Chapter Three
909 Words
The next morning…
The rain had stopped.
Sunlight bathed Qingyun Peak once again.
It was as beautiful as ever.
Only Bai Lingxi knew that nothing would ever be the same.
…
She awoke before dawn, just as she had every day for the past thirteen years.
Habit was difficult to abandon.
She folded her bedding neatly.
Swept the fallen peach blossoms from her courtyard.
Boiled water for tea.
For a brief moment…
It almost felt like yesterday.
Until she instinctively raised two fingers.
A faint green glow should have appeared to heat the kettle.
Nothing happened.
She stared at her hand.
Then silently lit a fire with flint instead.
The tiny action pierced her heart more deeply than any insult.
She had once commanded spiritual flames capable of melting celestial iron.
Now…
She struggled to k****e an ordinary fire.
…
As she carried the tea toward her master’s pavilion, voices drifted from inside.
She paused.
“…Keeping her here will only disgrace the sect.”
Another elder sighed.
“Yesterday, the leaders of six great sects sent messages asking if the rumors were true.”
“She has become a laughingstock.”
“No.”
A colder voice answered.
“She has made us one.”
Lingxi’s fingers tightened around the tray.
Her master spoke.
“Enough.”
“She is still my disciple.”
Silence lingered for several moments.
Then the Sect Master sighed.
“I know.”
“But the cultivation world is cruel.”
“If she remains…”
“Every disciple of Qingyun Peak will forever be mocked.”
The tray trembled in Lingxi’s hands.
Without making a sound…
She turned around.
She did not wish to hear the rest.
Some wounds needed no further knives.
…
By noon…
Her belongings had already been packed.
One wooden chest.
A sword she could no longer wield.
A few robes.
Several books.
That was all the greatest genius of the Azure Cloud Sect possessed.
She smiled bitterly.
“So this…”
“…is how quickly a lifetime can disappear.”
…
Just as she lifted the chest—
BOOM!
The heavens shook.
A deafening roar echoed across the mountains.
Golden clouds spiraled above Qingyun Peak.
Every elder.
Every disciple.
Every beast.
Dropped to their knees.
A vast pressure descended from the sky.
It was unlike ordinary spiritual pressure.
This…
Was divine authority.
The clouds split apart.
Nine enormous jade dragons emerged, pulling a celestial chariot woven from light itself.
Countless immortal soldiers surrounded it.
Their silver armor shone brighter than the sun.
Golden lotus petals rained from the heavens.
A majestic voice echoed across every mountain.
“Hear the decree of the Jade Emperor.”
The words alone caused many disciples to cough blood.
No one dared raise their heads.
Even the Sect Master knelt with his forehead touching the ground.
Only Bai Lingxi remained frozen in place.
Not from defiance.
But from disbelief.
Why…
Would Heaven send a decree to someone like her?
The scroll slowly unfurled in the sky.
Its golden characters blazed like miniature suns.
“Bai Lingxi of the Azure Cloud Sect.”
“You are hereby summoned to the Jade Palace.”
Gasps erupted throughout the mountain.
The messenger continued.
“By decree of the Jade Emperor…”
“You shall immediately depart for the Ninth Heaven…”
“…to cultivate under the guidance of the Imperial Jade God of War.”
The world became silent.
Even the wind stopped.
Someone whispered in disbelief.
“The…”
“The Imperial Jade God of War?”
“Has Heaven gone mad?”
“That Lord has never accepted a disciple!”
“They say he has rejected even immortal princes!”
“Why would he accept…”
“…a crippled cultivator?”
Lingxi herself could not believe what she had heard.
There had to be some mistake.
She stepped forward.
“This disciple thanks the Jade Emperor…”
“But surely Your Excellency has mistaken someone else.”
“I no longer possess a spiritual core.”
“I cannot cultivate.”
“I am unworthy.”
The celestial messenger looked directly at her.
His expression revealed neither kindness nor contempt.
Only certainty.
“The decree cannot be mistaken.”
“The Imperial Jade God of War…”
“…personally requested you.”
The words struck everyone like thunder.
Personally?
The Lord of the Jade Palace…
Who had not descended from Heaven in ten thousand years…
Had requested Bai Lingxi?
Impossible.
Lingxi’s heart pounded violently.
“I…”
“I have never met him.”
The messenger slowly rolled up the imperial decree.
“Whether you have…”
“…or have not…”
“…is of no consequence.”
“He awaits you.”
Far above the clouds…
Hidden behind layers of golden mist…
A pair of calm jade-colored eyes watched the mountain below.
Watching the confused young woman standing alone among thousands.
Watching the girl who no longer remembered him.
Mo Xuanyuan’s fingers slowly tightened around the ancient jade pendant hanging from his waist.
For the first time in one hundred thousand years…
The emotionless God of War whispered a name.
“Lingxi…”
It was not the first time he had spoken it.
It was merely…
The first time in this lifetime.
As the celestial chariot descended toward Qingyun Peak…
Neither Heaven nor Earth noticed that the invisible crimson thread around their destinies had begun to glow brighter than ever before.
- Writer
