“Wretched child! Rebel disciple! You beast!”
Su Bai’s once-neat and dignified robes were now utterly disheveled, the collar askew, a wide tear running down the sleeve. Skin that had once been concealed by her clothes now faintly showed through the ragged fabric, betraying her distress and shame.
Her legs trembled as though unable to support her, as if she had endured a tremendous ordeal. Even the bed beneath her seemed thrown into chaos by the commotion.
Zhou Xuan had shown her with his actions: however loudly you laughed then, is how loudly you cry out now, on the bed.
No matter what the Five Domains and Two Heavens are called in the future, for now, they carry the surnames Zhou and Su!
“Is Master already worn out?” At the edge of the bed, Zhou Xuan appeared calm and unhurried, sipping wine with no sign of exhaustion after their fierce bout.
“You bastard! Try having your legs played with for days and nights on end! And you ripped my clothes… Damn it, you’re pure beast!!”
“How can Master speak such crude words?”
“Disciple’s intentions are purely filial, helping Master comprehend the Dao of Yin-Yang Union. No one else could ever envy such fortune.”
“Then I really should thank your whole damn family!!” Su Bai gritted her teeth, wishing she could tear this wretch to shreds. But for now, her whole body was weak, so she could only lean against the bedside, gasping for breath.
“Thank you for the praise, Master.” Zhou Xuan lifted his wine cup and made a small toast toward Su Bai.
Su Bai was speechless.
This wretch truly had a talent for climbing up the bamboo stalk!
“By the way, didn’t Master want to know about the next era? I’ve had some spare time lately, so I’ll explain and show you around.”
With those words, Zhou Xuan rose and walked toward the door. As he left, he glanced back at Su Bai, as if urging her to follow.
Filled with anger and annoyance, Su Bai ran her jade hand over herself; usually, this would restore her stately, verdant imperial robe. But today, nothing happened.
No need to ask—clearly the wretch’s doing.
She didn’t know if it was that old lecher discovering a spontaneous fondness for “black silk legs,” or if her last display of those stockings had left the simulator NPC local a little too shocked.
Now, every few days, he had to come feast on her, indulging in his appetites.
Gritting her teeth and still clad in her torn black silk business attire, Su Bai rose and followed.
Zhou Xuan did not slow, forcing Su Bai to hurry after him, cursing him in her heart all the way as they wound through twist after turn, finally arriving at a remote hall within the Azure Emperor Divine Palace, and then down to its underground levels.
Ahead, light flickered in the darkness. Zhou Xuan stepped inside, and after a moment’s hesitation, Su Bai followed as well.
Above them, the starry sky seemed a perfect reflection of the real heavens, so clear that it was impossible to tell illusion from reality. Yet the bright stars did not twinkle, as if each was a silent, lifeless orb.
It was only then Su Bai realized: beneath the Azure Emperor Divine Palace she had supervised in person, such a vast subterranean space had been hidden all along. She couldn’t tell whether it had always existed, or had been built after this wretch seized power.
Before her, that expansive underground space housed a magnificent ancient city.
Towering walls encircled it, with jade pavilions and jewel palaces rising everywhere, streets crisscrossing in a dense grid, layers of city walls protecting the imperial bedchamber at the heart of it all. Palace towers, sacred walls, stele pavilions, corner turrets, sacrificial halls, spirit platforms—every feature was present. Golden bricks and jade tiles shimmered, carved beams and painted rafters bespoke ultimate luxury.
Staring at it all, Su Bai couldn’t help but lose herself for a moment, only snapping back to her senses when a man’s voice—part reminder, part explanation—sounded from ahead.
“Ever since Master fell into a coma, construction here began. I modeled much of it after your own Azure Emperor Divine Palace, and spent a full one hundred and fifty years to complete it.”
“I named this place—the Xuantian Imperial Palace.”
As Zhou Xuan spoke, he strode forward, and Su Bai silently followed behind.
Passing a certain area, they saw rows upon rows of bronze legions, resembling both terracotta warriors and the divine spirit of [Divine Emperor Soldiers].
From his pristine white robe, Zhou Xuan drew out a female corpse, tossing it casually; in a flash, the corpse transformed into a valiant female general, merging seamlessly into the bronze army.
Near the central imperial chamber, countless bronze soldiers stood like statues, loyal guardians protecting the core imperial palace.
Zhou Xuan ascended the stairs leading to the palace, Su Bai close behind.
One ahead, one behind, they reached the grand palace doors. Without a sound, the doors swung open, as though welcoming their true master.
Crossing the red-lacquered threshold, they found two rows of bronze statues flanking the entry: first dragons and phoenixes in auspicious union, then Baize, Xie, Kuang, Xiang, and other rare beasts and spirit birds.
At the center of the great hall stood a massive throne, its surface carved with scenes of the Eastern Sea islands, Western Desert oases, Southern mountains, Northern plains, and the myriad sects of the Central Region.
Zhou Xuan’s form shifted subtly, his gold-embroidered white robe turning into a black imperial robe with golden designs, its style closely matching Su Bai’s own verdant imperial attire. He strode with the majesty of a dragon and tiger, turned, and seated himself upon the throne, looking down at Su Bai.
“Master, do you understand now?”
“You want to be Emperor?” Su Bai asked doubtfully, though her gaze was drawn almost involuntarily to the three treasures beside the throne: the Human Emperor Banner, the Earth Emperor Cauldron, and the Heavenly Emperor Divine Mirror.
Zhou Xuan shook his head and softly explained.
“This is the key to the next era.”
“A whole new age, one where immortality holds no sway, an era called Jiuyou.”
“What do you mean?”
Su Bai’s heart lurched; there was too much meaning hidden in that phrase, but she could not fathom it.
“Souls return to the Human Emperor Banner, flesh to the Earth Emperor Cauldron, the Heavenly Emperor serves Jiuyou.”
Zhou Xuan reached out and picked up the Heavenly Emperor Divine Mirror, his slender fingers caressing its blackened surface, eyes deep and pensive as he slowly explained: “Very soon, the Immortal Realm will enter a brand new era, wholly different from the past. That era is called Jiuyou.”
“And I have acquired a ticket to enter that age. On the train to the new era, there are only two passengers: you and I.”
“We will become the pioneers, the founders, the Dao Ancestors, the first Emperor and Empress of that era.”
Setting down the Heavenly Emperor Divine Mirror, he extended a hand to Su Bai at the foot of the throne, his voice warm and calm.
“Master, Mother, become my consort. In the coming age, whether you desire power, strength, or beauty, I can give it all to you. We will be the perfect Dao companions, husband and wife, master and disciple, mother and son.”
“I know you care about appearances, Master, so in the Jiuyou Era, we will redefine everything.”
“The rules will be set by our will.”
Yet faced with the vast allure of supreme glory and power, Su Bai did not step forward, but instead retreated a pace, her face wary as she threw out another question.
“And what about them?”
“Who?”
“Everyone else in the Five Domains and Two Heavens, besides us.”
“That swarm of insects?”
“Master, you and I are no mere mortals…”
“No, you’re wrong, I am not like you!” Su Bai cut him off harshly, jabbing her finger at herself. “I came from among them, and in the end I’ll return to them. I’ve never thought of myself as some god, immortal, or demon-saint—I’m just a person, just an ordinary cultivator at the Nascent Soul stage.”