Zhu Qinglan walked closer. She sat on a silk cushion three zhang away from Zhi Xuan, closing her eyes and allowing her cold yet pure aura to spread, resonating with the tranquility enveloping the room. She did not speak, simply waiting for Zhi Xuan to complete his initial recovery.

  Several cycles of Law rotation passed. Zhi Xuan opened his eyes slowly. His face, which had been deathly pale, had returned to a healthy wheat complexion. The cracks in his bones had closed, and his Sea of Consciousness felt more stable than ever before. The Weight of the Sacred Passage left by the Patriarch had performed an unimaginable restoration. He turned toward Zhu Qinglan, whose eyes were now open, watching him with an intense, light gray gaze.

  "Holy Fairy Zhu, thank you for your clan's help and protection," Zhi Xuan greeted. His voice had returned to normal, though after decades of not meeting, he still felt a sense of awkwardness being alone with a woman.

  Zhu Qinglan nodded slowly. There was no smile, but the ripples of anxiety she had felt earlier had vanished, replaced by a cold composure. She allowed the silence to continue for a moment, as if giving Zhi Xuan time to fully emerge from the vortex of recovery.

  "Do not thank me," Zhu Qinglan replied, her tone flat yet carrying the weight of truth. "Father moved not just for you. Father moved for Heaven and Earth. The karma of oppressing an Ancient Race is not something this mortal Plain can endure."

  The silence returned; no one spoke or answered afterward. Zhi Xuan simply stared at Zhu Qinglan, his sapphire blue eyes meeting her light gray ones directly. Meanwhile, Zhu Qinglan studied a Zhi Xuan who was the same yet different; the black hair of the past had turned into a silvery white, making it appear as though Zhi Xuan had undergone extreme destruction during his journey.

  "You..." Zhu Qinglan began again, clutching her robes tightly. "You achieved the perfection of the Five Elements in just a few decades; you succeeded. And you have shaken this Plain just as I predicted."

  Zhi Xuan smiled thinly. That smile seemed to carry the hundreds of cycles he had passed through, contrasting with his youthful face. He raised his hand, and the Snow Phoenix Jade that bound his hair came loose, letting his long silver hair flutter. The Snow Phoenix Jade slid into Zhi Xuan's palm.

  "I always remembered you through this," Zhi Xuan replied calmly, showing the Snow Phoenix Jade to Zhu Qinglan. "You bound my hair with this; how could I not keep the promise you gave?"

  Zhi Xuan moved his finger. The light of the Snow Phoenix Jade in his palm radiated a pure coldness, like the first dew on the peak of an ancient mountain, contrasting with his Primal Earth and Extreme Ice aura. Zhu Qinglan stared at the jade, the pupils of her light gray eyes showing almost invisible ripples.

  That jade was a mortal artifact she had given as a token of a promise when she was about to enter closed-door cultivation to reach Soul Transformation. A bond that, she had assumed, would be forgotten by a bloodthirsty Devil like Zhi Xuan. Yet even now, Zhi Xuan still wore the Snow Phoenix Jade and said he still remembered her.

  She turned her back to Zhi Xuan, no longer looking at him because she felt that strange feeling resurfacing just from his actions. Zhu Qinglan closed her eyes, letting the awkward warmth arising from Zhi Xuan's words and actions subside. She exhaled, a breath that carried the scent of Pure Ice.

  "That silver hair," Zhu Qinglan said, her voice returning to its controlled cold tone, but slightly softer than usual. "It is the color of unimaginable destruction. You... what did you do?"

  Zhi Xuan placed the Snow Phoenix Jade back in his palm, letting its warmth calm the strange sensation he felt from Zhu Qinglan. He knew Zhu Qinglan would not miss such a fundamental change. He floated the Snow Phoenix Jade back to bind his hair, sighing softly before answering.

  "The Northern Continent, only when I meditated atop the Extreme Ice Mountains," Zhi Xuan replied calmly, staring at Zhu Qinglan's slender back. "Understanding the Extreme Ice Law caused me to be frozen for three years, resulting in this change."

  Zhu Qinglan, whose back radiated the tranquility of Pure Water, did not turn around. She knew Zhi Xuan's lie was seamless, yet the weight of karma he bore far exceeded a three-year freeze. Zhi Xuan's voice was calm, but Zhu Qinglan felt the resonance of primal destruction from that silver hair. She had seen extreme changes in Daoist Tie Shan, but the change in Zhi Xuan felt eternal, as if he had endured cycles of life and death beneath the ice of the Heavens.

  "The Extreme Ice Mountains in the Northern Continent," Zhu Qinglan murmured, her tone not accusing, but merely reassembling the puzzle. "I understand. However, the Devil I know never lied to me, even if he lied to the entire mortal world."

  Zhi Xuan fell silent. He knew he could not hide the truth from this woman whose back was turned to him, who as a Holy Princess understood the movements and analyzed the honesty of the Dao. He exhaled, and the voice he produced sounded hoarse, like the voice of an ascetic who had just left an isolation cave after thousands of years.

  "Qinglan," Zhi Xuan called calmly, no longer using the title of Holy Fairy. "The understanding of Destruction for Rebirth always brings change. I did not just understand and borrow the Laws of Nature, but I tried to become them."

  Zhi Xuan closed his eyes for a moment, letting the words sink into the silence. He knew Zhu Qinglan was the only one capable of seeing through the thin veil of lies he used to protect himself. He reached out his hand, and the spiritual essence around him swirled.

  "You see the karmic threads wrapped around me, Qinglan. That weight does not just come from the Black Dragon Tomb, but from a place where Destruction and Birth are separated only by a hair's breadth," Zhi Xuan explained, staring at Zhu Qinglan with a gaze full of understanding. "This silver hair is a scar from the destruction I received while trying to touch a realm beyond mortal Order."

  Zhu Qinglan remained with her back to Zhi Xuan. She did not need to turn around. Every word spoken by Zhi Xuan, every resonance of that hoarse voice, was enough to touch her Sea of Consciousness and engrave the truth there. She felt the weight coiling around Zhi Xuan, no longer just a bond of resentment, but a thick karmic thread woven with a complete cycle of life and death.

  "I hate you," Zhu Qinglan murmured with a subtle tremor in her voice, exhaling softly. "You never know your direction and challenge everything alone. And do not call me that."

  Zhi Xuan smiled thinly, a silent little laugh creeping onto his face. He was not offended by Zhu Qinglan's words; rather, he understood. Zhu Qinglan bore the weight of Order and the Ancient Clan; his impulsive nature, especially that which challenged destruction for rebirth, must feel like a threat to the karmic bond he had formed with her.

  "Qinglan," Zhi Xuan called again, ignoring her warning entirely. "Congratulations on the Soul Transformation you achieved; you truly succeeded with that."

  Zhu Qinglan turned around instantly. She could no longer contain the turmoil caused by Zhi Xuan's words and tone. Her cold, white face now flushed faintly behind the layer of Pure Ice surrounding her aura. Her light gray eyes radiated a spark of suppressed anger and a hint of unconscious relief.

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  "You! Must you always act like a wilderness Devil with no common sense?" Zhu Qinglan hissed, her voice now slightly higher than usual, breaking the silence of the peaceful Pavilion. "You challenged a Peak Divine Transformation in front of the entire Plain, using a Golden Dragon as a shield! Do you know how close you were to death?! I felt the karmic thread in my Sea of Consciousness almost snap!"

  She rose and, with burning anger, stepped toward Zhi Xuan until she was directly in front of him, pushing him so that he fell backward and she was on top of him. Zhu Qinglan gripped the collar of Zhi Xuan's robe tightly, her light gray eyes slightly tearing up. She truly did not understand the mind of the man she was bound to.

  "Do you understand how much you made me keep thinking you were going to die?" Zhu Qinglan hissed, her voice trembling with suppressed emotion. The Pure Ice coiling around her aura rippled wildly, nearly freezing the air around them. "You are a fool! A complete fool!"

  Zhi Xuan, now lying with Zhu Qinglan on top of him, simply stared at the majesty of the Pavilion beautifully painted on the ceiling, then he looked into Zhu Qinglan's tearing eyes. He did not resist her grip or the pressure of her anger. He allowed the anger to flow, understanding that this was a manifestation of the destiny bond he had planted long ago.

  "I know, Qinglan," Zhi Xuan replied, his voice calm, carrying a resonance of silence that contrasted with the storm above him. He raised his hand and placed it gently over Zhu Qinglan's hand that was gripping his collar. The touch had no spiritual power, only a simple warmth.

  Zhu Qinglan's hand, which had been gripping tightly, loosened instantly, startled by the mortal warmth flowing from Zhi Xuan's palm. The Pure Ice turbulent around her subsided immediately, like a storm forced to submit to the silence of winter. She stared at Zhi Xuan's hand on top of hers, then back into his sapphire blue eyes, which now radiated deep wisdom.

  In that gaze, Zhu Qinglan no longer saw a bloodthirsty wilderness Devil, but a hermit who had passed through countless destructions yet returned with a firmer Dao. She saw the reason behind the silver hair and the weight behind the words. The tears that had gathered evaporated, replaced by confusion mixed with relief.

  "You..." Zhu Qinglan whispered, her strength to maintain her anger gone, replaced by a suppressed desperation. "You promised not to take unnecessary risks."

  "Everything was necessary, Qinglan," Zhi Xuan corrected hoarsely, his voice slightly constricted by the weight of Zhu Qinglan upon him. "The Dao will not be understood if I merely set foot on it; I must exist and feel the Destruction offered by an understanding. Though I am covered in blood, I always return with the Heavenly Path."

  Zhi Xuan only smiled thinly, a smile that carried a hint of amusement and deep tranquility. He let the suffocating silence sink in, feeling the physical and emotional burden of Zhu Qinglan resting upon him; this was truly unlike the Zhu Qinglan who had once fallen asleep in his lap.

  "I have died, Qinglan," Zhi Xuan whispered, his voice returning to calm, like water flowing under ancient ice. He let Zhu Qinglan see the truth in his blue eyes. "I have died many times within the vortex of the Dao. This silver hair is a scar, a monument to the destruction I received when I obtained this Five Element perfection foundation."

  Zhu Qinglan was stunned. The weight of truth contained in Zhi Xuan's whisper was far heavier than Shi Xuan's Divine Transformation pressure. Those words, spoken with total calm, tore through her layers of defense. A monument to destruction. It was the perfect poetic name for Zhi Xuan's silver hair.

  She looked behind Zhi Xuan's eyes, and indeed, she felt layers of ancient death hidden within his Sea of Consciousness, a wound that could only be reached by those who had crossed the boundary between life and death. She immediately released her grip on Zhi Xuan's collar, her body staggering back. She rose from atop Zhi Xuan quickly, standing awkwardly and turning her body away.

  Zhi Xuan himself exhaled heavily and immediately stood up. He reached out and smoothly pulled Zhu Qinglan's wrist, turning her to face him. Zhi Xuan grasped her slender waist and leaned his body forward. Bringing his face close to hers, his sapphire blue eyes stared into her light gray ones that radiated confusion.

  The Pure Ice aura that always enveloped Zhu Qinglan suddenly surged, but quickly subsided under the dominance of Zhi Xuan's more stable Primal Earth and Extreme Ice aura. The distance now between them was no more than a hair's breadth, so close that Zhu Qinglan could feel Zhi Xuan's warm and calm breath, contrasting with the cold that always surrounded her.

  "Sometimes," Zhi Xuan whispered hoarsely, his gaze piercing through Zhu Qinglan as if he were giving her a flashback of their past. "I always thought you considered me your pawn. But now, seeing the concern in your eyes, I can barely contain myself."

  Zhu Qinglan was silent, her slender body stiff in Zhi Xuan's embrace. The Pure Ice aura protecting her felt shaky. She had always viewed Zhi Xuan as the most unpredictable pawn, a wild variable that made her curious. However, witnessing the man kneel, almost crushed under Divine Transformation pressure, the ripple flowing in her Sea of Consciousness was pure concern, not calculation.

  Her white face flushed completely, and she felt her Dao heart beating with an irregular rhythm, a rhythm she had not felt in a long time since she reached Soul Transformation and purified her Soul. She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to regain her lost self-control.

  "Release me, Zhi Xuan," Zhu Qinglan hissed, her voice containing a warning tone. She tried to move her body, but Zhi Xuan's hand on her waist felt firm, not with raw strength, but with the unshakable weight of Primal Earth, making it difficult to rebel.

  "No," Zhi Xuan replied calmly, tightening his embrace slightly, pulling Zhu Qinglan closer until he could feel the subtle vibration of her body. "You came to me with anger, Qinglan. You always do. Did you know? The jade you gave has saved me many times."

  Zhi Xuan raised his free hand, gently touching the Snow Phoenix Jade that bound his silver hair. That action, instead of soothing, further disrupted Zhu Qinglan's Sea of Consciousness. She held her breath, letting Zhi Xuan's warmth and weight sink in, suppressing the surge of Pure Ice within her.

  "You are boasting," Zhu Qinglan replied, her voice very soft, as if afraid it would break if she raised it. "That jade is merely a mortal artifact, a remnant from a weak past. How could it possibly save you from Lightning and Fire?"

  "Not its power, Qinglan," Zhi Xuan whispered, leaning his head closer, his lips nearly touching her earlobe. The cold from his silver hair now clashed with the warmth of his breath. "Every time destruction neared, that jade reminded me of the promise stored within it. A promise to someone who asked me to return safely. And a promise is the life thread of a Devil like me."

  A promise. That word pierced through Zhu Qinglan's Soul Transformation defense, resonating with the Dao oath she had planted within herself. She had never thought that Zhi Xuan, whose Dao was filled with lies and deception in the eyes of the world, would hold so tightly to a simple mortal promise.

  She felt the stiffness in her shoulders vanish. Her hatred for Zhi Xuan's insane risks was just a cover for her own fear. Fear of losing an irreplaceable Dao Protector. Fear of the snapping of the karmic thread wrapped around them. Zhu Qinglan closed her eyes, letting herself lean slightly against Zhi Xuan's chest, feeling that stable Primal Earth weight. She let the sandalwood scent of the Pavilion and the scent of Earth and Ice from Zhi Xuan fill her senses.

  "I do not want to lose you," Zhu Qinglan murmured, her voice faint yet containing rare honesty. It was an acknowledgment not addressed to Zhi Xuan, but to her own Dao. "You, with all your madness, are the only thing that makes me want to keep hitting you."

  Zhi Xuan smiled thinly, a silent laugh creeping onto his face. He understood. Zhu Qinglan's words were the highest praise a Holy Princess bound to an Ancient Clan's Order could give. He raised his other hand, embracing Zhu Qinglan fully. That peace and unspoken feeling lasted for some time.

  THUD! THUD!

  A subtle thumping sound suddenly broke the silence; there, Zhu Yanghai and Ao Sheng were seen peeking from the Side Pavilion door, but Ao Sheng, being too noisy, stamped his foot too hard and created a subtle thud beneath him that startled both Zhi Xuan and Zhu Qinglan.

  Zhu Qinglan jumped instantly. The warmth surrounding her evaporated in a split second, replaced by a wave of embarrassing heat. She quickly pushed Zhi Xuan away, releasing the embrace as if his touch were a burning ember.

  She stepped back several paces, turned around, and her cold Pure Ice aura now exploded with doubled strength, rebuilding the defensive wall she had just torn down. Her once flushed face returned to a cold ice-white hue. Her light gray eyes shot a lethal glare toward the Side Pavilion door.

  "Zhu Yanghai!" Zhu Qinglan hissed, her voice containing sharp Water and Ice Laws, nearly freezing the air around her.

  Zhu Yanghai, caught in the act of peeking, immediately pulled himself back with a agile movement typical of a Holy Son, pulling along the confused-looking Ao Sheng behind him. His boisterous, amused laughter sounded awkward from behind the wall.

  "Ah, forgive me, Brother-in-law, and my dear Sister!" Zhu Yanghai called from behind the Side Pavilion, his tone forcedly cheerful. "I just wanted to check if this Little Dragon was alright and not too lonely! We will return in three cycles of Law rotation!"