Several years later, the evils of the Great Chao Country no longer existed, entering a true era of prosperity and peace.
Xie Jiuxiao’s body had borne the Heavenly Yin Evil for too many years, and despite surviving past the age of twenty-six, his health had severely declined.
In the midst of the Consort’s cries, Xie Jiuxiao’s soul departed from his body.
Yu Nianzhao had already been waiting for him by the side, her face neither joyful nor mournful, but instead carrying a compassion that transcended the earthly realm.
"Zhaozhao, have you come to take me back to the Underworld?"
Xie Jiuxiao walked towards her, willing to embrace life or death with her, whether in the mortal realm or the underworld.
"Will you go with me to the Underworld or... return to where you originally belong?"
Yu Nianzhao looked at him eagerly, offering him a choice.
"Where I belong?"
For some reason, upon hearing Yu Nianzhao say these words, memories surfaced in his mind.
The ascended Nine Heavens Immortal and the daughter of the Ghost Emperor of the underworld.
They met and fell in love on the cliff by the sea, one serene and ethereal, the other lively and cheerful.
Love, it’s hard to say where it begins.
Later, their romance was discovered.
The Immortal and Underworld realms had never intermarried, and the Immortal realm was aloof, with even rare internal marriages.
Naturally, the Immortal realm disagreed, so they cast the Nine Heavens Immortal down to face tribulations.
The Underworld wasn’t passive either.
The Underworld governs reincarnation, so even an Emperor can’t do much about it.
They naturally found a way to interfere, and Yu Nianzhao unhesitatingly jumped into reincarnation with him, following the Nine Heavens Immortal through his trials.
The matchmaker in the heavens started meddling again, and their love thread constantly broke.
Each lifetime ended in tragedy.
Seeing his daughter suffer through such harsh trials, the Ghost Emperor grew furious and conspired with King Yan, disrupting their trials, nearly leading to a confrontation.
It was the Heavenly Dao that intervened, giving a final ultimatum: if they could overcome obstacles and still find each other, the Immortal realm must not stop them.
Therefore...
Xie Jiuxiao’s gaze shifted, and his aura changed abruptly, his clothes effortlessly transforming into a white jade robe of the heavens, exuding an Immortal’s majestic aura.
He quickly walked over and embraced Yu Nianzhao, sighing deeply, "Zhaozhao, we can finally be together."
Yu Nianzhao finally smiled, "I thought you might regret returning to your true self."
"Regret? Why would I regret?"
Xie Jiuxiao kissed her forehead, gazing deeply into her eyes, "Even if I had a few more lifetimes, I could never see enough of you."
"Hmm."
Yu Nianzhao felt blissful, "The matter with Xin Kui was a sudden incident, and now that the person Xin Kui possessed has reached the end of their life, they’ve been taken back. My mission is nearly complete."
Xie Jiuxiao said, "There’s no need for me to return to the Immortal realm; let’s go directly to the Underworld with you."
"Oh? Not going back to report?"
"Not going, even marrying into the Underworld matters not! It doesn’t matter!"
Xie Jiuxiao sneered at the so-called Immortals of the Immortal realm; having returned from his trials, he was completely indifferent to anything else.
His only concern was Yu Nianzhao.
"Alright, then let’s go back."
Yu Nianzhao brought an Immortal back to the Underworld; the entire Underworld was jubilant. After all, the Immortal realm considered itself noble, always acting superior, as if other races were mere dust.
Now that an Immortal was dragged into the dust, the whole world celebrated.
——
When Emperor Anqing, waiting at the Underworld, saw them, his expression was one of utter disbelief.
"Immortal? King Yan?"
Emperor Anqing muttered to himself in a daze, "Was I truly holding onto a powerful connection when I was alive?"
Xie Jiuxiao laughed and said, "You could say that, otherwise you might not have had such a peaceful and smooth life."
Yu Nianzhao teased, "Since you haven’t reincarnated yet, why not consider staying here in the Underworld and taking up a position?"
Emperor Anqing seriously thought about it, "It seems quite nice, Zhaozhao, with our relationship, what good position can you give me?"
"Tsk, we don’t play favorites here. If you want to work, you start from the bottom; I’ll give you a task as a ghost officer!"
Several years later, when the Empress and Consort passed away, and Emperor Anqing became a ghost officer tasked with fetching souls, each of them was stunned and banded together, all wanting to work in the Underworld.
In the future...
The story of Xie Jiuxiao and Yu Nianzhao would continue to be passed down for generations.