Chapter 956

After Gan Zhizui departed, Xu Nanqiao only then snapped out of her shock. Yet her mind was filled with questions: Why would Gan Zhizui leave the Demon Realm to return to the Heavenly Realm when she could have stayed with Ye Yu? And why did she hope that Xu Nanqiao herself would also go to the Heavenly Realm? What did that even mean? Xu Nanqiao wanted to find Gan Zhizui and demand answers, but discovered that she had already gone too far away to catch up to.

A moment later, at the Demon Realm portal in Qintian Prefecture, Gan Zhizui spoke softly, “Thank you for sending me back—you saved me from getting lost again.”

Mo Geilian waved his hand anxiously. “You’re welcome, little sister-in-law. But I just don’t understand—everything is fine here in the Demon Realm. Why leave?”

Gan Zhizui smiled. “Ye Yu went off to cultivate; of course I can’t fall behind. After visiting friends in the Heavenly Realm, I’ll return again!”

Hearing that, Mo Geilian suddenly understood: she was coming back. Everything was fine, then!

After waving farewell, Gan Zhizui entered the portal and waited to be transported to the Heavenly Realm. Gazing at the dim surroundings of the Demon Realm, she narrowed her eyes. Returning had been her plan all along—but visiting friends was just an excuse. What she really intended was to summon all her Heavenly Realm sisters to come see her husband’s demon form for themselves. She had to admit, he looked very different from usual—especially those demonic horns, fierce and majestic, yet surprisingly smooth to the touch. Such a marvelous discovery had to be shared with her sisters!

Soon Gan Zhizui returned to the Heavenly Realm and pulled out Ye Yu’s hand-drawn map—yes, hand-drawn! Ye Yu had worried she wouldn’t find the Tower of Null in the central realm, so he had sketched it for her. With the map in hand, she set off at top speed. Yet unexpectedly, before she’d traveled a thousand li, she fell into another secret realm.

Surrounded by unfamiliar terrain, Gan Zhizui stood frozen in disbelief. “This is torture!” she muttered. “Am I the legendary Innate Secret-Realm Holy Body? Two trips to the Heavenly Realm and I still haven’t finished the journey before plunging into a secret realm again. Who can I even talk to about this?”

...

Time flew, and a hundred years passed. When Ye Yu finally emerged from the secret realm, his aura had been refined to the utmost. The long years had not been wasted: through a century of dedicated effort, he had awakened his Dreamborn talent, “Heaven Rewards the Diligent,” and elevated himself to the Demon Emperor Realm—finally, he had become Emperor! His power reached unprecedented heights.

Overjoyed, Ye Yu planned to return to Lotus Prefecture at once and share the news with Gan Zhizui. Yet at the edge of the secret realm, he saw a familiar figure waiting—it was none other than the long-unseen Xu Nanqiao.

Perplexed, Ye Yu asked, “How are you here?”

Xu Nanqiao’s voice was calm, but her eyes betrayed her excitement. “What if I told you I’ve been waiting here for a hundred years?”

She hadn’t lied. Ever since Gan Zhizui approached her, she’d been desperate for answers from Ye Yu. Perhaps that was the only acceptable reason for her to come. When she learned from Mo Geilian that Ye Yu was in seclusion within the secret realm, she had come to this very spot and waited—waiting for a century, until he finally emerged.

Ye Yu did not answer her directly. Instead, he approached and stood beside her. Xu Nanqiao, without hiding anything, repeated aloud the words Gan Zhizui had said before departing, and asked curiously, “What does it all mean?”

Ye Yu pondered for a moment, then softly asked, “Do you really like me?”

The question stunned Xu Nanqiao for a moment, but she quickly recovered and answered firmly, “I do.” Liking was liking—no need to hedge. Though she had no idea how Ye Yu had discovered her feelings, she no longer cared about pretense. Even if he refused her, she had to speak her heart.

Ye Yu nodded, then recounted the theory of parallel worlds. He had made up his mind: if Xu Nanqiao truly liked him, then when he awoke from this dream, she would still remember everything. Rather than waiting until their next meeting to explain, he chose to reveal it all now. He disliked doing so—Gan Zhizui had already spilled too many details—but it was the only way to clarify everything.

After hearing his explanation, Xu Nanqiao took two involuntary steps back in disbelief. “So... Gan Zhizui, like me, was someone you met in «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» a parallel world—fell in love, then went to the Heavenly Realm together?”

Ye Yu nodded. “Exactly. I’ve thought about it a lot during seclusion. Ever since returning from the Heavenly Realm, I naturally gravitated toward you—even the cultivation manuals I gave you were a pretext to be closer to you. In truth, I enjoyed being with you more than any debt of gratitude. If we are to be together in the future, I hope you’ll also travel to the Heavenly Realm. Of course, if you’d rather not, I will come find you often in the Demon Realm.”

Xu Nanqiao waved her hands anxiously. The information she’d just received was overwhelming—she couldn’t process it all at once. “I need time to sort this out. Wait for me—give me some time, and I’ll come find you again!” With that, Xu Nanqiao bolted away like the wind.

Ye Yu’s expression grew awkward. It seemed the parallel-world explanation was best saved for after awakening. Blurted out in a dream, it tended to fry one’s mental CPU—Xu Nanqiao was a prime example.

With that, Ye Yu left at once and returned to Lotus Prefecture. After a century away, nothing had changed much. Yet he was astonished by Mo Geilian’s extraordinary talent: he had reached the pinnacle of the Demon Lord Realm, his demonic aura so dense he was on the verge of stepping into the half-step Demon Emperor. Truly a prodigy.

The two brothers caught up on news. Mo Geilian had governed Lotus Prefecture splendidly but had no desire to become the Demon Lord. Upon Ye Yu’s return, he gladly relinquished all authority.

When Ye Yu approached the Demon Lord’s Hall again, he suddenly stopped and gazed upward. If his dream-realm ascension had reached the Emperor Realm, perhaps with one more push he could catch a glimpse of the Divine Realm’s splendor next?