Chapter 501: Who's the Woman?

Though Lian Xi had made her decision, her heart was heavy with doubts.

She gazed towards the unknown heavens, then gripped Yun Xiao's hand and asked, "How did you know that the Immortal Asylum ascended to the Great Dao Celestial Realm? Did you make contact with a being inside the prison?"

"Back in the Immortal Asylum, I encountered a man dressed in black. Just as the thousand Immortals entered the prison, his voice suddenly rang in my ear," Yun Xiao replied gravely.

"Who is he, and what did he say?" Lian Xi asked, curious.

"I'm guessing he's a prisoner there," Yun Xiao said, looking towards the devastated area, his lips pursed. "His words were simple. He said, 'You now lack the power to control the Immortal Asylum; we will shift it ahead on your path.'"

"Ahead on our path? That must be the Great Dao Celestial Realm..."

With these words, Yun Xiao knew that the arrival of these 1,000 Immortals had enraged the monsters within the prison, and death was certain!

The outcome was much as he had anticipated.

After hearing this, Lian Xi had an epiphany, remarking, "That person, he must be a good soul. By moving the Immortal Asylum, he likely sought to prevent further conflicts that could harm the mortal realm."

"Probably so," Yun Xiao mused.

"What are you thinking about?" Lian Xi asked softly, pinching the back of his hand.

Yun Xiao looked up at the sky and said deeply, "I'm thinking, it seems those who truly peak in this world, like the man in black from the prison, possess reverence and humanity. Unlike the Immortals of the Great Dao Celestial Realm, who justify their exploitation and plundering as divine truths, content in destroying everything."

Ultimately, who were the

true

Immortals? Or rather, what should an Immortal be? Yun Xiao had yet to find an answer.

Today's battle among the Immortals had shown him a more grotesque and brutal side of the struggle for celestial power.

"Can't we look on the bright side?" Lian Xi suggested, shaking his hand.

"How should we view it positively?" Yun Xiao asked.

"Arbiter Lu said that the Celestial Court forbids Immortals from descending to the mortal realm, and violators would be severely punished. Doesn't that mean the Celestial Court is protecting the mortal realm? And doesn't it suggest that the roots of the Great Dao Celestial Realm are essentially good?" Lian Xi reasoned.

"That's true," Yun Xiao nodded. "We'll see for ourselves what the Celestial Court is really like."

Below them, the destroyed area was like a dark beast, ever ready to devour the world of men anew.

Yun Xiao watched the world crumble with a cold gaze and said, "Everything here will be destroyed, and only the Celestial Court might have a way to save us."

"People live in this world in too much pain. No sooner had we resolved the calamity of the Three Immortals than we plunged into another disaster of world-ending proportions. There hasn't been a moment's peace." Lian Xi sighed softly, tears silently welling up in her eyes.

Yun Xiao felt a greater mix of rage and icy detachment.

But she was different. She was emotional, compassionate, and empathetic, making her sorrow even deeper. Her eyes were filled with hatred for the disasters that befell humanity and a sense of responsibility for the suffering of the people.

Her sense of mission had even strengthened compared to when the Three Immortals were present.

"Lil Xi, the calamity will destroy the human world, and even though the Three Immortals are dead, you are far from being done, aren't you?" Yun Xiao suddenly asked.

"Of course not. Why do you ask?" Lian Xi asked, puzzled.

Yun Xiao merely smiled tightly, not answering. He thought to himself: Perhaps this girl won't end her life now… Maybe that's the only good news in this apocalyptic disaster.

Time was running short!

So, Yun Xiao no longer dwelled on his feelings but instead told Lian Xi, "Before we set out, we'll split up. You go to your master and explain everything to them. Have them get everyone around the Nine Hells and its surroundings to evacuate. In this disaster, we must treat demons, devils, and humans alike. The peace of all realms for the foreseeable future I leave to them."

"Understood," Lian Xi nodded obediently.

"Then, we'll meet back here in a little while," Yun Xiao said.

"Okay," she replied.

As she watched Yun Xiao head towards the lower reaches of the Nine Hells, a thought struck her, and she couldn't help but ask, "Are you going to say goodbye to her?"

"Her? Who?" Yun Xiao stopped and asked.

"The mother of your child," Lian Xi said, biting her lip.

Yun Xiao paused, his mind went blank for a moment, then he scratched his head and awkwardly said, "Yes, I am going to say goodbye."

"Who is she, some kind of divine being? Is she that female devil? You're not planning to take her to the Great Dao Celestial Realm?" Lian Xi asked further.

"She's not a devil," Yun Xiao, always straightforward, decided to explain, "She's a mortal girl from the pocket world I came from, my senior sister who led me on the path of immortality."

"Ah?" Lian Xi stuck out her tongue in surprise, "You mean, she's your original wife from the pocket world?"

"Yes," Yun Xiao nodded.

Lian Xi touched her head and laughed sheepishly. "Turns out I was the other woman. I was the third wheel all along."

"..." Yun Xiao fell speechless.

Why did she feel almost pleased upon realizing the truth, as if she had gotten the better end of the deal?

After a moment of thought, Lian Xi still asked, "Does your senior sister... know about me?"

"She prefers not to know," Yun Xiao replied.

"If she found out, would she be angry? Would it ruin your family?" Lian Xi pressed.

"She wouldn't be angry," he assured her.

"Why not?"

"..." Yun Xiao paused, momentarily at a loss for words. So, he said simply, "Her bosom is as vast as the sea, capable of embracing all..."

"I get what you mean," Lian Xi bit her lip and glared at him, "You really are one lucky fellow."

"..." Yun Xiao smiled slightly at her words.

Without further ado, he turned and soared towards the Eternal Sword Prison on his Sovereign Sword.

After he left, Lian Xi bowed her head, her gaze slightly bewildered.

"Hey, you haven't really fallen for him, have you?" the little white tiger popped out of her embrace and asked disdainfully.

"What do you think?" Lian Xi pursed her lips. "Love is selfish, yet people say that on the path of immortality, one should detach from passions and desires."

"Don't overthink it, it'll cloud your mind. If you want clarity, just listen to me!" the little white tiger chortled.

"Go on," Lian Xi said.

"Just wrap up this third session, then kick this worthless man to the heavens. From now on, you be the star, and let him be the backdrop!" The little white tiger clearly couldn't stand the frustration anymore.

A tiger, born to rule, should never be suppressed. This was simply intolerable!

"I can't be bothered with you." Lian Xi pinched its face and turned to ascend to the heavens herself.

?ι══????????══ι?

In the Divine Continent, at the Azure Spirit Sword Sect, within the Sword Pavilion and Little Cloud Residence, Yun Xiao sat at a stone table in the courtyard. Before him stood a nine-tiered shimmering pagoda, its surface swirling with radiant light and nebulous energies, serving as a supreme protector.

It was the Cosmic Pagoda, a divine artifact capable of altering time!

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

Yun Xiao tapped on the Cosmic Pagoda, calling out, "Senior Sister Zhao, you can come out now."

Due to the asynchronous nature of time inside and outside the tower, it took a while before a beam of light emerged, revealing a poised and serene woman in a black gown.

"Junior Brother Yun," she said, her eyes warm as she looked at him and then towards the sky. "Has the disaster ended?"

For her, life inside the pagoda remained unchanged.

The difference was, every few days, Yun Xiao would visit, either at the onset of a great calamity or its conclusion.

She was unfamiliar with the world beyond the Sea of Swords but had grown accustomed to great disasters.

"The latest disaster has passed," Yun Xiao replied.

"That's good. You're not busy now, stay for a while?" Zhao Xuanran said softly.

"I can't stay; the world is about to be destroyed," Yun Xiao said, covering his face.

Zhao Xuanran paused, then smirked. "Are you a magnet for disaster? Wherever you go, destruction follows."

Yun Xiao helplessly rubbed his head. "Seems so. Maybe I should stop wandering and just wait for our child to be born?"

Zhao Xuanran, startled, said, "You better not, you better go."

"Why?" Yun Xiao asked.

"I enjoy a slow-paced life; your rhythm is too fast. If we don't live apart, one of us is bound to go mad," she said quietly.

Yun Xiao paused. Indeed, in some ways, they were opposites.

"Sit."

Yun Xiao sat down at the stone table.

This table bore the weight of Yun Xiao's fondest memories on his path of cultivation.

That night, lanterns swayed on the osmanthus trees, fish in the pond startled...