I hate that you are not like the moon over the river tower

Silence filled the hall, save for the faint, crackling sound of luminous candles burning in their golden palace lamps.

Mu Hanyuan tilted his head slightly, the candlelight sketching his features into something resembling cold jade. “I do not understand what Master is saying.”

“From the moment you began lighting candles throughout the hall, I should have suspected…”

Yun Yao gazed up into those eyes that seemed veiled by a green mist—desolate, dark, and impenetrable to light. Her heart felt heavy and bitter.

“What about now? Why is it that after returning to the palace, you no longer light them?”

The fingers she used to grip his sleeve trembled uncontrollably.

Mu Hanyuan finally yielded. He gave a low sigh and raised his hand to gently cover her trembling one, gripping it reassuringly.

“At that time… I simply wanted to see you clearly.”

Back then, only amidst the flickering glow of a hundred candles could he use his fading five senses to barely distinguish her graceful, blurred silhouette.

He always wanted to be near, to see clearly, to etch her image into the deepest part of his soul so that even if he turned to ash, it would never dissipate.

“And now,” Mu Hanyuan raised his hand, lightly brushing her hair, “I will never forget again.”

Yun Yao’s heart shuddered. “You’re lying to me.”

She grabbed his wrist, her eyes rimmed with red as she stared fixedly into his. “You are… completely blind now, aren’t you?”

Mu Hanyuan eventually closed his eyes.

To him, there had long been no difference.

Sight, touch, smell, hearing, taste…

He had already forgotten when the last sense had been stripped away; he remembered only the colors of light, the sting of pain, the scents, and the sounds.

They had left him one by one, like abandoning him in a dead world of boundless darkness.

Before his eyes was a void of pitch black. Within that darkness, there was only a single pale-gold chain hanging from his wrist, tied to the golden silhouette in front of him.

That was Yun Yao’s figure.

It was also the sole perception, existence, and connection within Mu Hanyuan’s desolate, dead land where the five senses had vanished.

“Is it the Soul Pact?” Yun Yao finally realized, her voice raspy as she asked. “You said it could transmit the five senses and six consciousnesses, communicating our thoughts… so that is how you can hear what I say?”

Mu Hanyuan curled his lips slightly, speaking warmly: “As expected of the Saint Origin, you guessed it so easily.”

Yun Yao’s heart ached too much to care about his lighthearted tone. She gripped his hand even tighter, as if afraid he would vanish if she blinked.

“Why is it like this? Was it caused by the uncontrolled power of the End? Or did you suffer this backlash because you forcibly tried to restrain its spread in the Immortal Court? Can… can it be cured? Your senses…”

This was likely the first time Mu Hanyuan had seen Yun Yao so utterly panicked before him.

In particular, her voice, which was straining to suppress a sob, seemed to travel through that pale-gold Soul Pact. Every drop of her emotion flowed into him, soaking his sense-deprived body like a warm spring, melting his heart into something soft and muddy.

“Master.”

Mu Hanyuan’s voice turned hoarse without him realizing it.

He leaned forward slightly, pulling her into his embrace.

“It doesn’t matter… it will get better. It is only temporary. Besides, I still have my six consciousnesses. As long as I am connected to the surrounding energy, they can serve as a substitute for my senses.”

Yun Yao looked up uncertainly. “You won’t lie to me again, will you? If you dare, then I—”

She raised her wrist in a threatening gesture, but remembering that Mu Hanyuan was currently blind and deaf, relying only on the Soul Pact between their souls, she couldn’t bring herself to be harsh.

Her descending wrist was caught halfway by Mu Hanyuan.

The man laughed, his thumb brushing against her inner wrist. “Master shouldn’t hold a grudge. Didn’t you lie to me as well?”

“When did I ever lie to you?”

Yun Yao instinctively retorted, but as she noticed where his thumb was brushing her wrist, she suddenly remembered—

The Qianyuan Realm, the peak of the Immortal Domain.

In front of all the immortal sects, before she had stabbed Mu Hanyuan with that sword, she had hidden the life-substitution technique of the Cicada Ancestor from everyone.

Except…

Yun Yao tried to pull her hand back. “When did you find out?”

“Feng Qinglian.”

“Hmph!” Yun Yao grumbled with slight annoyance, “I knew that multicolored bird was the most unreliable.”

Mu Hanyuan looked down and smiled. “Even if he hadn’t said anything, I merely wouldn’t have known what method you used, but I would have known you must have done something for me.”

Without waiting for her to question further, he leaned down and kissed her forehead.

“Because in this world, no one knows Master better than I.”

Yun Yao’s cheeks felt warm. “Don’t think that just because you are weak right now, I’ll let you talk nonsense.”

“It is not nonsense. For instance, I also know that if you and I were to die together for the sake of the three realms tomorrow, your greatest regret would surely be failing to save me.”

“How did you gue—”

The words nearly tumbled out of Yun Yao’s mouth, but as she was never good at—nor could she withstand—sentimental moments, she barely managed to swallow the rest.

However, Mu Hanyuan was different from her. He was indifferent to the seven emotions and six desires, but for her alone, if there was a shred of feeling in his heart, he made sure she knew it.

The present was bitter and short.

If he did not speak now, then in the future, when he descended to the Netherworld, even a mountain of regret would have no one to listen.

“Because I think the same.”

Mu Hanyuan sighed, his grip around Yun Yao slowly tightening.

“…I am willing to die for the common people of the three realms, but I only pray that Master’s immortal bones remain untouched by the cold and heat, and that you stay in this world forever.”

Yun Yao lowered her eyes silently, her eyelashes trembling.

But she still forced a smile.

“Okay.”

Yun Yao looked up at him, her voice light and slightly wavering.

“Then tell me, how much longer can you restrain the power of the End in the Immortal Court?”

Mu Hanyuan asked, “As long as Master wants, I will…”

His remaining words were cut off by her raised hand.

Yun Yao closed her eyes as her lashes quivered.

“You have already been backlashed by it to the point of losing your senses. I know that for every extra day you endure, you suffer another day of damage and erosion until you are spent… I shouldn’t have asked.”

She took a step back, meeting his eyes that had long been unable to see. Yun Yao gripped Mu Hanyuan’s fingers tightly.

“Mu Hanyuan, help me return to my position.”

“I will pull you out of there… Do not let it torture you any longer.”

Even…

Even if the day you are liberated is also the day of our final end.

In the endless darkness, Mu Hanyuan gently held the hand of that sole golden silhouette and answered in a low voice.

“Alright.”

The power of the End, carrying an irresistible decay, spread through the Immortal Court, growing stronger day by day.

Eventually, even the Imperial Decree Divine Mountain was surrounded by a surging sea of ink, leaving only the single glow of sunlight within the main hall of the Imperial Decree Divine Palace.

Like a candle in the wind, it was on the verge of being extinguished.

“Saint Lord, we truly cannot delay any longer!”

Inside the Imperial Decree Divine Palace, atop the main hall.

The immortal lords and maids who had not yet been tainted by the power of the End gathered here, frantically discussing the heaven-swallowing power of the End outside the palace.

Among them, an immortal lord under the Hundred Flowers Divine Lord stepped forward first, bowing deeply toward the holy throne atop the nine steps.

“If we do not combine the strength of all immortals to activate the Universe Primordial Array, once the power of the End swallows this last piece of pure land, we will be beyond salvation!”

“Indeed, Saint Lord!”

Another immortal lord from the Water Palace stepped out, speaking solemnly: “Though our lives are not worth pitying, the three thousand star lamps of the Fate Palace are already struggling alone. We cannot allow the power of the End to spread any further—we beg the Saint Lord to open the array!”

“Saint Lord!”

“Please, Saint Lord, open the array!”

“Saint Lord Calamity…”

“ENOUGH!!”

A heavy sound erupted from atop the holy throne.

An arc of lightning instantly streaked across the sky, leaving the immortals in the hall trembling with fear.

“The Universe Primordial Array is the very foundation of the Immortal Court!”

Calamity’s voice was dark with fury as his gaze swept over the immortals below the steps.

“Once activated, it is a path of certain death with no return! Have you considered the consequences?!”

Whether it was Calamity’s roar or the thunderous wrath of heaven, the heated discussion in the hall settled into silence.

The immortals looked at each other in confusion.

Until, from a corner, a somewhat disdainful child’s voice emerged: “Saint Lord Calamity, your refusal to open the array… is it because once activated, it cannot be reversed? Or is it because…”

The immortals parted to form a path, their gazes falling toward the back.

The burly, bearded form of the Wheel of Reincarnation’s spirit appeared. Using a childish voice that was jarringly inconsistent with his appearance, he smirked and looked at the holy throne with a mocking gaze.

“Because you know best that besides the immortals supporting the array, there must be one person sitting at its core. And once the array starts, that person must sacrifice their own soul, allowing the Universe Primordial Array to drain their entire life force to resist the calamity of the Heavenly Dao!”

Atop the holy throne, Calamity’s face was as still as water.

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone forgot the spirit’s strange appearance and was struck with shock.

“Is what he says true?”

“Since he is the primary artifact under the Saint Origin, it should be true.”

“…”

“But now that it is a matter of life and death, if we delay further, the Immortal Court will not be preserved and the three realms will suffer. Saint Lord Calamity is being muddled.”

“Then what should be done?”

Amidst the clamor, the immortal lord from the Hundred Flowers Palace who had stepped out first took another step forward, looking coldly at Calamity on the throne.

“Before the Hundred Flowers Divine Lord descended for her tribulations, she taught us—as immortals, we must be at the forefront for the three realms! The Saint Lord has sat in a high position for a long time, looking after the Immortal Court; cherishing your life is enough. We shall lead the charge—I am willing to be the one to sit at the core of the array!”

As his voice fell.

The Divine Palace fell into a temporary silence.

All the immortals looked toward the holy throne, yet Calamity’s expression remained dark and brooding; he did not speak.

The immortal lord from the Hundred Flowers Palace frowned. “Does the Saint Lord believe I cannot handle this responsibility? Then let me be the first. If my soul is extinguished, are there any immortal friends willing to follow me?!”

“Yes! I am willing to be the second!”

An immortal lord from the Water Palace stepped out coldly.

“Then… I shall be the third…”

A timid immortal maid raised her slender arm. She seemed unaccustomed to social interaction and lowered her head to avoid everyone’s gaze.

“And me—”

Another person spoke, but before they could finish, they were cut off by that mocking, childish voice from before.

“Alright, we know you are brave and selfless, but unfortunately…”

The spirit of the Wheel of Reincarnation looked at the holy throne with a contemptuous smile.

“This Universe Primordial Array was left behind by the Primordial Father God—the father of the Three Saints. Aside from a Saint, no immortal can enter the core to preside over the array.”

The hall broke into a commotion. The gazes of the immortals gathered back onto the holy throne.

Only this time, compared to before, their looks were much sharper and heavier.

The Saint Origin had not yet returned to her position.

Saint Transcendence had descended to the lower realm for a hundred lifetimes of tribulations, his return date unknown.

In the immortal realm, only this one Saint Lord remained.

Calamity finally had to speak. He looked down expressionlessly at the spirit of the Wheel of Reincarnation.

“A heartless, spiritless object of wood and stone dares to spread rumors in the Immortal Court. It is true that only a Saint can preside over the core of the Universe Primordial Array, but even if it is opened, will it be enough to cleanse the entire Immortal Court of the power of the End?”

The spirit’s eyes flickered.

The immortal lord from the Hundred Flowers Palace had already asked on everyone’s behalf: “Saint Lord, if you know something at a time like this, please inform us!”

“Fine, then I shall tell you.”

Calamity stood up, his expression cold as he pointed outside the hall.

“The Demon Lord of the End’s power—does its name alone not make you understand?! Within the three realms, the only one who can coexist, counteract, and perish together with it is the Saint Origin! This is their fate; it is what the Heavenly Dao has ordained!”

As if thunder had fallen into the hall, the immortals’ expressions were either horrified, solemn, or pale as snow.

“Only the Saint Origin can open the array?”

“Saint Origin… but wasn’t she interrupted by the Demon Lord of the End on the day she ascended, failing to return to her position?”

“Then… then does that mean the Immortal Court is…”

Before the voice could fade.

BOOM!

Suddenly, a pillar of golden light shot through the heavens, piercing the endless power of the End and penetrating the entire Immortal Court from beneath the Ninth Heaven.

The peak of the Ninth Heaven and even the entire Imperial Decree Divine Mountain shook as a result.

After their shock, the immortals surged toward the outside of the hall where the earth-shattering sound had come from. The first immortal to scout the situation returned with wild joy, his voice echoing through the hall—

“It’s the Fate Palace! The Saint Origin… the Saint Origin has returned to her position!!”