Immortal of the Ages

"Ah, right." Yun Xiao offered a simple smile, sunny yet tinged with a touch of naivety.

"Why are you back again? A great man like you should not keep his mind tethered to home. How will you ever wander far?" Zhao Xuanran stood, her black gown cascading beautifully, her curves as captivating as ever.

She was early in her pregnancy, showing no changes yet, but the glow of motherhood lent her an added allure.

Yun Xiao, having walked the path of Immortals, had seen countless beauties among them, especially lately. Yet, for some reason, whenever he looked at his senior sister, his heart still fluttered with a profound and moving sensation.

A budding spring feeling! It seemed he naturally favored the plain, true faces of the mortal realm; the more he looked, the more intriguing they became.

His gaze intense, Yun Xiao boasted somewhat, "Sorry, it hasn't even been ten days, but I've already conquered another map."

"Ah?" Zhao Xuanran covered her lips, blinking. "These worlds you traverse—surely they're not all as soft as tofu, easier than Azure Spirit?"

Yun Xiao recalled how he spent more time in Azure Spirit than even in the Great Dao Celestial Realm.

"Senior Sister!" Yun Xiao interjected earnestly, his hands outstretched, "Remember you told me, when I'm free, to take you to see those worlds I've visited?"

"I've waited too long for today," Yun Xiao walked towards her, "Right now, would you like to?"

Zhao Xuanran's beautiful eyes trembled slightly, her voice tinged with a hint of emotion, softly, "Of course I would..."

How could she not? Even if she relaxed her mindset, after bearing his child, he became the sole beacon of her life.

He was a soaring miracle, and what if one day he soared out of her reach? What then?

So, even if unspoken, even if carefree, Zhao Xuanran yearned to witness his journeys, to make all seem less ephemeral...

"Then, this way please." Yun Xiao gestured, extending his hand.

"Alright." Zhao Xuanran discreetly wiped away a tear, her gentle smile concealing her emotion, as she placed her hand in Yun Xiao's.

Her hand's mortal warmth stirred a comforting warmth in him.

She was one of countless fleeting lives that held no meaning to Lu Fan; who said the lowliest of life were but mere extras?

With the stature of the Creator Immortal, standing at the pinnacle of the Dao, Yun Xiao could not deny her reality.

Yes, mortals were weak, but they were still human! As a fellow human that started from the same place, Yun Xiao knew this better than anyone else!

He led Zhao Xuanran out, one hand protecting her lower back, the other shielding her slender, smooth belly.

"What are you doing, you fool?" Zhao Xuanran laughed and cried at Yun Xiao's over-cautiousness.

"I'm protecting our baby," Yun Xiao replied earnestly.

"They're not that fragile, relax a bit." Zhao Xuanran had been sitting for a while, and upon standing, she stretched languidly, revealing a graceful and enchanting figure that made Yun Xiao fear she might stretch the baby right out of existence.

"Just behave as usual," Zhao Xuanran said with a smile, straightening his clothes.

Yun Xiao looked down at her lovely face, feeling a surge of emotion but restrained himself.

"Let's go!" His face radiant, he transformed his Sword Soul into a six-foot Sovereign Sword, laying it beside them.

It was a scene reminiscent of times past.

Yun Xiao helped her onto the sword, positioning her in front of himself. One hand on her waist and the other protecting her abdomen, he shielded his senior sister thoroughly...

Zhao Xuanran could only resign herself to his overprotectiveness.

VROOM! The sword took to the air!

A breeze caressed their faces, accompanied by the vast sky.

Amidst the clouds, a pair in black and white, two mere mortals...

Her hair cascaded like a waterfall, the strands like countless warm hands, entwining around Yun Xiao's face, neck, and heart, wrapped so tightly it seemed they could never be unraveled, not in a million years.

It was just like that night when he first flew her across the night sky of Azure Spirit on his Sovereign Sword, the thrill in his heart from that moment continued to this day.

Yun Xiao tightened his grip on her waist, applying a gentle force as if fearing she was too fragile and might slip through his fingers like a bubble, never to be caught again.

"Junior Brother Yun, what's wrong?" Zhao Xuanran felt the change in his emotions and turned her head to rest it against his chest, asking softly.

"I'm just a bit lost, unsure what's real and what's an illusion," Yun Xiao replied.

"Are you afraid it's all a dream? Like your opponents, waking to find nothing left?" Zhao Xuanran whispered.

"It's not fear, I just haven't seen through it all yet," Yun Xiao said.

She took his hand at her waist, looked up at him, and spoke softly, "It's okay, I'm with you."

Yun Xiao lowered his head, and their eyes met for a long, deep moment. Every fluttering eyelash, every glint in her eyes, was vividly clear.

The eyes were the windows to the soul, and Yun Xiao saw into her heart, where there lingered only his own silhouette. He saw all her devotion and love, her tenderness, and care.

"To cherish every moment as it comes is the greatest responsibility one can hold in life," Zhao Xuanran said.

"Treasure the present..."

All the confusion in Yun Xiao's eyes dissolved with those words.

Ahead of the Sovereign Sword, the clouds suddenly parted, revealing a sky washed in azure, all around them nothing but clear blue!

"Senior Sister!" Yun Xiao's excitement surged; he whisked her through the air, their trail marked by bursts of speed and sweeping turns. As they soared through the sky, he pointed towards a golden spherical world ahead, "There lies the Heavenly Realm, the heart of the Divine Continent. I got the chance to go there and participate in the War of Immortals back when I was still in the Sea of Swords…"

He wove through the air, narrating his adventures in the Heavenly Realm. When the story concluded, he burst from the folds of this world into the Nine Hells, beginning the tale of that dark realm.

Zhao Xuanran nestled in his arms, listening quietly without interruption, her eyes always soft with warmth. She clutched Yun Xiao's hand tightly, never letting go.

Then from the Nine Hells, Yun Xiao continued on to the Primordial Ruins, where Yun Xiao spoke of the tale of the Three Immortals and All-Life Devouring Gu.

Finally, Yun Xiao broke through the barrier of their mortal star.

For the first time, Zhao Xuanran felt the insignificance of Azure Spirit, breaking through life's layers to witness the humbleness of the mortal realm and the grandeur of the Great Dao Celestial Realm!

She came to understand, the vast immortal world Yun Xiao had conquered was no mere piece of tofu.

She never knew the twists in these tales; truly hearing them spoken in his calm voice brought a flood of shock, emotion, and longing into her face and eyes… She found herself unable to speak.

"Senior Sister Zhao! This is the Great Dao Celestial Realm! All immortals here now revere me!"

Yun Xiao had never boasted quite like this before, resembling a green youth eager to show his achievements to his crush.

Zhao Xuanran's eyes reddened slightly, but she smiled, her grip on his hand tightening.

Every finger seemed to whisper to Yun Xiao her growing fear of losing him… Yet, the stark reality of their differences showed her the vast chasm between heaven and earth.

She felt a tightness in her chest.

"We've seen enough, we should head back..."

As she uttered these words, Yun Xiao suddenly burst with excitement. "Look, guess what this is!"

He produced the Chaos Emperor Lotus!

"A lotus flower?" Zhao Xuanran was stunned.

"Yes! I'm giving it to you, here in the Great Dao Celestial Realm, today, I will help you consolidate your spirit, step into the Third Dao Tribulation, and become an Immortal!" Yun Xiao's eyes blazed with passion.

"Me?" Zhao Xuanran looked at him quietly, her eyes trembling slightly.

"Hey, don't underestimate me! If I'm cultivating the path to immortality and can't even bring the person I love to the pinnacle of the world, then what's the point of my cultivation!" Yun Xiao exclaimed.

Zhao Xuanran, after hearing this, tightened her grip on his hand silently. She then relaxed into a smile, tears brimming, and said simply, "Okay."

It was a straightforward word, and she was as direct as ever.

The gap between heaven and earth did not crush her. Because Yun Xiao never claimed to be the heavens; he sprang from the earth, and in his heart, he was still of the earth.

The two clasped hands, with the Great Dao Celestial Realm as their backdrop, time seemed eternal.

"This lotus..." Zhao Xuanran bowed her head, looking at the gift he had given her.

In her eyes, slowly surged the tide of reincarnation...