Chapter 54 Departure "A-Xun, do you dare to marry him?"
Hua Xun's Flowing Cloud Immortal Palace has never been as "lively" as it is today.
Dozens of celestial soldiers and demon guards stood solemnly outside the celestial palace.
Hua Xun was in the room, sitting in front of a bronze mirror, quietly applying makeup.
Hua Xun didn't know when Baili Sheng had bought these cosmetics from the human race, but since he had sent them, she used them.
Draw your eyebrows, apply lipstick, and put on rouge.
Hua Xun had seen human women describe it this way before, and now, imitating them, she actually felt that her own beauty had become more vibrant.
Hua Xun looked at her face with curiosity, blinked, and her reflection in the mirror blinked back.
Exactly the same.
Hua Xun stood up, and the fairy sent by Immortal Venerable Changhao stepped forward, carrying an elaborate and gorgeous wedding dress, and carefully dressed her, then put on the phoenix crown.
The shimmering pearls swayed gently, adding a touch of elegance to her pretty face.
"Thank you," Hua Xun said.
The fairies shook their heads. One fairy, who looked quite young, looked at her wedding dress with great curiosity and exclaimed, "So beautiful!"
An older fairy standing nearby scolded in a low voice, "Yao'er, you mustn't be rude."
The young fairy shrank her neck and silently lowered her head.
Hua Xun looked into the bronze mirror. The fiery red wedding dress draped over her body, its long, trailing tail swaying gently, truly resembling a blazing flame.
"Immortal Venerable." The voice of the immortal soldier came from outside the door.
Hua Xun was taken aback, hurriedly straightened the pearls and jade in front of her phoenix coronet, and opened the door.
Immortal Venerable Changhao stood in the courtyard, slightly startled when he saw her, then nodded gently: "Miss Hua Xun, the time is almost here."
Seeing this, Hua Xun felt relieved. Holding a bright red round fan, she walked outside, surrounded by four fairies.
He only whispered, "Thank you," when he passed by Immortal Venerable Changhao.
A celestial bird with colorful feathers was waiting outside the mansion. The bird was three zhang long, and its feathers were shimmering with light. When it saw people coming, it obediently lowered its body.
Hua Xun and the fairy climbed onto the bird's back together. The bird spread its huge wings, flapped them, and took off, flying steadily into the distance.
In the blink of an eye, the Immortal Gate was right before their eyes.
The demonic soldiers, their demonic aura soaring to the heavens, still stood neatly on one side of the immortal gate; however, in front of everyone, there was now a wedding sedan chair.
The bridal sedan chair was carved from blood jade, with the body engraved with intertwined magical patterns. Above the lintel, countless red fluorite stones were inlaid, and the curtains were made of ten-thousand-year-old jade beads strung together, swaying gently, solemn and luxurious.
The celestial bird let out a long, high-pitched cry and slowly descended to the ground.
After Hua Xun and the other fairies came down, the birds flew up into the sky. In an instant, hundreds of birds appeared in the empty fairy mist, following behind the birds and singing in unison.
Standing quietly beside the bridal sedan chair, Baili Sheng stared at the woman in her wedding dress, his expression blank for a few moments. He unconsciously softened his breathing and for a moment forgot what to do.
For the first time, I felt a sense of trepidation.
It wasn't until Shang Qu called out softly that Baili Sheng came to her senses and strode towards Hua Xun.
Through the swaying beaded curtain, he could clearly see her downcast eyes.
So beautiful.
Within his reach.
Soon, he will be able to embrace this beauty.
Baili Sheng extended his hand to her, standing between the solemn immortal soldiers and demon guards, his voice low and gentle: "It's time to go back."
"Go back to our home."
Hua Xun gazed at him for a long time before slowly extending her hand to gently place it in his palm.
But in the next instant, a divine bird, its feathers blotting out the sky, flew in and let out a long cry that easily drowned out the calls of all the other birds, which scattered and flew away in an instant.
In this serene and peaceful fairyland, the clouds and mist appear as if they have been dyed black with ink. The eternally tranquil fairyland is shrouded in swirling dark clouds, and golden lightning flashes like dragons weaving through the clouds and mist.
"Ah Xun," a gentle divine voice echoed through the clouds, its reverberation like an angry interrogation, yet also like a sorrowful sigh, "Do you dare to marry him?"
Everyone present was immediately shocked and looked up.
Countless golden rays emerged like stars, gathering above the clouds in the sky, and slowly condensing into a pure white divine form.
The high and mighty god, expressionless, looked down at the hundreds of thousands of immortals and demons below. The protective divine light around him was like a clear mist, carrying a divine power that silenced all things.
In an instant, all was silent.
Someone suddenly shouted "Divine Lord!" like a pebble thrown into a still, immortal pool, creating ripples.
The three deities above the immortals were the first to react, bowing and saying, "Divine Lord."
Only Immortal Venerable Changhao glanced worriedly at the woman beside the bridal sedan chair in the distance, and sighed softly in his heart.
Tens of thousands of immortals, who were on high alert, prayed in unison.
There was some commotion among the demon soldiers, but no one dared to make a sound.
Hua Xun stood quietly in place, her hand still frozen in mid-air.
She never expected that something would happen, that the true form of the God-King would appear here.
Hua Xun's hand suddenly tightened, and she came back to her senses.
Baili Sheng firmly grasped her hand, a smile playing on his lips: "A-Xun, today is our happy occasion, there's no need to worry about irrelevant people."
He took her hand and walked straight towards the bridal sedan chair.
But as they approached the bridal sedan chair, a deity from afar suddenly appeared before it, blocking their path.
The divine lord Jiuqing's gaze fell on the girl dressed in a bright red wedding gown. His gaze, which had been as vast as the sea for ten thousand years, suddenly became fixed and deep.
This is the second time I've seen her in her wedding dress.
The first time, I tried on this garment in order to save him.
The second time, however, was to marry Baili Sheng.
The god felt an unprecedented, clear pain in his heart, a pain a million times greater than the karmic force tearing at his body as the earth shattered.
He couldn't quite tell, so he smiled gently, ignoring the two holding hands in front of him and the wedding dress she was wearing, and stretched out his jade-like hand: "A-Xun, I've come to take you back to White Mist Cliff."
Hua Xun looked at the hand in front of her, and she could clearly feel her soul trembling slightly.
But……
Hua Xun's expression remained calm, even wooden.
She looked up at the deity, but did not move.
Baili Sheng, who was beside her, suddenly tightened his grip on her hand, as if afraid that she would suddenly disappear.
Hua Xun's thoughts returned, and she forced a smile: "My Lord, I'm getting married. Did you come to see me off?"
The divine light that had been calmly swirling around the deity suddenly stopped flowing.
Baili Sheng also looked at her, and the moment he heard her choose him, he felt a surge of excitement that brought tears to his eyes.
The deity remained smiling and silent.
After a long while, he spoke, his voice clear as a spring, slightly hoarse: "Ah Xun, I will not allow it."
His gentle tone made it sound as if he were describing something ordinary.
Hua Xun said softly, "...I did it willingly."
The deity had returned to normal: "Hmm," his voice was as melodious as ever, "I do not allow it."
Hua Xun was stunned.
Baili Sheng suddenly stepped forward and shielded her behind him: "As a god, does Lord Changsang know that you cannot interfere with destiny?"
The deity nodded: "I understand."
Baili Sheng sneered: "If that's the case, then if Lord Changsang has come to offer his congratulations, he may observe the ceremony from the sidelines. If it's for any other reason, then he is not welcome."
The deity smiled and calmly said, "I know, but I am unwilling to follow it today."
Upon hearing this, the three Venerables who had just flown over were all startled, and their complex and obscure gazes fell on the little demon.
Finally, Immortal Venerable Zhixing spoke first: "Divine Lord, I know that you took in Miss Huaxun for some time and treated her like a junior, fearing that she might meet the wrong person. However, Miss Huaxun herself agreed to this matter. I hope you will reconsider."
The other two deities bowed their heads, and together with the tens of thousands of immortal soldiers behind them, they said in unison, "We hope that the Divine Lord will reconsider."
Thousands of voices intertwined, the celestial mist surged, creating a magnificent and awe-inspiring spectacle.
The Divine Lord turned his head, his vast gaze sweeping over the thousands of immortals, over the three Venerables, and asked with a smile, "Why do the three Venerables feel that I have not thought things through?"
Why do those who are protected by him and those who have deceived him not believe in their God?
Why not believe it? This is the result of his careful consideration.
The three were greatly alarmed.
Baili Sheng suddenly laughed: "So, it seems that Lord Changsang will not step aside today?"
The deity turned around, gazed at him for a moment, and quietly said, "Ji".
In an instant, the bridal sedan chair carved from ancient jade turned into blood-red dust, scattering like sand and disappearing without a trace.
This was an almost provocative move.
Baili Sheng's suppressed demonic energy surged forth instantly, and with a flick of his sleeve, the sharp demonic energy rushed towards Jiu Qing.
The deity stood still, raised his hand, and divine light blocked the demonic energy outside his body, then slowly dissolved it.
Baili Sheng narrowed his eyes and sneered. In an instant, the demonic energy around him increased tenfold. The surrounding immortal energy vanished upon contact with the demonic energy.
The deity remained as still as a jade mountain, standing silently at the gate of immortality, motionless, with only divine light blocking the spread of demonic energy.
The powerful demonic energy clashed with divine power, gold and black colliding, instantly creating a turbulent storm and forming a huge vortex of airflow that enveloped the entire immortal sect.
Hua Xun stood in the center of the vortex, gazing at the scene before him.
She didn't know how things had come to this, just as she couldn't fathom why the God had appeared.
Her plan was clearly...
plan!
Hua Xun suddenly turned his head and looked at Immortal Venerable Changhao.
The three deities were working hard to form a barrier to protect the tens of thousands of immortal soldiers behind them.
Immortal Venerable Changhao noticed her gaze, looked at her, and had a solemn expression.
Hua Xun clenched his fist, glanced at Shenjun and Baili Sheng, and after a long while, a clear, dark blue ball of light condensed in his palm. After a moment of silence, he slammed it into his heart without hesitation.
In an instant, boundless dizziness surged from her sea of consciousness. The moment her soul left her body, Hua Xun heard a faint "Ah Xun" in her clear voice, which unusually carried a hint of surprise and pain.
That was a sorrow belonging to the God-King that she had never heard before.
"Hua Xun!" A hoarse voice, filled with uncontrollable rage, followed immediately.
The powerful demonic energy and divine power vanished in an instant.
The girl's body, which was slowly falling to the ground, was caught by completely different forces at the same time, but when they touched her, her pretty face slowly turned pale.
A wisp of bamboo-green divine light rose from the girl's body and scattered in the air.
The girl's warm body gradually transformed into its original form—a withered branch of a sacred tree, which fell into the clouds.
Both the God and Baili Sheng remained frozen in place.
The ancient deity, with an innate demonic body, only now realized that it was merely an illusion.
Baili Sheng stared intently at the Jianmu tree branches on the ground.
Just when he was closest to happiness, as if he could reach out and touch it, someone cruelly shattered all pretense, stripped him of his treasure, and threw him into boundless darkness.
The crimson demonic energy surged wildly, scattering the hair ornament he had carefully chosen to match hers that day, his black hair falling loose, and his eyes turning crimson.
"You let her go." Baili Sheng took to the air and looked down at the three figures and the immortal soldiers behind them in the distance.
"The grudge of ten years ago is the debt of today," he said indifferently, his voice chillingly cold. "I want your lives."
The demonic soldiers behind them also surged with demonic energy, and the immortal mist was stained black.
The celestial soldiers stood ready, leaping into the air to form a magic array.
A major battle is imminent.
At the critical moment, Immortal Venerable Changhao stepped forward with difficulty, braving the surging demonic energy: "Before Miss Hua Xun left, she left a letter for the Demon Lord."
The demonic energy stagnated slightly, and Baili Sheng stared blankly at the letter in the little fairy's hand.
Even from a great distance, he could tell at a glance that the letter was written on human paper, and even the handwriting on the letter was extremely similar to his own.
—He once taught her the characters stroke by stroke, all by himself.
The letter was lifted up by magic. Baili Sheng opened the letter, but was stunned when he saw the contents.
The handwriting, so similar to his, clearly showed several lines of small characters:
You lied to me once, and I'll lie to you today. Old favors and new debts are settled from now on.
If our two races go to war because of me, I will be the first person you kill.
Baili Sheng's hand holding the letter gradually tightened, and then began to tremble slightly.
So... so, she never really thought about marrying him.
His desire to return to the past was a pipe dream from the very beginning.
The happiness he desired never existed.
It was all for naught.
My chest feels empty and blank.
But at this moment, the demon, born from chaos and betrayal, wondered for the first time if Hua Xun felt the same way back then.
Filled with anticipation and worry, she went alone to the Demon Realm to find him, only to be met with the pain of him nearly killing her, his contempt for her, and the consequence of even planting the Spirit Rhinoceros Gu in her body.
What was she thinking when she left the Demon Clan?
When she was on the verge of death, was she ever afraid?
Did she ever cry? Just like when she secretly teared up when she saw his injuries in Dahe Village.
He tried his best to think about those trivial matters.
The more he pondered, the more despair enveloped him.
Hua Xun seems... to really not be turning back.
He was like a caged beast, completely lost and unaware of any way out.
His confusion gradually found an outlet when he finally saw the celestial soldiers in the distance.
Kill them.
It was their incompetence that prevented them from keeping Hua Xun.
Kill them...
However, all murderous intent ceased abruptly upon seeing the letter.
Now, she is still waiting for him to find her in some corner of the Three Realms.
But if war breaks out, if she disappears...
In that instant, Baili Sheng felt as if he had become a dog, her "threat" acting as chains, binding him tightly to the spot.
The word "kill" came to the edge of his lips several times, but he swallowed it back down.
In the end, only deathly silence remained.
Not far away, Immortal Venerable Changhao watched as Baili Sheng's intense killing intent gradually subsided, and breathed a long sigh of relief.
Looks like the gamble paid off.
Immortal Venerable Changhao couldn't help but recall his conversation with Hua Xun six days ago.
That pretty young girl had an unusually resolute and intelligent expression.
She said, "Although I have agreed to the marriage, I will not sacrifice my own happiness for the sake of the Three Realms. Once I am in the bridal sedan chair, I will seize the opportunity to leave."
“If Baili Sheng gets angry, give him this letter. If he cares about my life or death, he will not make a move. If he doesn’t care about my life or death, then this marriage is nothing but a piece of paper.”
How much of her affection for the gambling devil was genuine?
After an unknown amount of time, Immortal Venerable Changhao saw Baili Sheng slowly turn around and walk towards the gate, his back view lonely and dejected.
The surging demonic energy above the demonic soldiers gradually subsided, and a great battle vanished without a trace.
Immortal Venerable Changhao exchanged a glance with the other two Venerables, and finally mustered up his courage to walk toward the Divine Lord who stood before the withered branches of the Jianmu tree.
Before he could speak, a divine voice rang out, like the whisper of an ancient god, carrying supreme divine power that made one's heart tremble: "Luo He."
The divine decree is clear, and once it enters the ear, it binds the listener; those who hear it must obey.
A moment later, a wisp of Lord Luohe's avatar appeared in the clouds and bowed respectfully, saying, "Lord Luohe."
The deity remained expressionless, staring at her indifferently: "Where is A-Xun?"
Luo He lowered her eyes: "I don't know."
The deity remained silent, observing her as if she were a part of the universe.
Luo He sighed inwardly and said quietly, "Once the Aurora Hairpin is worn, it will disappear without a trace."
Even the ancient gods cannot be found in the short term.
The deity calmly said, "It was you who helped her."
“It’s me,” Luo He nodded, then added, “but leaving is what she wanted.”
The protective divine light instantly froze, like a stagnant pool of water. The divine lord stood there for a long time, and the holiness around him gradually disappeared, turning into a deep-seated loneliness.
She wanted to leave.
Not a single word was left behind.
They even kept their marriage a secret.
The deity walked forward, his figure gradually turning into nothingness, and in the blink of an eye, he appeared on the White Mist Cliff, pausing slightly.
His gaze swept over the peach blossoms covering the cliff, the swaying flowerbeds, and the hanging lanterns.
The desolate and white divine realm has, without anyone knowing when, become vibrant and colorful.
A girl who loves flowers left her colors here, and then turned and left.
His mind was filled with prayers, and past scenes flashed by like a revolving lantern, each one featuring her.
She knelt devoutly before the statue of a deity, yet said, "The statue is not as beautiful as you."
She in her wedding dress;
She couldn't hide the emotions in her eyes and would secretly get jealous of the parrot;
She was always afraid that he would be lonely staying alone at White Mist Cliff;
She would send him a flower wreath;
Curious, she sat on the lotus platform, but frankly admitted that the lotus platform was not as comfortable as a bed;
She wanted to steal a kiss from him...
Endless.
Beneath the peach tree, on the jade table, the mirror that had been covered in petals had long been wiped clean, but she ultimately could not hear the end of that story.
Even though thoughts of it were already swirling in my mind, I still told myself to "sweep them away."
They banished her to the isolated and helpless immortal realm, leaving her to wander the world like duckweed.
That's why they left without hesitation.
The deity walked quietly to the temple, sat high on the lotus platform, and looked down at everything outside through the celestial curtain.
It's so quiet.
The deity sighed softly, and in the instant his gaze fell, a tear slid down from his left eye, tracing a path across his jade-white face, condensing into a transparent tear crystal, which slowly floated up and hovered above the temple.
The next moment, the divine realm was plunged into eternal night.
Only the golden divine consciousness pierced through the celestial veil and spread throughout the Three Realms, instantly causing the chaotic thoughts of mortals to resound throughout their sea of consciousness.
“Ah Xun”.
In that instant, the same whispered call rang in the ears of all beings.
*
At the border between the immortal and demon races, the spiritual energy above is pure and refined, while below, the turbid energy runs rampant.
A girl dressed in a jade-green dress lay quietly in a paper crane flying boat, swaying as it passed through the area where the spiritual and turbid energies met.
Hua Xun suddenly opened her eyes when the airship was violently struck by the whirlpool.
After looking around, she suddenly remembered something, raised her hand and squeezed her forearm hard.
It is her physical body.
Hua Xun smiled easily, but the next moment, an invisible force silently invaded her sea of consciousness, followed by a murmur like a sigh: "A-Xun".
Hua Xun was stunned, feeling her consciousness being pulled by that force, as if it were about to be probed.
The aurora hairpin in her hair moved slightly, isolating the force and calming her mind.
Hua Xun snapped out of her daze, hugged her knees, and stared blankly at the scenery in front of her.
White Mist Cliff will always be the most beautiful pure land in her heart, but...
The Wu tribe has an excellent memory, so she remembers with perfect clarity the immense fear she felt when Baili Sheng planted the Lingxi Gu in her.
She also remembered the day she left White Mist Cliff, when she was led by Immortal Venerable Changhao and slunk into Flowing Cloud Immortal Palace, feeling utterly lost and helpless.
So she decided to be that free little bird again, just like she had been for the past hundred years, and build her own nest.
Hua Xun took out a peach blossom pastry from her purse, took a bite, and the sweet and crisp taste filled her mouth.
She smiled contentedly and channeled a wisp of magic into the flying boat.
The paper crane flying boat swiftly traversed the mixed spiritual and turbid area, gradually stabilizing as it sailed into the distance.
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Author's note: A classic two-against-one situation.
Ah Xun: Being chosen and selected all the time is pointless, might as well just go and be free~
P.S.: A small red envelope will be given away for comments within 24 hours of this chapter.
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