The Ethereal Domains

Chapter 1148: Long-lost Warmth

Long-lost Warmth . . .

Tears welled up in Jun Yinglian's eyes. After a while, she cried out, "Cha Eun Xiao, I hate you... I hate you..."

Then she trembled and slowly collapsed to the floor.

"Lian Lian!" Cha Eun Xiao was filled with anxiety. He rushed to her side, his hands supporting her waist. Her eyes were closed, and tears streamed down her cheeks. She had fallen into unconsciousness.

She lay quietly within Cha Eun Xiao's embrace, her pale face bearing traces of tears. Even in her comatose state, tears continued to flow from the corners of her closed eyes.

She appeared like a delicate flower bud, beautiful yet pitiable.

Cha Eun Xiao gazed at the beauty in his arms, suddenly consumed by a deep obsession.

He remained seated, cradling Jun Yinglian quietly. His thoughts were a whirlwind.

[Why did she suddenly lose consciousness?]

His heart ached.

[Lian Lian... She must be utterly exhausted.]

[Before I was presumed dead, she had wholeheartedly pursued me, only to be perpetually disappointed. She endured sorrow on my behalf.]

As time inexorably passed, she had relentlessly striven. She had dedicated every moment of her youth to him, waiting until her youthful visage no longer remained...

'Wherever you are, that's where I belong. Even if we are separated by distance, at least I know you exist in the same mundane world!'

Jun Yinglian used to utter these words.

It was a simple form of self-consolation.

She didn't have to be in the mundane world, yet she descended to it for him.

'All I need is to be with you beneath the same starry sky in this ordinary world.'

When she spoke these words, her eyes were brimming with sorrowful tears.

Yet, even such a simple wish remained unfulfilled.

No one comprehended the depth of her despair when the news of Cha Eun Xiao's demise reached her ears.

For three years, she lingered beside his cenotaph.

All the love she harbored for him had faded away during those three years. It had failed to motivate her even for the purpose of seeking revenge.

He was gone. Could he be resurrected through her acts of vengeance?

Three years later, she reappeared with her sword.

This time, people misunderstood her. She had no true desire for vengeance. ɴovel(F)ɪre

What she yearned for most was... her own demise.

Without him, life had lost all meaning.

She had no reason left to live.

Jun Yinglian found herself in a vast world, where lives could still hold vibrant colors. However, to her, nothing held any significance anymore. All she yearned for was to embrace death in the same manner as Cha Eun Xiao Monarch. She believed that such an end might reunite her with him in the afterlife.

The location didn't matter; she just wished to be with him once more. Perhaps, even in the mundane world beyond death, he might still reject her. Nevertheless, if she could share a world with him again, maybe he would accompany her on a journey.

Though Jun Yinglian was a formidable Dao Origin Stage cultivator, three years of unceasing toil had left her drained. Despite being physically alive, she felt like a hollow shell.

The sole thing that sustained her was her self-imposed mission—to convey a message to Yue Gongxue. Beyond that, she only longed to proceed on her path towards death. She regarded this as the beginning of her reunion with Cha Eun Xiao Monarch in the realm of the deceased.

Yet, while she was desperately marching towards the end of her existence, she received news that Cha Eun Xiao was still alive.

Cha Eun Xiao Monarch once again appeared before her eyes!

This revelation was simultaneously a delight and an overwhelming shock for her. While it was like receiving an unexpected gift from the heavens, the sheer magnitude of the surprise was almost unbearable. Just as a starving man might be crushed to death by a giant pie suddenly falling from the sky.

For three years, her mind had been under constant tension, her heart straining with every passing second. But just as the pressure reached its zenith, it was unexpectedly released. It felt like an incredibly taut spring that had no room to absorb the sudden release of pressure, causing a monumental explosion.

The spring itself had been shattered, but Jun Yinglian's heart was left in pieces.

All the pent-up pressure and grievances accumulated over three years were suddenly let loose. Instead of being weighed down by pressure, she couldn't bear the sudden 'emptiness.'

In that moment, Cha Eun Xiao sensed her profound emotions and couldn't help but sigh with sorrow.

Jun Yinglian had persevered with a unique feminine strength until this very point. Cha Eun Xiao didn't need to contemplate what he would have done in her shoes. He was well aware of the answer. Even drawing his sword for one last battle would be impossible after keeping such emotions and pressure inside for three years. He couldn't have endured it for three months, let alone three years.

He simply held Jun Yinglian's delicate body, his gaze vacant. Although he appeared confused, fragments of memories occasionally surfaced before his eyes.

He recollected the days spent with Jun Yinglian, every word, every tiny detail that had transpired between them.

He had been cruel and unkind to her, and he felt his actions were unforgivable. Lost in the recollection of these memories, he unconsciously wore a bitter smile.

Cha Eun Xiao couldn't recall how long he had held Jun Yinglian in his embrace, and Jun Yinglian was equally lost in time. It seemed that time had faded into oblivion, leaving only the two of them in a world filled with tenderness, warmth, and tranquility.

Overwhelmed by the shock, Jun Yinglian had passed out momentarily. However, as a powerful cultivator, she recognized that what had transpired was, in fact, a positive development. While Cha Eun Xiao remained lost in his memories, Jun Yinglian gradually regained consciousness. The first sensation she experienced was the comforting embrace.

It felt incredibly soothing.

This sensation had a captivating effect on her, ensnaring her in its sweetness, a long-anticipated yearning finally fulfilled.

She slowly opened her eyes, and before her lay a handsome countenance. Unaware of her awakening, Cha Eun Xiao was deep in contemplation, his eyes reflecting a range of emotions—sadness, anger, guilt, self-condemnation, and regret.

Jun Yinglian observed him in silence. She comprehended the reasons behind his ever-shifting emotions, and she understood the source of his feelings.

With every change in his expression, she discerned his thoughts and knew precisely why he wore that look in his eyes.

Among all, it was only Jun Yinglian who possessed such intimate knowledge of him and who could interpret the intricacies of his countenance.