# Chapter 1287: Heaven-Sent Choice
"Let you succeed... Yue Shen Di?" Yun Che was baffled once again. "Why?"
Yue Shen Di had sons and daughters, he had the other eleven Moon Gods. Why would he want Xia Qingyue, who had only been in the Yue Shen Realm for a few years, to succeed him as Yue Shen Di? Not to mention her status was merely that of an "adopted daughter," and her profound aura was only at the early Divine Spirit Realm—not even as strong as Yun Che himself. It was utterly impossible for her to match the title "Divine Emperor," which could overwhelm heaven and earth with its sheer presence.
Could it be solely because she possessed the "Liuli Heart"?
The Yue Shen Realm was no ordinary existence. It was one of the Four King Realms of the Eastern Divine Region, with nearly a million years of history and heritage. Xia Qingyue had neither blood ties nor any connection to the Yue Shen Realm... Making her Yue Shen Di just because of the Liuli Heart? That would be equivalent to handing over the vast Yue Shen Realm to an outsider. Wasn't that absurd!?
"Many reasons," Xia Qingyue said. "Because of my Liuli Heart, because of my Linglong Body, perhaps also because I am my mother's daughter, and even more because... my adoptive father has no other choice left."
Yun Che was even more confused. "I can understand the Liuli Heart. Back then, the Zhou Tian Realm became a King Realm precisely because they had an ancestor with a Liuli Heart. If you became Yue Shen Di, perhaps you would also bring what is called 'Heaven's Blessing' to the Yue Shen Realm. But..."
"What makes a King Realm powerful is the existence of a special 'inheritance' that allows them to maintain the highest level of power, making them difficult to shake," Xia Qingyue continued. "To gain the recognition of the Moon God's power and thus obtain the inheritance, one either needs extremely high talent or sufficient compatibility."
Yun Che already knew this. The Star Gods of the Star God Realm and the Moon Gods of the Moon God Realm were all the same.
"The power my adoptive father inherited is the Moon God power of the strongest Moon God, 'Zi Que.' However, among all his descendants, not a single one is qualified to gain the recognition of any Moon God power, and no one can inherit his Zi Que Divine Power. But my 'Linglong Body' can serve as a perfect vessel for any power."
"My adoptive father says that I am his only choice, and also the perfect choice granted to him by heaven."
Yun Che furrowed his brow. "Is your adoptive father tired of being Yue Shen Di? Or perhaps a descendant born later might become compatible. Why is he in such a hurry to decide this?"
"..." Xia Qingyue let out a faint, ethereal sigh. After a long while, she spoke softly, "Because my adoptive father's time... is also running out."
Yun Che was startled. "What do you mean?"
Xia Qingyue's gaze was hazy as mist. She knew what her departure represented. She had completely destroyed all of her adoptive father's dignity, shattered his hopes, and ruined the final wish he shared with her mother...
She knew that for the rest of her life, she would live in guilt toward her adoptive father.
But if she hadn't done this, she would have wronged Yun Che, who had "returned from the dead."
Today, she finally truly understood how agonizing her mother's choice had been back then. No matter who she chose, it was wrong. No matter who she chose, it was a sin.
But she was fortunate, because the one who should have blamed her most and hated her most had given her a true and "stainless" affection.
If Yue Wugou had been a man, facing two women, his choice would not have been painful. It might even have become a celebrated tale. But because she was a woman, no matter what she did or chose, in the eyes of the world, there would only ever be "stain" and "sin"... Even though none of it was her fault, even though Yue Shen Di had never hated her.
This was undoubtedly a great tragedy.
"Qingyue, how old is your adoptive father now?" Yun Che asked, apparently not noticing Xia Qingyue's chaotic state of mind as he pondered.
"Seventeen thousand years old," Xia Qingyue replied.
"That shouldn't be right," Yun Che frowned. "I've heard from my master that at the level of Yue Shen Di, longevity generally reaches fifty thousand years, or even more. Yue Shen Di hasn't even reached half of that. How can it be 'running out'?"
Xia Qingyue's voice was as light as floating willow catkins. "A Tianji prophecy."
"Oh..." Yun Che blinked, then curled his lips dismissively. "Is that all? Those old swindlers. You actually believe their words?"
Yun Che's conviction that the Tianji Realm was filled with "old swindlers" was not without reason. He had survived the Nine Heavenly Tribulations unscathed because of his Evil God Divine Power. But the Three Tianji Elders had claimed it was because he was the "Son of the Heavenly Dao." Though it had gotten him out of trouble, it had also firmly earned them the label of "old swindlers" in Yun Che's mind.
But, as it happened, most Star Realms in the Eastern Divine Region, including the Four King Realms, placed great faith in the Tianji Realm's "heavenly mechanisms" and "prophecies." During the Divine Profound Conference, the Three Tianji Elders had even sat at the same table as the King Realms.
"My adoptive father personally visited the Tianji Realm once every thousand years. Every time he received a 'heavenly revelation,' it came true, without exception."
Yun Che: "..." (Is it really that accurate?)
"Five years ago was his last visit to the Tianji Realm. The revelation he received was that within ten years, his life force would surely be cut off."
That was a "heavenly revelation" from five years ago. In other words, by now, Yue Shen Di had at most five years left... if it came true.
"That's impossible!" Yun Che shook his head decisively. "Yue Shen Di's lifespan is far from over. I saw him just today. His energy and spirit couldn't be better. If you're saying he'll be killed... who in this world could kill a Divine Emperor?"
If someone said they could defeat Yue Shen Di, Yun Che would believe it. Long Bai could do it. Qianye Fantian could do it too.
But if someone said they could kill Yue Shen Di? Not Yun Che, and probably no one in the world would believe it.
To become a Divine Emperor meant one's divine path cultivation had reached the pinnacle of the Divine Lord Realm. Although Yun Che didn't understand exactly how powerful that level was, he knew that at that stage, even dying was harder than ascending to heaven.
Even if the other three Divine Emperors of the Eastern Divine Region joined forces to kill Yue Shen Di, unless Yue Shen Di stubbornly fought to the death, it would be nearly impossible for them to succeed if he didn't wish it.
"But my adoptive father believes it. Moreover, before that visit to the Tianji Realm, he himself had already had similar premonitions."
"Even if previous prophecies were accurate, this kind of talk isn't worth believing," Yun Che shook his head again, then muttered a curse under his breath. "Those three old swindlers really are a menace."
"If it doesn't come true, that would naturally be best," Xia Qingyue sighed wistfully. "But my adoptive father is Yue Shen Di. He believes it, and he must prepare before it comes to pass."
"To my adoptive father, the most important thing is to find someone to succeed him. But none of his descendants can inherit the Divine Emperor's throne, and in the entire Yue Shen Realm, there is no one who can be compatible with the 'Zi Que' Divine Power."
"So he chose me."
"Though my adoptive father says I am his most perfect choice, I know it is a choice forced upon him by despair."
"No," Yun Che shook his head at this. "Although I am not Yue Shen Di, if this is the case, perhaps his words are not merely to comfort you. You truly are the most perfect choice heaven has granted him. Even if one of his children or grandchildren were capable of inheriting his divine power, I believe he would still choose you."
Xia Qingyue tilted her beautiful eyes, a hint of confusion in them.
"Your adoptive father is different from us. We have only lived for a few decades, while he has lived for nearly twenty thousand years. To someone of his level, things like familial affection are actually quite faint. What matters most to him is undoubtedly the Yue Shen Realm, to which he has devoted his entire life. As Yue Shen Di, the Yue Shen Realm in his heart outweighs everything else."
"..." Xia Qingyue understood Yun Che's words well.
"If none of his descendants are suitable successors, he could indeed pass the position of Realm King to another Moon God. But his 'Zi Que' Divine Power is not only the strongest, it has accompanied him his entire life. Anyone would have selfish desires, hoping that the power they have spent their life with would remain on the throne. And you, if you can truly inherit it—perfectly inherit it—then your adoptive father must be overjoyed in his heart."
The Nine-Xuan Exquisite Body... When Mo Li had mentioned it to him back then, she had simply said that someone with the Nine-Xuan Exquisite Body would have a small world formed naturally within their profound veins, allowing them to transcend limits and laws. That was why, without the Phoenix bloodline, she had been able to cultivate the Ice God Divine Art (Ice Phoenix God-Sealing Canon) at the Bing Yun Fairy Palace.
At the same time, it was also the best cauldron in the world for dual cultivation.
He hadn't expected that the exquisite world within her profound veins could also serve as a perfect vessel for any power...
Sigh, heaven had truly been too generous to Xia Qingyue.
"And your 'Liuli Heart,' in the eyes of the world, can bring heaven's blessing. If you become Yue Shen Di, you will naturally bring heaven's blessing to the Yue Shen Realm. To Yue Shen Di, perhaps nothing is more important than the future of the Yue Shen Realm."
As for the Liuli Heart receiving heaven's blessing, the Eastern Divine Region firmly believed this, and the King Realms believed it even more. Back on the Tian Xuan Continent, when Mo Li mentioned it to him, she had explicitly said it was a heaven-blessed body. After Xia Qingyue's whereabouts became unknown, Mo Li had repeatedly told him that Xia Qingyue had heaven's protection and there was no need to worry.
After all, there was the massive precedent of the Zhou Tian Realm, still standing proudly at the pinnacle of the Eastern Divine Region, towering above the Yue Shen Realm, which had a longer history. It was hard to forget or disbelieve.
"Your years in the Yue Shen Realm have been enough for your adoptive father to understand you. Perhaps part of it is due to his feelings for your mother, but that should only account for a small portion. The inheritance of divine power and the future of the Yue Shen Realm are what matter most. So, to him, you are indeed the heaven-sent, most perfect choice."
"..." Xia Qingyue was silent for a long time, seemingly pondering Yun Che's words.
By this point, Yun Che fully understood why Xia Qingyue had said this wedding ceremony was more for the eyes of the Yue Shen Realm.
Although she could perfectly inherit the "Zi Que" Divine Power and possessed the Liuli Heart that could bring heaven's blessing to the Yue Shen Realm, her identity was absolutely unsuitable to become the Moon God Empress.
Yue Shen Di had children and grandchildren. The Yue Shen Realm had a Crown Prince, other Moon Gods, and various factions. If he skipped over all of them and passed the throne to an "adopted daughter" who wasn't from the Yue Shen Realm and whom no one knew, even if it was the order of Yue Shen Di, it would inevitably provoke fierce opposition from the entire realm—especially from the Moon God Crown Prince.
But if the throne was passed to the Divine Empress, it would be completely different. Though there would still be resistance, it would be ten or a hundred times less.
Only...
"Qingyue," Yun Che suddenly said. "Yue Shen Di, the Realm King of a King Realm—something most people wouldn't even dare to dream of. But given your nature, do you truly want it? Or are you simply repaying your adoptive father's kindness?"
Xia Qingyue said, "I do not wish to defy my adoptive father's will, but it also aligns with my own desires."
"Oh?" Yun Che was taken aback.
Xia Qingyue's gaze grew profound. Her long hair cascaded lightly over her fragrant shoulders and chest, and the bright light of the Dun Yue Immortal Palace illuminated her dreamlike, immortal visage. "I have been devoted to the path of the profound my entire life, and I wish to see the pinnacle of that path. Originally, I might not have achieved it even if I spent my whole life. But by inheriting my adoptive father's divine power, I can fulfill this desire in a single night."
"Over the years, I have experienced separation from loved ones, the tragic upheaval of my sect, and several tribulations that nearly cost me my life. I have come to fully understand what weakness means in this world. I no longer wish to be forced, because of my weakness, to watch helplessly as things I 'don't want' happen again and again."
She had always been pursuing a stronger profound path, and her state of mind had been changing over the years. But one major catalyst for these changes she did not mention: the "death of Yun Che."
"Inheriting my adoptive father's divine power and throne will both fulfill his trust and expectations and realize my long-standing pursuit. I have no reason to refuse."
"I see." Yun Che nodded slowly. Just as he was about to say something else, his entire body suddenly trembled violently.
Today's wedding ceremony in the Yue Shen Realm was a monumental deception. However, as Yue Shen Di had announced, it was the most important day of his life, and it determined the future of the Yue Shen Realm—no exaggeration.
It would wash away the shame Yue Shen Di had suffered back then, could untie Yue Wugou's heart knot so she could depart in peace, would fulfill the final wishes of Yue Shen Di and Yue Wugou, and would lay the groundwork for Xia Qingyue's succession as Divine Emperor...
This was not merely a wedding ceremony. What it poured into it far exceeded anyone's imagination. It was extremely important to Yue Shen Di, to Yue Wugou, to the Yue Shen Realm, to Xia Qingyue...
He had been intently listening to Xia Qingyue's account, continuously processing and deliberating, and had actually forgotten... that all of this had been completely destroyed.
Because of his appearance, because of Xia Qingyue's choice, it was all ruined...
No need to wait five years—he'll kick the bucket within a year... (￣▽￣)~* Guess who killed Yue Wuyai?