Ready

Ye Lingxiao and Great Saint Cangxuan also turned their gazes toward Ling Xi, a trace of inquiry in their eyes.

Although they knew some of the details, they were still unaware of the full picture of the Immortal Domain. More than anything, they wanted to hear the complete truth from Ling Xi herself.

At this, Ling Xi’s expression gradually darkened. The softness in her eyes faded, replaced by sorrow, anger, and gravity.

After a moment of silence, she finally decided to reveal the truth to everyone.

She slowly began, her voice low yet clear:

“Some of you may not know this, but the enemies who invaded our world this time are all immortals from the Immortal Domain.”

“Immortals?” The moment those words were spoken, everyone was stunned.

“Yes. They came here to forcibly seize the origin of the Canglan World.”

“Why would immortals plunder the origin of a lower realm?” someone asked in astonishment.

“Because the Immortal Domain has shattered!” Ling Xi replied.

“The Immortal Domain has shattered?!”

Those four words exploded through the hall like a thunderclap, leaving everyone deeply shaken. Their faces were filled with disbelief and horror.

The Immortal Domain—the supreme land of legend—how could it possibly have been destroyed?

“That is the Immortal Domain we’re talking about! How could it have been destroyed so easily?”

The Black Armor Great Sage, who had asked the question moments earlier, spoke with a trembling voice, his tone filled with disbelief.

Ling Xi’s gaze swept over the horrified faces in the hall. A trace of sorrow and solemnity flashed through her eyes.

She gave a faint nod, her voice low but clear as it reached every ear:

“I do not know the exact cause myself, but one thing is certain: the Immortal Domain collapsed long ago. It was reduced to countless fragments scattered throughout the boundless chaos.”

She paused briefly, allowing everyone to digest this earth-shattering revelation before continuing:

“The Immortal Domain has long since collapsed, becoming countless fragments scattered throughout the chaos.

“Those immortals now occupy the larger fragments. With their laws incomplete and spiritual energy gradually draining away, they regard the great worlds of the lower realms as nourishment. They plunder their origins in order to survive, merely clinging to life.

“That is why they attacked us this time. They intend to drain the Canglan World dry and use its essence to sustain their ruined Immortal Domain!”

The truth was finally laid bare, and a chill shot straight to the crown of everyone’s heads.

It was so shocking that it completely overturned their understanding of the Immortal Domain.

After a brief silence, the hall erupted like a pot of boiling oil, instantly drowning in heated debate.

“Even a shattered Immortal Domain is still the realm of immortals!”

An elder’s face had turned ashen, his voice dry and hoarse.

“How can we possibly stand against immortals? The fact that we managed to win this time was already a blessing from Heaven. What if they return…”

“Bullshit!”

Before he could finish, the Great Sage clad in black armor, his face covered by a thick beard, slammed his palm onto the table and rose to his feet. His voice rang out like a thunderous bell, his battle spirit soaring.

“So what if they have the Immortal Domain? So what if they’re immortals? If they dare come, I’ll dare stake my life and knock every last tooth from their mouths!

“If you’re going to lose your nerve before the battle even begins, you might as well kill yourself and apologize to the world!”

The hall exploded once more. The factions advocating war and peace argued fiercely, and the noise rose in waves.

Ye Lingxiao shouted, his imperial might spreading throughout the hall and suppressing every voice:

“Enough! This matter requires careful consideration.

“All of you, withdraw for now. Calm your subordinates and stabilize the situation. Do not spread what happened today for the time being, lest it cause panic among the people!”

“We shall obey the Great Emperor’s command!”

Everyone withdrew from the hall with heavy hearts.

Once only Gu Changge, Ling Xi, Ye Lingxiao, and a few other core figures remained, the atmosphere grew solemn once more.

Ling Xi looked toward the neatly prepared bodies of the Quasi-Emperors and spoke softly:

“Little Ye, it is time to send our fellow Daoists home.”

Ye Lingxiao’s expression turned solemn. “It is only right.”

Several days later, a number of sacred lands and imperial dynasties across the Canglan World welcomed two unusual mourners.

Ye Lingxiao personally carried the bodies or remains of his fallen comrades. Ling Xi, dressed in plain white, followed silently at his side, concealing her true identity.

Together, they returned the Quasi-Emperors who had died defending this world to the sacred lands and imperial dynasties from which they had come.

There were no grand processions—only a silent, heavy sorrow.

In the ancestral shrines of one sacred land after another, where mournful bells suddenly rang out, Ye Lingxiao personally offered incense and wine to his former comrades before bowing deeply.

Ling Xi likewise stood at his side and bowed toward the memorial tablets, some belonging to people she had known and others to strangers.

Her cool eyes held a trace of respect and grief.

The imperial weapons that had accompanied their masters throughout their lives of battle, and had ultimately shattered alongside them, were also solemnly returned.

They would be enshrined there, bearing witness to and passing down the will to fight in defense of the world.

“The Canglan World will remember your sacrifices.”

Ye Lingxiao’s voice rang out in every sacred land, heavy yet resolute.

The news gradually spread, and the entire Canglan World sank into an atmosphere of tragic solemnity.

People learned that supreme experts had fallen while defending their world. Amid their sorrow, a shared hatred of the enemy quietly began to take root.

After bidding farewell to the last of his comrades, Ye Lingxiao returned toward the Imperial Court.

The night was as tranquil as water.

Ling Xi looked at the majestic Imperial Court, then toward the magnificent mountains and rivers whose outlines were blurred beneath the night sky. A complicated, indescribable emotion surfaced in her cool eyes.

“Little Ye,” she said softly, her voice seeming almost ethereal in the night breeze. “I want to take a walk and see this land once more.”

Ye Lingxiao was slightly taken aback, but immediately understood.

She had endured life and death and returned through reincarnation. Her homeland remained, yet everything and everyone had changed.

What she wanted to see was not merely the scenery. She wanted to see the traces left behind by several thousand years on the land she had once protected—to feel the breath of the world as it was now.

“Very well.” Ye Lingxiao nodded without hesitation. “I’ll come with you.”

“Let’s go together!” Xiao Ruobai said. They wanted to see this completely new world as well.

Ling Xi nodded, and the group concealed their auras before strolling through the mountains and rivers of the Canglan World like ordinary travelers.

Seven days passed in the blink of an eye.

They entered mortal cities, experienced the bustle of the marketplaces, watched children playing and old men chatting, and felt the warmth and vitality of everyday life all around them.

They also visited famous mountains and great rivers, witnessing seas of clouds churn and waterfalls plunge like dragons.

Once, they saw young disciples from two sects competing for ownership of a spirit-stone mine and a spiritual spring. They set up an arena and displayed their various abilities, fighting fiercely.

Though their skills appeared childish in the eyes of Gu Changge and the others, their vigorous vitality and spirited determination still made Ye Lingxiao nod faintly, while a trace of satisfaction flashed through Ling Xi’s eyes.

They also quietly passed by several ancient ruins. Among the broken walls and crumbling remains, faint fluctuations from restrictions laid down thousands of years ago could still be sensed.

During those seven days, they heard many stories about Empress Lingxi.

In teahouses and taverns, among the fields and in marketplaces where cultivators gathered, her name and deeds were embellished and passed down. Some accounts remained close to historical fact, while others had already been altered beyond recognition, transformed into myths.

Whenever they heard such stories, Xiao Ruobai, Fang Hanyu, and even Fatty Wang would instinctively glance toward the silent, cool woman in white walking among them. In their hearts welled an indescribable respect and pride.

This was their junior sister—the legendary figure who had illuminated an entire era and whose name was still remembered by countless people.

As for Ling Xi, most of the time she merely listened in silence and watched.

She watched the mountains and rivers remain as magnificent as ever. She watched the people continue to multiply and prosper. She watched her legend merge into the lifeblood of this land, becoming a beacon that inspired those who came after.

At dusk on the seventh day, the group’s figures quietly appeared on the outskirts of the Imperial Court.

Gazing into the distance at the imposing, solemn palace complex bathed in the glow of the sunset, Ling Xi came to a stop and took one last, lingering look, as if she wanted to carve the final silhouette of this world into the depths of her heart.

Then she turned and looked at Gu Changge, who had silently accompanied her all this time. There was no longer any confusion or hesitation in her eyes—only clear and unwavering resolve.

“Master, I’m ready.”

Gu Changge nodded. He knew that when Ling Xi said she was ready, she meant she was prepared to undergo the Imperial Tribulation and prove herself as a Great Emperor.

I wasn’t feeling well today, so I went to the hospital. That’s why the update is late!

Chapter Three should be updated around 7 p.m.!