From the Heavens Descended an Immortal Sister

"There are countless Taoist principles in the world, you should cultivate anew."

"Start over?"

"Don't worry, I will assist you, and besides, it was always meant for me to do so." Bamboo Grove said.

"But what about Qing'er Qian Qian and Xiao Xi? What will they do?"

"With me here, their lifespans can be extended." Bamboo Grove added, "If one of them dies and you are heartbroken, then I will divide my lifespan among them, so we can die together."

"Divide your lifespan... Isn't that also damaging to the natural order? Won't you get struck by lightning?"

"Yes." Bamboo Grove nodded.

"Yet you still would do it?"

"I fear your heartache." Bamboo Grove said.

Her face showed no emotion, but her words were profoundly affectionate.

Even at the risk of being struck by lightning, she didn't want to see him heartbroken.

Bamboo Grove moved closer to him, leaning against him and said, "I suddenly... understand my mother now."

...

Afterward, everyone started on a somewhat busy yet fulfilling and happy path of cultivation under Bamboo Grove's guidance.

However, nobody ever left Earth.

Even though the nature's spiritual energy here was thin, Bamboo Grove always found ways to draw Spirit Veins and change everything here.

Decades later, the Void Hole above the Earth suddenly vanished.

A new deity had ascended the throne.

One day, a radiant figure descended into Fang Ren's house.

"Hail the deity."

Bamboo Grove went out to pay her respects.

The figure of light waved a hand to dismiss the formalities and then looked toward Fang Ren, who was standing beside Mu Huanqing and the other ladies: "The one who took the branch all those years ago, it was you?"

Fang Ren nodded and followed Bamboo Grove's example with a bow.

This radiant figure was most likely a manifestation of the new spacial deity who had descended to the mortal realm.

The figure of light smiled and said, "With the protection of the previous deity, had you entered the competition, I would have surely lost. I have come to you today to relay a message."

"Please speak."

The smile on the figure of light became somewhat wistful: "A deity is not eternal but simply one of the many laws within the vastness of the Tao; blessed with a lifespan of a billion years yet with nothing to do, observing the Ten Thousand Realms without a place to go, only waiting to merge into the Void and dissipate—it's undeniably sad.

Your decision to forgo the position back then was wise, and you must seek other paths, for perhaps among them lies the truly eternal Taoist principle."

Fang Ren: "Why tell me all this?"

The figure of light: "Why else but for the protection from the previous deity that you happened to receive? It is because he knew you would not choose his path, and he hoped you would go further, carrying with you his wish for eternity. And I, like the previous deity, long to witness true eternity, and you, without a doubt, are the one most likely to show me that moment."

"Is this just to tell me these things?" Fang Ren asked again.

"Not solely." The figure of light shook its head, "But I do not know what more to say."

After speaking, the figure of light tossed a ring to Fang Ren and disappeared from Earth.

The sky still echoed with his voice: "I wish you a brilliant future."

Fang Ren opened the space within the ring only to find it filled with numerous Heavenly Spirit Treasures.

"Why would he still give me these?" Fang Ren asked Bamboo Grove.

"These are but illusions in his eyes now. It seems he was most likely ordered by the previous deity to come and tell you these things." Bamboo Grove said.

"So does that mean deities are not truly eternal? When they merge into the Void, is it actually equivalent to death?" Fang Ren asked.

"Certainly."

Bamboo Grove's expression was reflective: "It's fortunate you didn't participate in the divine selection back then; otherwise, you'd never have a chance at immortality."

"If even deities cannot attain immortality, what immense effort must a mortal exert to catch a glimpse of it?"

"You have unlimited potential." Bamboo Grove smiled at him.

"Why do you have such faith in me?"
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"Because you are my husband, it's as simple as that."

——

The end!