Vermilion Phoenix Palace.

Ye Lingxuan sat at the pavilion with her mother and aunt, Ye Siyu, enjoying a cup of tea.

“Will you return to the Two Polarities Sect after the inheritance ceremony, Lingxuan?” Ye Siyu asked, her brown hair cascading down her back, her dark dress accentuating her curves as she leaned forward, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.

Without outsiders present, she was more relaxed and casual.

“I’ll return. Sparring with disciples from all over the Nine Realms is a valuable opportunity,” Lingxuan replied with a smile, nodding.

The Mistress of the Forbidden Zone smiled warmly at her daughter. “Your father and I acknowledge your talent and your dedication, but you should also relax sometimes. Don’t push yourself too hard.”

Lingxuan nodded, but before she could speak, Ye Siyu interrupted, her voice teasing. “She’s only saying that, but isn’t she returning because of Brother Mu?”

She emphasized the last two words, her eyes twinkling with amusement.

Lingxuan blushed, but quickly composed herself. “He’s only part of the reason, Sister Siyu. Not the entire reason.”

“Is that so? But you even brought him back to the Forbidden Zone with you,” she chuckled.

“Sister Siyu!” Lingxuan protested, swatting her arm playfully.

“Alright, Siyu, that’s enough,” the mistress intervened, her voice gentle but firm.

“She’s easily embarrassed. Keep those thoughts to yourself.”

Lingxuan stamped her foot, pouting. “Mother~!”

“He didn’t come back just for me…” she mumbled.

Ye Siyu’s eyes widened, and she recalled the being she had sensed within Mu Zhi’an’s Innate Celestial Vessel. “Did he come for the being within his vessel?” she asked, her gaze shifting to the mistress.

The mistress, seeing no need for secrecy, nodded. “Yes. One of his reasons for coming here is to use the Rebirth Water to rebuild the Jade Empress’s body.”

“The Jade Empress…”

Ye Siyu stared at her, her voice barely a whisper. “The one within Mu Zhi’an… is the Jade Empress?!”

She had heard of the Jade Empress long ago.

She was one of the most powerful cultivators in the world, the founding Holy Maiden of the Jade Pool Sacred Land.

Though she had never met her, she had heard tales of her aloofness, her beauty as unattainable as a snow lotus on a mountain peak.

And now, she was residing within Mu Zhi’an’s body?

The being within his Innate Celestial Vessel… was the Jade Empress…?

She shuddered, a wave of fear washing over her.

If the Jade Empress hadn’t held back when she had scanned Mu Zhi’an with her spiritual sense…

“Brother Mu came back for that,” Lingxuan confirmed.

“The Jade Empress should be able to rebuild her body in ten days. Today is… the tenth day…?”

Boom!

A deafening roar echoed through the air.

Then, a thunderous voice, as powerful as a dragon’s, boomed across the Forbidden Zone.

Several secluded experts opened their eyes, their anger flaring at the disturbance. They looked towards the Rebirth Pool, then their anger subsided as they recognized the source of the commotion, and they returned to their meditation.

“The Body Tempering Tribulation,” the mistress murmured, looking towards the Rebirth Pool.

“The Body Tempering Tribulation…?” Ye Siyu repeated, her eyes widening. “So the Jade Empress has rebuilt her body?”

“If that’s the case, Brother Mu must be there…” Lingxuan said, her eyes sparkling as she stood up.

“Mother, Sister Siyu, I’m going to check it out.”

The mistress nodded, and Ye Siyu also stood up, her eyes narrowed, a mischievous glint within their depths. “I’m coming with you.”

“I’ve never seen a Dao Integration Body Tempering Tribulation before.”

…

As they left the Vermilion Phoenix Palace, the mistress watched them, her gaze lingering on the distant tribulation clouds, a flicker of doubt in her eyes.

The Jade Empress should only have a body now, not a vessel…

Then how would she withstand the tribulation?

She must have a plan…

But what could it be?

She stared at the distant storm clouds, her brow furrowed in thought.

…

A crowd of disciples had gathered at the edge of the forest surrounding the Rebirth Pool.

Even several elders had been alerted, their figures hovering in the sky as they observed the scene.

Cultivators possessed exceptional vision and hearing. They could see clearly, even from a distance.

The Jade Empress had erected a barrier around the Rebirth Pool, concealing it from view, but the tribulation had shattered it, revealing the scene within.

“Who is that woman in the green dress? I’ve never seen her before,” a disciple whispered.

“She’s not from the Forbidden Zone… if she was, I would have remembered her,” another disciple replied.

They all nodded in agreement.

If such a beautiful woman resided within the Forbidden Zone, she would be as popular as Ye Lingxuan.

“Could she be the reason the patriarch forbade us from approaching the Rebirth Pool?”

“Yes! She must have been injured and was using the pool to recover. Perhaps she knows the patriarch?!”

Their hearts pounded with excitement as they stared at her.

If she knew the patriarch, she must be as powerful as him!

After all, even Nascent Soul experts had never seen such a terrifying tribulation!

“But what’s Mu Zhi’an doing there…?” a disciple suddenly asked.

The excited chatter ceased.

They all had the same question.

If this was her tribulation, why was he there?

“Her aura is unstable. She was likely just a wisp of consciousness residing within someone’s body,” an elder remarked, offering a theory.

His words changed their perception of Mu Zhi’an.

They weren’t fools. They understood the elder’s implication.

Why was Mu Zhi’an at the Rebirth Pool?

Not because he had snuck in, but because the woman in the green dress had been residing within his body.

His purpose for coming to the Forbidden Zone, the patriarch’s summons… it wasn’t just because of Ye Lingxuan.

He was also here to heal the woman in green!

“This tribulation… it’s different from ordinary tribulations. It’s truly an Empress’s tribulation…” another elder murmured, his eyes filled with awe as he looked at her.

No one could witness a Dao Integration expert’s tribulation without feeling a sense of awe.

… Except for a few exceptions, like Mu Zhi’an.

Even he had struggled to suppress his awe, his mind battling against his instincts.

“But why is he approaching her during her tribulation?” a disciple exclaimed.

A tribulation’s difficulty increased exponentially when two people faced it together. Wasn’t he worried about the consequences?

The elders remained silent, puzzled by his actions.

…

Ye Lingxuan, standing on her aunt’s flying sword, arrived at the edge of the forest.

She looked towards the Rebirth Pool, her gaze penetrating the dense foliage.

Mu Zhi’an was walking towards the woman in the green dress, approaching her.

She stood in the air, her figure bathed in a faint, silver light, like a celestial being descending from the heavens, her gaze fixed on him, a gentle smile on her lips.

“Is he insane? Why is he approaching her during her tribulation?!” Ye Siyu exclaimed, her voice filled with disbelief.

Lingxuan’s eyes widened, her confusion mirroring her aunt’s.

He reached the edge of the pool.

“What should I do now?” he asked, his voice hesitant.

“Close your eyes,” she replied, her voice clear and melodious.

“?”

“Just close them. Quickly,” she urged.

“The tribulation is about to descend. There’s no time.”

He closed his eyes obediently.

She stepped towards him, her bare feet barely touching the water’s surface.

Then, under the watchful gazes of the disciples and Ye Lingxuan, she leaned down, her hand on the back of his head, her lips pressing gently against his.

Silence fell upon the forest.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay