"Medicine Saint Yun… h-how are Lady Qing Que's injuries…?"
Amid the many Profound Arks departing the Soul Stealing Star Realm, within the main Profound Ark of the Qilin God Realm, a trembling voice rang out.
The chamber was suffused with dazzling radiance—brilliant lights emitted by countless precious treasures and profound artifacts layered one atop another. Yet none of them could outshine the sacred glow bathing the figure standing at the center of the room.
The voice belonged to Qilin God Emperor Qi Tianli. Though his posture remained upright, his hands clenched tightly at his sides, betraying the turmoil raging within his heart.
Before him stood Yun Gu, the Medicine Saint. Holy Light Profound Energy enveloped his aged figure, its purity so overwhelming that it suppressed every other brilliance in the chamber. However, despite the sanctity of that radiance, Yun Gu's body was visibly trembling, beads of cold sweat tracing slow paths down his deeply lined face.
On the bed before him lay a woman whose presence alone commanded awe.
Her towering figure—over two meters in height—was now frighteningly still. Her face was deathly pale, devoid of all color, and her eyes were tightly shut. Yet her brows twitched incessantly, as though she were trapped within a nightmare so deep and cruel that she could never awaken from it.
This was Consort Qing Que. The Blue Dragon God Emperor.
Yun Gu's Light Profound Energy poured forth without restraint, every strand of it focused solely upon the woman on the bed. The holy radiance flowed into her body again and again, probing, mending, resisting—but even so, her condition showed no immediate sign of improvement.
The silence in the chamber was suffocating.
Qi Tianli did not dare speak again. He could only wait, his gaze fixed upon Qing Que's unconscious form, as an unspoken fear took root in his heart—one he refused to acknowledge.
PUKE!!
Without warning, Yun Gu violently spat out a mouthful of blood. The color drained from his already pale face, his body swaying as though it might collapse at any moment.
"Medicine Saint!"
The instant the Qilin God Emperor Qi Tianli witnessed the scene, his aged figure vanished in a flash. In the next breath, he was at Yun Gu's side, firmly supporting his unsteady body as a surge of profound energy poured from his palms into the Medicine Saint.
"MASTER!!!"
A figure rushed forward from behind. Xing Juekong, moving with desperate urgency, reached Yun Gu's other side and held him upright.
"Master… a-are you alright?!"
Xing Juekong's voice trembled with anguish. Day after day, Yun Gu had pushed his frail body beyond its limits, exhausting his life force without pause. This time was no different—and Xing Juekong feared it might finally be too much.
"I… I am fine…"
Under the support of the two, Yun Gu slowly raised a trembling hand and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. He lowered himself to sit, closed his eyes, and entered meditation. Gradually, his erratic breathing steadied, the violent turbulence within his body slowly settling.
Only then did Qi Tianli turn his gaze back to the woman lying upon the bed.
Under Yun Gu's relentless care, the chaotic aura that had once raged within her body had visibly calmed. Her brow no longer twitched, and the agony etched across her features had eased, leaving behind only a fragile stillness.
She was no longer writhing in pain.
A heavy breath escaped Qi Tianli's chest.
Turning back, the once-imposing figure of the Qilin God Emperor stepped forward and bowed deeply toward Yun Gu—an act that would have shaken the entire God Realm had it been witnessed by outsiders.
"Thank you, Medicine Saint Yun."
"…"
Unfortunately, after exhausting himself to the point of spitting blood, Yun Gu was no longer capable of responding.
The Qilin God Emperor did not take offense to the silence.
With a simple wave of his hand, space rippled. In the next instant, the figures of Yun Gu and Xing Juekong vanished from the chamber. A heartbeat later, they reappeared within another room deep inside the Profound Ark—one far more suited for rest and recovery.
Only then did Qi Tianli turn back.
Slowly, he walked to the bedside and sat down beside the woman lying there. Though her body no longer trembled as it had before, her complexion remained deathly pale, unchanged from earlier.
His hand trembled as he lifted it, wanting to reach out.
Halfway there, he stopped.
His fingers curled inward, and his eyes reddened as unshed sorrow gathered within them.
"If… if only I had stopped you that day…"
His voice broke.
"You… you would not have ended up like this…"
After giving the woman one final, lingering look, the Qilin God Emperor slowly rose to his feet. Without another word, he turned and stepped out of the chamber.
In the next moment, his figure appeared upon the deck of the Profound Ark.
The vast void stretched endlessly before him.
By now, the ark had completely departed from the Soul Stealing Star Realm, drifting silently through the starry expanse. Qi Tianli stood there, gazing into the boundless darkness.
"God Emperor!"
The moment Qi Tianli appeared upon the deck of the Profound Ark, several figures materialized before him in unison, their auras restrained yet resolute.
Two of them stood at the forefront—both Qilin Gods.
The instant Qi Tianli's perception brushed against them, his pupils constricted.
A terrifying power surged faintly beneath their composed exteriors.
That pressure…That feeling…
It was eerily familiar.
For a fleeting moment, Qi Tianli was dragged back to the past—to the day he had stood face to face with Mo Biechen.
"…"
Qi Tianli remained silent.
His subordinates did not dare speak again. They stood motionless, waiting, as Qi Tianli slowly turned his gaze outward and extended his senses into the surrounding world.
The scenery before him was still the God Realm—unchanged in appearance.
Yet everything else was different.
The profound energy permeating heaven and earth was dense beyond reason, ancient and majestic, so rich that it effortlessly stirred even his own cultivation. The space itself felt incomparably stable, firm to an almost frightening degree, as though it had been reforged to withstand the presence of far more terrifying existences than before.
A world no longer bound by its former limits.
BOOMMMMM!!!
Without warning, Qi Tianli released his aura.
Divine might erupted from his body like a raging tide, sweeping across the deck in an instant. Yet as he watched closely, his expression darkened.
The surrounding space merely trembled—slightly.
There were no spatial fissures.No shattered void.None of the distortions that would normally accompany the outburst of a Divine Master's power.
Only then did he finally speak.
"From this day forward… you two should stop addressing me as 'God Emperor.'"
His voice was calm, yet weighed down by resignation.
"Your strength has already surpassed mine. It is time for me to step down."
The two Qilin Gods stiffened.
"No!" they exclaimed almost simultaneously.
"God Emperor, the only reason we appear stronger is because you have forcibly suppressed your breakthrough—to remain by Lady Qing Que's side!"
"If the God Emperor so wished, you could shatter your bottleneck right now and surpass us both in a matter of time!"
Their voices were filled with urgency—and sincerity.
Qi Tianli listened quietly.
Then, slowly, he shook his head.
"…Tianhe… Tianya…"
The Qilin God Emperor called out the names of his subordinates, his voice calm yet heavy with authority.
"You two brothers have followed me since your youth. If not for the fact that infighting within our realm is prohibit, you, whose talents surpass even mine, would long ago have been granted the right to challenge me for the title of God Emperor."
The two Qilin Gods exchanged uncertain glances, unsure how to respond.
But one thing was clear.
Qi Tianli… truly intended to step down today.
"Your talents—and now… your strength—have already far surpassed mine."
As he spoke, an ancient orb suddenly appeared in his hand, glowing faintly with a quiet, commanding presence.
The orb, unlike many of the Divine Inheritance Artifacts, was deceptively simple—a jade ornament with a Qilin delicately engraved upon its surface. It contained no divine source, no overwhelming aura of power.
Yet to the people of the Qilin God Realm, this jade orb represented the highest authority. Whoever possessed it would bear the title of God Emperor.
"God Emperor…"
At the sight of the object, the two Qilin Gods' eyes widened, their bodies trembling with awe and disbelief.
"I do not wish for you two to fight one another," Qi Tianli said softly. "If a new era awaits us… then lead the Qilin into that future in my stead."
The jade orb floated forward of its own accord. Slowly, it split into two, each half carrying identical inscriptions and the authority of the Qilin God Emperor.
Then Qi Tianli's figure faded from sight. His stunned subordinates could only stand frozen, hands trembling as they instinctively caught the jade fragments.
When he reappeared, Qi Tianli was once again standing before the bed where the Blue Dragon God Emperor slept.
Time seemed to stretch and slow. Yet within Qi Tianli's eyes, the events of the past several years flashed past like a torrent—struggles, regrets, sacrifices, and fleeting joys—all condensed into a single, fleeting lifetime.
------
Two years ago…
"Lady Qing Que! You don't have to go… you know that Lady Caizhi is only rushing toward her death!"
"Besides, Lady Xuanyin has already gone after her! You going there won't change anything!"
The angry voice of the Qilin God Emperor rang out, filled with both frustration and helplessness, as he stared at the young woman before him—his half-daughter, the Blue Dragon God Emperor.
"And am I supposed to do nothing again while everyone else is trying their best?!" Qing Que's voice was sharp, unwavering.
"How many times are you just going to stand by and do nothing?!" Her words cut like blades, reverberating through the chamber.
Qi Tianli could only sigh inwardly. His persuasion had failed. For so long, they had argued like this, and in the end… there was nothing he could do but watch.
The Blue Dragon God Emperor vanished into the night sky, chasing after the Snow Song Realm's God Emperor, Mu Xuanyin, and the Star God Emperor, Caizhi.
"…"
Qi Tianli's hand lifted, trembling, as if he could reach out and stop her. But in the end… he froze. His fingers halted midway. All he could do was remain silent as she disappeared from view.
He had thought himself capable of change… that he could summon the courage to act differently.
Yet in the end, self-preservation had outweighed everything else.
"Perhaps… I really am… just a coward…" Qi Tianli murmured to himself, the words heavy with regret.
When she appeared before him again, the Blue Dragon God Emperor was no longer the same.She seemed trapped in an eternal nightmare, one from which she could never awaken.
Then, inside his mind, another scene played out.
That day had been one of the darkest in the God Realm. That day had been the day the Blue Dragon God Emperor had thrown herself in front of the severely injured Emperor Yun, her every action radiating determination, courage, and unyielding resolve.
Her choice. Her defiance. Her bravery.
Every fragment of that memory pressed against Qi Tianli's heart and soul, burning into him with unbearable clarity.
"Hahahaha… Hahahaha…"
A soft, almost disbelieving laugh echoed from his lips as he opened his eyes.
A determination that surpassed even the will to preserve himself surged within him, igniting every ounce of his being as he disappears from the Profound Ark.