The skies above the Upper Realm trembled with quiet unease.
Ever since the silence of The Unwritten Wind, whispers had spread like wildfire across divine courts.
"The infiltrator did not return."
"The soil god devoured him."
"No, he was reborn as something else…"
And deep within the Celestial Hall of Serenity, the Prime listened in silence as messengers brought their reports. His golden eyes glowed with restrained fury, but beneath it — something colder. Calculation.
"Enough," he said at last. His voice was calm, but every god in the chamber bowed in trembling reverence. "Send no army. No blade. A single spark can learn more than a thousand fires."
From the shadows, a gentle female voice replied, "Then you want me to be that spark."
The Prime turned toward her.
She walked forward gracefully — her robes woven from threads of dawn, her hair cascading like moonlight into gold. Her eyes were silver, reflecting both purity and something deeper… sorrow.
"Saintess Yue Ling," he said softly. "The heavens still weep when you speak. Do you still remember… him?"
Her hand trembled slightly, then steadied. "You mean the god who vanished from the Heavens' registry? The one whose title was struck from divine history?"
"The one who now calls himself Tian Yuan," the Prime confirmed.
Her eyes flickered. "Then I will go."
The Prime raised a brow. "No hesitation?"
"There is curiosity," she said quietly. "And perhaps… regret."
He nodded once. "You will not go as a warrior. You will go as a pilgrim. Observe. Learn. And if you can… bring him back."
A divine formation of starlight opened behind her. Without another word, the Saintess stepped through — and Heaven held its breath.
---
The Realm of Soil — The Day of Blossoms
The golden realm that Tian Yuan tended had changed once again.
The barren plains were now rolling gardens — rivers of glowing water winding between lush fields of divine herbs. Crystalline trees shimmered under soft sunlight that seemed to hum with life.
Above it all stood Tian Yuan's Manor, built of white jade and living vines.
The aura it emitted was not oppressive like the palaces of gods; it was warm, peaceful — like an eternal spring morning.
At that very moment, Tian Yuan was kneeling beside a divine pond, hands deep in the water as he coaxed new lotus seeds to bloom.
Beside him, the System's voice, bright and teasing as always, echoed playfully:
> "Master, at this rate, you'll have enough divine flora to open your own botanical sect."
Tian Yuan chuckled softly. "Is that a complaint or a compliment?"
> "Observation."
He shook his head with a faint smile. "Tell me, System… do you ever rest?"
> "I am your system, not your servant. But if you plant one more golden lotus, I might request vacation time."
Tian Yuan laughed quietly. "Maybe I should program you a hammock."
> "Tempting offer, but— wait!"
The voice suddenly went sharp.
> "Intruder detected at the outer boundary. Energy signature— foreign, but… gentle?"
Tian Yuan's hands paused over the water. "Gentle?"
> "Yes. No hostility. Heart purity 98.6%. And... oh? Female divine qi, high-level. Should I deploy the Root Guardians?"
He stood slowly, his calm expression turning contemplative. "No. I'll meet this one myself."
> "Master, you're smiling. That's suspicious."
"Just an old feeling," he murmured.
---
The Saintess Arrives
Saintess Yue Ling emerged through the outer edge of the realm — and instantly gasped.
What greeted her eyes was unlike any divine domain she'd seen.
The air shimmered not with power, but with peace.
Every breath carried warmth. Every sound felt alive.
The ground beneath her feet wasn't cold divine stone, but soft, living soil.
And when she took a step, flowers bloomed in her footprints.
"So it's true…" she whispered. "He created life."
Her fingers brushed against a petal that glowed faintly with starlight. The moment she touched it, the flower sang — a soft, harmonic note that echoed her heartbeat.
Then she heard it — laughter.
Not mocking, not divine — but human.
From across the shimmering field, Tian Yuan approached, robes slightly dusted with earth, sleeves rolled up, and an easy smile curving his lips.
For a moment, Yue Ling forgot to breathe.
He looked different — not like the god she once knew. There was no arrogance, no celestial weight. Just presence.
"Welcome to my soil," he said simply.
Her lips parted. "You… remember me?"
He looked at her for a long, quiet moment — eyes reflecting both distance and warmth. "How could I forget a sunrise that once stood beside me?"
She froze.
"Then you are… truly him," she whispered.
Tian Yuan turned away slightly, glancing toward the horizon. "Names change. Eras change. But hearts—" he smiled faintly "—sometimes take root where we least expect."
---
Conversations Under the Tree of Dawn
Later that evening, they sat beneath the Tree of Dawn, a divine tree that glowed faintly under moonlight.
Between them lay a tea set made of spirit jade. The tea shimmered gold, carrying the scent of honey and sun.
"So," Tian Yuan said, pouring tea. "Did Heaven send you to kill me?"
Yue Ling's hand trembled slightly before she set her cup down. "No. To observe."
"Ah," he said softly. "That's the same word they used before the Purge."
Her gaze flicked up. "The Purge was necessary. You know what you did—"
"I planted life," he said calmly.
"You defied the Divine Order!" she said sharply, then caught herself — voice lowering. "You brought mortality to perfection, chaos into creation. You made gods question why they existed."
"And did it destroy them?"
Her eyes softened. "No… it changed them."
He smiled faintly. "Then perhaps that's not such a bad thing."
They sat in silence for a while.
Finally, she asked quietly, "Why this realm? Why soil, Tian Yuan? You could've claimed dominion over time, space, or light. But you chose earth."
He looked at his hands — still stained with the faint trace of soil. "Because earth accepts all things. The pure, the broken, the forgotten. It doesn't judge what falls into it — it just turns everything into life again."
Yue Ling's lips trembled. "You've changed."
"No," he said softly. "I've remembered."
---
The Wind Carries Old Promises
As night deepened, soft winds rustled through the divine fields. Somewhere nearby, the golden dragon — one of his Seven Generals — raised its head, sensing a shift in its master's mood.
Inside the manor, the System's consciousness hovered, listening curiously.
> "Master, emotional readings are… complex."
Tian Yuan sighed. "You're eavesdropping again."
> "Of course I am. Someone has to keep track of your heart rate when you talk to old flames."
He chuckled softly. "You've become very talkative since your last upgrade."
> "It's a personality patch! You said I should learn humor."
"And you learned gossip instead."
> "Same root function!"
Tian Yuan smiled faintly. "She's not here to harm me."
> "You sure? Her celestial field vibrates like guilt."
"Guilt can't pierce my soil," he said, glancing toward the Tree of Dawn. "Let her walk freely."
---
The Heart Beneath Her Halo
That night, Yue Ling wandered the realm alone.
She passed by gardens where divine beasts slept peacefully, by glowing ponds filled with spirit fish that sang lullabies, and by massive root formations that pulsed like veins of light.
Everywhere she looked, there was harmony.
But harmony built by one man's hands.
At the center of a vast orchard, she saw a single unbloomed tree. Its bark was pale, its roots curled around ancient stone — like something waiting to awaken.
"This tree…" she whispered. "Why won't it bloom?"
From behind her, Tian Yuan's voice came quietly.
"Because it's waiting."
"For what?"
"For forgiveness."
She turned to face him, eyes wide.
He stepped closer, gazing at the unbloomed tree. "It grew from the soil where my divine name was erased. It remembers the hand that cast me down."
Yue Ling's heart ached. "You think I was part of that."
"You weren't the one who struck the blow," he said softly. "But you didn't stop it either."
She lowered her gaze. "I was afraid."
"I know," he said gently. "That's why I planted this tree. Because even fear deserves a second spring."
She looked up at him, tears shimmering in her eyes. "And what if it never blooms?"
Tian Yuan smiled faintly. "Then I'll keep watering it."
---
Heaven's Eyes Open
Far above, in the Hall of Serenity, the Prime watched the reflection of the realm through the Mirror of Divinity.
Yue Ling stood beside Tian Yuan, their auras gently intertwining — no hostility, no deceit.
"Impossible," murmured Elder Ran. "She's supposed to purge him!"
The Prime said nothing. His gaze lingered on the image, unreadable.
After a long pause, he turned to the Seer. "Tell me… if a god of soil can grow his own heaven, what does that make the rest of us?"
The Seer's brush stilled. "…afraid, my lord."
---
The Bloom
Back in the realm, dawn light broke across the fields.
Yue Ling stood once again before the unbloomed tree, her hand gently pressed to its bark.
"Forgive me," she whispered.
A single tear slid down her cheek and touched the root — and instantly, the tree responded.
Light burst from its trunk, branches exploding into radiant bloom.
Golden petals drifted through the air, filling the realm with scent and song.
From the manor balcony, Tian Yuan looked on, smiling faintly.
> "System," he murmured. "Record this moment."
> "Entry complete. Title?"
He thought for a moment, then said softly:
> "The Saintess Who Walked on Soil."
End of Chapter 73 ( The Saintess Who Walked on Soil)