Chapter 1254: Long Huang's Gift
"Master, what is all this about?" Huo Poyun asked, utterly bewildered. "Although Brother Yun is incredible and the Nine Layered Heavenly Tribulation was unprecedented... this is far too abnormal."
Although he rarely left the Flame God Realm, he was not so ignorant as to not know what a King Realm and the "Dragon Queen Divine Maiden" represented.
"No," Huo Rulie shook his head slightly. "On the contrary, this is actually perfectly normal."
"At the level of a King Realm, power, reputation, and the path of profound cultivation have all reached their pinnacles. One could say they have nothing left to seek. But there is one thing they have never stopped pursuing... and that is the path of a True God."
"Just because... of that prophecy?" Huo Poyun grew even more confused.
"If it were merely a prophecy that appeared out of thin air, they naturally wouldn't act like this. But the Nine Layered Heavenly Tribulation from the prophecy appeared right before their eyes. And so, the latter part of that prophecy—'the Return of the True God'—now truly seems possible."
Yan Juehai said, "The various Divine Emperors have repeatedly said that humans cannot cultivate to become True Gods, yet they themselves have never ceased their pursuit of the True God's path. Now, a True God prophecy appears before them, accompanied by an abnormal Nine Layered Heavenly Tribulation. Even if they only believe it by half, they will inevitably become frenzied for it, even... stopping at nothing!"
"...So, they want to obtain the secret of the True God's path from Yun Che?" Huo Poyun said, stunned.
"No, no," Huo Rulie shook his head. "If that talent belongs inherently to Yun Che, no one can take it away or replicate it. But if Yun Che truly corresponds to the prophecy and becomes a True God in the future, then... the star realm he belongs to will naturally become the sovereign of all realms. So right now, they are desperately trying to pull Yun Che into their own star realm. That's the case with Fantian, with Zhoutian, and with Liuguang as well."
"Although Yun Che is utterly insignificant in their eyes right now, and no one can predict the future, the impact of those two words—'True God'—on these supreme beings of the profound path is something you simply cannot fathom at the moment. Their seemingly incomprehensible decisions are, in truth, perfectly normal."
All eyes were fixed on Yun Che. Those who understood knew why Fantian Shen Di had made such a decision; those who did not thought Fantian Shen Di must have gone mad... everyone had gone mad!
They only hated that they were not Yun Che. If they could swap identities with him, even if it meant halving their lifespan, or even reducing it by eighty percent... oh no! If they could become a paramour of Fandi Shennü and spend a night of passion with her, they would gladly die the next day without regret.
Mu Bingyun said to Yun Che, "Yun Che, this is a major matter concerning your future. Being able to join the Fan Di God Realm would naturally be a great thing. But regarding the engagement with the Little Princess of the Glazed Light Realm, since you personally accepted it and have received a great favor, you cannot arbitrarily go back on your word... You must decide for yourself."
Regardless of Yun Che's future, he was still a disciple of the Ice Phoenix God Sect. As a senior of the sect, Mu Bingyun had the authority to command him.
With Shui Qianheng's sudden intervention, Yun Che finally managed to figure out how to respond after the momentary reprieve. He bowed deeply to Fantian Shen Di and said, "Fantian Shen Di, your great affection, please forgive this junior... for not daring to accept it."
As soon as he said this, the entire venue was stunned.
"Oh? Not dare?" Fantian Shen Di narrowed his eyes, his expression unreadable.
Yun Che said seriously, "Although this junior has only been in the divine realm for a short time, he has long known of the name 'Dragon Queen Divine Maiden.' Compared to the divine maiden, this junior is like muddy swamp beneath his feet compared to the drifting clouds in the sky. Fantian Shen Di wishes to bestow the divine maiden upon this junior as a wife—this junior can only feel overwhelmed by the favor and filled with fear, but he knows deeply that he is utterly unworthy."
"The reason Fantian Shen Di made such a decision is likely because he values this junior's future... So, why not wait another three years?"
Yun Che's tone rose slightly: "The Divine Martial Tournament has ended, and this junior is about to enter the Zhou Tian Divine Realm for three years of cultivation. After these three years, my future can be seen. If this junior achieves great success and lives up to expectations, I can accept it with peace of mind. If... after three thousand years in Zhoutian, this junior is still just a common mortal, it will not only make me a laughingstock, but also implicate and disappoint the Divine Emperor and Divine Maiden."
Yun Che's words were reasonable and heartfelt, every word and sentence considering the interests of the Fan Di God Realm. After all, if Yun Che truly turned out to be a common mortal in the future, the biggest laughingstock would not be him, but the Fan Di God Realm!
But the hidden meaning of these words was clearly a refusal.
Three years... was nothing more than a delaying tactic because he could not refuse outright!
"Such a thick thigh is being offered to him, and he doesn't immediately latch onto it? Instead, he digs a hole for himself? Has his brain snapped?"
"I get the feeling... he just simply wants to refuse?"
"He doesn't even want a divine maiden? He... he... he... does he like men?"
"Hahahaha!" Cang Shitian clapped his hands and laughed loudly. "Wonderful! Truly wonderful! There is actually someone in this world who dares to reject you, Qianye Fantian, and someone who would refuse the divine maiden of the Eastern Divine Region! Hahahaha... Boy Yun, how about coming back to the Southern Divine Region with me, this king?"
"I can see that you follow your own heart and refuse to be bound by anything—exactly the same as me. Come back to the Southern Divine Region with me, and under my protection, you can do as you please in the Southern Divine Region. Any supreme treasure or profound art can be taken at will, and any beauty in the world can be chosen by you. I guarantee it will be a hundred times more enjoyable than in the Eastern Divine Region!"
Yun Che: "..."
Zhou Tian Shen Di stared coldly with raised brows: "Yun Che is a person of my Eastern Divine Region. It is not your place to meddle from the Southern Divine Region!"
"Heh, if not for my 'meddling' earlier, this brat would have already been driven out by you. There's no way it would have come to this." Cang Shitian retorted sarcastically.
"You..." Zhou Tian Shen Di was slightly angered.
"Father..." At that moment, Fandi Shennü spoke softly, "What Yun Che said is correct. Whether he is qualified to be the husband of me, Qianye Ying'er, depends on the height he can reach in the future. Right now, he has potential but is far from qualified."
Qianye Fantian seemed never to refuse Qianye Ying'er's wishes. He nodded and said, "Very well, then this matter will be discussed again in three years."
Thus, what could be called the greatest blessing in the history of the Eastern Divine Region flew away alive and well. The crowd did not know whether to gloat or sigh in regret... Only Yun Che breathed a quiet sigh of relief.
"Yun Che," Long Huang suddenly spoke up at this moment, breaking the silence. As soon as he opened his mouth, the entire venue fell silent.
"The dragon race has an extremely long lifespan but finds it difficult to produce offspring. I have been Long Huang for nearly two hundred thousand years, yet I have never had a child." Long Huang spoke slowly, leaving everyone baffled as to why he would bring this up.
The fact that Long Huang and the Dragon Queen had no children was common knowledge in the divine realm. The difficulty of reproduction for the dragon race was also common sense.
"You possess a dragon soul, which means you have a great affinity with my dragon race. The original owner of the dragon soul you bear has a very deep connection with my Dragon God Realm. Therefore, I wish to take you as my adopted son... Are you willing?"
Boom!
Before the crowd could recover from the shock of Fantian Shen Di wanting to betroth his divine daughter to Yun Che, another earth-shattering thunderbolt struck out of the blue.
Zhou Tian Shen Di wanted to take Yun Che as a personal disciple...
Fantian Shen Di wanted to betroth his divine daughter to him...
The Glazed Light Realm King risked offending Fantian Shen Di to cut in.
The Southern Divine Region's Shitian Shen Di wanted to take him back to the Southern Divine Region and promised him free rein...
And now, Long Huang, the revered sovereign of ten thousand realms, had gone even further... he wanted to take him as an adopted son!
And in the absence of his own children!
Crazy...
Everyone had gone crazy!
And all of this happened after the Tianji Realm announced that prophecy. The various Divine Emperors all claimed not to believe the prophecy... but their scramble for Yun Che was crazier than the next.
An adopted son... the only adopted son in the absence of biological children. What that meant, no one dared to imagine.
Zhou Tian Shen Di was full of shock: "Long Huang, this is..."
"Rest assured." Long Huang raised his hand calmly. "Yun Che is neither of the dragon race nor from the Western Divine Region. I am not trying to take him away from the Eastern Divine Region, nor will I force him to leave the Eastern Divine Region... I am only giving him an identity."
Long Huang looked directly at Yun Che, and the most authoritative voice in this world resonated in the depths of everyone's soul: "Since he is my adopted son, anyone who wishes to move against him in the future should think carefully about the consequences!"
These words seemed to be answering Zhou Tian Shen Di, but in truth, they were meant for Yun Che.
He not only wanted to publicly take Yun Che as an adopted son, but also spoke such words!
Everyone from the Yin Xue Realm was dumbfounded, as if in a dream. Mu Bingyun was the first to urge urgently: "Yun Che, quickly thank Long Huang!"
Yun Che was too dazzling now, and his background was too thin. What he needed most right now was a life-protecting talisman. And the one personally offered by Long Huang was the most powerful life-protecting talisman in the entire divine realm!
Yun Che knelt down, but there was no trace of the ecstasy that should have been on his face. Instead, he said with extreme calm and solemnity: "Senior Long Huang, you are the sovereign of the present age, and your status and honor are unmatched. Although this junior never belittles himself, he deeply knows... that he is utterly unworthy to be your adopted son."
Long Huang said calmly: "Even if all the world says you are unworthy, as long as I say you are worthy, then you are worthy!"
Long Huang's words—who would dare to defy or question?
Yun Che continued: "Although this junior has little experience, he knows that the relationship of 'father and son' is different from that of friends or masters and disciples. Without blood ties, there must be great affection or great kindness to be worthy of being adoptive father and son. This junior has had no previous dealings with Senior Long Huang, and there is no kindness between us. If this junior, for his own benefit, were to take Senior Long Huang as his father, he would surely be looked down upon by others and would also be unfilial to his birth parents... Perhaps even Senior Long Huang himself would think less of him."
The Divine Martial Platform instantly fell silent. The crowd looked at each other, all with expressions as if they had seen a ghost.
Fantian Shen Di and Zhou Tian Shen Di wanted to take him as a personal disciple—he refused...
Fantian Shen Di wanted to betroth his divine daughter to him—he refused...
Now Long Huang was proactively offering to take him as an adopted son—and he still refused!
All the Divine Emperors seemed to have gone mad... and Yun Che was an utterly incomprehensible madman!
What the hell was going through his mind!?
"Yun Che, you..." Mu Bingyun was frantic. She wanted to persuade him, but then she thought of Yun Che's temperament and forcibly stopped herself.
"What is he thinking?" Mu Bingyun murmured.
Long Huang's brow furrowed slightly, but he was not angry. Instead, he said something incomprehensible to others: "You should understand why I have made this decision."
Yun Che: "..."
Seeing Yun Che's expression, Long Huang sighed inwardly, but did not insist: "It seems you have your own thoughts. Very well, I will not force you."
As his words fell, Long Huang's gaze flickered. He pushed his palm forward, and a white radiance shone, carrying a dragon-shaped jade that floated before Yun Che.
Zhou Tian Shen Di frowned at first, then blurted out: "Dragon God Seal!"
The mere mention of "Dragon God Seal" caused the expressions of all the Divine Lords to change drastically.
"This is the Dragon God Seal," Long Huang said slowly. "It contains dragon aura. In the Western Divine Region, whoever sees this seal sees the Dragon Emperor!"
Yun Che's heart shook. This time, he did not refuse. He raised his hand and carefully took the Dragon God Seal, then bowed deeply: "Thank you for your blessing, Senior Long Huang. This junior has nothing to repay now, but if he achieves anything in the future, he will surely..."
"No need!" Long Huang waved his hand. "Showing the Dragon God Seal in the Western Divine Region will make no one dare to oppose you. But in other divine regions, it may not necessarily protect your life. If one day you feel the Eastern Divine Region is no longer suitable for you, come to the Dragon God Realm. With the dragon soul you possess... the Dragon God Realm will be the safest place for you in this world!"
Long Huang's words carried deep meaning, and Yun Che understood what he was implying. He put away the Dragon God Seal and said gratefully: "This junior will remember Senior Long Huang's words."