«So this,» Xuan Yuan  murmured, his voice faint as the wind, «is the reason you summoned the celestial maiden?»

He didn’t turn back right away.

He stood at the edge of the pavilion, eyes lifted to the silvery moon suspended above a vast sea of clouds. From where he was, it seemed almost close enough to touch.

The mountain he stood on—technically a floating mountain—was not particularly high in elevation, but Nüwa, ever dramatic, had utilized some unknown system or illusion matrix to imbue the Eastern Sovereign Palace with a dreamlike ambiance. The effect was such that, standing here, one truly felt as though they had ascended to the ninth heaven.

Up here, Xuan Yuan  gazed upon the moon eye to eye—as though he were its equal.

And not just that—the moon within this realm appeared several times larger than it did in the mundane world. Vast, glowing, majestic.

Someone with megalophobia—fear of massive objects—might have fainted on the spot.

Lowering his gaze, he saw only the roiling, endless sea of clouds stretching beneath him, shrouding the mortal world like a blanket.

«I know our Celestial Sovereign is kind-hearted,» Nüwa chimed sweetly, sidling up beside him with a wide grin, her tone laced with playful flattery. «You hate to see suffering in the human world, don’t you? Soooo… how about it? Are you impressed? Am I clever and thoughtful, or am I clever and thoughtful?»

Huang Rong stifled a giggle behind her sleeve, watching their exchange with amused eyes. She glanced at Xuan Yuan  ’s tea cup—now empty—and silently refilled it.

Xuan Yuan  glanced at Nüwa from the corner of his eye and suddenly decided to tease her.

«If you’re really so thoughtful,” he said with a sly grin, «then I have just the task for you.»

Nüwa blinked. «Huh?»

He turned to lean against the crystal railing, arms folded behind his back, and gazed down through the clouds as though his vision could pierce their veil and see the mortal world beneath.

«At the foot of Mount Zi, we’ve got quite a few refugees now, don’t we?»

Nüwa tilted her head, unsure where this was going.

«I want you,» Xuan Yuan  said, voice calm, «to design a full-scale urban planning blueprint for them. A town. A proper one. And you’re not allowed to use any industrial equipment.»

«What you can do is provide them with certain innovations—things they could develop with their current tech level but haven’t yet thought of. Just enough to guide them forward.»

Nüwa stared. «Wait, what?»

This was… not difficult for her.

Given her processing capacity, logical matrix, and resource library, she could design such a thing in seconds.

But—

«Why?» she asked.

«Plague,» Xuan Yuan  answered, gesturing at the clouds below them.

«This has reminded me—this era’s hygiene conditions are primitive. Even if they survive this epidemic, another one will come. And another. If we want real progress, we need to start laying the groundwork now.»

«A well-planned, sustainable town. Good drainage, sanitation, food storage, zoning… the basics. And include an industrial area.»

Nüwa still looked dazed.

«So… you’re trying to… uplift them?»

«Precisely,» Xuan Yuan  said, voice low. «We’ll guide them to develop at a pace slightly faster than their natural evolution—but not fast enough to collapse society. We provide seeds of advancement. Let them grow. Then expand outward.»

«From here,» he added, «we’ll slowly begin reshaping the world.»

Nüwa’s eyes gleamed.

«Master… are you planning to conquer the world?!»

Xuan Yuan  shot her a look. «No.»

She blinked again. «You don’t want to be emperor?»

«I have no interest in sitting on a throne.»

It took her a second. Then she slapped her palm.

«Ohhh! Of course! What Celestial Sovereign governs mortals directly? We’re going full proxy war strategy, right?! I’ll go review how ancient Earth superpowers handled regime manipulation—start with the Americans!»

«…You’ll stay right here,» he said dryly. «Try pulling any geopolitical nonsense, and I’ll unplug your processing core.»

«Bullying! Abuse! Hostile work environment!» Nüwa cried, scampering over to hide behind Huang Rong. «Rong’er, your Xing-gege is so mean to me!»

«Rong’er can’t control Xing-gege,» Huang Rong giggled, watching them with warm amusement. «But I like seeing you two like this.»

She walked over and gently took Xuan Yuan  ’s hand, her voice soft like silk.

«Xing-gege… you’ve made a decision?»

«…Sort of,» he said, wind tugging at his hair. «More of a vague outline than a proper plan.»

He looked at the moon again.

«Back then, the former civilization tried to ascend through science and technology alone. They failed. We don’t know why. But I get the feeling that walking only that path… isn’t the answer.»

He exhaled. «Still, we can’t hold humanity back either. So… we experiment.»

Huang Rong, who had recently spent her spare time learning modern knowledge through a tablet Nüwa had lent her, nodded. She still didn’t quite understand all the theory—but she trusted him completely.

She leaned on his arm, voice light but firm.

«Then go, Xing-gege. No matter what, Rong’er will always stay by your side.»

Xuan Yuan  fell silent, emotions flickering in his heart.

Did I really get isekai’d into the far future just to run Otto Apocalypse’s script?

As he pondered this, Nüwa chimed in with a cheerful warning.

«Master! Rong’er! Incoming. The celestial maiden has arrived.»

                                             …Scene Break…

From the moment she stepped inside the Eastern Sovereign Palace, Feng Yunqu felt as though she had entered a true immortal domain.

It was night, and yet everything around her glowed gently—walls, pillars, lanterns, walkways. Light didn’t shine here; it flowed.

Palatial towers rose like starlit jade, surrounded by floating lotus platforms and crystalline bridges. Every turn offered a view so breathtaking she nearly forgot to keep walking.

Why… Why couldn’t I see any of this before? she wondered. Why did it look like snow and a cliff from the outside—and now I’m standing in celestial itself?

And then she remembered the moment she’d dismounted the floating palanquin. She had sensed nothing—no gateway, no shift. But this place… this realm had been hidden in plain sight. Beyond mortal perception.

The deeper she went, the more her heart swelled with reverence.

She was about to meet Him.

Her Celestial Sovereign.

She arrived before a radiant rainbow bridge, arcing between floating mountains. At its far end stood a magnificent tower, nestled atop a floating peak. Within a high pavilion, she could see three distant figures.

«The Celestial Sovereign awaits,» the golden warrior beside her said flatly. «Proceed alone.»

With that, he turned and vanished into the mists.

Feng Yunqu swallowed.

Hard.

She stepped forward.

Onto the rainbow bridge.

Each step was reverent, cautious. As she approached the pavilion, the three figures came into focus.

A young girl in moon-white robes, barely into adolescence, stood smiling with a radiance so perfect it seemed celestial . Her beauty was unreal. So pure that Feng Yunqu felt her breath catch.

There was an air of playful scrutiny in the girl’s eyes—as though watching a mortal from on high.

Beside her was a figure in brilliant red, her form partially transparent. A long scroll hovered beside her, trailing glowing script. She seemed to be a celestial spirit, not entirely tethered to flesh.

Two attendants of the Celestial Sovereign? Feng Yunqu’s heart tightened. She lowered her gaze, accepting her own plainness without complaint.

How could a mortal ever compare to celestial maidens?

And then she saw Him.

He stood with his back to her, robes rustling in the breeze, gazing out at the moon above the clouds.

That tall, composed figure—

Her Celestial Sovereign.

Unable to contain herself, Feng Yunqu fell to her knees right there on the rainbow bridge and pressed her forehead to her hands.

«This humble one—Feng Yunqu—presents herself before the Celestial Sovereign!»

Feng Yunqu, huh?

Xuan Yuan  , hearing her name, felt a strange thought drift through his mind.

Wind… cloud… flower.

Weather-themed name. Reminded him of someone from a game—wasn’t there a «Wind Clear Snow» or something like that?

Another weather maiden?

He almost chuckled at the coincidence.

Of course, Feng Yunqu had no idea that the Celestial Sovereign she so devoutly worshiped was mentally poking fun at her name.

She couldn’t see him. She dared not lift her head. She remained prostrate on the bridge, forehead pressed to her knuckles, completely still..

Her heart thundered in her chest. Her body trembled.

And in that moment of supreme reverence, her senses spiraled.

Her ears rang. Her vision dimmed. Her heartbeat roared in her ribs.

So this… is what it feels like… to be seen by a celestial.