After returning to Dao Prosperity True World, Gu Changge began to prepare to take the Divine Kingdom away with him. Regarding Xi Yao's matter, he did not hide it from Yue Mingkong.
Yue Mingkong, on the other hand, expressed understanding, because she too had always remembered that figure at the wedding banquet, sitting alone in a corner and drinking silently.
She just never expected that in the end Empress Xi Yao would choose such an ending. Was she truly utterly despondent?
She couldn't help but think of her memories before her "rebirth." At that time, she was probably much like Empress Xi Yao.
"Are you going to keep her by your side?"
Yue Mingkong looked at the white jade porcelain basin that Gu Changge had brought back. Inside, that fish was very beautiful, free and unrestrained, carefree and without worries. In its glossy and beautiful eyes, there was both innocence and spiritual intelligence.
It was just unknown whether, when Empress Xi Yao recovers her memories of her past life and knows that Gu Changge really did as she wished and made her into a fish, she will be utterly speechless.
Yue Mingkong chuckled softly, her eyes also narrowing, and she rather looked forward to that scene.
"Just so happens there's a pond in my courtyard, let her stay there," Gu Changge said.
Yue Mingkong murmured agreement and nodded. "Next, I will go into seclusion again."
"This time, I will stay by your side," Gu Changge said with a slight smile.
"Mm."
"But, over at the Divine Hall of Fate, aren't you going to go take a look?" Yue Mingkong leaned her head against Gu Changge's chest and suddenly asked.
Although she had just emerged from seclusion, the many affairs of Dao Prosperity True World could not be hidden from her, and she also kept an eye on the many women related to Gu Changge.
"Xiao Ruoyin, she is actually a pitiful person, and moreover, she is your woman." She lifted her clear eyes and looked at Gu Changge.
"Are you really not the least bit jealous? So magnanimous."
Gu Changge chuckled; seeing Yue Mingkong glare at him with the look of someone about to pinch his waist, he said, "I will go."
After experiencing the matter of Empress Xi Yao, Gu Changge was actually thinking that if at the beginning he had been a little more cold-blooded and cruel, not directly confessing but fabricating a reason or an excuse, perhaps it would have been a little easier for Empress Xi Yao.
Even if those words were just lies.
Judging by deeds, not by heart.
But he ultimately softened his heart and did not think of continuing to deceive her.
And the situation with Xiao Ruoyin was actually similar to Empress Xi Yao; at first, it was a relationship of mutual use.
Gu Changge used her to scheme for the Celestial Boat of Creation, while she coveted his power and status.
Now that time has passed and circumstances have changed, the situation is completely different. In his eyes, Xiao Ruoyin was just a stranger with whom he had once had a relationship, nothing more.
But as Yue Mingkong said, she is his woman.
The Divine Hall of Fate was even more desolate than Gu Changge had imagined. When he stepped inside, the woman dressed in a shrine maiden's ceremonial robe, with her long hair tied in a ponytail, still had not noticed him and was there lighting the candles by herself.
"Nihility Destiny Physique…"
Gu Changge knew her identity, knew her origins, and also knew the reason Xiao Ruoyin had brought her here.
He did not disturb this woman, and then walked into the inner hall, where he saw Xiao Ruoyin sitting cross-legged on a meditation cushion, cultivating.
"Placing oneself in a death ground and then coming back to life—such great perseverance; but if I hadn't come, you would still fail."
Gu Changge saw through Xiao Ruoyin's crux at a glance: inner demons entangled her, her Dao heart had a flaw. She had already assailed the threshold of Dao Realms once, and this time she intended to wash away all glamour and excise all flaws.
But that flaw had long since, like thick ink, soaked into her entire Dao heart. If she wanted to cut it out, unless she shattered her Dao heart and started cultivating anew, the result would be no different.
To resolve it, either she remolds her Dao heart and removes the flaw from the knot, or she attains Dao with the flaw—the moon waxes and wanes, and the Dao heart does not necessarily have to be flawless. It depends on whether she herself can figure it out and accept it.
She was not a flawless person to begin with; why be tormented by that tiny flaw? Accepting and acknowledging oneself, isn't that also a kind of purity of the Dao heart?
"Your Majesty..."
Xiao Ruoyin's eyes suddenly opened, calm and unruffled. She was even calmer than Gu Changge had imagined.
Gu Changge did not conceal his aura, so Xiao Ruoyin naturally could sense his arrival.
"I don't like that title. I still prefer it when you used to call me Young Master Changge." He sat down on a jade stool nearby and casually poured himself a cup of light tea.
The tea had long gone cold, who knows how long it had been sitting there.
Xiao Ruoyin looked at him, stunned for a moment, then gracefully stood up. "I'll go brew a fresh pot."
"There's no need," Gu Changge waved his hand. "I'll just sit for a while."
Xiao Ruoyin nodded, a trace of doubt in her eyes, unsure of the reason for Gu Changge's visit.
Although deep down she wanted to see Gu Changge and wanted him to come, now that he was actually here, she didn't know how to face him or what to say.
"Sit, you don't need to stand," Gu Changge said with a smile.
Xiao Ruoyin hesitated a moment, gathered her skirts, and sat on the jade stool beside him. A few strands of black hair slipped down along her cheek and fell beside her ear. She was about to tuck them behind her ear when she felt a warm hand reach over and gently smooth the hair back for her.
She stared at the gentle gaze so close to her, stunned.
"Are you accustomed to living in the Divine Hall of Fate? I see you've taken a disciple. Are you planning to have her inherit your mantle?" Gu Changge asked as if casually, like chatting about trivial matters over tea.
Xiao Ruoyin gave a soft hum. "She is called Wu Qi. I found her by chance in a lower realm. Because she has the same Nihility Destiny Physique as me, I felt that her future achievements would surpass mine, so I kept her by my side and instructed her."
"The Divine Hall of Fate is a bit too desolate. Having someone to chat with and relieve boredom is also nice," Gu Changge nodded.
Xiao Ruoyin looked outside the inner hall. "Wu Qi is very diligent. The daily sweeping and dusting, lighting the candles in the Divine Hall of Fate are all left to her. I have saved much trouble and can have more time to study and fathom the numbers of fate..."
Gu Changge agreed, nodding.
Xiao Ruoyin cultivated year-round inside the Divine Hall of Fate and rarely took half a step outside. Even when asked about her daily life, besides seclusion, cultivation, seclusion, cultivation... she probably couldn't find anything else to talk about.
Wu Qi's presence gave her an opportunity to open up.
Gu Changge then asked about her daily interactions with Wu Qi.
Xiao Ruoyin also seemed to have forgotten that when Gu Changge had arrived he said he'd only sit for a while, and began recalling the liveliness and fun that Wu Qi had added to her dull life since coming to the Divine Hall of Fate, and started talking about it...
Gu Changge did not interrupt, listening quietly. When he occasionally saw her gaze turn toward him, he would respond with a smile.
Afterwards, he asked Xiao Ruoyin about her cultivation, her insights on the Dao of Fate, and her areas of expertise. Xiao Ruoyin became more talkative, and just as she had some unanswered questions about fate numbers, she took the opportunity to ask Gu Changge together.
She knew that Gu Changge's current cultivation had long reached an unimaginable level.
Although he had not specifically cultivated the Dao of Fate, the three thousand great Daos, at the end, all converge on the same path.
Gu Changge spoke without reservation, carefully explaining to Xiao Ruoyin what he understood and recognized as fate numbers, even demonstrating it for her.
Along the way, Wu Qi, who intended to come find Xiao Ruoyin, saw this strange scene.
Xiao Ruoyin, who was usually solemn and rarely smiled, cold and aloof, now actually had a faint smile at the corner of her lips. By her side sat a handsome, peerless, and otherworldly man, and the two were chatting so happily that Xiao Ruoyin seemed to have forgotten Wu Qi's existence.
"That is the current Alliance Chief?"
"He truly looks so young, and matches Lady Ruoyin so well."
Wu Qi withdrew her head. She didn't know when Gu Changge had arrived, but seeing the Lady finally show such a smile, she felt sincerely happy, and then quietly closed the hall doors and left.
"Sometimes when I return to Dao Prosperity True World, time is pressing, and I haven't had the chance to see you. It is not intentional neglect..." Gu Changge said with a composed expression, explaining.
"I understand, I can comprehend. Your Majesty... Young Master Changge, just being able to come see me is already satisfying."
Xiao Ruoyin corrected herself in time; since Gu Changge didn't like the title 'Your Majesty,' she used the old address. In a daze, she seemed to return to those memories tinged with worldly shrewdness, greed for vanity, and social climbing.
As for whether Gu Changge's words were true or false, it was already unimportant.
What was important was that he had come.
"In the next few days, I plan to take the Divine Kingdom away. When the time comes, the Divine Hall of Fate, included, will be brought into the Heaven-Slaying Alliance in the Vast Expanse. If you are unwilling, I can leave the Divine Hall of Fate behind," Gu Changge said.
Xiao Ruoyin was slightly stunned, then said softly, "It's the same wherever. Whether the Vast Expanse or Dao Prosperity, wherever my heart finds peace is my home."
Seeing Gu Changge nod, then stand up and prepare to leave, her eyes trembled slightly, and she asked, "Tonight, can you stay and rest?"
Gu Changge seemed a bit surprised, then nodded, "Alright."
Xiao Ruoyin's ears turned red behind.
Several days later, the entire territory and universe where the Divine Kingdom was located, including parts of the chaotic area of the Upper Realm, an ancient city of the Eight Desolates and Ten Domains, and a village named Green Mountain, all rumbled together and were enveloped by boundless light.
It seemed that a hazy passage appeared between heaven and earth, from beyond Dao Prosperity True World, connecting to an unknown realm.
Dao Prosperity True World shook. All clans and lineages knew that this was Gu Changge opening the passage from Dao Prosperity True World to the Vast Expanse.
From now on, Dao Prosperity True World would truly border the Vast Expanse. Whether this was a blessing or a curse for all clans and forces, an opportunity or a danger, nothing was yet known.
At the same time, as the Divine Kingdom rumbled and rapidly receded, many powerful cultivators sensed that a formidable aura seemed to appear within it. A new Dao Realms existence was born, located within the Divine Kingdom. The heavens and earth resounded with the Great Dao, and a strange phenomenon occurred.
It was just unknown which existence it was.
Where the Divine Kingdom originally stood, only a void of emptiness remained.
The Heaven-Slaying Alliance within Dao Prosperity True World also began to move with the opening of the Vast Expanse passage, relocating toward the outside world.
"They've all left..."
"But why is the aura left by the distant ancestor becoming fainter and fainter? Have I overlooked something?" The Ancestor of the Gu Family did not leave Dao Prosperity True World; he remained with many members of the Gu clan.
Just looking at the distant Divine Kingdom that had disappeared, his brow furrowed tightly, feeling as if he had overlooked something.
Through the long years of waiting, he still had not seen the distant ancestor's return.
The existence that once sought to touch the Land of Truth, since leaving behind remnants and prophecies here, must have had a reason.
"Could it be that I need to return to the clan land in the Nine Heavens?" He frowned and fell into deep thought.