Investing in the Reborn Empress, She Actually Calls Me ‘Husband’
Chapter 187: A Heart as Clear as a Sword, Thank You for the Bright Moon

The Sword Tower radiated divine light, veiling the sun as if embodying the will of the gods. Even the Cloud Steps shimmered with a faint golden hue, resembling a celestial path to ascension.

Ying Bing gazed at the towering giant sword, her eyes trembling.

She was not rejected by the Cloud Steps, nor did she feel any pressure.

Yet she hesitated...

Should she ascend?

If her sword heart remained clouded, what meaning was there in climbing?

But if she sought to comprehend the true essence of the Divine Firmament Heart, then walking this path meant...

From this moment onward, she might have to walk all future roads alone.

"What's wrong with her?"

"I could make it halfway up these steps—is she afraid to even try?"

"That can't be... No one could withstand three strikes from her in the arena. How could she be afraid?"

"Could there be some trick here?"

The murmurs of the crowd reached her ears.

"Hmm?"

The plain-faced woman, Yin Mianmian, also turned her gaze toward Ying Bing.

The elders frowned, perplexed.

For someone of Ying Bing's talent, these Cloud Steps should be nothing more than a formality.

Why did it seem like... she was caught in a dilemma?

In Ying Bing's dazed vision, chaotic images flashed—

On one side: power, solitude, and icy detachment.

On the other: everything that had happened since her rebirth, vivid and real.

Both sides were deeply rooted in her heart, impossible to shake.

Her soul trembled violently as a result.

"Ice Block."

Suddenly, a voice cut through the noise, reaching her ears.

She looked up to see the young man—Li Mo—also wearing a troubled expression.

Li Mo was suffering inwardly.

That inexplicable pressure was growing stronger.

And it wasn't physical—it weighed on his soul!

This was absurd.

He hadn't felt anything like this when climbing the Heavenly Stone Steps!

Was it because these Cloud Steps were forged from sword intent, and he was utterly incompatible with the sword path?

But that didn't make sense either.

Take Zhong Zhenyue, for example—he clearly had no extraordinary sword talent, yet he strode forward effortlessly.

Strange.

No time to dwell on the reason.

Right now, he had to endure the pressure on his soul while maintaining a calm facade.

It seemed there was only one solution...

As everyone knew, Li Mo was a genius. And after deep contemplation, he had indeed thought of a possible method.

[Congratulations, Host. Ten years of martial insights successfully infused.]

[Year One: You explored the method of dual cultivation, seeking spiritual resonance and mental harmony.]

...

[Year Ten: You attained enlightenment—the key lay in the compatibility of souls. If two souls were too discordant, the second layer of Phoenix Cry Over Heavenly Marsh could never be mastered.]

He turned to Ying Bing and asked,

"Do you remember the second layer of Phoenix Cry Over Heavenly Marsh?"

"Phoenix... Cry Over Heavenly Marsh?"

A trace of confusion flickered in Ying Bing's serene eyes, but she nodded lightly.

"Then let's go."

Li Mo reached out his hand to her.

Ying Bing: "?"

As everyone also knew, Phoenix Cry Over Heavenly Marsh was a dual cultivation technique.

Dual cultivation?

Here? Now?

While she hesitated, her slender hand suddenly felt warmth—Li Mo, having returned with Princess Little Jiang in tow, took hold of her palm.

Firm. Reassuring.

Ying Bing realized that the war within her heart had vanished, as if it had never existed.

Why?

Why had her soul suddenly calmed?

They had shared more intimate contact before.

This was just hand-holding—nothing significant...

Yet this... was unnatural.

She abruptly raised her head and met his familiar gaze—but now, it felt even more known to her.

In the reflection of his eyes, she glimpsed a faint silhouette of the moon.

Almost instinctively, the essence of Phoenix Cry Over Heavenly Marsh's second layer surfaced in her mind, and she began circulating it.

This supreme technique allowed two souls to merge, their spirits intertwining.

Thus, $2he moon he had awakened within himself also illuminated her meridians.

It, too, was the Lunar essence.

But this radiance held no coldness, no desolation.

Instead, it bathed the world in serene, water-like gentleness.

This... was his vision of the moon?

Yet it was different from hers—unfamiliar, yet deeply familiar.

"Whew... Let's go."

Li Mo exhaled in relief.

After activating the technique, he also saw the bronze divine tree and the moon in Ying Bing's eyes.

But he didn't react much.

Once their souls merged, the pressure on them vanished instantly.

And so, $2ith Princess Little Jiang clinging to his back and his hand holding the dazed Ice Block, Li Mo strode forward.

They ascended into the heavens, leaving the clamor of the mortal world behind.

.....

"????"

"Wait, so Ying Bing wasn't moving because she was waiting for Li Mo to hold her hand?"

"Folks, I suddenly feel like this martial summit isn't worth watching anymore. I'm out."

"Bro, seriously..."

"This is the real-life version of 'Jiang Chen' and 'Liu Wuyan'! Too bad Li Mo didn't smirk—missing that classic vibe."

After a moment of stunned silence, the crowd erupted in chatter.

On the high platform, $2he elders exchanged glances, speechless.

"If I'm not mistaken, they were just..." Elder Zeng muttered.

"Correct. Dual cultivation."

"And not just any dual cultivation—that was a high-tier technique."

Another elder's lips twitched.

The group: "......"

Are we, esteemed elders, here to watch this?

In past ascensions, prodigies competed fiercely—if not outright hostile, at least unwilling to fall behind.

What were these two doing?

"They're not even treating us as human!"

"Am I not human? Am I?!"

"Elder Zeng, as the presiding elder, say something!"

Thus, $2lder Zeng slammed the table, eyes gleaming with excitement:

"Heh... Good, good! Jiang Chen finally showed his protective side!"

"????"

......

Higher on the Cloud Steps, $2hey climbed further.

Ying Bing, led by the hand, walked among the clouds, the mortal world spread beneath her feet—just as she had once overlooked all from her lunar palace.

But now, she was not alone.

For she could see the moon within Li Mo's soul—a moon unlike her own.

As one born with the Lunar Phoenix physique, she was acutely sensitive to the mysteries of the moon. Guided by the dual cultivation method, $2he saw what he saw.

The heavy fog of confusion in her heart was pierced by this light, and understanding came naturally.

"My heart is clear as a mirror."

"No matter what the mirror reflects, the mirror itself remains unclouded."

The summit of the Sword Tower drew near.

"Almost there."

Li Mo inhaled an inexplicable fragrance and finally relaxed.

The Legend of Li the Sword Immortal remained untarnished!

And he owed it to the Ice Block...

"Li... Brother Li."

"Hm?"

"Sister Ying... she seems to have had an epiphany."

"Eh???"

Li Mo froze.

The soul intertwined with his pulsed with intense fluctuations.

He turned—just in time to meet her gaze.

At the corner of Ying Bing's lips was a smile.

Faint, but undeniably real.

Hum—

A sword's resonance echoed between heaven and earth, ethereal yet palpable, shaking the Cloud Steps.

This time, it wasn't Li Mo adding cheap special effects.

The myriad swords hummed in resonance, as if yearning to break free from their wielders' grasp.

Even the colossal Sword Tower seemed to tremble in response.

Li Mo now shared a soul-deep connection with Ying Bing.

He too could sense it.

From the pinnacle of the Sword Tower came an ethereal summons.

Yet Li Mo had no mind to ponder its meaning deeply.

He only heard the ice-cold one whisper softly:

"Thank you... for that round moon of yours."

.......

(Author's note: Please consider supporting with power stones! Mwah~)