Two of them lay in the flower field beneath the starry sky for a long time. So long that Feng Qingyun began to think the person beside him had fallen asleep. When he turned his head, however, he found the other was still looking at him.
Those eyes, as if holding endless layers of emotion, made Feng Qingyun’s heart skip a beat. His throat moved, and when he spoke again, there was an uncharacteristic hint of caution in his voice.
“…Next… should we go to the bridal chamber?”
It felt somewhat strange for him to say such words instead of Long Yin.
Yet the moment his voice fell, the man suddenly rose without a word, lifting him out of the sea of flowers. The hem of the red wedding robes fluttered, still clinging with a few slender petals.
Feng Qingyun quickly grabbed the veil in his hand and leaned into the man’s embrace, looking up at him.
It might be just his imagination, but since the ceremony in the Xiān Gōng Sect, Long Yin had spoken much less. And now he was the same, silent, carefully holding him as if he were cradling a fragile dream.
Feng Qingyun couldn’t help but curl his lips slightly, reaching out to touch the other man’s lips. That made Long Yin’s breath catch for a moment. He lowered his eyes to look at him.
“…Why is the Little Palace Master smiling?”
“Nothing.” Feng Qingyun leaned against his shoulder and laughed softly. “Just keep going.”
He didn’t say that he was wondering whether, once they reached the bridal chamber, Long Yin would still be this quiet, and just thinking about such a serious situation made him want to laugh.
But very soon, he couldn’t laugh anymore.
Once again placed on that familiar bed, Feng Qingyun’s heart tightened. A strange sense of déjà vu washed over him, except this time he was no longer alone in the bed.
Just as he had guessed, the man began silently and firmly undoing his belt.
Feng Qingyun couldn’t help but laugh. He looped the veil around the man’s neck like a handkerchief and gently tugged him closer, leaning in beside his ear.
“Your Majesty, why are you so quiet today? That’s not like you.”
Long Yin’s breath clearly hitched, his entire body tensing.
“…What does the Little Palace Master want me to say?”
Feng Qingyun let him continue undoing his wedding robes while lightly holding the veil, then asked the question he had long been curious about.
“I want to ask… when you returned to your rightful place, during that time in the heavens, could you see me?”
Long Yin’s movements paused. As if afraid of hurting his feelings, he hesitated for a long time before answering truthfully.
“I could see you. But… I only had awareness when you thought of me.”
Feng Qingyun froze, looking at him in surprise. He hadn’t expected that answer at all, and even less did he expect that Long Yin would never have intended to say it if he hadn’t asked. Those sufferings and wounds, the other had never wanted to reveal in front of him. In the past, it was because he thought Feng Qingyun didn’t care; now, it was because he was afraid he cared too much.
Feng Qingyun suddenly remembered a sentence Long Yin had once said long ago:
“I was born for you.”
At that moment, overwhelming emotions surged in his chest. Even though he was in the happiest moment of his life, Feng Qingyun still felt tears threatening to fall.
He could no longer hold back. He tossed aside the veil and pulled the man down into a kiss, his fingers gripping his shoulders so tightly that even his fingertips turned pale.
When someone is too happy, they tend to lose control, and Feng Qingyun was never truly cold-hearted. Half of his past anger in bed had been an act. Now, hearing those words, he couldn’t pretend anymore as he melted into a soft, helpless shape like a rose-flavored pastry, left entirely at the other’s mercy.
And Long Yin, who usually acted frivolous and teasing, was now so silent it made Feng Qingyun’s scalp tingle. But in stark contrast to his silence, every movement of his carried an almost desperate intensity, as if he wanted to crush Feng Qingyun’s very bones and hold him inside himself.
Feng Qingyun had once imagined what their true wedding night would be like beyond illusions, but he never expected it to be like this. No excess words, no unnecessary gestures, only the most raw and intense form of love, so overwhelming that he could barely endure it.
The entire room was filled only with the sound of his own trembling breaths, mingled with sticky, intimate noises, more embarrassing than any flirtatious seduction from before.
“You…” he trembled, pressing against the man’s shoulders. “Say something…”
Long Yin’s movements paused. As he lowered his gaze, a fleeting vertical pupil, impossible to suppress, flashed across his eyes. But with Feng Qingyun’s current strength, he could already restrain his instincts. That primal fear that once seeped from his bones would no longer surface so easily.
But the moment he caught sight of those eyes, his body still gave an involuntary shudder. Goosebumps rose all over him against his will, an aftereffect left behind from countless bouts of being driven to the edge by his man’s madness.
Seeing that he had frightened him, Long Yin immediately lowered his gaze. When he looked up again, his expression had already softened.
“…What does the Little Palace Master want to hear?”
Feng Qingyun closed his eyes briefly and clutched his arm tighter. The man fell silent, as if weighing something, as if he was considering how much he should restrain himself. After a long while, Feng Qingyun suddenly heard his name being called.
For some reason, that alone made him tremble, and he abruptly opened his eyes.
But what followed next was even more unexpected than anything before.
Right beside his ear, Long Yin spoke in a low voice:
“Today… why are you so soft?”
Feng Qingyun’s eyes widened in shock. A muffled whimper escaped him as his lower abdomen spasmed uncontrollably under the other man’s hand, his mind blanking out completely in an instant.
In that white, hazy blur, it took him a long while before he could hear his own broken, trembling sobs.
And the one who had caused it all was, at this moment, gently and attentively brushing sweat-soaked strands of hair away from his face.
Only now did Feng Qingyun realize something was wrong, but by then, it was already a little too late.
Seeing him look up with faint fear and no proper reaction, Long Yin didn’t stop. Instead, he lowered his head and kissed him with unsettling tenderness, whispering: “Qingyun.”
Hearing his name like that sent a chill through Feng Qingyun’s scalp. He hurriedly grabbed his wrist, his voice shaking: “Don’t… don’t say anything anymore…”
But tonight, it seemed everything he said was wrong.
Even when he bit his lip and stayed silent, suppressing his voice on purpose, it only felt like it was grinding against the other man’s nerves, provoking even more extreme reactions.
Long Yin seemed as though something had possessed him. In the latter half of the night, he completely abandoned his earlier silence, instead calling him again and again, Little Palace Master, Little Rose, until Feng Qingyun wanted nothing more than to cover his mouth.
The disparity in their experience, the unspoken bond they had personally cultivated, was laid bare through those deliberate, possessive names. Feng Qingyun was so overwhelmed with shame he almost wished he could dig a hole and hide. Yet the man showed no intention of stopping, holding him firmly in place, forcing him open beneath the flickering eternal lamps of the Demon Palace, as if intent on memorizing every detail of him.
At this moment, Long Yin was like a dragon who had finally dragged its treasure back into its nest, appearing calm on the surface, but inwardly so exhilarated it bordered on frenzy, unsure where to even begin devouring what he so desperately wanted.
And yet, in the end, Feng Qingyun still went along with him.
Because he knew his man was happy, and in truth, he was also very happy. So happy it was almost indescribable.
This was their true wedding night. What harm was there in indulging him once? It wasn’t even the first time he had yielded.
With that thought, Feng Qingyun finally reached up, wrapped his arms around the other man’s shoulders, closed his eyes, and let himself be carried along.
…………………
Three days after the two Dao companion ceremonies finally concluded, the fox Patriarch Qing Luo, having restored his ninth tail, was the first to ascend.
A month later, Feng Qingyun and Long Yin each settled the remaining affairs of the immortal and demon realms. They even went to the Kingdom of Jinlin to visit the child into whom Sword Master Zhong Yulan had been reincarnated, before finally ascending together from the Xiān Gōng Sect.
Normally, when one ascends, heavenly tribulation lightning would descend. But with those two standing there, the thunder tribulation became the textbook definition of “loud thunder, light rain”, not even scratching Feng Qingyun’s skin. The matter ended just like that.
In a scene so rare across tens of thousands of years, the cultivators of this world were no longer surprised. Seeing the rainbow-colored celestial path open once more, their only thought was:
Ah… The Linshuang Sword Master and his Heavenly Dao have finally ascended after all that trouble.
The earlier talk about leaving the little merchild behind in this world had, of course, been something Long Yin made up just to bully the child. Holding little Beichen in his arms, Feng Qingyun stepped onto the drifting clouds together with Long Yin, ascending along the opening path into the heavens.
Under the brilliant glow of the sky, Bai Ruolin stood outside the Main Hall of the Xiān Gōng Sect, lips pressed tight as she looked up at them, clearly on the verge of tears, but ultimately holding them back. She simply kept waving alongside Yue Jinshu.
Feng Qingyun felt a pang of emotion.
Before he could fully process the sadness of parting, the little merchild in his arms began crying for the first time since hatching. Crying so hard that pearls fell like rain onto Feng Qingyun’s robe as it waved goodbye to its aunts.
Feng Qingyun’s heart immediately softened as he hurried to soothe him:
“Alright, alright. Trust your Aunt Bai and Aunt Yue. A day up in the heavens is years below, so we’ll meet again very soon.”
The three of them rode the clouds through the heavenly path. After passing through shattered space, the radiance faded, and the world below returned to calm.
Feng Qingyun had once asked Long Yin what would happen to this world after his ascension. The answer he received was that with the Heavenly Dao returned to its place, Long Yin, as its embodiment, would still retain authority even after ascending. The world would not be cut off.
However, he would no longer be able to freely manipulate thunder or intervene in the same way as before unless he descended again in another form.
Relieved that the world would remain stable, Feng Qingyun finally accepted the ascent.
After the void shattered, a familiar white light flashed, and when they opened their eyes again, they were already at the Ascension Platform within the legendary Thirty-Third Heaven.
Clouds of nine-colored mist swirled through the sky, celestial music drifting through the air… an image of pure sanctity. If not for their past experiences in war, they might almost have been deceived by the scene.
Because beneath such purity, filth and corruption often lurk.
And precisely because of that war, both of them had already prepared for another battle upon arrival.
But when they stepped off the Ascension Platform and looked up, they saw several immortals standing beneath the resplendent palace gates waiting for them.
Only… those were not enemies.
They were old acquaintances.
That was the fox Patriarch who ascended a month earlier, as well as the Patriarch of the spiritual plant clan, Su Yunzhou, and the Dream Emperor of the spider clan, Mi Zhiyun, who had ascended two years ago.
“I told you, didn’t I?” Qing Luo said with a smile as soon as he saw them, turning to the other two demon immortals beside him. “You wouldn’t be coming for nothing!”
“It’s been a long time, everyone,” Feng Qingyun smiled in response.
“For you two, it’s been a long time,” Mi Zhiyun complained. “But for us, it’s only been three days! We just came down from the Ascension Platform the day before yesterday, then we had to turn back in the middle of the road and come again for him, and today we already got news that you two were arriving! We’ve been running around nonstop!”
Feng Qingyun quickly thanked them, but the other simply waved it off.
Compared to him, Su Yunzhou was much more tactful, saying, “We ascended in such a hurry back then that we didn’t have time to properly congratulate you on your marriage. Seeing you now, you’re still as perfectly matched as ever. Congratulations.”
That remark clearly struck right into Long Yin’s heart, and he immediately smiled: “Thank you, thank you.”
After Feng Qingyun held the little merfolk and looked around, he asked in confusion, “Where are the other two?”
He was referring, of course, to the Heavenly Fox Patriarch and his Dao companion, Tong Tian.
“What a coincidence, Qing Luo replied with a smile. “You just asked what I was about to say. I heard that Tong Tian Ancestor has been locked up in the Heavenly Prison, and Qingqiu Yuan is keeping him company in there.”
Feng Qingyun froze, clearly not expecting that after helping them so much, the man was still in prison. Seeing his surprise, Mi Zhiyun explained directly, “The Heavenly Fox was rushing to ascend, but still couldn’t make it in time. By the time we ascended, everything was already over.”
“Apparently his Dao companion, the one who can barely string three words together, almost slaughtered his way through the entire Thirty-Third Heaven. All the immortals who had participated in the war or helped seal the Heavenly Path afterward were dragged out and killed. Everyone was terrified.”
“They say those immortals had violated the heavenly laws by secretly descending and stirring chaos in our world. So even though that Ancestor was slaughtering left and right, the Heavenly Law didn’t intervene.”
“Only after he wiped through most of the Thirty-Third Heaven did the Heavenly Law react by… dispatching heavenly soldiers to arrest him due to his previous unlawful descent.”
“Just as he was being taken away, his Dao companion arrived. He only saw him being dragged off and completely missed the earlier massacre, so he thought his poor, quiet Dao partner was being bullied again and nearly caused another uproar.”
“In the end, a higher deity stepped in and promised him the prison sentence would only be two years, and even allowed him to accompany him inside, which finally calmed things down.”
“…”
Well… Feng Qingyun couldn’t help but feel moved by Tong Tian’s fearless spirit. But before that feeling could settle, Long Yin asked sharply, “Two years? For unlawful descent, there should be no punishment. Why an actual sentence?”
For immortals, two years was nothing, but the issue was that heavenly prison sentences usually started at hundreds of years. A two-year term had never even been heard of.
Clearly, something was off.
Having dealt with the remnants of the immortals before, and being able to hear their thoughts, Long Yin immediately sensed the inconsistency.
Su Yunzhou explained on behalf of her annoyed partner, “It’s said the Ancestor went berserk in battle and accidentally slashed at a higher deity who had come to mediate.”
“…However, that deity had once tried to court Qingqiu Yuan in the lower realms. So the Heavenly Law judged it not as an accident, but as intentional retaliation. Since the deity wasn’t seriously injured, it added two years to the sentence on top of the unlawful descent charge.”
Feng Qingyun: “……”
So in the end, a dignified Ancestor was imprisoned for what basically amounted to jealousy between rivals?!
Given Tong Tian’s taciturn personality, Feng Qingyun truly couldn’t imagine what “intentional retaliation” would even look like. But Long Yin was completely unfazed. In fact, he nodded approvingly: “Two years is lenient enough.”
While they spoke, they left the Ascension Platform, and Feng Qingyun finally saw the full view of the Thirty-Third Heaven.
Gilded, towering palaces stretched across the clouds, exactly as he had once imagined the immortal realm would be. Su Yunzhou continued kindly explaining, “This over here is the Ninth Heaven. Newly ascended immortals are distributed to different regions depending on their cultivation foundation. With your current Golden Core realm, you’ll likely be courted by various factions very soon.”
“Distributed according to cultivation foundation?” Feng Qingyun asked. “Does that mean we can’t stay together?”
Su Yunzhou seemed to consider how to explain, but the Dream Emperor Mi Zhiyun spoke more bluntly: “Not exactly. Most immortals do have general directions, as the Thirty-Third to Thirtieth Heavens belong to demon immortals like us.”
“The Twenty-Ninth Heaven is where the Arhats reside. From Twenty-Eighth to Twenty-Fifth are the spirit clans, beasts born from heaven and earth across various worlds.”
“And above the lower twenty-four heavens, the upper nine heavens are where the higher deities dwell.”
“If you don’t want to separate, you can choose to go to the demon immortal realm or the upper immortal territory together.”
Only then did Feng Qingyun understand.
As they were speaking, Su Yunzhou even tried to invite them to visit the demon immortal realm. But just as they were about to leave the Immortal Reception Palace, celestial music suddenly rang out from the eastern clouds, blazing light scattering everywhere.
Everyone turned toward it.
From the radiance emerged a divine bird clad in multicolored feathers, descending with divine light. Upon landing, it transformed into a man.
Upon closer inspection, faint scars could still be seen on his face.
Feng Qingyun felt a faint stir in his heart. Even without an introduction, he somehow already recognized the identity of this divine being…
This was likely the deity who, due to his connection with the Heavenly Fox, had come to mediate but ended up being severely beaten by Tong Tian.
And judging by the situation, he must also have come from the same small world as them. As expected, the deity immediately stepped forward and greeted them: “I am Fuming. I welcome your ascension.”
Feng Qingyun quickly returned the courtesy. “We are unworthy of such honor, Your Excellency.”
The others also hurriedly bowed, but Fuming did not linger. Instead, he directly explained his purpose.
“The Thirty-Third Heaven acknowledges your arrival. Two divine positions have been newly formed for you, and I have been sent to deliver your divine tokens.”
At that, everyone froze, and even Feng Qingyun and Long Yin blanked for a moment.
Those divine positions that countless fallen immortals had fought and died for, unable to obtain… had now been forcibly created the moment they ascended?!
The shock was beyond words, yet when considered carefully, it made perfect sense.
After all, Gods and immortals were not the same.
Immortals pursued transcendence and freedom; gods governed heaven and earth. Immortals were judged by cultivation alone. Gods, however, required both power and state of mind, and had to bear corresponding responsibilities once they assumed their divine roles.
Thus, the requirements were stricter, but so were the rewards. That was why so many immortals struggled desperately to ascend into godhood.
The two accepted the divine tokens. On the black-and-gold plates, only the word “God” was inscribed, with blank spaces left for their chosen titles.
“These blanks are for your chosen divine honorifics,” Fuming explained. “Once decided and inscribed, the Heavenly Law will recognize them, and they will be proclaimed across the Thirty-Three Heavens.”
After speaking, he bowed. “I still have other duties to attend to. Once you have decided your titles, the divine tokens will guide you to your divine residence.”
And with that, he departed in haste.
But after he left, Long Yin turned to Feng Qingyun with a teasing smile, asking, “Has the God already decided on a name?”
“In my opinion,” Feng Qingyun followed his words naturally, “we’ll still use the name Linshuang.”
Everyone froze, not expecting him to decide so quickly. But on closer thought, “Linshuang Sword Master” and “Linshuang Sword God”, only one character different, still suited Feng Qingyun perfectly. It felt natural, as though it had always been meant to be.
Everyone offered their praise, assuming he was simply nostalgic and had carried over his old title. Only Long Yin suddenly lifted his gaze. Meeting Feng Qingyun’s calm, smiling eyes, he understood everything in an instant.
The Linshuang Sword itself had been forged from the heart of the Quilin, that being the heart of the Heavenly Dao itself. The name “Linshuang,” for Feng Qingyun, carried an entirely different meaning.
You give me your heart, and I take your name.
A storm of indescribable emotions rose in Long Yin’s chest. The others, unaware of the silent exchange between them, turned instead to him.
“And what of Your Majesty’s title?” Qing Luo asked. “Have you decided?”
Long Yin returned to himself and smiled. Without hesitation, he placed his divine token directly into Feng Qingyun’s hands, saying, “As for my name, I’m afraid I’ll have to trouble the God to bestow it.”
At that, everyone froze once more, and when they came to their senses, shock spread across their faces. Unlike Feng Qingyun’s subtle affection that only Long Yin could decipher, Long Yin’s meaning was unmistakably direct.
Heaven and earth are not worthy to name me. Only you are.
Feng Qingyun held his divine token and said softly, without any pretense of refusal, “The title ‘God’ doesn’t suit you. As the saying goes, ‘The Dao is hidden and nameless…’”
His gaze shimmered like flowing light as he stroked the token for a moment. Finally, he said, “No need for any prefix. Just ‘Demon Emperor’ is enough, Your Majesty.”
At this, everyone paused, then quickly realized that, indeed, they could not think of a more fitting title for Long Yin.
Long Yin was stunned for a moment, then suddenly laughed. “Good. Then I’ll follow the God’s decree.”
Across the four seas and eight wildernesses, no prefix was needed, for there was only this one Demon Emperor. Just as the name of Heaven itself, once spoken, was recognized immediately; those who knew the truth would, upon hearing “Demon Emperor,” think of Long Yin… and of the one who named him.
Once the decision was made, no writing was needed, for the divine tokens erupted in golden light and the inscriptions changed instantly.
“Linshuang Sword God” and “Demon Emperor” appeared simultaneously upon the tokens. On the reverse side, two closely linked divine abodes materialized.
At that moment, across the entire Thirty-Third Heaven, all immortals felt as though a new awareness had been forcibly imprinted into their minds.
In a prison deep within the heavens, a deity resting among nine fluffy fox tails slowly opened his eyes. Through the bars of the prison, he looked outward and said to his Dao companion, “The Heavenly Dao and his rose have attained godhood.”
“I heard,” came the muffled reply as a snowy fox tail covered his face. “Now everyone knows you’re in prison for jealousy. Embarrassing or not?!”
But Tong Tian ignored the complaint entirely, simply shifting to a more comfortable position and closing his eyes again.
The Heavenly Fox sighed, then said nothing more.
When this man had slaughtered his way through the Thirty-Third Heaven, he had left many hidden injuries. In truth, this “imprisonment” was also a kind of rest granted by the Heavenly Law in gratitude for his decisive resolution of the chaos. A flash of white light appeared, and a handsome young man with nine fox tails sat beside him, resting his legs beneath him as he gently tended to his wounds.
Elsewhere in the immortal realm, countless immortals looked up in shock, for two new supreme gods had appeared in the heavens.
One named Linshuang Sword God, the other simply called the Demon Emperor, without even a formal title.
Arrogant beyond measure.
And yet, before today, most immortals had never even heard of them. When they later learned who these two truly were, their shock would only deepen, but that is a story for another time.
For now, as the divine inscriptions fully formed, Feng Qingyun turned to the remaining demon immortals and said, “The divine records state that our divine abodes are located in the Sixth Heaven. Would you like to come and visit?”
“You both still have matters to attend to in your divine abodes,” the three exchanged a glance and politely declined. “We would only be in the way. Let us visit another time.”
Feng Qingyun did not insist, but nodded and returned their courtesy.
After the immortals departed, he turned back into the radiant glow and asked with a smile, “Your divine token, shall I keep it for you, or will you?”
“Of course I’ll trouble the God to keep it,” Long Yin answered matter-of-factly. “However…” He reached out, not to take it back, but to grasp Feng Qingyun’s wrist. “From now on, the God and I will share the same eternity. I hope the God will indulge me and not grow weary of me.”
Light from the heavens spilled across the divine hall and Feng Qingyun smiled. “You are the man I spent two lifetimes seeking. How could I ever grow weary?”
“I’ll remember that,” Long Yin laughed softly. “If the God ever abandons me, I’ll make a scene that shakes heaven and earth.”
Feng Qingyun only smiled and said nothing, instead pulling him toward the drifting clouds beyond. He did not say what he truly felt, but he knew Long Yin could hear it all the same.
In youth they met without understanding; in long separation they suffered; now, after finally attaining long companionship, how could there ever be weariness?
Long Yin stopped for a moment, then broke into a bright smile. He laced their fingers together and walked beside him, leaning in to whisper something into his ear.
Feng Qingyun froze, his ears instantly turning red. The little merchild in his arms lifted their head curiously, and Feng Qingyun quickly covered the child’s ears, glaring at Long Yin.
But he did not deny it.
Instead, he let himself be pulled forward.
Golden celestial light fell upon them, unshadowed. From this moment on, they still had countless days and nights ahead. All memories would one day fade into gilded dust in the river of time.
All regrets would settle like still water.
And the sweetness they had fought lifetimes to obtain had only just begun.
End of main text
T.N: worry not, there are still 12 extras 😀
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