Chapter 1406: Returning to the Divine Realm (Part 1)
Cang Feng Calendar Year 1099, Second Day of the Seventh Month.
Although I am still young, I remember it very clearly. This was summer. In previous years, the sunlight at this time was especially bright and scorching. The outside world would always be bathed in a golden glow, and there would be the incessant chirping of cicadas that didn't stop even at night.
But why is it so cold now?
I haven't dared to leave the house for many days, because the wind outside is so strong, so terrifying, whipping up murky sand and dust, preventing one from seeing things in the distance.
Yesterday's wind was very, very hot. I was afraid the house might catch fire. But today, all the water in the house has frozen. Mother wrapped me in several layers of bedding, yet I'm still so cold.
The taste of the water changed, the smell of the air changed too...
In the city yesterday, there were three fires and two earthquakes. When I heard these news, Mother and I were no longer surprised. Everyone has gotten used to it.
Xiao Huang, who had been with me for many years, ran away and never came back. Mother wouldn't let me go look for him, but I miss him every day.
Father is a remarkable Xuan practitioner. Last year, he became a new mentor at the New Moon Mystic Palace... that's right, the very same New Moon Mystic Palace where the great Yun Zhenren once stayed. That was the happiest thing for our family. Father also promised me that once I turned ten, he would personally teach me to cultivate the Xuan path.
This year, I have turned ten, but Father did not keep his promise.
He has become so unfamiliar, so terrifying...
Father, who used to be so gentle, has been getting angry all the time this past year. He would shout at me and at Mother, he would break many things... the most frightening time, he even hit Mother...
Then Father fell to his knees and wept bitterly... Mother cried along with him...
Father said he didn't know what was wrong with himself... After that, he rarely came home, and Mother's tears became so much more...
Not just our family—it's as if everyone has changed. New Moon City has become very noisy. There are often sounds of fighting. Since last year, the city has banned the raising of Xuan Beasts, and the New Moon Mystic Palace has stopped accepting new disciples.
They say it's not just like this in New Moon City, but throughout the entire Cang Feng Kingdom.
Just now, I was woken up by a nightmare again. This year, I've lost count of how many nightmares I've had, and each one is so terrifying... My temper has also become so bad. I always get angry at Mother, and every time I regret it, but later, I can't control myself again...
What is wrong with me...
Mother says the elements of this world have become chaotic. I don't understand. I only know that the world has become unfamiliar, more and more terrifying. Even I myself am starting to become terrifying.
Many people say that a great disaster is about to befall us, and everything now is a sign of the world's destruction. Mother says that our world is protected by "Yun Zhenren" and the "Phoenix Divine Maiden," so no matter how great the disaster, we don't need to be afraid. Everything will be fine. But I am still afraid, afraid every day...
That star is getting brighter and brighter, especially at night. The entire eastern sky is dyed a bloody red. Mother says it's an auspicious light, but Uncle Wang next door says it's the eye of a demon.
I so hope that all of this is just a dream. When I wake up, the world will still be the same as before. Xiao Huang will still be wagging his tail, Father will still be as gentle as before, Mother will still love to smile...
...
In Cang Feng Kingdom, New Moon City, a little girl around ten years old, wrapped in thick bedding, stared blankly out the window. The world in her pupils: the sky was dark, and the strong wind whipped up yellow sand, raging over an increasingly unfamiliar world.
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From the day the Xuan Beast unrest suddenly erupted to now, a full year has passed. In this year, Lan Ji Star has fallen into unprecedented chaos.
Beast chaos, human chaos, even the climate and elements have become chaotic...
In this year, Yun Che traveled around, quite busy, countless times using the power of Light Profound Force to purify the invisible demonic miasma that had invaded Lan Ji Star. He was immensely grateful that he had "died" back to Tian Xuan Continent three years ago. Otherwise, without him, Tian Xuan Continent and the Huan Yao Realm would surely have already turned into wasteland trampled by disaster, just like Cang Yun Continent.
Today, Yun Che once again released his Light Profound Force to purify the two continents, and it had only been a short seven days since the last time.
After the purification was complete, he switched space and arrived at the Xiao Sect in Liu Yun City. The moment he appeared, he heard in the distance the crying of a child and a man's scolding voice... He immediately recognized that the crying boy was Xiao Yong'an, and the one scolding loudly was actually Xiao Yun!
"Do you know that when your father was your age, how many hours a day he would cultivate? You can't even endure a little hardship like this—how can you be worthy of being a son of the Xiao Clan!"
Under Xiao Yun's scolding, Xiao Yong'an cried even louder.
Yun Che's brows tightened, and he quickly moved over there.
"Stop crying! You're already eight years old and you're still crying all day! If you keep crying, don't say you're my son, Xiao Yun!"
"Still crying! Still crying! I told you to stop crying!!"
Slap!!
When Yun Che arrived above the small courtyard, a sharp slapping sound rang through the air.
The air fell dead silent for a moment, followed by Xiao Yong'an's even more heart-wrenching cries.
Xiao Yun's hand hung in the air. Staring at the bright red palm print on Xiao Yong'an's face, he was frozen in place...
Tianxia Diqi rushed in with hurried steps. Seeing Xiao Yun's outstretched hand and the mark on Xiao Yong'an's face, she froze for a moment, then rushed over and hugged Xiao Yong'an, shouting at Xiao Yun: "Brother Yun, you... have you gone mad... have you gone mad!"
"Yong'an, be good... Yong'an, don't cry. Your father didn't mean it... Come on, let's go find Great-Grandfather."
Xiao Yun's hand trembled, his gaze unfocused. "I... what have I done... I..."
He muttered to himself in a daze, then suddenly clutched his head and began to sob bitterly. He couldn't believe that he had actually struck his most precious son—more precious than his own life. He couldn't believe that was him...
Yun Che waved his hand, covering the Xiao Sect with Light Profound Force, but did not appear. Instead, he turned around and silently left.
Arriving outside Liu Yun City, Yun Che let out a long sigh.
Xiao Yun had always been gentle in temperament and possessed the power of the Overlord Emperor Realm, yet even he had begun to be affected, with his emotions becoming quite seriously out of control.
The situation was becoming more and more severe. If it continued like this... I'm afraid that even with his power, it would be difficult to fully control it.
Looking east, bathed in the noticeably abnormal wind, Yun Che was silent for a very long time, until the sky began to darken. Finally, he slowly raised his right hand, and in his palm, a cluster of dark green light appeared.
Left hand for purification, right hand for Heavenly Poison... this dark green light was none other than the Heavenly Poison Radiance of the Heavenly Poison Pearl.
He stared at the Heavenly Poison Radiance, his gaze gradually sharpening.
"Master, are you going to..." From within the Heavenly Poison Pearl came He Ling's voice. As the Heavenly Poison Spirit, she could naturally sense that Yun Che was probing the Heavenly Poison Poison Power that the Heavenly Poison Pearl had currently recovered.
She also knew that the poison power the Heavenly Poison Pearl had recovered was still a very long way from Yun Che's goal of being "sufficient to threaten a King Realm."
Although the Heavenly Poison Pearl had a new Heavenly Poison Spirit, the current world was no longer the Divine World of old, and these few years had been spent in the lowliest lower realm. For it to have recovered to this extent in just a few years was already its limit.
Yun Che closed his hand, and the dark green light dissipated. He withdrew his gaze, his expression heavy: "I can't wait any longer. I have to return to the Divine Realm."
"Ah?!" He Ling exclaimed in surprise. "Why... why?"
"If Lan Ji Star's condition continues to deteriorate, it won't be long before it gets beyond my control," Yun Che said. "It's already like this before it has truly erupted. If the day of eruption comes, it will surely be too late for everything."
"But how is that related to Master returning to the Divine Realm? Is it to go ask for help from Master Shen Xi?" He Ling asked.
"No," Yun Che half-closed his eyes. "All of this is ninety-nine percent related to the 'Crimson Rift.' And once, a deity told me that the disaster hidden behind the Crimson Rift could only be resolved by me. That is also why the Evil God left behind his inheritance, and the mission I inherited along with the Evil God's divine power."
"Since I have received this heaven-given divine power for so long, perhaps it's time for me to fulfill my 'mission.'"
What he cared about more, of course, was not the "mission" itself, but the peace of Lan Ji Star.
"Then... does Master know what to do?" He Ling asked worriedly.
"No," Yun Che shook his head. "But she will tell me the answer. I think she must also be eagerly awaiting my arrival."
The ice phoenix girl under Minghan Heavenly Lake... she was not a fragment of will like the Phoenix Soul Spirit or the Golden Crow Soul Spirit, but a true deity existing in the world. Her words were naturally beyond doubt.
"But," He Ling still couldn't be at ease. "Master cannot cultivate in the lower realm, and your profound power has made no progress. The poison power recovered by the Heavenly Poison Pearl is also far from the target. If Master returns to the Divine Realm, not only will it be dangerous, but it will also be impossible to find peace afterward."
"Don't worry," Yun Che had been silent through the entire dusk and had already formulated a plan. "Right now, the entire Divine Realm is convinced that I am dead. When I return, as long as I make some slight disguise, no one will know it's me. Besides, the person who will tell me the answer is in Yin Xue Realm, the safest place for me."
"Then... what if Master doesn't get the 'answer' you want?"
"Then I'll just quietly come back. Even in the worst case, if I'm discovered in the Divine Realm, I can just hide back with Shen Xi."
"Even in the absolute worst case, if I go there and gain nothing, only to find that everything was just me flattering myself, and this is a calamity that no one can stop, then I will immediately return and take everyone close to me away from Lan Ji Star to some planet in the western part of the Chaos."
"...Then, when does Master plan to leave?" He Ling asked weakly. Since Yun Che had already decided and thought of all possibilities and retreats, she knew that no matter how worried she was or how much she tried to dissuade him, it would be useless.
Yun Che thought for a moment, then said: "Tomorrow!"
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[Students who have read the author's previous works, do you find the writing style in the first half of this chapter somewhat familiar? (*^▽^*)]