That phrase, “And... me,” was like a feather, gently brushing against Zhang Mingyuan's heartstrings.
He froze completely.
The cold fragrance lingering at the tip of his nose seemed to possess a magical power, causing the heaven-burning rage in his heart to melt away completely.
After a long time, Zhang Mingyuan slowly came back to his senses.
The snowy-white softness he was leaning against was unbelievably soft, carrying a hint of crisp, cool freshness.
Possessed by some strange impulse, his cheek uncontrollably rubbed against it.
So fragrant, so soft.
Wait, no!
He shuddered violently, snapping awake instantly.
He, the grand Sacred Lord of Qingyun Heaven, a supreme existence who dominated the Xuanling Realm, was actually burying his face in a woman's embrace like a child seeking comfort?
And of all people, it was Su Jinxue, his nemesis of five thousand years!
If word of this got out, where would he put his face!
With a whoosh, a rush of heat surged straight to his head, and his old face instantly flushed bright red.
He violently broke free from Su Jinxue's embrace, stumbling back two steps. With dodging eyes, he stammered, “D-Don't misunderstand! I was just... just possessed by my inner demon earlier. I wasn't in a good state of mind. Yes, a very bad state! I absolutely had no intention of taking advantage of you!”
This clumsy attempt to cover things up only made his own face feel even hotter.
Su Jinxue wasn't angry at being pushed away.
She stood quietly in the void, her crimson eyes recovering their usual coldness, except that her fingers, hidden beneath her sleeves, curled slightly.
A hint of crimson quietly crept up from the base of her fair ears.
She glanced at Zhang Mingyuan, her tone carrying its usual mockery: “A grand Mahayana Stage cultivator, a top Sacred Lord of the Xuanling Realm, actually crying like a three-year-old child. Aren't you afraid of becoming a laughingstock if word gets out?”
“Was I crying?!” Zhang Mingyuan bristled instantly. “That was the mournful wail of my Dao charm! What do you know!”
“Oh? Is that so?” The corner of Su Jinxue's lips curved upward. “Then this seat would like to ask, why did your Dao charm wail so... pathetically?”
“You!”
Just as the two of them traded barbs, returning to their usual bickering mode, the scroll of the Heavenly Dao marriage certificate suddenly floated up, emitting a brilliant golden light.
Buzz—!
The golden light rippled out like water. On the marriage certificate, the progress bar for the Concentric Lock, which had been stuck at sixty percent, suddenly began to skyrocket as they shared their past and bickered with connected hearts!
Seventy percent!
Eighty percent!
Ninety percent!
One hundred percent!
The progress bar filled up instantly.
The entire Heavenly Dao marriage certificate turned into a dazzling golden sun, radiating a harmonious aura of the perfect Great Dao.
“It's done!” Zhang Mingyuan was overjoyed at the sight.
The first trial was finally over!
This meant he could finally get rid of this crazy woman!
A surge of ecstasy filled his heart.
He turned, wanting to put some distance between himself and Su Jinxue—preferably hundreds of feet away, the further the better.
However, the moment he took a step, high above the nine heavens, from deep within the clouds that had just dispersed, a low rumble of thunder that sounded like a cold snort faintly echoed.
It was muffled, filled with displeasure and majesty.
Zhang Mingyuan paused, a bad premonition rising in his heart.
He looked up and saw that the Heavenly Dao marriage certificate had not vanished as he had expected. Instead, its light flared even brighter.
Following that, the originally holy and peaceful golden light on the marriage certificate actually began to twist and reorganize, ultimately turning into large, blood-red characters!
【The Second Trial of the Heavenly Marriage: Illusionary Heart Abyss】
These words seemed written in the blood of gods and demons, carrying an overwhelming wave of resentment and malice.
Zhang Mingyuan's smile froze on his face.
This Heavenly Dao... how could it use its position to settle a personal grudge?!
Just because Su Jinxue had made it lose face earlier?
Before he could think further, lines of new rules turned into a cold stream of information, forcibly branding themselves into his and Su Jinxue's seas of consciousness.
【Trial Content: Both parties shall enter the Illusionary Heart Abyss together, reliving five thousand years of grudges, hatred, and slaughter through reincarnation.】
【Within the Illusionary Heart Abyss, hatred and killing intent will be infinitely magnified, tempting both parties to draw their swords against each other.】
【During the trial, if either party harbors a genuine intent to kill the other, the trial will fail immediately, and their souls will be utterly destroyed.】
After reading the rules, Zhang Mingyuan's face turned green.
You call this a trial? This is fucking forcing them to slaughter each other!
Nemeses of five thousand years, reliving all their battles and killings in an illusion, and having their hatred and killing intent magnified on top of that—who could endure this?
This damn Heavenly Dao was clearly trying to screw them over!
“Holy crap, I let my guard down. This Heavenly Dao is way too petty!” Zhang Mingyuan muttered under his breath.
The bloody light on the marriage certificate seemed to flicker even more eerily because of his words, and an invisible force began to pull at their souls, trying to drag them into the illusion immediately.
Right at this moment, Su Jinxue's cold voice rang out.
“A mere illusion is nothing but a flick of a finger to this seat.” She looked at the Heavenly Dao marriage certificate, a trace of cold arrogance flashing in her crimson eyes. “As for when it begins, this seat decides.”
As her voice fell, she lightly raised her fair hand and tapped the air toward the scroll.
An invisible force of law instantly enveloped the marriage certificate.
The force that was forcibly pulling their souls was actually interrupted!
The bloody light on the Heavenly Dao marriage certificate flickered violently a few times before finally dying down, floating quietly in mid-air.
The Heavenly Dao had been forcibly paused once again.
Zhang Mingyuan stared at Su Jinxue in dumbfounded shock.
Then again... would she even be Su Jinxue if she weren't this overbearing?!
Right at this moment, the Myriad Snow Palace below, which had been silent for a long time, suddenly erupted with cheers like a mountain tsunami!
“May the Immortal Lord live forever and ever!”
“Congratulations to the Immortal Lord and the Sacred Lord on being of one heart and mind, and passing the Heavenly Tribulation together!”
A streak of light rushed up from the main palace below with lightning speed, arriving before the two of them in a flurry.
The newcomer was none other than the Grand Elder of the Myriad Snow Palace, Yun Tinghan.
She leaned on her Snow Soul Dragon-Head Cane, her face covered in a wrinkled, beaming smile, completely ignoring the subtle atmosphere between the two and the Heavenly Dao marriage certificate radiating an ominous bloody light.
“Immortal Lord! Sacred Lord!”
Yun Tinghan's voice was filled with excitement as she pulled out a dazzling, gold-embossed almanac and stepped closer.
“This old servant observed the celestial phenomena last night and did some calculations. The eighth day of next month is an auspicious day that comes once in ten thousand years, perfect for marriage, forming a Dao partnership, and celebration! Do you two think this grand wedding should be held according to the highest standard of the Nine Heavens Immortal Rites, or our Xuanling Realm's Supreme Sacred Ceremony?”
Hearing this made Zhang Mingyuan's scalp go numb.
A wedding? A wedding my ass!
He waved his hands in panic: “Grand Elder, this Heavenly Marriage has trials. We just passed the first trial, and look, the second one is already here! One slip-up and our souls will be destroyed. What wedding is there to speak of!”
The smile on Yun Tinghan's face froze, clearly hearing about such bizarre complications in a Heavenly Marriage for the first time.
But after a brief daze, she immediately pretended to be deaf, letting Zhang Mingyuan's words go in one ear and out the other.
Her eyes eagerly stared at Su Jinxue, filled with expectation and inquiry.
In her view, as long as the Immortal Lord nodded, nothing was an issue.
Su Jinxue's gaze swept over Zhang Mingyuan's face, which was filled with resistance and panic.
A wave of displeasure inexplicably rose in her heart.
You don't want to get married?
This seat will do exactly the opposite of what you want.
“Let it be the eighth day of next month,” Su Jinxue spoke indifferently. Her voice wasn't loud, yet it echoed clearly in all directions. “We will hold a grand celebration according to the specifications of the Nine Heavens Immortal Rites. Send invitations to every sacred ground and sect in the Xuanling Realm. Not a single one is to be left out.”
After saying that, she cast a cold glance at Zhang Mingyuan.
“Understood!” Yun Tinghan was overjoyed upon hearing this and nodded repeatedly in agreement. “This old servant will get to it right away! I guarantee it will be grand and spectacular, so the entire Xuanling Realm can come to witness it!”
Then, she showed a trace of difficulty: “However, Immortal Lord, the preparations for this grand wedding are extremely tedious. Although the Myriad Snow Palace is large, hands that are both close to you and understand your preferences are really... Do you think we should summon that girl Nian'an back?”
Hearing this, Su Jinxue remembered her personal maid, whom she had punished by sending her to walk to the border to reflect because she had walked in on their strange posture.
She let out a cold snort, though she didn't refuse.
She casually made a swipe in the air, and a spatial rift appeared out of nowhere.
She reached her hand inside.
The next moment, a lovely girl, covered in dust and with slightly torn clothes, was pulled straight out of the spatial rift by her.
It was indeed Nian'an.
Nian'an was still a bit dazed. When she clearly saw the scene before her—especially seeing her own Immortal Lord standing together with Sacred Lord Zhang, and the beaming Grand Elder beside them—she froze for three seconds.
Immediately after, she burst into a loud cry.
“Waaah! Immortal Lord! Nian'an thought you didn't want me anymore!!!”
Rate on N.U.
