Chapter 44: Cutting Ties with the Mortal World

The four elders simultaneously halted, reining in their spiritual energy. Unable to contain themselves, they eagerly poured back into the grand hall.

Leng Feng took the lead, rushing to his daughter’s side. His mouth opened and closed several times, but he couldn’t figure out what to say. Instead, he simply filled a cup of wine, offered a toast to his daughter, and then turned to invite Ye Lingtian to drink with him.

Ye Lingtian hurriedly lowered his posture, approaching the table in a rush to pour a fresh pitcher of wine as a companion.

Seeing this, Leng Feng laughed heartily, tilting his head back to drain his cup. Once the fiery liquor slid down his throat, he strode over to Jiang Xiaoyu, flicked his sleeve at him, and barked: “Brat, get out of the way to the very end! Today, this main seat belongs by rights to me, old man!”

Jiang Xiaoyu let out an “Oh,” bowed hurriedly, and made a gesturing motion of “please.”

Madam Zhao wiped her tears with a handkerchief while softly pulling Jiaoyue aside to talk.

Jiaoyue, looking thoroughly troubled, lowered her voice to offer explanations to her mother, Lady Wang.

Ye Lingtian took his seat in the host’s spot, beaming as he drank and bantered warmly with Leng Feng.

Lady Wang walked over to Madam Zhao, reached out across the table, and smilingly stopped her. “Sister is worrying over nothing. As the number one immortal beauty of the Southern Frontier, Jiaoyue’s occasional gossip outside can hardly be called criticism. It’s clearly just jealousy toward Xunhuan.”

At those words, Madam Zhao broke into a tearful smile.

Just then, Jiang Xiaoyu turned to offer an apology to Jiaoyue. Madam Zhao immediately stopped him, waving a hand. “It takes two to clap; spouses ought to be understanding of one another. We can skip all that formality between you two.”

Jiang Xiaoyu looked toward his mother, Lady Wang.

Lady Wang nodded with a beaming smile: “Indeed, lovers’ quarrels are easily mended, and you have a long life ahead of you. If you feel you fell short today, just treat Jiaoyue better from now on. Do you understand?”

Not understanding the subtext, Jiang Xiaoyu could only offer an awkward smile and sit back down obediently.

As everyone took their seats, the atmosphere livened up once more. The four elders poured wine for one another, clinking cups amidst laughter and merriment that completely washed away the prior tension.

Midway through the banquet, Jiaoyue glanced at Jiang Xiaoyu, who was sitting ramrod-straight and not daring to breathe too loudly. After several hesitations, she finally stood up.

“Uncle, Auntie, Father, Mother.” She swept her gaze across the table, her voice as clear and crisp as a spring: “What I said earlier—no doubt you all heard it. But things are beyond my control now; everything must be decided by the Moon Goddess.”

As those words fell, the entire hall plunged into silence.

The smile on Leng Feng’s face vanished, and he said coldly: “Yue’er, now that the knot in your heart has been undone, stop coming up with these wild excuses. The Southern Frontier’s Three Immortal Sects are no longer what they were a decade ago; where are we supposed to find surplus spirit stones for you to squander like this?”

Ye Lingtian, however, laughed aloud, reaching out to press down on Leng Feng’s shoulder. “Brother, even if Yue’er is truly making things up—even if she were throwing a tantrum today—I am willing to pay for the spirit stones.”

Before the words had even finished, he flipped his hand to produce a token, channeling his spiritual energy into it.

Beneath the grand hall, a deep, rumbling roar echoed, as if some colossal entity deep in the earth were slowly awakening.

Looking out the window, the others saw a heavy, earthy-yellow barrier rise from the ground like an overturned giant bowl, engulfing the entire Spirit-Taming Sect within it.

Ye Lingtian put the token away and smiled warmly: “This array can block the divine sense of cultivators at the Divine Transformation stage. Yue’er, you may speak freely of whatever is on your mind.”

Jiaoyue nodded, raised a hand to wave it gently, and in an instant, heaven and earth darkened within the grand hall.

Everyone sprang to their feet in shock, for they were no longer inside the grand hall of the Spirit-Taming Sect.

They looked around in every direction:

—Beneath their feet was the shimmering silver surface of water, stretching out endlessly to the horizon. Above their heads was the boundless deep space, devoid of stars, holding only a suffocating silence.

Suddenly, a full moon slowly rose from the edge of the horizon.

Holy, silvery moonlight spilled down over the world, dyeing the entire realm in a clear, limpid silver radiance.

Jiaoyue walked step by step from within the moon. Silver radiance wove her skirt, and moonlight condensed into her hair ornament. Every step she took landed upon the water’s surface, sending ripples outward that transformed into flowing streams of lunar light.

Under the dumbfounded gazes of everyone present, she stood suspended in mid-air and spoke softly, her voice seeming to fall from the very dome of the heavens—

“I have become a god, and am no longer an immortal. Everything in the mortal world has no further relation to me!”