Finally, the portal was completely sealed, bringing the battle to an end.

The fierce battle between Qin Zhou and his companions and those from another world was witnessed by the disciples of Shanning Realm and the envoys from various sects.

“Sect Master Shen, now that this has come to pass, you really ought to explain to me just who they are,” the head of Shanning Realm couldn’t help but ask.

Shen Yun sighed. “According to the ancient texts of the Red Cloud Sea, there was once a great power who wiped out the demon beasts of the Spirit Mountain Realm. Legend has it that he later ascended to the heavens. Are you familiar with this, Sect Master?”

“I’ve heard of it. That predecessor was the first Sea Master of the Red Cloud Sea.”

Shen Yun raised his hand and pointed toward Wen Jue’s figure, “The one who sealed the teleportation gate is none other than Elder Lu Yi.”

The Head of the Shanning Realm was stunned.

Elder Lu Yi—that is truly a legendary figure.

If Elder Wen Jue is Lu Yi, then who must Senior Qin Zhou be? He had seen Senior Qin Zhou unleash thunderbolts with his own eyes.

“They came from beyond the heavens; perhaps they’re here to resolve the crisis in the Spirit Mountain Realm. We should just put our minds at ease,” said Shen Yun.

“You’re right.”

Shen Yun cleared his throat. “I happen to have a volume of unofficial history about Senior Lu Yi here. Would you like to take a look?”

As he spoke, Shen Yun began pulling out his storybook from his inner robe.

Just by reading his “unofficial history,” one would learn who Senior Qin Zhou truly was, as well as amusing anecdotes about the two seniors and several other elders from the Zhutian Realm.

Unfortunately, the Sect Master of the Shanning Realm was far too upright; the moment he heard the words “unofficial history,” he waved his hand. “No need. I must go and calm my disciples. I also need to explain this portal anomaly to all the sects of the Spirit Mountain Realm.”

Shen Yun held the ‘unofficial history’ in his hand, watching him walk away without hesitation, a twinge of pain in his heart.

You’re really not going to take a look?

━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

The portal was sealed; those from other worlds wouldn’t be returning anytime soon.

This matter was, for the time being, resolved.

While the miniature pill-people were adjusting to their new bodies, Qin Zhou also needed to forge a new physical form for himself.

So, Qin Zhou swallowed a Reshaping Pill.

His soul merged into the Reshaping Pill, and with two pops, he too became a tiny pill-form being.

The village chief’s version of the pill-form being seemed to be particularly well-liked.

A group of little pill-form beings followed behind Qin Zhou’s version, bouncing and hopping, following him wherever he went.

Qin Zhou’s pill-figure was actually no different from the others—the same little head, little hands, and little feet. Yet despite being just such a pill-figure, it possessed a quiet, steady air about it. After all, whose pill-figure spends every day poring over books, endlessly studying the village registry?

It gave one the impression of watching a miniature adult.

Ever since Qin Zhou took the elixir and became a pill spirit, Wen Jue hadn’t let him out of his sight. He carried Qin Zhou in his pocket wherever he went, embodying the phrase “can’t bear to part with him” to the fullest.

We’ll set aside Qin Zhou’s feelings for now, but Wen Jue certainly understood how Yan Qi must have felt carrying Lu San in his pocket.

At night, with the villagers’ commotion gone, the small courtyard finally fell silent. A bright full moon hung high in the sky.

“Once our bodies have fully adjusted, we’ll return to Zhutian Realm,” said the miniature version of Qin Zhou, sitting on the armrest of a wicker chair.

Wen Jue, who had been in a good mood and was even humming a tune while lying on the chair, heard this and felt his fingers tremble slightly.

Zhutian Realm inevitably made him think of a certain sentient Heavenly Dao.

Qin Zhou’s miniature alchemist figure gazed at him quietly. “We need to go back to plant the World Tree.”

“Oh. Then let’s go back.” Wen Jue replied reluctantly, raising a hand to poke the little figure’s body.

The little pill figure nearly stumbled, grabbing his finger to steady himself before slowly looking up. The expressionless little figure seemed to be asking, “What are you doing?”

Qin Zhou: “…Is this fun?”

Wen Jue’s lips curled into a smile; his expression said it all.

Suddenly, Wen Jue felt a cool sensation on his finger.

He looked down to see the little alchemist figure holding a ring slightly thinner than a signet ring, slipping it onto his middle finger.

He had never been guarded around Qin Zhou.

But…

“What is this?” Wen Jue didn’t move, merely tilting his head slightly in curiosity.

The ring appeared to be made of the same material as his hairpin and bracelet. He sensed extraordinary spiritual energy emanating from the tiny ring—it was at least a seventh-grade spiritual artifact.

“It’s the one I didn’t give you that day,” the little alchemist said. “A token of our love.”

Wen Jue tilted his head; the hairpin was still tucked in his hair. “I already have a hairpin.”

“In the Heavens Beyond, wearing this ring is like telling everyone you’ve already found a Dao companion.”

Wen Jue replied earnestly, “But I haven’t taken a Dao companion yet.”

The little pill-figure: “……”

“Oh, so that’s why you’ve been giving me so many things.” Wen Jue finally figured it out.

Qin Zhou had given him a set of golden spirit artifacts—not for self-defense, nor as compensation for not seeing each other for nine thousand years.

Wen Jue raised his hand, gazing intently at the ring in his palm, a faint smile curving his lips.

…It was to tie him down.

His flawless face, bathed in moonlight, seemed to glow with a luminous sheen.

He was beyond beautiful.

The pill-figure gazed up at him, unable to look away for a long time.

If it weren’t for his physical form, he thought, he would have kissed him.

His thoughts followed his heart.

Qin Zhou’s ethereal form appeared before Wen Jue.

“You haven’t even fully materialized yet, and you dare to appear like this,” Wen Jue reminded him.

“Mm.”

Qin Zhou leaned down, cupped his face in his hands, and gently kissed the corner of his lips.

It felt like a feather brushing against his lips—so light it could be mistaken for a spring breeze.

“Wen Jue, shall we become Dao Companions?”

Wen Jue thought he must have misheard, for the words were spoken so softly.

Soon, golden characters appeared before their eyes—

‘With the sun, moon, heaven, earth, mountains, and seas as witnesses, I pledge my soul to become his Dao Companion. For ten thousand years to come, I shall never betray this beloved.’

It was the Dao Companion Contract.

Both Qin Zhou and Wen Jue had seen it before.

When Shier and Shiba married, Qin Zhou hadn’t left the game yet. He was the one who presided over that Dao Companion ceremony.

And Wen Jue had also served as the witness for Lu Er and Xiao Qi.

They were both familiar with the process.

Yet, when it came to their own turn, both felt a vague, indescribable flutter in their hearts.

“Wen Jue, shall we?” Qin Zhou asked once more.

“Yes.”

Without hesitation, they each infused a thread of spiritual energy from their fingertips into the golden script.

This was roughly the equivalent of signing a marriage contract.

But unlike in the mortal world, the marriage contract here was recognized by the Heavenly Dao and bound by the laws of the cosmos. Once sealed, it became an imprint on their souls.

Unless their souls were utterly obliterated, they could not break their vow.

Those who violated the oaths of the Heavenly Dao would be struck down by thunder and lightning.

As the two infused their spiritual energy into the golden characters, the golden script gradually turned red.

But just then—

A string of gibberish suddenly appeared before Qin Zhou’s eyes.

【@#……&￥（）*￥#）@】

【The Creator God System is under attack. A heretic is attempting to seize control of the system. Do you wish to eliminate the threat completely?】

Qin Zhou possessed only two systems.

The first was the game system of the Zhutian Realm, which also served as the current Dao of the Zhutian Realm—Xiao Lu.

The second was the Creator God System of the Spirit Mountain Realm.

A struggle for control… it was obvious who was behind it.

Qin Zhou gazed at the golden characters glowing with a reddish hue and calmly thought to himself, “Eliminate it completely.”

【Eradication in progress…】

【Eradication failed, but the invasion has been successfully stopped】

After this series of prompts concluded, the golden Companion Contract finally turned red.

It had turned the color of great joy.

At the same time, the dark clouds in the night sky all dispersed.

The stars shone brightly in the night sky, and the radiance of the stars and moon illuminated this corner almost as if it were broad daylight.

A celestial phenomenon.

As if to celebrate the marriage of the Creator God.

The Dao Companion Contract, glowing with golden-red light, faded, transforming into a faint mark imprinted upon both of their souls.

From that moment on, by virtue of this mark alone, they could sense each other’s location and perceive each other’s life or death.

“Once you’ve signed a Dao Companion Contract, there can be no regrets.” Wen Jue knew full well that Qin Zhou was different from him.

Qin Zhou had only returned to the Zhutian Realm a short while ago, yet he had already so hastily committed his life—no matter how one looked at it, it was far too quick.

But even so, he still…

“I rarely do things I regret,” Qin Zhou shook his head.

He was the sort of person who, once he had made up his mind, would never let go.

“It’s too late to regret it now,” Wen Jue chuckled softly.

“That’s impressive. I can’t sense Lu Yi’s heart demon anymore,” the demon wolf chirped softly from the rooftop. It was a good thing it hadn’t made enemies of these two. Not only was Qin Zhou unfathomable, but even Lu Yi, now free of his heart demon, was still too strong for it to defeat.

“Thwack!”

The demon wolf looked up, feeling wronged. Why was he hitting its head again? Seeing the talisman on its forehead about to fall off, it quickly licked it and stuck it back in place.

Shisi lay on the roof, a talisman in hand. Without turning his head, he whispered, “Be quiet!”

Shisi wasn’t the only one watching the show. Lu San, Yan Qi, Zhanyu, and a whole crowd of little pill figures were all perched on the roof, each holding a talisman in their hands as if by mutual agreement.

“Why are you being so mean to your spirit beast?” Fourth Brother ruffled Shisi’s hair.

Shisi scowled, “Fourth Brother, this demon wolf is cunning; we can’t give it an inch.”

Fourth Brother chuckled.

“Hmm, looking at the Village Chief and Big Brother, I can’t help but feel this is just how it should be,” Fourth Brother said, scratching his head. “Logically speaking, shouldn’t Big Brother and the Village Chief becoming Dao companions make it a generational mismatch for us?”

“After all, Big Brother and the Village Chief raised us from childhood,” said Xiao Liu gently. “Lovers are meant to be together—what else matters?”

Lu Jiu smiled as well: “Even if they become Dao Companions, Big Brother will still be Big Brother, and the Village Chief will still be the Village Chief.”

Lao Shi shook his head and chuckled, “That’s not necessarily true. Things are bound to be a little different. Just like when you, Brother, married Jiujiu—we all have to call her ‘Sister-in-Law Jiu’ now, and we certainly wouldn’t dare call her ‘Xiao Jiujiu’ anymore.”

Lao Ba laughed heartily, “I haven’t changed a bit—I still call her Jiujiu.”

“As for titles, there probably won’t be much change,” Zhanyu interjected at this point, smiling wistfully. “But whether Grandpa the Village Chief will favor Uncle even more from now on—that remains to be seen.”

The crowd: “……”

Zhanyu—sometimes being too clever isn’t such a good thing.

Even more biased…

They couldn’t even imagine what “even more biased” would look like.

“So be it if he’s biased. We’re used to it,” someone among the villagers suddenly spoke up, unconcerned. “As long as they’re happy together, isn’t that better than anything else?”

“True.”

“You’re absolutely right.”

“Even we would favor our own wives, wouldn’t we?”

“Exactly.”

“Shouldn’t we go out and congratulate them?”

“Maybe we shouldn’t disturb them?”

“Well… should we make our exit?”

Everyone agreed: “Let’s go!”

A few of them clutched their talismans and slipped down from the roof, moving cautiously and stealthily. A group of little pill-shaped figures followed behind them, bouncing and hopping.

“Did you hear that? ” Qin Zhou’s alchemical spirit sat upright in Wen Jue’s hand, but its ethereal form sat beside him, laughing.

Lao Shi’s talisman was indeed powerful, but unfortunately, in the Spirit Mountain Realm, he wasn’t just a simple Nascent Soul cultivator.

Wen Jue’s strength at the Tribulation Stage was also evident.

Besides… their voices weren’t exactly quiet, were they?

Wen Jue snorted lightly: “They’re just bored.”

What’s all this nonsense about a wife?

Wen Jue looked down, glancing at a certain spot below his waist. Once he’d settled everything, he’d go to the Union Sect to learn a thing or two; by then, he was determined to make Qin Zhou beg for mercy.

As for being biased…

“You heard about the bias thing too.”

“Hm?”

“You have to favor me the most. That’s the only way.” Wen Jue gently poked the miniature pill figure.

Qin Zhou’s ethereal form gazed at him with gentle eyes. “Alright.”