The long staircase was carpeted with soft, bright red silk, water-like radiance flowing down, creating an illusion of brilliant red light between heaven and earth.
Gu Junshi, dressed in a red wedding gown, had her long train carried by over a dozen young girls as she walked step by step towards the staircase.
Above, myriad swords formed a path, with all the immortals standing upon them.
Below, ghost cultivators held myriad bright lamps, their momentum vast and powerful.
And on the Changming Platform, the Human Emperor, clad in wedding robes of the same color and style as Gu Junshi, with golden embroidery flowing behind him from his collar and shoulders, still wore half a gilded mask. However, the exposed part revealed brows like peaks and eyes like abysses. At this moment, his kingly aura was fully displayed.
He waited for her to come and stand with him, to announce their union to heaven and earth and form their marital contract.
As Gu Junshi stepped onto the Changming Platform, standing with the Human Emperor on the platform, he reached out and took her hand. This time, Gu Junshi did not refuse.
The Human Emperor's cold and languid expression softened because of this.
"Today is my grand wedding day. Thank you all for coming to celebrate and witness," the Human Emperor announced to the surroundings, his voice deep and resonant.
The immortal sects and ghost cities offered congratulations. As they were all cultivators, their words could be clearly heard by others without needing to be close.
Out of politeness and respect for the newlyweds, they all consciously lowered their viewing positions, allowing the couple to be the sole focus of attention.
Many disciples also whispered amongst themselves, finding the person named Gu Junshi somewhat familiar.
Lu Ziyin and his companions, mingling within the crowd of onlookers, pursed their lips and looked upwards. They had intended to wait quietly but couldn't resist –
"Were they notified?"
He transmitted his voice to Ru Lan beside him.
Ru Lan rolled her eyes at him.
"Do we still need to notify them? Who doesn't know about this matter now?"
"Then why is there no movement from Wushang Mansion?" Lu Ziyin asked doubtfully.
Ru Lan stroked her chin, "You think, could it be..."
Lu Ziyin understood. His eyes widened, "No way?"
Yan Tianjiao, seeing the two of them go from transmitting voices to conversing openly, glanced at them speechlessly, "Stop arguing."
"Who's arguing? They aren't arguing. Why are you only picking on us two?" Ru Lan deliberately looked around.
This immortal alliance gathering had indeed given the Human Emperor ample face. Many important figures had attended, along with more accompanying disciples. These disciples were experiencing for the first time how beautifully Fengdu could be decorated, with mountains bathed in warm light and pearls, completely devoid of its previous gloomy and dark atmosphere.
Yan Tianjiao scanned the surroundings, "The Buddha Child didn't come?"
"He didn't. Why would he come to something like this?" Ru Lan asked, puzzled.
Lu Ziyin raised an eyebrow and waved his hand, "If he doesn't come, so be it. The main thing is that Liu Jiang Fusheng also didn't come... By the way, where is Fu Wanyan? Isn't she with you?"
He asked Ru Lan.
Ru Lan crossed her arms and pouted, "She's been a bit strange lately, always disappearing without a trace. I'm too lazy to bother with her."
"Then what about her and your master's business..."
"What kind of relationship could they have? You know how rigid my master is about matters of status. Becoming his disciple means cutting off all other ties with him. Besides, we're here to attend Gu Junshi's wedding today, don't bring up other things," Ru Lan said unhappily.
"Alright, stop arguing. They are about to make vows under the Eight Desolations and Six Harmonies, forging their marital contract. This marriage will then be sealed," Yan Tianjiao frowned and said.
Cultivator weddings were always simple yet profound. They were not bound by worldly customs but were, above all, subject to the laws of heaven.
Gu Junshi's expression was calm and elegant, while the Human Emperor seemed to be restraining himself.
Heaven and earth, the Eight Desolations and Six Realms, with this vow, they would be irrevocably bound together, becoming Dao companions, unable to defy the celestial oversight of their oath.
"Wait a moment. Before we make the marital vows, there is something I wish to show you."
The Human Emperor's deep eyes flickered, and then he asked, "What is it that requires you to be so solemn and to present it at such an important occasion as this?"
"No rush. Once you open it and see, you will naturally understand."
Gu Junshi took out a box and then opened it in front of him.
Immediately, a beam of light unexpectedly shot into the Human Emperor's forehead. His pupils widened, and the next second, he felt a splitting headache.
"What is this?!"
Gu Junshi walked over, raised her wide sleeve, and pressed his head against her collarbone, thereby blocking any attempt to probe with sight.
She leaned close to his ear, "I have found the last item to remove your seal. Once you break the seal, you will be able to recall everything. Then, you can decide whether or not you want to make the marital vows with me."
The Human Emperor tilted his head up, the veins on the back of his hand gripping his face bulging. Suddenly, the mask on his face began to crack. Streaks of black and blue light, like snakes and vines, coiled around his face, and his eyes instantly became vacant.
Conversely, the consciousness in his mind began to surge wildly. Memories forcefully impacted his brain.
—
"Amiao, Amiao..."
Beneath a lush banyan tree with a canopy like a covering, bright sunlight streamed down, casting dappled beams onto the ground through the gaps in the leaves. Beneath the tree, a beautiful woman with a middle part and an exquisite headdress adorning her forehead heard the call. Gracefully and charmingly, she turned her head.
Her features were soft, but her eyes were stunningly beautiful, a woman of spirit and feminine charm. However, at this moment, her eyes held sorrow and pain.
The youth calling "Amiao" ran a few steps and grabbed her shoulders, pulling the woman into his embrace.
But the woman struggled, "Let me go, I won't marry you..."
The man did not release her upon hearing her words. Instead, he became more forceful and overbearing. He let go of her, cupped her face, and threatened, "Nan Wengmiao, you are marrying me tomorrow. Don't say anything that displeases me."
Nan Wengmiao's expression grew increasingly sad, tears streaming down her face, "But I regret it..."
The man's eyes were icy and piercing, yet his tone was gentle and lingering, "It's too late to regret now! Amiao, the child you will have with me will become the King of these Ten Seas in the future. You should be happy."
Nan Wengmiao seemed unable to bear his gaze, her delicate and alluring body trembling slightly. Then she lowered her eyes, her mouth filled with bitter anguish, "For this honorable position, I even joined hands with you to kill the one I loved most. People like me... truly do not deserve true happiness. So be it, I will marry."
Ten years later...
A little boy in ragged clothes hobbled on one leg, shakily holding a broken bowl as he walked to the bedside. He looked at the woman coughing incessantly on the bed and timidly called out, "Mother, you should take your medicine."
But the woman on the bed waved him away, "Get lost—don't come near..."