# Chapter 1874: Delicate Willow Shuhua
Southern Divine Region, Ten Directions Canglan Realm.
The Canglan Divine Region had been completely destroyed, and rebuilding it to its former prosperity would likely take several generations.
Fortunately, the accumulated resources of the Ten Directions Canglan Realm over hundreds of thousands of years still remained. Currently, the entire Canglan Core had been relocated to the least damaged area southeast of the divine region. The surviving Sea Gods and Canglan Divine Envoys were healing and recuperating, while the Canglan profound practitioners who had returned to the realm were extremely busy, each one overwhelmed with work.
Yet amidst this great disaster, what filled their hearts most was actually relief. Because their Canglan Realm had made the wisest choice during the war between the Northern Domain and the Western Domain, even rendering great service. In the future world where the Demon Lord reigned supreme, their status would not fall but rise.
A month later, Yun Che and Qianye Ying'er once again descended upon this Canglan land. As far as the eye could see, traces of calamity still remained everywhere.
But even though the Canglan Divine Region had been reduced to ruins, Cang Shitian clearly did not want to abandon this ancestral land. Countless Canglan profound practitioners were struggling to clear the battlefield. The new Canglan Royal City still seemed destined to stand upon this once core divine region.
Behind them, the Three Yan Ancestors followed at a distance. Even though there were no more threats in the world, Chi Wuyue still did not allow Yun Che to leave the protection of the Three Yan Ancestors.
Boom!
Cang Shitian arrived hastily, accompanied by Fenghuang, and before he had even fully stopped, he slid into a deep bow: "Cang Lan Cang Shitian humbly welcomes the Demon Lord and the Divine Lord. The Demon Lord's divine might reaches the heavens, eternal and world-covering..."
"Less nonsense." Yun Che said coldly, "Take me to see Cang Shuhua."
Qianye Ying'er swept her gaze into the distance. Within her field of vision, all the Canglan profound practitioners had already bowed from afar, their heads deeply lowered, their bodies tensed, not daring to make the slightest move.
Long Bai was dead, the Dragon God Realm was destroyed, and the Divine Realm would usher in its first true supreme overlord in history... Although not much time had passed since that fierce battle, this fact had, under various influences, sunk deeper and deeper into the hearts and souls of all profound practitioners in the Divine Realm.
Parallel to this was Yun Che's holy reputation for once saving the world and his fearsome renown for crushing the Dragon Emperor, as well as... the countless dark and evil deeds unearthed during the cleansing of the Dragon God Realm.
Once a ruling realm is established, it is impossible for there not to be dark and evil aspects, and the Dragon God Realm was no exception. These dark and evil deeds would be maximized and spread, so that the Dragon God Realm would lose not only its lifeline but also its million-year prestige and glory.
Such is the fate of the loser.
Chi Wuyue handled this kind of matter effortlessly, almost too easily.
Cang Shitian led the way, and Yun Che and Qianye Ying'er walked into a Mysterious Ark hidden underground.
As soon as they entered, the unique light blue divine light of Canglan Divine Jade rushed towards them, accompanied by a cold aura.
The Mysterious Ark contained a pocket space, and this small space was extremely luxurious—not because of its extravagant decorations, but because various divine jades and divine crystals filled almost every corner, and their aura and luster showed extreme purity.
Any single one of them would be precious beyond measure by wealth alone, and even a king realm would have difficulty obtaining them.
The presence of these divine jades and crystals made the spiritual energy in this space extremely rich and dense.
The cold aura here came from pieces of colorless or light blue non-melting profound ice.
On a cold bed made of divine jade and profound ice, a small profound array about three meters long was operating, with a thick and gentle blue profound light swirling. Within it, one could vaguely see the silhouette of a graceful woman sitting.
Beside the profound array stood a young woman in blue clothes. Her face was peerlessly beautiful, her waist as slender as a willow, her temperament carrying a hint of cold sternness, seeming fragile and elegant. But the profound aura contained within her was a shocking mid-stage Divine Lord level.
Facing Cang Shitian and Yun Che, the blue-clad woman quickly bowed: "Your servant Rui Yi greets the Demon Lord, greets His Highness and the Fantian Shen Di."
"Hmph." Qianye Ying'er cast a cold glance at the blue-clad woman. "So there was still a Canglan Divine Envoy hidden here. Cang Shitian, you really do favor your sister quite a bit."
No wonder Chi Wuyue had discovered Cang Shuhua's existence in such a short time. With her terrifying demon soul, how could a Canglan Divine Envoy, no matter how deeply hidden, escape her detection?
Just as Cang Shitian was about to explain, the blue-clad woman raised her eyes and said: "In reply to the Fantian Shen Di, although this servant attained the Divine Lord realm, I was not fortunate enough to be ranked among the Canglan Divine Envoys. My lifelong duty is to guard the young lady. Therefore, I was unable to assist in the battle in the Northern Domain."
"If the Demon Lord and the Fantian Shen Di wish to hold me accountable, Rui Yi willingly accepts punishment."
Her voice was clear and ethereal. Even facing Yun Che and Qianye Ying'er, her eyes were as calm as a still lake, neither humble nor arrogant.
Yun Che cast a brief glance at her, then fixed his gaze on the profound array swirling with blue light.
Cang Shitian quickly said: "My younger sister Shuhua has a congenital deficiency in her lifeline, requiring life-sustaining heavenly essence once every half month. Today just happens to be..."
Speaking thus, he turned his head and asked: "Rui Yi, how much longer?"
"In reply to Your Highness, one and a half hours more," the blue-clad woman answered.
Cang Shitian turned back and said: "How about this: the Demon Lord and the Divine Maiden rest for a while in the city, and I will personally..."
"Have her come out." Yun Che's tone was cold and brooked no compromise.
Cang Shitian's expression froze briefly, then he turned and said: "Rui Yi, go help her out."
"Impossible!" The blue-clad woman refused without any hesitation, her brows also knitting together. "The young lady's life force is declining day by day, and she depends entirely on the Lan Huan Life-Returning Array to sustain her. If it is forcibly interrupted, it will inevitably cause irreversible damage... Your Highness knows this better than anyone."
"You must not disobey," Cang Shitian said, his voice turning slightly cold.
Rui Yi still did not move, and the determination in her eyes showed no sign of wavering. Just as she was about to speak again, a gentle, dreamlike voice softly rang out: "Rui Yi, help me up."
From within the profound light, a delicate hand slowly extended.
"...!" Yun Che's gaze involuntarily trembled.
What kind of woman's hand was this... White, a whiteness that showed not a single trace of any other color, like fine snow layered on, untouched by dust.
It was clearly an unhealthy pallor of sickness, yet it was also translucent within the whiteness, like flawless white jade carved upon fine snow. The five fingers were slender and long, the nails like dotted crystal jade... Invisibly, it released an almost deadly beauty, making one's gaze involuntarily linger upon it, unable to look away.
"Miss! You..." Rui Yi exclaimed in alarm, but it was too late to dissuade her. She hastily rose and carefully supported the crystalline white hand that had reached out from the profound array.
Ding...
A soft sound, and the profound light dissipated. What Yun Che's gaze touched was a pair of eyes so delicate and fragile that they instantly broke one's heart.
"Rest assured, my Demon Lord. Would I let an ordinary woman near you? You will definitely like her when you see her. After all, she was once the number one beauty of the Southern Domain."
Just as Yun Che's gaze fell upon Cang Shuhua, Chi Wuyue's voice, filled with enchanting allure, rang out in his mind.
Nanming Divine Emperor Nan Wansheng had, throughout his life, spared no effort to obtain two women regardless of his dignity: one was Qianye Ying'er, and the other was this Cang Shuhua.
She wore simple white clothes, her face bare of any makeup, as pale as snow, like her fleeting hand. Yet this sickly pallor could not in the least diminish the shock brought by her peerlessly beautiful face... Just as Chi Wuyue had said, it was without any doubt a city-toppling, heart-shaking beauty.
And in her eyes, brows, and lips... that entirely inner tenderness, delicacy, and frailty, like a lotus petal that might wither at any moment in the wind, was enough to make even the coldest heart in the world feel deep pity and a desire to protect.
"..." For a full three breaths, Yun Che only then slightly averted his gaze.
A woman who was not only extremely beautiful but also possessed extreme softness and weakness... Anyone who saw Cang Shuhua even once was destined to remember her for life.
"Shuhua," Cang Shitian said, "hurry and pay respects to the Demon Lord."
Supported by Rui Yi, Cang Shuhua gently moved her steps and slowly bent her knees... It was hard to imagine that a person of the Divine Realm, and the sister of a Divine Emperor, needed to be supported by another just to complete this simplest of actions.
"..." Cang Shuhua had been looking at Yun Che all along. Those delicate, weak eyes, seeming to be covered in a thin mist, instead made Yun Che look away first.
"This humble maiden Cang Shuhua greets the Demon Lord... Shuhua's body is unwell, and I was unable to pay respects immediately. Please forgive me, Demon Lord."
Her voice was very soft and slow, like a phoenix gently brushing past the ear, yet so beautiful that one unconsciously strained to catch every sound, unwilling to miss a single syllable.
"Hmph, worthy of being the daughter of Canglan who flashed like a shooting star yet left the reputation of the number one beauty of the Southern Domain," Qianye Ying'er said indifferently. "Already ill to the point where her life force is nearly exhausted, yet still putting on a seductive appearance."
Yun Che: "..."
Cang Shuhua said softly: "Before the Divine Maiden, Shuhua is merely dust beneath the moonlight—how could I deserve such praise?"
She seemed not to have heard at all the hostility in Qianye Ying'er's words, whether intentional or casual.
And this hostility clearly came from Yun Che's reaction to Cang Shuhua—though not obvious, it was absolutely impossible for her not to notice.
"You need not be so self-deprecating." Qianye Ying'er's lips curled slightly. "At the very least, being the Demon Lord's tool woman is just barely sufficient."
Rui Yi's jade teeth clenched tightly, anger filling her eyes, but in the end, she could not vent it.
As if a sudden onslaught of pain struck, Cang Shuhua's jade-white hand gently pressed against her chest, her slightly furrowed brows bringing a heart-wrenching fragility: "To be of help to the Demon Lord is Shuhua's fortune. It's just that Shuhua has little life left, and I do not know if I can still... ah... cough... cough..."
She pressed her hand to her chest, coughing incessantly. A faint flush rose to her cheeks, adding another layer of morbid beauty.
"Miss!" Rui Yi was greatly alarmed and hastily knelt down, but her hands could only carefully support her, because Cang Shuhua's body was too frail to bear even a wisp of her profound energy.
Staring deeply at Cang Shuhua for a moment, Yun Che said coldly: "Given her condition, being alive until now is already half a miracle. The resources consumed over these years to sustain her life could probably have given birth to several Divine Lords. Cang Shitian, as a Divine Emperor, you are indeed quite willful."
Cang Shitian slowly exhaled, then suddenly knelt heavily and said: "Demon Lord, Shuhua's condition has been deteriorating year by year. I have exhausted all my efforts, but I cannot sustain her much longer. Now, only you in this world can save her... The Demon Queen personally said that you can definitely save her!"
"If the Demon Lord can grant Shuhua recovery, then I, Cang Shitian... will be... the most loyal dog... beneath the Demon Lord's throne... for all eternity!"
"Brother..." Cang Shuhua gently turned her eyes and murmured softly.
"Hmph." Yun Che only scoffed at Cang Shitian's fierce oath. In his current state, he would not easily trust any promise. The only things he could trust were those from which there was no escape from his control.
He stepped forward, extended his hand to Cang Shuhua, and commanded: "Give me your hand."
"Yes."
Facing the Demon Lord's command, Cang Shuhua obeyed with almost docile compliance. Her hand rested on Rui Yi's, and with a slightly complex look in Rui Yi's eyes, she gently placed it in Yun Che's palm.
In Yun Che's hand, it felt as if he were holding a piece of boneless soft jade. He instinctively withdrew several points of his profound energy and strength.
Throughout this entire process, Cang Shuhua's beautiful eyes had been quietly fixed on his eyes, with a touch of curiosity and a touch of dazedness.
"...Why do you keep looking at me?" Yun Che suddenly asked.
Her jade-colored lips parted slightly, as if surprised that the man before her had asked a question so unfitting of his status. Then, her lips bloomed into a very, very faint smile, her beautiful eyes still gazing straight into Yun Che's eyes as before: "Shuhua had always thought that the Demon Lord's eyes would be very cold, very frightening. I never expected... they would be so... beautiful."
Yun Che: "..."
"..." Qianye Ying'er's golden eyes sharply narrowed.