Li Qinglan glanced at her daughter, then back at Yun Lintian. The battle had proven one thing—this man wasn't just so reckless upstart. He had forced her, a Primordial God, to bleed.
A long silence stretched between them.
Finally, Li Qinglan let out a slow sigh. The light around her dimd, her blade dissolving back into pure energy. "I see now," she murmured. "This is why you gave up your power so easily, Hei Xuan."
Hei Xuan smirked. "Took you long enough."
Li Qinglan ignored him, focusing on Yun Lintian. "You're not just gathering Primordial powers. You're becoming sothing else entirely."
Yun Lintian lowered his spears. "I'm doing what's necessary."
Li Qinglan studied him for a long mont. Then, unexpectedly, she laughed—a clear, lodic sound that seed out of place after their brutal battle. "Very well. You've proven your worth."
Li Qinglan's expression softened as she turned to her daughter. The golden blood on her lips had already vanished, her divine body healing instantly. Yet her eyes carried a deep, unspoken pain.
"So... my own daughter sides with an outsider like him?" Her voice was quiet, almost fragile—sothing unheard of from the mighty God of Light.
Hei Yue's face imdiately flushed red. "M-Mother! It's not like that!"
Li Qinglan's sharp eyes caught the reaction instantly. Suspicion flashed across her face. "What aren't you telling ?"
Hei Xuan coughed into his fist. "Ah, well... I may have entrusted our daughter to Yun Lintian as his wife."
Silence.
Then—
"WHAT?!"
Li Qinglan's roar shattered the surrounding void anew. Her divine aura exploded outward, forming a corona of furious light. "You gave away our daughter without my consent?!"
Hei Xuan remained unruffled. "Who else would be worthy of her? Look at him." He gestured to Yun Lintian, who stood frozen with both spears still in hand. "He's mastered multiple Primordial God powers in days. Fought you to a standstill. And—"
"I don't care!" Li Qinglan's light swords rematerialized. "She's my daughter too! You had no right!"
Yun Lintian finally spoke. "It wasn't forced."
All eyes turned to him.
Hei Yue's blush deepened, but she stepped forward. "Mother... I agreed to it."
Li Qinglan's fury faltered. "You... what?"
Hei Xuan seized the mont. "See? Even our daughter recognizes his worth. Na one other being in all creation who could protect her better than him."
Li Qinglan's gaze darted between them—Yun Lintian's calm determination, Hei Yue's embarrassed but resolute expression, Hei Xuan's smug satisfaction. Her divine aura flickered between rage and sothing more complicated.
"You..." Her voice dropped to a dangerous whisper. "You planned this."
Hei Xuan shrugged. "I planned nothing. The threads of fate simply aligned."
Li Qinglan's fingers twitched toward her sword. "I should burn you where you stand."
Before tensions could escalate again, Hei Yue rushed forward and grabbed her mother's arm. "Mother! Just... talk with him first." She gestured to Yun Lintian. "Properly."
Li Qinglan looked down at her daughter's pleading expression. The anger in her eyes slowly banked to smoldering embers. "...Very well."
She floated toward Yun Lintian until they were face to face. Though he stood a head taller, her divine presence made them equals in stature.
"Answer this," she demanded. "Why should I entrust my only child to a man who collects divine powers like trinkets? Who walks a path that will inevitably make him enemies of all creation?"
Yun Lintian went silent for a mont and said, "To tell you the truth, I have no good reason either. The path I am walking on is filled with perils. Whether it will be a success is unknown."
"However," Yun Lintian's eyes turned sharp as he spoke, "as long as I am still alive, I will do everything to protect the people around . I will never let anything happen to them."
Li Qinglan stared at Yun Lintian for a long, silent mont. The remnants of her divine light pulsed faintly around her, casting shifting shadows across her unreadable expression.
"Such pretty words," she finally said, her voice softer than before. "I hope they're not just empty promises."
Hei Yue let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. Her mother's words carried reluctant approval—sothing rare from the proud God of Light.
Hei Xuan smirked, crossing his arms. He knew his wife better than anyone. There was no way she would truly reject soone who had proven himself worthy—especially not when their daughter's safety was at stake.
Li Qinglan's piercing gaze remained locked on Yun Lintian. "Now, about my power. How exactly do you plan to take it?"
Yun Lintian shook his head. "I won't. Not yet."
This surprised everyone, except Hei Xuan.
Li Qinglan's eyes narrowed. "Explain."
"If I take your power now," Yun Lintian said calmly, "it will leave us vulnerable. Uncle Hei has already given his divinity. If you lose yours too, who will stand against the other Primordial Gods when they co?"
Hei Yue's eyes widened in realization. "The balance..."
"Exactly." Yun Lintian nodded. "Right now, the other gods don't know Uncle Hei has lost his power. But if both Darkness and Light fall silent at once?"
Li Qinglan's expression darkened. "The celestial order would collapse. The Sun God and Star God would notice imdiately."
"And Nian Shi would strike," Hei Xuan added grimly.
Yun Lintian t Li Qinglan's gaze steadily. "I don't need your full power yet. Just enough to understand light's essence—a spark I can nurture."
Li Qinglan studied him for a long mont before exhaling through her nose. "Clever. You're thinking several steps ahead." A faint, almost approving gleam entered her eyes. "Very well. A portion of my power, then. But the rest remains with until the proper ti."
Hei Xuan clapped his hands together. "Excellent! Now that that's settled—"
"Not so fast." Li Qinglan's voice turned sharp again. "There's still the matter of the Celestial Bonding Ritual."
Hei Yue's cheeks flushed pink. "M-Mother! Must we discuss this now?"
"Yes." Li Qinglan's tone brooked no argunt. "If this marriage is to happen, it will be done properly. The ritual will bind your fates together at the deepest level—beyond even what Nian Shi can unravel."
Yun Lintian frowned slightly. "What exactly does this ritual entail?"
Li Qinglan's lips curved into sothing that wasn't quite a smile. "Three trials. One of Body, one of Mind, and one of Soul. Fail any one, and the bond cannot be ford."
Hei Xuan's smirk faded. "Qinglan, those trials haven't been perford since the Creator's ti. Are you sure—"
"I am." Her gaze never left Yun Lintian. "If he's as capable as you claim, this should pose no difficulty."
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