Chapter Sixteen
1193 Words
The peach blossom landed silently.
It rested upon the jade railing between them.
Neither the wind…
Nor the clouds…
Disturbed it.
Bai Lingxi picked it up carefully.
Its petals were warm.
Almost…
As though someone had held it moments before.
She looked around.
“There aren’t any peach trees in the Jade Palace.”
Mo Xuanyuan’s expression changed.
“The Peach Blossom Valley…”
He whispered.
Lingxi frowned.
“What?”
He looked at the flower in her hand.
“Nothing.”
She narrowed her eyes.
“You’re hiding something again.”
“I am.”
“…At least you’re honest this time.”
The blossom suddenly glowed.
A tiny drop of golden dew rolled down one of its petals.
The instant it touched Lingxi’s fingertips—
WHOOSH!
A gust of ancient spiritual energy erupted across the balcony.
The pendant around her neck shone brilliantly.
The blossom dissolved into countless points of light.
Before them…
A doorway appeared.
Not made of wood.
Or jade.
But of blooming peach branches woven together into an arch.
Beyond it…
An endless valley stretched beneath a sunset sky.
Thousands of peach trees danced in the breeze.
Crystal rivers reflected the orange light.
It was breathtaking.
Lingxi’s heart raced.
“I’ve seen this place…”
“In my dream.”
Mo Xuanyuan stared at the doorway.
His normally calm breathing became uneven.
“It shouldn’t exist.”
Lady Mingyuan appeared almost instantly.
The moment she saw the gateway…
Her walking stick slipped from her hand.
“No…”
“No…”
She whispered.
“It reopened.”
Mo Xuanyuan looked at her.
“Who opened it?”
She shook her head.
“It wasn’t opened.”
“It answered.”
“It answered her.”
The peach blossoms swirled.
A voice echoed from beyond the valley.
Soft.
Gentle.
Motherly.
“Ling’er…”
Lingxi’s eyes widened.
That name.
No one had ever called her that.
Yet…
It felt familiar.
The voice came again.
“Ling’er…”
“Come home.”
Without thinking…
She stepped toward the doorway.
Mo Xuanyuan immediately caught her wrist.
“Don’t.”
She looked back.
“But…”
“I know that voice.”
“I know.”
“Then why are you stopping me?”
His grip tightened.
“Because…”
His voice became heavy.
“If you enter now…”
“…you may never return.”
The valley shimmered.
Within the doorway…
Figures slowly appeared.
A little girl chased butterflies beneath the peach trees.
A young boy followed behind her carrying two wooden swords.
The little girl laughed.
“You’ll never catch me, Xuanyuan!”
The boy smiled brightly.
“I always catch you.”
He sprinted after her.
The scene froze.
Lingxi stared.
“That’s…”
“Us.”
Mo Xuanyuan closed his eyes.
“Yes.”
Tears welled in Lingxi’s eyes.
“We…”
“Were children together?”
“We grew up together.”
“You taught me swordsmanship?”
“I tried.”
“I beat you?”
A tiny smile appeared on his lips.
“Only because I let you.”
She laughed through her tears.
“So you’ve been lying since childhood.”
“I preferred the word ‘encouraging.’”
For the first time…
They laughed together.
The sound echoed softly through the blossoms.
Lady Mingyuan watched them with moist eyes.
She had almost forgotten…
What they sounded like when they laughed together.
Suddenly—
The peaceful valley darkened.
The peach blossoms turned crimson.
The crystal river became black.
A loud c***k split the sky.
A shadow emerged from the far end of the valley.
Tall.
Wrapped in darkness.
Its face hidden behind a broken golden mask.
It carried a spear forged from black lightning.
The figure stopped.
Then…
Slowly lifted its head.
Even though its face remained hidden…
Lingxi felt its gaze.
It was looking directly at her.
Not at the memory.
At her.
Across time.
Across the gateway.
Across one hundred thousand years.
The figure spoke.
Its voice was distorted.
Ancient.
Cold.
“So…”
“…you found the First Garden.”
Mo Xuanyuan immediately stepped in front of Lingxi.
His sword appeared in his hand.
“Impossible.”
The masked figure laughed.
“You truly believed…”
“…you were the only one who could cross memories?”
The peach blossoms began falling rapidly.
The gateway trembled violently.
Lady Mingyuan shouted,
“Close it!”
“Now!”
“It has found the path!”
The masked figure took one step.
Although it remained inside the memory…
The ground beneath the Jade Palace cracked.
One step.
Ancient formations shattered.
Second step.
The stars above flickered.
Third step—
Its hand reached through the gateway.
Not completely.
Only its fingertips.
Yet the pressure they released forced dozens of nearby immortals to collapse.
Lingxi could barely breathe.
“What…”
“…is that?”
Mo Xuanyuan’s voice was colder than she had ever heard.
“One of the Four Executors.”
Lady Mingyuan’s face turned deathly pale.
“No…”
“Not just any Executor.”
She recognized the broken golden mask.
Her lips trembled.
“The First Executor…”
“…Tian Jue.”
The name echoed like a curse.
Even Mo Xuanyuan’s grip on his sword tightened.
Lingxi looked between them.
“Who is Tian Jue?”
Neither answered.
Because the answer…
Was far worse than she imagined.
The masked figure smiled beneath the broken mask.
“Little Phoenix…”
“I finally found you.”
Lingxi frowned.
“Phoenix?”
“I’m not—”
“You’ve forgotten.”
His laughter echoed through the gateway.
“But your flame hasn’t.”
He slowly pointed toward her chest.
“The Ember of Creation…”
“…still sleeps inside you.”
The pendant around Lingxi’s neck suddenly burned hot.
A golden flame briefly flickered beneath her skin.
Mo Xuanyuan’s eyes widened.
“No…”
“It awakened this early?”
The masked figure laughed louder.
“Now you understand.”
He looked directly at Mo Xuanyuan.
“You were never protecting her.”
His smile widened.
“You were guarding the greatest power in all existence.”
BOOM!
The gateway exploded into petals.
Mo Xuanyuan swung his sword.
A crescent of black-and-jade light sliced through the doorway, sealing it shut.
The valley disappeared.
The blossoms vanished.
Silence returned.
Only one peach blossom remained…
Resting in Lingxi’s hand.
She looked down at it.
Then slowly touched the place over her heart.
A faint warmth pulsed beneath her palm.
Like the beat of wings.
Very small.
Very distant.
As though something inside her…
Had just begun to awaken.
Far beyond the Heavenly Realm…
The masked Executor knelt before a colossal throne hidden within the Void.
Ye Wushang sat upon it, one leg crossed over the other, his crimson eyes glowing.
“Did you confirm it?”
Tian Jue lowered his head.
“Yes, Lord.”
“The Ember of Creation…”
“…is inside Bai Lingxi.”
Ye Wushang smiled.
Then, for the first time in the novel…
His smile faded into something far more dangerous.
“Then the game…”
“…can finally begin.”
- Writer
