Feng Jiu just smiled before she nodded joyfully with tears in her eyes. She could not remember for how long she had wished to listen to those words coming from Taiyi's mouth. Hearing them now, in the quiet of his natal realm, was like a dream she never wanted to wake from. For a brief moment, the world stilled. Her heart skipped a beat, and she felt her bloodline coursing freely through her veins. The shackles that had weighed upon her since birth seemed to dissolve, and her phoenix bloodline shimmered, purer than it had ever been. The crown of flowers on her head glowed faintly, acknowledging her as his equal.
The two of them went ahead and performed a simple wedding ceremony—no guests, no music, no fanfare. Yet the moment Taiyi placed the flower crown upon her brow and whispered, "Be my queen," the heavens themselves bore witness. Across all the realms, seas, and deserts, cultivators suddenly froze as an unseen pressure passed through the world. A vision appeared above every sky: the White Dragon and the Golden Phoenix standing side by side, their silhouettes blazing with divine light. Instinctively, countless beings—mortals and gods alike—bowed in reverence. They were not bowing only to Taiyi but also to Feng Jiu, acknowledging her as the undisputed Queen of All Realms, her strength second only to his.
Then, as quickly as it had come, the vision faded. For the common people, it was merely a miracle to be remembered in ballads. But the higher realms understood: a new Empress had risen, and her union with Taiyi shifted the balance of fate itself.
Afterwards, in the privacy of the flower-drenched realm, they consummated their wedding. And when dawn came, they did not immediately return to their thrones or duties. Instead, Taiyi kept his promise: they took Tie Ling with them and traveled in secret.
For ten thousand years, they wandered the Six Realms, the Three Seas, and the Eight Deserts, living in disguise as ordinary cultivators, merchants, and wanderers. They walked bustling mortal streets, laughed over cups of wine with fishermen by the riverside, stargazed in the deserts, and stood hand-in-hand before the frozen peaks of the northern realm. They lived without titles, without burdens—just a family. Tie Ling grew before their eyes, bright and mischievous, her laughter the only music they needed.
But time was merciless. The appointed hour drew closer. The peace they had carved for themselves could not last forever.
At last, Taiyi was summoned to the battlefield. The armies of the invaders had begun to move, and he could no longer delay. With heavy hearts, he and Feng Jiu prepared to part with Tie Ling.
They led her to a secret realm Taiyi had created using the Law of Space itself. Originally, he had considered leaving her in the Purple Palace, but he knew it would be the center of war, and so he forged a hidden sanctuary instead.
Inside, the air was soft and bright, untouched by the chaos of the outer realms. Fields of flowers stretched endlessly, nourished by his divine energy. The sky shone with eternal daylight, safe and timeless.
"Daddy, Mommy…" Tie Ling's voice trembled as she clutched Feng Jiu's robes, refusing to let go. "Will I see you again?"
There was a silence. Feng Jiu's lips trembled before she forced a gentle smile. "Yes, little one. We will meet again."
Taiyi, too, nodded. But both parents knew the truth—that the war ahead was unlike any other. To face it was to gamble their lives. They were not speaking as rulers now, nor gods, but simply as parents who were terrified of leaving their child behind.
"Be strong," Taiyi whispered, pressing his forehead against his daughter's. "No matter what happens, remember—our love is with you."
With that, he turned his back. His steps were heavy, yet he did not stop. Feng Jiu lingered, her eyes wet with tears, before finally following him out.
When the gate closed, Tie Ling collapsed to her knees, weeping.
Outside the secret realm, silence stretched between Taiyi and Feng Jiu. Finally, Feng Jiu spoke, her voice faint: "Are we really going to survive this?"
Taiyi's gaze dimmed. "Xiao Jiu… I did a divination one last time." He hesitated, as though even speaking the words would solidify them. But Feng Jiu caught his sleeve and forced him to meet her eyes.
"And what did you see?" she demanded.
Taiyi's voice was solemn. "…The Dusk of Gods."
Feng Jiu's heart trembled violently. She searched his expression for any sign of jest, but Taiyi's face was carved from stone. He would never lie about something like this.
"The… Dusk of Gods…" she murmured. Those words alone carried the weight of annihilation.
Closing her eyes, she withdrew into her consciousness space. There, her phoenix soul appeared before her, blazing with golden fire.
"You knew, didn't you?" Feng Jiu whispered.
The phoenix consciousness tilted its head casually, as if this was no great matter. "Ah. So he told you."
"What does it mean?!" Feng Jiu pressed, her voice quivering.
"The Dusk of Gods is not mere rumor," the phoenix replied. "It is the Grand Dao's cleansing. Once every great cycle, it descends to erase the gods who have overstepped their bounds. The last time, entire pantheons were slaughtered. That is why so few ancestral gods remain today."
Feng Jiu's face paled. "…And you already knew."
"It changes nothing. Whether I tell you or not, fate remains the same."
"Don't tell me you've made choices for me again!" she snapped, her phoenix flames flaring.
The phoenix only laughed softly. "Do not fear. I would never harm you. Fight freely with the man you love. This may be your last battle together. The extinction is aimed at him, not you. As long as he dies, the war ends."
Before Feng Jiu could respond, the phoenix faded, leaving her alone.
When she opened her eyes, Taiyi was waiting. She clenched her fists, her voice steady but shaking at its edges. "You already knew. From the very beginning."
Taiyi's lips curled into a bitter smile. "The very moment I broke through, it marked me as a threat. From then, I knew it would never tolerate me."
He reached out, brushing a strand of hair from her face. His eyes, though calm, carried a sorrow she had rarely seen. "Let us not waste these final days with despair. Let us dye the outer space red together."
He extended his hand.
Feng Jiu's tears spilled freely, but she grasped his hand firmly. "Together," she whispered.
Taiyi's lips curved into a smile—gentle, resolute.
He tilted his head back and roared. In an instant, horns sprouted from his forehead as his true form awakened. A thunderous dragon's roar tore through the heavens, reverberating across the Six Realms, the Three Seas, and even into the void of outer space.
Moments later, a phoenix's cry followed, golden and piercing, entwining with the dragon's roar. The resonance shook every realm, every heart. It was not just a call—it was a declaration.
Across the mortal world, peasants and nobles alike fell to their knees, trembling before the divine sound. In the heavenly palaces, rulers stiffened, realizing the signal they had been dreading had finally come. Armies raised their heads toward the heavens, weapons trembling in their hands. Even in the dark void where the invaders gathered, countless alien eyes snapped open.
The Dragon and Phoenix had spoken. The final war had begun.
Purple clouds surged across the skies, a phenomenon unseen for countless ages—an auspicious sign, yet also a harbinger of chaos. All beings bowed instinctively, sensing that this was the Heavenly Dao itself granting its final blessing to the two who stood against fate.
Side by side, Taiyi and Feng Jiu transformed into their true forms—the endless White Dragon and the resplendent Golden Phoenix. With wings and scales gleaming, they soared into the heavens, their silhouettes blazing like suns.
Together, they crossed into outer space. And with that, the world entered its final era—the era of chaos.