Chapter 831: Let's Experience the Collapse of the Heavens

Seeing Zhao Changhe seated cross-legged in the river, immersed in silent meditation and seeking insight, Piaomiao rested her cheek on her hand and quietly watched the handsome profile of the man beside her. The longer she looked, the more she found him pleasing to the eye, so much so that even the faint flicker of irritation within her had become too trivial to bother with.

That irritation stemmed from the nature of Zhao Changhe’s cultivation, both in its trajectory and the aura he now emanated. It was far too reminiscent of the Night Emperor. It was as if he were carved from the same mold, a masculine incarnation of her.

This only made sense, of course; after all, he was meant to be the Night Emperor of the following era. He had already claimed the Four Idols for himself, so such a resemblance was only natural. Her displeasure was really just residual resentment toward Ye Wuming, the original Night Emperor, and Zhao Changhe was merely collateral damage, a victim by association.

In fact, looking at it from another angle, if Zhao Changhe had stolen the Four Idols, did that not in itself count as a kind of vengeance?

That thought cleared the rest of her irritation entirely. She should be supporting him with all her might! Yes, she would even help him deal with the ancient White Tiger next and strip away every last trace of what once belonged to the ancient Night Emperor, down to the last piece.

Still, she wondered what exactly Zhao Changhe was seeing while in the middle of meditation right now. This path was far beyond her, and it was not something she could lend a helping hand in.

In truth, Zhao Changhe saw nothing at all.

He thought back to that moment from his dream—the one where he and Piaomiao had been entangled in the river. That vision had come to him after they had purged their inner demons through that act, drifting off into sleep. At the time, he believed they had already crossed that threshold, but the dream had revealed something more: a glimpse of their true first night, one born of willing hearts. It must have been a subconscious longing and that desire had aligned with karma to allow him a peek into that future.

In other words, unless there was a clear karmic thread to anchor oneself to, attempting to peer into the future through sheer will alone was fruitless. There would be no direction and thus nothing to see.

Zhao Changhe tried hard to fix his thoughts on the notion of “returning,” trying to ride the long river of time backward. However, he had neither a foothold nor a reference. His spirit was pulled in every direction and began to splinter under the strain. A sharp, splitting pain pierced his consciousness.

He broke from the meditative state, gasping for breath. Piaomiao had already pulled him into her arms, whispering softly, “What happened? Don’t push yourself so hard. Cultivation can’t be rushed.”

The gentle intent of the mountains and rivers enveloped him, easing the pain. Still panting slightly, Zhao Changhe murmured, “Thanks... Honestly, the support you give me is far greater than I expected. It almost seems like it can do anything...”

Piaomiao replied, “There’s no need for thanks between us. You and I... Hm, well, this land belongs to the sovereign. The mountains and rivers are thus yours to command.”

“...You do realize that sounds like you’re saying every inch of your body is mine, right?”

With a glare, Piaomiao shoved him lightly. “Can you not act serious for once?”

Zhao Changhe grinned. “Plenty of men become emperors, but who gets to claim everything as their own? That requires a wife.”

Piaomiao said, “There are many couples under heaven, but how many are truly of one heart?”

Zhao Changhe tilted his head and looked at her. Piaomiao’s face was calm and unreadable.

“Are you saying that my heart isn’t aligned with yours?”

“I never said that. You’re the one who thinks so.”

“Fine, fine.” Zhao Changhe pulled her close again, murmuring into her ear, “We’ve still got a long time to prove it.”

Piaomiao smiled faintly, saying nothing.

The truth was, she had been out of her body for three days already. Any longer, and things could go wrong. Without an anchor, her soul might start to scatter. Yet, when Zhao Changhe asked to stay and delve deeper into the mysteries of time, she did not object to it, as if she was in no danger.

Zhao Changhe understood all of this perfectly. Looking at her serene smile, he could not help but ask, “Are you... really not worried?”

Piaomiao said calmly, “It’s nothing... I have already told you in the past that my reincarnation was a mistake. If I dissolve again, that too is a kind of homecoming. There’s nothing worth clinging to.”

Zhao Changhe felt her drifting once more toward that sage-like, desireless state of mind, like she was slowly reverting to the ethereal tranquility that once was. Having stolen the lotus platform and avenged part of her past, her obsessions had dulled. The flame that once burned within her no longer blazed as fiercely.

“But this isn’t the past,” Zhao Changhe said, flicking her nose lightly. “You don’t exist just for the sake of hate anymore.”

Piaomiao asked with a slight smile, “Do I exist for you, then?”

“Yes. Isn’t that enough?”

“But you don’t seem very anxious. You even have the time to spare to flirt with me.”

“You’re misunderstanding things. That backlash left me with a headache, so I was just resting a bit. But even the pain tells me I’m on the right path. The only thing I lack is a tether, a karmic reference. The image of you I had was too intangible. My soul could not withstand it.”

“What sort of reference do you need?”

“You’re my reference. I wasn’t lying when I said that.”

Piaomiao: “?”

Still caught in confusion, she found Zhao Changhe already kissing her.

Flustered, Piaomiao shoved him back, half-angry, half-amused.

How could a man become like this after getting what he wanted? Should I blame him for being shameless, or be glad that he’s so utterly devoted?

But then she realized that somehow, amidst the kiss, Zhao Changhe had re-entered his meditative state.

Piaomiao: “...”

Previously, it had been Yangyang who served as the karmic thread through which Zhao Changhe glimpsed Piaomiao’s future—her true, willing first night. So now, using this present Piaomiao, could he gaze further still? To see her first time in the flesh, after she has regained her body? Would that form a complete karmic thread?

He wasn’t sure, but at least it gave him something to hold on to. He could follow the line forward.

In a haze of drifting consciousness, he saw an abyss of utter darkness. It was cold, still, and silent.

At its deepest point, something faintly bloomed. It was the breath of life emanating from a lotus platform, exuding the divine mystery of a celestial rebirth. Within the abyss, genesis stirred; an aura of creation spread through the gloom.

Is this... the Abyss of Jiuyou? Ye Jiuyou’s domain? So this is where Piamiao’s body needs to be remade?

Hm, this is good... Then if I trace back from this point, can I find the key events that lead us here?

The vision began to rewind at blinding speed when suddenly, a sword light burst forth from an unknown location, blazing with such brilliance that it consumed his entire field of vision. It brought with it a fierceness that destroyed everything, as well as a tyranny that shattered time and space.

The Sword Emperor?

Elsewhere, a blood-red saber light surged into the heavens, cleaving the firmament with wrathful force.

Lie.

Then came a pair of slender hands pressed against the firmament, and the Four Idols of the night sky collapsed in an instant.

So Ye Wuming... destroyed her Four Idols with her own hands.

There must have been more... a group of heroes rising in defiance, all pointing their blades at the firmament.

In the midst of this apocalyptic collapse, there seemed to be a core battleground, one shrouded and obscured, impossible to glimpse directly. Only flashes of lightning could be seen, violent and wild. Strange voices echoed in the dark, “It’s useless... None of you will escape...”

Rumble!

The vision turned black. An entire world vanished. The firmament collapsed. The heavenly realm fell.

The heavenly gate shattered, and the laws of the world turned into pages, scattering down to the mortal realm. The scene shifted to the mortal realm where the Heavenly River hung inverted, cascading downward. Fragments of space crumbled into the mortal realm and became secret realms.

At that moment, the fluttering pages resembled seals, locking away a world in chains.

At the very top, a golden glow flashed across one of the pages, inscribed with eight words: “Heavenly Dao no more, Human Dao begins anew.”

It was the title page of the Tome of Troubled Times.

How much Zhao Changhe could see, however, was limited. He had only been trying to see how he himself could return. Everything beyond his immediate surroundings was blurred and indistinct, making it impossible to grasp the full truth of what had happened. However, the thing he needed to know, he now knew.

The way back had nothing to do with the Soul-Capturing Mirror. That was nothing but a misdirection. The true path was to remain within the Heavenly River. When it descended from the highest heaven into the mortal realm, he could follow it, riding the flow of time to return to the precise moment he needed. As Piaomiao had said before, it was they who traversed time. The location where they would reappear in the mortal realm would be one of the places touched by the fallen Heavenly River, a newly formed secret realm. And judging by the flow, it felt like it would be somewhere near Kunlun...

It truly was a good thing that he had checked. If he had gone chasing the Soul-Capturing Mirror, it would have been a wasted trip. That thing had nothing to do with any of this. The right choice was to stay right here in the Heavenly River and nowhere else.

And the time... Tomorrow!

Zhao Changhe jolted awake, sweat soaking the body he had left behind at the temple. Even his soul body was trembling slightly, reacting instinctively to the vision.

Tomorrow, the heavens collapse!

The sight of a world teetering on the edge, of heroes rising as the skies crumbled... To a martial artist, it was an irresistible temptation. He had to witness that battlefield, to see what truly transpired at the heart of that cataclysm.

And with his current strength, he could go. As long as he did not interfere, he could watch safely from afar. At the very least, he could witness how it all began, and then return to the Heavenly River when the time came.

“You... What’s wrong?” Piaomiao asked curiously. “Did you find the path?”

“I did. It’s right here.”

Piaomiao looked puzzled. “Why here...? And you suddenly seem full of battle spirit, as if you’ve glimpsed a long-awaited rival.”

Zhao Changhe said, “Tomorrow, the heavens collapse. Time will be at its most chaotic. All we need to do is trace our own thread along the long river of time.”

Piaomiao fell silent.

Tomorrow, the heavens collapse...

There was another way to interpret those words:

Tomorrow is the day of your death.

Zhao Changhe wanted to witness the clash of the ancient heroes. And how could Piaomiao not want to witness the moment Ye Wuming ambushed her?

If it had been a head-on battle, she would not have harbored such resentment, even in death. But she could not blame Ye Wuming either. By then, she had already been running on empty. Still, a clean fight would have been easier to accept.

They were both silent for a moment, then spoke at the same time, “Want to go?”

A pause. Again, simultaneously: “I can’t go.”

Then, more silence.

Zhao Changhe looked at Piaomiao’s face, which was so full of conflicting emotions. His own battle fervor faded, and with it, his curiosity. Compared to Piaomiao’s anguish, knowing that tomorrow was the day she would be killed, yet being unable to act, what were his desires worth?

“...It’s fine,” Piaomiao said, forcing a smile. “I’m still here, aren’t I? Once I return to the mortal realm, I’ll have a body again. Ye Wuming won’t.”

Zhao Changhe did not answer.

Piaomiao added softly, “But you... Why can’t you go? If you just want to see what happened, you can go. Just... be careful. I’ll wait for you here.”

Zhao Changhe gently caressed her cheek. “I’m not going anywhere. I’ll stay right here with you.”

“Why?”

“Because tomorrow will be the hardest day for you, and someone should be here to help you get through it. My curiosity means nothing compared to that.”

Piaomiao gazed at him, unmoving.

Zhao Changhe smiled. “Besides, what I glimpsed was only the most likely among countless possible futures. There’s still a chance we’ll fail to return at all. That’s why I have to stay by your side at every moment no matter what. If we truly can’t make it back... then we’ll just vanish together, with this realm.”

Piaomiao looked at him for a long while, then smiled as well. “Alright.”

Zhao Changhe said, taking her hand as he walked toward the edge of the river, “Come, let’s cultivate. Even cramming at the last minute is better than giving up.”

When Zhao Changhe spoke of cultivation rather than dual cultivation, he was entirely proper. Piaomiao watched with interest as he stepped lightly across the water, secretly noting that when it came to space—if not yet time—Zhao Changhe was truly touching upon the very peak of mastery. Every point of the Heavenly River was a vast and distant place unto itself. Most would lose their way just a few paces in, causing them to be unable to see their partner across space. But Zhao Changhe walked upon it as if it were an ordinary stream of water.

The banks of the river were lined with plants of the heavenly realm, flora that Zhao Changhe did not recognize and had no intention of bothering himself with.

He rested his hand on the trunk of an unknown flowering tree, long since withered. This, like many other things, was a sign of the upcoming cataclysm. Everyone in the heavenly realm could feel the shift in fate from these omens of decay.

When seen through the lens of time, some of these trees would vanish completely in the future, while others... would bloom. Zhao Changhe’s thoughts stirred, and a nearby tree began to respond. Buds formed upon its branches, then blossomed in full. A cascade of flowers then filled the air with their fragrance.

He continued this process for some time. Piaomiao simply sat quietly beside him, keeping him company. By the time he was done, ten li of withered trees had bloomed once more and the entire riverbank transformed into a sea of blossoms. It was more beautiful than any scene she had ever yet beheld.

Some were flowers of the past, others of the future. Each bloom was drawn forth with different methods, reflecting different temporal moments. He was supposed to be studying time itself, yet he had created what looked very much like a bridal chamber.

“Is it pretty?” Zhao Changhe turned and smiled. “It’s my gift to you.”

“This is how you cultivate?”

“Two birds with one stone. I study time... and express my heart.”

“Time...” Piaomiao’s gaze was sharp. “Some of these blossoms are from the past. Some are from the future?”

“No matter past, present, or future,” Zhao Changhe said gently, “I want all of it... to be with you.”

Piaomiao asked, “Why flowers?”

Zhao Changhe scratched his head. “Uh... because they’re pretty? Besides, we’ve shared moonlit nights but never flowers. I thought I’d make it up to you.”

She found that quite amusing. “You truly are a mortal man. Do you even know what kind of flowers these are?”

Zhao Changhe shook his head. “Nope, I’ve got no clue... It’s not something with bad symbolism, is it? I mean, they grow by the Heavenly River and the energy they contain is pretty massive. It wasn’t easy to get them to bloom. Aren’t they some kind of sacred treasure?”

Piaomiao couldn’t help but laugh. “There’s no such thing as a natural treasure that grows unattended by the riverside like wild grass... This is the Heavenly River. The meeting place of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl. These are the flowers of the Magpie Bridge. When a lover picks one and gives it to another, it means unwavering devotion. If the two exchange them... the red thread is tied for life. The flowers never wither as long as the bond remains. And you’ve just gifted me ten li’ worth. What exactly are you trying to do?”

Zhao Changhe laughed. “Isn’t that perfect then? You should give me one too.”

Piaomiao plucked a blossom and tucked it into the hair Zhao Changhe had conjured with his mastery of illusion arts. She leaned back to admire her work. “Wearing flowers and drinking wine is a scholarly sort of elegance. Pfft, but it doesn’t really suit you... Seeing you like this makes me want to laugh.”

Zhao Changhe picked one for her in return, lifting it toward her hair. “Have you decided? Once I place this, the red thread will be tied forever. There won’t be any running away.”

Piaomiao spoke softly, “I think it’s wonderful... It’s like you’ve pulled me from the era where I was meant to exist and brought me into your world, not because of Yangyang, not because of Ye Wuming or Ye Jiuyou. Just you... and me.”

As her voice fell, the ground began to shake.

She had already sensed the coming of the end as she was speaking.

Rumble!

Thunder boomed in the distance as the mountains crumbled. The nearby trees all withered at once with some snapping entirely from their roots.

Yet, neither of them turned to look. Hand in hand, they stepped into the river once more, descending to its depths.

“Hold on tight.” Zhao Changhe wrapped her in his arms. “Trust me. I’ll get you home.”

The riverbed trembled violently. The once-still waters now roared with fury. Explosions echoed in all directions. The Heavenly River collapsed, plunging from the highest heaven.

If the river were time itself, then this moment was like fast-forwarding an entire era.

BOOM!

The Milky Way crashed into the mortal realm, striking an alternate dimensional void. There, it became an independent secret realm, detached from reality.

The secret realm lay dormant for countless years, untouched.

Along the twisted trees by the riverbank, many had turned to ash. Some remained as brittle stumps. Through the endless ages, they began to grow again.

Without notice, two buds formed. Slowly, they bloomed.

Within the river, two drifting ghostly figures floated to the surface. Their eyes were closed, silent and still, like ancient souls returning from the end of an era.

Yet the two were still locked in embrace, each of them wearing the same flower in their hair, matching those now blooming on the bank.

They opened their eyes at the same time, glancing around, and both smiled—the smile of survivors.

Zhao Changhe blinked a few times, then said, “If someone happened to stumble into this secret realm right now, wouldn’t they think we were some long-lost ancient demon gods awakened from slumber? Hah, that actually sounds like it’d be quite fun. We should try it sometime.”