The feeling of having your emotions laid bare was unbearably embarrassing and shameful, especially when it was done by someone you loved. Helian Lingzhu felt the same right now, as if her entire being was being squeezed. She stood frozen in place, wishing a hole would swallow her whole.
But despite her embarrassment, she also felt a faint happiness as well. Yun Wuji had said that the reason he brought her along was because she liked him. Didn't that mean he did not look down on her or despise her despite her lowly birth? She might be a princess, but compared to a noble person like Yun Wuji, she was far too lowly. People like her were not even qualified to be his maids.
The sense of inferiority within her whenever she stood beside him began to stir once more.
Yun Wuji stood up and spoke, his voice soft and soothing, "I didn't tell you this to shame you or to look down on you."
As he stepped closer, an invisible warmth enveloped her, calming her restless heart. Some light returned to her eyes, and she blinked at him, saying, "Really!?"
"You are a good girl, kind, compassionate, and lovely," Yun Wuji said as he gently stroked her hair. "I am very happy to receive the love of someone like you."
Helian Lingzhu shivered, her eyes widening to the limit. She suspected that what she was hearing right now was nothing more than an illusion, or perhaps she had not yet awakened from a dream. Her hand moved forward hesitantly, her fingers lightly brushing Yun Wuji's face as she asked, "Really? Is this really happening?"
"Sen... Yun Wuji, you are a person from the high heavens, while I am just a lowly being stained by the mortal coil. I cannot fathom where you came from..." Helian Lingzhu touched his face, speaking slowly in a very soft voice. "I don't want much, I only wish to have a place beside you."
Her love for Yun Wuji had come so suddenly. With just one glance, she had fallen, as if living a story from a fairy tale, a peasant girl falling in love with a prince. At first, she only wished to spend time by his side during his stay in the Qilin Abyss Realm, and when he left, she would treasure those short moments for the rest of her life.
She believed that someone like her did not deserve him responding to her feelings. So when he asked her to follow him after stating his intention to leave, she hesitated for less than a second before stepping forward to follow him.
"Sight... if there is one thing I don't like about you, it is the way you are acting right now," Yun Wuji sighed in disappointment, tapping her forehead lightly with his index finger. "You need to be more confident, more assertive, more aggressive!"
"Although I know I am the greatest being to ever exist in this universe, past, present, or future, you still don't have to be this humble when facing me."
He leaned over and lightly kissed the spot on her forehead he had touched, adding, "So be more confident in yourself, okay?"
'Error 500! Brain not working!' Helian Lingzhu froze once again, her mind refusing to send any orders to her body.
...
The presence of the Abyssal Dust had always kept visibility in the Abyssal World extremely low. Most people could barely see anything in front of them and had to rely mostly on their senses, which were also limited, to perceive the outside world.
Amidst this gray, dust-filled expanse, a massive black streak rose straight from the earth, piercing the sky. Anyone who looked up would see a blue sky untouched by the filth of the gray haze, pure to the point of seeming almost luxurious, almost illusory.
The black streak was a gigantic tower, soaring toward the heavens. Above it lay the ultimate goal of all living beings in this world, the Pure Land, the only place truly free from the Abyssal Dust.
This tower had existed since the very beginning, when the Abyssal Monarch created the world. It was said to have been built by the Abyssal Monarch himself. It was this tower that had always held the Pure Land high in the sky, looking down upon the world below.
Strangely, the tower had no name. The Abyssal Monarch never named it, and over time, people simply began calling it the Nameless Tower.
Blue sky, pure white clouds, and endless fields of flowers and greenery. This might seem mundane and ordinary to anyone from the Primal Chaos, but in a world where almost no one had ever seen a single flower in their entire life, it was a miracle, a paradise that seemed to exist only in dreams.
The three knights flew up to the Pure Land. Upon returning, they immediately went to report to the High Priest Wan Dao.
High Priest Wan Dao (Myriad Ways) is well-versed in everything ranging from the old to the new. There is nothing he doesn't know. He is also in charge of the rare treasures of the Pure Land, such as profound artifacts, Abyssal Crystals, formation cores, pills, and more.
When the three knights reported what had happened, his expression did not change. "The three of you go report to Bai Long. He will decide your punishment."
"Yes, Lord High Priest!" Wei Jun and the other two had no objections. They had performed poorly and tarnished the reputation of the Pure Land. Even so, Wei Jun could not help but ask, "Lord, what are you going to do with that man, Yun Wuji?"
"This matter no longer concerns any of you. Instead of thinking about meaningless things, you'd better focus on your punishment," Wan Dao said, giving them a sidelong glance before walking away.
The person who had sent the three knights to the Qilin Abyss Realm was Wan Dao. The Abyssal Monarch had rarely shown himself in the last hundred thousand years, seemingly occupied with something of great importance. He had seldom concerned himself with the affairs of the world. Those who governed the Pure Land in his stead were the High Priests.
Leaving the three knights behind, Wan Dao traveled for a while until he reached a small lake. He stared at the koi fish swimming leisurely, lost in thought. Suddenly, a man appeared and knelt on the ground, pressing his right hand to his chest. "Lord High Priest!" he called.
"Commander Luo Ping, you and Yang Chen are to go and punish that man called Yun Wuji," Wan Dao said in a light and calm tone, his back still facing the kneeling man.
There were thirty-six Commanders among the Abyssal Knights, each one at the Divine Limit Realm, and Luo Ping and Yang Chen were two of them.
"My Lord, is it really necessary for us to send someone to punish him?" Luo Ping asked, raising his head to stare at the High Priest's back, his voice tinged with surprise. Although that man had defeated the three knights, in the end, it was the knights' fault for seeking trouble with a Divine Limit Realm practitioner.
Neither the High Priest nor Luo Ping believed that the death of the Qilin God had anything to do with Yun Wuji, since its life span was already nearing its end.
Furthermore, the barrier set up by the Abyssal Monarch contained a strand of his soul. No one, not even the Chief High Priest, could trespass it without alerting the Abyssal Monarch.
Therefore, the assumption that someone was responsible for the Qilin God's death or the destruction of the Qilin God Realm was completely nonsensical. The three knights had only been trying to earn more merits by exaggerating meaningless facts, and in the end, they had gotten themselves into trouble.
Luo Ping could not understand why they should cause trouble for a person who was clearly innocent. It was true that he had beaten the three knights badly, but from his actions, it was clear that, despite having the ability to kill them, he had chosen not to. Even the injuries he inflicted were not severe, which showed that he had no intention of antagonizing the Pure Land.
"He may not have done anything wrong, but he still injured the knights of the Pure Land. We need to defend the honor of the Pure Land," Wan Dao said slowly. "If that man can fend off both of you, then it means he is truly capable."
"Yes, my lord!" Luo Ping answered respectfully before standing up and leaving. From Wan Dao's words, he understood the intention. The two of them were to punish the man called Yun Wuji, but if he could defeat them, it would mean he was truly worthy of their attention and qualified to earn their forgiveness.
If he were to lose, then it would depend on their mood to decide what punishment to impose on him.
The Pure Land may have been the strongest force in this world, but they were neither tyrannical nor unreasonable. Most of the time, they did not concern themselves with the outside world. If he had faced any King Realm back in the Primal Chaos, they would have hunted him to the ends of the earth to defend their reputation.