Chapter 909: Shattered Divinity, Ascending the Other Shore

Chapter 909 Shattered Divinity, Stepping on the Other Shore

To separate the soul, it was naturally necessary to recall this fragmented spirit and operate with a complete soul, lest something go awry.

But recalling the fragment meant that this physical shell would once again lie like a corpse for a time, at the mercy of that scandalous pair.

Zhao Changhe was decent enough; he would not misbehave. Had he truly wished to, he could have plunged straight into the tub right now, and she, Ye Wuming, would have had no way to stop him. Yet Zhao Changhe clearly harbored no such intent. Leaving those words behind, he vanished outside to tease the Longque blade: "I've bullied her back for you."

Ye Wuming: "..."

Fine. If you consider that bullying, then so be it.

The ones who would truly run wild were Ye Jiuyou and Piaomiao; those two would stoop to any absurdity for revenge. Ye Wuming could entirely foresee what unprincipled antics would unfold once she lay inert; it was not beyond them to grab a rod and poke around maliciously.

Fortunately, she had not fallen into Piaomiao's hands during her demonic phase... The current Piaomiao was gentle of temperament and would not cross the line, even with old grudges.

Massaging her throbbing temples, Ye Wuming cast her awareness outside the room. Out there, Zhao Changhe cradled his blade, spinning tales for Ling Ruoyu and Longque.

He told mainly of the fairy tales from Zhao Village, things like the three little pigs—juvenile stories laden with profound meaning. They were ill-suited for the current ages of Ruoyu and Longque, yet surprisingly, both maidens listened with rapt attention.

Perhaps it was not because the stories were grand, but because a father was there to tell them.

As Ye Wuming watched, her gaze inadvertently softened into something quite gentle.

These past ten-odd days of agonizing existence no longer seemed so repulsive; there was even a faint, lingering reluctance. Perhaps when all divinity is cast down into the dust and transformed into mortality, one's thoughts and yearnings are forever altered.

Was this also a form of the complete dissolution of gods and Buddhas?

Was this also a way of stepping onto the other shore?

Whether it was agonizing or reluctant, tomorrow would finally draw the final punctuation mark.

Ye Wuming let out a sigh of shifting, inscrutable meaning and slowly stepped out of the tub. Her slender hand lightly brushed her smooth form, watching the water droplets vanish. In the night air, her jade-white body seemed to carry a hazy aura, exquisitely beautiful.

With a gentle turn, her vestments draped over her automatically. Ye Wuming stepped toward the couch, sitting cross-legged upon it, closing her eyes as she began preparing for her soul's return.

Yet for the longest time, her mind refused to settle. The soul's return meant surrendering the body; Ye Wuming wondered what purpose these vestments served, for how could they possibly remain intact?

In her heart, Zhao Changhe's final condition echoed once more: "When you are ready, come in."... In truth, those words scarcely needed saying; what she was doing now was precisely that.

To make every preparation, to welcome the soul back into the body, was also to welcome his entry within Ye Jiuyou's form.

A concept previously deliberately understated by both sides was now faced with absolute, vivid directness, and she herself had to utter the invitation.

Ye Wuming knew why Zhao Changhe wanted her to speak... Was it not precisely to shatter her divinity? Yet how much of her divinity remained now, even Ye Wuming could not say for certain.

Gradually, the fragmented soul returned, merging into Ye Jiuyou's body.

Ye Jiuyou was soaking in the lotus pool. Feeling Ye Wuming's soul become whole, she smiled: "Oh, you're back?"

Ye Wuming did not care to bandy words with her, speaking only of serious matters: "Are you certain that by separating now, you possess the confidence of the other shore?"

Ye Jiuyou laughed: "What is this? Are you reluctant to part now?"

Ye Wuming ignored her mockery, stating on her own: "A moment ago I lacked confidence, but at this moment I am suddenly filled with it, for I have found my missing self. If you require realization, I can share a piece of it with you; if not, then let us both hold our tongues."

Ye Jiuyou was somewhat surprised by her attitude and ceased her badgering, responding flatly: "I have long since understood."

Ye Wuming asked: "Then what of him?"

Ye Jiuyou was even more astonished. It took her quite a while before she lost herself in laughter: "You actually care whether he can break through?"

Ye Wuming replied calmly: "No matter what, his combat strength is required. Whether he breaks through or not is of grave consequence."

Deep within the sea of consciousness, Ye Jiuyou studied the sister before her from head to toe, her gaze filled with deep meaning.

Whether he breaks through is of grave consequence?

Had you, Ye Wuming, not always regarded yourself as the core of all things? Was it not enough that you broke through?

...

The following evening.

Ling Ruoyu turned and groaned as she carried Ye Wuming's soul-stript body, hauling it to the summit of the Star-Gazing Platform.

This was the place where the spiritual energy of the Night Palace flourished most, the nexus of all mysteries; choosing this location for any grand undertaking was optimal.

The sole issue was that if the undertaking happened to be that sort of business, it would mean using the sky as a curtain and the earth as a mat.

Ling Ruoyu set Ye Wuming's body down, arranging her into a proper cross-legged posture, her eyes darting about as she examined Ye Jiuyou.

The young girl knew her mother's complete soul was currently within Aunt Jiuyou's body, wondering if they were fighting again. On the surface, Aunt Jiuyou appeared quite calm, and her gaze toward Ling Ruoyu was exceptionally tender: "Ruoyu is here? ...By the way, what did you come here for?"

Ling Ruoyu muttered sheepishly: "I am a little worried about Mother. I always feel that since her body cannot move, she will be bullied."

Beside them, Piaomiao could not help but smile: "Are you afraid we will bully her? Have you come to protect her?"

Ling Ruoyu smiled apologetically: "The aunts naturally would not..."

The one you are guarding against is clearly us. Piaomiao sighed: "What sort of misunderstanding do you have about Ye Wuming now? Just because she was weak for a few days, have you completely forgotten her might?"

Ling Ruoyu scratched her head. Perhaps it was not that she forgot her might, but because affection had grown, anxiety followed.

She conjured an excuse: "Soul separation is such a monumental matter. Let me guard the array; consider it broadening my horizons."

Ye Jiuyou crossed her arms: "Do you even know what is about to happen that you wish to guard the array? This is no place for a child."

Ling Ruoyu countered: "When I was Xinghe, I watched you propped by the edge of the pool, swaying your hips, biting your finger as you looked back and said..."

This time, not only Ye Jiuyou, but even Piaomiao flushed crimson. Only then did they remember that Ling Ruoyu was no innocent blossom who knew nothing; she was Xinghe, and she knew every dark history of everyone present. Who dared mock Ye Wuming for being handled like a dog? At least she was passive and unwilling. Which of them here had not actively assumed the pose? Even she, Piaomiao, had done so...

Yet suppressing two aunts required paying a painful price. In the next breath, the young girl was wrapped into a ball by the joint strike of both aunts and hurled directly off the Star-Gazing Platform.

Within the sea of consciousness, Ye Wuming rolled around laughing: "Of all people to provoke, you dared provoke Xinghe, hahahaha..."

That Ruoyu could actually stand up for her mother filled Ye Wuming with profound gratification.

Ye Jiuyou's tone turned frosty: "Listen to yourself. The daughter has more experience than the mother; how can you, the mother, still laugh?"

Ye Wuming's laughter ended abruptly, and the two sisters fell into a fierce brawl once more within the sea of consciousness, tearing at each other's hair.

"Ahem." A dry cough sounded from Zhao Changhe nearby. He too had felt awkward while Ruoyu was present; now that the girl had been thrown out, he could finally speak: "Are you ready?"

The fighting within the sea of consciousness ceased instantly.

Ye Jiuyou wore a half-smile: "Naturally, we can begin at any time."

Why could they not allow Ling Ruoyu to remain and guard the array? Naturally because this matter had to be conducted during dual cultivation.

In truth, separating the soul alone did not strictly require dual cultivation. When Zhao Changhe previously separated Piaomiao and Cui Yuanyang, it was merely a friction of souls, akin to dual cultivation. Yet the manifestation of that friction upon the physical body differed in no way from the actual act, and the reaction might even be more severe; thus, it was better to engage in true dual cultivation. They had cultivated for so many days; what was there left to be squeamish about?

Furthermore, operating within dual cultivation possessed distinct value for Zhao Changhe himself.

This was the Ye sisters with a completely fused soul, wherein Ye Wuming no longer closed herself off but actively cooperated—entirely different from all prior instances. This was a true dual cultivation with a complete other shore; whether he could break through to the other shore depended entirely on this occasion.

Ye Jiuyou naturally claimed they could begin at any time, but Zhao Changhe kept his eyes on her, pressing further: "And you?"

This question was directed at Ye Wuming.

Within Ye Jiuyou's sea of consciousness, Ye Wuming clenched her fists until they nearly broke, uttering with forced composure: "I am ready."

The requirement was to say "I am ready, come in." Omiting the final three words was already the absolute limit of Ye Wuming's psychological preparation throughout the entire day. The moment the words left her mouth, she seemed to lighten significantly, letting go of a great weight.

In truth, it was merely so; what was there that could not be borne... Even Ye Jiuyou and Piaomiao, upon hearing these words, felt little vengeful pleasure; it seemed quite ordinary.

Zhao Changhe did not press her further: "Then... shall we begin?"

Ye Wuming offered no response, her soul coexisting quietly with Ye Jiuyou's as she watched Zhao Changhe step forward to embrace them, kissing Ye Jiuyou's lips, which was also kissing her own.

The purple skirt loosened and slid to the ground. Ye Wuming endured the trembling of her body, her mind barely drifting into the night sky, only then realizing that the heavens were their canopy, the earth their bed, with a gentle breeze blowing.

Beside them lay the Lotus Pond of the Night Palace, where once from this very angle she had thrown a punch, nearly killing Zhao Changhe.

And now he held her in his arms, kissing and fondling, slowly pushing her down and laying her flat upon... her own body.

There was no bed on the platform; Ye Wuming’s body was naturally the bed.

The ceremonial robe she had put on earlier was utterly meaningless; she didn’t even know when Piaomiao, assisting at the side, had stripped it off completely. The robe symbolizing the Night Emperor’s dragon regalia was nowhere to be found.

Zhao Changhe was already at the city gates, leaning close to ask again: “Are you ready?”

In a daze, Ye Wuming heard herself and Ye Jiuyou say in unison: “Ready, come in.”

The next moment, it was full and complete. The two sisters arched their necks in sync, their gazes fixed on the stars and moon above.

The Four Symbols shimmered, like several familiar faces blinking.

Zhao Changhe’s soul had already entered Ye Jiuyou’s sea of consciousness, where he could see the phantom images of the two sisters intertwined, looking at first glance like something out of Lovecraft—enough to make a man wilt. Fortunately, he had plenty of experience with this; the sisters’ attributes and auras were distinctly different, easy to tell apart.

His soul reached between them, carefully beginning to weave and separate.

Both sisters let out a moan at the same time.

The sensation of soul rubbing had always surpassed that of the flesh.

At the same time, the conductive effect of soul contact far exceeded the usual. The sisters’ meaning of the Other Shore intertwined within Zhao Changhe’s soul, the three of them permeating and branding each other, each leaving their mark.

If the Ye sisters had always been more divine than human, Zhao Changhe was the exact opposite.

They needed to shatter their divinity, for it came inherently from the spirit of the Heavenly Book. They were the Heavenly Dao of this world; to ascend to the Other Shore, they had to break free from the limitation of “this world” and step into a broader vision.

Zhao Changhe, on the other hand, needed divinity. Immortals must experience the mundane to taste human emotions, for they are immortals; ordinary mortals, no matter how immersed in emotion, remain mortal. Without a trace of divinity, he would forever be just a mortal martial artist, unable to gain the perspective of detachment and overlooking the world.

After waking from this thirty-year slumber, he already felt a strong, clear sense of detachment. After traveling beyond the realm with Ye Wuming and witnessing other worlds, this awareness became even more pronounced.

Now, holding the Heavenly Book, mastering a world, and facing enemies from beyond the realm head-on—if this is not the Other Shore, then what is?

The lack and fusion of both sides perfectly corresponded to the union of yin and yang, the natural order of the cosmos.

It seemed to lack just a bit of catalyst to bind them together... Even the Taiji needed to spin.

At that moment, Piaomiao shed her clothes, embraced Zhao Changhe, and kissed his lips.

The life force of all beings poured into it; transcendence was for the sake of protection.

In the void of the cosmos, a book floated, gradually bursting into brilliant golden light, shining like a star.

The body of Ye Wuming, lying beneath as a bed, opened its eyes. Her soul had been cut out and returned to its original vessel, and with it, the spirit of the Heavenly Book returned. It was Ye Jiuyou who had given it back...

Ye Wuming stared fixedly at Ye Jiuyou, who was stacked on top of her: “Why give it back to me? You are the original Heavenly Dao.”

Ye Jiuyou had driven the sister from her sea of consciousness and was now enjoying the comfort of dual cultivation alone. Her eyes and face were full of spring, and she answered breathlessly: “You have been fused with the Heavenly Book for so long; if you were separated, you might not reach the Other Shore. I am different; since my awakening, I have had little to do with the Heavenly Book.”

Ye Wuming: “...”

Ye Jiuyou said: “If you want to thank me, then lie still and be a good mattress for me.”

Ye Wuming pursed her lips, feeling her sister’s movements against her body. She thought to push her away but remained still for a long time, as if too lazy to move.

After all, she was used to it.

Closing her eyes to look inward, the energy within her body was not only surging and growing but also subtly changing in quality.

She could sense the Heavenly Book beginning to connect with the cosmos, no longer a mere realm derived from it, but existing parallel to the universe, like one star among many in the starry sky.

Her perspective rested upon it, encircling the surroundings. Countless stars stood guard, constructing the Four Symbols ritual around her, with the Milky Way suspended in the sky.

The endless darkness within the starry domain—that was the bottomless abyss of the Nine Nether.

The Ye sisters parted, both ascending to the Other Shore.

At that moment, all martial artists under heaven could feel that the world’s spiritual energy seemed to have thickened by three parts, and even the stars in the sky became clearer, as if the resolution had been raised.

If one looked from the perspective of the cosmos, they might see a phantom in the starry domain, carrying a broadsword on his back, a wine flask at his waist, a phantom Heavenly Book in his hand, and a divine sword suspended above its pages. Behind him was a star chart of the heavens, outlined by the Four Symbols, with blood energy swirling to form a background dharma image.

Like a god, like a demon.

Zhao Changhe stepped through the gate of the Other Shore, after thirty-three years.

At that moment, rain fell from the sky. According to meteorological observations, there should have been no rain. No one knew what it was.