Chapter 1816: So Close Yet So Far
“Eh? Bing Yun Fairy Palace? This… how are we back?”
Looking at the familiar Ice Extreme Snow Domain ahead, Xia Yuanba stood there stunned, then stared wide-eyed at Shui Meiyin.
This little girl was incredibly formidable!
Oh wait! I’ve spent over four months crawling and clawing! I’ve only been standing on the soil of the God Realm for less than three days total… and now you’ve sent me back!
Cursing inwardly, Xia Yuanba immediately turned around and shouted to Yun Che: “Brother-in-law, look! This is the Ice Extreme Snow Domain, and the entire Lan Ji Star is fine—much more stable than in previous years. Why would Brother-in-law inexplicably say Lan Ji Star was… was…”
“…” Yun Che showed no reaction, his gaze blank, as if his soul had been lost.
“Right now, Palace Master Murong and Fairy Yuechan should be inside the palace. Wuxin often comes here too… Ah! That’s right, that’s right!” Xia Yuanba quickly tugged at Yun Che’s arm and said with great excitement: “Quick! Come with me to see them, so they don’t have to worry anymo—”
Before he could finish, a glint of soul light flashed in Shui Meiyin’s eyes. Xia Yuanba’s voice abruptly cut off, and his entire body froze in place, unable to move or speak. Only his bulging eyes and darting pupils proved that his consciousness was still awake.
“Yun Che, Brother,” Shui Meiyin drew close to his side, sensing the turbulence in his soul, “no need to doubt. This is indeed the Lan Ji Star, the one you were born into and hold dear. It is definitely not a similar imitation or an illusion, and certainly not a dream.”
“Your family, your clan, your closest friends, your beloved women, your daughter… they are all here… every single one… they have always been here.”
“…kh…” The fingers Yun Che had resting in Shui Meiyin’s palm trembled, and from his mouth came the sound of teeth chattering violently.
Shui Meiyin continued: “Because back then, what Yue Shen Di destroyed was not the Lan Ji Star at all, but a planet named Tianshui Star. Similar in size, similar in cerulean hue—especially when viewed from afar in the void, it was hard to tell apart.”
“Back then, Tianshui Star existed in this very position.”
“And just before that destruction, the Lan Ji Star and Tianshui Star switched places. The Lan Ji Star came to the south of the Southern Divine Region, while Tianshui Star went to the east of the Eastern Divine Region.”
“…???” Xia Yuanba’s eyes nearly split from their sockets, as if he had heard a myth from a fairy tale.
Shui Meiyin raised the Cosmic Thorn in her hand and said softly: “Moving stars and changing moons—this sounds like the miraculous power that only the ancient True Gods could possess.”
“But in the present world, there is one thing that can achieve it… This miracle may never be recreated. But that was very likely the only time it ever happened, and it blossomed perfectly for Yun Che, Brother.”
The voice hovering by his ear drifted gently in Yun Che’s soul space, again and again.
Yun Che’s fingers moved slightly. His arm rose bit by bit, impossibly slowly, as his hand stretched forward, reaching for the world before him…
This world he thought had vanished forever from his life.
That trembling motion was not driven by conscious intent, but by the agitation and longing from the very depths of his soul.
His spiritual sense also released at that moment, searching for those… those he had lost, and the souls that had been lost along with them.
Shui Meiyin was startled and was about to stop him, when Yun Che suddenly shuddered as if struck by lightning. The spiritual sense he had just released frantically retracted, firmly concealed, and he even held his breath, stifling it completely.
“Yun Che… Brother.” Shui Meiyin’s nose tingled, and she gently embraced him.
The tremor in Yun Che’s body never ceased for a single moment. His teeth were clenched so tightly they seemed fused. From start to finish, he did not speak a single word, did not make any sound.
Beneath her soft voice, a teardrop silently fell from the corner of his eye, descending into the boundless snowfield below, melting into the swirling flakes.
Ten breaths… twenty breaths…
Silence reigned, broken only by the sound of wind and snow, and the occasional choked noise from Yun Che’s throat.
“Yun Che, Brother.” Shui Meiyin gently tugged at his sleeve.
The stillness did not continue. Yun Che slowly turned around.
His eyes were closed, and he tried desperately to control his expression, his emotions, his aura… but he could not control the chaotic twitching of every muscle on his face.
“Yuan Ba,” he finally spoke, his voice hoarse and ethereal, “go back. Don’t tell anyone… that you once saw me.”
Lost… and regained…
But he could not appear, could not meet…
His life and soul seemed like a lone boat adrift in a vast turbulent ocean.
The soul binding from Shui Meiyin was released. Xia Yuanba shuddered, regaining control of his body and senses.
He looked at Yun Che’s silhouette; his heart suddenly felt as if it were crushed by a vast weight, too heavy to breathe.
He had too many questions and too many words he wanted to ask Yun Che. But the Xia Yuanba of today was no longer the innocent, naive youth of years past. He knew this was by no means the right time.
He simply asked softly: “Then Brother-in-law… when will you come back?”
A brief silence.
“Kill… every… single person who deserves to die.” Yun Che spoke the most sinister words in a light, trembling tone.
“Alright.” Xia Yuanba nodded, took a light breath, and said: “Brother-in-law, back then, you risked your own life to save me. Later, you saved Cang Feng, you saved the Illusion Demon Realm, you saved the Tian Xuan Continent, you saved the entire Lan Ji Star…”
“Even though I haven’t truly seen the vast world yet, in my heart, you will always be the greatest hero. I know that this time, you must be bearing something I cannot understand—something heavier than ever before. But no matter what, you must return safely.”
“So many people are waiting for you, so many are worried about you. The importance you hold in their lives exceeds your imagination. So… you must come back safe!”
“… ” Yun Che did not respond, did not turn around. Only the knuckles of his clenched hands grew deathly white.
Finally withdrawing his gaze from Yun Che, Xia Yuanba steadied his breath and was about to descend toward the snowfield below… Suddenly, his gaze froze, and he exclaimed: “Wuxin!?”
Yun Che’s trembling body jolted to a halt, frozen stiffly in place.
One breath… two breaths…
His teetering reason was shattered by a too-intense longing. He whipped around abruptly… Shui Meiyin grasped his hand and did not stop him.
In his line of sight, a feminine figure walked slowly through the ice and snow.
The vast snowy domain, like fluff and flying splendor, was in itself the most beautiful scene in the world. But at this moment, it suddenly became a mere ornament in the painting. The entire world, all the bright lights, were gathered and reflected upon this woman.
When Yun Che had left back then, Yun Wuxin was not yet even fifteen.
Now, she was approaching her twentieth birthday.
This was the most beautiful age for a girl. Every year of growth was a unique and beautiful transformation in one’s life.
The Yun Wuxin of today had shed the childishness and the naive she used to freely release in front of him. She had grown into a peerless fairy of transcendent beauty, as pure and immaculate as her mother, untouched by the dust of the world.
Her steps were light and slow, leaving no trace on the snow, as if she feared to disturb the silent world forever covered in ice.
Her hair had grown down to her hips, dancing with the snow-white ribbon in the drifting flakes. Her eyes were like mist-veiled stars in the highest heavens… but the veil woven from that fog was a sorrow that broke hearts at a single touch.
Treading on the ice and snow, she seemed to be cloaked in a holy radiance that could not be defiled. She was ethereally beautiful, yet also so pure, so spotless, as if she were the most flawless masterpiece bestowed upon the mortal world by the heavens—enough to daze and mesmerize anyone who beheld her.
This was his daughter.
His heart convulsed violently in warmth, all the blood in his body congealed in heat… Yun Che held Shui Meiyin’s hand in a death grip, terrified that he would suddenly lose control and rush forward to embrace her tightly.
She had grown up… His daughter had grown up…
But every day, every year, every miraculous step of her growth… He had missed it all—
And it was an eternal miss.
“Yun Che, Brother, we must go now.”
A soft call sounded in his dreamlike state.
“…”
With sheer, almost cruel willpower, he forcibly tore his gaze away from Yun Wuxin, then closed his eyes and refused to open them again.
“Yuan Ba,” he said softly, “I promise you—I will return intact. Not just intact, but soon… very soon!”
Xia Yuanba was stunned for a long time.
He had witnessed Yun Wuxin with his own eyes, yet Yun Che dared not step forward. He could no longer imagine how heavy the burden Yun Che bore must be.
Facing Yun Che’s promise, he nodded heavily and pounded his chest with force, saying: “Alright, Brother-in-law, I’ll wait! Until you come back, unless I die, no one will dare to touch even a single inch of our Lan Ji Star!”
With that, Xia Yuanba did not linger any longer. He descended slowly.
“Wait.” Yun Che called him back again. “Help me ask Wuxin… one question.”
Xia Yuanba turned back, listening intently.
“Does she… hate me?” As he spoke these words, his eyes remained tightly shut, not daring to open for even a moment.
“Uh…” Xia Yuanba’s expression showed difficulty, but under these circumstances, he could not refuse Yun Che’s request. He had to nod: “Alright.”
“Actually, there’s one thing I want to ask Brother-in-law right now,” Xia Yuanba took the opportunity to say. “My elder sister… is she doing well now?”
Shui Meiyin: “…”
“… ” Without much reaction, Yun Che’s tone remained low and slow: “When I return, I will tell you everything in detail.”
He did not get a definitive answer, but Xia Yuanba did not press further. He nodded heavily again and said: “Alright, Brother-in-law, don’t forget your promise… When you come back, not a single hair must be missing!”
“And elder sister too! You must bring her back safe and sound. I’m really looking forward to the two of you having children, hehe!”
With a bright laugh, Xia Yuanba restrained his aura, sank his body, and descended toward the distant snowy domain below.
Yun Che stood as still as stone, not moving. Shui Meiyin accompanied him in silence, saying nothing, not urging him—just as he had done for her, letting him indulge this once.
When he was close enough, Xia Yuanba released his profound energy, accelerated sharply, and landed directly in front of Yun Wuxin.
Yun Wuxin stopped in her tracks. Seeing Xia Yuanba, she was momentarily startled: “Uncle Xia… you’re back?”
“Uh…” Xia Yuanba scratched his head, his face full of guilt: “I ran into several space-time disturbances when I was nearing the God Realm, so I had to turn back empty-handed. But don’t worry, I’ll regroup for a while, and next time I’ll definitely succeed.”
No disappointment showed on her face, which was even whiter than snow. Her beautiful lips curved into a faint smile: “Thank you, Uncle Xia. It must be very hard to travel to that world. Please take a good rest for a while.”
With that, she nodded slightly, passed by Xia Yuanba, and continued walking through the snow toward the nearby Bing Yun Fairy Palace.
Her temperament had also become as cold and aloof as her mother’s.
“Wuxin,” Xia Yuanba quickly called out to her, “um… there’s something I want to ask you.”
Yun Wuxin paused and turned her head slightly: “Uncle Xia, please go ahead.”
Xia Yuanba’s heartbeat inexplicably quickened. He knew that Yun Che was still watching them from high above.
“Do you… perhaps, in the slightest, hate your father?”
Xia Yuanba asked. Although he tried hard to control it, his voice still came out somewhat strained.