Nuwa looked stunned, utterly taken aback.
As a Saint, her every word was a sacred decree that no living being dared disobey.
She had even brought the Red Embroidered Ball with her on this visit.
She had thought this Heavenly Marriage would proceed without a hitch, flowing naturally like water into a channel, and earn her a share of Heavenly Dao merit.
Yet Nuwa had never expected Xihe not to agree immediately.
"The Heavenly Marriage is ordained by fate!"
"Xihe, do you intend to resist?"
Nuwa's tone remained calm.
But Xihe and Changxi shuddered, unease rising within them.
They had already heard a hint of warning in those words.
Yet Xihe had once been among the Three Thousand Guests in Zixiao Palace.
She had also witnessed Nuwa create humans and attain Sainthood.
Thus, a Saint's intimidation alone was not enough to make her obey every word.
Xihe continued to reply:
"Saint, this truly caught us unprepared!"
"We sisters must weigh it carefully before deciding!"
The moment her words fell.
Xihe and Changxi felt a chill rise around them, making their hearts pound with fear.
Clearly, their response had displeased Nuwa somewhat.
Xihe steeled herself and did not back down.
After a long while, Nuwa's expression suddenly softened.
"No matter!"
"In that case, I am in no hurry!"
"Once you have both thought it through, it will not be too late to solemnize the Heavenly Marriage!"
As a Saint, she had all the more to consider in her actions.
Nuwa did not want to earn a reputation for coercing Xihe and Changxi, either.
Leaving those words behind, her figure dissipated.
Around Xihe and Changxi, space collapsed inch by inch, dissolving into nothingness.
The two women remained within the Primordial World.
"Sister, Saint Nuwa will not let this rest!"
"I have heard that she is a Saint of the demon race herself. Naturally, she will side with Di Jun!"
Changxi's charming, mischievous look vanished, replaced by a trace of fear.
Being targeted by a Saint was truly terrifying.
Xihe's expression was no better.
"Damn it! I never imagined we sisters would face such a calamity!"
In their eyes, this so-called Heavenly Marriage was indeed a calamity.
She murmured those words, pondering how to break free of their predicament.
A moment later, Xihe suddenly said firmly:
"Sister, we are going to the Interception Sect right now!"
Changxi froze, then asked in a strange tone, "Sister, at a time like this, you are still thinking about Fellow Daoist Wine Sword Immortal?"
My sister was never this lovestruck before, was she?
Seeing Changxi's expression, Xihe was speechless. She knew Changxi had misunderstood her.
Xihe explained:
"Right now, perhaps only within a Saint's lineage can we escape Saint Nuwa's scrutiny, and we have no connection whatsoever with the other Saints' lineages."
"Only the Interception Sect offers us a reason to visit through Fellow Daoist Wine Sword Immortal."
"Besides... although Fellow Daoist Wine Sword Immortal behaved strangely before and seemed to wander through life at play, every word he spoke seemed to hold a hidden truth!"
"He... might have a way for us to break free!"
Hearing Xihe's words, Changxi finally understood, her eyes lighting up.
Of course!
The Jie Sect Leader was Saint Tongtian, whom even Nuwa had to address respectfully as "senior brother."
If they could enter the Interception Sect, surely even Nuwa could not force them to accept the Heavenly Marriage?
As for whether Gu Changqing might have a way out, Changxi remained doubtful.
Still, she said nothing more.
The two women departed at once, crossing the vast East Sea toward Golden Ao Island.
Meanwhile, on Golden Ao Island!
The disciples cultivated as usual, and all was peaceful and quiet.
Gu Changqing remained asleep in his cave abode.
Yet his aura grew ever sharper, its edge fully exposed.
Streams of sword intent leaked out, chilling people to the bone and filling their hearts with dread.
Whenever Outer Sect disciples passed Gu Changqing's cave abode, they cast astonished glances toward it.
They could sense that Gu Changqing was undergoing a wondrous transformation.
His aura felt less and less like that of an Outer Sect disciple, instead drawing ever closer to those of direct disciples such as Duobao.
This left everyone both bewildered and envious.
That day, a melodious, celestial voice rang out beyond Golden Ao Island.
"Greetings, Saint Tongtian!"
"Xihe and Changxi have come to pay a visit!"
At once, over a hundred thousand disciples turned to look.
The next moment, their eyes lit up, utterly dazzled.
Within the Interception Sect, the Three Xiao Sisters possessed peerless beauty capable of captivating all living beings.
Yet compared with Xihe and Changxi, even the Three Xiao Sisters lost some of their luster.
The two Moon Goddesses possessed beauty of infinite grace, with skin like ice and bones like jade, enough to make all living beings fall under their spell.
A clamor immediately followed.
"The Moon Goddesses! They are the legendary Moon Goddesses!"
"Heavens, they are beings we can only gaze up at!"
"Hehe, if beauties this stunning would just spare me one more glance, I could die without regrets!"
"Pah, a fool's dream! The two Moon Goddesses have beauty unrivaled throughout the ages, and their cultivation is equally extraordinary. How could the likes of us entertain such fantasies?"
"Only Master Tongtian could make goddesses like these seek an audience of their own accord!"
Just as the disciples were clamoring among themselves.
A flash of immortal light shone within Biyou Palace.
In the blink of an eye, Tongtian manifested before Xihe and Changxi.
As a Saint, Tongtian was unlike the disciples.
Instead, he faced Xihe and Changxi with vast majesty, commanding awe without a trace of anger.
"What brings you two goddesses here?"
Without wasting words, Tongtian directly asked Xihe and Changxi why they had come.
Moreover, his manner was rather cold.
There was only one reason!
As a Saint, Tongtian could discern fate as well, and he knew that a Heavenly Marriage bound Xihe and Changxi to Di Jun.
Tongtian wanted no involvement with anything connected to the demon race, lest he become entangled in the karma of the great tribulation.
Hearing Tongtian's question, Xihe immediately replied respectfully.
"Saint, we sisters have come for Fellow Daoist Wine Sword Immortal!"
"Please permit us sisters to enter the Interception Sect!"
At these words, Tongtian and the disciples all froze.
But they quickly realized whom she meant.
"Fellow Daoist Wine Sword Immortal? Could the two goddesses mean Junior Brother Changqing?"
"Hmm... I did once hear Junior Brother Changqing say something about 'a thousand cups cannot make me fall-only I am the Wine Sword Immortal!'"
"What? The two goddesses came not for Master Tongtian, but for Junior Brother Changqing of the Outer Sect?"
"This..."
Unexpected!
Utterly unexpected!
For two goddesses to visit of their own accord-how enviable was that?
But... why did it have to be that drunkard junior brother?
Everyone wore an exceedingly strange expression.
Hearing the disciples' words, Xihe and Changxi also looked stunned and somewhat bewildered.
What?
An Outer Sect disciple?
Xihe and Changxi had originally assumed that Gu Changqing was at least a Saint's direct disciple.
Yet the "Changqing" on everyone's lips clearly referred to Gu Changqing.
This left Xihe and Changxi deeply astonished and incredulous.
Before you continue