The stars above the Celestial Realm were perfectly still—but Yue Yan wasn't.
Her thoughts kept circling back to the sealed scroll. To Lord Qingxiao—the Divine Lord who had vanished without a trace. To the cryptic line about a forbidden awakening.
But that wasn't what disturbed her the most.
It was the voice.
"You're not like them."
Wen Shouye.
She tried to convince herself it was nothing—just curiosity, just responsibility. That she was doing this for the realm, to understand whatever was stirring in the shadows.
But beneath all of that, there was a truth she couldn't ignore.
She missed him.
That night, Yue Yan stood before the Moonspine Gate, a hidden passage leading out of the Celestial Realm. It wasn't meant for ordinary use—only Divine Lords or High Immortals could open it, and even then, only in silence.
Xiao Jiu, her nine-tailed fox spirit, coiled gently around her arm.
"You can stay behind," Yue Yan murmured.
The fox gave a soft huff and sprang onto her shoulder instead, stubborn and loyal as ever.
A faint smile touched her lips.
Then she opened the gate.
Cold wind rushed toward her, carrying the scent of rain, earth, and distant storms. Without hesitating, she stepped through.
On the other side, the Sacred Sky Mountains stretched endlessly, their jagged peaks rising like sleeping beasts. The air felt heavier here—darker clouds, sharper winds, thunder murmuring far away.
Yue Yan stood alone on the ridge.
She didn't call out.
She didn't need to.
He was already there.
Wen Shouye stood near the ruins of a crumbled shrine, his dark robes shifting with the wind. His eyes glowed faintly gold in the dim light, fixed on her as if he had been waiting all along.
"You came," he said quietly.
"I came for answers," she replied.
A small, almost sad smile crossed his face. "Is that all?"
Yue Yan didn't answer.
He stepped closer, slow and deliberate—as if afraid sudden movement might shatter something fragile between them… or maybe because he didn't trust himself.
"You shouldn't be here," he said, his voice low. "Not because it's dangerous… but because I might not let you leave this time."
She held his gaze, steady.
"I'm not here to run."