The door to the quiet chamber stood open, silently revealing the indulgence of someone whose words belied his heart.
Unfortunately, Yun Qing was still over there, utterly disheartened, steeped in unspeakable bitterness and sorrow. Lost in his own artistry, he failed to receive that silent signal entirely.
It truly was a case of casting flirtatious glances at a blind man.
He slowly lowered his head and looked at the Silent Abyss Spear that had been tossed back into his arms.
The beast soul remained upon the spear, but its wielder was no longer the same.
This companion, which had borne the glory of his Dao Path, now seemed tainted by the Immortal-Sealing Tower's chill, giving off a fine, penetrating cold.
A hundred years of confinement... day after day, in this place untouched by sunlight.
Even with the finest aptitude, wasting a century away would be no different from a sentence of obscurity in the coming age of great contention.
That sting caused by the other man's resolute attitude, which he himself was ashamed to acknowledge, mingled with his self-mockery at perhaps truly having harbored an improper "greed," and nearly drowned him.
"Silent Abyss..." he murmured, his fingertips brushing the icy, dark-gold patterns on the spear. "You've been wronged, following me. Perhaps... I should give you a new name."
What should I call it? Cloudcleaver? Too blunt, and too final. Did things between them truly have to reach that point?
"How about... 'Wordless'?" Yun Qing smiled bitterly, his voice as faint as a sigh. Tears rolled silently down his cheeks and dripped onto the cold shaft. "A thousand words, ten thousand words, all futile in the end. From now on... forever wordless."
What he did not know was that Yun Huang had only just stepped outside the Immortal-Sealing Tower. Having finally settled his emotions after those piles of poems lamenting a neglected lover's lot, he was preparing to "reluctantly" consider what to do with Yun Qing when he suddenly heard that despair-filled declaration of a new name.
Yun Huang: ...
He was the one who was truly speechless!
Irritation, frustration, helplessness, and aching tenderness flickered through Yun Huang's golden eyes, finally turning into a mutter through gritted teeth:
"That... blockhead!"
"Where's your usual cleverness and composure? Where's that knack for reading the situation?! What are those Double Pupils of yours even for? Just shedding tears and writing those... those poems unfit for anyone's eyes?!"
Must I personally drag out this weeping fool who's renaming his spear?!
The pride-conscious Immortal Emperor fought a war within himself. After struggling for a moment, he finally could not bear it any longer and shattered the Soul-Devouring Pearl embedded atop the tower with a sweep of his sleeve!
With his back to the Immortal-Sealing Tower, he extended his right index finger and made several swishing strokes through the air-
Golden light condensed until it was practically solid. A huge, gleaming golden arrow formed out of thin air and slammed into the forehead of his elder brother, who was busy "pouring his sorrow out to his spear," with a bang! After striking him, it pointed fiercely toward the quiet chamber's doorway!
Its meaning could not have been clearer: Stop howling! Follow the arrow and get out of here!
Having committed this childish act so utterly at odds with his usual majestic bearing, Yun Huang immediately withdrew his hand. His figure flashed, and he vanished without a trace.
Inside the quiet chamber, Yun Qing, who was still treating himself as a "poor little cabbage," was caught completely off guard by the golden light striking his forehead!
He raised his head in a daze. Through his tear-blurred eyes, he saw that huge arrow hanging in midair, glittering gold, strikingly conspicuous, and even a little... childish.
Yun Qing: "...??"
He froze completely, his mind failing to catch up. What was this? A new restriction in the Immortal-Sealing Tower?
Yun Qing's thoughts were still sluggish, but his instinct for "survival" remained. He hesitated, looked down at the tear-soaked "Wordless" in his arms, then looked at that impossible-to-ignore golden arrow.
Finally, he slowly rose to his feet. Holding his spear, with tear tracks still wet upon his face, he tentatively walked in the direction the arrow indicated, utterly bewildered.
Warm sunlight pierced through. He had actually walked out of the Immortal-Sealing Tower.
The instant both of Yun Qing's feet stepped fully outside, the cell behind him that had held all his tangled emotions vanished with a swish, along with the entire Immortal-Sealing Tower! Its speed fairly screamed the impatience of "finally getting rid of this wretched thing."
Yun Qing turned back in astonishment. There was nothing behind him but an utterly natural landscape of mountains and water, with warm, brilliant sunlight spilling down unobstructed.
It was as though that intimidating Immortal-Sealing Tower had never existed here at all.
With the Soul-Devouring Pearl shattered, and Yun Huang's Divine Power having poured into his head through that "smack," Yun Qing felt a hum in his spiritual consciousness. In an instant, everything became perfectly clear!
His complete memories and lucid awareness returned...
"..."
Yun Qing stood where he was, calmly holding Silent Abyss. He looked at the soft earth beneath his feet, then lifted his head to look at the clear sky.
Then he thrust Silent Abyss into the ground, dug a hole on the spot, and fell stiffly into it, face down...
His hands even grabbed handfuls of dirt from either side, as though he wanted to bury himself more thoroughly.
A moment of deathly silence.
"...Ugh."
A short, desperately stifled groan, brimming with mortification, despair, and utter loss of the will to live, escaped muffled from that "human-shaped dirt mound."
What had he DONE?!!
He had bawled his eyes out in front of Yun Huang and clung to his shoulders to wipe away his tears! He had even written a whole pile of mawkish poems about a neglected lover!! And finally, he had given his bonded artifact a new name so pretentious it could kill!!!
He, Yun Qing, had worked so hard, planning every step, to painstakingly craft a perfect image in front of Yun Huang! And in these few short hours, it had gone up in smoke! Shattered until not even a speck remained!
Yun Qing's ears burned blood-red. He wished the Silent Abyss Spear would simply put him out of his misery. He had clearly prepared three ingenious plans-best, middling, and last resort-and had been confident that any one of them could soothe Yun Huang. Who could have expected the Soul-Devouring Pearl to slap him across the face and ruthlessly choose the "," option for him!
He did not know how long he lay in that dirt pit. Perhaps it was only a few dozen breaths; perhaps it felt as long as a century. Yun Qing finally managed to console himself and struggled out of the hole, his expression dazed and his gaze vacant.
He mechanically brushed the dirt off himself and pulled up the Silent Abyss Spear beside him. Sob, even the spear's shaft felt hot.
Yun Qing took several deep breaths before he barely managed to suppress the urge to dig another hole and bury himself again.
Forget it. That shameful history had already happened. There was no undoing it. Humiliation... let it be humiliation. At least the door had opened, the tower was gone, and he seemed... temporarily free?
Dragging his heavy feet, Yun Qing continued forward with tragic resolve. He now felt that whatever lay ahead had to be better than staying here and reliving his social death.
Before he had gone far, he seemed to pass through an invisible curtain of water. The view before him opened up, and heaven and earth abruptly transformed.
Where was there even the slightest trace of a place of confinement? Innate spiritual energy so rich it seemed impossible to dissolve rushed toward him, transforming into a hazy, seven-colored spiritual mist that instantly enveloped his body. His pores opened of their own accord, greedily absorbing this supremely pure energy, while his chaos dao embryo circulated joyfully, giving off a faint hum.
The sky was an immaculate azure, adorned with flowing, iridescent clouds. In the distance, immortal mountains towered, and spiritual waterfalls cascaded like the Milky Way descending from the highest heavens. Nearby, jade grasses and wondrous flowers filled the ground with fragrance. Many rare spiritual plants, whose names even he did not know, flourished vigorously, emanating an alluring resonance of the Dao.
Spiritual birds and immortal beasts strolled leisurely, casting gentle, curious looks at the suddenly arrived Yun Qing.
Several simple yet elegant pavilions and towers nestled against the mountains beside the water, half-hidden amid spiritual mist and mountain haze. Their upswept eaves and interlocking brackets displayed all the grandeur of an immortal abode.
This place... was Langhuan Clear Void?!
The supreme blessed grotto-heaven privately owned by the Immortal Emperor in his "memories"-Langhuan Clear Void!
To spend "a hundred years in confinement" here was something countless cultivators could only dream of!
Yun Qing stood where he was, his emotions surging like the sea, too tangled for words.
Beneath Yun Huang's cold, resolute little wings, there was always an awkward yet meticulous protectiveness. Even though Yun Qing had deceived him first and touched his reverse scale, he had still left him a door, and even... a hidden haven.
So be it.
If his little brother Huang had seen that shameful history... then let him have seen it.
Before you continue