Before the protective barrier of the Dreamweaving Divine Kingdom¹, the figure of Shen Wuyi slowly descended. Her moon-like eyes rippled as she gazed at the singular palaces and the divine light reflecting off the firmament, sensing the vast and boundless ethereal soul-breath unique to Dreamweaving.

Though both were Divine Kingdoms, this world was not dark in the slightest. Instead, it was bright enough to be nearly blinding. The atmosphere here lacked any suffocating oppression; rather, it soothed the heart and soul, making one feel as if they could simply close their eyes and drift into a deep slumber.

"As a God-Inheritor of a Divine Kingdom, one should be personally led by their God-Sovereign to travel through the various nations and behold the full scope of the Abyssal world."

The voice of Shen Wu Mingque sounded in her ear, carrying a deep sense of melancholy and regret. "And yet, this is your first time setting foot in the territory of another Divine Kingdom..."

To become a God-Inheritor of any other Divine Kingdom was a supreme honor, but to become the Goddess of the current Eternal Night Divine Kingdom² was no different from being pinned down by a cruel and malicious curse... How unjust, how pitiable.

Shen Wuyi shook her head gently, a faint, comforting smile still lingering on her lips. She stepped forward proactively, meeting the visibly dazed gazes of the barrier guards, and spoke coldly, "Please inform the Abyss Godchild³ that Shen Wuyi of Eternal Night requests an audience."

When he received the news, Meng Jianxi was in the Godchild’s Palace. He let out a surprised murmur, "Not only did she agree, but she arrived so quickly..."

He looked at Yun Che, his expression suddenly turning grave. "Brother Yuan, this undoubtedly proves that the Coiling Dragon Seven Profound Crystal⁴ is by no means an ordinary variant Abyssal Crystal. The power it hides is likely far greater than we anticipated. As such... we absolutely should not yield it to the Eternal Night Divine Kingdom."

What Meng Jianxi said was undoubtedly the most rational and correct judgment.

Yun Che assumed a thoughtful expression, then smiled and said, "Whether an object is precious or not depends on whose hands it is in. Just like the water in a pond—to a swimming fish, it is the dew of life; to a sand worm, it is foul venom. My Dreamweaving focuses on the divine soul, while Eternal Night focuses on profound seals. This Coiling Dragon Seven Profound Crystal might become a 'Heaven-Treading Crystal' in Eternal Night, but in my Dreamweaving, perhaps this exchange is the greatest utility it can offer."

Though he still felt it wiser to keep the crystal, Meng Jianxi did not argue. Instead, he nodded slightly. "Reasonable. Since Brother Yuan has made his decision, I will say no more."

He stepped forward, carefully took out the Coiling Dragon Seven Profound Crystal, and placed it before Yun Che. "I return this crystal to you in its entirety. As for the Eternal Night Goddess, how do you intend to see her?"

Yun Che narrowed his eyes, a faint smile hiding an unfathomable malice. "Right here. Oh, and invite her companion as well, lest people say my Dreamweaving uses its host status to bully others."

After giving these seemingly casual instructions, Yun Che turned his back, appearing leisurely and relaxed, not allowing a single ripple of his inner turmoil to show.

The Eternal Night Goddess’s personal visit—her first-ever arrival—was impossible to keep secret. However, because it concerned Meng Jianyuan, no one interfered or questioned it. From Meng Kongchan down to the various Dream Halls, there was no movement at all, as if everyone were feigning ignorance.

The brief wait felt exceptionally long.

Until a certain moment, it seemed as if a ray of radiant light had reflected into the Godchild’s Palace, washing over the halls and reaching deep into the sea of Yun Che’s heart.

Shen Wuyi stepped inside slowly. In an instant, the dust of the world seemed to settle into silence, and the myriad auras of the surroundings seemed to hold their breath.

She was dressed in black with plain sleeves, untainted by a speck of dust. Her posture was as pure and exquisite as cold jade beneath the moon. A faint layer of frost and snow covered her brow, carrying a detached, otherworldly elegance. Her beautiful eyes were deep and icy; with every glance, they held a natural, awe-inspiring divinity—noble and aloof. She was exactly like the bright moon in his memory, yet also like a cold star born alone in the long night.

Yun Che gazed at her silently. In this moment, all the light in the world lost its luster.

Not far away, Shangguan Helu, Liu Zhanyi, and Meng Zhiyuan—who had been full of excitement and curiosity—were now completely dazed and lost in soul.

They had only heard occasional rumors of the Eternal Night Goddess but had never truly laid eyes on her. They never even knew that a face so stunning and a temperament so pure and lofty could exist in this world.

She was like a solitary star or a cold moon that had wandered into the mortal realm from the Eternal Night Abyss—breathtakingly beautiful yet piercingly cold, making one dare not look directly at her, eventually resulting in a sense of self-deprecation.

Their gazes met from a distance, separated by and mingled with emotions that others could never possibly perceive. Yun Che’s lips twitched as he slowly smiled. "Who in the Abyssal world does not know that the Eternal Night Divine Kingdom hides its jade in the night, unwilling to let even the sunlight touch it? To have your presence grace my humble palace today truly brings light to my dwelling. I am overwhelmed by the honor."

Facing these undisguised words of sarcasm, Shen Wuyi’s expression remained unruffled. To others, she had clearly come fully prepared to endure humiliation. She met Yun Che’s gaze and spoke softly, "Wuyi has come as invited. I now stand before the Abyss Godchild; I ask that the Abyss Godchild keep his promise."

Her voice was gentle and elegant, yet it sounded like the clinking of shattered jade and ice. It lacked the frozen soul-piercing chill from the time at the summit of the clouds in the Pure Land, but it did not diminish her awe-inspiring divine posture in the slightest. Even though she was in a position of weakness, she made the people of Dreamweaving dare not harbor even a hint of contempt or profanity in their eyes.

"Oh?" Yun Che’s lips curled slightly as he said unhurriedly, "How is it that I remember the price I demanded was not merely for you to show up?"

As he spoke, he raised his hand. Profound light flickered, and a dragon-shaped crystal, two feet long and embedded with seven apertures, appeared before him. An eerie, ghostly light reflected off his ill-intentioned face. "This is the object your Eternal Night craves. I believe it’s called... the Coiling Dragon Seven Profound Crystal? As for how you will make me willing to part with it, that depends on the sincerity of the Eternal Night Goddess."

Standing behind Shen Wuyi, Shen Wu Mingque’s fingertips trembled slightly for several moments.

If they were not currently within the Dreamweaving Divine Kingdom, she would have disregarded all face and moved to seize it by force. Even here and now, several impulsive thoughts flashed through her mind... not for herself, nor for the Wuming God-Sovereign, but because she absolutely did not want to see Shen Wuyi humiliated, even if Wuyi herself were willing.

Facing the Coiling Dragon Seven Profound Crystal, Shen Wuyi’s brows knit slightly, her gaze remaining clear and indifferent. "Since I have come, I will naturally do as the Abyss Godchild wishes. Regarding the matter of the God-Sleep Forbidden Domain, I was at fault first. It is only reasonable for the Abyss Godchild to seek redress. Even if you return my strike threefold, I will have no complaints."

"But..." Her voice suddenly turned cold, like frost-covered needles piercing the heart. "I also have words to say beforehand."

"Oh? Let’s hear them," Yun Che said with an air of great interest.

"As the Eternal Night Goddess, my honor and disgrace are tied to the entire Eternal Night Divine Kingdom. I can retreat, I can be injured, and I can be insulted, but I must never be insulted beyond the boundary! And where that boundary lies, the Abyss Godchild should be well aware."

As she spoke, a faint, lonely, and cold rhythm seemed to surround her, untainted by joy or anger, sorrow or happiness.

"And what else?" Yun Che continued to look at her with composure.

Shen Wuyi continued, "My arrival today is in response to the Abyss Godchild alone."

A short sentence, but the meaning was clear... She could apologize and endure humiliation, but only before Yun Che alone.

To anyone watching, this was indeed the best way to preserve the dignity of the Eternal Night Goddess and the entire kingdom to the greatest extent possible under these circumstances.

Yun Che narrowed his eyes, then nodded generously. "Fine. Since the Eternal Night Goddess has personally requested it, if I were to heartlessly refuse, wouldn't that be a lack of grace and a total mood-killer?"

He closed his palm, and the Coiling Dragon Seven Profound Crystal disappeared into his fingers. The smile at the corners of his lips became increasingly dangerous. "Then, I am very much looking forward to how the Eternal Night Goddess will make me willing to hand over this crystal..."

He raised his hand and commanded, "Everyone, withdraw."

"Brother Yuan!" "Wuyi!"

Meng Jianxi and Shen Wu Mingque spoke simultaneously, both faces filled with worry.

In Meng Jianxi’s eyes, Yun Che was by no means a match for Shen Wuyi. If she were provoked or harbored ill intent, Yun Che would be in danger without others to protect him... after all, there was a precedent.

In Shen Wu Mingque’s eyes, this was Dreamweaving territory. If Yun Che harbored malicious designs and she wasn't by Wuyi's side, it would be equivalent to pushing Wuyi into an uncontrollable danger.

Yun Che did not react, his gaze fixed only on Shen Wuyi. Meng Jianxi’s forward step was retracted, and he said no more.

Shen Wuyi turned to face Shen Wu Mingque and whispered, "I know Auntie worries for me most, but there is truly no need. Setting aside his status which is tied to the honor of the Dreamweaving Divine Kingdom, a person willing to endure double the punishment of Abyssal Devourment for the woman he loves cannot be truly evil."

Yun Che: "..."

"Besides, I have never been a weakling."

Shen Wu Mingque slowly retracted the worry in her eyes and nodded. After a brief thought, Shen Wuyi added, "If I have not walked out after fifteen minutes, Auntie may force her way in."

"Very well," Shen Wu Mingque replied. With a fifteen-minute limit, she felt slightly more at ease.

Her figure shifted back as she retreated outside the Godchild’s Palace, and Meng Jianxi led the others away as well. As the palace doors closed, only the two of them remained in this space.

Taking a deep breath, Yun Che turned around and said flatly, "Since you want to avoid prying eyes so much, I have a perfectly secure place here. Follow me if you have the courage."

Yun Che walked all the way to his private cultivation space, waved away the barrier that no one could break, and stepped inside with his head held high.

Shen Wuyi said nothing more and followed closely behind. As the barrier closed, their auras completely vanished from everyone's perception.

In the empty, quiet world, only the sound of his own increasingly erratic heartbeat could be heard.

Yun Che stopped, turned to face Shen Wuyi, his gaze no longer mocking or playful, his voice no longer casual. "The barrier here was personally set by the Dreamless God-Sovereign; even he cannot enter without permission. You can rest easy."

As he spoke, his eyes watched her without blinking, as if he were once again joyfully and greedily confirming that the figure before him was the real her, not a fleeting dream.

At the same time, he did not forget to take out the Coiling Dragon Seven Profound Crystal and gently push it toward her.

Shen Wuyi looked at this so-called "Coiling Dragon Seven Profound Crystal." A very faint light reflected in the depths of her eyes, one that took a long time to fade...

If she were to forge a crystal that matched the "records" of a Coiling Dragon Seven Profound Crystal, it would be impossible to make it as perfect as the one before her—whether it was the dragon breath, the Abyssal light, or the overflowing Abyssal erosion aura.

This undoubtedly proved that Yun Che’s ability to manipulate Abyssal Dust far surpassed her own. If she didn't know the truth, perhaps even she wouldn't believe this was a man-made crystal.

Putting the crystal away, Shen Wuyi spoke, "Your abilities are indeed far beyond my expectations. To think that from just a moment of remote lip-reading, you could fully comprehend and perfectly simulate it in just two months. Should I offer a word of praise... as expected of the Emperor of the Eternal Pure Land⁵?"

A smile bloomed on Yun Che’s face, his voice as warm as mist. "A more fitting praise would be... as expected of your husband."

Shen Wuyi’s eyes slanted slightly. "Is charming speech also a type of imperial art? Is that how the Goddess of Heaven-Breaking fell for your tricks?"

Yun Che instinctively wanted to deny it, but then he shook his head and laughed, sighing with emotion, "If only it worked on you."

Shen Wuyi gave a faint scoff, too lazy to respond. Her voice turned slightly cold and heavy. "Besides your silver tongue, you are indeed clever enough. Using the crystal as bait and forcing me to come personally under the guise of settling an old grudge was indeed the choice with the fewest variables."

"Between husband and wife, there should naturally be a telepathic connection." Yun Che maintained the same expression and the same faint smile. The step Shen Wuyi had taken toward him was far too precious; the step he took in return could not afford a single flaw.

"You have fifteen minutes to say what you want to say."

Yun Che’s warm gaze and intimate words did not stir a single ripple in her. She maintained a distance of ten paces from him. In the same space, though they were inches apart and were once husband and wife, they seemed separated by a misty galaxy, ethereal and unreachable.

Yun Che reined in his chaotic thoughts and spoke softly, "The response you gave me when I left the Pure Land... it means you believed my words, right?"

Her arrival was already the answer, but he still wanted to hear her admit it personally.

Shen Wuyi said slowly, "Blue Wind, Floating Cloud, Xiao Che, Xia Qingyue... I saw that marriage certificate, as well as our fingerprints."

"So, are you Xiao Che, or Yun Che?"

Yun Che’s vision suddenly became blurred.

This was an answer he hadn't expected... or rather, an answer he hadn't dared to hope for. It was thousands of times more beautiful than the most resolute response he had imagined.

"It... actually still exists... it's actually... intact..."

He murmured, his eyes slightly losing focus due to the moisture. Shen Wuyi wanted to say that the marriage certificate was not exactly intact, but catching sight of his current expression, she somehow couldn't bring herself to say it.

"Phew..."

Yun Che let out a long breath. When he looked back, his eyes were clear. "So, you are willing to fight by my side? Even if the path ahead is destined to be a narrow escape from death?"

"A narrow escape?" She seemed to let out a faint, mocking laugh. "Then you think too highly of the two of us. Having set foot in the Pure Land, you should know what kind of existence the Abyssal Monarch is. In a mere forty-odd years, two rootless pieces of duckweed like us—forget overturning the entire Abyss—even contending with the Abyssal Monarch alone is nothing but a pipe dream."

Yun Che smiled, more heartened than before. "But you still decided to stand with me..."

Though every word she spoke was mocking and sharp, she didn't say "you," she said "the two of us."

Shen Wuyi looked away toward the empty space, her voice becoming exceptionally slow and deep. "Though I believed your words, it is merely belief. Because the current me is not Xia Qingyue after all, but Shen Wuyi."

"This 'belief' absolutely does not mean I will be your submissive follower. On the contrary, I, Shen Wuyi, have considered myself a rational and cold-blooded person since my memories began. And a person like me would never mindlessly choose a path that leads to certain death."

"But..."

Her eyelashes lowered as she slowly closed her eyes. "After stepping out of the God-Sleep Forbidden Domain, I slept for a long time. Yet in my dreams, there was not a moment of peace. There were always countless voices pricking me, urging me to make a choice."

"Perhaps it is the instinct of my deep subconscious, or perhaps it is my buried past..."

Yun Che: "..."

"And in the God-Sleep Forbidden Domain, you said one sentence that deeply touched me."

She slowly extended her right hand. Her five fingers were as translucent as carved ice, and a faint flow of light circled her wrist. Every inch of her skin seemed to carry a heaven-sent divine rhythm, yet she could never sense a hint of warmth or affinity from this world.

"My body, my soul, my everything... they are all silently rejecting this world."

"A long time ago, I suspected... until I became certain that I am absolutely not a person of this world."

Her jade fingers curled into a fist, and her gaze returned to the man who had suddenly barged into her life. "So, this time, I choose to believe the intuition of my body and soul... even if the path ahead is a hopeless dead end."

"It is not a dead end, absolutely not." Yun Che’s eyes seemed to hold ten thousand stars, and his voice carried a confidence and determination he had never felt since entering the Abyss. "When I was alone, I never thought of failure. Now that I have you by my side, with us as husband and wife together, there is no possibility of failure."

"Furthermore," Yun Che’s voice gradually grew fervent, "to be able to see you again after you fell into the Abyss, to see you appear in my life again safe and sound, I know that in this world, there are endless hopes and possibilities, but never a true dead end."

"So..." Shen Wuyi said suddenly, "How exactly did I fall into this world?"

Without evading or hiding, Yun Che looked directly at her, his words blunt. "You fought me to the death, were heavily injured and defeated, and were forced into a desperate situation. Unwilling to die at my hands, you chose... to jump into the Abyss."

"...!?" Shen Wuyi’s brows furrowed deeply, and she remained speechless for a long time.

Yun Che continued to look into her eyes, letting her see his flawless sincerity and endless guilt. "The grievances and causes behind this—forget fifteen minutes, even a day and a night would not be enough to explain them all. But please at least believe that I never—"

"Wait!"

Shen Wuyi suddenly spoke to interrupt him. Her brows were tightly knit, a strange light rippling in her eyes. For the first time, the gaze she cast toward Yun Che carried a sharp, heart-piercing doubt:

"You are saying that when I fell into the Abyss back then, I was already heavily injured and on the verge of death?"

In an instant, Yun Che knew what she was questioning.

He spoke frankly, "Yes. At that time, you couldn't even stand. The strength you used to throw yourself into the Abyss was almost your last."

"Then that is truly strange." Shen Wuyi’s moon-like eyes turned several degrees colder. "In the records of the Abyss, there are many who fell from the Eternal Pure Land. Most of them perished in body and soul during the fall. Those who could fall into this world alive are few and far between in the entire history of the Abyss."

"And these survivors were all at the tenth level of the Divine Master Realm. That is the limit of cultivation reachable by practitioners of the Eternal Pure Land, and undoubtedly the peak existence of that world."

"And even at that strength, they only had a slight chance of surviving the fall. Furthermore, those who barely survived in the records were all covered in wounds, their internal organs shattered, their breath as thin as silk. In the descriptions they left behind, they encountered incredibly terrifying and incredibly long spatial turbulence during the fall—inescapable and unavoidable. To survive with their cultivation was a miracle of heaven."

"And when I woke up, my cultivation was also at the tenth level of the Divine Master Realm."

She paused, her tone becoming subtle. "So, what you mean is... in a state of being heavily injured and on the verge of death, I, with a Divine Master's cultivation, actually passed through that terrifying and long spatial turbulence safely and fell from the Eternal Pure Land into this Abyssal world alive?"

"Even that marriage certificate—so fragile it would crumble with a touch—remained perfectly intact?"