Gong Xue traversed the desert and the tumultuous sea alone for a month before finally arriving at the Otherworldly Paradise.

As she reached the grand entrance, Gong Xue blacked out and collapsed. Several children found her and hurriedly brought her inside.

Gong Xue couldn’t remember how long she had slept. A long dream made her reluctant to wake up.

In the dream, she was still in the Gong Family, with an amiable father who swung with her on the swings, attended by maids and servants who would prepare food and drinks in advance.

When Gong Xue and her father got tired of playing, they would sit down to rest, eating and joking with the maids.

As the day grew late, her mother’s loud voice would resound through the house, calling them to come home for dinner.

Her father would always sensibly carry Gong Xue and run towards the dining hall. If they were late, her mother would be waiting at the door with a stick.

Everyone who saw this scene would stand behind and snicker.

The family ate together, filled with laughter and joy. It was truly wonderful!

Gong Xue opened her eyes to see the antique decor around her, orderly arranged tables and chairs, and a ray of sunlight streaming through a window, illuminating a pot of lush green orchid grass.

Weakly, Gong Xue got out of bed and wiped her face, only then realizing that her cheeks were wet with tears. She walked to the window and gently touched the leaves, which still retained water droplets, showing that someone had been taking careful care of them.

She pushed the window open to see a canopy of green outside, with light filtering through. Looking up, the lush branches extended to the eaves.

“You’ve awakened.”

Gong Xue hadn’t noticed anyone entering and turned to see a woman with neatly styled, heavy hair, slender eyebrows, and phoenix eyes. Despite the wrinkles on her face, they did not detract from her dignified and grand presence.

She carried a tray of pastries and a bowl of white porridge.

Entering the room, she placed the items down and stood, gazing at Gong Xue.

Hurriedly, Gong Xue greeted her, “Gong Xue pays respects to Divine Lady Xiao Qiu!”

Divine Lady Xiao Qiu helped Gong Xue up. “Rise, poor child. I’ve heard about what happened to the Gong Family.”

The Divine Lady seated Gong Xue and sighed, “Alas! Years ago, when I was wandering in the Cang Ao Kingdom, gravely injured, it was your parents who saved me. I promised that I would come to their aid if they ever needed it, but now I have failed to keep my word.”

“It wasn’t your fault. It was my inability to see people’s true nature that led to Daddy and Mother’s deaths. I’m the sinner!” Gong Xue gritted her teeth, lowered her eyes, and clenched her fists in guilt.

“How did it come to this?”

Gong Xue recounted the series of events to the Divine Lady, who was incensed by the story.

“Unbelievable! Mere mortals dare to think they can dominate the world! I will go and destroy him at once!”

“Divine Lady, no!” Gong Xue quickly stopped her. “I know you have the power to kill Liao Sixin, but he now has a Deity from the Third Heaven protecting him. You would not stand a chance. Moreover, you are a demigod and cannot arbitrarily decide the life and death of mortals, or the Heavenly Realm will not forgive you. I do not want to implicate you.”

“Then tell me, what do you seek by coming to me?”

“I want to ask you if there is any way for me to become a Deity in a short period. You once said I have a destiny with the celestial path and exceptional innate qualities. I want to gain Immortal Power immediately, surpassing that of a Deity from the Third Heaven!”

“Impossible!” The Divine Lady rejected her without hesitation. “Do you realize that becoming a Deity from the First Heaven takes hundreds, even thousands of years of cultivation? Becoming a Deity from the Third Heaven is utterly inconceivable! For mortals to reach the Third Heaven would be like crossing an endless ocean in one stride. It is simply unachievable.”

“Then there is no other way? Even a shortcut?”

“There are no shortcuts to becoming a Deity. Even now, I am just a demigod.”

“Is there truly no way?” Gong Xue sank down in despair, tears of regret flowing profusely.

Seeing Gong Xue’s agony, the Divine Lady said, “Gong Xue, defeating a Deity may be impossible alone, but you can gather more people, even demons and other Deities!”

“You mean I could build my own faction?”

“Exactly! In the three realms, you can establish your own power. How you succeed depends on your abilities. I can also transfer all my magic to you.”

Stunned, Gong Xue stammered, “This…” Just as she was about to express her gratitude, the Divine Lady interrupted, “Do not thank me just yet. I will give you all my magic, making you a demigod, but I give you three hundred years. After three hundred years, whether your revenge is complete or not, wherever you are, you must return here to take my place as the new Divine Lady and guard this Paradise for life, without leaving!”

Gong Xue didn’t hesitate, “Gong Xue agrees!”

The Divine Lady helped Gong Xue up again and said, “I suppose that Deity beside Liao Sixin won’t age and die like ordinary mortals. Humans have always longed for Deities, yearning for immortality and divine power. He won’t die that easily.”

“You mean he will become immortal?”

“Perhaps! Gong Xue, come, I will transfer all my magic to you, making you reborn. You too will become immortal!”

The Divine Lady raised her hand, and a light in her palm drew in countless points of light from around the room. In an instant, the blazing light filled the entire space. She directed the ball of radiance into Gong Xue’s body, and the points of light swiftly entered her.

Gong Xue felt powerless as her body floated, then a searing pain erupted, as if every inch of her skin was being torn apart and her bones hammered by a heavy mallet.

“Ah—”

Gong Xue’s scream caused the entire Paradise to tremble.

When Gong Xue emerged from the Otherworldly Paradise, she was completely transformed.

Over the next few years, Gong Xue wandered the three realms, seeking allies and gaining insight into the affairs of the realms. Her immediate priority was to find a territory to establish her base.

Gong Xue set her sights on the border between the Ximan Realm and the Heavenly Realm. As a demigod, with a single stroke of her sword, she cleaved a rift in the sky. From then on, Gong Xue took the alias Yun Jianlai and resided in Yiqu Liushang.

After a hundred years of development, Yiqu Liushang had become a lawless zone known across the three realms. Everyone in the three realms knew that the ruler of Yiqu Liushang was named Yun Jianlai, but none knew her true origins. The rapid expansion and power of Yiqu Liushang were nothing short of astounding.

The three realms made multiple attempts to reclaim Yiqu Liushang. However, the place not only harbored the wicked criminals of the three realms but also offered refuge to many homeless and pitiable individuals. It was Yun Jianlai, with her great compassion, who provided them with a safe haven. Therefore, any attempts to attack Yiqu Liushang were met with fierce resistance from these innocent people who would defend it to the death.

Consequently, repeated efforts by the three realms to negotiate with Yun Jianlai all ended in failure.

Eventually, Yiqu Liushang was allowed to develop freely. More and more people from the three realms gathered there, and trade flourished, making Yun Jianlai the largest landholder.

After a hundred years of biding her time, Gong Xue had shed her mortal form and become a Deity, though not of high rank. Nevertheless, her influence had spread throughout the three realms.

During these hundred years, Gong Xue had people keep a constant watch on Liao Sixin. As the Divine Lady Xiao Qiu had predicted, he had indeed attained immortality.

Liao Sixin, with a Deity by his side, naturally was not content to remain mortal. He began to cultivate with Immortal Meng Yi to escape the shackles of imperial power. Liao Sixin faked his death in a carefully orchestrated scheme, and everyone believed it to be true.

It was said that after Liao Sixin’s supposed death, Immortal Meng Yi returned to the Heavenly Realm and was never seen again. In reality, she and Liao Sixin had married and assumed new identities. They went to the Far West Land in the Mortal Realm and took over all the sects there, establishing their own sect named Qingjue Sect.

It became the most prominent sect of the era.