Chapter 1614: Good and Evil
Bang!
Another giant profound beast was killed by the combined efforts of Yun Che and Zhou Qingchen. Qianye Ying'er stepped forward, her fingers moving as she expertly extracted the Xuan Pill, its aura still lingering, and directly stored it away.
"Miss Qianying's technique is quite exquisite. It seems you two truly do come here often." Zhou Qingchen praised. This was already the umpteenth time he had complimented Qianye Ying'er... though he had never received any response from her.
"Extracting Xuan Pills, she does indeed do that well." Yun Che spoke as if in praise, but it only drew a cold snort from Qianye Ying'er.
"Speaking of which, Brother Chen, this is your first time here, yet you take not a single resource, nor does desire glimmer in your eyes." Yun Che smiled lightly, looking at Zhou Qingchen. "Even just these Divine Lord-class ancient beasts—their fur and skin are priceless treasures—yet they cannot catch your eye in the slightest. It seems Brother Chen's background must be extraordinarily noble."
Zhou Qingchen smiled, not denying it. His gaze involuntarily drifted toward Qianye Ying'er, resting on her back as he said, "Brother Ling and I share a bond of similar temperament and have enjoyed our time together. I truly do not wish to deceive you. As for my background, it can indeed be called 'noble.' But no matter how noble one's origins, our bodies are built from the same blood, bone, and flesh, and our souls are filled with the same seven emotions and six desires. In essence, what difference is there?"
"On the contrary, I find myself somewhat envious of Brother Ling."
"Envious of me?" Yun Che looked askance.
Zhou Qingchen chuckled but did not answer, though his gaze grew slightly distant.
"Could it be that Brother Chen envies me for having a woman like this by my side?" Yun Che suddenly said, a faint, ambiguous smile on his face.
Zhou Qingchen's expression stiffened sharply.
"I was curious before," Yun Che continued with a smile, "why someone as highly cultivated as you, Brother Chen, whose every word and action exudes nobility, would take the initiative to travel with us. Later, I noticed that your gaze always falls, intentionally or not, on Qianying. Every time we encounter a Primordial Profound Beast, the first thing you do when making a move is to seal off her position, ensuring she faces no potential danger."
"And..." Sensing Zhou Qingchen's slightly flustered aura, Yun Che smirked inwardly and pressed on, "Your praise of her is quite excessive."
Zhou Qingchen averted his gaze, then shook his head with a laugh. "Brother Ling is truly perceptive. I must seem ridiculous to you."
"So, Brother Chen does have feelings for her?" Yun Che feigned surprise, glancing sidelong at Qianye Ying'er, who was far enough away that she likely wouldn't hear their conversation.
But Zhou Qingchen shook his head. Then, suddenly lifting his face to the sky, he let out a deep sigh. "Brother Ling, what do you think... is the most difficult thing in this world?"
Yun Che didn't answer, replying casually, "Different people have different answers to that question. I'd like to hear Brother Chen's answer first."
Zhou Qingchen closed his eyes, his voice growing long and drawn-out. "My origins are quite special. From a very young age, I was told I had a completely different identity from others, and that I would also bear a 'mission.' In my life, the most important thing was the 'righteous path,' and the one thing I should never have was 'desire.'"
Yun Che: "..."
"Because of this, I've always been a person with very few desires, treating everything with equanimity and having little interest in any form of conflict."
"Later, when I reached the age of marriage, my father and my clan found many candidates for me. But... perhaps due to my cultivated heart, I never felt any connection to women. Even if I occasionally experienced a flicker of liking, it would fade and be forgotten in the next moment. I thought it would always be like this, until one day, I met someone..."
"Brother Ling," Zhou Qingchen asked, "do you believe... that there exists in this world someone who, with just a single glance, can brand themselves into your heart for a lifetime?"
"No." Yun Che answered without a moment's hesitation.
Back then, when he fell into Swallow Valley, the fleeting glimpse of Feng Xue'er before he lost consciousness... In the Reincarnation Forbidden Land, the moment Shen Xi's light and mist dissipated, his heart sank into soul-severing madness...
He had experienced it before, and it would be etched in his heart for life. But they were no longer here... and never would be again.
"I used to not believe it either, but that person..." Zhou Qingchen's voice trembled slightly, his features unconsciously tightening. "I only caught a distant glance of her, and it was as if I had suddenly fallen into a nightmare from which I could never wake."
"Is that so?" Yun Che said, seemingly unimpressed.
"Brother Ling, I know these words sound ridiculous." Zhou Qingchen said. "But... if one day you catch a glimpse of her true appearance, you will understand what this 'nightmare' is. Even if... she shows not a trace of a smile, her eyes only coldness, even carrying some mockery, she will still trap you forever in that 'nightmare,' and no one can escape."
"I see..." Yun Che touched his chin. "So for Brother Chen, the hardest thing in the world is letting go of this person?"
"Yes." Zhou Qingchen said. "I've tried countless methods, but I can't shake it off no matter what. Even if she one day were to become..."
He stopped mid-sentence.
Yun Che smiled. "For someone of Brother Chen's caliber to be so affected, I'm truly curious just how disastrously beautiful that woman is."
"On the contrary, I hope Brother Ling never meets her. Encountering someone you admire is a blessing, but meeting her... is a calamity." Zhou Qingchen exhaled, then said very softly, "In this world, there has never been anyone worthy of her, not even a single moment of her warmth."
"Not necessarily. Some women only seem arrogant, but in truth..." Yun Che clasped his hands behind his head, grinning, but didn't finish.
Zhou Qingchen shook his head with a smile, his gaze fixed on Qianye Ying'er in the distance. "Miss Qianying shares many similarities with her, so I can't help but want to look at her a little longer. It counts as a kind of..."
He laughed self-deprecatingly. "A pitiful consolation."
"So that's it." Yun Che said. "However, I've been negligent in disciplining her, so she's somewhat lacking in manners in public. Please don't take offense, Brother Chen."
"No matter." Zhou Qingchen said. "Towards strangers who approach you uninvited, maintaining such distance and wariness is only natural. And... even in this regard, they are somewhat alike."
In the distance, Qianye Ying'er gazed ahead, her spiritual sense silently scanning for the aura of the Zhou Tian Guardian. Zhou Qingchen's words were clearly heard by her, but she showed no reaction, not even a cold snort.
Further away, Quhui followed them from a distance. He sensed that Yun Che and Qianye Ying'er had no ulterior motives toward Zhou Qingchen, instead maintaining distance and caution—this actually set his mind at ease, since it was Zhou Qingchen who had insisted on traveling with them.
Quhui also heard Zhou Qingchen's words and muttered to himself, "That demoness of the Fan Di clan is truly a scourge. I hope she really is dead."
Zhou Qingchen snapped back to himself, seeming unwilling to dwell on the matter. Changing the subject, he said, "Brother Ling, what about you? What is the hardest thing in this world for you?"
Yun Che closed his eyes. "Probably distinguishing between good and evil."
"Oh?" Zhou Qingchen looked puzzled. "Why would Brother Ling struggle with this?"
"To Brother Chen, what is good and evil?" Yun Che countered.
Zhou Qingchen thought for a moment and said, "There are many kinds of good. A gentle heart and a kind spirit are good. There are countless small goods in the world, but great good is rare."
"What does Brother Chen consider great good?" Yun Che asked casually.
"There is someone I deeply respect," Zhou Qingchen said with a hint of emotion. "To protect the peace of the world, he would not violate his own principles, break his promises, or tarnish his own reputation. He even once asked the other party to take his life to quell their anger. This is the greatest good I have witnessed in my life. Perhaps no one in this world can match him in this regard."
"And what about evil?" Yun Che asked.
"There are also countless kinds of evil." Zhou Qingchen said. "My father once taught me that there is no pure evil in the world. Much evil can be nipped in the bud, and much can be redeemed through enlightenment. However, if we speak of unforgivable evil, then it is the demons of the Northern Domain."
Hearing this, Yun Che was not surprised in the slightest. He turned his head and said, "So, to Brother Chen, demons represent an unforgivable evil?"
"Of course." Zhou Qingchen said. "Demons are deviants with twisted humanity. Dark Profound Force is also a negative power that should not exist. If dark profound force could be permanently erased from the world, and if there were no more demonic beasts or demonic beings, how much darkness and calamity would be avoided?"
He glanced at Yun Che. "Doesn't Brother Ling think so?"
His tone implied—Isn't this the most basic knowledge and common sense? Why would you have such doubts?
Yun Che smiled and said, "I suddenly thought of an interesting question. What would you say... a demon who saves the world is? An evil person, or a good person?"
"Haha, hahaha." Zhou Qingchen laughed. "That is indeed an interesting question..."
But as the words left his mouth, his laughter abruptly stopped, and his expression became somewhat complicated. He thought of someone, then said in a very soft voice, "A demon cannot possess the good intent to save the world. But if a person who saved the world falls and becomes a demon, then they are even more unforgivable. Because they are more terrifying than ordinary demons. When they were good, they could save the world; when they become evil, they might be able to bring calamity to it."
"I see." Yun Che nodded, as if agreeing with him, and said cheerfully, "So it seems that once someone becomes a demon, no matter what they have done in the past, they are an unforgivable heretic. Brother Chen's view deeply resonates with me."
"Speaking of which," Yun Che continued, "I've heard that over the past two years, the Eastern Divine Region has been fully mobilizing to hunt down a demon named 'Yun Che.' He was once a favored son of the heavens in your Eastern Divine Region. Even I, in the Southern Divine Region, have heard of his fame. But no matter how favored he was, he was still just a rising junior. Yet to hunt him down, I've heard that all the major king realms of the Eastern Divine Region have spared no effort, even sending out their entire forces. Why is that?"
Zhou Qingchen's expression tightened slightly. He didn't want to answer this question, nor did he even want to recall the name Yun Che.
But at that moment, Yun Che and Qianye Ying'er's brows both twitched sharply.
An aura of extremely high level, yet exceptionally weak, was rapidly approaching. From the aura and the trajectory of its flight, it seemed... the owner was severely injured.
In the distance, Quhui's expression changed drastically. There was only one aura, incredibly weak, carrying a heavy smell of blood. An icy chill instantly spread through his body. He no longer cared about concealment; in an instant, his profound energy erupted fully, and he charged forward at the fastest possible speed.
Quhui suddenly appeared and shot away at full speed, his expression terrifying. Zhou Qingchen also sensed the arrival of that aura at that moment. His face changed as well, and he murmured, "Uncle Taiyin!" Then, without regard for anything else, he leaped up and followed closely behind Quhui.
"Ah... Brother Chen, where are you going?" Yun Che called out. He and Qianye Ying'er exchanged a brief flicker of intent, then naturally rose and flew after them at a deliberately slow pace.
Taiyin Venerable was drenched in blood, most of his bones and flesh exposed, as if he had been brutally flayed and then soaked in a hellish blood pool. His entire right arm was completely missing from his body. But, after all, he was a Zhou Tian Guardian. Even in this miserable state, all the Primordial Profound Beasts that had tried to approach him along the way had been slain under his hand.
He firmly held the Void Cauldron in his hand, guarding against any unexpected situations. Finally, dragging his crippled body, he reached the location of Quhui and Zhou Qingchen.
Seeing the blood-drenched figure from afar, Quhui's body froze solid. If not for the unique aura of a Guardian, he would never have believed it was Taiyin... the sixth-ranked Guardian of the Zhou Tian God Realm!
"Taiyin..." Only when the figure was right in front of him did Quhui finally snap back to his senses. He spoke in a deep voice, "What happened? Where is Zhuliu Venerable?"
Taiyin Venerable took a heavy breath, then quickly swallowed a few drops of spiritual liquid. Gasping heavily, he had no time to speak for a moment.
"Uncle Taiyin!!"
Zhou Qingchen's panicked voice came from afar, and then his figure rushed over. Seeing Taiyin's state, he froze in place, just like Quhui, unable to believe his eyes.
Taiyin silently suppressed his injuries. It was a long while before he opened his eyes. In his line of sight, he saw two figures landing in the distance, looking over with puzzled expressions.
"Don't worry, they are not enemies." Quhui clenched his fists and asked again, "What exactly happened? Could it be that Zhuliu Venerable has..."
Two fourth-rank Divine Lords, even if they were mortal enemies, posed no threat whatsoever. Taiyin Venerable let out a long breath and spoke slowly, "Zhuliu... has fallen."
"What... what!?" Quhui and Zhou Qingchen both staggered violently.
The fall of a single Guardian—what that meant to the Zhou Tian God Realm, to the Eastern Divine Region, and even to the entire Divine Realm, was all too clear to them.
"However," Taiyin adjusted his breathing and said urgently, "we have not failed in our mission. The gift for the Crown Prince is in hand. We must return immediately... Hurry!"
In hand... the Tai Chu Divine Fruit was secured!
Under the devastating news of Zhuliu's fall, this was undoubtedly a great comfort. Quhui quickly nodded. "Good!"
Without a moment's delay, he waved his hand, and a small Mysterious Ark about ten zhang in length appeared. He grabbed Zhou Qingchen and said, "Let's go! We'll talk about everything else once we're back."
At that moment, Yun Che and Qianye Ying'er's eyes both changed slightly.
The Zhou Tian clan had obtained the Tai Chu Divine Fruit from the Primordial Dragon Clan—this was exactly the outcome they had hoped for, and the reason Yun Che had designed to get close to Zhou Qingchen.
But the developments after obtaining it were completely different from their expectations.
Originally, if the two Guardians had successfully obtained the Tai Chu Divine Fruit, upon their return, the immense curiosity would have surely made Quhui and Zhou Qingchen want to immediately see the Divine Fruit's true appearance and bask in its unique aura. There was even a possibility they would have directly handed the fruit over to Zhou Qingchen.
And with two Guardians by their side, who could possibly snatch it away in that process?
This was the best—and only—opportunity for Yun Che and Qianye Ying'er. They were already close enough, and how could two Zhou Tian Guardians possibly be wary of mere fourth-rank Divine Lords?
But with one Guardian dead and himself severely wounded, Taiyin Venerable's sense of danger had clearly reached its peak. Not only did he want to leave the Tai Chu Divine Realm immediately, but he also had no intention of taking out the Divine Fruit.
Because the Tai Chu Divine Fruit was safest on his person. Even if he was severely injured, his cultivation far surpassed that of Zhou Qingchen and Quhui. Moreover, he still had the Void Cauldron in his hands.
"I understand." Zhou Qingchen nodded solemnly. "Allow me to bid farewell to my two new friends first."
With that, he turned, raised his hand, and said quickly, "Brother Ling, Miss Qianying, an urgent matter has arisen, and I must leave at once. If the two of you ever come to the Eastern Divine Region, perhaps we will meet again."
His gaze lingered on Qianye Ying'er for a full breath, then he finally turned back, ready to leave.
Yun Che nodded, taking a step forward lightly... but his hand was instantly seized by Qianye Ying'er.
"We are no match for Taiyin." Qianye Ying'er said in a low voice. "The Guardians of the Zhou Tian clan are far more terrifying than you can imagine. Even in his current state... he still has the power to counterattack and kill us!"