The women exchanged subtle glances, silently agreeing that the most deeply poisoned soul among them needed urgent rescue first.
They promptly pulled Qing Lin away from Xiao Jietian's side — even Ya Fei, who had been happily leaning against him, was dragged along without mercy. No one was allowed to reap exclusive benefits today.
Hu Jia, seizing the opportunity, quietly joined the circle. Her reasoning was simple: infiltrate the enemy camp to better understand the situation.
The group quickly formed a tight ring around Qing Lin, beginning a serious "ideological correction" session. Their goal was clear — bring this hopelessly infatuated little maid back into the fold, into the united front against a certain someone's tyranny.
Every time Xiao Jietian initiated a "group spar," he always started with Qing Lin. She would charge forward obediently, doing exactly as he commanded, and in the end the rest would be forced into desperate, chaotic competition just to survive the onslaught.
For a time, the entire Eternal Heaven Palace buzzed with quiet activity — everyone occupied with their own affairs — while high above, Medusa continued to toy with Han Xue.
By now Han Xue seemed to be thoroughly enjoying herself. Excited exclamations rose and fell with every sharp dip and soaring loop.
"Wow — a big snake!!"
A crisp, childish voice suddenly rang out across the palace grounds.
The moment it sounded, the entire Eternal Heaven Palace fell strangely silent.
Immediately after, another tender, excited voice followed:
"Daddy! Look who I brought back!! You would never guess!!"
All eyes turned toward the palace entrance.
Three figures approached slowly.
In the arms of the woman at the forefront were Xiao Ling and Xiao Meng — one on each side — being carried with gentle care. Even Medusa, who had been playfully spiraling through the sky with Han Xue, paused mid-motion, her enormous serpent head lowering curiously.
When the woman's features became clear, the women's eyes widened in unison. Then — surprise, joy, and soft delight bloomed across their faces.
She wore a flowing cyan dress that seemed woven from the first light of dawn. Her skin was as fair and delicate as freshly fallen snow — so fine it seemed it might shatter at the slightest touch. Long, glossy hair was loosely tied, cascading past her slender waist like a dark river of silk. Her small, flawless face bore a healthy, natural flush; a gentle smile curved her lips, bathing all who saw it in the warmth of spring wind.
She was like a fairy who had gathered the spiritual essence of heaven and earth into one perfect form.
Behind her walked two elderly men — both of whom were staring upward at the nine-colored colossus still lazily circling the sky. With their sharp eyesight, they naturally recognized its origin at once. Shock flickered in their eyes as they exchanged a silent glance.
The Nine-Colored Heaven-Devouring Python — a legendary bloodline that had vanished into the long river of history — had reappeared before their very eyes.
Its lineage was in no way inferior to the fabled Dou Di bloodline. How could they not be shaken to the core?
If word of this reached the clan… many of the neutral elders might finally shift their stance.
"Xun'er! Sister!!!"
Qing Lin's small face lit up with pure joy. She broke free from the circle of women and ran toward the newcomer with open arms.
It was none other than Gu Xun'er — who had journeyed from the Gu clan to seek out Xiao Jietian.
Ya Fei and the others watched Qing Lin escape their encirclement and inwardly cursed. Who called her a cute, silly little maid? She's cunning when it counts — seizing the chance to slip away!
"It's been so long, Qing Lin. You've grown so tall and graceful." Xun'er looked at the girl before her with genuine warmth, smiling softly. Then she turned and gave a gentle nod to the other women as well.
Though she had not resided in Eternal Heaven World, news of its happenings flowed to her ears constantly — partly through frequent correspondence, partly through the Gu clan's hidden eyes and ears within the realm.
Xiao Jietian had long known of those spies and chose to ignore them. They could never access core secrets anyway; every move they made was quietly monitored. Eternal Heaven World was vast and populous — it would have been stranger if no other forces had planted agents.
The only exceptions were the Hun Clan and Hall of Souls. Any spies they sent were either quietly eliminated or turned into unwitting conduits of disinformation.
Even now, the Hall of Souls continued to operate under the illusion that Boundless Heaven Hall possessed only one or two Dou Zun at best — thanks to their habit of outsourcing at every level and the carefully crafted falsehoods fed to their informants.
Xun'er was about to speak again when a figure flickered into existence before her.
In the next breath, Xiao Ling and Xiao Meng floated gently out of her arms, drifting into the waiting embraces of their respective mothers.
Qing Lin, too, was quietly drawn back to Ya Fei and the others' side.
"Xiao Jietian… Brother…"
Xun'er looked up at the man before her. A sweet, radiant smile bloomed across her flawless face. Beneath that smile, even the surrounding nine-colored splendor seemed to pale.
Xiao Jietian extended both arms and drew her into a tight, possessive embrace.
Xun'er showed no surprise at the sudden action — as though she had anticipated it from the moment she stepped into the palace. In the past, whenever they were together, he had always hugged her like this. Beyond mere embraces, the two of them had already shared every intimacy short of the final step.
She rested quietly against his chest, inhaling the long-missed scent of him. Happiness, longing, and tender warmth filled her golden eyes.
They stood like that for a long moment — silent, embracing — as though a thousand words could never fully express the depth of feeling between them.
The two elders behind Xun'er instinctively narrowed their eyes with fierce disapproval when they saw Xiao Jietian pull their young mistress into his arms. Yet seeing that Xun'er offered no resistance — and feeling the faint, terrifying pressure radiating from the colossal serpent overhead — they wisely held their tongues.
They exchanged a glance and promptly chose selective blindness.
They had heard many elders within the clan express approval of this union. Xiao Jietian's talent was undeniable; his strength had already surpassed many of the clan's young pillars.
The safest course was to pretend they saw nothing.
After all, their only explicit order from the clan ancestor had been to ensure Xun'er did not lose her virginity. Nothing more had been said.
In their minds, that meant turning a blind eye to everything short of the final act.
Xun'er's bloodline awakening was the most perfect the Gu clan had seen in a millennium. In the future, even if she did not ascend to become the new clan ancestor, her status would certainly not fall below that level.
Because of her relationship with Xiao Jietian, the clan had long been divided into three factions: those in favor, those opposed, and those neutral. The clan ancestor himself had never explicitly endorsed or forbidden it, leaving the two major factions to argue until their faces turned red.
For the sake of their own futures — and to avoid earning the young mistress's grudge — pretending not to see was the wisest path.
The women, meanwhile, watched the reunion with gentle smiles. There was no jealousy in their eyes.
They had all come later. Xun'er had been the first to stand beside Xiao Jietian.
Moreover, she had never once tried to bar them from his side. That alone was magnanimity enough.
"As expected — parents are true love, and children are just accidents."
Xiao Ling, nestled in Yun Yun's arms, pouted as she watched her father and Xun'er embrace.
"That's right! We were thrown so far away all of a sudden — at least half a day… um… ten minutes of ignoring stinky Daddy!"
Xiao Meng had originally intended to complain about half a day, but felt it was too long, so she quickly revised her grievance.
Ya Fei and the others were instantly amused by the two little ones' dramatic complaints. Xiao Ling, Xiao Meng, and Zi Yan had always been the undisputed treasures of the entire family.
Han Yue looked at the two children with gentle curiosity.
"Speaking of which… how did you two end up coming here with Xun'er?"