As Ming Yue instructed, everyone on the island had already evacuated.
Some dismantled doors, others carried pillars, and they rushed towards the vast sea.
Suddenly, a world-shattering explosion echoed from behind them.
Turning back, they saw only Ming Yue's figure in the air, consumed by flames.
Then, they felt the island behind them tremble, and thick smoke billowed from the volcano.
"Boss, Sister-in-law!"
"Ji Shiyou!"
"Ming Yue!"
Everyone cried out in alarm. Zhen Lu, Jun Hui, and Fei Long turned their direction, desperately swimming towards the island.
The violent explosion jolted the unconscious Ji Shiyou awake. He staggered to his feet.
He realized he couldn't stand steady and discovered the entire island was shaking; the volcano was about to erupt.
"Ming Yue!"
The air was thick with the smell of gunpowder. He knew clearly that the bomb had exploded.
But he was still unwilling to give up, calling out for Ming Yue, hoping for a miracle.
He thought to himself, Ming Yue was a disciple of Master Qing Lan.
Perhaps she had a way to protect herself and could survive by chance.
However, he shouted until his throat was raw, but Ming Yue did not appear, and no one responded.
Ji Shiyou's heart was cut like a knife. He knew Ming Yue was gone from him.
Only now did he understand why Ming Yue had said those words, why she had knocked him out.
It was because Ming Yue had already made up her mind to let him live and sacrifice herself.
"Ming Yue, I know you want me to live!
But you don't know, you are my everything.
If you are not in this world, what is the meaning of my life?
Wait for me, I'm coming to find you."
Ji Shiyou roared towards the sky like a madman.
Then, he stumbled towards the volcano.
Although Ji Shiyou and Ming Yue had tried their best to move the bomb away from the volcano,
the explosion's power was too immense, and it still triggered the volcano, which was in an active period.
Thick plumes of smoke spewed from the crater, carrying sparks.
Looking down, one could see molten lava churning.
Ji Shiyou stood at the crater's edge, gazing at the rolling lava, knowing the volcano was about to erupt.
All he had to do now was jump in to find Ming Yue. He closed his eyes and leaned forward.
"Boss!"
"Ji Shiyou!"
Just then, shouts came from below the mountain. Ji Shiyou opened his eyes.
He turned and saw a group of people coming ashore from the sea,
shouting their names loudly. It was Jun Hui, Zhen Lu, and the others.
They had heard the explosion and, worried about him and Ming Yue, had returned to the island to search.
"Go, go, the volcano is about to erupt!"
Ji Shiyou shouted. Ming Yue had sacrificed her life precisely to let them live.
Now that they had all returned, what was the meaning of everything Ming Yue had done?
At that moment, the ground beneath them trembled violently, and the volcano erupted.
Great torrents of lava surged from the crater, spreading in all directions.
Ji Shiyou, standing at the crater's edge, was directly in its path.
The scorching lava engulfed him, flowing down the mountain.
Jun Hui and the others watched as lava, like a fiery dragon, poured down from the crater.
At that speed, even turning and fleeing into the sea now would likely be too late.
But they couldn't just wait to die, so they all turned sharply and ran towards the sea.
They knew in their hearts that even if they reached the water, they wouldn't survive.
Because they wouldn't be able to run far before the high temperature generated by the lava entering the sea would cook them.
But when facing death, humans have an instinct to live for as long as possible.
So, no one gave up, pushing their bodies to their limits.
After they entered the sea, they looked back and were surprised to find that
the lava chasing behind them had stopped at the beach.
It looked as if it had run out of steam, unable to continue.
Had the volcanic eruption ended?
They all looked towards the crater simultaneously.
What they saw was a spectacle they had never witnessed before. The volcano was still erupting, not stopping.
But the ejected lava was enveloped in a radiance, unable to flow out of the crater.
That radiance, like the clear, cold silver moonlight, seemed fragile.
Yet, it was like a flexible, giant net, tightly covering the crater.
The erupting lava could not surge out, and thus could not pursue Jun Hui and the others.
What blocked the lava from flowing out was the moonlight emanating from Ji Shiyou.
Through constant practice, he had learned to control the moonlight.
It was precisely because of the moonlight's protection that he had survived.
As he emerged from the lava, clad in moonlight,
the moonlight transformed into a sphere of light, enveloping him.
He saw Jun Hui and the others being pursued by the dragon-like lava, their lives hanging by a thread.
So, he decided to do one last thing before his death.
He controlled the sphere of light formed by the moonlight and suspended it directly above the crater.
Then, he transformed the moonlight into a giant net, sealing the crater.
However, the wider the range of the moonlight expanded, the less protection he received.
A scorching sensation spread. Ji Shiyou saw his body melting.
"Ming Yue, I'm coming!"
This was the last voice that echoed in his mind.
The erupting volcano slowly calmed down, and the entire island turned a fiery red.
Planes approached from the horizon, carrying away the survivors.
After everyone had left, the full moon hanging high in the sky let out a sigh.
"One life unfulfilled, only two lives remain!"
A voice, faint and ethereal, emerged, and then, silence descended upon heaven and earth.
Lang Yue Kingdom, the capital city, Yue Du.
Within the resplendent imperial palace, the unique Lan Yue Palace stood like a celestial moon.
It was not only closest to the emperor's sleeping quarters but also built with serene elegance, exuding understated luxury.
However, today it was decorated festively and joyfully, with red silk adorning the pillars and red lanterns hanging high.
Every visible surface was covered with large red "囍" (double happiness) characters.
Because today was the wedding day of the Emperor of Lang Yue, Ji Shiyou.
And the bridal chamber was in the main hall of Lan Yue Palace.
Thus, Lan Yue Palace was filled with maids and eunuchs serving their masters.
"Master, you say this Princess Ming Yue is truly remarkable.
As a princess of a fallen kingdom, who was originally meant to enter the palace as a servant,
she managed to have our Emperor, despite the opposition of all the civil and military officials, declare her Empress.
I heard that the Protector of the Realm struck his head on the golden throne to remonstrate, injuring himself,
but he could not make the Emperor retract his decree. And the Emperor personally oversaw the construction of this Lan Yue Palace for the wedding.
This is unprecedented in the history of our Lang Yue Kingdom; there has never been an Empress with such favor.
Now, the palace is abuzz with rumors that this Princess Ming Yue is a vixen, bewitching the ruler.
But ever since she entered the palace, she has remained secluded.
No one knows what she looks like.
I truly wish to see if she is as rumored, capable of captivating the soul."
Outside Lan Yue Palace, a young eunuch, about fifteen or sixteen years old,
whispered to an old eunuch beside him, whose hair was white and face was creased with wrinkles.
"You little brat, are you trying to get yourself killed? Discussing the masters in private.
How many lives do you have? She is the Empress, and you dare to gossip about her?
If you want to survive in this palace, you must be mute.
Otherwise, you won't even know how you died!"
The old eunuch twisted the young eunuch's ear and warned him in a low voice.
The young eunuch cried out in pain, begging for mercy and repeatedly saying he would never dare again.
Inside the bridal chamber of Lan Yue Palace's main hall, dragon and phoenix candles illuminated the room as brightly as daylight.
A bride, wearing a queen's attire and a veil, sat by the bedside.
She was none other than Princess Ming Yue of the fallen Wu Man Kingdom, whom the young eunuch had spoken of.
And beside her, in a bright yellow dragon robe, was the young man, the Emperor of Lang Yue, Ji Shiyou.