“Master …”

The cold wind, the cold rain, and the ice-cold soil slammed into Xiao Chen’s body. Xiao Chen’s consciousness became more and more blurry, but his hands were still tightly hugging each other, not letting go at all.

“Chen’er …”

Ling Yin’s consciousness was sometimes clear and sometimes blurry. The two of them hugged each other and rolled down the hillside. It was as if they were destined to die in their previous and present lives.

*********

Ancient times, about 47,000 years ago, Immortal World, Hundred Flowers Valley, Qing Emperor Residence.

“You mysterious bird, you are so bold. Do you know what kind of place this is? You dare to barge in randomly.”

“Wu … Jiu’er is just lost. My name is Jiu’er. What about you? This place is so big, are you the only one here? Who are you …”

“Me? I am the God of Hundred Flowers … mortals call me Qing Emperor.”

“Wow, so you are a High God of the Heaven Realm. No wonder you live in such a big place alone. But, don’t you live here alone?”

“Loneliness? For the past hundred thousand years, this has been the case. What do you mean by loneliness …”

“You, you, you … you’ve already lived for more than a hundred thousand years, then aren’t you the same as the Heavenly Emperor …”

“Don’t talk nonsense … Alright, you can leave now. Next time, don’t barge around. If you accidentally barge into the Hundred Flowers Formation again, I won’t be able to save you.”

“Hehe, I know. Jiu’er will know the way next time …”

“Huh?”

*********

“You mysterious bird, why are you here again?”

“Hehe, didn’t Jiu’er say that last time? I already remember the way … I remembered that you told me last time that you were the God of Hundred Flowers, so can you make all the flowers in this world never wither?”

“Of course. Look at the flowers in this valley. Have they withered for thousands of years?”

“Mm … What if it’s a mortal … mortal?”

“Mortal … Mortal’s lifespan is still too short. It is only a hundred years long. Life, age, sickness, and death … Mortal worries.”

“Oh … but aren’t you a god? If you cast a spell, wouldn’t you be able to keep mortals alive? Otherwise, how pitiful they are. They knew from birth that they would die and get sick …”

“You little mysterious bird, what do you know? Let’s go.”

“Don’t you understand, Jiu’er? But just now, why did you sigh again …”

*********

“You mysterious bird, why are you here again today? You … you’re injured? No, what are you hiding? Take it out!”

“Here, here you are …”

“This is … the Myriad Lotus! You, you actually …”

“Jiu’er … Jiu’er actually didn’t leave that day, “I, I hid behind the flower bed. I heard you sigh. You said that if mortals could be like these flowers and never wither, how good would that be … So, Jiu’er went to steal … to pick, to pick this Myriad Lotus. You are so capable. Take this Myriad Lotus to the mortal world, so that mortals can live forever. Hee hee …”

“What do you know? Mortals are old, sick, and dead because of the circulation of the heavens and the earth. Floods, earthquakes, plagues, and droughts are also the circulation of the heavens and the earth. No one can interfere with them. However, the more this happens, the stronger mortals are. They have lived endlessly for millions of years before becoming the Spirit Elders of All Creatures.”

“Wuwuwu … what are you doing so fiercely … Jiu’er only saw you sigh sadly that day, so she went to steal the Myriad Lotus. When she left, she was burned by the Nine Heavens Divine Fire of the Heavenly Emperor Profound Envoy. You were also fierce towards me, Wuwuwuwu …”

“You … Ai! Do you know that you’ve caused a great calamity this time? The twelve lotus seeds of the Myriad Lotus will only mature once they reach 99,000 years old. The Heavenly Emperor has already waited for 98,900 years. There is still a hundred years left before the lotus seeds of the Myriad Lotus ripen, yet you …”

“Wuwu … Jiu’er doesn’t know … Wuwu …”

“You … From today onwards, you are not allowed to leave Hundred Flowers Valley!”

“You, why did you lock me up? You … let me out … don’t send me to the Soaring Firmament Hall, wu …”

*********

“Four Divine Generals, why are you free to come to my Hundred Flowers Valley today?”

“Qing Emperor, did you see a mysterious bird coming this way a few days ago?”

“Oh? That mysterious bird, she’s in the valley right now.”

“What did you say! Good, good, where is she? Quickly take us …”

“Wait …”

“What’s wrong? Does Qing Emperor know that this Black Bird is bold enough to steal the Myriad Lotus? The Heavenly Emperor is furious … Hand her over quickly …”

“She is my disciple.”

“What did you say! Qing Emperor, you …”

“That’s right. I asked her to steal the Myriad Lotus.”

“You … you!”

*********

“Qing Emperor must think it over, Such a small mortal bird, “Even if I can become a spirit and transform into an immortal spirit, I still don’t know how many people will die in a year. And Qing Emperor has experienced countless tribulations and is now the God of Hundred Flowers. Listen to my advice, why don’t you hand her over? Little Si went to the Heavenly Emperor and said that the matter of the Myriad Lotus has nothing to do with Qing Emperor. It was all because of the Black Bird’s greed heart that he committed such a monstrous sin …”

“Although she is formed by an ordinary bird, everything has its own spirit. Since she stole the Immortal Lotus for me, how can I abandon her?”

“You … Qing Emperor, listen to me. Why are you so persistent for a mortal bird? A tiny mortal bird like this will die if it dies. I don’t know how many people will die in the lower realms every day, but Qing Emperor, you’re different. You’ve gone through countless tribulations with great difficulty. Are you going to be destroyed like this now? From now on, you’ll be reduced to the mortal realm?”

“Mortals … I would like to see them as well. Mortals … are old and sick.”

“You …”

*********

“Hehe, Master! You’re back … The Heavenly Emperor didn’t make things difficult for Master, did he?”

“Of course.”

“Hehe! That’s great …”

“Jiu’er, from today onwards, I will teach you poems, books, rituals, and music. You must study every single one of them well.”

“Oh … but Jiu’er, I want to go out with Master to eat delicious food. I don’t like zither, weiqi, calligraphy and painting, and I don’t like reading and writing …”

“No. Jiu’er, remember, you are no longer a mysterious bird. Since that is the case, you can no longer be as stubborn as before.”

“Oh … Alright then, I’ll listen to Master’s words, hehe.”

“Don’t do anything you don’t want to do to others … Mm, that is to say, don’t always give Master food that Jiu’er doesn’t like in the future …”

“Love each other and benefit each other … Lover, if you love your body … En, that is to say, Jiu’er needs to eat satiety every day, this is the way to cherish her body …”

“The wind and rain are as dark as the rain, and the chickens are crowing endlessly. Seeing the gentleman, Yunhu doesn’t like it … Mm, does it mean that Jiu’er is happy every time she sees Master bring delicious food? Hehe …”

*********

“Master, master! I can memorize those poems! I can also learn quyi and those spells. Jiu’er has learned them all …”

“Mm, not bad, master today … cough, cough cough!”

“Master! What’s wrong with you … Master is a High God, why, why are you sick like mortals? No, what’s going on …”

“Jiu’er, listen to me …”

“I won’t listen, I won’t listen, Jiu’er won’t listen to Master …”

“Cough, cough …”

*********

“The Heavenly Emperor actually cut off Master’s godhead. I… I can’t, I want to find him to judge!”

“Jiu’er!”

“Why … Why? His magic power is clearly not as strong as Master’s. Why does he want to cut off Master’s godhead? Is it because he is the Lord of the Immortal Dimension? I refuse to accept it …”

“Wuwu … it was Jiu’er who harmed Master, Wuwu …”

“Jiu’er, cough cough … Listen to Master, even if the Heavenly Emperor doesn’t cut off my godhead, I, I …”

“How is that possible … No, no, Master, you’re lying to me. Master is a High God of the Immortal Dimension, and he’s immortal. How can he be like a mortal? I don’t believe it, I don’t believe it …”

“Jiu’er, you must know that there is no eternity in this world when the heavens and the earth are still endless. Even if it is a heavenly deity, there will still be a day when it will fall …”

“No, Wuwu, I don’t want, I don’t want Master to die, I don’t want …”

“In another 37,000 years, I will reincarnate as a mortal. I hope that at that time, I can teach mortals how to cultivate, so that they can become stronger and fight against the demons in this world …”

“Wuwuwu … Master doesn’t want Jiu’er anymore …”

“Silly Jiu’er … By then, Jiu’er will definitely have grown up …”

“Wuwuwu, Jiu’er will never grow up …”

*********

“Master … don’t! Master, don’t die … Wuuuuuu, it was Jiu’er who harmed Master. Jiu’er will go to Lingxiao Palace to look for the Heavenly Emperor. Jiu’er stole the Myriad Lotus, and it has nothing to do with Master …”

“Jiu’er, listen to me … Jiu’er!”

“Wuwu … En … En … Jiu’er, listen to Master … Jiu’er is no longer naughty …”

“The heavens and the earth are inhumane, using everything as a puppy … Although mortals are small, they are the strongest. Floods, earthquakes, plagues, and droughts cannot defeat them. One day, they will become the true spirits of all living things, and they will never cease to exist.”

“But on that day, Master is no longer here. Wuwuwu … Even if I search all corners of the world, Jiu’er will definitely find Master. In the next life, Jiu’er will come to protect Master …”

“Silly Jiu’er … Uh!”

“Master! This … this is the Myriad Lotus …”

“That’s right. Master used the last bit of magic power to ripen the twelve lotus seeds. Jiu’er, consume the lotus seeds and lotus flowers …”

“No, I don’t want …”

“Listen to Master … Only by consuming the Myriad Lotus can Jiu’er possess … all of her magic power … become a … god.”

“Ah!”

“Ah!”

“Ah!”

“Jiu’er …”

“Master, I … I … I don’t have any feathers on my body …”

“Jiu’er, remember, from today onwards, your name is … Nine Heavens Profound Maiden.”

“Nine Heavens Profound Maiden …”

“If mortals respect us as gods, then the only thing we can do is to protect them, not enslave them. Jiu’er, you must remember that from now on, you are the Nine Heavens Profound Maiden. You must protect all living beings in the mortal world.”

“Master … Master!”

…

The rain became heavier and heavier, and the night gradually fell, adding a bit of coldness to the wilderness.

“Master … Master …”

Xiao Chen’s body was covered in blood and mud, but his hands were still tightly hugging Ling Yin. However, the other party slowly lost his breath and heartbeat. Even when he fell down just now, she had used her last bit of magic power to protect his heart meridians.

“Ah–”

A pitiful roar echoed throughout the valley.

…

Well, this chapter is quite special. The reason Gu Yi wrote this chapter is to let everyone know more about Ling Yin and Yi Chen’s past. However, it is worth mentioning that the story between Jiu’er and the High God Qing Emperor happened in ancient times. Obviously, neither Ling Yin nor Yi Chen will remember it, at least for now.

In addition, Qing Emperor in this chapter is an ancient god from the Immortal Dimension, not the “Qing Emperor” from 10,000 years ago. However, everyone should be able to imagine that the High God Qing Emperor said that 37,000 years ago, he would reincarnate as a mortal, and this “mortal” was also the mortal Qing Emperor who had been cultivated by the descendants of 10,000 years ago.

Also, after reading Gu Yi’s last book, Immortal Sovereign of the Nine Worlds, did you still have an impression of Dugu Tianxia the Sword Demon? Everyone still remembered Dugu Tianxia’s [Myriad Bones Withered], didn’t they? Yes, Dugu Tianxia was also a person from ten thousand years ago. He was of the same generation as the mortal Qing Emperor. As mentioned in the previous book, what exactly was their relationship? Guess …

Interested friends can also enter Gu Yijian’s book group to discuss it. The group number is on the book introduction.

Finally, as of today, the Ten Directions Universe has been updated with more than three million words. It has been almost two years since the book was published.

Over 500 days and nights, Gu Yi did not dare to slack off one day. If things did not change one day, his heart would always be filled with apologies. But up until now … the results of the Ten Directions were not good, and even slightly bleak. Although many friends were doing publicity for Gu Yi, it was likely that there were too many pirated copies …

Therefore, Gu Yi still wanted to plead for a subscription when he had more than three million words from the Ten Directions. He hoped that those who were still watching the pirated edition would be able to subscribe to the original edition vertically and horizontally … so that the Ten Directions would not be so depressed.

Thank you.