# Chapter 1814: Chaotic Soul
Here, near the southernmost border of the Seven Star Realm. At this moment, it was filled with the most terrifying aura that had ever existed.
Yun Che's gaze and spiritual sense were firmly locked onto the burly man. His chest was heaving, his eyes trembling... ever since stepping into the Northern Divine Region and falling into demonhood, they had never trembled so violently.
Because the burly man reflected in his pupils was someone he knew far too well, someone closer than family, but who should no longer be alive in this world...
Xia Yuanba!
More than four years had passed since they last met. Although Xia Yuanba was still burly and sturdy, his physique had noticeably shrunk by a fraction. This was also a natural change brought about by the influence of the Overlord Emperor Divine Meridian after his cultivation entered the Divine Path.
His expression had become more resolute, his aura even more profound.
Even if these changes had been several times greater, Yun Che could never have mistaken him, because this was Xia Yuanba... and on his chest, the Overlord Emperor Divine Meridian that belonged to him was blazing brightly.
For Yun Che, there was hardly any simpler or clearer identification than this. But his vision wavered, his spiritual senses were dazed, confirming again and again, doubting himself again and again, unable to believe.
A doppelganger?
Even the life force and profound energy aura are the same...
And he also possesses the Overlord Emperor Divine Meridian...
But back then, he had clearly already...
The Divine Emperor's might personally unleashed by Xia Qingyue, the power that had annihilated Lan Ji Star in an instant—how could he still be alive! No living being on Lan Ji Star could have survived... even the tiniest trace would almost certainly not remain.
He looked at Xia Yuanba, and Xia Yuanba looked at him.
Compared to Xia Yuanba's changes, Yun Che's transformation over these past few years could undoubtedly be described as earth-shattering.
His hair had grown more than twice as long, like solidified night, spreading out as if unfurling a bottomless, endless dark demonic domain, making it hard for anyone to look directly at him.
The Yun Che that Xia Yuanba knew liked to wear light-colored outer garments. Especially after entering the Bing Yun Fairy Palace, he mostly wore white. But now he was dressed entirely in black, imprinted with demonic patterns that exuded a dangerous aura.
His skin seemed to be covered in a layer of unsettling gray-white. His gaze and aura were completely different, causing his heart and breath to freeze solid, his blood unable to flow, his body rapidly turning cold, his soul trembling violently without cease.
The only things that remained the same were his physique and appearance.
No... that's not my brother-in-law... no!
The two of them, having grown up together in Liu Yun City and known each other intimately, now stared at each other in a daze, not daring to recognize one another.
"D-D-D-D... Demon Lord!"
The terrified, hoarse voice beside them seemed to be scraped out from the very depths of their souls. The two Seven Star Realm profound practitioners, having seen clearly who was before Yun Che, felt every hair on their bodies stand on end. Endless fear, like countless fanged evil spirits, completely devoured their bodies and souls.
"Sp-spare us... Demon Lord, spare us... spare us..."
The "bold words" they had spoken moments ago to that person from the lower realm possessing the Overlord Emperor Divine Meridian had undoubtedly been heard by the Demon Lord himself.
They couldn't believe the world could hold such absurd misfortune.
They wanted to flee, to escape with everything they had. But their legs had completely given way, unable to stand. They had even forgotten how to use their profound energy. Their bodies convulsed as they struggled to crawl, like two despairing, legless larvae.
Without Yun Che making any visible move, without even a sound, the two had turned into dark ash and vanished in an instant.
The world fell silent. Xia Yuanba, staring blankly at Yun Che, did not see this.
Shui Meiyin caught up. She looked at Yun Che, then at Xia Yuanba, her face full of astonishment.
"Yuan... ba..."
A sound finally escaped Yun Che's lips, so soft it seemed afraid of accidentally shattering a dream: "Is it... you?"
Xia Yuanba's eyes twitched violently. He had clearly heard the name "Yuanba." All his fear and doubt instantly turned into ecstasy. He scrambled to his feet and shouted with overwhelming excitement: "It's me! It's me! Brother-in-law... it's really you! Is it really you?"
That cry of "brother-in-law" sent Yun Che's entire body into violent turmoil.
In this world, only two people called him brother-in-law:
One was Cai Zhi, and the other was Xia Yuanba.
It's Yuanba...
He's still alive?
Still... a... live...?
How terrifying was the dark majesty of a Demon Lord? But Xia Yuanba seemed completely unaware of it. He quickly stepped forward, almost pouncing in front of Yun Che, his face and eyes brimming with excitement and joy.
No matter what Yun Che had become, no matter what heights he had reached, as long as he was Yun Che, to Xia Yuanba, there would never be a need for defenses, never a gap between them.
"Brother-in-law, I found you... I finally found you... Finally... finally..."
Before he could finish two sentences, he clenched his teeth to hold back, but tears still uncontrollably burst from his eyes.
He wiped his tears hard and forced a grin: "You've been gone for so many years, I thought... sigh... doesn't matter anymore. Seeing that you're fine, that's great... too great..."
Shui Meiyin's pink lips slowly parted, unable to close for a long time. Gradually, her expression grew complicated... finally, it all turned into a very soft, but infinitely complex sigh.
Is this... the will of heaven?
Xia Yuanba was excited, crying and laughing. But Yun Che, who appeared indifferent before him, was actually even more overwhelmed, too stirred and confused to think or speak. His mind was a blank.
He reached out his hand and touched Xia Yuanba's arm, truly sensing his fierce and blazing life force, like the bedrock of a volcano.
"You're still... alive," he said softly.
"Heh, heheh, of course!" Xia Yuanba extended his fist and heavily pounded his steel-like chest: "Although rushing to the God Realm was as dangerous as Brother-in-law said, I'm no pushover. Not only did I successfully make it here, but I also found you."
He clearly couldn't understand the meaning behind Yun Che's words.
"As for Brother-in-law," he scanned him up and down with his eyes, grinning foolishly, "this outfit of yours... is both weird... and a bit imposing."
"Oh, right. Those two bullies who were throwing their weight around just now called you Demon Lord. You're not actually that... huh?"
As he spoke, he naturally turned his head and only then noticed that the two Seven Star Realm profound practitioners had vanished without a trace. He was stunned for a moment.
Yun Che had been desperately trying to suppress the turmoil in his heart, adjusting his breathing. Only now did he calm down a little.
Grabbing Xia Yuanba's arm, Yun Che asked slowly: "Did you leave Lan Ji Star four years ago?"
Given the force that destroyed Lan Ji Star, there was absolutely no way Xia Yuanba could have survived.
So the only possibility he could think of was that Xia Yuanba had left Lan Ji Star before that.
After all, at that time, Xia Yuanba had been forcibly elevated to Divine Origin Realm Level 1 by the Life Divine Water he had brought, barely capable of wandering the void and ascending to the God Realm.
"Ah? Of course not." Xia Yuanba was taken aback and immediately shook his head, wondering internally why Yun Che would ask such a strange question: "I left four months ago. I only arrived at this place called the Seven Star Realm the day before yesterday. I never expected to see Brother-in-law right away."
Amidst his overwhelming excitement and joy, he had many questions he wanted to ask Yun Che.
For instance, why, when he asked about the name "Yun Che" in the Seven Star Realm, everyone fled in terror as if encountering a plague. The two he met today had even directly started a fight with him.
"Four months ago..." Yun Che shook his head: "No, that's impossible."
Xia Yuanba scratched his head and said sheepishly: "I know I'm slow. Mainly because I ran into several spatial rifts along the way, and the places I landed on before were all dead stars. I was practically flying blind. Well... I definitely can't compare to Brother-in-law."
"But seeing that you're safe and sound, I want to turn back right now and let them all be at ease." Xia Yuanba grinned.
Yun Che opened his mouth: "Th-then...?"
"You've been gone for so many years without any news. Everyone has been incredibly worried." Xia Yuanba straightened his expression: "Especially Wuxin. On her eighteenth birthday, she collapsed in tears for a long time. After her nineteenth birthday, she insisted on coming to the God Realm to find you. I promised her I would go to the God Realm immediately, and only barely managed to stop her."
"..." Yun Che's mind was buzzing.
Wuxin... nineteenth birthday...
Every word struck like a thunderbolt to his soul.
For a full three breaths of stupefaction, the hand gripping Xia Yuanba's arm suddenly tightened: "What are you saying... What Wuxin... What nineteenth birthday... What are you talking about... Who is the Wuxin you're talking about... Which Wuxin... WHICH WUXIN!!"
Xia Yuanba winced in pain, but what was even more frightening was Yun Che's expression at this moment.
His eyes were wide open. Xia Yuanba shouted in panic: "Wuxin is your daughter, of course! Brother-in-law, what's wrong with you? Sigh... Brother-in-law, you... you seem really off."
Yun Che bit his tongue hard. The intense taste of blood, accompanied by a sharp pain, quickly spread throughout his entire mouth.
His chest heaved, and he forced himself to calm down... Suddenly, he released Xia Yuanba, gritted his teeth slightly, and his gaze sank: "You're lying to me... You're lying to me!"
"This is south of the Southern Divine Region. How could you possibly get here from outside the Eastern Divine Region in just four months! Everything else is also lies!"
Back then, he had witnessed with his own eyes Lan Ji Star being destroyed by Xia Qingyue's single sword strike. The stardust of its destruction, the bloody aura that spread from the extinction of countless lifeforms... none of it could be fake.
And there were numerous Divine Emperors and Realm Kings watching from the sidelines.
He had many times gazed at his home star from the void—blue and mysterious, still dazzling and beautiful amongst a myriad of brilliant stars. Its light, its location in space, its position in the starfield—there was no way he could have misremembered any of it.
How could his daughter still be alive?
"From outside the Eastern Divine Region?" Xia Yuanba's already wide eyes grew even larger: "Speaking of which, I was just about to ask you about that, Brother-in-law. You told me back then that the nearest Divine Region to our Lan Ji Star was the Eastern Divine Region. So after leaving Lan Ji Star, I headed west. But I soon discovered that the direction was completely wrong, because the further west I went, the thinner and murkier the aura became."
Yun Che: "..."
"After that, I changed course to the north, and only then did I finally make it here. If I hadn't gotten the direction wrong at the start, I definitely would have been much faster."
Staring at Xia Yuanba, Yun Che's gaze gradually darkened: "North? Are you saying that Lan Ji Star is to the south of the Southern Divine Region?"
"Of course," Xia Yuanba nodded. "My greatest fear during the journey was getting lost, so I left soul marks all along the way."
He pointed south: "Our Lan Ji Star's position is roughly due south of this Seven Star Realm. The general direction is the south of this Southern Divine Region... uh, did I say something wrong?"
As his words fell, his entire body suddenly trembled.
Because a chilling killing intent had enveloped him.