Chapter 1446: Meeting the Dragon Emperor Again
Yun Che was unable to completely purify the Devil Venom within Zhou Tian Shen Di's body in one go, and the same was true for Fantian Shen Di. Moreover, Yun Che could clearly sense that the Devil Energy inside Qianye Fantian's body was much denser and more terrifying than that within Zhou Tian Shen Di's body.
In terms of raw power, Qianye Fantian slightly surpassed Zhou Tian Shen Di. This seemed to indicate that Mo Li had been somewhat lenient with Zhou Tian Shen Di back then, while she showed no mercy whatsoever to Qianye Fantian.
A few hours later, Qianye Fantian's complexion had improved considerably, while Yun Che was drenched in sweat, utterly exhausted. Xia Qingyue lifted Yun Che, declined Qianye Fantian's thanks and attempts to keep them, and left directly with him.
Leaving the main hall where the Fantian Divine Realm was stationed, Yun Che let out a long breath. This was his first time in close contact with this number one Divine Emperor of the Eastern Divine Region. There was no sense of oppression or palpitations as he had anticipated, but rather an indescribable feeling of ease and serenity.
This feeling was even stronger than when he was with Zhou Tian Shen Di.
If not for what had come before, Yun Che might have genuinely believed that Fantian Shen Di was like Zhou Tian Shen Di—a man who cared for all living beings and possessed a broad and open heart. But, as they say, "like father, like daughter." Qianye Ying'er, in order to achieve her goals, could be utterly ruthless, with no regard for any living being…
To produce such a daughter, how could Fantian Shen Di be merely what he appeared on the surface?
Xia Qingyue gazed straight ahead, as calm and silent as when they had arrived. After walking a great distance, she suddenly turned her head and said in a low voice, "What were you about to do to Qianye Fantian!?"
Her crescent brows were furrowed, and her voice carried a slight chill.
Yun Che was slightly surprised, then shook his head and said, "Nothing. Wasn't I just purifying the Devil Energy inside him?"
"My aura has been covering you the entire time. You can't fool me." Xia Qingyue looked at him, her brows drawing tighter and tighter. "In these three hours, your heart and soul stirred four times, but each time you forcibly suppressed it… This is Qianye Fantian! Do you want to die?"
Yun Che: "…"
"And besides, with your strength, even if Qianye Fantian allowed your Profound Energy to enter his body freely, do you truly believe you could harm him in the slightest?" Xia Qingyue's chest heaved. She couldn't believe Yun Che was unaware of this.
The disturbances in Yun Che's mind earlier had made her heart tighten each time.
Seeing Xia Qingyue's slightly angry expression, Yun Che's mood actually improved considerably. He grinned and said, "Of course I know that with my strength, even if I exploded directly inside his body, I couldn't hurt him… Alright, alright, I admit it. Just now, I did have a few thoughts about doing something, but in the end, I gave up."
After all, while purifying his Devil Energy, Yun Che's Profound Energy could flow directly into his body… Such a perfect opportunity was hard to resist.
But that was all—just fleeting thoughts.
But this was the Fantian Shen Di!
"Since you know that… then what exactly were you trying to do?" Xia Qingyue's tone softened. She knew Yun Che wouldn't act without reason. "Tell me."
Yun Che thought for a moment, then said, "I was thinking of secretly poisoning him while my Profound Energy entered his body."
"Poison?" Xia Qingyue's brows furrowed slightly. She was about to speak when Yun Che continued, "Don't worry. The poison I would have used, he absolutely wouldn't have noticed at the time. Moreover, I have a way to conceal the poison directly within the Devil Energy inside him… However, after all, he is the number one Divine Emperor of the Eastern Divine Region. With my current poison power, even if I directly planted it inside his body, it probably couldn't kill him. Instead, it would bring endless trouble upon me. So I gave up."
Xia Qingyue gazed at Yun Che silently for a long while, only to find that he was speaking with extraordinary seriousness—especially his eyes… They held an indescribable darkness.
She turned her gaze back and murmured, "Based on my current knowledge, there is no poison in this world that could kill Qianye Fantian. I can't even imagine how you could plant a poison inside his body… without being detected."
After saying this, her gaze suddenly froze.
Conceal the poison… within the Devil Energy inside his body?
Interfere with and manipulate the Evil Infant Devil Energy!?
"…" Xia Qingyue gave Yun Che a deep look.
"I'll… tell you about this later. By the time the poison power is sufficient…" Saying this, Yun Che sighed somewhat dejectedly. "But unfortunately, after three or four more sessions at most, all the Devil Energy inside his body will be purified. By the time the poison power is enough, I'm afraid there won't be such a good opportunity anymore."
"Yun Che," Xia Qingyue suddenly said, "answer me one question."
"Oh?" Yun Che turned his head, sensing that Xia Qingyue's expression had become unusually grave.
"Why did the Dragon Empress of the Western Region teach you to cultivate Light Profound Force?" she asked slowly, her gentle yet profound violet gaze fixed on Yun Che's startled eyes. "Did anything… unusual happen between you and her?"
Yun Che's breathing and steps both paused for an instant, then he asked, "Why… do you ask?"
The abnormality in Yun Che's reaction was extremely brief, but Xia Qingyue caught it completely. She let out a very soft sigh and said, "Back then, when I sent you into the Reincarnation Forbidden Land, the Dragon Empress showed no intention of taking you in. But within just a year, you too possessed Light Profound Force. And in the common understanding of the world, Light Profound Force was a sacred power unique to the Dragon Empress, the only one in the world. So, to anyone, this would seem suspicious."
"However… if it's you, perhaps anything is possible."
Xia Qingyue said this very softly, each word as if shrouded in mist.
"The… senior Shen Xi has indeed shown me immense kindness. After things here are settled, I will visit her again. I hope she will have finished her seclusion by then." Yun Che said in a strained tone.
"Do you know why she went into seclusion?"
"I don't know." Yun Che shook his head, looking puzzled. "She mentioned the Scarlet Crack to me many times and seemed very concerned about it, yet she chose to go into seclusion at such a time… It's rather strange. And I remember she said her power was 'sealed,' so it couldn't be about breaking through or anything… What exactly is she doing?"
Xia Qingyue: "…"
Involving a rather significant "secret," Yun Che clearly didn't want to continue this topic. He changed the subject, saying, "Qingyue, back then, because of me, the Yue Shen Realm suffered a huge loss of face. If I were to go to the Yue Shen Realm now, do you think I would be hacked to death by random blades?"
"Probably," Xia Qingyue replied.
Yun Che's eyes widened. "Huh? Wouldn't you protect me? You're the Yue Shen Di! Even if we're not husband and wife now, we slept on the same bed back then. You should at least show some consideration for the past!"
"…" Xia Qingyue shook her head. "Rascal."
"Hahahaha!" Yun Che burst into loud laughter. He looked at the violet figure beside him, his vision blurring for a moment, then suddenly sighed, "Time is truly a terrifying thing. Back then, you and I married in Liuyun City. It was a very small world, and we were both insignificant mortals. I knew you would leave me soon, so every day, all I could think about was how to take advantage of you. Now, in just over a decade, you have become the Divine Emperor of a king realm…"
"Perhaps, in this world, it would be difficult to find two people with more fickle and bizarre fates than ours."
"…" Xia Qingyue remained silent.
"Speaking of which, I had a strange dream a while ago," Yun Che said casually. "I dreamed of my childhood. In the dream, there was Yuan Ba, and Little Aunt. But the funny thing was that Yuan Ba didn't have a sister, and the person I was betrothed to wasn't you, but someone else."
Xia Qingyue's body trembled, and her steps suddenly halted.
"I was thinking that day, if I hadn't… Hmm?" Yun Che turned around, startled to see Xia Qingyue standing still. "What's wrong?"
"You have an acquaintance coming," Xia Qingyue said calmly, turning around. "I have something to attend to. I'll take my leave first. Please convey my regards to Senior Mu."
With that, before Yun Che could respond, Xia Qingyue had already drifted upward. Her purple figure flickered and disappeared from Yun Che's sight.
"???" Yun Che was utterly bewildered, muttering to himself, "Did I say something wrong again?"
"Yun Che Gege!!"
An exceptionally pleasant voice called out from afar. Then, a black figure flickered before Yun Che, and a young girl in a black dress landed like a butterfly before him, blinking her star-like eyes as she looked at him. Her beautiful face that defied description was filled with joy. "How come you're here? Did you come to see me?"
"So it's the Meiyin Fairy." Yun Che quickly responded, while glancing around but seeing no one else from the Liuguang Realm.
"Yun Che Gege, you sound so distant. Just call me by my name directly, alright?" Shui Meiyin said with a giggle.
Back then, the fifteen-year-old Shui Meiyin already had a face kissed by an angel. Now fully matured, she was even more like a fairy descending to the mortal world. Every word and smile was indescribably beautiful.
Especially her eyes—so pure and untainted, yet carrying a hint of seduction contradictory to that purity… Looking at her smiling face so close, Yun Che felt momentarily dazed and disoriented, only managing to look away after a long time.
"Or you can call me Mei'er, Yin'er, anything," she said, her slender brows arching as her starry eyes blinked unblinkingly at Yun Che. She seemed to thoroughly enjoy being able to look at him so closely.
"This… isn't that a bit inappropriate?" Yun Che said somewhat awkwardly. "Although there is indeed a very… strange engagement between us, it hasn't been formally acknowledged yet…"
"Very soon, though," Shui Meiyin said with a beaming smile.
Yun Che: "Huh?"
"Just now, your master found my father and formally brought up the engagement…"
Yun Che's body swayed, and his eyes nearly popped out. "Ha?!"
"Then, they started discussing the wedding date. I was both happy and shy, so I ran out," she said, her pink lips pursing into an extremely beautiful arc as she spoke.
"…" Yun Che rubbed his forehead. Back in the Yin Xue Realm, Mu Xuanyin had specifically reminded him of the many benefits of marrying Shui Meiyin and indeed said that after arriving in the Zhou Tian Realm, she would take the initiative to discuss the engagement with Shui Qianheng.
After all, a woman with top-tier talent, background, and appearance who was practically throwing herself at him… There was probably only one in the entire world. If he didn't seize the chance, wouldn't he be an idiot?
"You… really feel happy about this?" Yun Che looked at her, his expression conflicted. "I mean, you and I have spent very little time together, and we don't even know each other well. Back then on the Feng Shen Platform, I didn't even win by relying on strength… Uh, and matters like marriage are about a lifetime. Are you sure you don't find it strange? Won't you regret it?"
"Why would I feel strange or regretful?" Shui Meiyin blinked her starry eyes and smiled back. "I've decided on you for my entire life. From the moment at the three… that day, being able to marry you is the happiest thing I can imagine."
"My mother has always encouraged me. She says that meeting someone you've given your heart to and experiencing losing and then regaining them are the luckiest and happiest things in this world. You have to hold on tight, or you'll regret it for a lifetime."
As Shui Meiyin spoke, her eyes sparkled with the light of stars, but every word was spoken with utmost seriousness.
"You need to think carefully. Back then, if you set aside my family background, I could barely compare with you. But now, I'm just a Divine King, far weaker than you. You…"
"It doesn't matter. I'll protect you," Shui Meiyin said without hesitation. "After we get married, if anyone dares to bully you, I'll have my ninety-nine brothers each go beat him up once, okay?"
Hearing this, Yun Che felt a slight twinge of emotion before suddenly remembering that she had ninety-nine older brothers.
For some reason, he suddenly felt a shiver run down his spine.
As far as he knew, every single one of her ninety-nine brothers doted on her to the point of spoiling. If she ever suffered any grievance at his hands in the future… It would be a disaster!
Letting out a silent breath, Yun Che suddenly leaned his face closer and asked with a serious expression, "Do you… think I'm good-looking?"
Faced with this shameless question, Shui Meiyin nodded cheerfully. "Right! Yun Che Gege is incredibly good-looking. Before, I thought Ninety-Ninth Brother was the best-looking among men, but Yun Che Gege is a thousand times better than Ninety-Ninth Brother!"
(Shui Yinghen: Ah-choo!)
"…" To be honest, Yun Che had seen plenty of infatuated fangirls in his life, but he had never seen one quite like this. And the key point was… Shui Meiyin reached the pinnacle of womanhood in every aspect. She was the kind that even the sons of realm kings dared not approach or hope for…
Yun Che still couldn't understand what exactly about him had attracted her… and to such an extent.
After thinking it over, he could only attribute it to his appearance!!
"Yun Che Gege, then do you think I'm pretty?" she asked, tilting her head slightly, her face full of expectation.
"Pretty," Yun Che nodded.
"Giggle, giggle!" Shui Meiyin laughed happily. She suddenly stepped forward and took Yun Che's hand. "Let me take you on a tour of the Zhou Tian Realm. I've been here many times."
"… Fine." A wonderfully warm and soft sensation came from her grip, making Yun Che's heartstrings tingle. He nodded involuntarily.
Having received Yun Che's agreement, Shui Meiyin's starry eyes instantly became even more radiant. She hopped a step, standing beside Yun Che like a happy little butterfly, her delicate white hand shyly and nervously wrapping around his arm…
But at that moment, the sky suddenly darkened for no apparent reason.
A tall figure descended from the heavens, landing not far in front of them.
It was just a single figure descending, yet Yun Che felt as if the entire sky had collapsed.
Long Huang!