The Skyrend Domain was engulfed by a layer of pulsating energy, vigorous and thick, outlining its vast territory and locking down all within its range. The generated spatial tear rippled slightly before dissipating, vanishing without any indication of its previous existence.
A burst of silvery spatial light erupted near the area of the spatial tear where remnants of Yun Che's vile and violent aura remained. The area was dyed a faint red, making it exceptionally easy to locate. The silvery light revealed two cultivators, a young man, and a middle-aged woman.
The young man was slovenly from attire to hair, his eyes exhausted and with a pallid countenance. His sickly appearance aside, he floated amidst the Dark Void effortlessly, and his half-opened eyes exuded a dim, piercing light. The aura of the Mystic Dao was quite prevalent from his body, revealing him to be a Highlord!
The woman was mature-looking, her hair tied in a chignon-style bun, her lips colored a light pink, and her eyes were particularly overbearing. There was a dominance within her that was etched into her bones. This added a charm to her existence that could easily allow her to be classified as among the beauties of her gender.
The two investigated the area briefly. The rapid approach of Earthly Saints caused them both to halt, their eyes glancing at the world beyond the array's range, and they noted the arrival of top-tier characters. Among these characters, standing at the very edge of the array, his eyes dark and his expression frustrated, was a full-bodied He Bojing!
There was a suppressed rage boiling within him; the urge to smash this array swelled within him, but he held back as he looked piercingly at the duo through the array. Not even the pulsing power of the Skyrend Domain's array could block his sight. This was also true for the other dozen or so Earthly Saints that had arrived!
The two Highlords of the Skyrend Domain looked at each other, their thoughts flickering within their gazes as they communicated spiritually.
He Bojing's patience swiftly ran out, "Open your Sky Severing Array! We're here to locate and find criminals who attacked the Bing Clan's Frostwind Domain!" Yun Che's outburst had led them here, especially considering how unique his aura was!
The middle-aged woman heaved a frustrated sigh.
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Endless Prosperity Domain, Worldly Equilibrium Moon.
A spatial tear appeared in an exquisitely luxurious courtyard with refined air, rich and thick astral and mystic essence, and all sorts of ambient energies of the purest qualities. It created a miniature paradise far surpassing anything else on the lunar satellite. The sheer number of formations established to upkeep this area was astonishing, let alone the number of resources, but as of now, it only housed a single cultivator—Xiao Bing!
From the spatial tear, Wei Wuyin walked onto a well-bricked path as his Draconic Transformation beautifully and seamlessly regressed. He casually removed his peak Mystic-Earth concealment mask, revealing his silver eyes and world-defying masculine features to the world. With a wave of his hand, the spatial tear squirmed and blipped out of existence as he sent a Spiritual Transmission out. Both the Heavenly World Core and Heretical Berserk Godsword were notably absent.
He saw at the end of the path, sitting at the edge of a freshwater pond, a young woman gazing at her reflection as her slender fingers gently caressed the watery surface to produce small waves and ripples. Her white hair dangled across her expression, revealing traces of her astonishing beauty through the gaps, adding a type of alluring charm that resembled a painting brought to life.
Wei Wuyin's eyes flashed with emotion at this picturesque sight, as beautiful as the stars in the vast void and as refreshing as a blooming iris.
"Xiao Bing," he called out lightly.
The young woman lifted her gaze, surprise blooming in her eyes. Then, that surprise transformed into an emotion that he'd never have expected from Xiao Bing, the one he felt only agreed to become his Valkyrie to remain with Hong Ru, the true focus of her affection. It was an emotion of joy.
She was happy to see him!
"So it was you!" It was as if she was convincing herself this entire time that the masked figure had to be Wei Wuyin, and only now did she confirm her belief. She rose from her seated position and stared at Wei Wuyin. It felt as if she was trying to absorb the reality of the situation into her heart.
This sight, for an inexplicable reason, made Wei Wuyin feel a prick of guilt in his heart. Her following words only poked at that sore, developing spot.
"Twenty-three years, seven months, and eight days." Xiao Bing stared at Wei Wuyin, the joy in her eyes gave way to an emotion that held complaint and grievance—justified grievance.
"..." Wei Wuyin was rarely silent when facing women, but her exact dating of the last time they met in person left him a little stunned. He knew that, along the way, something within her changed. They soon stared at each other silently.
Eventually, Xiao Bing took a step and broke the tension. She faintly smiled as her icy bearing that pushed everyone away momentarily vanished amidst a shine of warmth, relief, and satisfaction. Wu Yu's protection, the endless quantities of any and every resource she ever needed, and his appearance when her life was truly threatened were evidence of that—he was always there.
"I know you've been busy. I'm not an unreasonable woman. At least…you didn't forget me when it mattered," Xiao Bing strode over until she was directly before Wei Wuyin, a mere two feet away.
"Did you know what I experienced after arriving here?" She calmly said. The 'here' was the Grand Cyclic Stellar Region. She, like the others, arrived twenty years ago. Came to a world that was as foreign to them as one can imagine. They were pulled away from their allies and past relations to continue their cultivation or abandoned to live on a Nascent planet.
"..." Wei Wuyin didn't answer, didn't nod, didn't shake his head, only listened. Despite his feelings, he was aware that the best thing he could do was to simply listen.
Xiao Bing looked into his eyes as if etching his appearance in her mind, "I entered the Ice Lotus Sect in the Skyrend Domain. It was…"
-----
At this time, another spatial tear appeared in the meeting room of the Golden Life Pavilion. It hovered above the discussion table at its center, glowing with multicolored light. There were eighteen seats here, and all were occupied except for one.
In the lead seat was Ma Zheng. This seat was once occupied by Sheng Jizi. The other seats were occupied by Incarnations of Golden Councilmen and Branch Managers. They all looked at the spatial tear curiously, not a sign of fear or panic in their expression.
Soon, a figure tumbled out. They were ruffled and imbalanced, nearly falling over. After regaining their posture, they swept their gazes while standing on the table. Yun Che's eyes instantly widened as he noticed he was surrounded.
"Sit there, young man." Ma Zheng calmly said as a seat emerged near the only empty seat. Yun Che was taken aback, turning and noticing Ma Zheng instantly! Wasn't that the Golden Life Pavilion's Pavilion Master?! The former Third Branch Manager?!
Where was he?
"You're…?!" Yun Che was deeply confused.
"Sit for now; when Councilman Wei has settled his other matters, he'll deal with you." Ma Zheng glanced at Yun Che and then returned to his files, reading them intensely.
"..." Yun Che didn't know how to respond. Councilman Wei? Who? Was that the person who brought him here? He hesitated, thinking if he should make his escape.
"Sit." Ma Zheng, for the third time, told him. But this time, his Mystic Aura of a 9th Runic Ascendant Earthly Saint flared, and Yun Che felt a suffocating force press upon him. His body, without his will, was moved to a seat like a small child, and he was properly positioned. The sheer degree of helplessness he felt was indescribable!
This was Ma Zheng?! He blankly stared silently as the council continued to discuss matters through a Spiritual Network. He could only wait behind Councilmen Wei's seat.
-----
"...the Bing Clan treated me well after that. It was certainly because they were fearful of you." Xiao Bing's story tugged at Wei Wuyin's heartstrings. She described her difficulties, and she didn't gloss over the gritty details, such as her will nearly collapsing as she was ready to end it all or her being captured by Bing Tian to become a Yin Cauldron.
It was clear that she didn't want to spare Wei Wuyin any feeling of guilt. He deserved this feeling. He had neglected her due to his bias towards all things pertaining to Long Chen, and despite accepting her into the Valkyries, despite having free time to pick up maids and lovers, he hadn't bothered to do anything more than handle her cultivation needs.
Suddenly, the two feet of distance was breached. Wei Wuyin felt a cold body in his embrace, a head full of long white hair dug into his chest, and he could feel a faint wetness growing where she buried her head.
"Through-throughout all that…I kept…I kept thinking about you. About your letter. I know. I know. I-" She couldn't hold it in anymore. All her grievances were spewed out in tears that turned into ice crystals as they fell as if she was expelling and freezing years of harsh treatment.
Wei Wuyin recalled the spiritual letter he gave them through Tuo Bihan. He said:
"I was pleasantly surprised to hear that you decided to become a Valkyrie. While I imagine you had other thoughts, I'll do my best to honor your decision. And if you're feeling anxious about entering a new world, that's good. A woman as beautiful and talented as you is bound to face all sorts of difficulties and dangers, so be ready to face them.
"Xiao Bing…you'll certainly survive and thrive in this new world. Never surrender until your last breath, and if the world gets too heavy to hold on to, I'll be there to prop up the sky.
"Good Luck,"
It wasn't much. In fact, it was very little. It lacked the depth and emotion that Su Mei, Na Xinyi, and even Qin Rui received, but to Xiao Bing, these words caused her to hold on as Wei Wuyin kept rising in the world. He was slowly growing in reputation and power until he could prop up the sky.
And as she faced death, he had arrived.
What did he do?
He propped up her collapsing sky, freed her from captivity, changed her treatment, and gave her everything a cultivator would ever need without demanding her body or freedom as others had! Even when she was in the Myriad Monarch Sect, she was pursued endlessly and even faced heavy pressure from her clan to marry.
She was moved from afar, as absence hadn't just made her heart grow fonder, but she also realized that Wei Wuyin was different from every man she'd ever come across or every provider that demanded something of her.
"I…" Xiao Bing's voice quivered.
Wei Wuyin embraced her trembling body tightly.