Embarrassed, Xihe hammered Zu An with her fists. Zu An just laughed and lifted her in a princess carry.

“What are you doing? Let me down.” Xihe panicked.

“We have completed our ceremony. It’s time to consummate our marriage.”

“No way! The ceremony was an act!” Xihe frantically kicked her legs.

Zu An gently looked at her and said, “But to me, it’s all real.”

Xihe found herself getting lost in Zu An’s starry eyes. She felt his overflowing affection in his gaze. Her heart stirred, especially when she recalled Qiu Honglei’s talk about her future self. But this was still too fast.

Before she could say anything, Zu An kissed her. Her eyes widened. She tried to push him aside, but he embraced her tightly. His lips were aggressive yet gentle. Her mind went numb, and her arms fell still before she could realize it. She had no idea whether this was the right thing to do, but it all felt like fate.

And we have already gotten married...

When Zu An’s hands attempted to go further, she suddenly grabbed them. Her eyes had regained their earlier resolve. “I’ll kill you if you deceive me!”

Zu An wasn't sure if she was talking about their future relationship as a couple, or his promise to change the fate of the ten suns, but neither was a lie. “Our relationship transcends lifetimes. I wouldn’t lie to you.”

Xihe’s gaze softened. She had heard stories about her future incarnation from Qiu Honglei and knew about the regrets between her and Zu An in the future.

She leaned in and kissed him. The two of them embraced each other tightly, as if they were trying to knead each other into their bodies. Xihe’s wedding gown slipped off, revealing a body that was more radiant than any sun.

That night, Zu An fired nine shots into the sun.

...

In the following days, Zu An met the leaders of other powers as Emperor Jun. Donghuang Taiyi was worried that Zu An would expose himself, but the latter’s disguise was impeccable. Zu An naturally commanded the authority and magnanimity of an emperor. Some people still doubted his identity and tried to test him out by attacking him, but they were swiftly subdued by bolts of lightning.

With that, the unrest in the Celestial Palace finally calmed down for good.

Meanwhile, Xihe continued probing Qiu Honglei for more information about the future. She wanted to know everything related to Zu An, even if it didn’t involve her.

Qiu Honglei was initially worried that divulging the future would derail the trajectory of fate, but after receiving Zu An’s permission, she shared everything she knew with Xihe. Due to that, they grew extremely close.

One day, Xihe suddenly asked, “Honglei, aren’t you jealous that that fellow has so many lovers? Come to think about it, you even played matchmaker for us.”

Qiu Honglei sighed. “Of course I’m jealous. But I also saw how hard he worked and the sacrifices he made to save my life when my body and soul were on the verge of dissipation. Since then, I could no longer bear to remain angry at him.”

She suddenly changed her tone and continued, “But while I can’t be angry at him, I can still be angry at other women. That Chu Chuyan and her master are the worst of the lot! They pretend to be cold and lofty, but for some reason, men just buy into that act! My master and I suffered a lot because of that!”

Xihe was horrified. “A master and a disciple sharing a husband? Hold on! How is your master involved in this as well?”

“My master and I are demonesses from the Devil Sect, so such a thing is normal for us. But those two pride themselves on being righteous heroes from the orthodox sects,” Qiu Honglei ranted. “Don’t you think they're hypocritical?”

“A little," Xihe said, giving Qiu Honglei a strange look. She hurriedly asked for more information about Chu Chuyan and her master.

Qiu Honglei introduced those two, but she also added, “Big sister Xihe, you mustn’t join their side in the future. Their faction is already powerful as it is.”

“I’ll stand on your side!”

How could Xihe, the Celestial Empress, lower herself before other women? It irritated her that this Chu Chuyan woman had taken on the role of the main wife, which made her more inclined to support Qiu Honglei’s revolution.

When he entered the room and saw the two women with eyes gleaming with excitement, Zu An was perplexed. “What are you two talking about?”

“Nothing,” Xihe and Qiu Honglei replied in unison. They felt conscience-stricken. He didn’t overhear us talking badly about Chu Chuyan, did he?

Zu An was surprised by how close the two women were.

Qiu Honglei changed the topic and asked, “Has Donghuang Taiyi told you the location of Dushuo Mountain yet?”

Zu An waved the jade token in his hand. “I spent the last few days helping him calm down the turmoil in the Celestial Palace. In return, he told me the location.”

Not daring to delay the matter anymore out of worry for Yaoji’s safety, he got moving right away. Qiu Honglei and Xihe volunteered to accompany him.

When they saw the Lady of the Nine Heavens and Xihe walking out of the room with him, the people of the Celestial Court were awed, flanking him. As expected of the Celestial Emperor. Not even the Lady of the Nine Heavens can withstand his charm.

Donghuang Taiyi’s cheeks twitched. Only he knew that this Emperor Jun was an impersonator. Who is this monster? It’s one thing for him to win Xihe’s fancy, but to think that he has won over the Lady of the Nine Heavens as well.

He felt a surge of jealousy, though that faded very quickly. He knew such matters weren’t important for a ruler. My real brother is already dead, so it doesn’t matter even if this fellow gets together with all my sisters-in-law. He just needs to continue as the Celestial Emperor. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

...

Zu An took the two ladies to the coordinates provided by Donghuang Taiyi via Rainbow Morph. Soon, they arrived in the middle of the ocean.

Xihe was unaccustomed to being embraced by a man together with another woman, but due to her growing ties with Qiu Honglei, she couldn’t lash out now.

Qiu Honglei was perplexed. “There’s nothing here. Did Donghuang Taiyi fool us?”

Zu An took out the jade token. It emanated a golden light, and the surroundings began to transform. There was a distortion of light and shadow, and a massive island revealed itself.

There was only a single peach tree on the island, but it covered the island, forming an entire forest by itself. The trio flew to the highest point of the peach tree and looked in the northeast.

Just then, two cold voices echoed, “Who dares barge into the Ghost Gate?”