Chapter 1343: Starlight Extinguished
Yun Che was dead. Beneath the starlight, before the eyes of all the Star Guards and Star Gods, he was shattered into pieces in front of Mo Li and Cai Zhi.
Cai Zhi’s crying stopped. She stared blankly, her face and starry eyes drained of all color. Her frail body slowly went limp within the barrier, and she knelt to the ground, lost and lifeless.
His death had been sealed the moment he forcibly activated "Paradise Asura" — because that was a power of despair obtained by burning up his life, profound veins, soul, will, faith… absolutely everything. And with his death, Hong'er and He Ling, who were linked to his life and soul, also perished.
Yun Che’s death brought an indelible nightmare and massive loss to the Star God Realm. Nor could it vent the fury and terror of the Star God Emperor. He had long abandoned all ceremony, standing up from the barrier and roaring, "Destroy his corpse! Not a single strand of hair, not a single drop of blood shall remain!"
"…Yes!" The Star Guards were startled, then quickly responded. Several streaks of starlight condensed once more, but before they could act, Yun Che’s shattered remains suddenly burst into crimson flames — as if the divine blood in his body released its final divine radiance after his demise.
The flames burned and rapidly connected, forming a small sea of fire. Within that sea, fragments of Yun Che’s body were quickly incinerated, disappearing one after another, until they were completely burned to ash, returning to nothingness.
Just as the Star God Emperor had wished — not a single hair, not a drop of blood remained. Truly, no trace of his corpse was left.
Ah…
Sighs echoed in the hearts of different people. Some were relieved, some were full of regret, but most were complex and indescribable.
What had died was not just Yun Che, but also a being who bore the power of a Creation God, who could fuse Phoenix Flame and Golden Crow Flame, who could release an Illusory God, who could summon nine layers of heavenly tribulation, who could command the Heavenly Dao's Calamity Thunder, who as a Divine King could erupt with Divine Lord power — a peerless genius that had never existed before and would never exist again.
"My King, since Yun Che is dead, the ritual has already begun. For you and the Star God Realm, there is nothing more important. Once the ritual is complete, when you achieve supreme divine power, the thirty-seven elders and the Star Guards who died will surely be greatly comforted in heaven," Tianyuan Star God reminded.
"…" The Star God Emperor closed his eyes. For a full ten breaths, the rise and fall of his chest finally calmed down. He nodded slightly and said in a deep voice, "Forget everything that just happened. Focus your minds and hearts. Proceed with the ritual!"
All the Star Gods and elders closed their eyes as instructed, striving to calm the turmoil in their hearts.
Cai Zhi’s face was pale, her whole body cold. Even in her childhood, when everyone looked at her with cold eyes, she had never felt so frozen. She looked at Mo Li — the last warmth and support in her life — and found her still dazed and distant.
"Sister…"
Cai Zhi called out, but Mo Li had no reaction. She stared ahead, her starry eyes reflecting no scenery, gradually losing their luster bit by bit.
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"Little girl, I don't quite understand everything you said, but since you slept in the Heavenly Poison Pearl for so long, can you tell me your name?"
"Mo Li."
She still remembered how cold and dismissive she had been toward Yun Che back then. She was the Heavenly Slaughter Star God, and he was just a lowly creature from the lower realm, with even his profound veins crippled. In terms of status, for her to look at him or say a single word was already a grace.
"Mo Li… The plum blossom is lovely and petite, fragrant and pure, flawless white — it's a name very fitting for you."
"Flawless white? Hah… I am Mo Li — a plum blossom dyed blood-red by countless rivers of blood!"
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"Third condition: kneel and kowtow, and take me as your master!"
"…"
"What? You're unwilling?"
Given her status, taking Yun Che as a disciple was the greatest condescension in the world. But back then, Yun Che's first reaction was reluctance, and he forcibly showed her what he thought was his stubborn pride.
"You… how old are you?"
"Thirteen!"
"Thir… teen!? You're younger than me! It's not appropriate for you to be my master…"
"Fine, I can take you as my master, but I will not kowtow to you. I, Yun Che, can kneel to elders, to benefactors — uh, kneeling to my wife is not out of the question — but kneeling to a little girl I've only known for a few days? I can't do that!"
"This is the most basic dignity of a man!"
"Hmph… That's not for you to decide!"
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That day, she stepped on Yun Che's head, looking down at him, each word dripping with mockery: "Do you think your bones are hard and you're something special? Without strength, you can't even resist kowtowing to me. What right do you have to be arrogant in front of me? Without strength, before the so-called strong, your self-righteous dignity and pride are nothing but a joke!"
"…Now, for this master of yours, do you have any more questions?"
"Yes… I want to ask, did your hair not have time to grow in, or are you naturally hairless down there?"
"…"
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Mo Li's expression finally shifted. The corners of her mouth gently relaxed — it was a very light, very beautiful faint smile, one that Yun Che had rarely seen over the years.
But he would never be fortunate enough to see it again.
Thump…
Thump…
For some reason, the world became unusually quiet. She could hear the sound of her own heartbeat with extreme clarity.
"Idiot!! Idiot!! You lecher who doesn't even care about your own life for a woman, you idiot! If you die a miserable death one day, it'll definitely be because of a woman!"
"Ah hehe… if that woman were you, I might go willingly."
"Hah! Save that stupid talk to coax those idiot women!"
Thump…
Thump… Thump…
The beating of her heart seemed to grow faster and more intense.
"Mo Li, rebuilding your body — that was the request you made to me on the first day we met. It has always been your only wish…"
"Because I met you, a cripple like me was given a new life and regained my dignity… Because of you, I could protect my grandfather and little aunt from being bullied… Because of you, I learned my origins and found my birth parents… The power, status, dignity, and reputation I have now — all of it is because of you. If I hadn't met you back then, I might have died a miserable death… Even if I were still alive, I might just be a lonely ghost wandering on the edge of despair…"
"And yet, I have never been able to fulfill even your one and only desire…"
…………
"Yun Che! How stupid can you be… If you're risking your life just to repay your gratitude to me for the reasons you just mentioned, then you don't need to! Everything I've done has been entirely for myself! I don't need you to risk your life for a mere Netherworld Brahma Flower! Not only will you never succeed today… even if you somehow pick it, I won't be grateful — I'll only think you're an utter fool!!"
"Repay… gratitude? How could it be… repayment… Mo Li, to me… you can't possibly be just a benefactor."
"You're younger than me… yet from such a young age… you could only rely on one person to live… I know… how great that pain… and sorrow is…"
"Even though you're proud… stubborn… bad-tempered… love to curse… and never let me feel sorry for you… I know… you must long for freedom… more than anything…"
"I cannot disobey my master's orders… but in my heart… you are not just my master…"
"You are… my Mo Li!!!"
"…"
That day, that Netherworld Brahma Flower with only remnant petals left, and that roar from the edge of his collapsing soul — they had imprinted Yun Che's figure into every corner of her soul… Or perhaps he had long been engraved in her world, but she had never been able to notice.
Thump…
Thump, thump…
Thump, thump, thump…
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"Foolish or suicidal, it doesn't matter once I see you. Nothing else is important."
……………
"…Mo Li, I truly shouldn't have arrogantly assumed your thoughts, thinking you wanted to see me as much as I wanted to see you. But at least… in these three years in the God Realm, I've worked desperately every day to find you, and finally barged into the Divine Tribulation to make you hear my name. Even if you now regard me with utter disdain, at least… let me see you once, let me tell you face to face everything I want to say to you, and also…"
……………
"Mo Li, from the first day I saw you here, I sensed heavy shackles pressing on your body and heart… including the day you resolutely drove me away — I'm sure it wasn't just for my safety, because you could have used many better methods… But don't worry, I won't ask."
"If it's a burden even you can't handle, then even if you told me, with my current insignificant power, I couldn't help — I'd only become your burden and hindrance…"
"After entering the Zhou Tian Pearl, I won't allow myself any slack. Three years from now, I will grow to a point where you're willing to tell me everything, where I can break the shackles on you together with you. Best of all… I can protect you. Forever."
"Yun Che… why… did I have to meet you…"
"Probably so you can marry Cai Zhi to me, haha…"
…………
"Mo Li… I'm not here to save you. I'm a waste who can't save you. All I can do is accompany you."
"If there is a next life… will we… meet again…"
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Thump…
Thump…
Thump!
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Yun Che, after we parted in the Tian Xuan Continent, you chased after me to the Eastern Divine Region, then to the Zhou Tian God Realm, and because of one sentence from me, you gave everything to take first place in the Divine Tribulation. Then for me, you disregarded all consequences to break into the Star God Realm, just to die with me…
You're still that idiot — the biggest, stupidest, most hopeless idiot I've ever seen.
From your humble obscurity when you first entered the God Realm, to the beginning of your divine path, to shaking the world with your fame — every step of your growth was not to see a broader world or reach a higher plane, but only to pursue and draw closer to me…
And I, all along, was only afraid and evasive, trying every way to push you away. I thought it was for your own good, thought I could save you, could save Cai Zhi…
But I only harmed you, harmed Cai Zhi, harmed myself…
I harmed you… I harmed Cai Zhi… If I hadn't been so self-righteous, if I could have been just a little bit brave like you…
Everything is because of me.
Yun Che… I don't deserve the way you treat me…
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Crack…
In Mo Li's sea of heart, it was as if crystals and stars were shattering, scattering a rapidly fading radiance.
Yun Che was dead. Before her eyes, he had turned to ashes — taking away the last warmth and color in her life… and extinguishing all her hesitation, all her weakness, all her attachment, all her hope, all her kindness…
Thump!
Thump!
The sound rang through Mo Li's world… and also reached everyone's ears.
The Star Gods and elders within the barrier, and the Star Guards outside, all suddenly looked up at the sky.
The atmosphere inexplicably became oppressive. In the heavens and earth, it seemed as if a giant heart was beating violently, emitting a pounding that directly struck the soul.
"What… is this?"
"What's happening? What is that sound!?"
"Who… who is it!?"
Thump!
Thump!!
Thump!!!
Louder and louder, closer and closer. Gradually, it felt like it was pounding on their own hearts.
This was the Star God City, isolated by the Star Soul Absolute Boundary. That Yun Che, bearing the Star God Realm imprint given by Mo Li, had been able to break in — that was already a huge surprise. But this dull, eerie sound — what was it!?
Not just the sound of a heartbeat, but an extremely uneasy feeling was also spreading like a plague in everyone's hearts, growing and expanding.
The Star God Emperor and the Star Gods, who had only just slightly calmed down, all raised their heads, frowning as they searched for the source of the sound. Their expressions were rapidly changing… because even they could clearly sense a great, and growing, unease.
"Sister… Sister?" Cai Zhi looked at Mo Li and called out in a daze. Her body was pressed against Mo Li's, and she could clearly feel — that enormous heartbeat audible throughout the entire Star God City — was actually coming from Mo Li!
"Sister… Sister? Ah!!"
She called out several times, then suddenly screamed.
Because she saw Mo Li's eyes.
Her pupils were pitch black, displaying a terrifying emptiness — no longer having even a trace of the brilliant radiance that once outshone the stars…
Like an endless night where all the stars had been extinguished.