Chapter 1431: Crimson Origin
"Enemies everywhere in the world"—that was Mo Li's current situation.
Moreover, because she had transformed into the "Evil Infant," this situation would never change... until her death!
Upon suddenly hearing that Mo Li was still alive, Yun Che was undoubtedly ecstatic, as if in a dream. But Mu Xuanyin's few words quickly cast an extremely dark shadow over the immense joy in Yun Che's heart.
The joy gradually cooled. Yun Che took a deep breath and said, as if to himself or as a question: "Mo Li... how could she be the Evil Infant... how could..."
"Do you really not know at all that the Evil Infant Myriad Calamity Wheel was residing within her?" Mu Xuanyin asked.
Yun Che shook his head... completely unaware, not even the slightest hint: "Master, you said before... was it because of me?"
"Yes." Mu Xuanyin slightly furrowed her brows. Besides the people of the Star God Realm, she was the only one in the world who knew the true cause of the "Evil Infant's" birth.
As the vessel possessing the most extreme and terrifying negative power in the world, anyone could imagine that for the Evil Infant Myriad Calamity Wheel to awaken, it must have been triggered by negative power amplified to a certain limit.
Back then, even when she and Cai Zhi had both become sacrificial offerings, the Evil Infant Myriad Calamity Wheel showed no sign of awakening... And all the drastic changes occurred after Yun Che's death.
Although she had not witnessed it personally, Mu Xuanyin immediately understood the reason for the Evil Infant's appearance upon receiving the news.
"Obviously, the Evil Infant Myriad Calamity Wheel must have been on her for a very long time," Mu Xuanyin said slowly. "But it never leaked any trace or aura. That means the original Evil Infant Myriad Calamity Wheel was completely dormant... And after you died, the power of the Evil Infant Myriad Calamity Wheel awakened, turning her into the Evil Infant. What do you think... caused it?"
"..." Yun Che stood frozen, losing his composure for a long time again... Then he closed his eyes, clenched his fists, and his whole body trembled slightly.
"After destroying the Star God Realm back then, the Evil Infant never appeared again. The three divine region's king realms sent out all their forces, along with countless star realms in the Eastern Divine Region, but they could never find her exact trace... Do you think you can find her?" Mu Xuanyin said coldly. "Even if you do find her, she is now the Evil Infant, a demon god more terrifying than a demon! If you get close to her, do you know what the consequences will be? Then, there will be no place for you in this world!"
Yun Che: "..."
"The people of the Star God Realm haven't revealed your relationship with her to anyone, because they don't dare! That sacrificial ceremony was against the way of heaven and human ethics. If the world finds out that they forced out the Evil Infant, they would become sinners condemned by all, and other king realms would hate to grind their bones to dust. So, if you are asked why you went to the Star God Realm back then, never mention it had anything to do with her. For now, you absolutely cannot go looking for her, and you must stay as far away from her as possible!"
"Moreover, if her soul hasn't been completely hijacked and still retains the will of Tiansha Xingshen, she will definitely not let you find her!"
Mu Xuanyin said a lot, made many warnings... She knew Yun Che too well, and knew that Yun Che would stop at nothing for Mo Li, so she had to warn him again and again.
Yun Che opened his eyes and said slowly but firmly: "I will definitely find her... definitely!"
"..." Mu Xuanyin frowned deeply.
"But not now. Now, I am not qualified to find her." Yun Che continued. He seemed to have calmed down, at least the trembling in his gaze was not as intense: "The fact that she is still alive is already an immense blessing to me. As for the rest... Evil Infant, enemies everywhere, no matter how great the resistance... at least, I can still see her again."
"..." Mu Xuanyin could hear the firmness in his words, as well as the desolation.
Between him and Mo Li, their reunions had always been so difficult. Separated by planes... separated by life and death... after overcoming all that, the greatest resistance in this world now stood between them.
Mu Xuanyin could no longer say anything more. Facing Yun Che, who could die together with Mo Li without hesitation, any advice was useless; he would only follow his own choice. She turned around and said: "I've said all I need to say. As for what to do next... the matter of the Little Princess of Liuguang Realm, the matter of Tiansha Xingshen, think it over yourself."
"Minghan Heavenly Lake is already open. If you want to enter, you may do so at any time."
"Yes... Disciple takes his leave."
Yun Che turned around and walked away with drifting steps... Just as he was about to step out of the sacred hall, he stopped and asked: "Master, Cai Zhi... Tianlangxing Shen... she..."
"She is also still alive, and it is certain that she is within the Tai Chu Divine Realm." Mu Xuanyin said expressionlessly.
Stepping out of the sacred hall, standing in the wind and snow, Yun Che's heart was endlessly lost.
He had returned to the divine realm with determination, and this was only the second day... The continuous sudden developments made him feel as if the entire world had changed.
Luo Guxie, Huo Poyun, even the Crimson Calamity... all were now cast aside from his mind, his soul filled only with the figure of Mo Li.
She is still alive...
Evil Infant...
Evil Infant...
Because of me... turned into the Evil Infant...
No, that you are alive is the most beautiful thing in the world. What demon, what Evil Infant—none of it matters!
Back then, you promised that if there was a next life, we would surely meet again... Now, this life is not yet over, no need for a next life. No matter what, I will find you!
After bathing in the cold wind for a long time, Yun Che's mind gradually became firm and coldly awake. He knew that Mo Li must know he was still alive, because Mo Li had known from very early on that he possessed the Nirvana Flame granted by the Phoenix Soul. Even if she hadn't realized it at the time, she would certainly remember it at some point.
And Cai Zhi—it was unimaginable how her mind and temperament would have been twisted and drastically changed after experiencing all this, when she was already "on the brink of an abyss" in Mo Li's account.
Yun Che shook his head and turned his gaze northward... toward Minghan Heavenly Lake.
He needed power now—by any means, any method!
With his mind set, he rose and flew toward Minghan Heavenly Lake.
Arriving before Minghan Heavenly Lake, with a slight movement of his will, the barrier opened directly, just like years ago.
During his years in Yin Xue Realm, the place he had stayed the longest was Minghan Heavenly Lake, and the one who had accompanied him the most was Mu Xuanyin. Now entering the lake area again, with glistening ice spikes and dancing ice spirits, everything was unchanged from his memory.
Suppressing all the surging thoughts, Yun Che took a slight breath, leaped into the lake, and plunged straight down.
Unlike his previous gentle and cautious descents, this time he went at full speed, straight to the bottom. Soon, his feet touched a layer of crystal-like gravel, and in his sight appeared that deep blue arc of light.
This was his third time at the bottom of the lake.
Following the direction of the blue arc, Yun Che walked quickly forward. Soon, in the azure world, the crystalline, translucent diamond-shaped ice crystal came into view.
Within the ice crystal, a dreamlike maiden was curled up, her jade arms around her knees, her head buried between them. She was completely naked, her snowy legs fair and slender, her tiny feet like lotus, and her whole body was like jade and fat, flowing with the radiance of stars and moon.
Her ice-blue hair cascaded down, covering her face and also concealing the most forbidden spring of a maiden.
"Yun Che, you have finally come."
A young girl's voice sounded in his heart, soft as water, ethereal as a dream.
Yun Che stepped forward and stopped only a few steps away from the girl, able to clearly see every inch of her jade-smooth skin: "Ice Phoenix Goddess, long time no see. You said back then, 'when the world is shrouded in the despair of crimson,' I must come to you... At that time, I was ignorant and unaware. Now, the situation in the Eastern Divine Region is very much like the 'crimson despair' you spoke of, so I have come."
"Then it seems you already have enough resolve?" she said softly.
"Yes." Yun Che slowly nodded: "Since I have returned to the divine realm and come here, I have already made sufficient preparations and resolve. The 'mission' you spoke of back then, I will no longer question or evade."
"Good... Then I will tell you the truth of this Crimson Calamity, and the hope placed upon you... The speed at which this calamity approaches is too fast, too fast for even me to handle. Whether you are ready or not, it is time for you to know."
"Also, thank you for coming before everything is irreparable."
Yun Che took a light breath, his face full of solemnity: "I want to confirm once more: is the crimson despair you spoke of the crack at the eastern edge of chaos?"
"Yes." The Ice Phoenix Goddess answered.
"..." Yun Che frowned slightly and said: "Now, the Eastern Divine Region is gathering all its strength to prepare for the Crimson Calamity that might erupt at any time. With the power of the Eastern Divine Region, is there a chance to survive?"
The Ice Phoenix Goddess sighed softly: "I have said more than once before that you are the only hope—and that 'only' is absolute. Only you, who have inherited the power of the Evil God, have the possibility of resolving this calamity. As for the divine region's power now, even if it were ten times stronger, it would absolutely have no way to deal with it."
"This is also why the Evil God, back then, preferred to shorten his own existence to leave behind a thread of hope."
The only hope—and absolutely the only one.
A calamity that even the Eastern Divine Region, ten times stronger, could not handle!?
His heart suddenly grew heavy, then quickly became empty and clear. Yun Che nodded: "Alright, I understand. Please tell me: what exactly is this calamity? And what can I do?"
At the bottom of Minghan Heavenly Lake, every inch of space was bitterly cold. The Ice Phoenix maiden—the only remnant ancient goddess of the world—slowly began her account.
"In the beginning of chaos, before the Primordial God dissipated, he left behind a 'Primordial Divine Art,' which was divided into three parts and scattered across the realms. One part was in the hands of the Demon Emperor of the demon race, Jie Tian Mo Di."
"And in the ancient era of the gods, the beginning of that calamity... the Heaven-Slaying God Emperor Mo E used another part of the Primordial Divine Art as a lure, inviting Jie Tian Mo Di under the pretext of jointly studying the Primordial Divine Art. Then, with the Ancestral Heaven-Slaying Sword, he blasted open the Chaos Wall, blasting that Demon Emperor and all the demon gods he had brought to the outside of chaos."
Yun Che listened quietly... He had long known of this past, which was also recorded in some ancient texts left from the era of the gods. It was widely known in today's divine realm.
He had first been told this by the Golden Crow Soul Spirit in Jinwu Thunder Flame Valley. At that time, the Golden Crow Soul Spirit had told him that the Heaven-Slaying God Emperor Mo E was extremely upright and hated evil, believing that demons who used negative profound force were evil existences, and that the fragments of the Primordial Divine Art were left by the Primordial God at the beginning of chaos and must never fall into the hands of the demon race. So he forcibly seized them using this method.
But after meeting the Ice Phoenix maiden, she had told him another truth—a truth known to very few even in the ancient era of the gods: The main reason the Heaven-Slaying God Emperor Mo E did not hesitate to use the Ancestral Heaven-Slaying Sword and resort to despicable means to kill Jie Tian Mo Di was not primarily the fragments of the Primordial Divine Art, but rather... the Evil God and Jie Tian Mo Di had long since secretly fallen in love and become husband and wife.
Moreover, they had even had a forbidden offspring.
The Heaven-Slaying God Emperor Mo E, who was upright, hated evil, and could absolutely not tolerate demons, could never allow a god—especially a Creation God—to fall in love with a Demon Emperor and have offspring! In his eyes, this was certainly the greatest shame of the divine race, a shame that could only be cleansed by making Jie Tian Mo Di disappear forever.
This was the truth behind his breaking open the Chaos Wall with the Ancestral God Sword and banishing Jie Tian Mo Di and a host of demon gods.
According to what the Ice Phoenix maiden had said earlier, this secret that could not be made public was known only to the four Creation Gods in the ancient divine race. And the Ice Phoenix maiden had only accidentally learned a little because she served under the Life Creation Goddess Li Suo.
"That incident is the origin of this Crimson Calamity. At that time, the Heaven-Slaying God Emperor Mo E could never have imagined that the sword strike that broke open the Chaos Wall and banished Jie Tian Mo Di and nine hundred demon gods would bury such a tremendous disaster for future generations."
"..." This sentence stunned Yun Che.
The Heaven-Slaying God Emperor banishing Jie Tian Mo Di... was the origin... of the Crimson Calamity!?
No matter how hard he racked his brain, combining all his knowledge and imagination from two lifetimes, he could not understand this statement.
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[We highly recommend the masterpiece "Tianjiao War Chronicle" by author Xiao Jinyu. The writing and plot are excellent, and it's already over 8 million words long—pleasantly plump! (＾－＾)V]