The City of Frozen Ice —
The Sacred Ice Domain…
A man with silver eyebrows, large eyes, a high-bridged nose, a resolute mouth, and a celestial countenance, clad in the Golden Dragon Interlocking Scale Armor, arrived.
Qianhe Shouyan found himself at the foot of a high wall, gazing at the impregnable Azure Ice Stone fortification. Undeterred, he strode forward.
The Sacred King, along with a host of divine soldiers, appeared on the city wall. The Sacred King pointed and boomed, "Boundless Emperor! Halt!"
At that moment, a woman of ethereal beauty, with an angelic face, snow-white skin, and clad in Azure Ice Form-Fitting Armor, emerged from within. "Shouyan!"
The Sacred King pulled her back and ordered her to be restrained.
"Na'er!" Qianhe Shouyan raised his hand, attempting to reach for her, but they were too far apart. He could only look up, unable to touch her.
The Sacred King berated, "I told you to halt! Take one more step, and you will shatter like jade rather than remain unbroken like tile!"
Qianhe Shouyan genuinely feared the Sacred King would directly harm his daughter, Dilana. He knew the Sacred King's character and that he kept his word.
He stopped immediately, "Is it wrong for me to simply want to be with Na'er? Why must it be met with universal condemnation?!"
The Sacred King scoffed, "You! Boundless Emperor, stop your pretense! How many have craved my daughter Dilana's beauty and repeatedly violated our borders? You are no exception! Dare to trespass, and you will pay the price!"
Qianhe Shouyan spread his hands behind him, "I have brought no one. To show my sincerity, I am alone, merely to see Na'er. What more do you want?"
The Sacred King, believing he saw through everything, declared, "Boundless Emperor, our Sacred Ice Domain's Divine Maiden is renowned for her lifelong solitude, unable to love or desire. It was only with your appearance that this was broken. I have shown you mercy by not blaming you. Leave now, and do not think the City of Frozen Ice is easily bullied!"
With his beloved so close, yet only able to observe from afar, Qianhe Shouyan suddenly grew agitated, "Do not misunderstand me. I only wish to take Na'er with me, to a place devoid of people, worldly dangers, or any disturbances, to love each other for eternity. That is all."
The Sacred King snorted, "Perhaps you are the one mistaken? Dilana, the Divine Maiden of my City of Frozen Ice, you cannot take away."
"Why?!" Qianhe Shouyan did not understand why he was being obstructed in every way. He merely wished to be with his beloved forever. Was that too much to ask?
Dilana watched the crestfallen Qianhe Shouyan, her heart shattering. Tears streamed down her angelic face, tracing paths on her cheeks.
The Sacred King saw this, but he had his people, his mission. To protect the Sacred Ice Domain, he had to first ensure the Divine Maiden was not taken.
Qianhe Shouyan laid his cards on the table, "What is it you truly want? Connections, wealth, power? Anything, I will exchange it all with you at any cost. Though Na'er is priceless to me, if she returns to my side, I will strive with all my might to achieve it."
The Sacred King looked towards the Eighty-Two Divine Palaces' Mystic Ice Pillars. "Very well. Since you are obstinate and unyielding, I will make an exception and give you one chance. If you can withstand the Eighty-Two Divine Palaces' Mystic Ice Pillars, you may take Dilana."
"Is that true?" Qianhe Shouyan's face lit up with joy.
Dilana was stunned, "No! Shouyan, go quickly! It is a divine artifact of the City of Frozen Ice's guardian formation! You will die!"
Qianhe Shouyan saw it as a test and stepped forward resolutely, "For the sake of a loved one, what regret is there in death? Come!"
The Sacred King commanded, "Open the formation!"
Dozens of individuals chanted to open the Eighty-Two Divine Palaces' Grand Formation.
From the immense Mystic Ice Pillars, beams of frigid, icy light shot out.
Qianhe Shouyan stood his ground, for he had promised the Sacred King that if he endured, Dilana would be his.
*Sputter, sputter, sputter...*
Soon, Qianhe Shouyan was pierced by eighty-one Mystic Ice Pillars all over his body.
The extreme cold of the Mystic Ice Pillars nearly turned him into an ice sculpture. His skin color shifted dramatically from a warm rosy hue to a stark white.
"No! Don't..." Dilana screamed, her voice tearing. But it was too late.
Qianhe Shouyan knelt weakly, his body trembling uncontrollably from the cold. It felt like a drop of hot water falling into a vast, frozen abyss, frost condensing within him.
The Eighty-Two Divine Palaces had fired eighty-one Mystic Ice Pillars. What about the last one?
At that very moment, the final Mystic Ice Pillar, one that pierced the soul, shot out from the last opening of the Eighty-Two Divine Palaces.
Just as it was about to strike Qianhe Shouyan's forehead, piercing his soul and instantly annihilating him.
"No..." Dilana cried helplessly.
At the critical moment, the Sacred King instantly grasped it, catching the Mystic Ice Pillar in his hand and crushing it. "If I kill him, Su Tiange's Southern City King will surely be enraged. Then, would I not become a sinner of the City of Frozen Ice?"
With a wave of his hand, he released Dilana from his grip.
Dilana rejoiced, "Thank you, Father!"
She then hurried forward. Even as her clothes were torn by the city's edge, she paid it no mind, rushing directly towards Qianhe Shouyan, disregarding the pure image of their Divine Maiden that was deeply ingrained in the hearts of the people.
"Alas," the Sacred King sighed, "A grown daughter is hard to keep."
"Shouyan! Shouyan! Wake up, it's me, Dilana. Why are you so foolish? You are the biggest fool in the world, sob sob sob..."
Qianhe Shouyan raised his blood-stained hand and gently caressed her delicate, angelic face, "I... I'm fine..."
"Bear the pain, I'll help you pull them out. Otherwise, they will erode your divine power, and you will die." Dilana, without hesitation, slowly began to pull out the deeply embedded Mystic Ice Pillars from his body, one by one.
"Clang!" A blood-stained Mystic Ice Pillar fell. It was a treasure that severely damaged the soul.
"Urgh!" Qianhe Shouyan gritted his teeth in pain.
Two... five... ten...
Dilana wept, the pain in him mirroring her own. "Shouyan... hold on!"
"Eighty... eighty-one Mystic Ice Pillars!..."
Dilana's hands grew weary. She trembled uncontrollably, having endured immense psychological pain and torture before finally removing all the Mystic Ice Pillars. The pressure on her was immense.
Qianhe Shouyan, however, had already fainted from the pain.
"Shouyan!" Dilana held his bloodied body tightly.
Witnessing such a tragic love, the Sacred King could not bear it any longer. "Foolish child, little fool, go, go." He turned away, tears already wetting his face.
...
In a cave...
Dilana cleaned and treated the eighty-one wounds on Qianhe Shouyan with medicinal herbs. She was utterly exhausted and fell asleep.
When Qianhe Shouyan awoke, Dilana had also woken up at some point. However, she seemed like a different person. Her original silver-blue form-fitting armor had been replaced by a fiery red form-fitting outfit, subtly revealing, and extremely captivating.
It turned out that Dilana, having been wounded before, had a split personality. One was meek and obedient, the other a dominant woman who liked to use her kind self as leverage, pinning the Boundless Emperor beneath her black-stockinged legs!
She had cut her hand. Qianhe Shouyan knew it was not Na'er, but her other personality, Kaimerei.
Qianhe Shouyan tightly clasped her wrist, "Don't let me see you do anything to harm Na'er again, Kaimerei, do you hear me?!"
Kaimerei's lips curved into a smile. She crossed her long, black-stockinged legs, tilting slightly and chuckling, "You're hurting me. Ah, no, it's... you're hurting Dilana, hehe."
Qianhe Shouyan had to release his hand. He knew about Dilana's split personality. Kaimerei's appearances were always triggered by Dilana being hurt again, even if it was emotional trauma. Kaimerei would seize the opportunity, take over, and control everything.
Furthermore, her frequent appearances recently threatened the psychological health of Dilana, the dominant personality.
For both of them, regardless of which personality, Qianhe Shouyan would still love her. After all, Dilana was Dilana. No matter how she changed, it couldn't erase his true love for her in his heart.
"I warn you, leave Na'er immediately!"
Kaimerei was unperturbed, "Hahahaha... Boundless Emperor, I know you don't like me, but I like you. Isn't that enough? How about we have a go? I'll show you that in bed, I'm no worse than that shrew Dilana."
"Silence!" Qianhe Shouyan raised his hand to strike. Kaimerei, however, showed no fear and instead turned her cheek to receive the blow.
Qianhe Shouyan stopped. Kaimerei smirked, "What? Can't bring yourself to do it? Afraid of hurting your beloved?"
Qianhe Shouyan's hand suddenly glowed, and he forcefully gripped Kaimerei's neck, causing her to gradually suffocate.
After a while, Kaimerei's red eyes gradually cleared, and the dominant personality, Dilana, awoke.
Qianhe Shouyan had merely used the Ice Purity Art to temporarily subdue her worsening personality, Kaimerei, but it was enough. He intended to spend the rest of his life protecting her, ensuring that as long as he drew breath, he would not let the secondary personality, Kaimerei, harm her dominant self, Dilana.
"Southern City!"
Southern City emerged fearfully, kneeling on one knee, "Divine Emperor! What are your commands?"
Qianhe Shouyan, still injured, stood up. "How long have you been here?"
Southern City stammered, "Uh... just... just arrived."
Qianhe Shouyan gave him a knowing look. Southern City quickly added, "I arrived as soon as you fell unconscious. I dared not disturb you, Divine Emperor, please forgive me!"
Qianhe Shouyan raised his hand, "From now on, Su Tiange will be entrusted to you."
Southern City paused slightly, "Where are you going?"
Qianhe Shouyan picked up the shy Dilana, "To retire."
"Do not follow. This is the last time."
He left the shaken Southern City behind, muttering to himself, "Others want both the world and their beauties, yet the Divine Emperor only wants the beauty and not the world?"
In the vast expanse of the Wanhe Divine Sky...
Dilana leaned sincerely into Qianhe Shouyan's warm embrace, "I want to give myself to you completely now. You must know about my second personality. I'm afraid I won't be able to control myself then. You knew? I'm sorry, I didn't want to hide it from you. I was afraid of losing you, Shouyan, do you know?"
Qianhe Shouyan nodded, "No matter what you become, you are the love of my life, Qianhe Shouyan."
Dilana knew she hadn't chosen the wrong person. "Shouyan... kiss me."
They embraced, slowly falling into the depths of love...
The End of the Clouds —
They sat beside each other, leaning on one another. They were happy, joyful, and content. Boundless Emperor said, "Na'er, I want to tell you, I love you for a lifetime, and will be with you for an eternity, until the Ten Souls of the Desolate Heavens, the Hundred Spirits of the Moving Heart, the Verification of Ten Thousand Paths, the Reincarnation of Ten Thousand Worlds, my love for you, Dilana, will forever remain unchanged."