The simulation continued, but within the simulation, Su Wanwan was unable to sever the black “Cause”.
The black “Cause” strands intertwined, each relatively independent yet seemingly connected by some mysterious thread.
Within the black threads of causality, Su Wanwan glimpsed even more cities.
One could not help but wonder—could such “Causes” truly be severed?
Gradually, Su Wanwan’s understanding of the apocalypse began to shift.
But for now, she put aside her lingering fear and turned her attention back to the simulation.
[You let out a sigh, knowing the limits of your own strength. Once again, your gaze falls upon the red line of causality.
The red causality—scorching, warm, like a small glowing sun—draws you in, making you unconsciously wish to be near it.
Its appearance here is certainly not without reason.
You have a hunch that severing this, too, could end the apocalypse.
This sword strike…]
“This sword strike… what about it…”
The text on the panel did not refresh for a long time. A bad feeling crept into Su Wanwan’s heart.
No way? Again?
A dizzying sensation, like the world spinning…
Su Wanwan clung tightly to Lin Mo’s broad shoulders, desperately seeking a sense of safety from him. But when she opened her eyes…
Immortal Realm, Su Family.
The clouds of the Ninth Heaven suddenly solidified. The radiant glow that should have streamed across the sky was frozen in place, like sheets of gold leaf, hanging motionless on the glazed tiles of the Heavenly Gate.
“It’s… it’s the Eldest Miss of the Su Family!” an elderly immortal official exclaimed in a trembling voice, his gaze locked onto the newcomer’s waist, where a jade pendant, marked by three cracks yet still burning with fierce flames, hung.
Su Wanwan raised her hand, brushing away the stardust from her sleeve. When she lowered her gaze, she could see the faces of the immortals below—some fearful, some curious. With a slight movement of her fingertip, from the direction of the Su Family ancestral shrine—once sealed by the Heavenly Emperor’s decree—a continuous tolling of bronze bells echoed forth, shaking the palaces of the Ninth Heaven.
“I’ve returned,” her voice was not loud, yet it pierced through all the clamor, reaching the ears of every immortal: “From today on, the debts of Gui Xu must be settled.”
The streak of icy blue spiritual power she had conjured at her fingertip moments ago not only pierced the Heavenly Emperor’s protective immortal armor, but also shattered the secret decree he had hidden for thirty thousand years—a decree that had once framed the Su Family.
“By the rules of the immortals, traitors are to have their immortal bones destroyed and be imprisoned in the Nine Netherworlds.” Su Wanwan’s voice was utterly calm as her gaze swept over several trembling Heavenly Generals on the steps: “Those who took part in sealing my Su Family into Gui Xu—within three days, present yourselves at the Execution Platform to receive your punishment.”
She raised her hand and tossed out a jade pendant glinting with cold light. It hovered in the center of the hall, reflecting the faces of all those who had had a hand in the Su Family’s wrongful case. “If I must come and invite you myself, it will not be as simple as destroying your immortal bones.”
With that, she turned and strode out of the Lingxiao Hall. The clamor and pleas for mercy behind her were cut off by layer upon layer of clouds. The rift she had torn through the void on her arrival quietly sealed itself. Only the trail of icy blue she had left on the sea of clouds remained.
The vermillion-lacquered doors of the Su Family ancestral shrine creaked open on their own as she approached. The ancient osmanthus tree in the courtyard was long withered. She took the cracked jade pendant from her waist. The moment the pendant touched the incense table, a gentle warm light seeped from the fissures, turning all the dust in the room to gold.
At last, she set aside her sharp edge and sat on the soft couch by the window where she had often rested in years past. The moonlight outside, filtered through the battered lattice, fell upon her tired yet clear eyes. Her fingertips absently traced the familiar carvings on the couch’s armrest.
Gone was the chill of the hall, gone was the fury of revenge. At this moment, Su Wanwan was simply a young woman, finally home again. She leaned her head lightly against the couch, inhaling the faint scent of old wood that belonged to home. Her tense back finally began to relax.
The warmth of the couch had yet to reach her fingertips, but Su Wanwan’s gaze fell on the cracked jade pendant upon the incense table, and she stared at it in a daze.
Outside, everyone was speculating about what the long-vanished Fairy Su would do after subduing the Heavenly Emperor with such force. Yet if anyone were here, they would never believe that Fairy Su would wear such an expression. There was no thrill of vengeance fulfilled, no wild arrogance of one who had suppressed all under heaven—only bewilderment.
Not long after, a soft, heartfelt sigh: “Lin Mo…”
The bronze bells of the Su Family ancestral shrine were still echoing through the Ninth Heaven. Su Wanwan had just changed out of her gold-dusted robes when orderly knocks sounded at the door.
“Your subordinate, Wei Lin, leads three hundred Su Family personal guards to respectfully welcome the Eldest Miss home!” The old yet vigorous voice rang through the courtyard. As she opened the door, she saw a row of black-armored cultivators kneeling on the stone steps. The old man at the front still bore scars on his armor from days long past, and though the Su Family command token at his waist was rusty, it had been polished until it gleamed. Su Wanwan bent to help him up, her fingers brushing the dents in his armor—old wounds from his attempt to break her free years ago.
“Rise, all of you,” her voice was slightly hoarse, “the doors of the Su Family will always be open to you.”
No sooner had she spoken than two streaks of light shot across the sky. First came the Scarlet Flame Fairy in red, a fire lotus blooming from her sleeve and lighting the courtyard brightly: “Wanwan! I knew you weren’t dead! My father had me grounded back then—I couldn’t even get word to you. At last, we can stand side by side again today!”
Close behind was Master Qingxuan, sword in hand. He presented a long sword glowing with blue light, the character “Su” branded clearly on its blade: “This is the Ice Rain Sword you entrusted me to keep all those years ago. Now it is returned to its rightful owner! If you wish to settle old scores, my Qingxuan Sect will follow your lead.”
News spread like wildfire throughout the Ninth Heaven. By midday, the area outside the ancestral shrine was packed with factions—wandering immortals once aided by the Su Family, sect masters resentful of the Heavenly Emperor’s tyranny, even envoys from the dragon clan of the Northern Seas, bearing a treaty inscribed with dragon patterns.
Su Wanwan stood before the ancestral shrine, looking out over the dark, yet orderly crowd of immortals below.
“I, Su Wanwan, swear here today,” her voice, wrapped in spiritual power, echoed to every corner of the Ninth Heaven, “whoever aids the Su Family in clearing our name, whoever is willing to uphold fairness in the Immortal Realm, is my dearest friend and an ally of the Su Family! Should injustice arise in the Immortal Realm again, I shall rally all immortals to confront it together!”
As her words fell, a thunderous chorus erupted below. The rolling sound waves churned the sea of clouds, even dispersing the lingering clouds around the Lingxiao Hall.
At this moment, everyone knew—the Eldest Miss of the Su Family had not only returned, but had come back with the momentum to reshape the entire Immortal Realm.