Yun Che let out a soft, slightly awkward cough, as if Qianye Ying'er's sharp interjection had caught him mid-thought. Then, with a calm composure returning to his voice, he began to explain—his tone measured, his words clear.
He turned to Hua Caili and Pan Buwang and spoke with patient clarity, describing the name of the vessel: the Primordial Profound Ark, a legendary construct born in the earliest epochs of existence, when the Abyss itself had not yet fully formed. Crafted with divine materials long since lost to time, and woven with spatial laws that not even True Gods could fully replicate today, it was a vessel capable of traversing between worlds and surviving the collapse of realms.
As he spoke, both Hua Caili and Pan Buwang stood still, their eyes wide, their divine senses trembling faintly. The implications of what they were hearing—what they were seeing—shook the foundations of what they understood about the Abyss and the ancient history of their world.
A ship like this… was not just powerful.It was impossible.And yet, here it was.
After a moment, Yun Che's gaze shifted, and he turned toward Qianye Ying'er. His lips didn't move—but his divine sense pulsed with subtle intent, sending words directly into her soul.
For a second, her expression remained composed.
But then, it changed.
Her breath caught. Her eyes flickered beneath the mask. And though she said nothing aloud, a storm passed through her golden gaze before she closed them briefly, collecting herself.
The air around her quivered slightly—her aura trembling, not from instability, but from the weight of decision.
Then she opened her eyes and nodded toward Yun Che, her voice firm but soft.
"I'll be fine."
It was a reassurance. Not just to him—but to herself.
And then, it began.
Before them, a gate shimmered into existence—an elegant rift in space, edged in radiant light, slowly unfurling like a lotus in bloom.
From within, a breeze flowed outward. And in that instant, their hearts froze.
The air that emerged was pure—so impossibly pure that even the Pure Land, sacred and untouched by Abyssal Dust, could barely compare. This air carried not just clarity, but an ancient stillness, as though it had never once tasted corruption, as though it had existed beyond even the reach of time itself.
It was otherworldly.
And it had never known the Abyss.
Without a word, Yun Che stepped forward and passed through the gate, and the others followed in silence, the surreal serenity drawing them in like gravity.
And then… the world of the Primordial Profound Ark greeted them.
Before their eyes stretched a breathtaking expanse—a field of flowers more vibrant than any rainbow, blanketing the land in waves of living color. The wind was cool and gentle, brushing past them like a mother's hand, and the sky above was a brilliant blue, so pristine that it seemed like a painting come to life, with soft white clouds drifting lazily above.
Their divine senses spread instinctively—and what they found left them stunned.
Rivers of crystal clarity snaked through the valleys. Oceans glimmered in the distance, their surfaces so calm they reflected the sky like mirrors. Gentle beasts—none aggressive, all peaceful—roamed the fields, some grazing, others simply resting. Birds chirped and sang with melodies that echoed softly, as though the very world itself hummed in harmony.
Scattered throughout the landscape were ancient ruins, overgrown with moss and ivy, their stones etched with scripts long lost to the Abyss. They were remnants of civilizations that had vanished before even the first Divine Kingdoms were born, whispering of stories no living god remembered.
To Yun Che and Qianye Ying'er, this world was familiar. They had seen it before—walked beneath its clear skies and breathed its untainted air. To them, it was no longer a marvel, but a sanctuary, a quiet place carved away from chaos.
But to Hua Caili and Pan Buwang… it was a dream.
A world they had never imagined could exist.
It was true that the Divine Kingdoms were free from the choking presence of Abyssal Dust, but even so, they remained trapped beneath the ever-present gray skies of the Abyss, their lands shadowed by the oppressive void. The vegetation in those kingdoms, though carefully cultivated and protected, always bore the taint of corrosion—the leaves dulled, the flowers pale, the air faintly tinged with death.
Even the Pure Land, the most sacred and exalted sanctuary in the entire Abyss, held beauty in scarcity. Though its divine architecture was grand, and its spiritual energies dense and pure, the land itself supported very little life. Plant growth was limited. Beasts were few. It was a place of spirit, not of nature.
But here…
Here, within the Primordial Profound Ark…
There were rivers, oceans, forests, and wildflowers. There were birds, clouds, beautiful sky. It was as if the laws of death had never touched this land—untouched by Abyssal Dust, unbound by the curse of corrosion. The vibrancy here was so overwhelming that it made even the strongest gods hesitate to breathe too deeply, as though afraid they would somehow sully it.
Both Hua Caili and Pan Buwang instinctively suppressed their divine power, their auras pulled tightly to their cores. Even their divine sense moved with extreme caution, slowly drifting outward in thin threads, fearful of disturbing the balance of this dreamlike world.
And then—
The air shifted.
A low rumble, deep and distant, rolled across the sky. The wind stilled. The light shimmered faintly. In the far-off horizon, a pulse of pressure rose—a wave of power that was ancient, mighty, and full of presence.
It wasn't violent. But it was undeniable.
All eyes turned toward it.
Before any could move, Pan Buwang's divine sense spread reflexively toward the source of the commotion—but the instant it touched the edge of that distant aura, his body froze as he noticed another aura nearby.
His breath caught in his throat. His limbs locked in place.
And his eyes, once filled with wonder, widened in disbelief as his soul began to tremble.
In the blink of an eye, space shimmered—light curved unnaturally, the air grew still, and the world itself seemed to hold its breath.
Then, without fanfare or sound, a figure appeared before them.
Even with a delicate veil draped over the lower half of her face, her beauty could not be concealed. It wasn't just striking—it was transcendent, like something carved from moonlight and starlit dreams. Her presence was not loud, not commanding in a conventional sense… but all things around her seemed to bow.
The clouds overhead shifted, parting gently.
A beam of light filtered down through the opening sky, not harsh or blinding, but warm—soft as silk—casting her in a glow that seemed ordained by the heavens themselves.
It was as if the world had shifted its center.
And she was now it.
Xia Qingyue had arrived.
For a long moment, no one spoke.
Even the birds stopped singing.
Even the wind forgot to blow.
"So beautiful…" Hua Caili whispered under her breath, her voice barely audible, yet full of stunned reverence. As the Goddess of the Abyss, she had long been hailed as one of the most graceful and divine beings in existence, yet now, standing before this woman cloaked in silence and radiance, she felt herself small. Lesser.
In her heart, an unfamiliar feeling stirred.
Is this… what it means to be truly untouchable?
And beside Yun Che, Qianye Ying'er stumbled—not with her feet, but within her very soul.
Her golden eyes, usually cold and composed, widened as she stared at the woman who had once been part of Yun Che's past. Her hand instinctively rose toward her mask, as if to confirm it was still hiding her face.
"....HOW HAS SHE GOTTEN THIS BEAUTIFUL?!"
Her voice burst out inside her mind like a scream. Even with her current cultivation—her realm elevated beyond reason, her soul refined, her body now possessing a beauty and perfection that once belonged only to divine legends—she paled in comparison to the woman standing before her.
Though a veil still adorned her face, it was no barrier to the beauty Xia Qingyue radiated—for the veil, like the sky and the light and the wind, bowed in her presence. Her beauty could not be hidden, could not be softened. It was not something confined to appearance—it was ethereal, arresting, overwhelming in its silence.
The veil might have been there, but their eyes saw everything.
She stood like a flawless dream, a vision from another world, untouchable and serene. Her features, framed by strands of moonlit hair, glowed with a quiet divinity. The shape of her eyes, the curve of her brow, the distant calm in her gaze—everything about her commanded attention not by force, but by nature.
None could look away. Not Hua Caili, who still felt her heart beating with the throb of inadequacy. Not Qianye Ying'er, whose pride cracked with every second she stared. Not even the wind seemed to dare pass too close.
And yet, in the midst of all this awe, only one among them did not look at her with wonder.
Pan Buwang.
His gaze had not moved since the moment she appeared, but it was not fixed upon Xia Qingyue.
His divine sense remained frozen in the direction of the presence he had felt earlier—the one that had shaken his breath, stiffened his limbs, and drowned out every other sensation. Whatever it was, it still lingered far away… but it called to him with a weight he could not ignore.
His mind was elsewhere.
And so, as the others stood breathless, the silence was broken by a voice as soft as snowfall—yet beneath it ran currents of untold emotion.
"You've returned."
Xia Qingyue's voice echoed through the flower-drenched air. It was cold—cold enough to still the heart, as if carved from crystal—but laced beneath that chill was something more fragile. Something trembling.
A yearning. An ache that even time could not hide. Her eyes met Yun Che's. And the world, for a moment, stood completely still.
---------
On one side of the world within the Primordial Profound Ark—far from the others, beyond the sweeping fields and ancient ruins—a single figure wandered quietly through a meadow ablaze with color. The field stretched wide like a painter's dream, each flower petal glistening with dew under the soft, eternal sunlight, and in the midst of it, a young woman moved with quiet focus, gently touching the petals, observing each plant with the wide-eyed curiosity of someone seeing beauty unspoiled for the very first time.
She studied them carefully, one by one—kneeling to examine the roots, lifting the leaves with delicate fingers, recording faint notes with a brush across the paper she carried. Her presence was soft, her footsteps barely a whisper in the grass.
Her cultivation was modest—Divine Master Realm, barely a flicker in the Abyss where such power placed her firmly at the bottom of the hierarchy. But here, within this sealed, untouched world, strength held no weight. Here, there was no one to judge her, no dangers to threaten her, and no expectations to bind her.
She was free.
And in that freedom, she moved without fear.
From the fields of wildflowers to the shaded embrace of quiet forests, and even along the glistening banks of crystal-clear rivers, she traveled with ease—lost in study, in wonder, and in simple joy.
But what she did not know—what her senses, dulled by peace and serenity, failed to notice—was that she was not alone.
From a short distance away, a pair of eyes had been watching her. Unmoving. Silent. Hidden within the foliage, their gaze followed her every step, not with malice, but with something more raw… something hungry.
And then, just as the girl knelt by the river's edge, her fingers brushing the water's surface, she paused.
With no one around, and the heat of the day warming her skin, she stood and reached toward her robes—preparing to bathe in the pure waters before her.
The fabric slid gently from her shoulder.
But before she could go further…
Thump.
A single heartbeat. Loud. Close. Her eyes widened slightly.
"WHO'S THERE?!"
The young woman's voice rang out like a whip, sharp and commanding, echoing across the quiet riverbank. In a single, fluid motion, her robes were back in place, tightly secured around her figure. Her eyes narrowed as her divine sense shot outward like a wave, sweeping through the air, into the trees, across the grass—scouring the entire area with precision.
But she found nothing.
No presence.No trace.No ripple of divine aura.
Only silence.
"Wuyi...? Is it you?" she called out again, her voice slightly softer now, touched with a hint of uncertainty. But the wind carried no answer.
No response. No movement.
Only the river's gentle murmur, and the rustle of distant leaves.
She waited a few seconds more, her body still tense, then slowly allowed herself to exhale.
"Maybe I misheard..." she murmured, frowning to herself. The momentary tension eased from her shoulders as she reached for her robes once more, fingers brushing the fabric, preparing to disrobe.
But just as she began to lower the garment again—
CRACK!
Her aura surged violently without warning.
A burst of fiery light erupted around her, her divine energy blooming into radiant crimson as her Vermillion Bird bloodline awakened. The air screamed with heat. Feathers of flame danced around her figure, and above her head, the phantom cry of the Vermillion Bird echoed like thunder through the valley.
SHRIEEEEEEEEEEK!!
Her hand lifted—wreathed in flame—and she hurled it toward the spot where she had first heard that faint, irregular heartbeat.
"BOOOOMMM!!"
The explosion was not vast, but it was sharp and brilliant, scattering embers into the air and scorching the trees in a small, focused blast.
And then—
From the smoke, a figure stumbled out, arms flailing in panic, face twisted with unmistakable guilt.
Pan Buwang.
Ash covered his sleeves. His hair was disheveled. And his entire expression was a perfect blend of horror, flustered embarrassment, and frantic disbelief that he had actually been caught.
He hadn't even tried to defend himself.
Of course, the woman's attack had done no damage due to different in their cultivation level.
And as his wide eyes locked with hers, he opened his mouth as if to explain— But no words came.
Earlier, while Yun Che reunited with Xia Qingyue and his women—silent emotions passing through each glance, each restrained word—Pan Buwang stood just outside their gathering, having only just shaken himself free from the lingering shock of his discovery. But as he returned to full awareness, it didn't take him long to notice the atmosphere.
The tension. The weight.
There was a history unfolding in front of him, complex and unreadable, one in which he had no part to play. He had questions—so many of them.
He wanted to ask Yun Che everything, yet; just as he opened his mouth to speak, Yun Che glanced at him.
And with a faint smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, Yun Che gave him a single response—not in words, but in divine sense.
"If you seek answers, go find them yourself."
It was not a dismissal. It was a quiet permission.
So, Pan Buwang left.
Not aimlessly, not reluctantly—but guided by something stronger than curiosity.
His heart.
There was only one aura that stirred him so deeply. One soul that his divine sense remembered without needing a name. He followed it, unthinking, into the far corners of the ark, away from the others—drawn not by duty, but by yearning.
And then he saw her.
Wu Qing. Alive.
She was alone in a sea of flowers, studying the world with a gentleness that struck him more deeply than any blade. She was no longer the Wu Qing he once knew—her body newly reconstructed, her power reborn—but she still moved the same way, her aura still carried the same calm rhythm, the same warmth.
His heart began to beat louder with each passing second.
He stayed hidden, not out of fear, but because part of him couldn't believe she was truly there. If he stepped forward, would the dream vanish? Would the peace shatter?
So, he remained silent. Watching. Longing.
But when she approached the river and slowly began to remove her robes, preparing to bathe, the sight of her delicate figure—untouched, ethereal—stirred something within him that he could no longer suppress.
His heart pounded. Too loud. So loud that she heard it.
And that… was how it all came to this moment.
Where flame exploded.Where his figure was revealed.Where words failed him entirely.
And Wu Qing stood there… staring.
"....."
"....."
"Wuyi... what are you playing at?"
Shenwu Qing's voice carried a note of surprise, her eyes narrowing slightly as she took a closer look at the figure now revealed from the burst of flame. At first, she was stunned—her heart skipped a beat at the familiar face standing before her—but it only took a brief moment for her thoughts to settle.
No... It couldn't truly be Pan Buwang.
Despite her limited freedom within this world, Shenwu Qing understood exactly where she was. This world, hidden deep inside the Endless Fog Sea, was no ordinary place—it was a world sealed within a peerless treasure, one that only Yun Che and Shenwu Yi (Xia Qingyue) could enter and exit at will.
With Yun Che having departed some time ago, likely immersed in matters far beyond her reach, and with Shenwu Yi usually residing in the core of the Ark, the appearance of someone like Pan Buwang here made no sense.
And so, her mind settled on the only explanation that made sense to her.
This must be Shenwu Yi, toying with her in disguise.
Her lips curved in a playful smile as she turned away from the stunned figure. Without further hesitation, she stepped slowly into the river. The water rose gently around her ankles, then her knees, and higher still as she waded deeper, her robe clinging softly to her body as it soaked through—revealing graceful curves beneath the transparent fabric, every movement like a ripple across the surface of still water.
Her long hair floated behind her like strands of silk, glistening under the soft light that filtered through the tree canopy. She moved without shame or restraint, the serenity of the world around her echoing in her ease.
"..."
"..."
There was no sound behind her.
She turned slightly, looking over her shoulder with a curious smile, her eyes half-lidded.
"What are you standing there for? Aren't you coming in?"
Her voice was light, teasing, completely unaware of the emotional storm unfolding just a few paces away.
Pan Buwang was rooted to the spot, his body stiff, his face flushed a deep, brilliant red. His jaw opened as if to say something, then closed again—words failing him utterly.
It wasn't just embarrassment. It was disbelief, confusion, panic, and awe all crashing together.
He looked exactly as one would expect a man to look after being invited into the water by the woman of his dreams—only to realize she thought he was someone else entirely.
And though no one pointed it out, and though no one said a word...
A very obvious mark had begun to form across the front of his robes.
The kind of mark that was impossible to hide.
"...."
"....You..."
Shenwu Qing's gaze fell to the mark now unmistakably blooming across Pan Buwang's lower robe, and her eyes widened in a mixture of disbelief, horror, and dawning realization. Her lips parted, the name trembling as it left her.
"Pan… Buwang?"
The man in question could only nod, his voice weak, breath caught somewhere between guilt and adoration.
"Yes… it's me, Qing'er..."
"..."
"..."
Then it came—the scream.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!"
Her voice pierced the tranquil air like thunder cracking through a silent sky. Her face turned crimson in an instant, and with a splash, she vanished beneath the water in a blur of ripples and scattered light. Her divine aura disappeared entirely, as though she hoped even the heavens might forget this moment.
Time passed—though how long, neither of them could truly say.
To Pan Buwang, each breath felt like an eternity. His heart pounded louder than any battle drum, his mind spinning between panic and disbelief. He had dreamed of seeing her again, but not like this.
And then, at last… she resurfaced.
Her face was still red, flushed with embarrassment, but there was something else in her eyes—something softer, something unspoken. Droplets of water clung to her lashes as she raised her gaze, voice barely a whisper above the sound of the stream.
"What are you… how… are you here?"
He opened his mouth, ready to explain everything—how he'd followed her aura, how his heart had led him to her, how he had simply wanted to see her again—but before he could speak, her voice interrupted him once more.
"Aren't you… coming in?"
She didn't meet his eyes as she said it. Her face remained turned ever so slightly away, but her words trembled, wrapped in shyness and sincerity. Her skin, glowing beneath the water, shimmered like polished jade beneath the fading sunlight.
Pan Buwang stood motionless for a breath.
Then another.
And then—
"Yes..."
His voice was quiet. But it came from his heart.
Not from lust.Not from impulse.
But from longing.From love.
And then, he stepped forward.