Chapter 1513: Crown Prince of the Zhou Tian Realm
"Un...lock!"
Before the Ice Phoenix Maiden's words had even faded, Yun Che spoke the same two words again, this time even colder and harder, carrying a ruthless determination that made one's heart tremble.
The Ice Phoenix Maiden: "..."
He slowly raised his eyes, his gaze somewhat chaotic yet unusually clear and cold: "Will interference, at its core, is forcing someone to do something they fundamentally do not wish to do through one's own will!"
"To have one's most basic will constantly and subtly controlled by another... how cruel and ridiculous is that! Especially for her... someone so proud, so valuing of dignity... this is too cruel for her... Unlock it. No matter what, unlock it!"
His voice began to tremble, every word carrying a tightly suppressed fury, because he knew he had no right to be angry at this Ice Phoenix deity who was about to vanish forever.
He also knew perfectly well what would happen once Mu Xuanyin's will interference was lifted. But, without a moment's hesitation... how could he allow Mu Xuanyin to live her entire life under the will of another?
Yun Che's words caused a slight stir in the Ice Phoenix Maiden. She fell silent again, longer than before, and finally let out a long, soft sigh: "What you say is true. To interfere with another's will out of selfish desire, using one's own soul... is indeed an excessively cruel act... and for her, it is far too unjust."
"Lift it. No matter the outcome, I will accept it." Yun Che's voice softened.
Ahead, the gradually fading maiden's figure flickered with a faint blue light. Then her voice sounded: "It has already been lifted. From now on, her will belongs completely to herself. With my divine soul's blessing, no one will ever be able to interfere with her will again."
"...I understand." Yun Che closed his eyes and took a light breath.
"Go now," the Ice Phoenix Maiden said. "In these final moments, I wish to bid farewell to this world in quiet solitude. Yun Che, no matter what happens to this world in the future, as long as you exist, there will be endless hope and possibility. May you and the descendants of the Evil God be at peace for ten thousand generations."
"I will," Yun Che nodded, speaking sincerely. "I will remember you forever. You, like the Evil God, are also an immensely great deity."
The Ice Phoenix Maiden smiled—the final smile of a deity in this world. Her figure turned, and a blue radiance swept past, carrying Yun Che up through the water. In an instant, he was at the shore of Minghan Heavenly Lake.
The world beneath the lake fell silent. The Ice Phoenix Maiden floated there quietly, her form now as thin as lingering mist.
"Even as a remnant deity, to so long interfere with another's will is an unforgivable sin. Lord Li Suo will surely blame me for this."
She murmured softly to herself, and her last residual image dissolved into scattered, dreamlike starlight, accompanied by her final whisper: "The final gift I intended for Yun Che... I shall bestow it upon her instead... This is the only recompense and atonement I can offer."
The ice-blue phantom completely dissipated at that moment, but the drifting starlight coalesced into a blue glow purer than crystal, flying toward an unknown space.
...............
Standing at the edge of Minghan Heavenly Lake, Yun Che stood frozen for a long, long time, his heart still nothing but chaos.
For Yun Che, the Yin Xue Realm was not merely his starting point and stepping stone in the God Realm; it was his home in the God Realm, its status and importance in his heart almost on par with the Lan Ji Star.
The ever-deepening affection he felt for the Yin Xue Realm was largely due to Mu Xuanyin.
His true intersection with Mu Xuanyin began at Minghan Heavenly Lake, the day she announced she would accept him as her disciple...
It turned out that from that day onward... all the way until just now, it had all been a "dream" woven under another's will.
This was not only too cruel for Mu Xuanyin—it was equally so for Yun Che.
Even more cruel was that, on this very day, he truly realized for the first time how important Mu Xuanyin was in his world—no less important than anyone else.
"Hah..." He let out a long breath, but his entire body still felt as if immersed in thick, turbid air, unable to break free.
From now on, would they really become complete strangers...
The Ice Phoenix deity was right. Reflecting on these past years, given her temperament and will, she would surely be deeply furious, deeply humiliated, and would wish to kill him with her own hands.
He had stayed at the bottom of the lake for several days. Counting the time, it was already close to the departure date set by Jie Yuan.
Shaking his head, he barely suppressed his chaotic thoughts and stepped forward to stand before an ice sculpture.
Within the ice was Xing Juekong, the Star God Emperor, whose whereabouts had been unknown to everyone.
But now, he no longer possessed the might and arrogance of a Star God Emperor. Even walking, speaking, or even dying had become a luxury.
"Xing Juekong," Yun Che said coldly. "Let me tell you some good news. Right now, all the major king realms have been forced to accept Mo Li's existence. I will take her away from the God Realm, and we probably won't ever return."
"As for Cai Zhi, she is currently training herself in the Tai Chu Divine Realm. She hasn't set foot out of it for three years. You should know very well who drove her to this state."
"After Mo Li, it won't be long before I take Cai Zhi out of the Tai Chu Divine Realm and away from the God Realm as well. As for you, you will never see them again... Of course, you are not even worthy of seeing them again."
"As for the Star God Wheel that you entrusted to me, I will hand it over to Cai Zhi at an appropriate time. But I think... it will never return to the Star God Realm again!"
Through the thick profound ice, a sense of sorrow and despair could be felt chaotically seeping out.
With a cold smile, Yun Che turned and left Minghan Heavenly Lake.
Returning to the Sacred Hall area, he stood before the Ice Phoenix Sacred Hall—the place in the Yin Xue Realm he knew best—and for the first time, he felt so apprehensive that he hesitated to enter for a long time.
No matter how much he wanted to run away, there always came a time to face things. Even though he knew the outcome might be the worst, or even worse than he imagined, he still could not bring himself to simply turn away and leave.
He knelt before the Sacred Hall and called out: "Disciple Yun Che requests an audience with Master."
The Sacred Hall was silent, with no response.
But Yun Che knew that Mu Xuanyin was inside.
He did not leave, nor did he rise. He remained half-kneeling there, letting the falling snow pile upon him unchecked.
One quarter-hour... two quarter-hours...
Half an hour...
Two hours...
Three hours...
Finally, a figure walked slowly out of the Sacred Hall—but it was not Mu Xuanyin; it was Mu Feixue.
"Master says she does not wish to see you," Mu Feixue said, her expression icy cold, but her eyes were complicated.
Yun Che's lips moved slightly, and he said dejectedly: "About seeing off Senior Demon Emperor..."
"Master says she has no time to go," Mu Feixue replied directly.
"...I understand." Those four words seemed to take all the strength from his body. With the thick snow piled on him, Yun Che bowed deeply: "Disciple Yun Che hereby obeys Master's command!"
He stood up... The wind and snow of the Sacred Hall could be so chilling and desolate.
"Sister Feixue," Yun Che said softly. "In the future, please take good care of and keep Master company. Listen to her well... and don't mention anything about me anymore, so as not to anger her."
Mu Feixue's icy brows furrowed, a hint of strangeness flashing across her face. Her lips parted, and she asked in a very soft voice: "Did you... anger Master?"
Yun Che smiled and shook his head. The next instant, he had already soared into the air, his figure quickly disappearing into the distant sky.
"Ying Nu, follow me to the Zhou Tian Realm!"
With a low shout, the Dun Yue Immortal Palace reappeared, carrying Yun Che once again toward the distant Zhou Tian God Realm—because the dimensional array leading to the edge of the Chaos was located there.
Throughout the entire journey, he was exceptionally quiet, not saying a single word to Qianye Ying'er. He Ling wanted to comfort him several times but didn't know how to begin.
Seven years... Both of them had finally taken that step.
But what they obtained in return was this truth.
No one could empathize with how Yun Che felt.
Time flowed on in gloom until the vast and majestic Zhou Tian God Realm appeared in sight. Yun Che silently sighed, striving to cast aside all the turmoil in his heart. He left the Dun Yue Immortal Palace and, with Qianye Ying'er, descended onto the Zhou Tian God Realm.
The moment he appeared, a figure in flowing white robes arrived at lightning speed, landing before Yun Che, and bowed to him from afar: "Qing Chen welcomes Divine Son Yun. My father has been eagerly awaiting you for some time. Please."
"So it is His Highness the Crown Prince," Yun Che returned the greeting. "For the Crown Prince to personally come and welcome me, I am truly flattered."
Zhou Qingchen. Although Yun Che had never spoken with him or had any real interaction before, his name had long been as thunderous as it gets.
The youngest son of the Zhou Tian God Emperor, yet known throughout the world as the Crown Prince of the Zhou Tian Realm!
Among all the sons, grandsons, and great-grandsons of the Zhou Tian God Emperor, he was undoubtedly the most talented—unquestionably!
Below the God Emperor of the Zhou Tian Realm were the Guardians, but the status of the Zhou Tian Crown Prince was actually even more honored than that of a Guardian, for he was the future Zhou Tian God Emperor.
In the Star God Realm, the God Emperor was one of the Star Gods; in the Moon God Realm, the God Emperor was one of the Moon Gods, and most king realms were the same. However, the Zhou Tian God Emperor was never a Guardian, and the succession was different from that of a Guardian—it did not require the recognition of divine power, but was a special bloodline inheritance.
The current Zhou Tian God Emperor, Zhou Xuzi, was a direct descendant of the Zhou Tian Great Ancestor.
When the appropriate time came, the Zhou Tian God Emperor could pass on the power of the God Emperor to his successor—that was Zhou Qingchen.
To become the Zhou Tian God Emperor, one needed not only strength and ambition but also a compassionate heart, especially a heart of mercy for the world. And Zhou Qingchen, being groomed as the next Zhou Tian God Emperor, was as pure and refined as his name suggested—clear and dustless.
The Crown Prince had a great reputation but rarely appeared before people. That he had been dispatched by the Zhou Tian God Emperor himself to personally welcome Yun Che, and had clearly been waiting for a long time, showed how highly the Zhou Tian God Emperor valued him—and also served to facilitate a friendship between Zhou Qingchen and Yun Che.
And Yun Che, indeed, deserved such honor.
"Divine Son Yun flatters me. To be able to welcome you personally is my honor," Zhou Qingchen quickly said.
As he spoke, his peripheral vision subtly glanced at Qianye Ying'er behind him, but he immediately looked away, a trace of gloom flashing deep in his eyes before fading.
The first time Yun Che had come to the Zhou Tian God Realm, before he had even formally set foot in it, the invisible pressure had nearly suffocated him. Now, as he swept over the skies of the Zhou Tian God Realm, those who saw him all stared with focused eyes, and some even bowed from afar, showing their respect.
Although the news had not yet spread across the entire God Realm, the people of the Zhou Tian God Realm naturally knew that Yun Che had saved the God Realm from a calamity that had once left them in utter despair. This matter would soon spread across the world, and by then, his personal prestige would be no less than that of any king realm. His name would be remembered for a thousand generations.
"To be honest," the Zhou Tian Crown Prince said—though he was a crown prince, he showed not the slightest arrogance; instead, he was humble and polite, even carrying a hint of respect that was clearly genuine and heartfelt—"as early as the Profound God Convention four years ago, I was deeply captivated by Divine Son Yun's brilliance. It's just that my status prevented me from approaching and befriending you at the time."
Indeed, the Zhou Tian Crown Prince's status was too high and too noble; in a very meaningful sense, he symbolized the face and dignity of the Zhou Tian God Realm. How could he condescend to actively befriend Yun Che back then?
"Today, I've finally gotten my wish. However, Divine Son Yun's current achievements are ones I can never hope to match in my lifetime," Zhou Qingchen sighed in admiration.
Yun Che smiled: "The Crown Prince is the true heaven-ordained divine son. I would never dare accept such praise."
Zhou Qingchen shook his head with a smile: "Sensing the departure of the Demon Emperor, blocking the Demon God, and forging a balance of non-aggression between the God Realm and the Evil Infant, eliminating all the calamities and disasters faced by the God Realm—such world-saving divine feats are unmatched. They should be remembered for ten thousand generations and are worthy of all praise."
"..." Yun Che was rather speechless. The tone of speaking and flattering was exactly the same as that of the Zhou Tian God Emperor.