On the Dragon-Slaying Platform, I was executed and became Yang Jian's brother-in-law.

In the primordial world, in the Heavenly Court, in the Lingxiao Palace.

The atmosphere inside the Lingxiao Palace has been extremely oppressive these past few days.

First, Su Bai "fell" on Mount Ling, causing grief throughout the world. Not long after, a loud noise came from Mount Hua, and the innate spiritual baby lotus lantern exploded. The Third Holy Mother Yang Chan committed suicide for love and followed her husband.

This series of blows left all beings in the Three Realms somewhat bewildered.

The Jade Emperor sat on the dragon throne, looking as if he had aged thousands of years. His eyes were lifeless, and he tightly clutched a broken jade pendant in his hand, which was Yang Chan's life tablet left in the Heavenly Court.

"My...my Chan'er!"

The Jade Emperor's voice trembled, and he finally couldn't hold back, two lines of tears sliding down his cheeks. "I shouldn't have let her go to that Nuwa Palace to learn arts, and I shouldn't have let her get involved in this great calamity! It's one thing for that bastard Su Bai to die, but why did my Chan'er have to go with him!"

Venus bowed and wept beside him, not daring to offer any advice, nor knowing how to do so.

This is terrible.

Back then, the Jade Emperor's sister, Yao Ji, caused her family's destruction and death because of her desire for a mortal life. Now, her niece, Yang Chan, has followed the same path, but even more ruthlessly, directly self-destructing her natal magic weapon, leaving not even a trace of her true spirit behind.

"Taibai!"

The Jade Emperor abruptly raised his head, his eyes bloodshot, and gritted his teeth, saying, "Issue my decree! Proclaim it throughout the Three Realms!"

"Although Su Bai has made mistakes, considering his contributions to the nation in his previous life, and in this life as...my nephew-in-law, I hereby posthumously confer upon him the title of 'Great Emperor of the Northern Sea,' a rank equivalent to the Four Emperors!"

Venus trembled his hand. "Ranked on par with the Four Emperors?" This was an extremely high honor in Heaven. Even if it was a posthumous title, it would still be astonishing.

"And Yang Chan..." The Jade Emperor took a deep breath, his tone filled with endless sorrow and doting affection, "I have failed her mother, and I have failed her even more. I hereby bestow upon Yang Chan the title of 'Holy and Mighty Empress,' and she shall be buried with Su Bai... No, even her remains are gone, so let us erect a cenotaph for her! Right here on Mount Hua! Let her enjoy the incense offerings of Heaven for ten thousand generations!"

"I want the entire Three Realms to know that they are husband and wife! They are the husband and wife I approve of! Anyone who dares to utter a single word against them, I will execute!"

This decree not only legitimized Su Bai's status but also effectively sealed Yang Chan's position as the primary wife.

After all, this is a suicide pact!

For the sake of his lover, he was willing to risk his life, even his very soul. Such fierceness and deep affection—who can compare? Who dares to compare?

……

The Thirty-Third Heaven, the Tushita Palace.

This is the Taoist temple of Laozi, and also the place where Princess Iron Fan is temporarily residing.

Compared to the hustle and bustle outside, it's eerily quiet here.

Princess Iron Fan, dressed in plain clothes, knelt before the alchemy furnace, mechanically fanning the fire with her hands, her eyes red and swollen, her expression blank.

Su Bai is dead.

The man who made her furious at Cuiyun Mountain, yet stood in front of her when she was most desperate, the man who made her fall in love for the first time, and even got her pregnant, is gone.

"Foolish child, don't be sad anymore."

Laozi, holding his whisk, slowly walked behind her and sighed, "Su Bai was a variable, but now that the variable has passed, the general trend of Heaven has returned to normal. You should also settle down and consider your future."

Princess Iron Fan paused in her movements, but without turning around, her voice was indifferent: "What do you mean by that, Godfather?"

"The Journey to the West tribulation cannot be without the Rakshasa clan," Laozi said calmly. "According to the original destiny, you should have married the Bull Demon King. Now that Su Bai is gone, this karmic connection should be continued."

"I won't marry him!"

Princess Iron Fan whirled around, her banana leaf fan clattering to the ground. Her eyes were filled with stubbornness and hatred. "Father, you are a saint incarnate, you believe in following the will of Heaven. But I am also a person! I am carrying Su Bai's child! You want me to marry that stupid ox with his child? Are you humiliating me, or humiliating Su Bai?"

"This child..." Lao Jun frowned slightly, as if he wanted to say something.

"This child's surname is Su!" Princess Iron Fan stroked her lower abdomen, her eyes instantly softening yet resolute. "His name is Red Boy. This is the only memento he left me. The Bull Demon King? What is he? Does he even deserve to be Red Boy's father?"

"If my godfather forces me, then I, Iron Fan, will smash my head against this Eight Trigrams Furnace today and die with my husband! Anyway, whatever Sister Yang Chan dares to do, I, Iron Fan, dare to do too!"

Looking at the resolute look in Iron Fan's eyes, Lao Jun finally shook his head helplessly.

"Fine, fine. Since you insist, then so be it. But the tribulations of this Journey to the West..."

Lao Jun sighed and turned to leave.

Without Su Bai, the story is indeed difficult to reconcile. But seeing Tie Shan's posture of being ready to commit suicide at any moment, he didn't dare to push her too hard.

After all, the death of Su Bai was already chaotic enough; if another Iron Fan were forced to die, the cause and effect would truly become a mess.

……

Heavenly Court, Dou Niu Palace.

This is the sacred site of the Holy Mother Jinling.

Since being forcibly brought back from the battle of Lingshan, the Golden Spirit Mother has kept herself locked up deep inside the main hall, refusing to see anyone.

Until today, a special guest visited.

"Fellow Daoist Jinling."

Dressed in white mourning clothes, the Queen Mother of the West slowly walked into the main hall. The once aloof and arrogant leader of the female immortals now appeared somewhat desolate and lonely.

The Holy Mother of Golden Spirit sat cross-legged on her prayer mat, the Golden Sword resting across her knees. She didn't rise, but merely raised her eyelids coldly: "What are you doing here? To laugh at me?"

"I'm here to tell you some news." The Queen Mother of the West didn't care about Jin Ling's attitude. She found a futon and sat down. Her voice was a little hoarse. "Yang Chan... committed suicide for love."

"What?!"

The Golden Spirit Mother abruptly raised her head, her pupils shrinking sharply. "That little girl? She..."

"It happened on Mount Hua." The Queen Mother of the West smiled bitterly. "She self-destructed the Lotus Lantern, leaving not even her true spirit behind. When Erlang Shen arrived, he only saw ruins."

A deathly silence fell over the main hall.

After a long while, the Holy Mother of Golden Spirit slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air, and the Flying Golden Sword in her hand emitted a slight tremor, as if lamenting her master's sorrow.

"This girl..." The Golden Spirit Mother's voice trembled slightly, "She's got quite a fiery temper. I originally thought she was just relying on the Lotus Lantern and the favor of Goddess Nuwa, but I never expected..."

"I saw her once at the foot of Mount Ling." The Queen Mother of the West recalled the scene at the ruins of Mount Ling that day, a complicated look flashing in her eyes. "At that time, she cried her heart out, saying that she was nothing and that it wouldn't matter if she were gone or not. I thought she was just overwhelmed with grief at the time, but I didn't expect that she really had the will to die."

"Compared to her, we... are all inferior."

The Queen Mother of the West lowered her head, looking at her palm. "We all have too many attachments—traditions, identities, responsibilities. Only she truly regarded Su Bai as her whole world. With Su Bai's death, her world collapsed."

The Holy Mother of Golden Spirits remained silent.

Although she disliked Yang Chan and always felt that Yang Chan was the least noticeable "competitor," at this moment, facing a woman who was willing to risk her life for her lover, she felt nothing but admiration.

"Since she has gone this far..." The Golden Spirit Mother closed her eyes, her tone tinged with desolation and resignation, "then the title of First Wife belongs to her. I, Golden Spirit... accept it."

We shared the same bed in life, and the same grave in death.

The status that Yang Chan earned with her life is one that no one has the right or the right to compete for.

"I want to go to Mount Hua to take a look." The Queen Mother of the West stood up and straightened her clothes. "Although there's nothing left there, I want to go and pay my respects. Not only to pay respects to her, but also to pay respects to... our ill-fated relationship."

"Let's go together."

The Golden Spirit Mother sheathed her flying golden sword and slowly stood up. "I also want to see the place where that silly girl last stayed."

"Let's call upon the Three Immortals and Wudang."

"it is good."

On this day, all the celestial maidens of Heaven gathered and descended to the mortal realm in a grand procession, heading towards Mount Hua.

……

The Netherworld, the Hall of Peace.

Unlike the gloomy atmosphere outside, the atmosphere here seemed somewhat... eerie.

Empress Pingxin leaned against the cloud couch, holding a Reincarnation Mirror in her hand. The mirror showed the scene of the women going to Mount Hua to pay their respects.

As she watched, she had to suppress her laughter, her expression as if she were watching an extremely exciting but flawed drama.

"Tsk tsk tsk, this Queen Mother of the West, this Jin Ling... they're usually so shrewd, how come they were completely fooled by that little girl Yang Chan?"

Beside Pingxin, a dense, ice-blue soul was trembling wildly; it was Xuanming, who had regained most of his memories.

"Liars! They're all liars!"

Although Xuanming had no physical body, the hatred he felt was almost tangible. "That Yang Chan... that seemingly gentle and weak little girl, is actually such a scheming madwoman!"

"She hid her brother! She definitely hid her brother!"

Xuanming was so angry that his very soul was steaming. "What do you mean by 'suicide pact'? What do you mean by 'self-destruction'? It's all a lie! She just wants to monopolize my brother! She wants us all to think he's dead so she can hide away and enjoy him all to herself!"

"And yet I grieved for my brother's 'death' for so long! And I even planned to go to Mount Ling to take revenge once I reconstructed my physical body! And what happened? That young couple is probably having a good time somewhere!"

Seeing her elder sister so angry, Consort Pingxin quickly comforted her, saying, "Sister, don't be angry, don't be angry. If you get angry, your soul will be damaged, and your brother will be heartbroken."

"He'll feel sorry for her?" Xuan Ming sneered. "He's probably completely infatuated with that Yang Chan right now! No, I have to go find him! I have to expose Yang Chan's true colors!"

"Sister, where are you going to look for it now?"

Pingxin shook his head helplessly, pointed to the top of his head, and said, "Do you really think that Yang Chan's meager cultivation can deceive the Heavenly Dao, the Sages, or even me, the Lord of the Earthly Dao?"

Xuanming was taken aback: "Little sister means..."

Pingxin's smile faded, and his expression turned serious: "Yang Chan's plan, though insane, is actually full of flaws. The Lotus Lantern, though powerful, is only a primordial spiritual treasure. It's impossible for it to pull off a sleight of hand under the noses of so many quasi-saints, or even create the illusion of a Great Luo Immortal's fall. It's simply not going to be flawless."

"Especially the collapse of the Great Dao of Time, and the fluctuations of the dissipation of the true spirit... it's too real, almost too real."

"This is definitely not something Yang Chan could have done alone."

Empress Pingxin stood up, her gaze seemingly piercing through the netherworld, looking towards a certain direction beyond the thirty-three heavens.

"Yang Chan has someone behind her."

"Moreover, he is a saint who possesses all-knowing and all-powerful abilities, even capable of obscuring heavenly secrets and altering cause and effect."

Xuanming, an ancient monster who had survived since time immemorial, immediately understood: "You mean... Nuwa?!"

"Besides her, who else could it be?"

Pingxin snorted coldly, a hint of dissatisfaction flashing in her eyes. "Back then, in order to become a saint, she severed her emotional body, pretending to be a detached and indifferent being. Now it seems that not only was her emotional body not completely severed, but it has also become an accomplice."

"Yang Chan was her disciple, and the Lotus Lantern was a gift from her. If it weren't for her tacit approval, or even her secret assistance, how could Yang Chan have put on such a flawless performance?"

"That Nuwa!" Xuanming gritted his teeth. "Since she chose the holy position back then, high above everyone else, why does she now want to interfere in her brother's karma? She wants both!"

Pingxin sighed and sat back down on the cloud couch: "So be it. Since it was that person who made the move, then this show can continue. Although Yang Chan is clumsy, with a sage patching things up, in the Three Realms... I'm afraid no one really can find my brother."

"So we're just going to watch like this?" Xuanming was unwilling.

"Just watch." A hint of mockery flashed in Pingxin's eyes. "Yang Chan thinks everything will be fine just by hiding her brother? She forgot that her brother is the Ancestral Witch Zhu Jiuyin, the greatest variable in this world."

"Paper can't always hide fire."

"When my brother recovers from his injuries, or when the Peach Blossom Spring can no longer be hidden... hehe, the battleground at that time will probably be a hundred times more exciting than the battle at Mount Ling."

"What we need to do now is help you rebuild your physical body. And when that day truly comes..."

Pingxin glanced at her older sister's murderous spirit and said quietly, "Sister, you're quite confident going to snatch brother back, aren't you?"