Chapter 1353: Moon Emperor Falls
Yun Che was dead.
In the Battle of the Seal of Gods, he shocked the world with his performance, defeating Luo Changsheng, who had once been the foremost of the Four Divine Sons of the Eastern Domain, and drawing forth an unprecedented and unheard-of Ninefold Heavenly Tribulation. The Heavenly Secrets Realm prophesied him as the "Son of the Heavenly Dao." The Dragon Sovereign wished to adopt him as a godson, the Zhou Tian Divine Emperor wanted to accept him as a personal disciple, a Divine Maiden offered herself in marriage willingly, and after he went to the Yue Shen Realm, he even caused the "Divine Empress" to elope with him, shaming the entire Yue Shen Realm and throwing it into great chaos...
Ever since he appeared at the Xuan Shen Assembly, every single event that followed was astonishing and extraordinary, even tinged with mythological colors. In particular, he completely broke the monopoly that upper star realms had held in the Battle of the Seal of Gods, inspiring middle and lower star realms and making them proud of him.
But merely a little over a year after the Battle of the Seal of Gods ended, he fell... fell in the Xing Shen Realm, perishing under the power of the Evil Infant.
These were not baseless, hard-to-trace rumors but came from the most unquestionable Zhou Tian Divine Realm!
Countless people were shocked and lamented. However, people's attention did not linger on this news for long, because simultaneously spreading was another earth-shattering message that turned the entire Eastern Divine Realm and the entire Divine Realm upside down.
The Evil Infant had appeared in the world!
Tiansha Xingshen of the Xing Shen Realm had become the vessel for the awakening of the Evil Infant Myriad Calamity Wheel. One of the Four King Realms, the Xing Shen Realm, was nearly destroyed under the Evil Infant's power, with all its Star Guards dead. A fierce battle that concentrated the top combat power of the Eastern Divine Realm resulted in all four Divine Emperors being severely wounded, and additionally, two Star Gods, two Moon Gods, three Guardians, and one Fan King were annihilated...
Names that, when merely thought of, inspired boundless reverence fell in droves in a single day.
In the end, the Evil Infant even escaped safely, disappearing without a trace.
And all of this was proclaimed to the world by the Zhou Tian Divine Realm through the Sound of Zhou Tian.
The whole world was horrified by the Sound of Zhou Tian.
Countless Xuan practitioners from the various King Realms, upper star realms, and even middle and lower star realms were dispatched to secretly search for traces of the Evil Infant.
The once-world-destroying demon wheel, with all four Divine Emperors joining forces and still being severely injured, a power that killed Divine Lords as easily as killing dogs... It was as if a heavy shadow had silently fallen over the vast Eastern Divine Realm and even the entire Divine Realm.
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Eastern Divine Realm, Yue Shen Realm.
In the Divine Emperor's bedchamber, Yue Shen Di lay reclining on a couch, surrounded by over a dozen profound arrays. Chaotic profound light converged and poured over his body, suppressing and healing his injuries and demonic aura... in truth, it was forcibly prolonging his life.
In the bedchamber, all the Moon Gods, Moon Divine Envoys, imperial princes, and descendants were present. They were all kneeling on the ground, their faces filled with fear. From the imperial princes and descendants behind came sounds of crying, some clear and some suppressed.
Yue Shen Di's face was a pallid blue-black, his body completely covered in profound light. But anyone who had personally seen his injuries, even Moon Gods and Moon Divine Envoys, was stunned to the point of heart and gallbladder splitting.
For a Divine Emperor, these were fatal wounds.
Within the profound array, Yue Shen Di finally slowly opened his eyes. A flash of purple light passed through his pupils. But this light, which once could intimidate the world with a single glance, was now as faint as a firefly.
"Wuji," he spoke slowly, "you stay. Everyone else, withdraw."
"Father!" The Moon God Crown Prince Yue Xuange, who was at the front, lifted his head. His face was covered in tears, and his voice trembled as he said, "Your son wishes to accompany you, Father. Please do not drive your son away."
"Withdraw." Yue Shen Di waved his hand weakly.
"Father, your son wants to..." Yue Xuange tried to insist, every word drenched in tears.
"Withdraw! Cough... cough cough..." Yue Shen Di's voice suddenly turned harsh, causing his demonic aura to become disordered, leading to a bout of painful coughing: "I am not dead yet... and you already begin to defy my orders!"
Although Yue Shen Di was critically wounded and on the verge of death, his authority still remained. This low growl, filled with pain and anger, made everyone's heart tremble in fear. Yue Xuange hurriedly bowed his head: "Y-your son would not dare! Please calm your anger, Father. Your son will leave at once."
The crowd withdrew, and soon only Yue Shen Di and Yue Wuji remained in the hall. Yue Shen Di closed his eyes slightly, breathing slowly for a long time, but his complexion grew even more ashen.
"Divine Emperor, the Dragon Queen of the Western Domain can surely save you. Why won't you even try?" the Golden Moon God Yue Wuji said in pain. He glanced at Yue Shen Di's injuries and then quickly looked away, daring not to look again.
"It's not that I'm unwilling, but... there really isn't enough time," Yue Shen Di said with difficulty. He knew his condition best. Traveling from the Yue Shen Realm to the Dragon God Realm in the Western Domain was too far. Even if the Dragon Queen Shen Xi was willing to save him, he could not hold out until then.
Moreover... the Dun Yue Immortal Palace, which could have reached the Dragon God Realm the fastest, had been given to Xia Qingyue by Yun Che.
"The Heavenly Secrets Realm did not deceive me," Yue Shen Di said with a bitter laugh. "Even as the emperor of a King Realm, I still cannot escape fate. It seems the preparations I made over the years were not in vain."
"Divine Emperor..." Yue Wuji closed his eyes in pain.
Yue Shen Di raised his hand, holding up a glazed bead glittering with extraordinary light. The moment he saw it, Yue Wuji's eyes widened sharply.
"Wuji, this 'Yue Huang Liuli,' I... entrust to you."
Yue Wuji did not take it. Instead, he dropped to his knees heavily and said in panic, "Divine Emperor, Wuji absolutely cannot bear this responsibility. I beg you to retract your order."
The Yue Huang Liuli of the Yue Shen Realm—the core artifact of the Yue Shen Realm, the source of all Moon Gods' divine power, and the symbol of the Yue Shen Di.
"Wuji, you and I have been brothers for so many years. Do you think I don't know you?" Yue Shen Di said slowly. "I... am not asking you to succeed me as Yue Shen Di. Rather... I am entrusting you to give it to Qingyue."
"..." Yue Wuji looked up, not showing too much surprise, but his expression was extremely grave: "Divine Emperor, Wuji has always known that your greatest wish over the years was for Qingyue to inherit the Divine Emperor's throne. But... her plan to become the Divine Empress was ruined, so she cannot inherit smoothly by natural precedent. After all, she was born in the lower realm, and the matter of the wedding ceremony infuriated the entire realm. Becoming an adopted daughter was already extremely reluctant. If she were to inherit the Divine Emperor's throne, the resistance would be immense, I fear..."
At that time, she would likely face opposition from the entire realm. How could such resistance be borne by a woman not yet even a half-century old?
"Moreover..." Yue Wuji hesitated for a moment before continuing, "Perhaps Qingyue herself is unwilling."
"Do you think I don't understand?" Yue Shen Di said with closed eyes. "Back then, she agreed to become the false Divine Empress and then succeed as Divine Emperor to repay my kindness. But a year ago, after she returned, I sensed that she suddenly had a desire for the Divine Emperor's throne—a very strong desire."
"...?" Yue Wuji was startled.
"Her change occurred after Yun Che appeared. It could only be because of that brat! But that brat has ended up dead... cough, cough..." Under uncontrollable excitement, his injuries flared up, and he coughed up several mouthfuls of black blood froth.
"So... I don't know now whether Qingyue... is still willing... cough... cough..."
This breath took Yue Shen Di a very long time to recover. When he finally calmed down a little, the ashen color on his face had faded somewhat, replaced by a jarring pallor.
"Wuji," he spoke again, "use a Profound Shadow Jade to record my following words... a posthumous decree to pass the throne to Xia Qingyue. If she is willing, give her the Yue Huang Liuli and announce my decree to the entire realm. If she is unwilling, then you succeed to the throne... Although this puts you in a difficult position, you are my blood brother. After my death, your strength will be the highest among all Moon Gods. You alone are most capable of commanding public support."
Yue Wuji's lips trembled, but he no longer resisted and reached out to take the Yue Huang Liuli: "Wuji will not fail the Divine Emperor's trust."
The Profound Shadow Jade recorded the decree. Yue Shen Di closed his eyes for a while, then said, "Summon Qingyue."
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The Divine Emperor's bedchamber was permeated with an unprecedented cold stillness. Xia Qingyue walked in slowly, her steps silent, dressed in a simple white moon robe. But her overwhelmingly peerless beauty unconsciously brightened the cold, still chamber somewhat.
"Adopted Father," she said softly, kneeling down.
Looking at Xia Qingyue, Yue Shen Di's gaze brightened slightly, but the words that came out of his mouth were utterly cruel: "Qingyue, Yun Che is dead."
"...I know," Xia Qingyue replied, neither sad nor joyful.
Her indifferent reaction made Yue Shen Di frown deeply. He sighed inwardly and then said directly, "Wuji, guard the Dharma."
Yue Wuji was taken aback, and then his expression changed drastically. He exclaimed in shock, "Divine Emperor, you mean to... No, impossible! The Purple Que Divine Power can be passed down through the Yue Huang Liuli. You cannot force it like this!"
"No!" Xia Qingyue's beautiful eyes opened wide, and she shook her head resolutely: "Adopted Father, your injuries are extremely severe right now. If you lose the Purple Que Divine Power, you will surely..."
"Do you want me to die with my eyes unclosed?!" Yue Shen Di let out a low roar. The profound array around him began to stir with black qi, causing his entire body to convulse in pain.
"The source power inheritance of the Yue Huang Liuli requires a long time to reawaken within a new Moon God's profound veins. But you, Qingyue, are different." Yue Shen Di said with extreme determination: "You possess the Nine-Xuan Exquisite Body. This direct inheritance can allow the Purple Que Divine Power to reach its peak on you in the shortest time, and it can also merge with your original power, allowing you to... surpass me in the shortest time!"
"This will be a miracle of the profound way, a miracle of Moon God power. It can only be realized on you. To let the Purple Que Divine Power shine so brightly... even if I die a thousand deaths, I can close my eyes!"
Xia Qingyue's chest heaved. Finally, she closed her eyes and said softly, "Alright."
Yue Shen Di left the profound array that had been forcibly prolonging his life. He sat before Xia Qingyue, and a special profound array spread beneath them, rotating slowly. After a long time, he slowly raised his finger, and a tiny purple light gathered at his fingertip... It was a very small purple light, yet in an instant, it illuminated the entire bedchamber in a vivid purple.
Yue Shen Di's face instantly turned extremely pale, but his finger shot out like lightning, touching the center of Xia Qingyue's brow. The purple moonlight then blossomed at her brow, engulfing her and the entire world she was in.
The inheritance of Moon God power was originally only possible after a Moon God's death, when his source power returned to the Yue Huang Liuli, which then sought the next recognized person and transmitted the Moon God power to the next Moon God.
It was the same in the Xing Shen Realm.
This direct inheritance was the first in the history of the Yue Shen Realm... and it was only possible on someone with the Nine-Xuan Exquisite Body.
Time flowed swiftly in the purple world. Yue Wuyai's face was extremely calm, even carrying some satisfaction. But Yue Wuji beside him wore a pained expression, because he knew very well that Yue Wuyai could barely cling to life under such terrible injuries only because of his powerful Purple Que Divine Power.
And once he lost the Purple Que Divine Power... without a doubt, that would be the moment of his demise.
One hour...
Two hours...
Three hours...
Four hours...
Zheng!!
In an instant, the purple light dissipated completely.
A layer of crystalline purple light flowed around Xia Qingyue's body, even reaching her long hair that danced without wind. Her beautiful eyes opened, and deep within her pupils flashed a purple light as profound as the starry sky.
Before her, Yue Wuyai's face had lost all color, even the previous blue-black had faded. His hair, once black with hints of purple, had become a stretch of grayish white at some unknown moment.
His finger slowly lowered, and then... he fell straight backward.
"Divine Emperor!" Yue Wuji quickly supported Yue Wuyai in his arms. Feeling his breath, as faint as a dying light, his face was filled with endless bitterness.
"Adopted Father..." Xia Qingyue quickly came before him, wanting to use her newly acquired Purple Que Divine Power to prolong his life, but Yue Wuyai slowly but resolutely pushed her hand away.
"Qingyue," Yue Wuyai looked up at the ceiling, his voice feeble and ethereal, "do you... still remember... the day I found you?"
Xia Qingyue nodded, saying word by word: "Qingyue remembers, and will never forget."
"That day, you were forced into a desperate situation. To avoid being humiliated, you were about to take your own life... I stepped in and saved you, and even personally killed those few Divine Origin stage people..."
That was the first time in his ten thousand years that he had stooped to personally kill a few mere Divine Origin stage cultivators—beings that, in his eyes, were less than trash.
"But do you know... on the way back to the Yue Shen Realm... how many times I wanted to kill you?"
Xia Qingyue: "..."
"Because... I hoped you were Wu Gou's child, that she would be delighted. But I also feared you were Wu Gou's child... Wu Gou... and that person's child!"
"..." Xia Qingyue's chest heaved violently.
"Qingyue... all these years, no matter how well I treated you, no matter how much I promised I would never harm your father... you never once revealed even half a word about your father. You wanted to return to the star realm where you were born, yet you never dared to go back... Ha... heh heh..." Yue Wuyai suddenly laughed bitterly: "I'll tell you today... you did the right thing... because... because... I hate him! I hate him to the utmost!!"
"If I find out who he is, I will definitely kill him! I will definitely... kill him with my own hands!!"
"..." Xia Qingyue's eyes shifted away. A hint of pain appeared and was forcefully suppressed by her.
"Because he defiled my Wu Gou, he took my Wu Gou away... If it had been any of my other concubines, I could have given them to him, as many as he wanted, I could have given him all of them... Why, why did it have to be Wu Gou? Why..."
Xia Qingyue bit her lip tightly, her body trembling. She wanted to say that her father was not wrong... but in this matter, right and wrong had nothing to do with hate or no hate.
"Wu Gou and I... a hundred years of emotion... we pledged to live and die together... She only had seven years with your father. The year she returned, she severed her relationship with your father and brought nothing related to him, not even the clothes... those were the ones she wore when she 'encountered disaster' back then... But why? Why was she unwilling to let me erase the memories of your father? Why would she rather let herself be trapped in the pain and torment of guilt and dilemma than forget him? Why... cough... cough..."
Two deep tear streaks slid down Yue Wuyai's pale face. The emperor of a King Realm was actually crying... No, having entrusted the Yue Huang Liuli and Purple Que Divine Power, he was no longer the Yue Shen Di. Now, he was just Yue Wuyai, a man who could finally unleash his emotions freely, who could cry unrestrainedly.
"I hate him... Even as I am about to die, I want to kill him..." He laughed bitterly once more: "What Yue Shen Di... From beginning to end, I was nothing more than a narrow-minded, pitiful man... and an even more pathetic waste who could not protect the one he loved most and was powerless even to take revenge!"
"Divine Emperor, none of this is your fault," Yue Wuji shook his head. "It was the Fan Di Divine Realm... If in the future, even if there is only the slightest chance, Wuji will definitely find an opportunity to kill Qianye Ying'er!"
"Qingyue..." Yue Wuyai's voice grew weaker and weaker: "If you are willing to become the Yue Shen Di, take the Yue Huang Liuli from Wuji... Your path to succession will be filled with countless obstacles and thorns... And these are the greatest trials and tempering that will make you a true Divine Emperor..."
"If you are unwilling... after I die, you can finally return to the star realm of your birth... But you must... take care of... your mother... and tell your father... that I, Yue Wuyai... will never... for... give... him..."
His voice was as soft as cotton, until it faded away like dissipating smoke.
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[As the most tragic figure in the Divine Realm, I couldn't bear to break off Yue Wuyai's final scene. 4.7K! A palm that only the wealthy can afford to subscribe to!]