Chapter 1738: Falling Moon (8)
The Tai Chu Divine Realm was vast and boundless, and the perception of all living things was heavily suppressed here.
However, the surging aura of the Dun Yue Immortal Palace at its extreme speed allowed Yun Che to never lose track of it for a single moment after entering the Tai Chu Divine Realm.
Countless profound beasts were startled, and the tranquil pale white world churned with thunderous storms. The flight path of the Dun Yue Immortal Palace was not winding but always a straight line… as if it had a clear destination.
Time passed silently in the relentless pursuit, and Yun Che could no longer sense how long he had been chasing. The longer it went on, the more resolute his pursuit became. Unknowingly, he had penetrated deep into the Tai Chu Divine Realm, to a place he had never set foot in before.
"Hmm?" Qianye Ying'er suddenly spoke. She was far more familiar with the Tai Chu Divine Realm than Yun Che. "In this direction, she isn't planning to…"
"What?" Yun Che frowned.
"You'll know soon enough," Qianye Ying'er said.
The world ahead suddenly became empty.
Mountains, ancient trees, vast seas, fierce beasts… all disappeared, leaving only an endless, boundless stretch of white.
The world became so quiet and desolate that it involuntarily emptied one's soul.
Within the white expanse, the Dun Yue Immortal Palace slowed down significantly, then came to a halt in the air.
A red figure drifted downward, and as her body came to rest, she became the single spot of color in the endless gray-white world.
Yun Che also slowed down, looking ahead. Feeling a sense of "emptiness" he had never known before, he suddenly thought of something and whispered, "Could this be…"
"The Abyss of Nothingness," Qianye Ying'er answered the name that had surfaced in his mind.
The Abyss of Nothingness — he had first heard those four words from Qianye Ying'er during the time she was under the Slave Mark.
It was an abyss of ten thousand miles, with ten thousand miles of eternal gray mist.
In legends and records, it was an abyss that could reduce everything to nothingness. Many people and many records hypothesized it to be the center of the Tai Chu Divine Realm.
The Abyss of Nothingness was bottomless and endless, shrouded in an eternal layer of gray mist, beneath which the bottomless darkness could be faintly seen.
And in all records concerning the Abyss of Nothingness, one thing was extremely clear and certain: everything in the world, once it fell into the Abyss of Nothingness, would be completely reduced to nothingness. Whether it was living beings, dead spirits, soul spirits, profound weapons, mountains, seas… even aura, spiritual perception, sound, and light.
Not to mention the mortals of the present age; even the True Gods and True Demons of the ancient era, once they fell into it, would return to nothing, without a trace… From ancient times to the present, there had never been any exception.
"In ancient times, many people tried various methods to explore the secrets of the Abyss of Nothingness. But even those as strong as Divine Sovereigns and Divine Lords, upon entering it, their bodies, souls, power, and aura instantly turned to nothing. Until later, no one dared to explore it anymore, and gradually, no one dared to approach the Abyss of Nothingness."
These were the words Qianye Ying'er had once used to describe it to Yun Che.
And this was the first time Yun Che had actually seen the legendary Abyss of Nothingness—the most bizarre, the most dangerous, and the most empty existence of the present age.
In the outside world, living beings had strict hierarchies of status. But before the Abyss of Nothingness, an ant and a Divine Emperor were no different.
Xia Qingyue's body drifted down to the edge of the Abyss of Nothingness. Under her blood-stained skirt was the eternal drifting gray-white mist. She needed only one more step backward to fall into the abyss, returning to nothing forever.
"Cough… cough…"
After such a long escape, her condition had not recovered or improved but had become weaker instead. Her body trembled slightly, and every painful cough brought forth specks of crimson blood.
It was easy to imagine how devastating the forced destruction of the Purple Que Divine Domain had been to her vitality.
Yun Che walked forward slowly. Qianye Ying'er did not move and said nothing more.
She had seen Yun Che's feelings for Xia Qingyue in the past. In recent years, she had also seen his hatred for her.
Now, Xia Qingyue had nowhere to run, and she clearly no longer intended to run. No matter what the outcome of this day, Yun Che should settle it himself… unless Yun Che truly wanted her to do it.
Ten zhang apart, Yun Che stopped. His icy gaze met Xia Qingyue's obviously unfocused eyes.
Her aura had weakened to the point of near death. There was no wind in this world; otherwise, perhaps a single gust would have been enough to knock her down.
At the age of sixteen, in Liu Yun City, under the red canopy, her few soft words had deeply etched her image into Yun Che's soul… When everyone around him was cold and mocking, the one who had the most reason to look down on him had given him the most heartfelt warmth.
During those years in the Cang Feng Kingdom, subconsciously, he had always been chasing Xia Qingyue's shadow.
At that time, neither of them could have imagined that in just twenty years, they would stand on such a plane and at such a height, let alone that they would face each other like this.
Her vision was blurry, but Yun Che's reflection in her pupils was crystal clear. Looking at Yun Che, who stood still, Xia Qingyue said softly, "Your hesitation earlier almost cost you your best chance to kill me. Now, what are you hesitating about?"
Yun Che said in a deep voice, "If you wanted to live, you could have fled to the Fan Di God Realm, or to the Long Shen Realm. Yet you chose this place?"
Xia Qingyue gave an extremely calm smile, and her frail aura still exuded a proud imperial might. "As the Yue Shen Di, I caused the annihilation of the Yue Shen Realm. I have no face left to live, nor am I willing… to rely on others to survive."
"Is that so?" Yun Che's eyes narrowed slightly. "Before this ends, answer my last question."
"You hope I will answer… that back then, I didn't hesitate to personally destroy Lan Ji Star because I didn't want it to fall into the hands of the many realms and suffer an even more tragic fate. That way, it would be easier for you to accept in your heart, wouldn't it?" she said softly.
Yun Che: "…"
Xia Qingyue gave a faint smile, seemingly indifferent, seemingly mocking. "You are already the Demon Lord of the Northern Domain. Why do you still refuse to let go of that last shred of innocence?"
"As the Yue Shen Di, destroying Lan Ji Star was merely a simple choice made after a simple weighing of pros and cons at that time. Having you personally executed… was the same. Emotional hesitation is the most unforgivable weakness and flaw for an emperor. Even now, you still don't understand?"
"An excellent answer. I am very satisfied." Yun Che's gaze and voice were utterly devoid of warmth. "Considering that we were once husband and wife, and that you saved my life several times, I can grant you a painless death."
"Farewell, Yue… Shen… Di!"
He raised his hand, and flame ignited between his fingers.
But at that moment, Xia Qingyue, whose aura was clearly weak and fading, suddenly blazed with purple light, instantly breaking free from Yun Che's profound force suppression and leaping into the pale abyss behind her.
Yun Che's brows stiffened. He lunged forward, chasing after the falling Xia Qingyue, determined to burn her to ashes in midair.
Behind him, a startled cry rang out, and at the same time, a beam of golden light shot forth, wrapping around his waist and, in the instant before his flame erupted, forcibly yanking him back.
"Don't get close!" Qianye Ying'er's voice trembled for a moment.
Although she knew Yun Che wouldn't actually fall, only wanted to chase after her and personally incinerate her, the fear that suddenly gripped her heart in that instant made her soul violently tremble even now.
In the endless pale abyss that swallowed even True Gods into nothingness, a red figure fell alone. Her voice pierced through layers of white mist, echoing in this empty world:
"Yun Che, remember this. My greatest regret in this life is that I failed to kill you and Qianye. And in the end… I am not… dying by your hand…"
Her final words were still as harsh and ruthless as ever.
Slowly, she closed her eyes.
Life was fading, perception was dissipating, and even the world was gradually disappearing.
My mission…
The meaning for which I was created…
Finally…
But…
After all…
There is…
A trace of regret…
And a sliver…
Of an undesired attachment…
…
…
That red figure vanished into the Abyss of Nothingness. Xia Qingyue's aura disappeared, completely gone from heaven and earth, completely gone from the Chaos World.
Yun Che stood at the edge of the Abyss of Nothingness, staring coldly into the endless white expanse… Xia Qingyue had been severely wounded by him, driven by him into the Abyss of Nothingness. But in the end, she had not been strictly killed by his own hand—it was also a small regret.
"Just as I thought," Qianye Ying'er said. "From the moment she landed here, I knew she would choose this way to end herself, preserving the dignity of the Yue Shen Di to the greatest extent."
"But I am a little curious." Qianye Ying'er lowered her brows. "The imperial robes of the Yue Shen Di are always purple. Yet today she wore a strange red dress, without any divine patterns. Can you think of a reason?"
"I don't know." Yun Che casually replied, then turned around. "Let's go."
Thump!
As soon as he took a step, his heart gave an extremely violent jolt, as if struck by a massive ten-thousand-jun hammer, freezing him in place.
"What's wrong?" Qianye Ying'er immediately sensed his abnormality.
"Nothing." Yun Che replied, but his hand involuntarily pressed against his chest.
What's going on?
Why do I suddenly have such an strange sense of emptiness?
It was as if a part of my life… had been forcibly gouged out.
His fingers clenched tightly against his chest, and after a while, that sudden, bizarre feeling slowly faded away.
Qianye Ying'er did not immediately follow behind Yun Che. Instead, she turned back and took a deep look into the Abyss of Nothingness.
In her mind, she replayed all the scenes she had seen and happened since encountering Xia Qingyue. As her golden brows furrowed, she couldn't help but feel a very subtle sensation:
Xia Qingyue… seemed to be seeking death?
Before the Yue Shen Realm was destroyed by the Eternal Dark Crystal, there seemed to be a faint death wish in those purple eyes.
But this thought, which was obviously inconsistent with reason and had no basis, was quickly dismissed. She shifted her gaze to the Dun Yue Immortal Palace in the air.
With the complete disappearance of Xia Qingyue's aura, the Dun Yue Immortal Palace had become an ownerless object.
She lightly tapped her finger, and with a flash of profound light, the Dun Yue Immortal Palace was collected into her portable space.
Although it had originally been Xia Qingyue's possession, as the fastest profound ark in the Eastern Divine Region, it would be a pity to leave it here.
And ahead, Yun Che, who had his back to her, slowly reached out his hand. Between his spread fingers was the Lunhui Jing, which he had not taken out for a long time.
On the plain, lusterless mirror, there were actually several cracks.
Cracks?
What's going on?
The Lunhui Jing had always been placed inside the Heavenly Poison Pearl, untouched for several years. Why would cracks appear?
It was a Mystic Heaven Supreme Treasure! It should be something even the power of a True God couldn't destroy. How could cracks suddenly appear…
But as his pupils contracted, the cracks slowly healed at a visible rate… and after a few breaths, they completely disappeared, returning to wholeness.
As if the cracks had just been an illusion of blurred vision.
"…" Yun Che frowned deeply. He was silent for a long time, but had no clue. He simply put it away and stopped thinking about it. When he looked up, his gaze suddenly flashed with black light.
Zhou Xuzi, the chief culprit; Xia Qingyue, the one who struck with poison… The two most hated people—one had his lair destroyed, the other had been driven into the Abyss of Nothingness, forever gone.
The rest would be far too simple!