The Celestial Phoenix Maiden sat alone sorrowfully under the parasol tree.

A chilly breeze blew past and caused the leaves on the tree to rustle loudly, giving off a melancholic vibe.

The Celestial Phoenix Maiden sat quietly under the parasol tree like a dry twig. Her face was calm as she thought back to how she had carried the hopes of her race on her shoulders the moment she was born. Although she was a prodigious woman known throughout the Vast Thousand Domains, she was the only person who knew how heavy her burden was and how much she had suffered. This was why she had always looked so cold and kept everyone at bay like an icy fairy who had chosen to lock herself up.

She had met Ye Qingyu in the 17th district of the Black Demon Abyss, in the Taowu Mountain Ridge, and this had changed her life.

She had initially been looking for someone to explore the 18th district together with, but before she knew it, she had fallen for this unknown young man and had been moved by how he almost sacrificed himself to protect her under the parasol tree.

She had always been so cold and haughty that she would have never imagined that she could fall for a man, much less fall so deeply for him.

Someone once said that the colder a woman was, the more intense her love would be once she did fall in love.

Perhaps that person had been right.

As time pa.s.sed, the Vast Thousand Domains welcomed a flouris.h.i.+ng age and the Phoenix Race chose to tread on an extremely risky path in order to fulfill their race's mandate. The Celestial Phoenix Maiden could still remember bidding farewell to Ye Qingyu at Ren Puyang's office in the Human Race's divine temple at the Alliance of Domains. She had a.s.sumed that this would be their last meeting because she didn't know if she would be able to come back alive after heading into battle. All her love, reluctance to part, and yearning for him had manifested themselves during the ten minutes in which she had taken the initiative to meet him.

She didn't think that she would see him again during the battle of the Dark Realm.

They stood on opposing sides the next time they met.

When she was forced to make the difficult choice between the fate of her race or her beloved, she ultimately ended up choosing him.

She had a.s.sumed that death was a form of release.

She didn't expect to come back to life two thousand years later, and although she felt happy to know that her race was flouris.h.i.+ng and had broken free of their bondage, the fact that she had to deal with a completely different time and world and had to face the fact that her beloved was now wedded to someone else made her feel completely hopeless.

She started to contemplate the meaning of life as she sat under the parasol tree.

She had once been the prodigy of her race and her race had placed all their hopes of breaking free from the dark forces on her shoulders. This had been her mandate during the first half of her life, but after she met Ye Qingyu, she finally found some meaning in life other than the burden of the Phoenix Race that rested on her shoulders. However, her meaning in life had now been taken away from her.

What is the point of living? she wondered.

She didn't intend to kill herself, but this was a period of introspection and self-reflection.

Then, someone slowly approached her from behind.

"Father..." she said with a small smile. "I'm fine. You shouldn't worry about me and there's no need for you to comfort me either. It has been so many years and I'm not as weak..."

The elderly clan elder stroked his daughter's hair tenderly and said with a smile, "Silly girl, there's no need to try to put on a strong front. He has come to seek your hand in marriage."

The Celestial Phoenix Maiden trembled in shock.

"The Imperial G.o.d Emperor's eldest disciple, Bai Yuanxing, and his disciple, Tian Ning, visited Phoenix City today and asked for your hand in marriage on his behalf. I'd like to consult you on this matter," the elderly clan elder said with a smile. "My precious girl, you did not fall for the wrong man. The Imperial G.o.d Emperor is not an ungrateful man and has repaid your love in kind. I'm so happy for you. Alright, stop moping under this tree and go home. Since my precious girl is about to get married, I'll naturally have to make sure that the wedding will be a grand occasion. Hahaha!"

The elderly clan elder chuckled loudly from the bottom of his heart.

Everyone who heard this news knew that the Phoenix Race's status would be wildly elevated once the Celestial Phoenix Maiden was wedded to the Imperial G.o.d Emperor. They could use the Unmoving City of Darkness and the Qingluo Chamber of Commerce as a basis for comparison. No one throughout the entire Immortal Empire and even the alliance of forces across several major star domains dared to offend these two superpowers. The Qingluo Chamber of Commerce had already expanded to the Underworld Star Domain, the Blood Spear Star Domain, the Dark Purple Star Domain, and other star domains to become a matchless t.i.tan in the world of commerce. Once someone from the Phoenix Race became a consort of the Imperial G.o.d Emperor, this meant that the Phoenix Race would be as powerful as the other two superpowers. The Phoenix Race's history and resources were even richer than the other two superpowers, but to the clan elder, the only reason why he was rejoicing was that his precious daughter had finally found happiness.

When he thought back to the past, he felt that he owed his daughter so much.

The Celestial Phoenix Maiden finally rose and stomped her feet as her father laughed happily next to her. "Hmph, I didn't say that I'd marry him. He already has two wives..." she said.

...

A year later, Ye Qingyu and the Celestial Phoenix Maiden were married in Phoenix City.

This wasn't as highly publicized as his first wedding, but it was still a very grand wedding.

The Immortal Empire went into an uproar when the news that the Imperial G.o.d Emperor was about to marry the Celestial Phoenix Maiden was made public a year ago. This was the Imperial G.o.d Emperor's third wife, and it was likely that this would also be the final consort he would be taking. Their love story started to spread amongst the people, and more people were now aware of the sacrifices and contributions she had made to this world.

The Celestial Phoenix Maiden was a hot topic throughout the entire empire.

Many people were moved by her love for Ye Qingyu and her contributions to this world.

This matchless beauty was indeed a compatible match for the Imperial G.o.d Emperor.

Those who had some misgivings about this match initially had changed their tune and now supported this match.

There were some who were envious of the Phoenix Race because this marriage alliance would also signify the rise of another t.i.tan. Everyone knew that the Imperial G.o.d Emperor was firm and decisive when it came to his enemies but was extremely protective of his loved ones and was famous for doting on his wives. It was just a matter of time before the Phoenix Race's stock and status skyrocketed.

The wedding was held as scheduled.

However, most people were surprised to see Yu Xiaoxing and Song Xiaojun present at the wedding.

After the wedding, the Celestial Phoenix Maiden remained in Phoenix City and did not return with the others to the Light City in the Heaven Wasteland Domain.

Time pa.s.sed and another year flew by.

During this time, Ye Qingyu went to the star domains of the King of Destruction, the Abandoned FiendG.o.d, and the Wisp G.o.d of Consciousness to gain a better understanding of their world and to groom successors. These three large star domains gradually started to be part of the Immortal Empire and this led to the gradual birth of an unprecedented and large Alliance of star domains.

While he roamed the universe, he never stopped searching for Hu Bugui and Nan Tieyi, but he still failed to find any clues.

However, Liu Shaji paid him a visit not long after his return to the Vast Thousand Star Domains and said excitedly, "I've found a clue. I've found clues that might lead to Hu Bugui and the others..."