Chapter 1276: Wedding Gift
The sound of the jade cup shattering made Huo Rulie, Mu Huanzhi, and the others turn their gazes over. They suddenly saw Yun Che in his current state and were all startled: "What's wrong?"
*Crack!*
Another cracking sound. Following the jade cup, the jade table they were sitting at also split open with a long fissure.
Mu Bingyun quickly reached out and pressed on Yun Che's arm. A surge of cold energy instantly suppressed his restless aura: "Yun Che, calm down. That might not be her."
In the vast and boundless great thousand worlds, it was far from a rare phenomenon for names and appearances to be similar or even identical.
Moreover, the "Divine Empress" before them was quite different from the Xia Qingyue in Yun Che's and Mu Bingyun's memories. And the gap in their identities and statuses was even more vast — an immeasurable chasm.
One was a young palace master of a lower-realm sect, while the other was about to become the Divine Empress of a King Realm.
But Yun Che knew it was her.
Without any reason, the moment Yun Che saw her, he was absolutely certain it was Xia Qingyue… definitely.
Not even a hint of doubt.
At age sixteen, she was still a maiden with lingering youthful innocence, yet already possessed peerless grace.
At seventeen and a half, on the battlefield of the Cang Feng Ranking Tournament, the moment her white veil fell, the entire Tian Jian Villa held its breath.
At age nineteen, she had already become the young palace master of Bing Yun Fairy Palace. The eternal ice and snow of the Ice Extreme Snow Domain could not compare to a single fleeting smile from her.
Now, seeing her again, she was like a true divine maiden of the heavenly palace. Her splendor made even the moon in the sky pale in shame.
She was Xia Qingyue…
After eight years without any news, he had finally seen her again… in a place he had never imagined, in a situation he had never expected, and with an identity he had never dreamed of…
Seeing her again, he should have felt relieved and overjoyed. But why was she about to become the Divine Empress that Yue Shen Di was marrying!
His aura was suppressed by Mu Bingyun, but Yun Che's mind remained extremely chaotic. He wanted to calm himself down, but all the blood in his body was rushing wildly to his head, and he could not suppress it no matter what.
"Brother Yun, you…"
Huo Poyun was about to ask, but his arm was firmly grabbed by Huo Rulie, who slowly shook his head at him.
Huo Rulie, Yan Juehai, Mu Huanzhi, and the others all remained silent, but their hearts were deeply shaken. Yun Che was by no means someone who easily lost emotional control. On the contrary, he could face the oppressive might of Quhui Zunzhe without flinching and even rebuke him harshly; on the Feng Shen Platform, no matter how severely injured he was, he remained as calm as a demon; and when faced with an olive branch from a King Realm, he would refuse it mildly and indifferently.
A Yun Che like this was now as if his soul had been seized by a demon. His body was trembling, his face was twisted.
They could not imagine what kind of stimulation could cause Yun Che, who could even calmly reject a King Realm, to lose control to such an extent.
Not only Yun Che, but Mu Bingyun beside him also had a noticeably disordered aura.
And all of this happened after the Moon God's Divine Empress appeared.
They dared not make rash guesses, but at least one thing was certain: this was not something outsiders could intervene in or interfere with.
"Yun Che, don't be impulsive!" Mu Bingyun said again in a low voice, her tone filled with deep helplessness. Others were shocked by the Divine Empress's "Glazed Crystal Heart," but she was deeply astonished and simply could not believe that she was Xia Qingyue.
Her hand remained firmly pressed on Yun Che's arm, preventing any rash move from him.
This was the Yue Shen Realm, the supreme King Realm. Who would dare to cause trouble here?
But Mu Bingyun knew that Yun Che absolutely would dare…
It was not because he was reckless and ignorant of the stakes, but because of the pride and dignity deeply engraved in his bones!
He could yield on everything and take everything lightly, but he would never allow anyone to touch the bottom line of his dignity. Mu Bingyun had seen this clearly on the very first day she brought Yun Che to the Yin Xue Realm.
Upon arriving at Yin Xue, he had severely injured the nephew of Cold Snow Hall's master Mu Fengshu without mercy. At Minghan Heavenly Lake, he had clashed with Mu Xuanyin over unfairness. And at the Xuan God Convention, he had displayed this trait to the extreme…
It was something ingrained in his bones, something that could never change in a lifetime.
Xia Qingyue was not his confidante or a lover with whom he had exchanged future promises. She was a wife taken through proper rites!
Yet she was about to become the Moon God's Divine Empress.
This was undoubtedly the humiliation of having his wife taken!
The humiliation of having one's wife taken is a great disgrace that no normal man could ever accept, perhaps the greatest disgrace…
Especially Yun Che!
Mu Bingyun sighed inwardly. Her jade finger lightly brushed, and a wisp of Ice Phoenix aura covered Yun Che's entire body. Instantly, Yun Che trembled as if doused with cold water, and his chaotic pupils finally regained a hint of clarity.
Everyone's attention was on the Divine Empress who had just appeared. No one else noticed Yun Che's abnormality… except one person.
Qianye Ying'er!
Above the clouds, her gaze lingered on Yun Che for a long time, and the corners of her lips curled slightly: "Someone I have absolutely no interest in actually has such an interesting reaction to her. It seems that Yun Che and this Moon God's Divine Empress share some kind of remarkable connection."
"Miss," Gu Zhu said, "This woman not only possesses a Glazed Crystal Heart, but also has something that Miss has been searching for."
"Oh?" Qianye Ying'er glanced sideways, then her gaze changed slightly: "You mean…"
"The Nine-Xuan Exquisite Body," Gu Zhu said slowly.
"…" Qianye Ying'er fell silent, and remained silent for a very, very long time.
The Nine-Xuan Exquisite Body. Within its profound veins, a small world was formed, capable of breaking boundaries and transcending laws. It was universally recognized as the best dual cultivation cauldron in the world. As profound power increased, the existence of the Exquisite World would become increasingly difficult for others to detect, but it still could not escape Gu Zhu's murky and terrifying eyes.
"An Ice Crystal Glazed Heart and a Nine-Xuan Exquisite Body. Obtaining either one is a gift from heaven, yet she possesses both—unprecedented in history." Gu Zhu let out a deep sigh. "This generation of the Eastern Divine Region has produced too many unusual geniuses. Could it be that they were truly born to face a calamity?"
"…" Qianye Ying'er did not respond. Her gaze was no longer on Yun Che, but fixed firmly on Xia Qingyue. After a long while, she suddenly said coldly: "Is her primordial yin energy still intact?"
Gu Zhu nodded slightly. He knew Qianye Ying'er would inevitably ask this question.
"How strange. Such a beauty, possessing the Exquisite Body, yet still a virgin. Has Yue Wuyai become a saint, or turned into a eunuch?" Qianye Ying'er narrowed her eyes. "Since her primordial yin aura remains, it means… her Exquisite World can be seized."
"The woman of the Glazed Crystal Heart is blessed by the Heavenly Dao. This is not an empty saying," Gu Zhu said slowly. "Forcibly seizing her Exquisite Body might not be the best choice."
"I have never believed in the so-called Heavenly Dao." Qianye Ying'er let out a very light sneer. "Even if the Heavenly Dao truly exists, then I'll just overturn it!"
Gu Zhu remained silent.
"Qingyue, go and rest." Above the Dun Yue Immortal Palace, Yue Shen Di swept his gaze across the entire audience. He was not surprised by anyone's reaction.
Xia Qingyue turned and returned to the Dun Yue Immortal Palace. Throughout the entire time, she did not utter a single word, and not even the slightest ripple appeared in her expression or eyes.
But her momentary appearance was already enough.
"Xing Shen Di, are you satisfied now?" Yue Shen Di's words directly targeted Xing Shen Di, speaking with a light chuckle.
Compared to Xing Shen Di's public cold remarks, this counterattack of his was incredibly "gentle," yet it was an undeniable complete victory.
Xing Shen Di snorted, his hands clenched tightly, his face ashen. It had been a long time since his expression had been so ugly.
In recent years, the Xing Shen Realm could be said to have been unlucky. Powerful existences like the Star Gods had always died of old age, but in recent years, there had been continuous mishaps. Within a few decades, Tianlangxing Shen and Tiansha Xingshen had fallen one after another. Fortunately, Tiansha later returned, and Tianlang gained a new successor… and then Tian Du was killed by Tiansha with a single strike.
The death of Tian Du was kept tightly under wraps, unknown even within the Xing Shen Realm, let alone to outsiders.
In contrast, the Yue Shen Realm had actually obtained a woman of the Glazed Crystal Heart as their Divine Empress!
Under Yue Shen Di's smiling words, Xing Shen Di felt his heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys all aching with rage… and an intense jealousy burned within him.
In the Shenyue City, countless praises and exclamations arose, especially a wave of flattery that surged like a roaring tide. Within the main hall, Fantian Shen Di said: "No wonder Yue Shen Di made such a grand affair of this wedding and even brought up the events of that year himself… So that's how it is."
"The humiliation of that year no longer exists," Zhou Tian Shen Di said. He was the most firm believer in the heavenly blessing of the "Glazed Crystal Heart".
With just the three words "Glazed Crystal Heart," even if she were as ugly as a sow, an existence like a Divine Emperor would rush to make her his empress, to bless himself and his King Realm. Moreover, her appearance far surpassed that of Yue Wugou back then…
Just her appearance alone was enough to match Yue Shen Di. It wasn't just Shui Qianheng who thought so.
The humiliation of that year, viewed now, had actually become a blessing.
From now on, no one would have the right to secretly mock the Yue Shen Realm, not even other King Realms. They could only feel extreme envy.
With Xia Qingyue's departure, Yun Che's trembling gradually subsided until it completely stopped.
The waves of sound around him drowned his hearing. Long ago, Mo Li had told him that Xia Qingyue possessed an "Ice Crystal Glazed Heart" that would bring heavenly blessings. In the Yin Xue Realm, Mu Xuanyin had also briefly mentioned the "Glazed Crystal Heart" to him. But he had not grown up in the divine realm, and based solely on fragmentary words from Mo Li and Mu Xuanyin, he could not truly understand what the "Glazed Crystal Heart" meant.
But today, the reactions of these Eastern Domain powerhouses and Yue Shen Di's demeanor of facing the world with a smile all told him what the "Glazed Crystal Heart" signified.
But that was not important.
What was important was that she was Xia Qingyue.
Seeing that Yun Che seemed to have calmed down and showed no signs of extreme action, Mu Bingyun breathed a slight sigh of relief. At that moment, she saw Yun Che turn his gaze to her and ask a question:
"Palace Master Ice Cloud, do you think… does she know that I am still alive?"
Looking into Yun Che's eyes, Mu Bingyun's heart gave a sudden *thump*.
Because those eyes were incredibly calm—calm to the point of being terrifying—and faintly veiled with an intangible, pitch-black darkness.
It was as if two beasts lurked within, ready to go berserk at any moment.
Mu Bingyun could not answer. She could only shake her head.
Back then, when Xia Qingyue was sent away from Bing Yun Fairy Palace, everyone on the Tian Xuan Continent knew that Yun Che had "perished" aboard the Primordial Mystic Ark. In her understanding at that time, Yun Che was dead.
Until this year, before the Xuan God Convention, Xia Qingyue should have believed that Yun Che no longer existed in this world.
But…
During the Feng Shen Tournament, the name "Yun Che" resounded throughout the entire divine realm. Anyone in the Eastern Divine Region would have heard the name "Yun Che," let alone her, who was in the Yue Shen Realm at that level.
If she heard that name, as long as she took a look at the shadow projections of the Feng Shen Tournament, she would know that Yun Che was still alive.
Mu Bingyun really could not answer this question.
Because whether or not she believed Yun Che was dead meant two completely different concepts for both Xia Qingyue and Yun Che.
Yun Che fell silent, and Mu Bingyun did not speak again. Huo Poyun, Yan Juehai, and the others felt an invisible oppression and also remained silent, but turbulent waves surged in their hearts.
In the thoroughly clamorous Shenyue City, only their seats were shrouded in an eerie silence.
At that moment, a young girl in a moon-white long dress gracefully approached.
She had a delicate figure, was charming and lovely, and her life aura was less than twenty years, but she carried an imposing aura of grace and nobility, causing many Eastern Domain powerhouses to frequently glance her way, yet they dared not show any offense.
Because the moon-white long dress she wore was embroidered with the divine moon emblem of the Yue Shen Realm.
She passed through layers of outer seats and then walked toward the positions of Yin Xue and Yan Shen. Finally, under the astonished gazes of Huo Rulie and the others, she stopped beside Yun Che.
"May I ask… are you Young Master Yun Che?" the girl asked with a hint of trepidation.
Yun Che glanced at her: "You are?"
Seeing that he did not deny his identity, the girl immediately gave a graceful bow and said: "This servant is named Jinyue, the personal maidservant attending to Her Highness the Divine Empress."
Hearing the words "Her Highness the Divine Empress," Yun Che's gaze suddenly hardened. Mu Bingyun and the others also showed different changes in expression.
Yun Che's abruptly sharp gaze made Jinyue's heart leap. She did not know what had happened, but she felt a vague unease inside. She quickly held out a jade box, and her words became tinged with a bit of nervousness: "Her Highness the Divine Empress said that she once received a kindness from the Yin Xue Realm, so she specially… gave this gift to… Young Master Yun…"
Under Yun Che's stare, Jinyue suddenly shuddered violently at that moment and could no longer continue her words.
Yun Che reached out and took the jade box, his face expressionless.
Jinyue breathed a long sigh of relief inwardly. She did not know where this sudden unease came from and only wanted to leave immediately. She bowed slightly and said, "This servant takes her leave."
"Wait." Yun Che's fingers gently stroked the jade box, then opened it. Looking at the jade-white pill inside that emitted a mysterious aura, he asked, "May I ask one question?"
"Young Master Yun… please ask." Jinyue's body tensed slightly.
"Since your Divine Empress knows of me, has she seen the projections of the Feng Shen Tournament?" Yun Che said as he picked up the jade-white pill, not even looking at it before directly storing it into the Heavenly Poison Pearl, leaving only an empty jade box in his hand.
Bound by an inexplicable tension, Jinyue had no time to think about why Yun Che would ask such a question, and answered truthfully: "Her Highness has a detached temperament and did not pay attention to the Feng Shen Tournament."
"Is that so?" Yun Che said blandly, his face still expressionless. In his hand, he held a folded paper scroll, which he placed into the jade box, then gently closed the lid.
"Her Highness the Divine Empress has shown such great kindness. How could I not give a gift in return?" Yun Che lifted the jade box and placed it before Jinyue's eyes: "Please, Miss Jinyue, deliver my return gift to Her Highness the Divine Empress… and make sure she opens it with her own hands."
Jinyue subconsciously took it. After a moment's hesitation, she kindly said: "Young Master Yun, Her Highness the Divine Empress has a very indifferent nature. She receives countless wedding gifts but never touches any of them."
Yun Che narrowed his eyes: "Then please add this from me—this is a wedding gift from 'Xiao Che of Liuyun City.'"