Shuiyang stayed in Zipei Hall for a long time.

“Alright, it’s time for me to return to the Mortal Realm.”

As Shuiyang got up to leave, Bai Qian called out to her, “What’s so good about the Mortal Realm? Why insist on staying there?”

Shuiyang turned back with a smile, “Haven’t I told you? The Mortal Realm has people, and people have stories. My own story is quite dull, but their stories, even a random one, are always thrilling. If I had the chance, I would like to live as a mortal for once.”

As Shuiyang walked out of Zipei Hall, Bai Qian watched her figure vanish. She had heard Shuiyang’s reasoning many times before. Though she didn’t understand, everyone has their preferences, and Bai Qian chose not to interfere.

In the Mortal Realm.

The streets were bustling with traffic. Performers and opera singers drew cheers from the crowd.

On the stage, a storyteller captivated the audience with his eloquent tales. Shuiyang and Shi Zhao sat below, leisurely cracking sunflower seeds and listening.

The story was about Cloud Academy. Its current Dean, An Wanggui, was known for punishing the wicked and safeguarding peace.

An Wanggui had a younger brother named An Cheyan, who had become the owner of Yiqu Liushang.

The two brothers were like dragons and phoenixes, managing their respective territories meticulously.

Toward the end of the story, the legendary Otherworldly Paradise was mentioned.

It was said that Divine Lady Xiao Qiu had ascended, and the current Divine Lady was an unknown young girl named Xue, known to the world as Divine Lady Xue.

Divine Lady Xue was destined to reside in the Otherworldly Paradise forever, never to leave.

Shuiyang and Shi Zhao exchanged a smile. They finished their sunflower seeds just as the story concluded.

The two of them flowed through the crowd until they were swallowed by it.

Years later, it was heard that a mortal had ascended. Based on their divine power, they should have been ranked as a Deity Lord in the Third Heaven, but they relinquished the higher divine status and requested to be a minor immortal, which the deities approved.

A few more years passed, and this minor immortal was said to have arrived at the Otherworldly Paradise to seek an audience with Divine Lady Xue. Since then, the minor immortal had never left the Otherworldly Paradise.

In the Mortal Realm, Changji Village.

The village was picturesque with clear mountains and waters, flourishing flowers and birds, and a crystal-clear stream singing softly. The villagers were simple and warm-hearted.

Early in the morning, smoke rose from household chimneys, and greetings marked the start of a day’s life in this village.

In a thatched cottage at the east end of the village, a burly, dark-skinned man raised his hand and slapped the woman in front of him.

The slap was so loud that a red and swollen handprint instantly appeared on the woman’s rough face.

The woman, full of grievance and tears, glared at the crude, ugly, cursing middle-aged man in front of her.

“I’m telling you, this marriage is over, whether you want it or not. The child stays with me; he doesn’t want to be with you anyway! You have three days to get out of this village.”

The man’s face was already as dark and rough as iron; though only in his forties, he looked like he was in his seventies. His face was full of fat, and when he got angry, the creases on his face twisted together, looking very distorted.

The woman said nothing and kept glaring at him. Seeing her defiance, the man raised his hand and slapped her again.

“I’m still your husband now. How dare you look at me like that? Go wash the clothes, now!” the man ordered the woman sharply.

The woman timidly lowered her gaze, stumbled to her feet, wiped the tears from her face, and took a basin full of dirty clothes outside.

The passing villagers greeted her kindly.

“Old Lady Xi, going to wash clothes?”

Dai Xi forced a smile to hide her emotions and responded warmly, “Yes, going to wash clothes. Have you eaten yet?”

“Yes, we have. Oh, by the way, Xiao Jin’s mother is also washing clothes by the river. When you see her, tell her that Xiao Jin threw a fit this morning and refused to eat again.”

“Got it. I’ll tell her. See you!”

Carrying the basin to the stream, she found many women already there, their sleeves rolled up as they stood in the water, washing clothes for their families.

Dai Xi quickly found Xiao Jin’s mother among the crowd.

“Yizi, your Xiao Jin threw another fit and refused to eat again. You should go home and check on him.”

Yizi’s mother immediately jumped in anger, “That rascal! He needs a beating! Dai Xi, watch my clothes for a while; I’ll be back soon.”

Dai Xi nodded in agreement, and Yizi’s mother stormed off home.

Dai Xi couldn’t help but smile, squatted by the river, and began washing the clothes.

Reflecting on her life over the past twenty years, Dai Xi remembered how she got married, had a child, and how everything seemed perfect at first. But with time, the affection between her and her husband faded, replaced only by mutual resentment. She endured her husband’s beatings daily, and her son grew distant, even saying, “I don’t want you as my mother,” words that broke her heart.

She had put up with it all these years, but now their family was falling apart. Her husband wanted a divorce, and her son wanted to stay with him. Dai Xi felt she had nothing left.

Staring blankly at her reflection in the water, she became momentarily dazed.

How did she end up like this?

Was this really her?

Her complexion was sallow and rough, her face lined with wrinkles, her temples streaked with gray hair, and dark circles hugged her eyes.

She looked up, her hollow eyes gazing at the blue sky. A flock of white cranes flew proudly across the sky, their cries crisp and resonant.

She, too, had once been like the cranes, the most proud and unyielding of them all, whose single cry could shake the heavens and earth.

In the Ximan Realm, on Jinmu Platform.

An Immortal Emissary held a golden scroll, when suddenly, a man in black wearing a wide-brimmed hat appeared. Seizing the opportunity, the man in black assassinated the emissary, taking the golden scroll. The emissary’s body turned into golden dust and vanished into the sky.

In the Heavenly Realm, Second Heaven, on Floating Land.

Golden clouds floated, and dragons and phoenixes soared through the air. The rich divine aura painted the enormous palace in golden red hues. A light, shaped like a cloud, floated into the palace and landed in the hands of the person sitting on the throne.

Those hands were pale and bloodless, as slender and delicate as carved jade. As the cloud settled in his palm, the light illuminated his skin, making it almost translucent, faint traces of intricate veins visible.

The cloud transformed into several lines of text and then dissipated. The man’s eyes opened, a flash of crimson light sparkled, followed by a pair of eyes as clear and flawless as rubies. He squinted slightly, revealing a hint of worry.

In the First Heaven, at Yilan Pavilion.

A minor immortal in a yellow robe was pushed out of the loft, tumbling head over heels.

“Fang Kuo! If you don’t have money, don’t organize gambling sessions. If you lose, that’s your bad luck—accept it! Uselessly idling around and freeloading, do you think Yilan Pavilion is a place for loafers? Get to sweeping!” With that, a broken broom was thrown out, and the loft door slammed shut.

Fang Kuo got up, brushed the dust off his clothes, and spat out angrily towards the door, “What’s so great about elixirs and rare treasures? I used to have plenty of those!”

He grabbed the worn-out broom from the ground and gloomily started walking away when a clear, sharp voice halted him in his tracks.

“Sun and Moon Chess’s Yun Zi, Fang Kuo, receive the Rebirth Command!”

“Sun and Moon Chess’s Yun Zi, Fang Kuo, receiving the command!” Almost instinctively, Fang Kuo immediately knelt down, his fingers interlocked in a respectful salute.

When Fang Kuo finally realized what had happened, he looked up to see an elderly man in yellow with white hair and a white beard smiling kindly at him.

Fang Kuo stood up, turning his head in shame, not wanting the elder to see his sorry state.

“Elder Zheng, what brings you here?”

Elder Zheng, whose original name was Zhan Zheng, had once, by a stroke of fate, temporarily overseen the Sun and Moon Chess and had trained them.

“Lord Chengqi has ordered me to reconvene the Sun and Moon Chess!”

Fang Kuo turned his head in shock, completely forgetting about his unkempt appearance.

“Why?”

“On Jinmu Platform in the Ximan Realm, an Immortal Emissary was killed. This emissary held the Interception Deity Register, a list that records all those in the three realms who have colluded with Gaoshang Land. The register was obtained at the cost of countless comrades’ lives over the past three hundred years in the Second Heaven. It is of critical importance. Without it, those who seek to unseal Gaoshang Land will become restless, potentially plunging the three realms into a deadlock. The deities have tasked me with restarting the Sun and Moon Chess to retrieve the register!”

“The Interception Deity Register? Could it be the same one derived from the Zixuan Jade left behind by Lord Zhuo Mu three hundred years ago?”

“Precisely.”