Chapter 1439: Change

A chill ran through everyone present as Yaoyao's words fell.

Was this the Saint God's objective in this scheme? To delay Yaoyao's complete awakening, allowing the Saint God to awaken first?

If that were to happen, it would undoubtedly be a catastrophic disaster for all the Heavens.

After all, the Ancestral Dragon's will had been nearly depleted in the war of antiquity, leaving the beings of the Heavens with no hope of relying on it to resist the Saint God. Their sole hope rested on the Third God standing before them.

But now, even the Third God had been ambushed by the Saint God, and the so-called Divine Curse Poison was clearly no ordinary affliction.

“Can this poison be resolved?” Zhou Yuan asked.

Yaoyao smiled faintly and said, “It's not a big problem, just requires some time.”

Zhou Yuan's gaze lingered on Yaoyao's face for a few moments before he finally nodded.

Emperor Dragon Ancient Venerable seemed on the verge of speaking, but was gently restrained by Ancient Venerable Chiji, who stood nearby.

Ancient Venerable Jinluo slowly inquired, “May I ask what the Third God intends to do next?”

“Since I've returned to Cangxuan Heaven, I'll remain here for a while. I wish to accompany Zhou Yuan back to Great Zhou City to visit,” Yaoyao said, her gaze fixed on the distance, a hint of reminiscence in her eyes.

Ancient Venerable Jinluo nodded. “That is entirely fitting. With Zhou Yuan now the Heaven Lord of Cangxuan Heaven and the Primal Chaos Saint Extermination Grand Array restored, Cangxuan Heaven is perfectly safe.”

“Regarding this Divine Curse Poison, I wonder if the Third God could provide a trace of its essence? We could take it back to the Gui Xu Divine Palace and, with the collective power of the Saints, attempt to deduce a method to assist the Third God in its swift resolution.”

Yaoyao cast a casual glance at him, nodding faintly. With a mere thought, a wisp of black energy rose from her palm, followed by countless ancient Origin Runes that converged around it, coalescing into what appeared to be a crystalline drop of water.

The poisonous droplet drifted towards Ancient Venerable Jinluo, whose expression immediately turned grave. He produced his own Chaos Golden Bell and meticulously sealed the droplet inside.

Upon seeing this, Yaoyao said nothing further, simply stepped into the air, and departed.

“Zhou Yuan, should the Third God experience any complications, please contact us immediately,” Ancient Venerable Jinluo advised Zhou Yuan, making no move to stop them.

Zhou Yuan nodded, then bowed his hands to the assembled figures before following Yaoyao.

The three Ancient Venerables and the Saints, including Cang Yuan, watched the two disappear into the distance. After a long silence, Emperor Dragon Ancient Venerable finally frowned, stating gravely, “That Divine Curse Poison is certainly not simple. The Third God must be concealing some information.”

Ancient Venerable Chiji countered, “Is that even necessary to state? This time, the Saint Race launched a massive offensive, not only deploying all seven Great Ancient Saints but also sending a clone of the Saint God, who hasn't even fully awakened yet. Despite such immense effort, they still lost two Ancient Saints.”

“They wouldn't have paid such a heavy price just to casually throw around a minor poison.”

“But what does that matter? Our Third God clearly has no desire or interest in communicating with us. If she chooses not to speak, are we to force her?”

Emperor Dragon Ancient Venerable couldn't help but exclaim, “That's far too willful! If anything were to happen to her, what would become of the Heavens?”

Ancient Venerable Jinluo shook his head. “To discuss 'willfulness' with the Third God only reveals your naivety.”

“However, there's no need for excessive worry. The Third God does have someone she cares about, so if the situation genuinely spirals out of control, she will certainly contact us. For now, our task remains to pool the power of the Gui Xu Divine Palace to deduce and find methods that can assist the Third God in dissolving the cursed poison.”

Both Emperor Dragon and Chiji Ancient Venerables nodded in agreement.

“Furthermore, while the Saint Race has temporarily withdrawn, we can expect continuous harassment. They must be preparing for the Saint God's complete awakening, meaning the fires of war will not cease in the coming years. Our Heavens must enter the highest state of combat readiness,” Ancient Venerable Jinluo continued.

“Perhaps, when the next great war arrives... we will finally confront the Saint God in her full, unhindered power.”

At these words, everyone present grew solemn. For countless years, the Saint God had been an oppressive mountain weighing upon the beings of the Heavens, suffocating them. If not for the lingering will of the Ancestral Dragon in the ancient world-ending war, the Tianyuan World would have long ago fallen entirely under the Saint Race's dominion.

The beings of the Heavens would have either been devoured by the Saint God or reduced to mere livestock, bred and slaughtered at will by the Saint Race.

The Heavens had, by fortunate chance and the Ancestral Dragon's will, endured the last world-ending war. But this time, what would the outcome be?

That primordial deity, immortal and indestructible, was like an inescapable shadow, clinging tightly to the beings of the Heavens, leaving them sleepless and perpetually terrified.

“Cang Yuan, you and the three Dual-Lotus Saints should remain in Cangxuan Heaven to look after these two of yours,” Ancient Venerable Jinluo further instructed Cang Yuan.

Cang Yuan sighed, nodding with a hint of worry in his eyes.

After issuing these instructions and arrangements, the three Ancient Venerables—Jinluo, Emperor Dragon, and Chiji—cast one last glance in the direction Yaoyao had gone, before their forms slowly dissolved like fading illusions.

As Zhou Yuan followed Yaoyao, he took the opportunity to send a message to Grandmaster Qingyang and others, instructing them to handle post-war affairs. With the Saint Race's retreat, the Cangxuan Alliance could now emerge to finalize matters.

Having given these instructions, Zhou Yuan looked up to see Yaoyao standing on a verdant peak ahead, ethereal as an immortal amidst the clouds.

Zhou Yuan's figure moved, appearing beside Yaoyao.

“Want to visit Great Zhou City?” Zhou Yuan asked, naturally taking Yaoyao's hand and smiling.

Yaoyao gave a slight nod of her delicate head. She lifted her exquisite face, allowing the sunlight to fall upon her jade-like cheek. Her delicate features appeared as if sculpted from the world's spiritual essence, her skin as clear and cool as ice, utterly captivating.

Her red lips curved into a slight smile as she tilted her head to gaze at Zhou Yuan. “Heaven Lord of Cangxuan Heaven,” she said, “I suppose this counts as returning home in glory, doesn't it?”

When he had left Great Zhou City back then, Zhou Yuan hadn't even reached the Divine Dwelling stage. Now, however, he had become the supreme existence in Cangxuan Heaven, wielding authority over the entire domain.

Zhou Yuan held Yaoyao's small hand, feeling its delicate coolness, and murmured, “Honestly, if I had a choice, I'd rather not have this so-called Heaven Lord position. I'd simply wish to be a prince in times of peace, and then take you as my queen.”

Yaoyao's gaze softened, and she gently leaned against Zhou Yuan's shoulder. As they nestled together, a rare moment of warmth settled between them.

A moment later, however, Yaoyao suddenly smiled. “I almost forgot about this fellow,” she said.

With a lift of her exquisite hand, a spatial vortex materialized, from which a streak of light shot forth—it was Tun Tun.

Tun Tun seemed to have been cooped up for a while. Upon emerging, it roared indignantly at Yaoyao, then instantly zipped to Zhou Yuan's head, thoroughly disheveling his hair into a bird's nest.

Zhou Yuan was somewhat speechless. “You bully,” he muttered, “I wasn't the one who locked you away.”

Yaoyao lightly covered her mouth, chuckling. She gently lifted Tun Tun from Zhou Yuan's head, held it up, and asked, “Want to go back to Great Zhou City?”

Tun Tun blinked its beast-like eyes, then nodded obediently.

Tun Tun settled on Yaoyao's shoulder, its beast-like eyes fixed on Zhou Yuan behind them. Within those eyes, there seemed to be a human-like expression of surprise and doubt.

Zhou Yuan caught Tun Tun's gaze and fell silent for a moment. He understood what Tun Tun found puzzling: Yaoyao's emotions were clearly far more pronounced and lively than they had been before.

If the previous Yaoyao had been as detached as a deity, the current her possessed a vibrancy reminiscent of her days in Great Zhou City.

Zhou Yuan gazed at Yaoyao's exquisite features. He knew that this change in her might be connected to the so-called Divine Curse Poison, yet from a personal standpoint, he found himself somewhat captivated by it.

The current Yaoyao felt more human, less like an aloof deity.

He didn't know whether this transformation was ultimately good or bad, but if it brought Yaoyao even a modicum of happiness, Zhou Yuan was willing to remain by her side always.

Zhou Yuan gently tightened his grip on Yaoyao's hand, a bright smile spreading across his face.

“Let's go, I'll take you back to Great Zhou City.”