reason in the Moon Goddess Palace.
Whenever Moon Goddess Yuanjun remained in seclusion, it had always been Heavenly Venerable Yuehua who oversaw the palace's affairs.
"When might I be able to contact Heavenly Venerable Yuehua?" Qi Yuan asked inquisitively.
"Before long, the Ultimate Principle Dao Discussion Conference will commence, and Heavenly Venerable Yuehua will represent the Moon Goddess Palace. At that time, you may naturally pay your respects." When mentioning Heavenly Venerable Yuehua, reverent awe flickered in Longyue's eyes.
The gulf between different Yang Gods could be as vast as that between a Yang God and a Yin God, particularly between the realm of Great Ultimate Reason and the realm of lesser reason.
The stronger one became, the more ascending by even a minor realm felt harder than scaling the heavens.
"The Ultimate Principle Dao Discussion Conference?" Qi Yuan murmured.
It seemed this conference was an event he simply had to attend.
***
Emerging from the hall alongside Jin Li, Qi Yuan took her hand and strolled leisurely through the Moon Goddess Palace's grounds.
Jin Li seemed like a delicate maiden from a modest household, with her former sharp, icy chill stripped away and replaced by gentle, tender devotion.
Along the path, numerous Moon Goddess Palace cultivators caught sight of the scene, either staring in astonishment or murmuring under their breath.
"Am I seeing things?"
"What on earth am I looking at?"
"The Yue Nü... is actually holding a man's arm!"
Who among the members of the Moon Goddess Palace here did not know that Yue Nü Jin Li was a walking glacier who kept everyone thousands of miles away, doing nothing but slaughtering foes endlessly?
When had they ever witnessed such a soft, girlish demeanor from her?
Envy and jealousy surfaced on several cultivators' faces.
"So Her Highness isn't naturally cold—she's only cold toward us."
"That man's appearance is indeed a match made in heaven with Her Highness, but who is he?"
"Is he worthy of our Yue Nü?"
"To win Her Highness's heart, he must be extraordinarily exceptional!"
They stared at Jin Li and Qi Yuan in bewildered curiosity.
Before long, an elegant and opulent woman came walking along the path.
This woman was none other than Yu Tiao, the host of the Moon Star Banquet.
Spotting Yue Nü Jin Li, she blinked, her face filled with curiosity. "Greetings, Your Highness."
As she spoke, her gaze involuntarily drifted toward Qi Yuan. "And this is...?"
As a Mythological expert reflecting across the heavens, her status in this war zone was only slightly beneath that of a Yue Nü, yet her network of connections was far broader.
Jin Li looked at Qi Yuan. The memories of their shared past surged into her mind, and courage welled within her. "He is... my beloved."
A beloved meant a Dao companion.
At this moment, Jin Li refused to shrink back; she chose to be brave.
The moment the words fell, the expressions of Yu Tiao and the onlookers shifted.
A Yue Nü was strictly forbidden from having a beloved.
"Your Highness, this..." Yu Tiao hesitated, thoroughly shaken.
The glacier-like Yue Nü Jin Li actually had someone in her heart.
"My merits are already sufficient. As soon as I meet Moon Goddess Yuanjun, I will no longer be a Yue Nü of the Moon Goddess Palace," Jin Li stated resolutely.
The onlookers did not merely flinch; they drew in a collective, stunned breath of cold air.
The title of Yue Nü signified that, by following the established path with Moon Goddess Yuanjun's support, one was guaranteed to become a Yang God!
For someone to willingly cast aside the status of Yue Nü left them shocked—and intensely envious.
Some looked at the Yue Nü as though looking at a love-struck fool.
To abandon the mantle of Yue Nü for the sake of a man—how utterly irrational could one get?
Even if the man was rather handsome, could good looks put food on the table?
Yue Nü Jin Li understood what their expressions meant, but she paid them no heed.
She had always been clear-headed, knowing precisely what she wanted.
After a brief lapse of astonishment, Yu Tiao appraised Qi Yuan. She felt both surprised and perplexed: what manner of charm did this man possess to make Jin Li forsake the standing of a Yue Nü?
Qi Yuan gazed intently at Jin Li. "Whatever you lose, I will compensate you for."
At this declaration, the expressions of the Moon Goddess Palace cultivators shifted once more.
They all felt Qi Yuan was boasting beyond his means.
What Jin Li was giving up was the status of Yue Nü—the guaranteed path to becoming a Yang God.
Yet even with these doubts churning in their hearts, none voiced them aloud.
Yu Tiao sighed softly. "Your Highness's resolve is truly admirable."
As for Qi Yuan's words, she ignored them completely.
Even if he were a Yang God Heavenly Venerable, could what he gave Jin Li possibly exceed the prestige and resources of a Moon Goddess Palace Yue Nü?
After exchanging a few brief words, the crowd went their separate ways.
Jin Li gripped Qi Yuan's hand. "Pay no mind to their words. Giving up the status of Yue Nü is entirely my own wish, born of my own selfishness."
She did not want to guilt-trip Qi Yuan or make him blame himself.
Qi Yuan smiled. "Between us, there's no need for calculation, nor do we need to care what others think. Otherwise... it would be far too tedious."
Qi Yuan considered himself not only lawful good, but an idealist.
He trusted Jin Li implicitly.
Jin Li would strive to give him her best, and he would do the same for her.
If they had constantly weighed gains and losses, they would never have continued their conversations on the Exquisite Jade Tide back then, let alone reached this point.
Though a woman like Jin Li seemed like an ephemeral dream existing only in one's imagination, this was the cultivation world; every kind of woman existed here.
"You don't step on ants, and I'm lawful good. We're a match made in heaven," Qi Yuan said serenely.
"Mm." A blush once again crept over Jin Li's fair face.
***
Before they knew it, the two arrived at Jin Li's residence.
Jin Li made no effort to avoid gossip, bringing Qi Yuan straight into her private bedchamber.
The furnishings were minimalist. Beneath the window, writing brushes and an inkstone rested upon a desk. A vase held several sprigs of immortal vines heavy with clusters of hanging fruit, charming and abundant.
Landscape folding screens and gauzy curtains partitioned the room into sleeping, sitting, and bathing quarters.
Aside from a few decorations, the chamber was as pristine and clean as a cave of snow, suffused with a faint, exotic fragrance identical to the scent on Jin Li's body.
"In truth, back when I was in the Lower Realm, I wanted to tell you about my existence, but I feared bringing you unnecessary trouble. About a month ago, my Stellar Golden Core swept past your star," Qi Yuan said softly, taking in the clean scent of Jin Li's dark hair.
"That... was you?" Jin Li recalled the day ten suns had blazed in the sky and swept past her star. Her expression shifted with anxious surprise. "You're the Ten Suns Heavenly Venerable?"
"Yes." Qi Yuan nodded.
A sweet warmth blossomed in Jin Li's heart, though concern quickly took precedence. She drew close to Qi Yuan's ear and whispered in an urgent voice, "You must never reveal this to anyone, or else... there will be immense trouble."
"Oh?"
She spoke so closely that her orchid-scented breath tickled Qi Yuan's neck, sending a faint shiver through him.
"Not only will the Taihuang Palace come for you, but the Moon Goddess Palace will too!" Jin Li warned solemnly.
Knowing Qi Yuan was the Ten Suns Heavenly Venerable and possessed formidable power delighted her, but the implications of that identity could not be taken lightly.
"Moon Goddess Yuanjun holds the Supreme Yin Venerable Position, while the master of the Taihuang Palace holds the Great Sun Venerable Position—the very thing you seek. The Great Sun and Supreme Yin are sworn nemeses. If either wishes to advance further, they must devour the other. You... must under no circumstances meet Moon Goddess Yuanjun. If she discovers who you are, I fear you..."
Jin Li dared not imagine the consequences.
The methods of someone in the realm of Great Ultimate Reason were beyond comprehension, and Moon Goddess Yuanjun was no ordinary Great Ultimate Reason practitioner.
Experts who grasped a Supreme Ultimate Principle like her numbered fewer than ten across the entirety of the Sixth Heaven.
Such beings possessed inscrutable methods.
If Moon Goddess Yuanjun laid eyes on Qi Yuan and uncovered his identity, she might well weave treacherous plots against him.
Even if Qi Yuan harbored no ill intent toward her and had no design on consuming the Supreme Yin Venerable Position, at that level, intent was irrelevant.
Hearing her concern, Qi Yuan felt a surge of joy. "They say daughters always lean outward toward outsiders, but you haven't even married me yet and you're already siding with me over your own sect."
Jin Li had chosen his side over the Moon Goddess Palace without the slightest hesitation.
He was genuinely moved.
From Moon Goddess Yuanjun's perspective, however, such betrayal would have chilled her to the core.
Of course, one could not make such a comparison, for in Jin Li's eyes, Moon Goddess Yuanjun currently posed a lethal threat to Qi Yuan, while Qi Yuan could not threaten the Yuanjun in the least.
At the mention of marriage, a rosy blush washed over Jin Li's jade-like skin, like pear blossoms laden with snow, kissed by blooming peach petals.
Qi Yuan looked at Jin Li. Seeing her gentle, affectionate eyes, lips like glazed pearls, and delicately parted mouth, his heart stirred.
At times, he could be quite forward; everything flowed like water finding its channel.
Unable to hold back, he leaned in and pressed his lips against Jin Li's rosy, tender mouth.
Jin Li's body stiffened for a fleeting instant before melting completely, softening in his embrace. Her lovely eyes half-closed, her breath coming in shallow, ragged gasps as a rosy glow suffused her peerless, snow-white face.
After a long time, the entanglement finally subsided, yet their profound longing remained unslaked, only brewing into something hotter and deeper.
A brief separation was sweeter than a wedding night, to say nothing of a separation spanning millennia.
"If you wish... I..."
Jin Li looked at Qi Yuan, her cool demeanor melted into soft devotion. Her light-yellow overgarment slipped away, the lavender gauze veil parted, and an enchanting sight unfolded before his eyes.
Cascades of raven hair tumbled down in front, half-concealing and half-revealing her porcelain skin.
A determined expression—an attitude of forsaking everything—settled on her face, yet her delicate shoulders trembled slightly, betraying the turmoil within her heart.
"Are you Her Majesty the Empress, Her Highness the Yue Nü?" Qi Yuan asked tenderly, drawing near. "Or are you Jin Li?"
Jin Li half-closed her eyes, offering no resistance, and clung tightly to Qi Yuan.
Even the tightest embrace could not discharge ten thousand years of yearning.
As the saying went, *arising from passion, restrained by propriety.*
For now, Jin Li was still a Yue Nü and could not yet place her photo on Qi Yuan's marriage certificate.
Qi Yuan had always been a man who observed propriety, conservative and traditional at heart. So despite his deep affection, he reined himself in and refrained from taking that final step with Jin Li.
After all, they weren't married yet!
Holding Jin Li in his arms, he let out a wistful sigh. "Alas, having known the world's hardships since youth, I truly wish I could linger in this gentle nest a little longer."
Yet Qi Yuan knew he could not remain here for long. The longer he delayed regarding the Moluo Clan, the more variables might arise.
He had to return promptly.
A deep, reluctant sorrow showed in Jin Li's eyes.
She knew Qi Yuan was scheming against the Moluo Clan.
She could not accompany him; going along would only make her a burden.
"What if... you capture me and lock me away?" A thought struck Jin Li, and her face filled with longing, devoid of her former cold nobility.
Qi Yuan shook his head. "We still have to give face to the Moon Goddess Palace, and staying by my side... is somewhat dangerous."
To Qi Yuan, Jin Li was far safer staying in the Moon Goddess Palace for now.
His plot against the Moluo Clan to reclaim his well would inevitably invite relentless pursuit.
He couldn't keep Jin Li stowed away in his Netherworld forever, could he? Nor could he halt her cultivation.
While he could channel spiritual energy to his junior sister Jiang Lingsu to aid her training, that was only because Jiang Lingsu's cultivation was weak.
Doing the same for Jin Li, who was already at the Mythological Realm, was out of the question.
The disappointment in Jin Li's eyes was unmistakable. "You... be careful in all things. If things become untenable, come to the Moon Goddess Palace!"
She could not bear to see him leave, yet she would never impede his grand designs.
"Rest assured," Qi Yuan smiled.
Sometimes, the feeling of being cherished and remembered by someone was truly wonderful.
Could it be that back on the Blue Star, he had simply been starved of love?
Chapter 421