Immortal Realm, Carefree Manor.
This was one of the three premier sects in the Immortal Realm, standing on par with the Illusory Demonic Sect and the Broad Cold Jade Pond Palace. However, most people knew that such a division was merely symbolic; any Immortal Realm cultivator with a modicum of knowledge would know that Carefree Manor was the true apex existence. For no other reason than the Sect Master of Illusory Demonic Sect, Yán Rúyù, and the twin sisters, Broad Cold Immortal Liú Rúyún and Jade Pond City Maiden Liú Rúyān, were all women of the Carefree Manor Lord, Yè Chángshēng.
Though three, the three great sects were one, making Yè Chángshēng's position unshakable.
…
“Still no good…” Yè Chángshēng stood with his hands clasped behind his back atop the highest peak of the Immortal Realm, silently observing the lives of all beings.
Yán Rúyù stood half a step behind him. Hearing her husband's sigh, which had become a habit, she didn't question why, but simply gently embraced his arm and sighed softly: “Husband, you’ve been standing here for thirty years. Even though we’ve taken turns accompanying you, love is inherently selfish, and you’ve been so unintentionally distant from them for so long, they’ll grow discontented…”
Yè Chángshēng remained silent for a long time after hearing this. Then he sighed, and with a large, gentle hand, softly stroked Yán Rúyù's smooth hair. “You’re right, it’s my negligence… Let’s go back.”
Yán Rúyù hummed softly in affirmation, burying her head into the man's chest, utterly content.
…
For the next three years, he seemed to give up, seemed to forget his own dilemma, quietly and happily accompanying his women day after day.
…
One day, Liú Rúyān woke up the earliest. She didn't find herself in her lover's arms, so she used her divine sense to search the entire Carefree Manor, but unfortunately, Yè Chángshēng was nowhere to be found. Just as she was about to wake her sisters, she suddenly noticed a jade slip on the table.
“Rúyān, Rúyún, Rúyù, I’m sorry, but I cannot let go of past regrets. Your husband is going on a trip. This journey will undoubtedly be startling but not dangerous. I merely wish to atone for my mistakes, to advance my mental state further, to break through my bottleneck and take another step forward. I don't know how long this journey will take, but considering the inconsistent flow of time, I'm returning to the past, over nine hundred thousand years ago, while you all remain here. I should be able to see you again as early as tomorrow.”
Silently re-reading the jade slip a few more times, Liú Rúyān chuckled softly and muttered: “Still the same old habits, he hasn’t changed in all these years… I just wonder how many more sisters he’ll bring back this time…”
…
Earth, Lạc Việt, September 2nd, 2018
Zǐyān Villa District, Hánjiāng Town.
In a secluded, deserted location, space suddenly twisted and warped as if about to shatter, then a pitch-black rift abruptly appeared.
“Hmph, looks like I’m back.” Yè Chángshēng emerged from the rift. Looking around a few times, he nodded in satisfaction.
“Hmm, the time deviation isn’t too far off my calculations, it’s acceptable,” he muttered, then headed straight for Villa Number Three.
Yè Chángshēng was not originally a cultivator born in the Immortal Realm; rather, nine hundred thousand years ago, he was a native of Earth. His original name was Yè Fán. He only adopted the name Yè Chángshēng after he began his path of cultivation.
At this point in time, he could be described as an extremely ordinary person, the kind who would go unnoticed in a crowd. He was orphaned from a young age, having only a grandfather, who also passed away when he was seven years old.
Ye Fan dropped out of middle school, drifting from place to place, often living hand-to-mouth.
One day, if he remembered correctly, it was mid-August 2018, when he was just 19 years old, someone suddenly appeared and intervened in his life.
She arrived, like a secluded orchid untouched by worldly dust, and quietly told him that she was his fiancée, betrothed by their grandfathers when they were still infants.
She... was beautiful, a city-toppling beauty, with a flawlessly fair complexion and perfectly symmetrical features.
Her eyes were both enchanting and icy, making one want to flee ten thousand miles, yet unable to resist their allure, ultimately succumbing to their captivating depths.
Her lips were plump and red, like the sweetest, most beautiful cherries carefully picked by a gardener from a bountiful harvest.
Paired with that angelic face was a devilish figure...
Her perfect legs made one feel that an inch more would be too long, and an inch less, too short.
Her slender waist was soft and delicate like a wisp of cotton, easily encircled by one hand.
Her ample bosom, like a pair of jade rabbits, strained against her shirt as if trying to escape, while the curves below were clearly outlined through her classic black office dress...
Ye Fan back then was truly ordinary, but this didn't hinder his appreciation for beauty.
Looking back, to be fair, compared to any of the three women in the Immortal Realm, she lacked a certain divine charm and was a fraction less beautiful. Yet for him, then and even now, she was an angel who descended to pull him out of the bottomless pit that was devouring his life, granting him a new beginning.
Alright, fine, there really was an angel, but he wasn't grateful at all. On the contrary, he once even plucked off a few of her wings and grilled them with lemongrass and chili.
Her name was Gong Wushuang.
It could be said that without her, there would be no Ye Changsheng, supreme ruler of the Immortal Realm, mighty and awe-inspiring. Although he knew that her initial intention was merely to use him as a shield, he never blamed her, because Wushuang had been too good to him.
He, on the other hand... because he was too ordinary, he had indirectly hurt her countless times, causing her disappointment...
Yet, she never abandoned him.
Precisely because of this, she was forever his inner demon, tormenting him from the time he established his foundation until he peered into the Divine Realm. Ultimately, he was too ordinary back then, leading to irreparable regrets...
With a soft sigh, Ye Fan reined in his thoughts, no longer dwelling on the past.
"Wushuang, you protected me for so long, and in the end, you died for me. Now, I, Ye Changsheng, as the Immortal Emperor, am determined to defy the heavens and change fate, reverse time and space, and return here to protect you for a lifetime... no, for eternal peace and safety. What of it?" Ye Fan murmured.
Hearing Ye Fan's oath, the sky immediately darkened, and lightning and thunder began to fill the heavens. Golden chains appeared, attempting to bind him tightly.
"Scram!" Ye Fan indifferently looked up at the sky, knowing that these chains were Heavenly Locks, used to prevent cultivators whose cultivation exceeded the laws of a certain heaven and earth.
Sensing the laws of this place for a moment, Ye Fan immediately realized that Earth could not tolerate cultivators whose cultivation exceeded the First Stage of Foundation Establishment.
Even though he didn't use any cultivation, an Emperor's oath was not merely a matter of immense weight.
It could affect the trajectory and destiny of a region of heaven and earth, which was why it alarmed the will of heaven and earth on Earth.
But who was he? He had long, long surpassed the Boundary Establishment realm. Earth was merely a low-grade planet, above which were mid-grade and high-grade planets. Then came the lower heaven cultivation world, commonly known as the Cultivation Realm (Tu Chân Giới), and finally, the upper heaven cultivation world, named the Immortal Realm (Tiên giới).
And he was an Immortal Emperor (Tiên Đế), the paramount realm in the Immortal Realm. How could a mere Heavenly Lock on Earth possibly trouble him?
However, he worried he might accidentally shatter Earth, so he sealed away a portion of his cultivation, retaining just enough to move freely across Earth....
The words he spoke instantly transformed into a cluster of golden characters, piercing directly into the Heavenly Locks, causing them to explode and vanish into thin air, and the lightning filling the sky disappeared at the same moment.
He uttered true words.
Lowering his gaze, Ye Fan continued towards Purple Mist Villa Number Three.
To Ye Fan, this was merely a trivial matter, not affecting his current joyful and eager mood in the slightest. Originally, he had intended to proceed leisurely, but the emotions suppressed for nine hundred thousand years would not allow him to delay another second.
Ye Fan subtly activated half a stance of his movement technique, vanishing in a flash and reappearing before the villa's door.
Due to his hasty departure, he didn't notice that where he had just vanished, space suddenly twisted, and a pitch-black rift abruptly appeared...
Ye Fan took a deep breath. At this moment, he was no longer Ye Changsheng, but merely a husband who had been away from home for too long, momentarily unsure how to face his wife.
While he hesitated, before he could even act, the house door suddenly opened, and then... she appeared.
Still that cold demeanor, still that office attire of a shirt, skirt, and black stockings... exactly as on the first day he met her.
Gong Wushuang paused for a second or two, a hint of surprise appearing in her eyes.
“Ye Fan?”
“Uh, w-wife, I... I’m back.” So many suppressed emotions, yet in the end, he could only stammer out that short, clipped sentence, unable to speak fluently.
“Where have you been for the past week? Do you know I sent people to look for you, but you seemed to have vanished from this world?” Gong Wushuang’s voice was cold and full of reproach, yet having been human for over nine hundred thousand years, he could still discern a deep thread of concern hidden beneath her hurried words. “And what’s with these ancient-style clothes?”
Ye Fan’s nose stung slightly. After nine hundred thousand years of cultivation and slaughter, returning to Earth now, he suddenly realized how peaceful, quiet, and leisurely it truly was, and once again, he had a simple wife who cared for him.
Although he had confidantes in the Immortal Realm, he had acquired them through his strength; they loved him and were willing to die for him, but they didn't understand how to express emotions simply, like a blank sheet of paper, as Gong Wushuang did. This was simply because their hands had also been stained with the blood of countless enemies, and their minds had truly aged...
Gong Wushuang saw Ye Fan gently pinch his nose, still sniffling slightly as if on the verge of tears, her heart softened. After a moment's thought, she said softly:
“Let’s go inside and talk first.”
Ye Fan nodded slightly, taking a step into this familiar yet strange home.
He had returned.