Chapter 1532: Ten Thousand Thoughts Become Demon
The order to hunt down Yun Che spread across the Eastern Divine Region like wildfire once again, quickly extending to the Western Divine Region and Southern Divine Region.
Now, no one in the three divine regions was unaware that Yun Che had become a demon, that he had committed unforgivable, heinous sins, and that because he possessed the Evil God's divine power, if he were not killed soon, he would surely pose a tremendous threat in the future.
For a time, the sheer intensity of the commotion was practically telling everyone in the God Realm that eliminating the demon Yun Che was the top priority, above all else.
As for exactly what heinous crime he had committed… none of the king realms seemed to mention it.
And the news of the Demon Emperor returning to the world and Yun Che saving it—not a single word had been spread… not a single word.
Not only the king realms, but after clearly seeing the attitude of the king realms, those upper star realms that knew the truth didn't even need to be reminded; they all chose silence, obediently keeping their mouths shut.
Because the ones who could now decide their fate were no longer Jie Yuan and Yun Che, but the king realms!
Among all the king realms, the one pursuing him with the greatest intensity was the Zhou Tian God Realm. In just a single day, the Zhou Tian Shen Di himself personally issued six Zhou Tian Divine Echoes… When destroying the Crimson Passage, he had severely damaged his essence and blood; when fighting Mu Xuanyin, half his hand was severed; then he was heavily wounded by Yun Che with "Moon Embracing Sinking Star." Yet he showed no intention of recuperating. Not only did he personally issue orders and arrangements, but upon the slightest hint of a clue, he would personally rush there… It seemed he would only be truly at ease when he witnessed Yun Che's destruction with his own eyes.
The reward he offered was also extraordinarily extravagant. Those who provided clues would be given a large amount of divine crystals, while those who assisted in or personally captured or killed Yun Che would become permanent disciples of the Zhou Tian God Realm.
No matter how humble one's birth or lowly one's status, if one could help capture or kill Yun Che, they could become a person of the king realm overnight.
This temptation was undoubtedly as vast as the heavens, driving countless profound practitioners to madness… Especially those from lower and middle star realms, who frantically searched everywhere, dreaming of the overnight fantasy of stepping into the king realm.
It seemed they had all completely forgotten… that Yun Che, who had won first place in the Profound God Convention, was once the pride of all lower and middle star realms.
The Zhou Tian Shen Di's actions and determination to kill Yun Che were resolute to a degree that astonished everyone.
However, the Zhou Tian Shen Di never told anyone about that terrible prophecy, and he forbade the Three Elders of Heavenly Mechanism from making it public.
Killing Yun Che… for a very long time to come, would be the four most frequently uttered words on the land of the God Realm.
……
……
In the distant east, on a barren, desolate lower realm planet where life was scarcely seen.
A man was curled up on the parched earth, his white clothes stained with crimson blood, the bloodstains long dried. But he felt nothing… In his arms, he tightly held a woman in snowy garments, though the Ice Phoenix crest on her white clothes, symbolizing the highest status of the Yin Xue Realm, had been completely dyed red.
He held the woman tightly, his eyes vacant, motionless, like a lifeless sculpture, like a painting of bleak sorrow.
This world was desolate and quiet. No one would disturb them. Time flowed silently, and no one knew how long had passed—perhaps hours, perhaps days, perhaps years…
Until a gust of dry wind blew, spreading layers of sand and dust across this desolate, cold tableau.
He Ling materialized. She gently knelt beside Yun Che, reaching out a hand, but just as it was about to touch the corner of his clothes, she slowly withdrew it.
She had witnessed everything that had happened these past days. He went from a hero who saved the world, a Divine Son praised by all, to having everything taken from him overnight after completing the salvation, becoming a demon hunted by the entire realm…
How ironic, how tragic.
She was the one closest to Yun Che's soul. The pain, darkness, and despair… just touching a little bit of it would cause her soul to tear apart with excruciating pain.
In the world of the Wood Spirits, this world had always been cruel.
Especially for He Ling… Her parents, her people, had all died one by one from the greed of other races. Even her last relative, and the last hope she had placed in He Lin, had left forever, and she hadn't even been able to see him one last time.
She had thought there could be nothing more cruel, nothing more desperate than that. But…
"Master," she said softly, "let Master rest well."
"…" Yun Che showed no reaction at all.
He Ling said no more, quietly accompanying him.
Back then, Shen Xi had told her more than once that Yun Che was a very special person. If other profound practitioners had Yun Che's talent and opportunities, they would surely breed ever-growing desires and ambitions. But he wasn't like that. During that time in the Reincarnation Forbidden Land, what she felt most from him was longing.
His regard for love and loyalty far outweighed his pursuit of power and status in the profound way… far outweighed it.
Even though he had made a name for himself in the God Realm, he never had even the slightest thought of abandoning the lower realm, and he refused every olive branch extended by the king realms… because his home was in the lower realm, and he wouldn't stay.
And even when he came to the God Realm, it wasn't to pursue a higher plane, but simply to find the person he held in his heart.
Yes, even as the savior Divine Son, even treating with the various God Emperors as equals, what mattered most to him was still his family, his wife and daughter, his beloved…
But it was precisely because of this that the Tiansha Xingshen was willing to transform into the Evil Infant for him, willing to return to the lower realms with him forever; Mu Xuanyin was willing to abandon the Yin Xue Realm for him, willing to sacrifice her life for him…
But this was not the reward he wanted…
In all these years connected to Yun Che's life, what He Ling saw in Yun Che was exactly the person Shen Xi had described.
But for him, all these things that were most important in his life were completely lost…
All…
Drip…
A drop of cold water fell, landing on He Ling's cheek, making her look up at the sky that had quietly darkened without her noticing.
More drops fell. This perpetually barren world had suddenly started to rain, and it grew heavier and heavier, turning into a downpour in an instant.
The rain soaked the woman's white garments, drenching her long hair that had lost all its icy luster… The man remained as motionless as ever, like a husk that had completely lost its soul and senses.
"Master," He Ling's tearful voice sounded in the rain, "master has always been someone who cherished her appearance very much. She never wanted her hair to be messy… especially in front of you… so… so…"
"…" Yun Che's dim gaze trembled slightly. The hand holding Mu Xuanyin tightly shook soundlessly, and in his pupils, which had lost their light for a long time, Mu Xuanyin's figure slowly began to reflect once more.
Without the breath of life, she was still as beautiful as a divine maiden untouched by dust in a painting. Anyone who saw her would be etched in their hearts forever, never to forget.
Master…
No, she was not his master…
She was not the Yin Xue Realm King…
She was the one who expelled him from the sect, who gave up her life and the Yin Xue Realm for him… without any interference from others' will, completely, wholeheartedly, only his Mu Xuanyin.
But why was this beautiful possession so fleeting? Like a bubble bursting just as it bloomed with colorful radiance.
He straightened his upper body, his movements indescribably slow and stiff, like a puppet whose strings had been cut.
A faint glint of profound light flickered. A crystal coffin emitting a soft glow appeared before him… the Eternal Pivot where Hong'er had once slept.
The raindrops grew faster and more chaotic. Wet, sticky hair obstructed his vision, but he couldn't feel the temperature of the rain at all. He bent down, kneeling, and placed Mu Xuanyin's body very gently, very slowly, into the Eternal Pivot.
His trembling hand pressed down, releasing a pale white light of profound energy, cleansing all the blood and filth from her body, removing all the rain and moisture.
His arm lifted again. With a soft click, the Eternal Pivot was slowly closed… just like Yun Che's sealed heart and soul.
…
"For the sake of the Tiansha Xingshen, knowing full well you would die, knowing full well you couldn't possibly save her, you still went alone to the Xing Shen Realm, using death in exchange for power to make them your burial companions. How heroic, how moving!"
"Hmph! You died a quick, tragic, and devoted death; you were true to your Tiansha Xingshen. But… do you know how many people expended a great deal of effort, took enormous risks, and nearly gambled away the future of an entire star realm just to keep you alive, giving you a chance to survive in the Long Shen Realm? And yet, knowing you would die, you still went. Are you worthy of them!? Are you worthy of yourself!? Are you worthy of the wives and family waiting for you in the lower realms!"
"Other than the Tiansha Xingshen, who else are you worthy of!"
"Don't call me master! I took you as my disciple, allowed you to use the Minghan Heavenly Lake at will, gave you the best resources in the entire realm. For you to reach the Divine Tribulation Realm as quickly as possible, I set aside all sect matters and personally guided your cultivation day and night. Is this how you repay me!? Is this how you repay the Yin Xue Realm!?"
"I, Mu Xuanyin, do not have such a foolish disciple!"
…
That was the worst scolding Mu Xuanyin had ever given him. He dared not forget her eyes that day, her fury, nor every harsh word of rebuke.
But why… did you…
As my master, to commit the same mistake as your disciple… no, an even more foolish, even graver one…
Another flash of profound light passed. The Eternal Pivot was brought into the Primordial Mystic Ark. Because he knew Mu Xuanyin's favorite color was blue. In the world of the Primordial Mystic Ark, she could face the endless azure sky… not the eternal verdant green of the Heavenly Poison Pearl's world.
With Mu Xuanyin gone from his sight, in that instant, his eyes, his entire world, became a void.
He moved his feet, walking forward into the rain. His steps were stiff and slow, like an old man nearing his end. His eyes were dark, not the slightest light visible… He didn't know where he was, where he should go, where he could still go, or where the future lay.
He only knew he couldn't die, because his life was bought with Mu Xuanyin's life, because this was her final wish.
But why is living such pain… such despair…
"Master… Master!"
He Ling followed close behind him, calling out again and again, but unable to elicit any reaction from him at all.
A soft sound. A protruding stone caught his toe, and he fell heavily to the ground.
His arm crashed down at a twisted angle, hitting a hard stone that had been flung from around his neck… the string of Liuyin Beads he had always worn around his neck and never been willing to take off.
"Father, Wuxin misses you."
In the chaotic, cold rain, a girl's sweet, soft voice rang out.
Yun Che's prone body froze instantly. His dim eyes and stiff body trembled wildly… convulsed…
"Ah… uh…" He let out a terribly hoarse, choked sound, as if someone was strangling his throat.
"Uh… ugh… ahhh… ahhh… ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!"
Like a malignant ghost with its soul completely shattered and utterly collapsing, he wailed and screamed in despair… He slammed his head against the ground wildly, beating his head with his arms…
"Ughhhhhhh!"
"Ahhh… ahhhh…"
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh——"
His cries grew more and more piercing, his throat seeming to be completely torn apart. It was impossible to imagine what kind of pain could make a person emit a sound more miserable than a ravenous ghost. His head, his arms, the ground beneath him were spreading with large patches of blood, but he felt no pain at all, slamming against the ground, pounding his head relentlessly…
Tears, which he thought had long since dried up, now flowed like a mad torrent, the downpour and the splattering blood unable to wash them away fast enough…
He Ling did not go forward, did not stop him. She closed her eyes and let her tears fall silently.
No one knew how long it took. Finally, his wails stopped. His body lay prostrate on the ground, for a long time… without moving.
The rain still poured from the sky, washing away the bloodstains on Yun Che's body.
Again, a long time passed. Still, he did not move.
His homeland, his family, his clansmen, his wife, his daughter, his beloved, his sect, his friends, his reputation, his status, his glory…
Everything he had treasured most in his life, everything that was most important… all gone.
Taking with it all his bonds, his warmth, his hope, his attachment…
…
"M…master?" He Ling called out softly, unable to contain herself any longer, and hurriedly tried to move forward.
But she had only taken one step when she suddenly stopped. Then, her feet uncontrollably began to step backward. An indescribable coldness, oppression, and terror invaded her soul.
"Hehe… hehehe…"
A low, hoarse laugh sounded, as if coming from the depths of a distant purgatory… From the pool of blood, the long-silent body slowly rose, accompanied by a thick black aura that gradually spread… then surged madly upward.
"Hehe… hahaha… hahahahahahaha!"
His crooked fingers clawed tightly at his own face. Even through the hand, one could almost see how hideous and terrifying the features beneath those fingers must be. Black mist swirled chaotically around him, like countless bloodthirsty evil ghosts dancing in a frenzy.
"No… I haven't lost everything…"
His voice was deep and somber. Though it clearly came from the person she knew best, it brought He Ling nothing but unfamiliarity and a trembling heart: "I still have my life… and… I… still… have… ha… tred… ah!!"
"Hehehe… ah… hahahahahaha!!"
CRACK!!
A bolt of lightning struck without warning, its azure-purple light casting a pitch-black shadow behind Yun Che… The flash of lightning vanished, but that black shadow did not disappear. Instead, it twisted and writhed alongside Yun Che's maniacal laughter, like a long-imprisoned, violent demon god finally set free.
"…" He Ling stood frozen, watching. For a long time… she stepped forward, gently hugged Yun Che, pressing her body and head completely against him, allowing her own emerald green eyes to be stained ever deeper by the surging black light emanating from him.