Zhang Mingyuan swept the book into his hand and read it carefully.
The book recorded events from the ancient era, specifically one hundred thousand years ago, regarding a cataclysmic war known as the “Calamity of Annihilation.”
One hundred thousand years ago, Red Dust Immortals were not the only ones who existed in this world... or rather, back then, immortals were simply immortals.
In those days, there were even realms above immortals: Immortal Kings and Immortal Emperors.
Reading up to this point, Zhang Mingyuan suddenly thought of the emperors lying in their coffins within the “Twin Tribulation” space. They must have possessed the cultivation of Immortal Emperors.
After all, when he shared cultivation back then, he had been at the Half-Immortal Realm. He could sense that the difference between their aura and a Red Dust Immortal was greater than the distance between heaven and earth.
According to the book, the “Calamity of Annihilation” was a tragic war waged by the living beings of the Xuanling Realm to resist an “indescribable, bizarre disaster” that had descended from beyond the domain.
In this great war, countless mighty experts from various races perished, and immortals and Immortal Kings fell one after another. Even when the nine emperors joined forces, they were no match for that entity.
Just as the entire world fell into absolute despair, believing that all things were destined to return to nothingness, a sword appeared out of nowhere.
It was a slender, dark-red greatsword. A heart-stopping, faint light of annihilation flowed along its length, as if it carried the death and end of all worlds in the universe.
When the sword appeared, the ominous aura and death energy it exuded were actually a thousand times more terrifying than the bizarre disaster from beyond.
At that moment, the living beings of the Xuanling Realm fell into even deeper despair, believing they were facing their final destruction.
But to their surprise, the sword was not an enemy!
Unleashing supreme death energy and desolation, the sword swept away everything in its path, driving the indescribable disaster completely out of the Xuanling Realm!
Ultimately, the entire world was saved!
However, the Xuanling Realm suffered fundamental damage as a result, losing the “immortal Dao source energy” that maintained high-tier planes, causing the world's status to drop.
Those who achieved immortality afterward could only trigger the Gate of Ascension of the upper realm by undergoing the immortal tribulation, drawing down the immortal Dao source energy to bathe themselves and become the slightly inferior Red Dust Immortals.
Or, they could ascend directly through the Gate of Ascension to become Heavenly Immortals.
In such cases, most people would choose to ascend and become Heavenly Immortals. After all, the status of a Red Dust Immortal was limited by the current Xuanling Realm.
Consequently, almost no immortals remained in the world after that.
As for the nine emperors, their origins had been depleted from resisting that entity, and they had all reached their twilight years.
The Heavenly Dao, grateful for their contributions, bestowed the Emperor Burial Coffins to seal and preserve the nine emperors.
Having read all this, Zhang Mingyuan finally understood.
He knew it. That stubborn woman...
He had sensed that something was wrong the very first time Su Jinxue coughed!
How could a Red Dust Immortal cough? Even he, a Mahayana Stage cultivator, didn't cough!
In the illusion, Su Jinxue had suffered a severe Dao injury because she gave up her Heavenly Immortal status and forcibly shattered the Gate of Ascension.
In reality, she must have chosen to ascend at first. After all, the current status of a Red Dust Immortal was lower than that of an ascended Heavenly Immortal!
And since that woman was usually extremely prideful, she would absolutely never show anyone that she had suffered a Dao injury from giving up her ascension!
So that was indeed the case... She was severely injured...
His brow furrowed deeply, and suddenly—he realized something!
Wait! She had changed so much recently and had been in such a hurry to marry him...
“Oh no! This damn Dao injury must be irreversible. Su Jinxue doesn't have much time left!”
“Dammit! Why didn't that stubborn woman tell me about something like this?!”
Zhang Mingyuan was furious, but beneath his anger, his heart ached with a dull throb.
Why? Why did things have to turn out this way?
A single tear slipped silently from the corner of his eye, splashing onto the ancient page and leaving a damp ring.
He stood in silence inside the Scripture Pavilion for a very long time.
Had he only just gotten married, only to become a widower?
It had to be...
That ice-cold woman was usually so fierce, yet now she was actually “afraid” of consummating their marriage. It had to be because of this Dao injury.
Consummation would affect a woman's dantian, which was the very core of a cultivator's origin.
Su Jinxue's injury had damaged her origin, and it was incredibly severe and irreversible...
Thinking of this,
he felt completely lost. A wave of profound sorrow surged from the depths of his heart.
It was as if an invisible hand was squeezing his heart in a vice grip, making it hard to breathe.
Quietly, he closed the book, gently patted the dust off its cover, walked back to the shelf, and returned it to its exact place, just as meticulously as he had taken it out.
He stood there in a daze for a long time, completely deflated, as if all his energy and spirit had been drained away.
He didn't even know how he had walked out of the Scripture Pavilion. By the time he snapped back to reality, he was already over a thousand miles away from Myriad Snow Palace.
He didn't dare go back and confront Su Jinxue. He was afraid of hearing the truth from her own mouth...
If he did, there would be absolutely no room left for hope...
“Heh...” Under the clear blue sky, he let out a bitter laugh.
To think he was actually such a coward... clinging to blind hope.
He was truly too weak. He was only in the Mahayana Stage.
The woman he loved was injured, and he could do nothing to help.
He could only wander outside like a stray dog, wallowing in his own despair.
Suddenly, he accelerated, turning into a streak of light as he shot toward the Taixu Sacred Ground.
He felt suffocated. He needed a drink!
...
In the Boundless Realm beyond the Heavens of the Taixu Sacred Ground, the sea of clouds churned.
Two old friends sat facing each other. Lingxuzi, dressed in a snow-white long robe, was leisurely pouring wine for Zhang Mingyuan.
“What's the matter, groom? You just got married, yet you look so miserable. Could it be that your bride was too energetic last night and you couldn't handle it?”
Lingxuzi's tongue was as sharp as ever.
Zhang Mingyuan slammed his hand on the table and downed the freshly poured wine in one gulp!
“Another cup!”
Startled, Lingxuzi looked at Zhang Mingyuan. Without saying a word, he poured him another cup.
Zhang Mingyuan raised the cup and downed it.
“Again!”
He poured, raised the cup, and downed it.
“Again! No, forget it!”
Zhang Mingyuan snatched the wine jar, tilted it back, and began chugging it straight from the opening!
The crisp wine trickled down his chin, soaking his green robe.
One jar, two jars, three jars...
Just like that, Zhang Mingyuan drank an untold amount of Saint-grade fine wine, until he began to sway unsteadily.
He reached for more, but Lingxuzi snatched the jar away.
“Alright, Old Zhang. If there's something on your mind, just spit it out. Your brother will help you figure something out!”
Looking at this brother who had been willing to risk his life to save him in the Illusionary Heart Abyss, Zhang Mingyuan's eyes welled with tears. He lunged forward and hugged Lingxuzi tightly.
For the first time, he cried in front of his brother. His tears flowed like a broken dam, soaking Lingxuzi's shoulder.
“Brother, my heart hurts so much!”
“Spit it out, Old Zhang. Your brother will go through fire and water with you!”
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