I looked at the expression of the Cosmic Sovereign. His eyes held a trace of detachment, and not once from beginning to end had his emotions changed in the slightest. Presumably, to him, Jiang Shunhua was merely one among countless straw dogs. In his heart, perhaps only heaven, earth, and the cosmos were one; everything else was shattered.
"If you want to return, then return. But wouldn't it be better for you to stay here?" the Cosmic Sovereign asked.
Jiang Shunhua shook her head and sighed bitterly. "Shunhua has waited a long time for this day... At first, Shunhua took it all in stride, but later..."
"All right, then there's no need to say anything else. Just come back." The Cosmic Sovereign agreed far more readily than I had expected. He had not gone against Jiang Shunhua—or rather, he felt that this was a matter too small to be any smaller.
"Really...?" But upon hearing this, joy already showed between Jiang Shunhua's brows, and the happiness in her heart was plain to see.
Jiang Shunhua had helped me far too much. I actually supported her returning to the place she wanted to go; I was merely reluctant to part with her. Since she was so happy, I would be happy for her as well.
"However, to return, you'll have to pass through the territories demarcated by the various Immortal Venerables. You still have a rough road ahead of you. Otherwise, why not stay here and return after I reunite the entire Dao-Proving Heaven?" The smile of the Cosmic Sovereign seemed utterly free of impurities, but to me, the Three Clarities, and Shining Moon, his words sounded unbearably grating. They meant that we would certainly be among the targets he intended to devour.
"No... Shunhua can't stay here any longer. Shunhua