Getting Ready to Leave

An absolutely terrifying aura erupted with Ye Xuan at its center!

The sheer power of this aura instantly shattered the Sea-Calming Pearls surrounding the secret chamber. It even pierced through the restrictions of Cold Moon Peak, shooting straight into the clouds and triggering a celestial phenomenon!

Above the Azure Cloud Sect, five-colored auspicious clouds gathered. Hundreds of birds paid homage like subjects to a phoenix, and spiritual energy condensed into rain!

The entire sect was shaken!

"That is... the direction of Cold Moon Peak?"

"A celestial phenomenon! Has someone forged the legendary Heavenly Dao Foundation?!"

"Heavens, could it be that Xia Lengyue has broken through again?"

Inside the secret chamber.

Ye Xuan slowly opened his eyes.

Deep within his pupils, a five-colored wheel slowly rotated—profound, mysterious, and majestic.

He clenched his fists, feeling the power surging through his body like a mighty, endless river.

This kind of power... was truly intoxicating.

Even though he was only at the early stage of Foundation Establishment now, he was confident he could obliterate an ordinary late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator with a single punch!

"This is... the power I desired."

A smile tugged at the corners of Ye Xuan's mouth.

However, there was not much joy in this smile; instead, it carried a trace of the bleakness of an impending departure.

He turned his head and looked behind him.

Xia Lengyue was slumped weakly on the ground. Her red dress was soaked with sweat, her face was as pale as paper, and fresh blood still hung at the corner of her mouth.

But her eyes were bright—frighteningly bright.

She looked at Ye Xuan as if she were looking at her most perfect masterpiece, at the entire meaning of her life.

"It succeeded..."

Xia Lengyue weakly reached out a hand, wanting to touch Ye Xuan's cheek. "Husband... you are amazing..."

"My sacrifices... were not in vain..."

"From now on, we will be the strongest immortal couple in this world... No one can ever separate us..."

Ye Xuan looked at her trembling hand.

If he were a normal man, he would definitely be moved to tears at this moment, swearing to marry no one else but her in this lifetime.

However.

Ye Xuan's hand subconsciously caressed his own dantian.

There, aside from the newly forged Heavenly Dao Foundation, floated that golden Ten-Thousand-Mile Traceless Talisman.

Because of Xia Lengyue's infusion of origin essence, and because of the success of the Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment, this talisman had also been fully activated, sitting at the critical point ready to be triggered at any moment.

Leave? Or stay?

To stay meant living off a woman while pretending to be tough, becoming her private property, and enduring endless control and possessiveness.

To leave meant being a traitor, becoming a fugitive, and... freedom.

"Husband..."

Xia Lengyue called out weakly, propping up her body to climb onto the altar, wanting to get a little closer to him. "Let me see... let me get a good look at you..."

Ye Xuan looked at the hand she extended, which was still trembling slightly.

If it were anyone else who didn't know the truth, their heart would break at this moment, moved enough to entrust their life to her.

But Ye Xuan's heart was very cold.

He slowly reached out and grasped Xia Lengyue's wrist.

He didn't pull her up, nor did he push her away. He just held it quietly, feeling her weak yet rapid pulse.

"Senior Sister."

Ye Xuan spoke, his voice bizarrely calm.

"What is it?"

Xia Lengyue acutely sensed that something was wrong with his tone, a flash of panic appearing in her eyes. "Are you feeling unwell somewhere? Is your foundation unstable? I... I still have heart's blood, I can still..."

"No."

Ye Xuan interrupted her. His gaze was deep and dark, as if piercing through time to see things he shouldn't have seen.

He lowered his head slightly, looked at Xia Lengyue's pale face, and said softly:

"It's just that... during my Foundation Establishment Heart Demon Tribulation just now, I saw some... very strange scenes."

Xia Lengyue's heart suddenly tightened. "Scenes? What scenes?"

"Dreams."

A half-smile curved on Ye Xuan's lips, his eyes becoming distant and pained:

"Lately, I've been having strange dreams. In the dream... it was also a sealed space like this, and it was also just the two of us."

"But the Senior Sister in the dream didn't treat me as well as you do now."

Xia Lengyue's fingers instantly stiffened, a chill shooting up her spine straight to her brain.

Ye Xuan seemed oblivious to her stiffness and continued in a storytelling tone:

"In the dream, Senior Sister was wearing a red bridal gown, looking so beautiful. But you were in the arms of another man."

"That man was dressed in white, sitting high above like an emperor."

"And I... was lying on the ground like a dog, all four of my limbs broken."

"The Senior Sister in the dream was smiling so happily. You were feeding that man wine while pointing at me and laughing."

"You said... I was a worthless loser."

"You said... watching me crawl around like a dog was particularly amusing."

"Senior Sister..."

Ye Xuan suddenly leaned closer to Xia Lengyue. His pitch-black pupils stared dead into her eyes, his voice as low as a devil's whisper:

"Tell me... why did this dream feel so real?"

Xia Lengyue's mind went completely blank.

Fear.

A fear more terrifying than death instantly swallowed her.

Did he know?

Had he recovered his past life memories?

"No... that's not it..."

Xia Lengyue trembled violently all over, her teeth chattering.

The light in her eyes shattered, replaced by endless pain, terror, and guilt.

She wanted to explain, to deny it, but facing Ye Xuan's icy eyes, she couldn't even string together a complete lie.

"Junior Brother..."

Xia Lengyue's eyes turned red, and large teardrops rolled down, falling onto the back of Ye Xuan's hand, scalding hot.

She lowered her head, not daring to look into Ye Xuan's eyes anymore, her voice trembling uncontrollably:

"Dreams... are just dreams."

"That was just a heart demon... it's fake..."

"How could Senior Sister treat you like that? Senior Sister loves you the most... You saw it yourself, for you, I would even give up my life..."

She gripped Ye Xuan's hand tightly, her nails digging into his flesh, as if the moment she let go, the man before her would vanish completely.

Looking at her weeping bitterly and desperately denying everything, Ye Xuan felt nothing but a cold sneer in his heart.

Fake?

A heart demon?

Xia Lengyue, you are still deceiving yourself even now.

Do you think shedding a few tears and making sacrifices now can erase the bloody past?

Ye Xuan didn't expose her.

He simply let out a soft sigh, reached out his other hand, and gently wiped the tears from her face.

His movements were very light, yet carried a bone-chilling sense of detachment.

"Yes, dreams are just dreams," Ye Xuan said indifferently. "I also hope it was fake. After all... the current Senior Sister treats me so well."

Hearing this, Xia Lengyue suddenly raised her head, a glimmer of hope bursting from her eyes. "Right! Right! The current me is the real me! Ye Xuan, don't believe those dreams! That's the heart demon trying to drive a wedge between us!"

Ye Xuan looked at her and didn't reply.

He stayed silent for a moment before suddenly changing the subject.

"Senior Sister, do you remember asking me a question?"

Xia Lengyue froze. "What question?"

"You asked me, if the woman in the story regretted her actions and wanted to make amends, should the man forgive her."

Ye Xuan's voice was very soft, echoing in the spacious secret chamber.

Xia Lengyue's heart leaped into her throat once again.

That question was her greatest test for him, as well as the deepest desire hidden at the bottom of her heart.

"I remember..." Her voice trembled, her gaze dodging his. "At the time, you said you would never forgive her."

"I hadn't thought it through back then."

Ye Xuan interrupted her.

He slowly stood up, walked down from the altar, and stood before Xia Lengyue, looking down at her from above.

Having forged his Heavenly Dao Foundation, his aura was now transcendent, making him look like a deity.

Meanwhile, she slumped on the ground, looking utterly wretched.

At this moment, the dynamic between them had completely reversed.

"During these three months of secluded cultivation, I thought about a lot of things. Especially after having those dreams, I arrived at a completely new answer."

Ye Xuan's tone was so calm that it lacked even the slightest ripple of emotion.

Xia Lengyue trembled all over.

An inexplicable mix of excitement and fear intertwined in her heart.

A completely new answer?

Does this mean... does this mean he is willing to accept me?

Did he see everything I sacrificed and decide to let go of the past?

"Tell me..." Xia Lengyue could not help but cry out in excitement, her voice hoarse. "What is the answer?"

Ye Xuan looked at her. His gaze was clear, yet so indifferent that it held not a single trace of warmth.

"I was thinking that whether or not there is forgiveness actually doesn't matter at all."

"Because the word forgiveness inherently implies that one still cares, that they are still entangled."

"To that man, what truly matters... is compensation."

"It is the substantial, equivalent compensation made by this woman for the mistakes she once committed."

Hearing the word compensation, the light in Xia Lengyue's eyes instantly exploded with brilliance!

Compensation!

He was right! He was asking her for compensation!

As long as he was willing to ask for it, it meant there was still a chance!

"You are absolutely right!" Xia Lengyue shouted excitedly. She struggled to stand up, revealing a near-sickly ecstasy on her face. "Yes! That woman did something wrong, she regretted it, and she wants to make amends! She is willing to tear out her heart and offer her life to that man! As long as that man is willing to accept it!"

"You are so right! Ye Xuan, what do you want? Tell me. As long as I have it, as long as it exists in this world, I will give it all to you!"

She thought Ye Xuan was hinting to her: as long as she provided enough benefits, the matter would be considered water under the bridge.

If that were the case, it was exactly what she wished for!

However.

Ye Xuan's next words were like a basin of ten-thousand-year profound ice water, mercilessly poured over her burning heart.

He took a step back.

This step seemed minuscule, yet it drew an uncrossable chasm between the two of them.

Ye Xuan looked at her cautiously, his tone gentle and even carrying a hint of politeness:

"Senior Sister, you might have misunderstood my meaning."

"Compensation is only one aspect."

He pointed at the luxurious secret chamber, and then pointed to the power he had just acquired.

"Just like now, Senior Sister gave me a Heavenly Dao Foundation and countless resources. This is compensation, and a massive one at that."

"But..."

Ye Xuan suddenly changed the subject, his eyes becoming incomparably profound:

"The other aspect should be... respect."

"Respect?" Xia Lengyue froze, the smile stiffening on her face.

"Yes, respect."

Ye Xuan nodded and analyzed the matter with absolute seriousness:

"In my eyes, the woman in the story made a mistake and hurt that man. This has already become an unchangeable fact."

"Later, she regretted it. She provided enormous material compensation to this man, and even saved his life."

"Therefore, at this point in time, the karma between the two of them is actually settled."