Chapter 1719: Master's Wife?

On a mountain peak of the Qing Luan clan, birds chirped amid blooming flowers, with mist swirling around.

The place was filled with laughter and chatter, bustling with people.

Disciples from other clans mingled with those from the Qing Luan clan—handsome young men and beautiful women like fairies, all in the prime of their youth.

The scene felt less like a gathering and more like a matchmaking event.

After all, the elders from various clans had brought them here with exactly that intention—to form marital alliances with the Qing Luan clan for future benefits.

As the princess, Qing Luan was also present, drawing the attention of the young men from other clans. Their elders had given strict orders: marry Qing Luan.

In essence, it was a political marriage, a common tactic among families.

However, the elders had clearly picked the wrong target.

Qing Luan had arrived, and naturally, Ming Jue wasn't far behind. He immediately wrapped his arm around her and said, "Go wherever it's cool and stay there. She's mine."

Well, that put everyone from the other clans in an awkward spot.

Marrying Qing Luan was out of the question now. Ming Jue was a formidable figure who'd even slain a Quasi-Emperor—who would dare compete with him for his woman?

They probably couldn't complete the tasks assigned by their elders, but it was understandable, given his terrifying background.

"That's more like it!" Ming Jue smoothed his hair with a smirk.

"With so many people around, can't you be a little more subtle?" Qing Luan pushed him away, her face flushing with shy embarrassment.

"You're still getting shy." Ming Jue chuckled slyly, thoroughly enjoying the sight of Qing Luan's blushing, adorable demeanor.

Qing Luan shot him a glance, her beautiful eyes fixed on one woman in particular.

The woman sat alone, quietly sipping wine with a cold expression. Anyone who tried to approach her was met with failure.

Qing Luan was sure she'd never seen her before, yet she looked incredibly familiar.

"She is the princess of the Zi Feng clan," a Qing Luan clan disciple nearby laughed. "She's been sealed for three hundred years and is only just being released now."

"Zi Feng princess," Qing Luan murmured softly, recalling ancient legends of the realms. "How could she look exactly like Zi Xuan?"

"Because she is Zi Xuan," a leisurely voice sounded in Qing Luan's ear as Ye Chen descended from the sky, arriving like a gust of wind.

Ye Chen's arrival drew sidelong glances from the disciples on the mountain.

He was a legend—one who had slain two emperors in his lifetime, forging a myth that had spread across the vast realms and the entire human world.

He was the living embodiment of that myth.

The Archaic Saint Body, unbeatable in its tier, was destined to dominate this era, with his legends leading the way.

Ye Chen ignored the crowd's stares, focusing only on the reincarnated Zi Xuan.

Seeing that face again brought flashes of memories flooding back, piecing together past events: she had once been his puppet, accompanying him through countless trials.

Her true identity was a remnant soul of the Donghua Empress.

During the invasion of the heavenly demons, it was Zi Xuan and Long Ye who blocked the strikes of the Heavenly Demon Emperor for him and Chu Ling, sacrificing themselves.

He still remembered the scene of Zi Xuan drenched in blood against the vast sky.

As a remnant soul of an empress, she had not disgraced the emperor's prestige.

Chu Ling had also arrived and, seeing Ye Chen's expression, easily guessed that the Zi Feng princess was the reincarnated Zi Xuan from their past life.

Chu Ling's eyes, like clear water, grew misty.

In their previous life, Zi Xuan had saved Ye Chen first, dying to the Heavenly Demon Emperor, and Chu Ling had followed soon after, meeting the same fate.

As for Bai Zhi, her emotions were even more stirred.

She knew better than anyone how much Di Huang longed for the Donghua Empress.

How many nights had her master stood before the empress's portrait, lost in thought, even shedding tears as a supreme being?

Now that they had found the empress's remnant soul, Di Huang must be overjoyed.

Though she wasn't the full empress, she bore the empress's face and likely inherited her feelings, loving Di Huang deeply.

"Reincarnation?" Qing Luan asked Ye Chen tentatively.

"As you said." Ye Chen smiled, his expression tinged with weariness.

"What kind of faces are these?" Ming Jue looked at them in astonishment.

"These are happy faces." Ye Chen chuckled and walked over, casually sitting across from Zi Xuan.

Her face was identical to her past life's—stunningly beautiful, breathtaking, outshining all other women.

The disciples on the mountain all watched curiously. So many had failed to approach her; they wondered if Ye Chen could succeed.

Remarkably, Zi Xuan, who had been keeping her eyes lowered, lifted them for the first time.

In the moment their gazes met, a sense of familiarity washed over her, as if they'd encountered each other before, though she couldn't recall when.

"You're Ye Chen?" A moment later, Zi Xuan averted her eyes and continued drinking, her expression still indifferent.

After three hundred years of sealing, this was her first release, and she'd heard Ye Chen's name more than anything else. She'd even seen his portraits.

Meeting the real person wasn't surprising; it was just that after centuries of seclusion, her state of mind was exceptionally calm.

"What kind of bloodline is this?" Ye Chen rubbed his eyes vigorously. Just a second ago, while peering into Zi Xuan's origins, he'd been dazzled by the powerful, ancient bloodline.

"Have you had enough of flirting?" Chu Ling stepped forward and pinched him. Since she was Zi Xuan, just unseal her already—he was talking too much.

"Just one sentence, and you're jealous." Ye Chen laughed and sent a message to Qing Luan: "Take everyone else away from here."

Qing Luan understood immediately, as if she knew what Ye Chen was planning. What followed wasn't for outsiders to see.

"Let's go, time to enjoy the flowers," she said with a light smile.

With that, she led the way, and the other disciples weren't fools—they could tell it was a clear-out and wouldn't linger.

The vast mountain peak suddenly emptied, leaving only Chu Ling, Bai Zhi, Ye Chen, and Zi Xuan, still seated and drinking.

Ye Chen set up a barrier before summoning a beam of immortal light.

The light was incredibly fast and ethereal; Zi Xuan didn't even have time to react before it entered her forehead and dove deep into her sea of consciousness.

Instantly, Zi Xuan's body trembled, and the wine cup at her lips slipped, clattering onto the stone table with a crisp sound.

Her expression turned to one of pain, and her mind grew hazy.

Memories from her past and present life intertwined, merging into a new whole—that was the process of reincarnation.

Chu Ling frowned, and Bai Zhi did the same. It was their first time witnessing someone being unsealed, and they hadn't realized it would be so painful—it was hard to watch.

"It'll pass in a moment." Ye Chen smiled. He'd seen this many times before and was used to it; it was within tolerable limits.

The memory immortal light worked effectively this time, without the issues like with Ji Ning Shuang, Xi Yan, or Chu Xuan, where it couldn't integrate.

Sure enough, after a short while, Zi Xuan's pained expression eased, and the confusion in her eyes gradually turned to mist.

With the seal broken, her ancient memories returned: she was Zi Xuan, a remnant soul of the Donghua Empress. She had been refined into a puppet at Hengyue Sect, accompanying Ye Chen in his cultivation until the heavenly demons invaded.

"Three hundred years have passed. Welcome back." Ye Chen said with a smile.

"You're Ye Chen?" Zi Xuan's eyes were full of disbelief.

"It's me." Ye Chen smiled faintly. "Da Chu has reincarnation. You've been reborn, and it's been three hundred years since that day."

As he spoke, Ye Chen released his divine sense, carrying explanations and images of their homeland, transmitting them to her.

Zi Xuan burst into tears, the mist in her eyes condensing into frost that overflowed, streaming down her exquisite cheeks as she wept.

Even as a remnant soul of an empress, she was stunned by the concept of reincarnation.

This world truly had rebirth—a great cycle was like a dream. Her last memory was fixed in the skies of Da Chu, blocking a strike from the Heavenly Demon Emperor for Ye Chen.

Ye Chen hadn't let her down. That battle had spread throughout the human world, and three hundred years later, he had slain another emperor, creating a new myth.

"Do you still remember me?" Chu Ling asked, handing her a handkerchief with a smile.

"Of course I do." Zi Xuan replied through her tears and laughter. As Ye Chen's puppet in the past, how could she not know his most beloved woman?

"I've come to pay respects to Shi Niang." Bai Zhi stepped forward and bowed respectfully.

This bow left the tearful Zi Xuan momentarily stunned.

She had only just regained her memories, and her mind was still foggy—now she was even more confused. Shi Niang? Where did that come from?

"My master is Di Huang," Bai Zhi said with a gentle smile.

"Di Huang?" Hearing that name, Zi Xuan suddenly stood up, her body tense as she stared straight at Bai Zhi.

"Senior Di Huang is still alive. After his death back then, he went to the underworld," Ye Chen explained. "You two can meet again."

Zi Xuan cried again, covering her mouth as tears poured down like rain.

It was such a surprise, an unexpected joy that caught her off guard.

Just as Bai Zhi had thought, as the Donghua Empress's remnant soul, she had inherited the empress's feelings and loved Di Huang just as deeply.

She had believed she'd never see him again, but who could have imagined he was still in the world? This joy felt almost unreal.

Bai Zhi smiled softly and offered a handkerchief. "Shi Niang, please don't cry."

Zi Xuan hurriedly wiped her tears, the title "Shi Niang" sounding incredibly sweet.

Yet she knew that Bai Zhi's "Shi Niang" was meant for the empress, not her—she merely carried the empress's shadow.