If I Don't Cherish Her, Who Will?

Taiyin Goddess Wangshu!

Her origin was that of a Chaos Demon God, and she wielded the Taiyin Dao.

When Pangu opened Heaven and Earth, the three thousand Chaos Demon Gods followed the tide of destiny and tried to stop him, ultimately unleashing a bloody slaughter. Wangshu, too, could not escape grave injury.

Fortunately, Wangshu had not perished.

However, in Lingxiao's view, if no one helped her dissolve the tangled web of ominous laws, this Taiyin Goddess would soon fade away like a fallen flower.

"Fellow Daoist, you know of me?"

Wangshu's figure shifted slightly as she opened her eyes.

Her nearly depleted origin trembled, and a ripple returned to her dull eyes. After suffering calamities for countless ages, she had finally found a chance to resolve them.

In the blink of an eye!

Wangshu appeared before Lingxiao out of thin air, less than half a foot away from him.

Lingxiao vaguely had the illusion that Wangshu's full breasts were about to press against him. Her faint, elusive fragrance made his soul sway.

That was right—Lingxiao felt that the bottom line he had maintained as an old cadre was undergoing a cruel test!

Her figure was graceful, her fair, slender legs light as a crane's. Her skin was whiter than snow, and even within the dim Chaos Void, it seemed smooth and lustrous like congealed cream.

Her willow-leaf brows curved gently, her starry eyes resembled clear springs, and her vermilion lips were red without rouge.

She wore a moon-white gauze dress, its hem fluttering without wind. A pale blue sash cinched her waist, lending a touch of liveliness to her gentle temperament.

"Fellow Daoist Wangshu, why did you summon me here?"

"Dao Ancestor Hongjun united himself with the Dao and protects the myriad realms of the Primordial World. Fellow Daoist, your origin is that of a Chaos Demon God. Even if you leave this Chaos space, I fear you will face obstruction."

"Why not tell me first why you are trapped here?"

Lingxiao wore a friendly expression as he asked calmly.

Addressing her as Fellow Daoist was a small calculation on his part.

Taiyin Goddess Wangshu had once been a supreme existence who wielded the Taiyin Dao. Though she was now in a miserable state, a starving camel was still bigger than a horse.

If he could forge a good karmic bond with her, it would be no bad thing!

At his words, conflict flashed through Wangshu's eyes, but she quickly explained the whole story to Lingxiao.

"During the Heaven-Opening Calamity, my origin was damaged, and I nearly perished. Relying on my natal supreme treasure, I wished to enter the newly born Primordial World. Yet, whether intentionally or not, Pangu directly sealed me within this Chaos Void."

"After Pangu perished, this Chaos Void formed a connection with the Lunar Star, and my origin gradually began to leak away."

"But none of that is important. The Chaos Sha Qi, karmic sin, ominous slaughter karma, lingering remnants of Chaos Demon Gods' wills... and all sorts of other energies from the Heaven-Opening Calamity have been eroding my Primordial Spirit."

The painful memories made Wangshu's delicate body tremble.

Even as the Taiyin Goddess who wielded the Taiyin Dao, she had no wish to experience the Heaven-Opening Calamity again.

Pangu had been far too powerful!

His suffocating pressure was something no Chaos Demon God could resist!

Changing the subject, Wangshu continued, "I did try to save myself. Using immense divine power, I created an avatar and spared no expense of my already scant origin to send it into the Primordial World. Yet in the end, it died at the hands of Beast Emperor Shen Ni."

"Now, my origin is nearly exhausted, and my Primordial Spirit and true spirit are nearly extinguished. The Dao you cultivate can help me escape my present predicament."

"As for Dao Ancestor Hongjun, I will have a way to deal with him!"

Her words fell.

Wangshu stared at Lingxiao, her gaze unreadable.

Listening to Wangshu's experiences, Lingxiao shook his head. In his eyes, this was simply too miserable.

Rather than being eroded by all manner of ominous laws until she was destroyed, she might as well have died beneath the Pangu Axe back then. At least that would have been quick and clean.

Chaos Demon Gods like Yin-Yang Ancestor and Cosmos Daoist had at least survived until the Dao-Demon Conflict, but Wangshu's avatar had met its end during the Beast Calamity. It was truly both melodramatic and tragic.

"A tragic past, a shattered woman—if I don't cherish her, who will?"

Lingxiao's thoughts stirred as he looked Wangshu over.

The moment he had encountered Wangshu, a string deep within his heart had been quietly plucked. Faint threads of affection surged beneath the surface. Wherever his gaze fell, only she entered his eyes.

His expression turning slightly solemn, Lingxiao slowly said, "I enjoy Heavenly Dao fortune and authority, and with supreme power, I can help you break free from Pangu's power. But to cleanse away every ominous law, you will need to endure some pain."

Hearing Lingxiao's words, Wangshu fell into thought.

Then!

Wangshu gently nodded. "Then I shall trouble you, Fellow Daoist."

"However, may I ask Fellow Daoist's name?"

Only then did Wangshu remember this matter. An imperceptible blush rose to her pretty face. After all, she had sought Lingxiao's help, yet even now, she did not know his name.

"Lingxiao!"

Lingxiao spoke two words, then headed straight for the center of the Chaos Void. It was where all kinds of energy converged, with immense amounts of Taiyin origin and laws surging there as well.

Sitting cross-legged in the void, Lingxiao circulated the Primordial Beginning Dao Scripture. At once, the Twenty-Four-Grade Purifying White Lotus bloomed in space, and rays of holy radiance dissolved slaughter karma, ominous causality, killing qi, and more.

Miserable screams echoed from within the energy storm.

They were the voices of the lingering remnants of Chaos Demon Gods' wills. At this moment, Lingxiao was destroying them.

Purification-Creation Dao!

A startling phenomenon appeared, as though the primordial chaos was splitting open and Chaos itself was being born.

Ancient runes and divine patterns were like sharp blades, relentlessly severing the ominous energies that clung like maggots to bone. Cold sweat ran down Wangshu's forehead, for these ominous energies had long since connected with her soul.

Had Lingxiao not wielded the Purification-Creation Dao, using holy radiance to suppress the restless energies within her body, her soul would have collapsed by now.

"Primordial Heaven-Measuring Ruler, sever!"

"Star Chain Imprisons Heaven!"

Lingxiao's Daoist robe fluttered lightly. The Primordial Heaven-Measuring Ruler transformed into a streak of flowing light that flashed through the Chaos Void, severing Wangshu's connection to every ominous law and energy.

Afterward, countless starlights turned into chains. Empowered by the Purification-Creation Dao, they bound all those laws and energies completely.

Time flowed on, and winds and clouds changed.

Seen from billions of miles away, the resplendent starfield only grew more dazzling. Every energy harming Wangshu's origin, true spirit, Primordial Spirit, and body was stripped away by Lingxiao and sealed within a corner of the Chaos Void.

"Primordial Beginning Dao Scripture!"

Lingxiao circulated his cultivation method, constantly restoring his divine power and keeping himself at his peak, so that Wangshu could suffer a little less pain.

Time passed, and several months sped by in succession.

With practiced ease, Lingxiao helped Wangshu clear away the final trace of energy within her body. Then, with a flash, he left this starfield formed from Taiyin origin and laws.

"Thank you, Fellow Daoist Lingxiao!"

"For saving my life, this palace shall never forget your grace!"

Wangshu's voice rang out, filled with excitement.

In an instant, Taiyin origin and laws surged into her body. The starfield spanning billions of miles vanished in the blink of an eye, replaced by Wangshu's steadily strengthening aura.

Peak Great Luo Golden Immortal, early Primordial Golden Immortal, middle Primordial Golden Immortal!

"Terrifying indeed!"

"After enduring the trials of countless ages, Wangshu could still rely on her remaining origin and laws to become a middle-stage Primordial Golden Immortal on the spot. How powerful must she have been during the Heaven-Opening Calamity?"

Lingxiao sucked in a cold breath and could not help but sigh.

If Wangshu had broken free of her shackles at the beginning of the Primordial World's creation, she would likely have become a Primordial Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal by now. Of course, during the Dao-Demon Conflict, she would have needed to flee into the Chaos Void to escape Dao Ancestor Hongjun's schemes.

The great powers reincarnated from Chaos Demon Gods, including Yin-Yang Ancestor and Cosmos Daoist, had become Dao Ancestor Hongjun's chess pieces during the Dao-Demon Conflict, meeting the end of body and Dao alike.

Only Patriarch Yang Mei had fled far into Chaos, his whereabouts unknown!

Lingxiao did not simply judge right and wrong over this, nor did he believe Dao Ancestor Hongjun to be some evil villain.

The path of the Great Dao was long and blocked by obstacles!

Every living being struggled to cross the river of the Great Dao, and all depended on fortune!

"Heavenly Dao Merit Golden Wheel, Heavenly Dao fortune, authority!"

"Manifest!"

With the principle of saving someone all the way through, Lingxiao immediately unleashed his divine ability once more. Wielding the God-Beating Whip, he struck at the void, severing Wangshu's connection with the powers Pangu had left behind.

With all restraints removed, freedom was finally won.

"Fellow Daoist Lingxiao saved my life and helped me break free from the prison and calamities of countless years. From now on, whatever request you may have, I will agree to all of it."

"After returning to the Primordial World, may this palace remain by your side...?"

Wangshu stepped through the air, her jade feet touching down lightly!

Compared to before, she was now even more delicate and gentle. Her autumn-water eyes rested upon Lingxiao.

A different kind of charm arose in the air...