Chapter 168 - 167: Night Sky (2)
"After this tournament is concluded," Lin Yuan swore, his voice carrying weight, "after I shatter the Upper Division, request Void Refinement Emperor Tianxu’s aid, and finally heal your meridians... I will turn my full attention to our family’s ascent. I will forge Bai Chen into a sword that the Nine Provinces will fear. But more importantly..."
He leaned in closer, his breath warm against her cheek.
"...more importantly, I will return you to your rightful place in the heavens," he whispered.
Bai Qingyue’s breath hitched. The very thought of cultivating again, of feeling the ambient Qi of Heaven and Earth flow through her body without agonizing pain, was a dream she had barely dared to harbor, even with his absolute promises.
"With the supreme treasures I have secured," Lin Yuan continued, referring to the countless rewards granted by his System, "and with your innate talent... recovering your former cultivation will be nothing more than a matter of time. I will personally guide you through every step. Within a few years, you will not merely reclaim the title of Saintess. You will break into the Nascent Soul Realm and surpass everything you once were."
His fingers tightened gently around hers.
"You will stand beside me, Qingyue. Not confined to a wheelchair, but above the clouds, where you belong."
Tears spilled freely from Bai Qingyue’s eyes now, completely overwhelming her usual composure. They were not tears of sorrow, but of a joy so profound, so absolute, that it physically ached in her chest. She pulled her hands free from his grasp and threw her arms around his shoulders, burying her face into the crook of his neck.
Lin Yuan immediately wrapped his arms around her slender waist, holding her tightly against him. He felt the fragile, trembling rhythm of her heartbeat against his chest.
"Tomorrow," Lin Yuan murmured into her black hair, inhaling it intoxicating scent. "Tomorrow, the tournament begins. But tonight, there is no tournament. There are no Upper Division monsters, no scheming patriarchs, and no sects. Tonight, there is only us."
He slowly stood up, bringing her with him, effortlessly lifting her out of the wheelchair.
To a Spirit Severing expert possessing the Ancient Beast Body, she weighed absolutely nothing. He cradled her in his arms as if she were made of the most precious, fragile glass in heaven and earth.
Bai Qingyue wrapped her arms securely around his neck, resting her head against his shoulder, a soft, breathless sigh escaping her lips as he turned and carried her back inside the master suite.
With a subtle pulse of his divine sense, the heavy doors of the balcony glided shut, sealing with a soft click. The celestial lamps scattered around the expansive room immediately dimmed to a warm, faint, ambient glow, casting long, intimate shadows across the floorboards.
He carried her to the center of the chamber, where the massive bed was draped in layers of shimmering silk.
Lin Yuan laid her down gently against the plush pillows. He did not immediately pull away. He hovered over her, supporting his weight on his forearms, his deep purple eyes locked onto hers. In the dim light, she looked ethereal, her flushed cheeks and slightly parted lips radiating a quiet, desperate longing that perfectly mirrored his own.
He leaned down, capturing her lips in a deep, consuming kiss.
The kiss was a physical manifestation of his Dao—unyielding, absolute, and protective. Bai Qingyue melted against him instantly, her fingers tangling into his dark hair, pulling him closer until there was absolutely no space left between them.
She opened her mouth, welcoming the demanding heat of his tongue, a soft, involuntary moan vibrating in her throat. The sound sent a jolt of pure, electric fire straight to the core of Lin Yuan’s spiritual sea.
He deepened the kiss, his hands moving with meticulous care. His warm palms slid down the delicate curve of her neck, tracing the line of her collarbone before sweeping down the smooth silk of her nightgown to cup her waist. Everywhere he touched, he infused a tiny soothing wave of his Qi, ensuring that the physical exertion of their intimacy would not strain her fragile body, but rather invigorate and warm her from the inside out.
Bai Qingyue’s hands roamed over his back, feeling the staggering density of the muscles shifting beneath his tunic. The sheer contrast between them was intoxicating. He was an expert, a man who could shatter mountains with a flick of his wrist, yet under her touch, he was completely malleable, holding her with a gentleness that defied his immortal nature.
Lin Yuan pulled back just enough to trail a series of burning, lingering kisses down her jawline, pressing his lips to the rapidly beating pulse at the base of her throat.
"Yuan..." she breathed, her voice a husky, trembling whisper, her back arching slightly as his hands mapped the soft, familiar curves of her body.
"I am here," he replied, his voice rough with suppressed desire.
He effortlessly pulled the dark tunic over his head, casting it aside. The ambient, dim light illuminated the flawless expanse of his chest and the broad, powerful lines of his shoulders. Bai Qingyue reached up, her fingertips tracing the hard lines of his collarbone, her eyes filled with absolute adoration.
Slowly, tenderly, the barriers of silk and cloth were discarded, leaving nothing between them but the warm air of the room.
When their bare skin finally met, a shudder ran through both of them. Lin Yuan’s body was a furnace of boundless vitality, radiating a heat that completely banished the lingering chill in her bones.
Their physical union was an extension of their spiritual tether—a slow, profound, and deeply sensual rhythm that required no words. Lin Yuan moved, worshiping every inch of her, drawing breathless gasps and sweet sighs from her lips. He kissed her shoulders, her chest, her stomach, pouring his love into her through touch, through breath, and through the gentle merging of their bodies.
Bai Qingyue clung to him, her nails digging lightly into the muscles of his back, entirely consumed by the overwhelming sensation of being cherished, protected, and wholly desired. In the dark confines of the bed, she was not a crippled Saintess, and he was not a warlord preparing for a bloodbath. They were simply a husband and a wife, exploring the infinite depths of their devotion.
For hours, the master suite was filled with the soft rustle of silk, the heavy rhythm of their breathing, and the quiet whispers of their love.
Much later, as the deep hours of the night began to wane toward dawn, the frenzy of their intimacy finally settled into a profound peace.
Bai Qingyue lay nestled firmly against Lin Yuan’s side, her head resting on his chest, her bare leg thrown casually over his hip. The thick quilts were pulled up to their shoulders. She was already drifting into a deep, and entirely painless sleep, completely exhausted by the emotional and physical exertions of the night.
Lin Yuan remained awake, one arm wrapped securely around her, his fingers gently stroking the smooth curve of her back.
He stared up at the canopy of the bed, listening to the steady thumping of his own heart, and the soft, mirroring breath of the woman in his arms.
The peace of this room was a beautiful bubble floating on an ocean of countless possibilities.
In a few hours, the sun would rise over the Celestial Summit. The PEERLESS GOD TOURNAMENT would commence. The Six Peerless Geniuses, the monsters of the Upper Division who viewed lives like Bai Chen’s and Bai Qingyue’s as less than dirt, would step into it, expecting to conquer it.
Lin Yuan’s deep purple eyes slowly shifted, glowing faintly in the dark with a cold light.
Let them take one step, Lin Yuan thought, pulling his wife slightly closer as his grip tightened with unwavering resolve. I will show them exactly what resides within my heart.