Chapter 603: 602. Chapter 597: Five Hundred and Ninety-Seven Zhang, the Blade Ravine a Million Zhang

602. Chapter 597: Five Hundred and Ninety-Seven Zhang, the Blade Ravine a Million Zhang

After a long while, Ding Huan came to his senses; he clasped his fists and said, "I and Baihe are sworn siblings. If you two have no objections, would you care to join me on my spaceship for a chat?"

Zhuo Yao and Yan Qi showed no hesitation whatsoever; they immediately retracted their flying shuttles and landed atop Ding Huan's Cosmic Wok.

Ding Huan nodded. Whether these two believed their strength could crush him or simply trusted him because he was Jia Baihe's friend, it didn't matter.

Just for this, these two were no ordinary people.

In fact, Ding Huan was right: whether Zhuo Yao or Yan Qi, both believed that anyone Jia Baihe considered her only friend could not possibly be of poor character.

Their main reason for boarding Ding Huan's Cosmic Wok was still Jia Baihe's cultivation level.

Though they called Jia Baihe a friend, her cultivation was vastly superior to theirs.

Jia Baihe had reached the Great Yi Xian realm.

This was only because Jia Baihe's talent was extraordinary and her cultivation progressed at an astonishing pace.

Otherwise, Jia Baihe might not even have reached Jin Xian.

Even if Ding Huan's talent far surpassed Jia Baihe's, he could never reach Immortal King.

To them, an Immortal King didn't even need to move a finger to crush them.

As for Ding Huan's Cosmic Wok, he had possessed it even before becoming an Immortal; back then, its speed already surpassed that of Immortal artifacts.

This flying treasure could not reflect Ding Huan's cultivation level—it only proved he had extraordinary fortune.

So they dared to board the Cosmic Wok, certain that even if Ding Huan had ill intentions, he could not possibly match them using a confinement array.

When Ding Huan was an Immortal Venerable, his aura still leaked out, revealing his cultivation tier.

Now that he had ascended to Immortal Emperor, his soul sea, Dao universe, was perfectly smooth, his Dao fully unified.

There was no longer any trace of Dao aura leaking out.

If he chose not to reveal it, no one could discern his true strength.

Ding Huan waved his hand and summoned three chairs, then placed a tea table in the center.

He personally poured Immortal tea for Zhuo Yao and Yan Qi, then said earnestly, "Brother Zhuo, Immortal Yan, please tell me why Baihe perished—I would be eternally grateful."

Yan Qi could see the deep sorrow in Ding Huan's eyes; before Zhuo Yao could speak, she volunteered, "Back then, while I was fleeing with grave injuries, a group of men cornered me in a canyon outside Shen Song Xiancheng.

Those scoundrels intended to defile me, but fate spared me—Baihe, who was secretly cultivating nearby, saw it all. She used her Ten Thousand Poisons technique to kill those vile men, and that's how we met.

At the time, she had just entered Jin Xian; my husband and I invited her to join us at the Divine Sword Manor…"

As Yan Qi recounted, Ding Huan gradually came to understand the hardships and struggles Jia Baihe had endured.

After they entered the Ascension Vortex together, Jia Baihe was swept away by a void current; when she emerged, she was no longer in the Fourth or Fifth Immortal Realms.

Jia Baihe wandered the void alone for years, eventually finding the Chaos Star Continent.

The fact that Jia Baihe found the Chaos Star Continent suggests her fortune was slightly better than Ding Huan's.

The cosmic laws of the Chaos Star Continent were vastly more complete than those of the Fourth and Fifth Immortal Realms.

Jia Baihe knew her own situation; she dared not appear in crowded places and could only cultivate alone in solitude.

Fortunately, she cultivated the Ten Thousand Poisons Dao, and any petty villains who dared target her were poisoned to death.

After reaching Jin Xian, Jia Baihe stabilized her cultivation outside Shen Song Xiancheng, where she encountered the wounded Yan Qi being surrounded.

Jia Baihe's Ten Thousand Poisons Dao was least vulnerable to being overwhelmed by numbers.

Seeing Yan Qi's plight, she likely recalled her own past, so she acted without hesitation, killing them all with poison.

This became the turning point in Jia Baihe's fate.

Yan Qi's origins were far from ordinary—she was the Dao companion of Zhuo Yao, Lord of the Divine Sword Manor.

At Yan Qi's invitation, Jia Baihe came to the Divine Sword Manor.

Jia Baihe was an Immortal Spirit Body; anywhere else, her presence would draw immediate attention.

But within the Divine Sword Manor, no one dared to look at her twice.

Thus, within the Divine Sword Manor, Jia Baihe passed the most stable years of her life.

There, she cultivated to the Great Yi Xian realm, and with her pace, she would soon break through to the Great Luo Xian realm.

At that moment, the Young Master of the Heavenly God Palace, Chong Dongzi, arrived at the Divine Sword Manor seeking the Five-Petal Luolian.

Upon seeing Jia Baihe, Chong Dongzi was instantly captivated—he recognized her Immortal Spirit Body.

Chong Dongzi immediately declared his affection for Jia Baihe, but she rebuked him and ordered him to leave.

As the Young Master of the Heavenly God Palace, how could a woman he desired be allowed to slip away?

He immediately returned to the Heavenly God Palace and asked his father, the palace's Lord Chong Chong Shenjin, to propose marriage to Jia Baihe.

Jia Baihe was merely a guest at the Divine Sword Manor, with no ties to it; thus, Zhuo Yao refused Chong Chong Shenjin without hesitation.

He didn't even bother informing Jia Baihe.

Though the Divine Sword Manor held considerable status on the Chaos Star Continent, it was vastly inferior to the Heavenly God Palace.

Lord Chong Chong Shenjin of the Heavenly God Palace viewed Zhuo Yao's refusal as an insult to his palace and immediately mobilized his strongest forces to attack the Divine Sword Manor.

The Divine Sword Manor had always avoided external conflict; no matter how strong Zhuo Yao and Yan Qi were, they could not surpass Chong Chong Shenjin.

Moreover, within the Heavenly God Palace, there were four or five other powerhouses like Chong Chong Shenjin.

Thus, the battle didn't even need to be fought—everyone knew the Divine Sword Manor stood no chance against the Heavenly God Palace.

Here, Yan Qi's eyes grew slightly red:

"Baihe knew that if a battle erupted, the Divine Sword Manor would suffer catastrophic losses, perhaps even be annihilated—so she stepped forward herself…"

Ding Huan's heart tightened; a killing intent swirled deep within him.

"Baihe said she was a married woman—that her husband was Ding Huan. Yan Qi and I knew she was lying; she had never become your Dao companion.

When the Heavenly God Palace's Young Master Chong Dongzi heard Jia Baihe's words, he flew into a rage—he, he…"

Yan Qi seemed unable to continue.

Ding Huan took a deep breath and said slowly, "Sister Yan, please tell me the full details."

Yan Qi raised her hand and tossed out a crystal ball.

The image crystal sphere activated, and in the void appeared the figure of Jia Baihe.

Ding Huan saw Jia Baihe again.

He also saw that young mistress, Chong Dongzi.

The young mistress's face was flushed with rage as she pointed at Jia Baihe and screamed, "You a whore who's been slept with by countless men, dare you speak of soulmates before me? Pfft."

I chose you to warm my bed—that's your fortune. How dare you make excuses? Do you want to die?"

Jia Baihe's face turned pale, and she spat out a jet of blood.

At that moment, Yan Qi rushed forward to support Jia Baihe; Jia Baihe trembled all over, her expression filled with utter despair.

Ding Huan felt as if his heart had been clenched—he suddenly regretted not letting Jia Baihe stay with him.

Jia Baihe had feelings for him, and he could sense them.

But Ding Huan had never once considered taking a second soulmate; it had nothing to do with Jia Baihe's past experiences.

Even later, with Wen Zhixi, he sensed her feelings for him too.

Yet Ding Huan never once considered having any relationship with Wen Zhixi.

Both Jia Baihe and Wen Zhixi came from the Third Heaven Star Continent; they had shared hardship together.

Precisely because he subconsciously did not wish to be deeply entangled with Jia Baihe or Wen Zhixi, Ding Huan chose not to remain with them.

At this moment, seeing Jia Baihe's face and eyes, utterly broken with despair, Ding Huan was filled with dread and unease.

"Chong Dongzi, watch your tongue. Your Heavenly God Palace may be powerful, but our Divine Sword Manor is not afraid of you." Zhuo Yao roared, stepping forward to stand before Jia Baihe.

"Heh, today we've come here precisely to see just how mighty your Divine Sword Manor truly is." Chong Chong Shenjin chuckled, clearly not giving Zhuo Yao or Yan Qi any regard.

"Sister Qi, I've been lying to myself… now I understand…" Jia Baihe spoke these words, then spat another jet of blood.

Ding Huan clenched his fists—he had spent so long with Jia Baihe; he knew exactly what she meant.

Jia Baihe believed that even a trash like Chong Dongzi cared whether she was a virgin, so he must care too.

But in truth, he had never thought about such things at all.

Jia Baihe pulled out a large-mouthed flask and handed it to Yan Qi: "Sister Qi, this is my most precious possession. If one day you meet Ding Huan, please give it to him for me."

"I ask one more favor: let me go. Don't stop me from seeking my own happiness, or I'd rather be dead than alive…"

Yan Qi was already weeping, and she understood Jia Baihe's meaning.

She released Jia Baihe.

Jia Baihe stood in place, her entire body instantly engulfed in flames.

As if she meant to burn away all the sins of this world and restore her own purity.

Faint, unintelligible singing echoed, but Jia Baihe's voice Ding Huan would never forget.

Two cold tears traced paths down his cheeks; before his eyes once more appeared the woman who had clung to him and fled in madness.

This was not Jia Baihe's fault—it was his.

He should have forgotten what love was, so he could ignore Jia Baihe's feelings for him.

In his frantic pursuit of strength, his desperate quest to become an immortal god and attain eternal life—had he truly succeeded?

Ding Huan's mind surfaced the Path of Emotionlessness.

He had obtained it from that leather scroll.

According to the scroll's reverence for the Path of Emotionlessness, it was one of the supreme Dao paths.

Once, he had despised it—he believed Dao should be emotional.

But in his pursuit of his own Dao and of becoming an immortal god, what difference was there between his actions and the Path of Emotionlessness?

"This is what Baihe left behind," Yan Qi said, sighing as she saw Ding Huan weep, placing the large-mouthed flask before him.

As a woman, how could she not understand Jia Baihe's final words?

She could not blame Ding Huan, for this matter had nothing to do with him.

Ding Huan touched the large-mouthed flask before him—it was the only thing he had ever given Jia Baihe.

Now it was her most precious possession, and at her death, she had asked it be returned to him.