#68: Lingyu

On the day Bian Lingyu returned to the Divine Realm, the sky was ablaze with light.

Above the heavens, countless specks of light cascaded down like stars falling to earth. The mortal realm shimmered as if sprinkled with golden powder, and countless summer flowers bloomed in unison.

Within the Seven Luminaries Sect, an ancient tree that had been dead for a hundred years suddenly sprouted roots and leaves, turning lush in an instant.

The withered wood flourished overnight, and vitality surged across the land! The entire cultivation world was shaken by this spectacle. The last time such a phenomenon occurred was ten thousand years ago.

Young disciples of the Seven Luminaries Sect stared wide-eyed at the newly sprouted old tree, shouting excitedly: “Ancestor, come quickly! Something strange is happening—look, the old tree in the front courtyard has come back to life!”

The sect leader of the Seven Luminaries Sect was a white-haired elder who had lived for five thousand years. He was on his deathbed, unable to break through to the Great Ascension stage, and thus hadn’t participated in the recent Wandering Sea demon purge.

Gazing at the horizon, the old man sighed deeply: “Divine Descent! It’s Divine Descent!”

The disciples exchanged puzzled glances.

In their era, even witnessing cultivators ascending through tribulation was rare, let alone the legendary Divine Descent.

“Master, what is Divine Descent?”

The white-haired elder had only heard about it from his own master when he was young: “The celestial gates open wide, welcoming the gods home.”

It was the path for gods to return home.

Cangwu chased after Bian Lingyu all the way out of the Wandering Sea, bathed in the golden glow of countless lights. Though Bian Lingyu’s steps weren’t fast, they seemed to move mountains and fill seas, leaving the boundary markers of the Wandering Sea in an instant.

From afar, Cangwu saw the falling lights transform into humanoid figures, led by an elderly man dressed in a long white robe.

The elder wiped away tears as he bowed deeply to Bian Lingyu: “Prince Lingyu, you’re still alive… Eleven years have passed; we thought you were already…”

All emotions were swallowed by choked sobs.

Bian Lingyu’s divine name was Lingyu.

Eleven years ago, these old ministers in the Divine Realm had watched the light symbolizing Prince Lingyu’s vitality in the divine hall extinguish. They believed Lingyu had perished in the mortal realm. But when the light rekindled, and Bian Lingyu opened the celestial gates, these elders couldn’t wait any longer. They rushed to welcome their young lord.

Lingyu stood with his back to Cangwu, his voice cold and devoid of emotion: “Houmi, I’m fine.”

Compared to the excitement of the other divine beings, he appeared remarkably calm.

“Let’s go back.”

Cangwu panted heavily as he ran over. He had chased all the way, remembering Shi Luoyi’s words and his own obsession: “Lingyu Brother, wait!”

Cangwu felt a sense of despair, fearing he wouldn’t be able to stop Bian Lingyu. No one understood better than Cangwu the effects of the Forgetfulness Fruit—forgetting sorrow meant forgetting love.

Shi Luoyi would become a faint shadow in Bian Lingyu’s heart, no longer able to sway his joys or sorrows.

Everything reverted to the beginning.

Bian Lingyu would become the godling from eleven years ago, untouched by love. He might remember Shi Luoyi, but he no longer loved her.

Seeing the cold figure not turn around, Cangwu had no choice but to shout: “Under Evernight Mountain, Dao Lord lit a soul lamp for Shi Luoyi!”

Houmi initially dismissed the little beast chasing after them, but as soon as Cangwu’s words fell, their young prince stopped.

“Your Highness?”

Lingyu remained silent for a moment before saying: “I need to visit Evernight Mountain.”

Though Houmi didn’t know the full story, he respectfully nodded and refrained from asking further questions.

Cangwu breathed a sigh of relief, quickly catching up. He feared he wouldn’t be able to stop Bian Lingyu. Now, having forgotten love and hate, Shi Luoyi was nothing more than a stranger buried in his memories.

Fortunately, the lingering memory, though confusing to Bian Lingyu, still made him willing to visit Evernight Mountain.

Houmi glanced at Cangwu and extended his hand upward.

Cangwu immediately understood, shrinking and leaping onto Houmi’s palm, allowing them to carry him along.

The group headed swiftly toward Evernight Mountain. This time, their speed was incredible, arriving in the blink of an eye.

Compared to the bustling Evernight Mountain of the past, the mountain now lay deserted, devoid of minor spirits.

They easily found the place where Dao Lord had kept the soul lamp for Shi Luoyi, only to discover that the lotus pedestal was empty.

“How could this be?”

Cangwu hurriedly looked at Lingyu. The youthful deity gazed at the spot calmly, neither sad nor joyful, without regret.

“Someone took it first.”

Cangwu grew anxious: “Who could it be?”

Lingyu’s tone remained cool and detached: “Qing Xuan.”

Houmi said: “Since the soul lamp is gone, Your Highness should return.” Their prince had been in the mortal realm for too long. The priority now was to recover his divine soul.

Lingyu nodded.

Cangwu felt a pang of melancholy. He looked at the indifferent Lingyu, knowing that this outcome was best for both Bian Lingyu and Shi Luoyi.

Without sorrow, Bian Lingyu wouldn’t feel pain.

But thinking of Shi Luoyi now submerged in the Wandering Sea, Cangwu couldn’t help but feel sorrowful.

Even the powerful Forgetfulness Fruit only lasted a year. When Bian Lingyu remembered everything later, the soul lamp he failed to retrieve today would surely cause him immense anguish.

Cangwu knew he couldn’t change the situation, and perhaps it was better that Bian Lingyu forgot his emotions. With a sigh, he pulled out an old faded painting from his interspatial pouch: “Ling… Divine Lord, may I ask you for a favor?”

The painting had faded, its origins unknown, possibly centuries old.

It depicted a woman in yellow robes sitting atop a roof. Snow blanketed the eaves in December, yet she radiated brilliance and pride, like the sun on the horizon.

Cangwu spoke cautiously: “Her name is Yuewu. If you encounter her in the Divine Realm, could you deliver a divine decree? A thousand years have passed—I just want to know if she’s well.”

A millennium had gone by, and perhaps he was foolish, perhaps infatuated, but his sole wish for a thousand years was just a whisper of news about her.

Waiting was too painful. Cangwu feared he might dissipate in the mortal world before achieving ascension. Through endless changes, he dreaded not knowing how his master fared before vanishing.

Lingyu reached out and accepted the painting: “Very well.”

Cangwu hastily thanked him. When he looked up again, the divine beings had vanished, leaving behind a radiant sky.

The desolate Evernight Mountain was now adorned only with swaying summer flowers.

Cangwu gazed at the sky for a long while. His memories of meeting Shi Luoyi and Bian Lingyu over the past year felt like a fleeting dream.

From this point onward, there would be no more Bian Lingyu in the mortal realm, only the once-imprisoned, passionless young Qilin lord.

The Divine Realm was vast, pure white stretching endlessly before the eyes.

Within the palace, someone screamed in agony.

Su Li clutched a woman’s hand tightly: “Mother, you must avenge me! Lingyu shattered my divine soul. If not for the divine pearl you gave me, Su Li would never have returned. He is so cruel and vicious, Mother, you must seek justice for me… Ah! It hurts… Mother, save me!”

The Empress Yaoxiao gazed at her suffering son, her heart aching as if cut by a knife.

“Li’er, endure just a little longer. Mother will solidify your soul.”

The previous God Emperor’s divine pearl hovered in the air.

Empress Yaoxiao remained silent. She knew that even if Su Li’s soul was restored and he was safe, years of cultivation would have to start anew.

Her sensitive son despised his congenital flaws. Now, with his roots destroyed, how could Su Li bear it?

Su Li’s divine soul had been brutally shattered by the Zhan Tian Sword, making the process of restoring his soul excruciating. Watching her son nearly pass out from pain, Yaoxiao wished she could take his place.

“Mother, help me kill Lingyu, ah—” he wailed in hatred, “Destroy his divine soul! Please, Mother, I beg you…”

The Empress trembled, then closed her eyes.

“I hate him, I hate him, Mother!”

Seeing Su Li raise his hand to self-destruct, the Empress finally spoke in a hoarse voice: “Alright, Mother will grant your wish.”

She entered the inner chamber. A golden glow curled up on the jade platform, clear and bright, vaguely resembling the figure of a youth.

The Empress retrieved it from the platform and brought it to Su Li’s side.

Su Li’s eyes were bloodshot with hatred as he stared at the divine soul in the Empress’s palm.

Over three hundred years ago, when the God Emperor’s time had come, the divine race finally learned that the Empress had hidden Bian Lingyu in the most desolate Tianxing Ravine. To protect herself and her youngest son, she forcibly extracted Lingyu’s divine soul while he was weakened from losing his tail.

This divine soul had been trapped in the inner chamber for three hundred years without seeing the light of day.

Su Li had once asked about it. The Empress hesitated for a moment before telling him: “It has already been destroyed.”

Later, one day, Su Li accidentally obtained a fragment of the Future Mirror and discovered that Bian Lingyu’s divine soul hadn’t been destroyed.

This revelation had almost become Su Li’s mental torment.

Why wouldn’t Mother destroy Lingyu’s divine soul? Didn’t she hate Lingyu and the God Emperor the most?

The Empress gazed at the golden glow, her trembling fingers hovering above it.

“Mother,” Su Li said bitterly, seeing her hesitation, “Don’t tell me you’ve changed your mind. Are you telling me you’ve developed feelings for that man, making you reluctant to destroy this spawn of Lingyu?”

“No!” the Empress immediately denied. “I have only ever loved your father.”

“Then destroy it!”

The Empress tightened her grip, and the golden glow struggled in her palm.

Under the radiance of the divine pearl, the glow grew weaker and weaker. Suddenly, the palace gates collapsed.

Through the sudden influx of celestial light, the Empress saw the silver-clad man.

His expression was cold as he looked toward her palm.

The first thing Lingyu saw upon returning to the divine palace was his mother being forced by his younger brother to crush his own divine soul. That divine soul seemed to cry out silently.

After three hundred years, the Empress finally saw Lingyu again.

She realized that her eldest son was no longer the same as in her memories.

The divine soul in her palm was pure and innocent, curled up in pain. But the man standing tall in the palace, his silver robes billowing in the divine winds, looked at her coldly and called her: “Xi Yao.”

He called her Xi Yao, not “Mother.”

For a fleeting moment, Xi Yao felt an indescribable emotion.

He had grown up. In her memories, Lingyu was still that injured, bewildered little Qilin who clung to her dress hem.

But now, he had grown tall and slender, bearing the shadow of the man from her memories.

The Empress's face darkened, panic and hatred flashing in her eyes: “Wretch! After what you’ve done to Su Li, how dare you return? Why didn’t you die in the mortal realm?”

At these words, Lingyu’s expression remained cold, while Houmi and the others behind him wore expressions of anger. Despite all her wrongdoings, even now, the Empress showed no remorse.

A thousand years of the God Emperor’s favor had made her family powerful. She took the divine pearl, controlled the divine realm, and used Lingyu’s divine soul as leverage, ensuring they dared not act against her.

Three hundred years ago, Houmi had retrieved the severely wounded young master from Tianxing Ravine, discovering that the young lord’s wings had been destroyed!

Yet the youth, numb to pain, bore it silently.

From that day on, Houmi, as Lingyu’s teacher, tended to his wounds while teaching him basic knowledge.

Who would have thought that just as the young lord began to resemble a proper person, Su Li prematurely triggered the seals on a group of fallen demons, causing floods and chaos as they fled toward the Wandering Sea.

Originally, the calamity of the fallen demons was supposed to occur at least a thousand years later. By then, Lingyu would have healed and been strong enough to confront them, sealing them away again like the previous God Emperor.

Only the power of the Heavenly Dao and the ancient gods could open the celestial gates between the divine realm and the mortal world.

Lingyu left the divine realm, resolutely leading a group of divine warriors to descend and purge the demons.

Now, hearing the Empress defend Su Li and call the prince a wretch, Houmi was nearly unable to maintain his composure, glancing worriedly at Lingyu, fearing he might be hurt.

After all, during those initial seven hundred years of imprisonment, Lingyu only had this mother.

Lingyu looked at the Empress, who bitterly wished him dead, then glanced at Su Li, whom she fiercely protected. Su Li, barely breathing, glared at him with hatred.

In his memory, a vague figure appeared, holding his face under the moonlit night and sea breeze, saying: “When you return to the divine realm, live well. Don’t let your mother and brother bully you anymore. You’re wonderful just as you are; they don’t deserve to be your family.”

So Lingyu said to the Empress: “The reason I survived is probably because your illegitimate son, born from adultery, is a worthless half-blood.”

With these words, the room fell silent enough to hear a pin drop.

Houmi cast a startled glance at the young lord. My lord, killing someone isn’t usually this heartless, is it? What exactly did you learn in the mortal realm?

Everyone understood that Lingyu was responding to the Empress’s earlier statement: “Why didn’t you die in the mortal realm!”

Su Li being the illegitimate child of the Empress was a secret known but unspoken among the divine race—yet no one dared to mention it aloud.

Yet Bian Lingyu’s cold, indifferent statement not only exposed Xi Yao’s disgrace as the Empress but also struck at the most sensitive point of Su Li’s existence.

He was a cripple, a worthless being.

The Empress’s face turned ghastly pale.

But Su Li had already broken free from his mother’s embrace, charging recklessly toward Lingyu: “I’ll kill you, kill you!”

The Empress was alarmed and failed to stop him in time.

Bian Lingyu looked down at Su Li with the gaze of a god observing maggots and ants crawling on the ground.

He raised his sword, and only then did the Empress realize it was Zhan Tian.

“No! Stop!” She realized what was about to happen and rushed over like a madwoman, trying to shield Su Li.

But it was too late.

Even though she had once been exceptionally talented in her youth, years of running around for her youngest son had left her neglectful of cultivation. Moreover, seizing the divine pearl had severely depleted her vitality.

She had given the divine pearl to Su Li out of indulgence, and it still floated in the air, gathering Su Li’s soul. Even if she wanted to defeat Lingyu, she would first have to reclaim the divine pearl.

Lingyu didn’t even glance at her tear-filled, bloodshot eyes. With a single stroke of his sword, it was done.

By the time the Empress came to her senses, her face was already splattered with Su Li’s blood.

“Ahh—” She never imagined that Bian Lingyu would actually dare!

Lingyu watched as Xi Yao’s tears mixed with blood, falling to the ground. He thought indifferently, so she could cry too, she could feel pain. But this sorrow had never been directed at him.

Su Li had stolen his power twelve times, severing his tail each time. Now, with this one strike, all debts were repaid.

Thick clouds surged.

Whenever Houmi recalled this day, he felt immense relief.

He had thought the young lord would still hesitate to raise his sword against Xi Yao.

After seven hundred years of imprisonment, the young Qilin lord bore no resentment. From birth, Lingyu had never received proper guidance, tormented until he became like a puppet.

Without grievances, without expectations for the world.

Lingyu remembered the duties of a god but held no attachment to survival. He showed no reaction to the harm inflicted by the Empress and Su Li.

Three hundred years ago, the aged Houmi unrolled a scroll before the young man, guiding his hand to touch the myriad things depicted within.

“Little Lord, look, these are blooming flowers, these are chirping birds. Do you know what birds are? Oh no, not like skeletons. Look at their expressions—this is crying, this is laughing…”

“Lord, you must recover quickly and reclaim what belongs to you. The Empress and Su Li have hurt you so much. Why do you bear no resentment?”

In the silent depths of night, he gazed at the battered, silent child and couldn’t help but shed tears: “My Lord, people think gods are devoid of love and hatred. But without feelings, without resentment or love, what meaning does a life in this world hold?”

“Even gods have greed, anger, and desires; they experience passion and should have their own joys, their own lives. My Lord, live well, and only then can this old servant rest easy.”

Now, Lingyu had finally raised his sword against his mother.

There was no need for Houmi to teach him anything further. In those days, the blood of Xi Yao’s rebel forces dyed the palace red.

Every warrior fought until exhaustion.

More and more gods poured into the hall, declaring their allegiance to Lingyu. The three-hundred-year reign of the Xi Yao clan over the divine realm finally ended on the day the young god returned.

Lingyu reclaimed his father’s divine pearl and sat silently atop the palace throne, gazing at the pearl without speaking.

The Empress was restrained in the hall, her hair disheveled, her mind shattered by the death of her youngest son. She knelt on the ground, muttering: “I should have killed you long ago, you wretch… Give me back Su Li… Give me back my child…”

Houmi asked: “My Lord, what shall we do with Xi Yao?”

“What do you suggest?”

Before Houmi could reply, others gritted their teeth and snarled: “Throw her into Tianxing Ravine, let her taste the suffering the young lord endured!”

After the Empress was taken away, Houmi saw that Bian Lingyu was still staring at the divine pearl. Gently, he asked: “What is my lord thinking?”

Bian Lingyu was silent for a moment, a hint of confusion in his voice as he calmly replied: “I don’t know.”

He lowered his head and looked at his chest, which felt hollow, as if a gust of wind could pierce a hole through it. Yet it was intact, untouched by injury.

Houmi hesitated: “Is my lord grieving for the Empress?”

“No.”

She wasn’t a mother like other mothers. He now understood that no mother in this world would treat her child the way she had.

Houmi asked: “Why has my lord finally decided to act against Xi Yao and Su Li?”

Silence reigned in the hall for a long time before Houmi heard him say: “Because I want to live well.”

“…!” You—you’ve finally realized it!