Chapter 1465: The Uncrowned King
After a comfortable stay of nearly half a month on the Lan Ji Star, Yun Che finally remembered his main business and began his journey back to the Divine Realm.
During these days, Jie Yuan never appeared by Yun Che's side again, and was likely spending all her time with You Er in the small world beneath the Jueyun Abyss. Yun Che also did not dare to actively seek her out. Amidst his leisure, his heart remained heavily burdened by the shadows of nearly a hundred vengeful Demon Gods, yet he could find no way to deal with them.
The power of the present world was absolutely no match for any single Demon God... let alone nearly a hundred.
The only hope had always been Jie Yuan alone.
Could he really change Jie Yuan's will in this time? Yun Che could think of no method and had not a shred of confidence.
Additionally, during this time, the Tian Xuan Continent and the Huan Yao Realm had not experienced any more Profound Beast disturbances or collapses of order. Yun Che was not surprised at all. With the power of Jie Tian Mo Di, controlling such things was far too simple.
Returning again to the Divine Realm, this time Yun Che did not use Space Profound Stones or the Dun Yue Immortal Palace. Instead, he chose a method completely different from the previous two times.
He flew away from Lan Ji Star, arriving in the vast void, and then flew back toward the location of the Dong Shen Domain using his own power.
In the vast cosmic space, Yun Che looked back. Although Lan Ji Star was already distant, it stood out conspicuously and dazzlingly among the many dark, black, or red planets. Like a sapphire glass bead, it became the most beautiful and striking ornament in this region of the universe.
The name "Lan Ji Star" came from this, but Yun Che had only ever seen it in records. This was the first time he personally observed the planet of his birth from afar in space. He had never imagined it could be so breathtakingly beautiful.
"I used to complain that Lan Ji Star had endless oceans and only three-tenths land. But now, it seems... this planet, covered in oceans, is so beautiful it makes one proud."
"Next time, I must bring Wu Xin to see it." Yun Che smiled to himself, firmly engraving the distant image of Lan Ji Star in his heart, and also recording the spatial location where it resided, including the neighboring strange and varied stars.
After a lower realm profound practitioner achieved the Divine Origin Realm, their body could exist and travel in cosmic space, and their spiritual sense began to perceive the high-level plane aura of the Divine Realm. They could then reach the Divine Realm by their own power—a process seemingly called "ascension." When Yun Che first reached the Divine Realm, he relied on Mu Bingyun, and his own strength had not yet entered the divine path.
This time, flying directly from Lan Ji Star back to the Divine Realm was also a way for him to complete a "ceremony."
Lan Ji Star was in the east of the Dong Shen Domain, not far from it. Yun Che initially traveled leisurely, but later accelerated to full speed. In less than ten days, he returned to the Yin Xue Realm.
Upon returning to the Yin Xue Realm and nearing the sect, he immediately detected a large number of extremely powerful auras. Some belonged to strong profound practitioners, others to Mysterious Vessels.
"Heh, as expected."
Yun Che knew what these auras were and was not surprised at all. At this moment, he suddenly recalled the time back in the Tian Xuan Continent when, after Mo Li completed her physical form, she had terrified the Four Sacred Grounds so much that their souls fled. After that, the lofty Sacred Ground masters were as obedient as grandchildren before him.
What a similar scene.
What caused all this was undoubtedly "absolute power."
Faced with absolute power that could easily decide life or death, whether it be lower realm mortals or Divine Realm big shots, it turned out they were all the same.
Except that time it was because of Mo Li, and this time, because of Jie Yuan.
Yun Che sighed in emotion... So many upper-level Realm Kings were scrambling to visit and befriend the Yin Xue Realm, undoubtedly to curry favor with me. And I am merely using the fox's authority to intimidate others.
I wonder when I will be able to make them act like this with my own power...
All those who had come to visit the Yin Xue Realm in recent days were Realm Kings who had arrived in person, without exception. And what kind of figures were they? Before Yun Che even sensed their presence, they had already detected his aura. Instantly, his return to the sect—a trivial matter—caused an earth-shattering commotion.
And the commotion was not limited to the Yin Xue Realm but quickly spread throughout the entire Dong Shen Domain.
In an instant, the auras of the upper-level star realms near the Yin Xue Realm fluctuated violently. A large number of Mysterious Vessels and Mysterious Ships, which normally would not move once in centuries, were all flying at full speed toward the Yin Xue Realm.
Soon, a vast collection of the era's top-tier powerful auras converged on the Yin Xue Realm. Upper-level Realm Kings, who would normally be considered a once-in-a-lifetime fortune to even glimpse, were gathering in droves like cheap cabbages on the snowy domain of the Bing Huang God Sect.
As the distinguished guests grew more numerous and their identities increasingly astonishing, Mu Xuanyin was eventually forced to appear in person to deal with them.
The three upper-level star realms—the Liuguang Realm, the Shengyu Realm, and the Futian Realm—all arrived in succession. Shengyu Realm King Luo Shangchen even specially brought Luo Changsheng. On the Liuguang side, Shui Qianheng unsurprisingly brought Shui Meiyin.
Before long, Huo Poyun also arrived from the Yan Shen Realm, alone.
Finally, a scene that was shocking yet unsurprising occurred... The three Divine Emperors of the Eastern Domain—Fantian Shen Di Qianye Fantian, Zhou Tian Shen Di Zhou Xuzi, and Yue Shen Di Xia Qingyue—all personally visited the Yin Xue Realm at almost the same time.
The wind and snow across the entire Binghuang Realm came to a complete halt. The unprecedented invisible aura made everyone in the Bing Huang God Sect, from the lowest disciples to the Palace Masters and Elders, tremble in shock and confusion, walking and speaking with extreme caution.
They racked their brains but could not understand what was happening in this world.
How did it seem like the entire Dong Shen Domain had started revolving around the Yin Xue Realm!
Yun Che finally appeared. What he would bring was Jie Tian Mo Di's attitude. And Jie Tian Mo Di's attitude would determine whether the era would be peaceful or calamitous. How could they sit still?
In less than a day, nearly half of the upper-level star realms in the Dong Shen Domain had arrived. Those that had not yet come were star realms far to the south, extremely distant from the Yin Xue Realm. Most were probably still rushing here with all their might.
Except for the missing and untraceable Xing Shendi, the other three Divine Emperors of the Dong Shen Domain were all present. Yun Che had no choice but to make a statement.
In the guest reception hall of the Bing Huang God Sect, Mu Xuanyin sat in the main seat, with Yun Che properly seated beside her. A glance around revealed that the identity of any single person in the hall was enough to shake an entire divine domain, making Yun Che secretly worry whether the guest reception hall could bear the pressure and suddenly collapse.
"Divine Son Yun," Qianye Fantian said gently, with a hint of concern, "Seeing you safe and sound brings great comfort to us all."
"Hehe," Zhou Tian Shen Di stroked his beard and smiled. "The old man observed that Jie Tian Mo Di seems quite fond of Yun Che. Although he was missing for a month, I was not overly worried. Now it seems, indeed so."
"We heard that you have been accompanying Jie Tian Mo Di roaming the Chaos during this time," Xia Qingyue spoke up. "I wonder, what is her impression of the present era now?"
"What the Moon Goddess Divine Emperor asks is precisely what concerns us the most," Liuguang Realm King Shui Qianheng said with a grave expression but considerable confidence. "This matter is of utmost importance. My worthy son-in-law, speak quickly."
In such a setting and atmosphere, calling out "worthy son-in-law" in public without changing his expression caused many upper-level Realm Kings to grind their teeth inwardly at the same time.
Back when they heard the news of Yun Che's death, they secretly laughed. But now, looking at it again... damn it, what kind of lucky dog shit did the Liuguang Realm step in!
In the history of the Dong Shen Domain's upper-level star realms, the Liuguang Realm was known to all as the eternal second, always suppressed by the Shengyu Realm. In this generation, the Shengyu Realm produced a Luo Changsheng, and the Liuguang Realm produced a Shui Yingyue—that was already something. But then they also produced a Shui Meiyin with a Stainless Divine Soul!
And at this turning point that would change the fate of the Divine Realm, Yun Che seemed to be a nailed-down son-in-law of the Liuguang Realm, while the Shengyu Realm's Luo Changsheng... as long as one wasn't blind, everyone could see that he had made an enemy of Yun Che back then.
These days, the Shengyu Realm King must be coughing up blood from depression every day.
Yun Che swept his gaze across the crowd and said seriously, "Regarding the Demon Emperor senior, you need not worry. Back then, the Demon Emperor and the Evil God were a forbidden union, and behind breaking that taboo, there was naturally extremely deep emotion."
"Even across the spatial barrier between inner and outer Chaos, the fateful barrier of life and death, and the temporal barrier of millions of years... the Demon Emperor's feelings for the Evil God have not faded or been forgotten. This forbidden union between the Demon Emperor and the Creation God is truly astonishing."
"..." Yun Che's sigh left the crowd exchanging glances.
Xia Qingyue said, "So it means that the Demon Emperor senior, thinking of the power and will left by the Evil God, ultimately set aside the hatred and resentment accumulated over these years?"
Under everyone's eager gazes, Yun Che slowly nodded: "Indeed. Although the Demon Emperor is the emperor of the demon race, her nature is not evil or violent. Otherwise, she would not have been favored by the Evil God back then. The calamity of the outer Chaos did not distort her nature. The people she hated are all dead, and the era has changed. Although she only returned less than a month ago, she has already decided to release her hatred and will not commit acts that bring disaster to the world, nor will she kill any living being without cause... These are not my guesses, but her own words."
To the Realm Kings' ears, Yun Che's words were undoubtedly celestial music. More than half of them suddenly stood up, their faces filled with barely contained excitement: "Really? Is this really true?"
"Did Jie Tian Mo Di truly say that herself?" Even Zhou Tian Shen Di stood up excitedly.
"Mmm. For such an important matter, I would never dare to speak a single word falsely," Yun Che said seriously.
"Good... excellent!" As if a ten-thousand-jun weight had been lifted, Zhou Tian Shen Di raised his head and let out a long sigh of relief, his entire body—down to his pores—feeling relaxed.
The originally tense atmosphere was completely transformed by Yun Che's words. A great joy and a sense of relief akin to surviving a catastrophe appeared on everyone's faces. Even Mu Xuanyin let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Amidst the excitement, Zhou Tian Shen Di suddenly turned to Yun Che and said solemnly, "Yun Che... no, Divine Son Yun, the Demon Emperor's return to the world was originally a calamity of destruction. The outcome today is something we could not even dream of. Achieving this result is all because of you. Otherwise, not to mention the peace that follows, we would probably not even have the lives to stand here... Please accept this old man's bow."
With that, he bent at the waist.
A bow from a Divine Emperor—who could withstand it? Yun Che had always felt gratitude and respect toward Zhou Tian Shen Di. Moreover, it was Zhou Tian Shen Di's greatest achievement that they could meet Jie Tian Mo Di so quickly. How could Yun Che accept his bow? He quickly rose and said, "No!"
But if Zhou Tian Shen Di wanted to bow, how could Yun Che stop him? He could not suppress Zhou Tian Shen Di's movement and was instead fixed in place by his aura, receiving the bow completely.
Who could imagine that the most respected and prestigious Divine Emperor in the entire Divine Realm would bow so deeply to a young man?
Zhou Tian Shen Di straightened up. There was no reluctance on his face; instead, he wore a contented smile: "The title of Savior Divine Son is well deserved for you. This old man's bow may be something others cannot accept, but you absolutely can. You can accept the thanks and bows of anyone in this world."
"Lord Zhou Tian Shen Di speaks the truth!" Fantian Shen Di stepped forward. "You single-handedly saved the world, allowing the Divine Realm to avoid calamity and regain long-lasting peace. All living beings in the world should bow and thank you."
With that, Fantian Shen Di also bowed deeply to Yun Che, his expression sincere and solemn, without any air of being the number one Divine Emperor of the Eastern Domain.
With the two Divine Emperors acting this way, what reservations could the upper-level Realm Kings have? They rushed forward eagerly. Instantly, the entire hall was filled with various praises and thanks:
"Divine Son Yun, please accept this king's bow!"
"Divine Son Yun's merit of saving the world shall be recorded for a thousand autumns!"
"Divine Son Yun's grace is hard to repay in ten thousand years. From now on, whatever Divine Son Yun requests, my Luoxing Realm will comply without exception!"
...
A crowd of top-tier big shots all bowing to a young man whose strength, background, and status were infinitely inferior to theirs—such a scene was enough to make anyone's jaw drop in disbelief.
Shui Qianheng stood with his hands behind his back, wearing a beaming smile.
"Father, why aren't you going to bow and thank him?" Shui Meiyin asked with a hint of teasing.
"Hmph! He is my son-in-law. Would I dare to bow, and would he dare to accept?" Shui Qianheng said with unwavering pride.
Shui Meiyin quietly stuck out her tongue and smiled softly.