“Who... exactly are you?!”
The ancient voice boomed in the void, making Zhang Mingyuan's eardrums ache.
Clutching his chest, his gaze followed the Emperor's shadow's eyes and fell upon Dog Slaughterer on the ground.
This sword was covered in rust, and there were even a few chips along its blade...
Damn it, this old antique's corpse-reanimation was so fierce that he could shatter even a Red Dust Immortal's laws with a single glance, yet he was actually afraid of a broken sword?
“I am who I am. Who else could I be?”
“As for this sword, I just picked it up by the side of the road back then.”
“I don't know which troll threw it away, but it almost stubbed my toe to death...”
“But I saw that its material was really hard, and I figured it'd be great for bludgeoning people, so I kept it.”
“This thing is actually pretty handy to use, and it can even inflict tetanus on enemies!”
Zhang Mingyuan said nonchalantly.
The Emperor's shadow stared fixedly at the sword.
That pressure spanning across eternity, which had been incredibly solid just moments ago, actually began to fluctuate violently.
Picked it up?
Stubbed his toe?
Great for bludgeoning people?
Although the facial features of the Emperor's shadow's blurry face could not be seen, the storm of laws surrounding him came to a complete standstill at this moment.
His withered finger trembled violently, pointing at Zhang Mingyuan, then pointing at the sword.
He looked exactly as if he had seen a ghost.
Zhang Mingyuan was stunned.
He thought to himself, It's just a broken sword. Is all this really necessary?
Could it be that Dog Slaughterer actually had some earth-shattering origin?
Before Zhang Mingyuan could ask anything else, the incomparably overbearing Emperor's shadow suddenly did something that made both of their jaws drop.
He abruptly turned around and hurriedly lay back down inside the ancient bronze coffin.
Then, the coffin lid slammed shut tightly.
During this, a faint cursing could even be heard from within:
“Thieving Heavenly Dao! Are you trying to doom us to an ominous late life as well?!”
Immediately after, the other eight ancient bronze coffins hovering in the void, which had been on the verge of opening with a few of their lids already slid halfway open to reveal a greedy death aura, suddenly shuddered in unison upon hearing the cursing of the emperor in the first coffin.
Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh—
The eight coffin lids slammed shut in an instant, sealing perfectly tight, not daring to let even a shred of death aura leak out.
The nine Emperor Burial Coffins, which exuded a desolate, primordial aura of death, fled into the void as if they had seen a ghost.
In the blink of an eye, they vanished without a trace.
Silence fell over the surroundings.
Only the remaining scorched earth continued to crumble downward.
Zhang Mingyuan stood with his mouth wide open, still holding the rusty Dog Slaughterer in his hand, completely dumbfounded.
They just ran away like that?
Just a moment ago, they were demanding our lives, almost crushing me and Su Jinxue with a single finger. Now, he actually climbed back into his coffin and fled?
What on earth is the origin of this sword?
He lowered his head to look at Dog Slaughterer in his hand, examining it from left to right.
Aside from having a lot of rust and the cloth wrapped around the hilt being a bit dirty, he really couldn't see anything special about it.
Su Jinxue sat slumped not far away, her red gown torn and her fair skin stained with blood.
Ignoring her own injuries, she turned her head and stared fixedly at Zhang Mingyuan.
Her ruby-like eyes were filled with shock and inquiry.
She was a Red Dust Immortal, having long since comprehended the laws of the world.
Yet, even she could not see what secret lay within that broken sword.
“Why are you looking at me?”
Zhang Mingyuan felt hair stand on end under her gaze. “I really don't know what's going on. Other than using it to bludgeon people, this thing usually has no other purpose. Who knows what kind of fit that old ghost was throwing.”
Su Jinxue furrowed her brows, clearly not believing him.
Just then, the surrounding void suddenly began to tremble violently.
The dark red sky cracked inch by inch, turning into countless fragments of light and shadow.
The space of the Twin Tribulation was collapsing.
Zhang Mingyuan cried out inwardly. Just as he was about to grab Su Jinxue's hand,
a force suddenly appeared out of thin air, gently lifting them both up.
This force was extremely gentle, even carrying a hint of obsequiousness and humility.
Zhang Mingyuan could clearly feel this force helping him soothe his chaotic meridians, even thoughtfully avoiding his acupoints.
Not only that, but even the dust on his clothes was gently brushed away by this force.
In the next moment, the scene before them warped.
The two were sent directly out of the ruined space of the Twin Tribulation, returning once more to the Immortal Lord's Peak of Myriad Snow Palace.
A cold wind blew past, bringing the familiar scent of cedar.
Zhang Mingyuan plopped down onto the jade steps, panting heavily.
Su Jinxue also landed beside him, her bare feet stepping onto the cool jade surface.
At this moment, Su Jinxue's Red Dust Immortal cultivation was fully restored, and her injuries had completely vanished.
She tapped her finger toward Zhang Mingyuan, and his wounds also healed completely.
Above them, a brilliant golden light erupted.
The Heavenly Dao marriage certificate manifested once again.
Countless ancient runes flowed across the certificate, exuding a magnificent aura.
Immediately after, several large characters slowly emerged, shining with golden light that illuminated the entire Xuanling Realm.
“Twin Tribulation, perfectly completed.”
Perfect?
Looking at the characters in the sky, Zhang Mingyuan rolled his eyes.
We were almost poked to death by an ancient emperor's finger, and this is called perfect?
The golden light on the marriage certificate gradually faded.
Deep within the void, the Great Dao laws intertwined and tangled, eventually transforming into a massive red concentric knot.
The concentric knot hung high above the nine heavens, emitting a soft and sacred glow.
A melodious immortal music echoed between heaven and earth, bringing life back to all things and making withered trees bloom once more.
This was the proclamation of the Heavenly Dao.
It was proving to the entire Xuanling Realm that the marriage between Zhang Mingyuan and Su Jinxue had been recognized by the highest laws of this world.
Shared life and death, intertwined karma.
Never to be severed.
Looking at the concentric knot, Zhang Mingyuan felt a strange sensation in his heart.
Nemeses of five thousand years, fighting to the death every day and detesting each other.
Now, they were actually bound together by the Heavenly Dao.
And surprisingly, he didn't seem to reject it all that much...
He turned his head slightly and stole a glance at Su Jinxue beside him.
That face, which was always icy cold, actually carried a hint of rare softness at this moment.
As if sensing his gaze, Su Jinxue's eyes rippled as she glared at him.
“What are you looking at? Look any longer and I'll gouge your eyes out.”
Her tone was fierce, but paired with her pale face and slightly reddened ears, it sounded like she was trying to cover up her embarrassment.
Zhang Mingyuan grinned and was about to tease her.
The marriage certificate in the sky suddenly shook.
The massive scroll instantly shrank, turning into two beams of red light that fell straight toward them.
Zhang Mingyuan reached out and caught it.
As the red light dissipated, what appeared in his palm were two square, palm-sized red booklets.
The cover material was neither gold nor jade, conveying a warm and smooth touch.
Written on them in large, gold-embossed characters were three words.
“Marriage Certificate.”
Zhang Mingyuan stared at those three words, his eyes nearly popping out of his head.
His hand shook, almost throwing the booklet away.
“Holy crap!”
Zhang Mingyuan couldn't help but swear.
Did the Heavenly Dao of the Xuanling Realm go to Blue Star for further studies or something?
A marriage certificate? Why don't you just issue a household register while you're at it!
He flipped open the booklet.
On the left was a picture of the two standing side by side.
In the picture, he had a helpless smile on his face, while Su Jinxue tilted her chin slightly with a proud and aloof expression, yet her eyes couldn't help but steal a glance toward him.
On the right were their names, birthdates, and a serial number condensed from the Heavenly Dao laws.
In the bottom right corner, there was even an embossed stamp condensed from the Heavenly Dao laws.
Su Jinxue also caught the red booklet that belonged to her.
She looked down at the strange object in her hand, her slender fingers gently tracing the gold-embossed characters on the cover.
“Marriage Certificate...”
She muttered the words softly, a strange gleam flashing in her crimson eyes.
Although she did not know what kind of format this was, the power of the Heavenly Dao contract contained within it was undeniable.
This was the tangible proof of their bond.
Looking at the two of them side by side in the picture, the corners of Su Jinxue's mouth curled up uncontrollably into a satisfied smile.
Su Jinxue stored the marriage certificate into her small world.
Her movements were gentle.
Then, she turned around to face Zhang Mingyuan.
The softness on her face vanished in an instant, replaced by her usual coldness and scrutiny.
The distance between them was pulled very close, so close that Zhang Mingyuan could clearly smell the fragrance of her hair.
“What are you doing?” Zhang Mingyuan leaned back slightly, looking at her warily.
Su Jinxue did not speak, merely staring into his eyes without blinking.
“Zhang Mingyuan.”
“Are you hiding something from me?”
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