The air around the lower boundary of the upper realm shimmered faintly, like ripples over an unseen lake. Tian Yuan stood at the edge of his divine manor, eyes half closed, sensing the balance of energy in his domain. The qi around his land was finally nearing completion—soft yet pure, spreading out like threads of sunlight through morning mist. He could feel every pulse of it, every whisper of life from the divine trees he had planted and every breath from the beasts that roamed his realm.
The Golden Dragon coiled lazily in the distant skies, scales gleaming with an ethereal glow, watching over the horizon. The other six generals were stationed along the formation lines, ensuring no unwanted presence could breach the newly purified qi zone. Yet… something tugged at the edge of Tian Yuan's awareness—a flicker, faint but discordant, like a note out of tune in a perfect melody.
He turned slowly. "System," he said, his tone calm but edged with curiosity. "Did something enter my realm?"
The system's voice, which now carried the lively mischief of its newly awakened consciousness, hummed in response.
"Hmm, technically… no, Master. Not something. More like… someone. And not entirely alive either. Kind of half-faded. I tried to keep it out, but your formation—well, it let her in."
Tian Yuan frowned slightly. "Let her in?"
"Yup," the system chirped. "That usually means your realm recognizes her qi pattern as familiar or… significant. Maybe from your mortal days?"
Tian Yuan's expression shifted. He vanished from his position, reappearing miles away at the outer ring of the realm's barrier. There, amid the quiet hum of divine formations and glowing runes, lay a woman suspended within a lotus-shaped seal of light. Her hair was a cascade of pale gold, her robes torn and stained by battle, and her once-pristine aura flickered weakly like a dying flame.
A single lotus symbol pulsed faintly beneath her—an ancient mark of divinity. Recognition sparked in Tian Yuan's eyes.
"...Mu Qingyi."
The name slipped from his lips before he could stop it. Once, she had been the Saintess of the Jade Lotus Temple in the mortal realm. A woman known for her mercy, wisdom, and strength. But more than that, she had been one of the few who understood him—not as a god, not as a legend, but as the farmer who simply wished for peace.
He raised a hand, dissolving the lotus seal. The moment her body touched the divine soil, she gasped—a trembling breath that scattered the mist around her. Her eyes opened slowly, confusion clouding their pale blue depths.
"Tian… Yuan?"
Her voice cracked, disbelief trembling in every syllable.
He knelt beside her, his expression unreadable yet filled with quiet gravity. "You shouldn't be here. No mortal should be able to cross into my realm."
She tried to rise, but pain wracked her body. "I I wasn't trying to enter. There was a war. The Celestial Court was ambushed by the Shadow Lord's armies. I was struck by their curse formation. When I tried to escape through the Heavenly Gate. the space fractured. I thought I was falling into oblivion."
Her gaze wavered, taking in the lush divine garden, the glimmering streams of light, and the air thick with untainted qi. "But this place this qi it's divine. It feels like you."
Tian Yuan's brow furrowed slightly. "You shouldn't have been able to find it. This realm hides itself from the gaze of gods."
The system's playful voice echoed in his head, "Or maybe the realm didn't find her—maybe you did, Master."
He ignored the teasing tone but his chest tightened. Memories stirred—the pain of betrayal, the lessons of responsibility, the promise he made to himself never to interfere with mortal or divine politics again. Yet seeing her, broken and trembling, made something old and human flicker within him.
"System," he said softly. "Prepare a purification pool. Her aura's infected with chaos qi."
"Already done! Oh, and Master," the system's tone shifted, more serious now, "that curse energy… it's not just chaos qi. It's something older. Something from the time before realms were divided."
Tian Yuan's eyes sharpened. "You mean…"
"Void essence," the system finished. "The same kind that almost erased your soul when you became who you are."
A heavy silence hung in the air.
The Saintess shivered, clutching her chest. "So it's true… the void has begun to move again."
Tian Yuan looked out toward the far sky, where clouds gathered in slow, spiraling motion. His realm, once a sanctuary, now felt like the calm before a storm.
"You'll rest here," he said finally. "Until your strength returns. No one will harm you here."
She smiled faintly, tears brimming in her eyes. "You're still the same… always protecting others, even when the heavens turn against you."
He didn't reply. He turned away, cloak fluttering behind him, gaze distant.
The system broke the silence with a mutter, "So… Master, are we just gonna ignore the part where the Void is creeping up again? Because I don't wanna get eaten by cosmic nothingness, just saying."
Tian Yuan's lips curved slightly, the ghost of a smirk. "No. We'll deal with it. But not today."
He paused, glancing back at the unconscious Saintess, her lotus mark glowing faintly again. "Today, she rests. Tomorrow, we start preparing for what's coming."
The wind moved softly through the divine trees, carrying whispers of both the past and the unknown future.
Somewhere deep in the core of his realm, a hidden formation pulsed awake for the first time—a silent warning from the land itself. The gods of the upper realm might not yet notice his sanctuary… but the void did.
End Of Chapter 75 (The saintess in the Maze of Heaven)