As this suspicion crossed Insect Maiden Caidie's mind, she flew toward the hot spring, skimming just above the water's surface like a dragonfly.
She had searched many places in the Divine Wood Abyss, but she had yet to inspect this hot spring closely.
Seeing this, Shen Lingxuan hurriedly slipped her clothes back on, dived to the bottom of the hot spring, and listened intently.
"The sound of woodchopping... and flames..."
Faint noises drifted through, and she tried to distinguish them.
Perhaps because the distance was too great, she could not hear clearly.
"Break for me!"
Insect Maiden Caidie let out a soft cry, unleashing a peculiar pulse of power directly at the weakest spot in the hot spring. Yet the bottom of the spring did not budge in the slightest.
"It seems... we can't open this." Disappointment showed in Caidie's eyes. "The rumors are true. Without a special destiny, one cannot enter the Divine Wood Deep Abyss even upon finding it."
"What lies within the Divine Wood Deep Abyss?" Shen Lingxuan asked curiously.
A complex look crossed Caidie's eyes. "I don't know either... I only know it holds many opportunities, and that it is the safest place in the Qingshan Realm."
At present, Caidie lived on edge hiding with Shen Lingxuan inside the Divine Wood Abyss.
Almost the entirety of the Chaotic Star Domain was under the control of the Radiant Society.
Experts from the Radiant Society constantly patrolled the myriad realms in search of Mandate bearers.
Previously, hiding peacefully in the Divine Wood Abyss would have allowed her and Shen Lingxuan to lie low for a long time.
However... Qi Yuan (Divine Descent) had slain the Seven Gods. Once word of that spread, it would inevitably draw the Radiant Society's attention.
If the Radiant Society dispatched a powerhouse to the Qingshan Realm to hunt down Qi Yuan, they might very well uncover the two of them.
With their current strength, confronting the Radiant Society would be like a mantis trying to stop a chariot—grossly overestimating themselves.
Thus, finding the Divine Wood Deep Abyss was of utmost necessity.
***
Sunset Cliff.
Chen Kangbao was eating steamed buns, his belly bulging round and full.
Ji Wuyun, dressed in a jade-green gown, watched Chen Kangbao with a helpless expression. "Aren't you worried about your young master at all? What if... something happened to him?"
Back when they had agreed to meet offline through the Divine Wood Token, Ji Wuyun had ultimately chosen to come.
"The young master is a heavenly deity descended to the mortal realm. You could choke to death before anything happened to him," Chen Kangbao replied truthfully.
Hearing that, Ji Wuyun suddenly found the bun in her hand far less appetizing.
Right then, the sound of approaching footsteps echoed, and a man clad in black appeared.
On his forehead was a peculiar pattern resembling an inscribed character, giving him an exceptionally sinister aura.
A perpetual smile hung on his face, but it felt perilous to anyone looking at it.
This man was Xianling Yingjun, a staff member of Thorn Blood and an NPC gold-tier commentator.
At this moment, however, his expression was grave. "We have a problem. Great Venerable Fengti of the Radiant Society has descended upon the Qingshan Realm, presumably after the Mandate bearer."
"Great Venerable Fengti?" Fear instantly surfaced on Ji Wuyun's face.
To her, neither Thorn Blood nor the Radiant Society were good people.
"He is no ordinary Great Venerable. His original form ranks among the top three in combat strength at the Five Steps of Sky Treading across the current epoch of the Yaoguang Universe!" Deep dread tinged Xianling Yingjun's voice as he mentioned this.
He himself stood at the Three Steps of Sky Treading and was considered a peerless expert among those in the same tier.
Yet... the Zhou Universe was vast beyond measure. Ranking by combat strength alone among those at the Three Steps of Sky Treading within the Void Paradise, he would not even make the top three hundred.
Top three... what kind of existence was that?
A single breath would likely be enough to obliterate him.
"The young master is invincible. A mere Fengti will be cut down with a single sword strike!" Chen Kangbao did not care in the slightest. As he chewed his bun, he perhaps felt his boasting had been a bit too brazen, so he added, "And if one sword strike isn't enough, then two."
Xianling Yingjun let out a helpless smile. "Fengti is completely different from past opponents."
Divine Descent was undeniably strong, unmatched across the Qingshan Realm.
He could indeed be considered the strongest in this realm.
Yet that scope was limited to a single world.
Fengti, on the other hand, was a force on a cosmic scale.
Comparing Divine Descent to Fengti was like comparing a rural village primary school to a galactic university.
"I just hope he doesn't search his way here... If Brother Qi really is in the Divine Wood Abyss... he might be able to avoid Fengti," Xianling Yingjun remarked.
***
"I built a ladder so I can see the exit more clearly and awaken my mind's eye.
"Once the ladder is fully completed, why don't you use it to leave?" Qi Yuan said as he continued forging the ladder.
By now, it was more than half finished.
The blind girl shook her head. She tilted her face toward the grain-sized speck of light high above, her sightless gaze meeting only an empty void.
"That exit cannot accommodate me," she said, shaking her head.
Even if she wished to leave, this exit was not an option.
"Oh? Are you really tall?" Qi Yuan glanced at her, tempted to reach out and feel whether she was enormous.
Yet judging from her breathing and heartbeat, while she was slender and tall, she was hardly a giant.
Ignoring his comment, the blind girl asked in succession, "Have you mastered the forging arts? Have you awakened your mind's eye? Have you forged a divine artifact?"
A barrage of three questions.
Qi Yuan gave an awkward smile. "No."
He suddenly felt like ignoring her too.
Why did she have to attack him like that?
"Sigh, the eight foundational forging arts are just too difficult. Even now, I've only reached proficiency."
"...That's a bit slow," the blind girl remarked after a long hesitation.
Setting down the fruit, she walked off toward the spot where she usually sat on her swing.
Qi Yuan erected the ladder he had built. Towering and straight, it rose dozens of zhang into the air.
He climbed upward cautiously, eventually reaching the top out of breath.
Once there, he resumed staring at the grain-sized glow.
Being closer seemed to make it clearer.
"Wait... is that the sound of water?
"Could it be that this exit leads to a river?
"Sigh, comprehending the mind's eye is so hard.
"If only I had a progress bar.
"'You glanced ahead; proficiency +1.'"
Qi Yuan rambled nonsense to himself.
"The ladder really helps, though. Being closer... makes it easier to grasp."
A light breeze drifted by. Qi Yuan stood atop the ladder, staring blankly with his blind eyes toward that tiny speck of light.
Time slipped past, and nearly a year had gone by since Qi Yuan arrived in the Divine Wood Deep Abyss.
The ladder had finally reached the very top.
After securing it in place, Qi Yuan climbed upward with great anticipation.
"This exit looks so big and round—how could I still fail to comprehend it?"
Having devoted so much time to a single goal, Qi Yuan felt that the awakening of his mind's eye might arrive in a single flash.
Perhaps the moment he made contact with that speck of light, the mind's eye would awaken.
With its aid, his forging speed would surely increase.
Then, the wish of the Blind Implement Master could be fulfilled, bringing both Divine Descent and the Blind Implement Master to perfect completion.
Carrying these thoughts, Qi Yuan reached the very peak of the ladder.
The wind blew strong, making the ladder sway slightly.
Fixing his gaze on the grain-sized speck of light, he held his breath and observed it with utter focus.
The wind died down; his heart grew still.
*The so-called mind's eye is nothing more than another angle for observing the world.*
*Eyes can deceive, but the heart will not.*
*No, my eyes won't deceive me, and neither will my heart.*
In that split second, Qi Yuan felt a sudden spark of enlightenment.
*The heart is an extension of the eye...*
A profoundly mysterious sensation suffused Qi Yuan's eyes.
All at once, the world around him became ethereal and clear, no longer limited to black and red.
*I'm still blind... but my perception... has grown far stronger.*
For Qi Yuan, such an enhancement in perception was practically a minor golden finger.
His perception had already been extraordinarily keen, and now it had taken another leap.
He continued looking toward the grain-sized speck of light.
Suddenly, a bewildered look crossed his face. "This speck of light... is so big and round."
He seemed to perceive something big and round.
Of course, it was only a semblance.
His eyes remained blind; he had merely perceived a certain outline.
"Who's there?!"
A delicate shout rang out. A long dress was hastily draped over Shen Lingxuan's graceful figure, vigilance filling her eyes.
Insect Maiden Caidie also flapped her wings and flew over, staring warily at the hot spring.
"That voice sounds familiar..." Qi Yuan muttered to himself.
As if separated by an entire world, the voice sounded somewhat muffled.
Yet Qi Yuan possessed an exceptional memory, and he recognized the person at once. "Shen Lingxuan... is that you?"
This was the matrilocal Qi Yuan's wife.
She was also the final link to achieving full completion in his role-play as the matrilocal son-in-law.
"Who are you..." Confusion appeared in the aloof Shen Lingxuan's eyes.
Beside her, Insect Maiden Caidie looked astonished. "What voice? Why didn't I hear anything?"
Naturally, Caidie did not know that Qi Yuan was communicating with Shen Lingxuan through his unique ability.
Qi Yuan's ears could pick up certain sounds, and whenever he heard them, he could reply.
Back then, he had used this very ability to communicate with the Soundless Sound.
Now, having caught Shen Lingxuan's voice, he immediately replied with his superability.
Caidie, of course, heard nothing.
Puzzlement flickered across Shen Lingxuan's face.
She had not expected Caidie to miss such an audible voice.
Full of doubt, she responded, "Is it you?"
That familiar voice reminded her of the young gentleman she had met twice before.
Back then, the youth had slain a notorious flower-thief with a single sword strike, leaving a deep impression on her.
He... actually recognized her?
And how was he... down beneath the Divine Wood Deep Abyss?
"You recognize me?" Qi Yuan sounded delighted. "Lingxuan, I searched for you for so long without any trace. I never expected to run into you here."
Insect Maiden Caidie was thoroughly bewildered, watching Shen Lingxuan converse with thin air.
She began to wonder if Shen Lingxuan had succumbed to hallucinations.
She hovered quietly in the air.
Surprise covered Shen Lingxuan's face. "You were looking for me? Who on earth are you?"
She smelled a conspiracy.
That young gentleman had actually been searching for her all along.
"I am your husband... Qi Yuan."
"What?!" Shen Lingxuan's slender frame trembled, and an expression of utter disbelief washed over her cool, exquisite face. Her composure broke, looking breathtakingly stunning.
Wasn't he a matrilocal son-in-law?
Zhishuang had described him as a weak, useless scholar who couldn't even truss a chicken.
"A while ago, I went to Shiwanshanjue to look for you, but I couldn't find you no matter where I searched.
"Oh, and that Diwu Wei who tried to abduct you into servitude—I casually cut him down too."
Hearing this, Shen Lingxuan's disbelief deepened even further.
Then she heard Qi Yuan continue, "You don't need to fear retaliation from the Rakshasa Country either. I stopped by the Rakshasa Country recently and killed Diwu Bufan."
"Wait... You are Qi Yuan, Divine Descent?!" Even though Shen Lingxuan was normally cold as sculpted jade with tranquil emotions, tumultuous waves surged in her heart at this moment.
The Divine Descent Qi Yuan who had single-handedly slain the Seven Gods was actually her husband—that very matrilocal son-in-law.
How could she not be stunned?
This was comparable to a woman on Blue Star suddenly discovering that her matrilocal live-in husband was the planet's most formidable leader born in the eighties.
Beside her, Insect Maiden Caidie grew frantic, spinning about like an ant on a hot pan—or like a petite girl at a spectacle, desperately jumping up and down because the crowd blocked her view, yet still unable to see a thing.
Shen Lingxuan glanced at Caidie. Her voice remained cool, yet beneath that chill, a distinct tremor could be heard.
"The one speaking to me... is my... husband, Divine Descent Qi Yuan." At the word 'husband', a rosy flush crept across her snow-white, jade-like cheeks, making her look all the more captivating.
"Wait... your husband is him?! Where is he?" Caidie was equally shocked.
Could the world truly hold such coincidences?
"He's down below." Shen Lingxuan looked toward the hot spring, the blush on her face deepening into a vibrant, enchanting glow.
She had suddenly recalled their first meeting, when he had said... he wanted to ride her.
At the time, she had simply thought he was crazy.
Recalling it now, her heart fluttered. That 'riding'... the image involuntarily sprang into her mind, and the mountain-like fairy quickly shook the thought away, feeling somewhat flustered.
A strange trace of gratitude toward Qi Yuan also welled up inside her.
He had actually ventured deep into Shiwanshanjue and slain Diwu Bufan just to save her.
"What fate! Searching high and low only to find you right here. Let me try squeezing up to see you."
With that, Qi Yuan began pushing toward that grain-sized speck of light.
An excruciating pain struck him, as if knives were carving into his flesh.
"That stings a bit," Qi Yuan remarked.
It truly was agonizing, akin to enduring the torture of a thousand cuts, perhaps even worse.
An ordinary Yang God experiencing such agony in mortal form would likely have blacked out.
However, Qi Yuan was long accustomed to torment; this level of pain was nothing to him.
Shen Lingxuan watched the bottom of the hot spring, her eyes filled with curiosity, anticipation, and hesitation.
She had never truly met her 'husband' face-to-face, and the thought of seeing him made her nervous, unsure of how to face him.
Now that Qi Yuan was about to emerge, her thoughts were in complete disarray.
What if Qi Yuan told her again that he wanted to ride her... how should she respond?
Just then, however, her expression suddenly froze.
Beside her, Insect Maiden Caidie also snapped her gaze toward the sky, horror filling her eyes.
Above the Divine Wood Abyss, a towering figure descended.
Robes fluttering in white, a sword strapped to his back, he stood suspended in the void several li away.
Yet even at that distance, Insect Maiden Caidie felt an overwhelming sense of helplessness.
It felt as though a single strike of his sword could shatter heaven and earth.
"Someone from the Radiant Society!" Caidie's face went pale. "A Great Venerable!"
Shen Lingxuan also felt the surging sword intent.
She recognized the man—he was the otherworldly entity who had cleaved her down with a single sword in her past life.
Back then, she had only thought him to be at the God level.
Now, with greater strength and broader horizons, she finally understood that he was no ordinary God.
This was a Great Venerable!
And not just any ordinary Great Venerable.
Fengti stood in the void, his eyes casting brilliant light downward into the Divine Wood Abyss.
"Did you think hiding in the Divine Wood Abyss would allow you to escape me?"
A sneer crossed Fengti's eyes.
The sword upon his back trembled continuously, and heaven and earth quivered along with it.
Suddenly, the blade unsheathed like a swimming dragon.
*Boom!*
A mighty strike unleashed a razor-sharp brilliance capable of slicing through all creation.
In an instant, the protective barrier atop the Divine Wood Abyss fractured.
The defense—sturdy enough to withstand the strikes of God-level powerhouses, impenetrable even to ordinary Great Venerables—shattered into pieces.
Fengti's gaze settled upon Shen Lingxuan and Insect Maiden Caidie, his expression laced with derision. "Little insects that know only how to skulk and hide. I wonder if you will manage to live another life this time."
He had recognized Shen Lingxuan.
Chilled to the bone, Shen Lingxuan felt the crushing weight of boundless pressure, her body shivering uncontrollably. She turned toward the hot spring and could not help but cry out,
"Don't come out! It's dangerous out here!"
Only remaining inside the Divine Wood Deep Abyss meant true safety.
Her husband Qi Yuan was strong, but the person before them... was a Great Venerable, and far from an ordinary one at that.
If her husband emerged, certain death awaited him.
At this moment, she could not help but worry for Qi Yuan.
Chapter 539