Silence fell. Even the wind had vanished.
Time itself seemed to stop flowing. The Great Dao ceased its course, and everything stood still.
Only the two people embracing remained.
Meng Chuan held Ruthless without squeezing her, yet she was soft in his arms, warm and lovely, filling him with wonderful sensations.
Ruthless held Meng Chuan quietly in return, without moving or speaking.
Where Meng Chuan could not see, the calm, distant expression on her face had vanished. Miraculously, tenderness had taken its place.
Meng Chuan could feel her heart beating. He could hear it too, a little fast.
His own was no different.
Though his cultivation had reached such extraordinary heights, some traits of being human remained.
His heartbeat, his breathing, his blinking—he still did all of them.
They served no practical purpose, but that did not mean they held no meaning. There was no need to cast them aside simply because his cultivation had grown so high.
And as he held Ruthless, those wonderful sensations settled his heart. Hers settled too.
"You've thrown my Dao Heart into turmoil," Meng Chuan suddenly said.
"Even my resolve to enter Dao Union has wavered at this moment."
"Part of me wants to stay here forever, with nothing ever changing."
"To let time stop right now, so we never have to part..."
Meng Chuan held her a little tighter. Everything felt more wonderful still, utterly perfect.
After a while, he drew his head back slightly without letting go. Ruthless did the same.
They gazed at each other from so close that each could see every expression on the other's face, every emotion in the other's eyes.
Those emotions surged, yet remained tender.
Meng Chuan suddenly smiled. "Going to the Desolate Ancient Forbidden Land back then was the best decision I ever made."
"I'm