Hearing the Celestial Sovereign's questioning, the Purple Light Immortal became anxious and also puzzled.
He had intended to punish Xue Ranran and the others earlier, but due to the gravity of the situation, he didn't dare to act without authorization, so he allowed them ten days.
At that time, he had clearly used his Heavenly Eye and saw that Ranran was not with child, that could interfere with the heavenly punishment. How could she suddenly have a three-month-old pregnancy in just a few days?
Su Yi Shui watched as the lightning above Ranran's head gradually faded away, and he was finally able to settle his anxious heart.
The heavenly rules were indeed strict, but there were ways to bypass them. When he married Ranran, Elder Jiu had given him an improved brewing talisman.
Elder Jiu was fond of wine, so he used the talisman to shorten the brewing time. A ten-year-old vintage could be obtained overnight.
And this improved talisman limited the accelerated time to within three months.
Of course, although the talisman provided the boost, this was also based on the man's own ability! Su Yi Shui managed to let his wife conceive right away after marriage, which was another skill that was not easy to flaunt!
The heavenly might descended, formidable and irresistible, but with a child in Ranran's belly, even the heavenly thunder had to yield.
When the Holy Mother grabbed Ranran's arm earlier, she had also noticed this, so she remained silent, standing aside and waiting for the heavenly thunder to automatically avoid her.
Now that it was made certain that Ranran was three months pregnant, the heavenly locks naturally released, allowing her to return to the mortal realm.
But even though Ranran was spared the heavenly punishment due to her pregnancy, Su Yi Shui, being a man, couldn't possibly be pregnant. He had violated the norms of the mortal world, a crime that was hard to escape from. Once Ranran was removed, Su Yi Shui would undoubtedly face the heavenly thunder's punishment.
Just as Ranran was released from the shackles, a force suddenly pulled her away from the Immortal Execution platform, leaving Su Yi Shui bound alone.
In a swift move, Ranran managed to break free from that force and threw herself back onto the platform, tightly embracing Su Yi Shui.
Su Yi Shui lowered his head, his loose black hair falling onto her cheek. He whispered softly, "Be good, it's too dangerous here, stand further away, remember what I told you… Don't worry about me…"
Ranran suppressed her tears with difficulty and took off her necklace from her neck, hanging it around Su Yi Shui, then kissed his lips.
She knew that once she left the Immortal Execution platform, although they were only a few yards apart, they might be separated forever.
She didn't know what kind of grievances they had from their past lives, but their love in this life was so rocky, falling in love easily, but staying together was so difficult…
Su Yi Shui also kissed his newlywed wife fiercely. They had only been married for a few days, yet they were about to be separated. If he could, he would have torn apart the heavens and overturned the obstacles that separated them.
The inseparable couple clung to each other tightly, reluctant to part. Although most of the immortals present were indifferent to love and separation, they couldn't help but be moved.
The Destruction of Divine Thunder, devoid of human emotions, came rolling once again towards Su Yi Shui.
At that moment, the Holy Mother intervened with urgency, gently waving the white cloth draped over her arm to pull Xue Ranran away from the platform.
As Ranran was pulled away, the thunderous dragon-like lightning struck towards the Immortal Execution platform.
When Ranran struggled to get up and saw the thunder striking towards Su Yi Shui, she couldn't help but scream loudly, "Shifu!"
Although she had married Su Yi Shui, in moments of danger, out of habit, she still called him Shifu.
But as soon as she finished her cry, the heavenly thunder struck, and in an instant, Su Yi Shui was enveloped in a dazzling flash of lightning…
When the lightning dissipated, not even a trace of clothing was left on the Immortal Execution platform.
The YuanYang Emperor, who had failed the tribulation upon descending to the mortal realm, had perished on the Immortal Execution platform… This scene touched all the immortals present, filling them with sorrow.
Ranran broke free from the cloth wrapped around her and rushed back to the platform as if she had gone mad, crawling on all fours as she searched for any trace of Su Yi Shui on the ground.
Unfortunately, apart from some tiny fragments of glass and pieces of broken chain, there was nothing on the ground at all.
The man who lay beside her with picturesque features, softly kissing her cheek, seemed to have disappeared into thin air, leaving no trace behind…
The Holy Mother couldn't bear to see her in such a state, so she walked up to her and tried to help her up.
But Xue Ranran suddenly shook off her hand, focusing on the small green shoot sprouting from the divine earth…
At that moment, the Celestial Sovereign spoke, "Su Yi Shui has disrupted the heavenly rules and has been punished on the spot. His previous sins are thus forgiven. Xue Ranran, the heavenly gate is about to close in a moment, hurry and leave, return to the mortal realm!"
After speaking, the surroundings gradually dimmed, everything became silent and still. After delivering judgment on this earthly couple, the Celestial Sovereign left.
The other immortals also dispersed one after another. The Purple Light Immortal had originally intended to stay and escort Xue Ranran back to the mortal realm. But the Holy Mother coldly said, "I will escort her, you can return to your abode…"
Since the Holy Mother commanded so, the Purple Light Immortal had to comply and left respectfully.
On the Immortal Execution platform, only Xue Ranran remained sprawled on the ground, with the Holy Mother who watched her helplessly.
"Child, get up. You are also a mother now, you need to take care of yourself…" The Holy Mother spoke softly.
Xue Ranran didn't speak, just with teary eyes, she turned to the Holy Mother and asked, "May I borrow a flowerpot from you, Holy Mother?"
The Holy Mother frowned slightly but still conjured a black-gold sand tray and handed it to Ranran, saying, "This is the pot I used to plant immortal herbs in Yao Chi back then. What do you need it for?"
Without a word, Ranran used her hands as a shovel, carefully transferring the tiny green shoot the size of a grain, along with the divine soil around it into the flowerpot. Then she held the pot like a treasure and said, "Thank you, Holy Mother. I will be leaving now."
The Holy Mother glanced at the small shoot, suddenly understanding something. She then said thoughtfully, "Ranran, your immortal fate is deep. If you can sever emotional ties, you will surely achieve great cultivation. Do not be entangled by human emotions and stagnate. The heavenly punishment now can be an opportunity. You must understand that earthly love is fleeting, ultimately empty. If you leave this shoot in the immortal realm, I will take good care of it for you. This way, you can focus on cultivation and ascend to immortality soon…"
However, Xue Ranran shook her head firmly and said, "No, I made a vow with him. We will not miss each other again in this life. Thank you, Holy Mother, for pleading for me. But I am attached to the worldly life and cannot sever love to pursue enlightenment. I hereby bid farewell to the Holy Mother, we will probably never meet again…"
After saying this, Ranran protected the flowerpot with spiritual energy, cradling it in her arms, and walked towards the heavenly gate. Her seemingly fragile figure was resolute, never looking back at the heavenly realm that everyone yearned for.
The Holy Mother watched her retreating figure which never looked back, and suddenly, tears flowed from her usually cold eyes.
Just as Ranran descended the heavenly ladder, the heavenly gate gradually closed. The Holy Mother couldn't hold back any longer and wanted to call out to her, but the heavenly gate closed too quickly, blocking her voice.
As she choked up, the voice of the Celestial Sovereign sounded in her ear again, "Su nu, she is no longer our child. Why are you so persistent and unwilling to let go?"
The Holy Mother, upon hearing this, turned around angrily, "Why isn't she? She is the daughter I nurtured for a thousand years, almost forming under the Bodhi tree! Our daughter was about to be born, but because that bastard YuanYang Emperor got drunk, he prematurely picked the fruit from the tree. He made such a mistake, yet he only had to face one round of tribulations in the mortal realm. My thousand years of waiting turned into nothing! What did I do wrong? Why couldn't I keep our only daughter in the heavenly realm? She had to follow that bastard to face the tribulations in the mortal realm. But that bastard keeps entangling my daughter in the mortal realm… Is he leading her step by step, so that she would never return to the heavenly realm?"
The Celestial Sovereign sighed helplessly, "So, you have been trying with all your means to guide Mu Qingge into the Yao Chi illusion, and let her see the heavenly mandate in the Heavenly Book. You originally hoped she would see the grievances that would happen between her and Su Yi Shui, so that she wouldn't care about him anymore and focus on cultivation in order to ascend to immortality. You also hoped it would be best, if she could kill her demonic disciple to achieve enlightenment and end this karmic entanglement… But unfortunately, your cleverness backfired, making things worse the more you tried to help. Instead, she modified Su Yi Shui's fate chart for him to ascend immediately, even if it meant sacrificing herself. They were supposed to face a tribulation and return to the heavenly realm, but now they are entangled together and had to suffer the heavenly punishment…"
The Holy Mother stopped choking up and just said coldly, "So you knew everything. No wonder you suddenly ordered me not to go to the mortal realm in private and even took away my Heavenly Mirror for watching the mortal realm… Then why not expose me publicly, take me to the Immortal Execution platform for trial, and prove your enlightenment by killing your wife?"
The Celestial Sovereign remained silent for a while before saying softly, "The heavenly way is clear, there are arrangements preordained. Now you can only look on as she has no hope of ascension and have to return to the mortal realm. Isn't this the greatest punishment for you?"
Hearing this, the Holy Mother's long hair flew as she screamed into the air, "She was also once your daughter! Don't you feel sorry for her even a little?"
The Celestial Sovereign fell silent again, finally turning into a halo of light that tightly wrapped around the desolate Holy Mother. "I am formless for the sake of universal love, but has my love for you ever diminished? When Su Yi Shui obtained that Transmigration Tree back then, do you think it was picked from thin air? That Transmigration Tree was the Bodhi tree by the side of Yao Chi! I moved it to the Jue Mountain and guided Su Yi Shui in a dream on the way to extend Mu Qingge's life. That's the last thing I could do for her as a father. But her parental connection is no longer with us. You need to learn to let go. Although their marriage destiny is not written in the Heavenly Book, now their fates charts have been messed up and are entangled and intertwined together. I am the Celestial Sovereign, but even I cannot interfere too much. Isn't she living well in the mortal realm? Free-spirited and carefree, very much like you in the past!"
Wrapped in this warm light, the Holy Mother felt as if she had returned to the embrace of her lover from years ago. She gradually calmed down, asked sadly, "Is she…really doing well like this?"
Unfortunately, this time the Celestial Sovereign couldn't answer her.
He had been away from the love in the secular world for too long, and have forgotten how warmth or cold feels.
But those two children, when faced with life and death choices, still chose each other without hesitation, wasn't that the best choice they believed in?
After the heavenly punishment, the grievances and karma of past lives were thus wiped away. May she never have to regret her choice…
Time in the mortal realm passed swiftly and unknowingly. In the blink of an eye, six years had flown by.
Shen'er gets hurt, who will water and pull weeds for you?"
As he spoke, the child started to feel very wronged, even sniffing and shedding tears.
Xue Ranran, watching her son "complain" like this, initially felt amused and annoyed, but seeing him with red eyes in the end, she also felt sad.
Over the past year, her son had grown up gradually, and she had taken him to play at Uncle Master Yu Tong's house at the foot of the mountain several times.
After coming back, her son kept asking questions non-stop, such as why other children's fathers below the mountain were human and not a big fruit? When his dad would come down from the fruit, he didn't want to play hide-and-seek with Bai Bai anymore, he wanted to play with his dad, and he wanted his dad to lift him high and buy sugar cakes together in the market.
Xue Ranran had always been strong and optimistic in front of her son, but hearing these words, she quickly pressed her son's little head against her, hiding her tears in the moonlight.
She sniffed, then forced herself to soften her voice and comforted her son, "Soon, when Shen'er grows up, your dad will naturally come down from the tree to find you…"
Little Shen'er felt that something was off with his mother's voice. He half-raised his head, and saw tears in his mother's eyes. He quickly straightened up, gently patting her back, and kissed her on the cheek, saying, "Mother, I don't need Father, I have you, that's enough! Don't cry, Mother. Father is fine on the tree, you don't have to wash his clothes and cook for him, he just needs to drink a few sips of water every few days… Be good, Mother, don't cry."
Xue Ranran looked at her son earnestly comforting her with his little face, feeling that he looked more and more like Su Yi Shui!
Every time she saw her son, she seemed to see her husband when he was young.
When she returned from the heavenly realm six years ago, apart from the baby in her belly, there was only the small sprout in the flower pot.
She transplanted this small sprout into the courtyard and then set up a mat next to it. Day and night, she almost didn't dare to close her eyes, guarding this small sprout fearfully, afraid that something might happen to it.
Back then, when they discussed how to deal with the punishment from the heavenly realm, they had already made a plan. Xue Ranran could escape punishment with the baby in her womb. But Su Yi Shui had no way to avoid it, he could only bear this fatal blow.
And the Transmigration Tree sealed in Xue Ranran's glass bead necklace was their last chance.
Su Yi Shui said he was confident that when the heavenly thunder struck, he could abandon his body and move his soul onto the Transmigration Tree, so she hung the necklace containing the Rebirth Tree around Su Yi Shui's neck.
However, in that instant of lightning and thunder, anything unexpected could happen. Xue Ranran was mentally prepared, but when she saw Su Yi Shui being struck by lightning and disappeared into thin air, she still lost all her strength and collapsed on the ground. She did not even know how she descended from the heavenly gate.
And the small sprout on the ground was her entire hope.
That tree was a spiritual tree and couldn't be boosted with Elder Jiu's talisman. It could only absorb the essence of the sun and moon bit by bit, slowly growing and sprouting.
Watching the sprout grow taller bit by bit every day, Xue Ranran's heart was suspended high because she didn't know if, at the critical moment of life and death, Su Yi Shui's soul had managed to attach itself to this spiritual tree.
Would this tree she guarded day and night, turn out to be an empty tree?
But this tree grew much faster than ordinary trees. *The day when her baby moved in her belly, the small sprout the size of a beansprout had grown tall enough to reach her waist.
*might be around 20 weeks
On Xue Ranran's delivery date, when Yutong, who helped with the birth, came out with hot water, she saw that the tree, which was already taller than a person, had actually borne a tiny little fruit!
When Xue Ranran carried the newborn baby to the tree, she could even feel the extremely familiar spiritual energy emanating from the fruit even without touching it.
At that moment, Xue Ranran finally set her heart at ease.
Su Yi Shui's soul had been completely captured by this Transmigration Tree. They only had to wait for the moment the fruit ripened and fell, and their family of three could finally reunite.
She lifted the sleeping baby to the tree and said softly, "Son, look, this small fruit is your Father."
The baby yawned, struggling to open his eyes, looked at the small fruit, then entered dreamland with a smile.
Ranran knew that all she had to do now was wait patiently for the moment when the fruit would fall.
But six years had passed and there was no sign of the fruit falling despite it growing bigger and bigger.
Now, Ranran had developed a habit. Every day, after reading with her son and putting him to sleep, she would come to the tree and chat with the fruit about the events of the day.
Su Yi Shui had never told her before how he endured the long years before the fruit of the Transmigration Tree fell.
But now, she could empathize, fully understanding Su Yi Shui's feelings at that time, of the mixture of hope, anxiety, desire, and fear he must have felt.
She was probably not be as strong as him, only six short years had passed, but she was already feeling overwhelmed with longing and anxiety.
Today was no different. After educating her mischievous son, Shen'er, she sent him to the study to practice writing.
With nothing else to do, Ranran carried a bucket and ladle, watering the tree while sitting underneath it, chatting about her and her son's recent daily life.
"Two days ago, I took Shen'er to the town at the foot of the mountain. In these two years, many young people have appeared in the town. I wonder what they have grown up on, all of them seem to be filled with vitality, and they all have thick eyebrows and big eyes. I wonder if our Shen'er will grow up to be as handsome… If you still don't come down from the tree, I may consider taking on some young disciples in the town, teaching them and passing the time. It's been a long time since Xishan took in new disciples…"
Ranran talked to herself, unaware that after she finished speaking, the branches of the tree moved slightly even though there was no wind.
"Oh, by the way, Su Yu's body couldn't hold out in the end. Wei Jiu's method of prolonging his life was cunning but harmful, and the backlash was very severe. He probably only had a few days left. There's fierce infighting in the court now. Zhou Feihua and her father, with the help of Qin Xuanjiu and their old comrades, have set sail from Central Land. Oh, Qin Xuanjiu came to Xishan yesterday, crying and saying he wants to return to cultivate. This is the tenth time in these six years he's talked about resigning and cultivating immortality… It seems West Mountain will become lively soon… Wei Jiu, that demon, is also quite bored. He hasn't been able to extract Tu Jiuyuan's whereabouts from me over these years. He even wrote a letter asking if I needed his help to find a ready father for our child. He's also bored since he is so free, so it's convenient for him to come and take care of us, the single mother and orphan."