Chapter 1280: Tears Falling Like Rain

Everyone in the hall fell silent as they watched the two figures disappear into the distance. They all felt a heavy weight on their hearts, as if a mountain was pressing down on them, stifling.

Zu'an sighed deeply, "Lovers who cannot be together in the end—is this fate?"

Whether because she was in love or due to their similar bloodline, Yu Yanluo was the most deeply moved at that moment, tears flowing uncontrollably down her smooth cheeks.

Marquis Sui had protected Lady Yu for thousands of years, finally waiting for her to revive, only for them to face separation and death once more.

Silently, she put herself in Lady Yu's shoes and instantly felt her heart ache as if it were being cut.

She walked over to Zu'an, took his hand, and whispered, "A'Zu, if something ever happens to me in the future, don't be like Marquis Sui. I don't want you to spend the rest of your life in such sorrow and pain. I'd rather see you live happily in this world."

Zu'an solemnly replied, "Don't worry. If something happens to you, I'll just marry a few more wives another day?"

Yu Yanluo's expression was one of utter bewilderment.

"How is this so different from Marquis Sui?" she wondered.

"So don't get into accidents so easily," Zu'an sighed deeply. "You need to stay by my side to keep a good eye on me." She was being so naive, setting up such an ominous 'flag'. In stories from his past life, people who said such things often met a bad end.

Yu Yanluo then broke into a smile, playfully punching his arm. "You're annoying!"

Having been together for so long, she naturally knew her lover was deliberately saying this to lighten her sad mood. A warmth spread through her heart. A'Zu was A'Zu; there was no need to compare him to anyone else—he was unique. But this guy's luck with women was far too abundant; how could she possibly keep an eye on him, even when she was right there?

Nearby, Yan Xuehen, who had been feeling somewhat melancholic lately due to her relationship with Zu'an, was exceptionally saddened by the fate of Lady Yu and Marquis Sui.

Even after thousands of years, they were still destined not to be together. Wasn't her relationship with Zu'an similar?

She subconsciously glanced at Zu'an, only to see Yu Yanluo flirting intimately with him. Although she knew she shouldn't, a bitter feeling welled up uncontrollably in her heart.

"Oh, why are your eyes red?" Yun Jianyue asked, nudging Yan Xuehen. "I never thought the formidable Ice Stone Woman would one day be heartbroken over romantic love like this." Yun Jianyue herself felt a pang of sadness, but to avoid revealing her softer side, she deliberately shifted attention to others.

Yan Xuehen found it inconvenient to explain that it was because of Zu'an, so she simply turned her face away and didn't respond.

At that moment, a discordant voice broke through the silence. It was Princess Changning, who said, "Everything she just said was only her side of the story. What if she merely wanted to protect the Three-Three Flower or that monster's life, and deliberately concocted a moving tale to make you go easy on them?"

Everyone frowned. Yu Yanluo immediately retorted, "No, I believe what she said is true."

She found it inconvenient, however, to mention the reason was their shared bloodline.

Princess Changning snorted, "Of course you'd speak up for her; you got the precious pearl she gave you. But what she gave you might not have been with good intentions. Be careful she didn't tamper with the pearl."

It was clear she resented Yu Yanluo receiving the Marquis Sui Pearl, wishing that anything good others obtained would turn out to be problematic. Zu'an's expression turned cold. How could he not know this woman's thoughts? She was a sister, yet so different from Kong Nanwu.

Before he could say anything, Yu Yanluo casually drew a rune inside her sleeve. Immediately, Princess Changning's mouth opened and closed, then she suddenly froze, realizing she couldn't speak.

She spun around frantically, thinking she had been poisoned by something in this place. Terrified, she hastily pointed at her mouth, indicating that something was wrong and wanting others to save her.

The others naturally pretended not to understand, treating it as a lesson for her.

Desperate, she tearfully pulled at Princess Solun, hoping she would save her out of their shared lineage as demon kin.

Princess Solun secretly cursed her as an idiot, while outwardly giving a casual response.

Yun Jianyue secretly nudged Yan Xuehen with her elbow. "This woman isn't a pushover. I like that."

With her discernment, she could naturally tell it was Yu Yanluo's doing. Yan Xuehen snorted, "She's been in charge of a prominent clan for so many years; how could she be weak or easily bullied? I'm more impressed by those techniques of the Libationer. They are truly formidable." Those abilities just now clearly weren't from the Serpent clan; they were in the style of the Imperial Academy's Libationer.

Yun Jianyue's expression grew serious. "Some say the Libationer is the foremost person below the Emperor, while others claim his strength has grown to rival the Emperor's over the years. I wonder who would win if the two of us fought him."

Yan Xuehen shook her head slightly. "We'd likely lose."

Although Grandmasters all possess invincible confidence, it doesn't mean they are blind.

At this point, Zu'an tapped his toes, riding his Wind-Fire Wheels into the air. The jade coffin no longer held the beautiful woman's trace; only fragments of Divine Primordial Stones remained. He collected these fragments and distributed them among everyone, ensuring no one left empty-handed.

Princess Solun and Qiao Heng were surprised, not expecting to receive a share, and quickly offered their thanks.

Princess Changning, however, was somewhat displeased. The most valuable aspect of the Divine Primordial Stones was what they sealed within. The vital energy contained in these fragments had mostly been expended over the long years protecting the woman's body. Now, they were only slightly better than Heaven Primordial Stones, and not particularly rare. Her gaze swept towards the jade coffin; if only she could have that.

Unfortunately, Zu'an didn't give her the chance, directly storing the jade coffin into his Glazed Pearl. In the path of cultivation, one should never yield on valuable resources. Although the jade coffin didn't appear to have any extraordinary properties, selling it would fetch a huge sum. These past few days, he had truly come to understand that cultivation was an incredibly expensive endeavor.

Next, the group exited the ancient tomb. Those on Zu'an's side were relatively calm, while the young demon cultivators felt a strong sense of having survived a great calamity.

After emerging, perhaps due to the disappearance of the demonic energy, all the mechanisms and traps along the path returned to normal. The mist in the forest vanished, and the eerie stone statues silently lined both sides of the road. Even the giant beasts in the swamp, which they had encountered earlier, seemed to realize that those who could emerge safely from within were not to be trifled with, and all hid, never reappearing.

Along the way, while checking Qiao Heng's injuries, Zu'an privately asked him if he knew Qiao Xueying.

Qiao Heng's eyes lit up instantly. "Princess Xue, who rendered great service to our Elf race—who in our entire clan doesn't know her? And by kinship, she's also my distant cousin!" He finally understood why Zu'an had saved him, realizing this person must have been Princess Xue's good friend back in the human world.

Zu'an seized the opportunity to inquire about Xue'er's current situation. Qiao Heng answered each question, finally adding, "Princess Xue is doing very well. And there's also some recent good news: she's highly likely to be chosen as the Crown Prince's consort."

"Crown Prince's consort?" Zu'an's eyebrows shot up. Was that birdman truly fated to clash with him? "Wasn't it supposed to be a princess from the Peacock clan?"

Qiao Heng nodded. "Princess Nanwu of the Peacock royal family and Princess Xue have the strongest chances. Of course, Princess Changning over there isn't entirely out of the running, but she's quite a bit behind those two in all aspects."

He was somewhat concerned. From the human man's tone, it seemed his relationship with Princess Xue was extraordinary. However, how could he compete with the Golden Crow Crown Prince? Moreover, he was human, making a match with Princess Xue impossible. It was better to give him some psychological preparation in advance to prevent disappointment later. At the same time, he secretly glanced at Yu Yanluo and the two other women by Zu'an's side. Come to think of it, Zu'an already had three such peerless beauties around him; he probably wouldn't be too heartbroken, would he?

Zu'an, of course, wasn't saddened in the least. The Golden Crow Crown Prince was merely a defeated opponent; if it came to it, he'd just take her from him again. What surprised him, however, was that Kong Nanwu was also a top contender. If she was being considered for Crown Prince's consort, why was she, unlike her clan sister Kong Nanjin, traveling so far into the human world to seize opportunities?

Just then, the sky in the distance began to lighten. Everyone involuntarily looked up, wondering how Marquis Sui and Lady Yu were doing.

On a distant cliff peak, a strikingly beautiful woman embraced a gaunt, skeletal man, gazing at the rosy glow on the horizon. The woman's beautiful eyes were already soaked with tears. She knew that her husband's last breath was sustained by demonic energy, and the sun had a powerful suppressive effect on demonic energy; even at his peak, he wouldn't dare stay under the sun. In his current state, when the sun rose, it would likely be the end for him...

The gaunt man in her arms was naturally Marquis Sui. As the demonic energy dissipated, he could no longer sustain his body, visibly shriveling. He sighed deeply, "Do I look very ugly now?"

"No," the woman shook her head, stating firmly, "You are still the magnificent Marquis Sui in my heart."

Marquis Sui struggled to reach out and wipe away the tears on her cheeks. "You should be happy for me. After thousands of years, I am finally free. And you have successfully revived. I have no more regrets."

"But what's the point of me being alive without you!" The woman's voice was laced with a sob.

"You absolutely must not do anything foolish," Marquis Sui suddenly realized something. "I spent thousands of years of effort to finally bring you back to life..." Midway through his sentence, he felt this wouldn't persuade her, so he changed his reason: "You could help me investigate what happened with that demonic energy all those years ago. Consider it avenging me."

As expected, upon hearing this, a sharp glint appeared in the beautiful woman's eyes, as if the hope and will to live had been rekindled within her.

Only then did Marquis Sui truly feel at ease.

"It's been many years since I last heard you play the zither."

"No," she replied, "Right now, I only want to hold you. To hold you for as long as I can."

The two clung tightly to each other, speaking love words accumulated over thousands of years. However, as time passed, Marquis Sui's voice grew fainter and fainter, until it was mostly the beautiful woman speaking alone.

Without realizing it, the first ray of sunlight fell upon them. Marquis Sui's entire body transformed into shimmering points of light. As a gentle breeze swept across the mountaintop, he completely dissipated with the wind.

The strikingly beautiful woman was already weeping tears like rain.