Chapter 895: Their Other Shore

Chapter 895: Their Other Shore

Ye Wuming cast another glance toward the southwest.

Zhao Changhe had sent Ling Ruoyu off on a fool's errand to find her master, while he himself embraced Ye Jiuyou, found a cloud to sit on, and whispered sweet nothings in her ear, fully emulating the flavor he had just witnessed in the cultivation world.

The two leaned together in honeyed closeness, their feet dangling and swaying beyond the cloud, a sight so infuriating to behold.

Ye Wuming couldn't be bothered to listen to their murmurs; with a flash, she appeared on the altar of the Four Symbols Sect.

Xia Chichi, who as the sect leader was reciting prayers, was left speechless: "..."

Sanniang, Huangfu Qing, and the entire group of Twenty-Eight Mansions high-ranking members stood dumbfounded.

The high-ranking members didn't even know who this beautiful woman was... a woman with short hair, a hairstyle never seen in this world, yet unexpectedly it seemed so free-spirited and suited her.

Then they all realized: this was the Night Emperor. That hazy, dim aura of the night, that gaze like the eternal moon, the celestial heart suspended high, silently observing all beings—who else could it be but the Night Emperor? Especially since everyone here cultivated under the Night Emperor's system; the resonance and pressure were unmistakable—one look and they knew it was the Night Emperor, even more obvious than when facing Zhao Changhe in person.

No, great one, did we summon you?

Their ritual was a form of "borrowing power," communicating with the divine power of heaven and earth to borrow it; the so-called summoning referred to your divine power and will, not actually calling you down in person.

They were communicating with the Night Emperor—are you the Night Emperor now? What are you here for? This was like Lord Ye's love of dragons—they didn't even know how to greet her.

Hello... how should we address you?

Former Emperor? That's for the dead. Empress Dowager? You're not Zhao Changhe's mother. Could it be a remnant of the previous dynasty, and we should capture her and present her to His Majesty?

For a moment, the entire altar fell into dead silence; everyone stared blankly at Ye Wuming, then after a while, they all lowered their eyes.

That pressure was unbearable... especially since she was so beautiful, one look made you feel inferior, instinctively averting your gaze.

Only the three leaders of the Four Symbols Sect stared at her with burning eyes, their expressions unreadable—whether they were looking at a former emperor or a remnant of a fallen dynasty. Ye Wuming's gaze also fell on Xia Chichi, focusing on her lower abdomen.

Xia Chichi took half a step back, covering her belly with a wary expression.

Others wouldn't casually give abortion pills, but this one was hard to say... maybe that was exactly what she came for!

Ye Wuming's mouth twitched slightly, and finally she spoke, her voice majestic and indifferent: "You sincerely pray and summon me—what is your purpose?"

Xia Chichi: "Scram."

The heads of the Twenty-Eight Mansions members sank even lower; some were already stifling laughter.

Ye Wuming flicked her jade finger. A gentle breeze swept by, the people on the altar vanished cleanly, transported outside the ground. Then she ground her teeth and said coldly, "Are you really not afraid of death?"

Xia Chichi stiffened her neck: "Our husband slept for thirty years to save you. If you have the face to kill us, go ahead—do you really think we fear you?"

Ye Wuming said coldly, "If Jiuyou Piaomiao said that, it might be different. But all of you use my inheritance—what right do you have to speak to me like this? Originally, you gathered because of me; I secretly gave you countless fortunes and guidance, yet you turned around and devoted yourselves entirely to another. How dare you shout at me?"

Xia Chichi: "..."

Ye Wuming grew angrier: "Xia Chichi, I can let slide—he drew your card from the start, it was his destined fate, a heavenly bond. But you two? One steals your disciple's husband, the other steals your best friend's man—two old cows fighting over tender grass. I couldn't even pull your red threads apart! In the end, for a man, you collectively betrayed the sect and usurped the throne. What face do you have to stand here and glare at me?"

This was the first meeting between the Four Symbols and the Night Emperor.

The atmosphere was very harmonious.

Sanniang said leisurely, "Was that someone else? Wasn't it the person Your Majesty arranged herself? Why did I and Qing'er get deeper and deeper with him? Wasn't it because we mistook him for Your Majesty's reincarnation? Especially Qing'er—if not for that misunderstanding, how could she have started a fate with him? The likelihood of her killing him might have been higher. Later, Your Majesty wanted him to forge the galaxy, to carry on your will, and even arranged the position of Night Emperor for him. Calling us usurpers is more like saying we catered to Your Majesty's heart."

That made so much damn sense that Huangfu Qing, who had been somewhat conflicted, immediately felt at ease.

Back then, she had been very torn—she loved that man to death, yet because he wasn't the true Night Emperor, she found it hard to accept. In the end, it was Guigui who reinterpreted the doctrine and convinced her to push him up by force. So she wasn't entirely a traitor; this karma itself included a part of the Night Emperor herself.

Ye Wuming didn't know whether it was because Zhao Changhe first had the idea of the cosmic starry sky, or because his deep interactions with the Four Symbols venerables led her to adapt and lay out the subsequent scheme. This karmic entanglement was already a messy account, impossible to untangle.

From the cause, it might be more accurate to say it was Zhao Changhe's own cause—not every Earthling would have the intent of a sea of stars or the boldness to invert the galaxy. Once someone like Zhao Changhe became entangled with her, Ye Wuming, and the Four Symbols system, it might inevitably become a spiral of mutual achievement. Her inability to sever his marriage ties with Sanniang and Huangfu Qing was probably closely related to this.

Ye Wuming suddenly recalled her earliest comment on Zhao Changhe... "The long river falls from the nine heavens, converging into the rivers and lakes."

Had she already sensed it dimly back then?

If Zhao Changhe's tangled fate with Zhuque and Xuanwu couldn't be broken because of this, then what about with her, the Night Emperor herself?

Ye Wuming was lost in thought for a moment. The three of the Four Symbols Sect exchanged glances but didn't continue their confrontation. In truth, they had no enmity with Ye Wuming; on the contrary, this bond of incense and devotion did exist. If one looked closely, it was actually they who owed the former Night Emperor an apology. Their dissatisfaction with Ye Wuming stemmed only from their man's anger at her manipulation of his life, but without her manipulation, they wouldn't even have met Zhao Changhe... So in that sense, they should thank her.

Hmm, hadn't she asked Changhe to give them gifts before...

Huangfu Qing finally broke the silence: "Your Majesty descends today because of our ritual?"

Ye Wuming said expressionlessly, "Otherwise? Your ritual is to seek the Heavenly Dao; I have the same intention, so naturally we can cooperate."

Huangfu Qing said, "Your Majesty just parted from our husband... Why not discuss cooperation with him, but come to us?"

Ye Wuming said with righteous confidence, "Because you sincerely invited me."

Ah, yes, yes, yes. The three looked at each other, and a thought suddenly arose in their hearts: Isn't this classic tsundere? So the Night Emperor was actually like this...

"Ahem." Sanniang cleared her throat: "Your Majesty knows our situation, right? That is, some other women are trying to trace the Heavenly Dao's location through captured demon souls. We think their shamanic methods are unreliable and want to find our own solution. If Your Majesty can help with this..."

Ye Wuming said flatly, "Asking for help requires a price; even a ritual has its offerings."

Still putting on airs... Xia Chichi couldn't help saying, "First, tell us if you can do it... A dignified Night Emperor wouldn't try to get something for nothing, would she?"

Ye Wuming replied calmly, "What I can confirm is that they really can..."

The three of the Four Symbols Sect immediately sat up straight: "Really?"

"They have the corpse puppets from the Spirit Clan's land, and they've collected so many residual demon souls—both body and soul are so complete. Although shamanic magic originates from the Heavenly Dao, rules are rules. Tracing back to the flesh-and-blood original body from such a complete form is definitely possible, but there is a limitation..."

The three said in unison, "What limitation?"

"If the other side is prepared in advance and sets up a clone outside, it can easily be interfered with, making it impossible to determine which is the original body, and you might be misled into a trap."

"That won't do... So what can we do to improve it?"

Ye Wuming looked at the three, sighing inwardly.

They talked about competing for merit, but upon hearing that the other side might fall into a trap, they showed no schadenfreude, nor did they think that if the others failed, they would have a chance. Their thoughts unanimously turned to "how to help improve it."

So this is what you call competing for merit... just bickering for fun in peacetime, but united in purpose when trouble comes.

Ye Wuming sighed, "Perhaps this is also the complementarity between me and Jiuyou. The Heavenly Dao and I interfere with each other's divine sense, making it hard for either to trace the other's location. But Ye Jiuyou can do it through flesh-and-blood puppets. Similarly, she finds it difficult to sort out the rules and anchor them; I can straighten out the rituals and instruments. Even if the other side transforms into myriad forms and hides across past and present, I can still identify the true origin. Jiuyou needs Sisi and the others' help, and I need yours."

Xia Chichi asked, "Do we need to gather in one place?"

Theoretically, no... For the cultivation of the Ye sisters, the whole world is just one room; it doesn't matter where.

But Ye Wuming still said, "Not for now. I'll go to the Miao border to watch. When they start, I'll come back to find you. Remember, it was you who summoned me to help."

The Four Symbols Sect trio: "?"

Something felt off...

Sanniang's eyes rolled slyly, and she asked, "Your Majesty is helping so earnestly... haven't we given the offering yet?"

"Oh." Ye Wuming said expressionlessly, "Offerings come in many types. As long as there is some sacrifice, it can be an offering. What are you willing to give?"

"How about this," Sanniang blinked her eyes, "we will try to fulfill one of Your Majesty's wishes..."

Ye Wuming hadn't intended to ask for any offering at all; she just wanted to solidify the excuse that "you invited me to help." She was already ready to leave without any offering, and now she couldn't be bothered to delve deeper. She waved her hand and said, "That's the best intention. I'll remember it. I'll wait for you to fulfill it."

With that, she vanished.

Huangfu Qing quietly leaned in and asked Sanniang, "What trick are you up to now?"

Sanniang carefully transmitted her thoughts: "She has so many wishes; fulfilling any one is the same... For example, giving her and our husband's child a complete home."

"Are you sure that's her wish?"

"Whether or not it's true—if it is, we'll be debt-free and light as air, and even earn merit greater than building a seven-tiered pagoda; if not, let her come bite me... I, Xuanwu, was once the traitor who incited Zhuque to apostasy—did you think I was some loyal martyr? The spectacle of the Night Emperor's fall is no less entertaining than Zhuque fighting her disciple over a man, is it?"

Huangfu Qing flicked her sleeves and left.

Who wouldn't want to see a spectacle? But could you just not bring up the bit about fighting over a man with a disciple?

Xia Chichi was still right there!

...

In truth, over there, Zhao Changhe and Ye Jiuyou were embracing among the clouds, whispering—not at all a romantic tryst, but discussing rather serious matters.

After all, Ye Jiuyou had feasted a couple of days ago and wasn't hungry now.

Since they had already reached the apex of the Imperial Realm's third stage, it was only natural to seek the Other Shore. Zhao Changhe had no desire to consult Ye Wuming, confirming her smugness about wanting to be his teacher after teaching just three sentences; of course, it was more fitting to ask his own wife first.

Ye Jiuyou had once been suppressed by Ye Wuming for an entire epoch, yet now her realm was no lower than Ye Wuming's—both were pseudo-Other Shore. If there were any gaps between her and Ye Wuming, they mainly lay in two points.

First, Ye Wuming roamed the myriad heavens, her knowledge vast. Ye Jiuyou had secretly ventured out in recent years—when Zhao Changhe awoke, she wasn't by his side because she had misjudged his awakening time and hadn't returned yet. But these thirty years of journeying couldn't compare to Ye Wuming's entire epoch of wandering; her experiences were far shallower, and at least she still hadn't found where Zhao Cuo was.

Second, Ye Wuming was, after all, merged with the Heavenly Book, so no one in this world could surpass her in power. But that was a victory in raw strength through the Heavenly Book; in terms of realm alone, she was indeed no different from Ye Jiuyou.

"If Ye Wuming names this realm the Other Shore, I agree," Ye Jiuyou said. "Aside from her annoying personality, her knowledge is beyond reproach."

Zhao Changhe asked, "In principle, the hallmark of this realm is breaking free from this world's cage... but theoretically, I never belonged to this cage—shouldn't I count as a born Other Shore? Yet I haven't found the path to break through, not even a feeling of it."

Ye Jiuyou replied, "Your uniqueness only means there's no barrier to this realm for you—you won't get stuck, nor do you need to seek extra enlightenment like those of this world. But breaking through still requires the accumulation of cultivation and the search for that key."

"Accumulation... I fear there's not enough time... How do I seek the key? Or rather, what is the concrete manifestation of this realm?" Zhao Changhe said. "In that battle thirty years ago, my greatest regret was not facing the Heavenly Dao directly, so I have no idea what this realm's proper expression should be."

Ye Jiuyou asked, "Can you now fold the bridge of time and space, roaming freely between realms like Ye Wuming does?"

"I can fold a spatial bridge, reaching beyond this world."

"Do you know the difference between that and Ye Wuming's ability?"

"Two things: first, I can't go too far—that's a difference in quantity, which can be caught up with further cultivation. Second, her folding includes time—she might reach any space on any timeline, while I can only manage space for now—that's a difference in quality. Am I right?"

As Zhao Changhe spoke, he thought to himself that this was also the ultimate goal of his arrival in this world. If he wanted to return to Earth, now that he knew the location, he could probably make it back, albeit with some extra effort. But to return to the exact moment he had traveled from—that he still couldn't do.

If time couldn't be altered, going back after these thirty-three years would mean his parents enduring the agony of a son missing for thirty-three years—the thought was heart-wrenching.

Above and below, the four directions, past and present, omnipresent... roaming freely through any time and space, coming and going at will—was this the true hallmark of the Other Shore?

Once again, Zhao Changhe recalled the sights after emerging from seclusion: ahead, Tang Buqi surrounded by children and grandchildren; behind, Tang Wanzhuang with her eternal youth... that moment's stirring, lingering until now.

So this wasn't just an insight of the Imperial Realm's third stage—this experience could extend all the way to the Other Shore.

The experience of traveling through ancient times with Piaomiao was also a weighty lesson, worth revisiting and pondering again.

Seeing him lost in thought, Ye Jiuyou smiled faintly and added, "The cognition and mastery of space and time are naturally one aspect... In this, I am inferior to Ye Wuming. But there are other manifestations that I possess and she lacks—would you like to see?"

Zhao Changhe snapped back to attention and laughed, "Of course."

"Then follow me." Ye Jiuyou took his hand, and with a flicker of her form, they descended straight to the Nine Nether Abyss.

In the endless gloom floated a colossal corpse, its end beyond sight. The flesh of the corpse had been entirely cleaved away by Lie's blade, leaving only a withered, mummified form, while the body had turned to steel—a standard corpse puppet.

This was once the land of the Spirit Clan.

Ye Jiuyou extended a finger to touch the steel-like surface of the corpse puppet. Zhao Changhe stared intently at the spot she touched, and to his surprise, the steel seemed to soften, regaining the elasticity of flesh.

"Is this... turning death into life?"

"No... I'm not resurrecting it. Or rather, I'm merely using it as a material. If it came to life, it would no longer be what it was—just like Void-Breaking Star Iron forged into Longque."

Zhao Changhe's heart stirred, as if grasping Ye Jiuyou's meaning.

Ye Jiuyou said softly, "I was born from chaos into order, from the gloom into light, from nothing into being... My path is not annihilation, but creation. This is my truth-seeking."

Zhao Changhe drew a deep breath: "So?"

"I am creating people." Ye Jiuyou smiled faintly. "Creation is the true divinity... For now, I still need such special materials to create—a bit awkward, hence the pseudo-Other Shore. If I can evolve to create from the void, or mold living beings from ordinary materials alone, then I will have reached the Other Shore."