Four days ago-
The grand gates of the Celestial Phoenix Sect loomed before Ye Xiaotian. His pale face was drawn, and his tattered robes clung to his injured body. Blood had long clotted around the deep wound on his back. Each step he took was laborious, his once-energetic gait now replaced by an unsteady shuffle. He had returned after six months six long, harrowing months. He walked thousands of kilometers till he reached here.
The sect's disciples who saw him froze, when he entered the gate. Some of them who recognized him, become even more shocked. Whispers erupted like wildfire.
"Isn't that Ye Xiaotian?"
"The sect's greatest genius?"
"Didn't they say he died in the relic expedition?"
Their shocked expressions deepened as they noticed his state. His steps faltered but did not stop. Ye Xiaotian's eyes, once blazing with confidence, now held a dim, hollow look. Still, he climbed the steps leading toward the mountain peak where he had lived with his wife, Bing Meiren.
The disciples parted, their murmurs turning grim.
"Something's off…"
"There's no spiritual energy around him."
"Could he… could he have become a cripple?"
Unperturbed, Ye Xiaotian continued. His focus was on the pavilion atop the mountain, his home. When he arrived and saw the condition of the pavilion, his heart clenched. Dust coated every surface, and spiderwebs spanned the corners of the walls. The air was stale, lifeless, as if no one had stepped inside in months.
This wasn't the home he had left. Bing Meiren had always kept the pavilion clean and neet, when they lived here. It was her sanctuary. His sanctuary. The thought of her abandoning it, of abandoning him, gnawed at his mind. He staggered back outside, desperate for answers.
As he turned, he saw her.
She stood at the edge of the pavilion, her figure cloaked in azure robes. A veil obscured her face, but her enchanting eyes, filled with an unfathomable mix of emotions, locked onto him. A sword rested on her back, a testament to her status as the sect master of the Celestial Phoenix Sect.
"Bing'er," he called, his voice trembling with relief and longing.
He rushed toward her, arms outstretched to embrace her. But before he could hug her, she leaped back, her hand raised in a silent command to stop. The coldness in her gaze pierced his heart like a blade.
"You came back," she said, her voice devoid of emotion.
Ye Xiaotian froze his eyes widened and he ask tremblingly. "Bing'er, what happened? Why are you like this? When did you become so… cold?"
Her eyes flickered briefly, but her tone remained steady. "Rest for today. Come to the elder hall tomorrow. We will talk then."
"Wait—"
Before he could finish, she turned and ascended into the air, disappearing into the horizon. His heart sank as he watched her vanish, the realization hitting him like a hammer.
She's reached the Soul Awakening Realm.
"How?" he murmured, disbelief evident in his voice. "It hasn't even been eight months since she broke through to Core Formation."
Before he could dwell on it further, a sharp pain erupted in his chest. Blood spurted from his mouth, staining the pavilion steps. He scrambled inside and sat cross-legged, suppressing the rampant energy threatening to destroy him from within.
Unbeknownst to him, a veiled figure stood on a distant mountain, her gaze fixed on him.
"You really became a cripple, didn't you?" Bing Meiren whispered, her voice tinged with melancholy. She turned and walked away, her lonely silhouette blending into the descending night.
Morning came. Ye Xiaotian awoke to find the sun already high in the sky. No one had come to check on him. With a weary sigh, he descended the mountain alone, his steps heavy. As he passed the disciples, their whispers followed him like shadows.
"Look, it's him."
"The fallen genius."
"What genius? He's a cripple now."
He clenched his fists but remained silent, pressing forward toward the elder hall. Inside, the elders sat in their respective seats, their gazes scrutinizing him. At the head of the hall, Bing Meiren sat on the sect master's throne, her presence cold and commanding.
"Bing'er," he murmured as he stepped into the hall, his voice barely audible.
"How dare you address the sect master by name!" Grand Elder Sheng Min's voice thundered. He rose to his feet, his aura pressing down on Ye Xiaotian. "Kneel!"
The oppressive force brought Ye Xiaotian to his knees. His body trembled under the weight, his teeth gritting in defiance.
"Do you still think you're the genius of this sect? A cripple has no place here," Sheng Min sneered.
"Elder Sheng, enough," came a calm yet firm voice. Elder Wang Zun, the second grand elder, stepped forward, his aura neutralizing Sheng Min's. "He is still the sect master's husband. Show some restraint."
Turning to Ye Xiaotian, Elder Wang's tone softened. "Xiaotian, tell us what happened in the relic. Why have you returned in this state?"
Ye Xiaotian opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, Bind Meiren's cold voice cut through the hall.
"There's no need. The Celestial Phoenix Sect has no place for a cripple." her sharp voice lingered in the hall without any emotion.
Ye Xiaotian mind went blank instantly, as a horror pass through is face but before his mind could process anything.
"As for being my husband..." She reached into her storage ring and pulled out a contract, tossing it before him. "My husband can't be a cripple."
With a flick of her finger, the contract burst into flames, its ashes scattering in the air like dust.
Ye Xiaotian stared at the remnants, the weight of her words sinking into his chest. It was their marriage contract. Gone. His hand clutched his chest in an attempt to hold himself together, but his heartbeat was absent. A sharp pain surged through him, and with a sickening cough, blood spilled from his mouth, staining the ground beneath him.
"Bing'er... why?" he whispered, his voice cracking with pain and disbelief.
Bing Meiren rose from her throne, her veil hiding her face, but her eyes those eyes remained cold and detached. "Elder Wang, announce that Ye Xiaotian is no longer a member of the Celestial Phoenix Sect. As of today, our marriage is annulled."
Elder Wang sighed but obeyed. "Yes, Sect Master."
A portal appeared beneath Ye Xiaotian, and before he could respond, it whisked him away, his unconscious body vanishing into the void.
As the portal closed, Bing Meiren's cold demeanor faltered. A single tear escaped from beneath her veil, disappearing into the shadows. She whispered to herself, "I'm sorry," her voice too faint for anyone to hear, but the sorrow in her heart was undeniable.
End of Chapter 2