Chapter 517: Journey to Tianwaitian

Just as Ye Wuque and Feng Caichen, in the core Dongfu of the Great Thousand Divine Universe, were calming their minds and focusing, sensing the increasingly clear summons of the Origin Ancient Road while gathering strength.

In the depths of the distant Forbidden Starry Sky.

Within that strange realm, guarded by ancient power and isolated from Zhutian Wanjie, a farewell is unfolding.

Before a tranquil yet faintly sorrowful valley.

Yu Jiao Xue, in a white long dress, slender, her beauty so dazzling that the stars pale, stands quietly.

Her black hair flows like a waterfall, Skin whiter than snow, and in her Qiushui‑like eyes intertwine deep affection, an inescapable worry, and an unalterable resolve.

In front of her stand two figures, their aura aged yet powerful.

On the left, an elderly woman holding a simple staff, kind‑faced yet undeniably imposing, is Elder Qi Luo.

At this moment, her wrinkled face bears unwillingness and worry, her voice old and earnest:

"Yu Jiao Xue… are you truly… resolved to go? Perhaps… wait a bit longer? That child Ye Wuque is blessed and exceptionally talented; he will surely turn misfortune into fortune, perhaps… soon he can settle matters outside and return safely?"

Her eyes are full of affection for the junior, unwilling to see Yu Jiao Xue venture into the unknown and perilous vast Tianwaitian.

On the right stands a tall, resolute middle‑aged man, his brows bearing a hint of boldness and age… Ba Lao.

At this moment, his brows knit, and in a deep voice he advises:

"Indeed, Yu Jiao Xue girl."

"The world outside is countless times broader than the Forbidden Starry Sky, and equally countless times more dangerous."

"Ye Wuque bears world‑shaking Causality and talent; his path will inevitably be accompanied by towering storms."

"Although your strength has greatly advanced, going alone to search is like finding a needle in the ocean, fraught with danger. Better stay here, cultivate peacefully, trust Ye Wuque; he will surely return."

The elders' counsel is sincere, full of care.

Yu Jiao Xue listens quietly, a gentle yet unwavering smile appearing on her exquisite face.

She gently shakes her head, her voice like a clear mountain spring, pleasant yet bearing undeniable strength:

"Elder, Ba Lao, I understand and deeply appreciate your intentions. But… you need not persuade me further."

She lifts her gaze toward the boundless starry sky beyond the valley, symbolizing the unknown and distant, her eyes distant:

"I naturally have deep faith in Ye Wuque. He is the husband I have chosen, a hero who stands tall. Precisely because of this, I understand him better. Had he not been trapped in an extraordinarily special, involuntary situation, he would never have been apart from me so long, with such faint news."

Her tone gradually becomes firm, a faint pure and powerful aura circulating around her:

"These years, I have never slacked a day. Now, I am no longer the fragile woman who needed his constant protection. I have enough strength, the right to step beyond this starry sky and face a broader world."

She pauses, mentioning a name:

"Moreover, over thirty years ago, Yue Wuji successfully stepped out of the Forbidden Starry Sky to pursue his Dao."

"Since he could, I, Yu Jiao Xue… can do the same!"

Her final words land like a hammer, revealing her outward softness and inner steel, a resolve no man surpasses.

Having spoken, Yu Jiao Xue no longer hesitates, and before the two elders full of worry and reluctance, she bows deeply and solemnly:

"Elder, Ba Lao, I will never forget your kindness. As I go… do not worry. When I find Ye Wuque and return with him, I will pay my respects again."

After the bow, she resolutely turns, her snow‑white figure becoming a cold, decisive flash of light, racing toward the direction of the perilous forbidden site… Yunxing Wangling, the sole place recorded in ancient legend within the Forbidden Starry Sky that leads to the outer Tianwaitian!

Her figure fades, leaving only a long sigh echoing in the valley.

Ba Lao watches the white light vanish on the horizon, shakes his head with a wry smile: "Ah… this girl, her nature is just so; she appears gentle as water, yet the things she decides, even nine‑headed star beasts cannot pull back. In the end… it comes to this."

Elder Qi Luo's clouded eyes are also full of unwillingness and complexity, but finally turn into a light sigh of understanding:

"It's not her fault. The years of waiting were too long."

"Given Yu Jiao Xue's talent, temperament, and persistence, she indeed should not be forever confined beneath this protected starry sky."

"The broader Zhutian Wanjie, the magnificent great world, is the true stage for her and the child Ye Wuque to soar."

"Fine… let her go. A fledgling hawk must leave the nest to fight the true heavens."

The two elders exchange wordless looks, only deep blessings and concern lingering in their hearts.

……

Yunxing Wangling.

This place is one of the most mysterious and dangerous deadlands of the Forbidden Starry Sky.

Rumor has it that inside swirls violent Space turbulence, Dead Silence energy that erases all, and countless shattered ancient seals and Grievance.

Ordinary Dark Cultivators who step in meet certain death.

Only those with exceptional talent, strength, and luck, the supreme Heavenly Pride, may locate the faint, unstable Liewen, break through countless lethal tribulations, and reach the legendary Tianwaitian.

Yu Jiao Xue's figure disappears into the meteor belt shrouded by gray Dead Silence aura and the Energy Storm.

For a full three days and three nights.

Deep within Yunxing Wangling, occasional earth‑shaking Energy booms and massive Space collapse crashes echo.

Occasionally, brilliant Purification divine light and icy sword qi tear the gloom, only to be swiftly engulfed by more chaotic energy.

On the third day, near dusk.

Outside Yunxing Wangling, a relatively calm Void suddenly tears open a crack riddled with Liewen, flowing with chaotic energy.

A figure, blood‑stained, white dress torn, aura at its weakest yet spine still straight, staggers out of the fissure, finally reaching the relatively safe edge of Tianwaitian.

It is Yu Jiao Xue!

Now her hair is disheveled, her exquisite face pale as paper, a trace of fresh blood clinging to her mouth corner.

Her once immaculate white dress is shredded by various energy turbulence, exposing horrific wounds deep enough to see bone, bleeding with luminous white blood.

Some wound edges still swirl with stubborn Dead Silence and Grievance, continuously eroding her vitality.

She paid a great price, endured a near‑death ordeal, and finally… made it through!

Yu Jiao Xue barely steadies herself, too rushed to tend the severe injuries, but quickly pulls out a bottle of vibrant life‑essence and drinks it, while activating her technique to barely suppress the wounds and erosion.

She lifts her still clear and steadfast eyes, gazing at the boundless, star‑filled Tianwaitian that is both familiar and alien to her, feeling an indescribable surge of excitement and a hint of bewilderment.

"Finally… it's out."

She whispered to herself, her voice hoarse from a near‑death ordeal.

"Wu Que… wait for me. No matter which corner of the Zhutian Wanjie you are in, I will… find you."

Without lingering, she chose a direction, then transformed into a streak of light tinged with sorrow, heading into the depths of the starry sky, beginning her long and unknown quest to find her husband.

…

It was at the moment Yu Jiao Xue's silhouette vanished at the edge of the Forbidden Starry Sky.

Above the Nine Heavens, deep within the Yunxing Wangling, lay an Absolute Void where ordinary beings could not perceive anything, where even light and spirit awareness were twisted and devoured.

A terrifying vertical‑pupil, colossal beyond imagination, occupying nearly half of the void yet appearing severely incomplete, lay sprawled there.

Its pupil shone with an age‑old, weathered hue, while the surface of the eyeball was riddled with intersecting scars as if bearing the horrific fissures and wounds of an unimaginable great war, with nearly half of the ocular tissue missing.

Countless massive Chaos chains, engraved with obscure ancient runes, extended from the depths of the void, coiling and piercing every part of the broken vertical‑pupil like shackles, seemingly anchoring it firmly in place.

The vertical‑pupil radiated a cold, ancient, colossal thought that seemed to have endured countless epochs of rise and fall.