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"I heard you’re engaged again, so I just came to congratulate you." Lan Xi didn’t expect to be able to say such a thing so calmly.

"Your Highness Lan Xi, you’re too kind." Quan Shaoqing lowered his head, his expression unreadable.

Lan Xi stared at him, unable to speak for a long time.

Just when Quan Shaoqing thought she had disappeared, he looked up to see the woman sitting like a statue in front of him.

Her long hair cascaded over her shoulders, her lips red and teeth white, stunningly beautiful, but at that moment, she looked utterly dejected.

"Ah Qing!" Lan Xi suddenly lifted her head, revealing a gentle smile. "You told me to wait for you, for you to come and marry me. I’ve waited for you for twenty thousand years, and we’ve finally met again. Yet time and again, you break my heart."

Lan Xi seemed to be smiling, but it was a forced smile. "I can ignore all this. But how can you say that in this life, you can marry anyone but me? What’s so unworthy about me?"

Quan Shaoqing’s back stiffened silently. After a long while, he spoke in a low voice, "It’s not that you’re unworthy of me, but that I’m unworthy of you."

"... Hah!" Lan Xi couldn’t help but sneer out loud.

"It’s nothing but an excuse! In our past life, you were just an ordinary mortal with no family... yet you dared to like me and promised to marry me. Now that you have status and power, you claim you’re unworthy." Lan Xi suddenly stood up and approached Quan Shaoqing.

She directly pulled out his Heavenly Sword and placed it in his hand.

Quan Shaoqing didn’t understand her meaning.

Lan Xi looked at him, tears in her eyes, and said, "I’m here today to tell you. If you wish to marry someone else, you should kill me. Otherwise, I will never let you marry another woman."

"Your Highness Lan Xi, why must you force me like this?" Quan Shaoqing still lowered his head. He was not a weak person, yet he couldn’t bring himself to look into Lan Xi’s eyes for some reason.

It was as if those eyes were an addictive poison. A single glance, and he would uncontrollably sink deeper and deeper until he could not extricate himself.

This year, he had managed to force her out of his mind with difficulty.

"I’m not forcing you. You’re forcing me.

" Lan Xi glanced at the Heavenly Sword in his hand and continued, "The Heavenly Sword is the most powerful weapon in this world. A wound inflicted by it will bleed endlessly. Except for the Queen Mother of the West’s Seven-Colored Immortal Soil and the Demon Realm’s Blood Third Seven, nothing else can save you. "

Quan Shaoqing froze for a moment, a wave of shock coursing through him. "Is that why you survived when you were wounded last time? Why is it that even I don’t know the secret, but you do?"

"Because you’re my Ah Qing. We grew up together, living countless millennia together." Lan Xi spoke with a firm tone.

Quan Shaoqing stood there, unmoving for a long time.

In an instant, an inexplicable heartache surged within him.

Over the past year, he had tried hard to avoid topics related to Lan Xi, deliberately avoiding seeing her.

He thought that in doing so, he would remain the Imperial Minister, and she would still be the most esteemed future woman of the Goddess Palace.

He considered the possibility that he might be the reincarnation of someone she loved, but he never imagined that in a past life he had lived countless millennia with her.

"Aren’t you going to act?" Lan Xi grasped Quan Shaoqing’s Heavenly Sword, speaking with severity, "Remember my words. If you don’t act, you will marry no one but me in this life."

As Lan Xi finished speaking, she vanished from the Imperial Authority Realm.

Outside the council hall, Cui Luo stood there, shocked, covering her mouth.

She never thought that Lan Xi would also have feelings for Quan Shaoqing.

But now, Quan Shaoqing was her fiancé.

He was also the one she loved.

"Ah Qing! Are you alright? Her threats are too much." Cui Luo quickly stepped forward, wearing a face of fury for Quan Shaoqing’s sake.

Quan Shaoqing gave her a glance, then sheathed the Heavenly Sword and disappeared from the council hall.

Cui Luo, seeing Quan Shaoqing ignoring her, stomped her foot in anger.

At this moment, Quan Shaoqing went to the ancestral hall of the Imperial Power Clan and found the family register.

It clearly stated that the Imperial Power Clan must not marry the offspring of the Goddess!

This was an explicit rule.

...

After Lan Xi’s warning to Quan Shaoqing, for the next five thousand years, there was no more talk of him getting married.

Whenever she felt down, she would go looking for him.

Although he still maintained a cold demeanor, unwilling to engage with her, she continued to impose on him shamelessly.

Every time, she would linger in his presence until, over time, he got used to it.

Five thousand years is neither too short nor too long.

Rong Feng learned a lot of Immortal Techniques; his perception was exceptional, far surpassing Nie Shu.

Nie Shu was young, with room for growth.

Mi Xi, together with Immortal Taibai, rebuilt Taibai Hall, reviving a once-withered sect.

Lan Xi would occasionally return to Taibai Hall for a stay.

Every time she went to Taibai Hall, Crown Prince Ya was there.

After sharing drinks a few times, their relationship reverted to that of old friends.

He no longer mentioned marrying her.

She also regarded him as a drinking buddy.

Their relationship wasn’t exceedingly good, but it was much better than before.

One day, Mi Xi suggested that they all go see the Tree of Immortality.

Over sixty thousand years had passed, and the tree had grown quite tall.

During the years of Lan Xi’s troubles, Mi Xi entrusted the tree to the beasts in the valley.

He ordered them to take good care of the sapling at all costs.

When the three of them arrived, they found that the once small sapling had grown into a towering giant, a hundred meters tall.

"This tree should be about to bear fruit, right?" Lan Xi asked.

Crown Prince Ya shook his head, "No way! It grows for the first hundred thousand years, and takes another hundred thousand to bear fruit."

"How wonderful that we’ve grown up, and the fruit tree has grown too." Mi Xi praised.

Crown Prince Ya smiled faintly, "These trees are hard to grow. I didn’t expect it to grow so tall."

"Nonsense, look who planted it." Mi Xi laughed, looking towards Lan Xi, "It was the Goddess herself who planted this."

Lan Xi smiled softly, sighing! What a pity that Ah Qing couldn’t see it.

Just as they were happily chatting, ready to enjoy a drink, Rong Feng hurried over and knelt in front of Lan Xi, speaking urgently, "Master, something has happened in the Demon Realm and the Underworld."

"What happened?" Lan Xi quickly put down her wine cup and moved forward to ask.

Rong Feng was panting heavily, stammering for a while before saying, "Gu Mo killed Bu Qiao. The Demon Realm has once again taken control of the Underworld. And Gu Mo has actually sent a declaration of war to the Heavenly Clan, saying he wants to wage war against the Heavens again."

Lan Xi was stunned, "Why would this happen?"

Gu Mo was someone she had personally vouched for.

She had taught him that all beings, whether from the Demon Realm or the Immortal Realm, have lives that must be cherished and that one should never rashly start a war.

It was only fifty thousand years since the last Demon War, and if war were to break out again, unimaginable devastation would follow.

"No, I must go to the Demon Realm." Lan Xi was about to leave.

Rong Feng and Mi Xi grabbed her, "Junior Sister, don’t be impulsive. It’s better to investigate this matter thoroughly. If you go rashly and the Demon Realm bears ill will towards you, it would be very disadvantageous for you."

"I don’t believe Gu Mo would do such a thing; there must be something fishy going on."

Lan Xi felt that she had to see it for herself, and would not be at ease otherwise.

"Alright, my mind is made up. I’m going to take a look. Even if Gu Mo plans to rebel, he’s no match for me."

Seeing that persuasion was useless, Rong Feng had no choice but to let Lan Xi go.