The hands covering his eyes slowly withdrew, and a dim light, sufficient to banish darkness, entered his pupils.
Those newly formed violet eyes were lightly coated with a thin layer of watery sheen. As light shifted like ripples, they contracted and expanded, repeating the cycle several times before finally confirming that he could truly see.
She held a black umbrella, the wind lifting her skirt like swaying lotus flowers. His gaze, stunned, slowly moved upward… Her hand, white as jade, gripped the umbrella handle. Against the stark black, that touch of white and softness was more beautiful than any description his impoverished language could conjure.
Since his birth, he had smelled many scents, fragrant, foul, peculiar. He had touched many things, hard, soft, disgusting. He had heard many sounds, melodious, cacophonous…
But he had seen nothing. Apart from darkness, there was only darkness. Therefore, everything was new and rare to him. And his first sight was of beauty.
With restrained excitement, his entire body tensed. He continued to look upward… finally, from his long neck, his chin, the bridge of his nose… until at last, he clearly saw the person before him.
She was looking at him, her expression placid, yet different from anything he had ever imagined.
Before he understood what beauty was, he had first learned of aesthetics.
Aesthetics applied only to her.
She was beautiful.
But perhaps, such superficial words were not fitting to describe her. For him, she was an existence that could shake the soul, an entity that commanded unwavering attention.
Like trees leaning towards the sun, birds yearning for flowers, fish swimming with water… so it was between him and her.
“Your eyes now hold light.” Gu Junshi couldn't help but marvel at the Ghost Infant’s new eyes, finding them beautiful—so candid and bright, like a beacon in the darkness.
She said, “Why not call them Xi Tong, then? From now on, you can use these eyes to truly see the world.”
“Xi Tong?”
“Don’t you like it?”
“No…”
Suddenly, a green light array, about ten feet wide, manifested around the Ghost Infant. The flourishing light coiled around his body, as he recognized and accepted the covenant of heaven and earth. It re-bestowed him with power and simultaneously shattered the shackles of "Ghost Infant."
The Ghost Infant trembled, slowly reaching for his eyelids. “Thank you, Lord. My eyes… can I really see now?”
He wanted to smile, but he didn’t know how to express joy. His stiff muscles simply spasmed, forming an expression that was neither smile nor cry.
He slowly raised his head. The rain was incessant. He saw a vast expanse of grey sky and swirling black clouds churned by yin energy.
Should the sky be this dull, this dark color?
Gu Junshi had successfully obtained Fengdu this time, and had exposed the demon race, a festering hidden evil. The Ghost Infant had played a significant role in this.
Therefore, when it was time to reward her loyal subordinate, she was never stingy.
She shifted her black umbrella, looking at the corrupted sky. “It’s a rare opportunity to be able to see. It would be too regrettable to only see rain and grayness…”
With that, she tossed Wu Xiang into the sky. With a wave of her hand, a white light enveloped Hui Yin, expanding outwards from her. With a boom, the falling raindrops froze in mid-air, time ceasing to flow.
“Do you know what kind of scenery will appear after the rain stops?”
She asked.
The Ghost Infant wanted to look at her, but dared not, his gaze evading and darting.
He first shook his head, then, unsure, replied, “Clear skies.”
Gu Junshi smiled.
“You can see for yourself now.”
The water droplets suspended around them reversed their course, falling upwards. They gathered in the high heavens to form a vast ocean of water.
Gu Junshi raised her palm, twisting it. The ocean exploded, and the dark clouds in the sky were all dispersed. Even the resentful yin energy, which the twenty-eight heavens had been unable to control for days, was completely swept away by her.
In an instant, as if swept by a giant hand, the gloom that had enveloped the sky vanished without a trace.
The sky was clear and azure, washed clean by the rain, spotless.
Sunlight streamed through the dense foliage. Plump water droplets hung precariously on the tips of emerald leaves. Spring’s vibrant colors swayed gracefully, and a seven-colored rainbow arched across the vast yellow canyon…
The entire world was completely renewed.
All sorts of new and unfamiliar colors flooded into the Ghost Infant’s eyes.
The Ghost Infant had never seen such beautiful, such colorful things. He supported himself, staggering to his feet, gazing at it all with greedy delight, like a man who, after days in the desert, finally saw an oasis.
“The sky… has changed. Is this the blue color of the sky? The clouds are white, the ground is yellow, there are green trees, red flowers. Is that thing in the sky the rainbow people talk about?”
It was hard to imagine such words coming from a grown man.
But it also showed how truly happy he was, as happy as a child.
“Xi Tong, this is my final gift. I return your future to your own choice.”
Knowing he dared not blink, fearing it all was an illusion that would vanish the next second.
Gu Junshi did not disturb him. She retreated into the black hole, her figure fading into nothingness, leaving him to marvel at his surroundings.
But after she left, the Ghost Infant suddenly turned, looking at the empty space behind him. He froze, the vibrant, bright colors on his face seeming fake, all subdued.
These eyes were not just eyes; they were a new world she had bestowed upon him.
Despite having eyes, he no longer dared to look directly at her. The Ghost Infant stood in this bright world, bathed in light, yet a shadow fell before him.
“Can you stay with me a little longer? Don’t leave me alone…” This was his true desire, but in the next moment, he lowered his voice apologetically. “…I’m sorry, I was being greedy.”
—
Who could have guessed that Gu Junshi’s simple act, meant only to elicit a smile from her subordinate, would cause such a stir throughout the twenty-eight heavens?
The Ghost Kings of the four cities of Fengdu were annihilated in this battle, and Fengdu was destined for a reshuffle. But before the ambitious ghost cultivators could even sharpen their ambitions, a dark horse emerged, unifying Fengdu under the Human Emperor, who declared that from then on, Fengdu would have no kings, only one Emperor.
The Immortal Alliance, upon hearing this news, was not entirely surprised. After all, the Human Emperor who had forcefully driven them out of Fengdu back then was exceptionally formidable.
The Fengdu he unified was both a blessing and a curse.
As a blessing, he would certainly have no ties to the demon race, as he had once, as the First Emperor and sovereign of the Ten Emperors, jointly sealed the demon race with the great figures of the cultivation world.
As a curse, he was far more unfathomable and difficult to deal with than anyone else, and they were unsure whether he would be friend or foe to their Immortal Alliance in the future.
Therefore, regarding his marriage, they were deliberating whether to express their stance and attend.
If this matter had occurred in the past, it would have had little bearing on them. But now, with the world in decline and the times in flux, they wanted to know Fengdu’s attitude.