Chapter 43: I’ve Come to Find You, Let’s Go Home… Part 1

Jiang Chen’s current cultivation was no longer comparable to what it had once been. Entering the Divine Miracle was no longer a difficult task; in an instant, he located the entrance to the Suspended Sun Stele Forest.

But at the doorway, his steps hesitated once more.

The image of that kiss under the pear tree slowly resurfaced before his eyes—

Li Xuan’s rigid back in his arms, the long silence afterward, the look of reluctance.

Jiang Chen didn’t dare push his luck, afraid of annoying him.

Just as he was about to turn and leave, Zhao Lixuan called out to him: “Your hand…”

Only then did Jiang Chen notice the thin, long blood mark that had appeared on the back of his hand at some point. Before he could react, Zhao Lixuan had already cradled the injury, a wisp of the Nine Heavens Immortal Sash manifesting from his fingertip’s clear qi, wrapping it delicately around the wound.

“How could you be so careless?”

“…”

From his motions, from the faint warmth of his fingertips, Jiang Chen’s heart went numb with a tingling ache.

“The Divine Miracle is perilous,” Zhao Lixuan said as he tied off the sash, lifting his gaze to meet Jiang Chen’s. “Even with your recent advances in cultivation, you mustn’t let your guard down.”

Pear blossoms drifted down in clusters. After a long pause, he added, “In any case… take care. Return soon.”

“…”

At the entrance to the Divine Miracle, Jiang Chen lifted his hand again, staring dazedly at the sash.

The originally pristine white silk was now stained with a touch of blood, like a thread of matrimony tied by the hands of the Moon Elder himself.

So… even just pretending to be betrothed on the surface brought so much sweetness.

He shook his head with a bitter smile. He should have been content, but this fleeting tenderness only melted his soul, stirring an even fiercer greed.

He’s already letting me get close… He murmured to himself. He’s really… so good.

Li Xuan was this good.

He only regretted that he couldn’t rip open his chest and pour out all his love for him to accept.

He was reluctant to unwrap the Immortal Sash.

But he feared some unforeseen mishap in the Divine Miracle might cause him to lose it. In the end, he carefully stored it away, keeping it safe.

…

Jiang Chen was gone for five days.

During that time, everyone in the Immortal Realm had their duties, each too busy to catch their breath.

Shen Fengyu and Yu Changxin worked with all their might to revive the Four Symbols Sacrificial Tower; Yu Rumu led Bitao Fairy and the others in treating the wounded; Xia Yunjie marshaled troops and reinforced the defensive arrays; Chu Fusheng, Di Chun, and Yin Canshang scouted enemy movements.

Privately, Zhao Lixuan specifically tasked Di Chun with keeping a close eye on Azure Flame Commander Yan Su.

That man really resembled Senior Brother Shen, but he feared it was just his own wishful thinking.

After all, everyone had searched for Senior Brother for so many years. Could the final result they hoped for really be… Senior Brother’s body utterly destroyed, somehow turned into a skeletal war god in the Demon Bright?

Thus, for now, he didn’t dare share this suspicion with too many people, especially Shen Fengyu.

Better to wait until they had solid evidence, then…

Of course, aside from the matter of Senior Brother Shen, Zhao Lixuan himself was stretched thin these past few days.

As the builder of the Wall of Returning Dust and the Taixu Heavenly Smiting, he had to oversee the complete linkage of the two grand arrays with the earth’s spiritual veins. He toiled day and night, barely squeezing in time to eat.

Even so, his mind remained unsettled.

For no reason at all these past few days, he kept falling into bizarre dreams. Though his body was utterly exhausted and he sank into his bedding after bathing, he always tossed and turned amid garish illusions.

In those fragmented glimpses, it was all Jiang Chen after their reunion—

Inky black eyes gazing deeply, clinging to life together in the Demon Abyss, the questioning entanglement in the dark night, the silent wait by the Azure Cloud Pass stream, and that rainy night in Perching Maple Vine Pavilion…

In the dream, he locked eyes for a long time with those bottomless black pupils.

They belonged to both Immortal Lord Jiang and the little Jiang from the depths of his memory, those ink-jade eyes seeming to hold a thousand unspoken words.

But when Zhao Lixuan tried to press him, the man remained silent as ever.

Frustrated in the dream, Zhao Lixuan turned to leave.

Then he saw pain welling in Jiang Chen’s eyes, a vast stain of crimson blooming across his chest, blood surging endlessly from the corner of his lips, soaking his dark robes, as he gazed at Zhao Lixuan in utter despair.

Zhao Lixuan jolted awake.

He felt something was wrong, fearing Jiang Chen had met with some disaster in the Suspended Sun Stele Forest.

Yu Rumu comforted him: “It’s only been five days. The Divine Miracle is profound; staying longer is common.”

Zhao Lixuan nodded.

Each Divine Miracle had its own difficulties. The lakes he’d experienced were relatively serene, but he knew well that places hiding great treasures were riddled with killing intent.

Still…

Jiang Chen had left in such haste that day, yet he hadn’t forgotten to order his subordinates from Liao Yuan Court to move all his meager belongings into Zhao Lixuan’s quarters.

So eager, announcing their betrothal to the world for all to know.

“See? I told you Immortal Lord Jiang’s beloved is definitely Immortal Lord Lixuan!”

“But didn’t the rumors say Immortal Lord Li Xuan was already betrothed to Young Master Di Chun?”

“Looks like it was all gossip.”

“I’m not so sure! With Immortal Lord Jiang’s temperament, it’s not surprising he’d seize love by force even knowing there’s a marriage contract.”

“Heard the latest? They’re saying outside that Immortal Lord Jiang used his strength to coerce and force Immortal Lord Li Xuan to break off his engagement and marry him instead…”

Overnight, all sorts of dramatic tales spread through the Immortal Clan coalition army.

On the sixth day with no word from Jiang Chen, Zhao Lixuan swiftly cleared through a month’s worth of ordinary business.

Then he paced back and forth a dozen times before Xia Yunjie and Shen Fengyu, on the verge of asking—

Why don’t I take a few people and go look for Immortal Lord Jiang in the Suspended Sun Stele Forest?

Six whole days.

What if he was trapped in peril? Wouldn’t that mean no one could retrieve the Primordial Blade?

Moreover, as the Immortal Clan’s indispensable top fighter, with both demon and fiend realms resorting to forbidden arts in a desperate last stand, how could the coalition afford such a loss?

But he feared Xia Yunjie and Shen Fengyu would counter: Precisely because Jiang Chen is the top fighter, if even he’s trapped in the Divine Miracle, what help could others provide? Wouldn’t it just add dead weight?

That was the truth.

Yet Zhao Lixuan still wanted to go search for him. What if?

So restless he could hardly sit still, he’d never felt a single day drag on so long.

He even began to search his heart: Zhao Lixuan, this worry for him—is it just because he’s an indispensable comrade, or…

It shouldn’t be.

He lowered his gaze; thinking of Jiang Chen, his heart remained calm and undisturbed.

Yet he vaguely recalled the stormy rainy night and that day under the pear blossoms in the courtyard, Jiang Chen’s sudden kiss.

If the startled pounding of his heart back then could be blamed on the surprise…

Then what about these past few days, constantly craving those pepper-salt crisps and crab-yolk pot helmets?

Hm, probably just hunger, he thought.

…

By dusk, Zhao Lixuan could bear it no longer: “I’ll go take a look near the Suspended Sun Stele Forest.”

By chance, High Priest Yu Changxin also needed to go nearby to clear a spring vein, so they went together.

Zhao Lixuan wasn’t really familiar with the man.

Though he knew Yu Changxin was Shen Fengyu’s master and beloved, the other always carried an air of stern dignity as the head priest of the Divine Temple, making him hard to approach.

Unexpectedly, Yu Changxin spoke first: “No need for Young Friend Lixuan to worry overly.”

“Immortal Lord Jiang’s bloodline… is an even purer descendant of the ancient gods than Fengyu’s, sharing the same origin as the Divine Miracle. Though the Divine Miracle demands sacrifices, those are usually mortals, immortal cultivators, livestock, or fiends—it never devours the bloodline of fellow gods.”

Zhao Lixuan’s heart jolted.

He had long heard tales of god clan descendants among human immortals, but ancient texts were vague. As the Divine Temple’s high priest, Yu Changxin surely knew more secrets.

“Please enlighten me, Senior Yu.”

But Yu Changxin shook his head; he had little to teach.

Though the Divine Temple was originally an Immortal Clan branch chosen by the ancient gods to serve the god blood, over millions of years the god blood had withered, and after several great immortal-fiend wars, ancient texts burned and lineages broke.

“In this era, we priests can only piece together fragments from remnants, our knowledge limited.”

“The one certainty now is that Immortal Lord Jiang’s lineage is indeed god blood.”

His tone grew grave: “Actually, the common tales are mistaken—not every ordinary immortal who enters the Divine Miracle gets what they seek.”

“Divine Miracle, after all—only descendants of god blood can enter to bargain. But the price is often far greater than the gain. Who knows what that young friend… traded away.”

Zhao Lixuan’s pupils shrank: “Senior Yu means Jiang Chen traded something in the Divine Miracle?”

“Though the details are unknown, he definitely did.” Yu Changxin said.

“Gaining such divine power without discarding his flesh like that skeletal commander in the Demon Bright—he must have paid a heavier price. A few days ago, seeing him unsteady on his feet, drenched in cold sweat in agony… alas, truly…”

“Senior Yu, what did you say?”

“What’s wrong with his body?”

…

The Suspended Sun Stele Forest wasn’t far from the Immortal Alliance Outpost.

As a revered high priest bearing many sacred relics, Yu Changxin had ways to enter the Divine Miracle. Out of kindness, he brought his subordinate priests to help Zhao Lixuan search for half a day. Though they found no trace of Jiang Chen, they mapped the outer perils.

This stele forest lacked enveloping mists, but the myriad similar stone stelae formed a profound maze in their crisscrossing arrangement; one misstep and you’d lose your way.

After half a day fruitless, Yu Changxin and his group still had their main task of clearing the spring vein. Before leaving, he couldn’t help advising: “Young Friend Li Xuan, staying alone—be cautious. If no trace is found, withdraw in time; don’t be stubborn.”

“Though no dangers yet, the Divine Miracle shifts unpredictably. Know when to advance or retreat.”

“This junior understands.”