I'll Wait for You to Come Back

Ye Xuan slowly opened his eyes.

He coldly swept his gaze over the saintly heirs and imperial princes who stood aloof and flaunted their power, a cruel, almost grotesque smile curling at the corners of his lips.

“A grand formation? Just a herd of fat pigs raised in a greenhouse.”

Ye Xuan’s voice was casual, yet it dripped with a bone-deep savagery: “The more people, the better. Ying’er, watch closely. In the eyes of ordinary folk, they are lofty prodigies. But in the eyes of my Devouring Demon Art, they are nothing more than walking human-shaped elixirs, fine mobile treasure vaults, the most nourishing fodder for my return to the summit.”

Just as the killing intent around Ye Xuan was about to burst forth, Wu Lingfeng, who had been silently standing behind him, took a slow step forward.

“Ye Xuan.”

Her voice was clear and cold like the clash of jade, but it carried a barely suppressed tremor.

Ye Xuan paused slightly but did not turn around, only letting out an icy “Hmm” from his throat.

Wu Lingfeng stared fixedly at Ye Xuan’s broad, aloof, yet utterly ruthless back.

At that moment, she was enduring unimaginable agony. Beneath her deliberately lowered, disguised male voice, her breath churned violently. Had anyone been able to see inside her, they would have been horrified to find her meridians raging with turbulent reverse currents of spiritual energy, while a phantom black dragon coiled tightly around her soul, madly tearing and devouring her life force.

This was the fatal backlash of the Dragon Transformation Art! The last time she had forcibly suppressed the turbulent spirit within Ye Xuan, she had drained her own essence. Now, the backlash had reached its critical limit.

“I have to leave.” Wu Lingfeng took a deep breath, forcing back the metallic taste rising in her throat, her voice laced with a resolve that burned all bridges behind her.

“Brother Wu…”

Ying’er panicked at once, her eyes reddening as she grabbed Wu Lingfeng’s sleeve: “Where are you going? It’s so dangerous here, with all those man-eating villains. Aren’t you heading into the Abyss with us?”

Wu Lingfeng lowered her head, lifting a pale hand with some effort to gently pat Ying’er’s head.

Her gaze shifted slowly from Ye Xuan’s silver hair to the distant, rolling dark red sea of clouds. Her once-heroic face looked unusually frail in the fierce wind, yet it carried an untouchable, lofty pride.

“The Burial Heaven Abyss, the fallen ground of ancient gods and demons, is filled with destruction, yet it also nurtures the most primordial fortune. And my path… can no longer rely on anyone else.”

Wu Lingfeng’s voice was heavy with exhaustion, yet it still blazed with an unquenchable fire: “My Dragon Transformation Art has reached the peak of dragonhood, but it has also become a dead end trapping me. So I must leave.”

She suddenly spread her right hand.

In her palm, an ancient, eerie dragon-shaped rune flickered violently. Within the rune, life force and death energy writhed like two venomous serpents locked in a fatal struggle. At the slightest misstep, she would explode on the spot.

“Transforming the dragon form, reshaping the true body. This not only requires a vast amount of primal chaos essence but also forces me into a path of no return, cutting off all retreat and severing every earthly tie.”

Wu Lingfeng’s voice became utterly flat, as if pronouncing her own death sentence: “This method has a one-in-ten chance of survival. If I succeed, I, Wu Lingfeng, will break free from this absurd shackle and truly step onto the pinnacle of the Dao. If I fail, I will perish, body and soul, reduced to a handful of ashes.”

Her gaze once again locked onto Ye Xuan’s back, her eyes brimming with tenderness:

“So I must go alone. My life-or-death tribulation can tolerate no interference, nor… any bonds.”

After a brief, deathly silence, Wu Lingfeng suddenly took half a step forward.

Her eyes grew incredibly complex in that moment— a mix of resignation that saw through life and death, a hint of hidden sorrow, but most of all, a profound pain buried deep within.

But just then, a hand— with distinct knuckles, warm and broad— gently rested on her shoulder, not only dispelling the biting cold around her but also instantly calming the ferocious dragon energy surging inside her.

Wu Lingfeng’s frail frame trembled violently.

She looked back in bewilderment.

There stood Ye Xuan, having somehow walked up behind her. His eyes, usually as cold as ice, now shimmered like a thawing spring lake, rippling with a tenderness she had never seen before, one that could make anyone lose themselves.

He exerted no pressure, just stood there, quietly, intently watching her.

“Stop pretending to be tough.”

Ye Xuan’s voice was extremely soft, extremely gentle.

He leaned down slightly and whispered in a tone only the two of them could hear:

“I’ve known you were Wu Lingfeng all along.”

That single sentence struck like a bolt of lightning from the Nine Heavens, exploding in Wu Lingfeng’s mind.

She stood frozen, as if struck by thunder, her eyes filled with disbelief.

She had thought her disguise was flawless, thought her silent companionship, endured through gritted teeth, was unknown. But he knew all along.

Wu Lingfeng’s Dao heart, once as hard as rock, even on the verge of death, suddenly softened beyond measure. A thin mist quickly sheathed her eyes.

“Husband…”

Her voice choked, a sob she couldn’t suppress breaking through.

Two streaks of clear tears uncontrollably rolled down her male face, splashing onto the cold armor.

Staring at Ye Xuan, who looked like an immortal fallen to earth, a flood of grievance and love surged within her, mixed with a deep self-pity and regret.

“All I can do, sadly… is to show you this male form now. I can’t even look at you or hold you with my real face…”

Seeing her so pitiful, a soft spot deep in Ye Xuan’s heart was gently touched.

He didn’t laugh or find it ridiculous.

He kept a calm, gentle expression, slowly pulling from his bosom a scroll of sheepskin, ancient and steeped in time.

He placed the map with great care into Wu Lingfeng’s trembling hand, his fingertips brushing her palm, leaving behind a trace of comforting warmth.

“Take it.” Ye Xuan gazed into her eyes, his voice laced with an unmistakable protectiveness and indulgence: “This place is called the Dragon Transformation Pool, an ancient secret realm known only to me. Inside, there is a hundred-thousand-year-old pure-blood immortal herb.”

He paused, a faint smile tugging at his lips: “That herb is enough to wash your marrow, refine your bloodline, and reshape your true dragon bloodline, breaking all your disguises and prohibitions. All you need to do is go in. Leave the rest to me.”

Wu Lingfeng held the map dumbly, feeling the dragon energy within it. She knew it was no ordinary object— it was a supreme fortune capable of defying fate and granting her ultimate security.

Her husband… had already paved this path for her!

A tidal wave of ecstasy, gratitude, and deep love smashed through Wu Lingfeng’s reason like a dam breaking.

The suicidal determination she had carried, in the face of such gentle tenderness and newfound hope, instantly dissolved into dust.

“Husband! You’re too good to me!”

Overjoyed, Wu Lingfeng completely forgot her current situation. She excitedly rose onto her tiptoes, instinctively leaning forward, wanting to fiercely kiss Ye Xuan’s lips and pour all her love into that single act.

But.

Just as they were less than three inches apart, Wu Lingfeng abruptly stopped.

She saw her own reflection in Ye Xuan’s clear pupils—the face of a man.

“Ah…”

Wu Lingfeng let out an awkward gasp, frozen as if struck by lightning. Her eyes, once brimming with love, suddenly filled with embarrassment. She couldn’t move forward, nor could she retreat.

The thought that she was about to kiss him while trapped in this man’s body made her want to dig a hole and hide in shame.

Seeing her adorable, flustered, and helpless expression, the smile in Ye Xuan’s eyes deepened.

Under her startled and bashful gaze, he naturally lowered his head. Without the slightest disgust or hesitation, his cool, soft lips gently and preciously pressed against her cheek.

“Mwah.”

A light kiss. Yet it crossed mountains and rivers, heavy as a thousand pounds.

Wu Lingfeng’s pupils widened sharply. It was as if she had been hit by a freezing spell, completely stunned still.

Ye Xuan pulled back half an inch, his warm breath brushing past her ear. His deep eyes rippled with endless tenderness and anticipation, as he softly uttered five words:

“I’ll wait for you to return.”

Those five words worked better than any immortal medicine in the world.

The last trace of unease and hesitation in Wu Lingfeng’s eyes was swept away. The despair that had bred thoughts of death had now transformed into the most fervent desire for the future and for returning to his side.

With the map and immortal medicine Ye Xuan had given her, and with his promise—more valuable than a thousand words—her journey to the Dragon Transformation Pool was now a smooth and worry-free path!

“Mm! Husband, wait for me! Wait for me to break out of my cocoon and become a butterfly. I will return to you in my most beautiful form!”

Wu Lingfeng clutched the ancient scroll in her hand. Though tears still glistened in her eyes, those beautiful orbs radiated an unprecedented, bright glow, tender enough to drip with emotion.

She turned around, casting off all the gloom and heaviness from before. Like an excited little girl who had just obtained the world’s greatest treasure, she waved at Ying’er, who had long been standing in a daze.

“Sister Ying’er! Take good care of my husband! I’ll be back soon!”

“Ah… O-okay! Brother Wu… no, Sister Feng! You must come back safely!”

Ying’er snapped out of her trance. Though still stunned by the sudden turn of events, she was genuinely happy for them and quickly waved back.

“Husband, I’m leaving!”

Wu Lingfeng took one last, deep look at Ye Xuan, as if engraving his face into her very soul.

Then, clutching the jade slip tightly, her spiritual light softly glowed, transforming into a brilliant rainbow of hope and vitality. Carrying boundless dreams for the future, she shot toward the direction of the Dragon Transformation Pool, soon vanishing beyond the horizon.

Ye Xuan stood with his hands behind his back, watching the direction she had gone. A tender smile lingered deep in his eyes, not fading for a long time.

He turned around, facing the massive void gate—radiating endless danger and opportunity.

When he opened his eyes again, the tenderness meant only for Wu Lingfeng had been tucked away deep in his heart. In its place was absolute reason and ruthlessness.

“Let’s go, Ying’er.”

Ye Xuan’s voice once again regained that calm detachment, though it carried slightly less of the bloodlust and brutality from before.

“It’s time for us to get down to business.”