Chapter 1877: Heart Knot
After staying in the Liuguang Realm for just a few short days, Yun Che bid farewell to Shui Qianheng and his wife, preparing to head to the Yin Xue Realm.
What surprised Yun Che quite a bit was that Shui Meiyin had no intention of going with him. After all, aside from Qianye Ying'er, Shui Meiyin was the one who clung to him the most.
“Everything has just settled down. For the Coronation Ceremony a few months from now, there’s a lot to do here in the Liuguang Realm. The Demon Empress also gave me many specific instructions, so I’ll stay here for a while to help Father and Sister.”
Shui Meiyin looked up at Yun Che, her voice filled with reluctant attachment.
Yun Che gently lifted and cradled her cheek, saying with affection, “It’s supposed to be my Coronation Ceremony, yet it seems I’m the only one with nothing to do.”
“Hehe, isn’t it because Sister Demon Empress doesn’t want to let you work hard?” Shui Meiyin said with a tinkling laugh.
The remnants of the Nanming were still being purged, the cleansing and control of the Long Shen Realm continued, and forming a comprehensive grip over the three Eastern, Western, and Southern Divine Regions in such a short time was extremely difficult… Yet Chi Wuyue handled everything personally, not letting him worry even a bit.
In the past, he had resented Chi Wuyue. But now, she had compensated him so much that he was left only with guilt.
Watching from afar as Yun Che flew toward the Yin Xue Realm, Shui Meiyin turned around but didn’t immediately descend back to the Liuguang Realm. Instead, she faced southeast, closed her eyes, and stood still in the quiet starry region… Her hands were pressed together before her chest, and in her palms, she gently held the Cosmic Thorn, which emitted a faint red glow.
In the silence, she stood with closed eyes for a very, very long time.
In this world, there would finally be no one who could hurt him anymore.
Especially the women around him. After crossing this calamity together, they only wanted to cherish him, unwilling for him to suffer any more wounds… The vast Northern Divine Region would grant him absolute loyalty that would last for countless generations.
Everything is as you wished.
But… Even now, I cannot understand what your final choice was really for?
There could have been a more perfect… the most perfect ending…
But you chose otherwise…
Why… why…
Watching this ending you hoped for from a distant paradise, are you truly… as you said… without any regrets…
————
Eastern Divine Region, Yin Xue Realm.
Arriving once again in the Yin Xue Realm, Yun Che deeply inhaled the bone-piercing chill here. His gaze was calm, but the slight ripples in his heart stirred for a long time.
Back then, he had followed Mu Bingyun, carrying eight parts obsession and two parts confusion, from the Lan Ji Star to the Yin Xue Realm… Later, under Mu Bingyun’s gaze, he left this place with pain, hatred, and wounds covering his body and heart, walking toward the dark Northern Divine Region.
Now, returning again, it was like dispersing the ominous fog and re-entering a dream of pure snow and immaculate purity.
To avoid causing a stir and to show that he, as a former disciple of the Ice Phoenix, still retained respect for his sect, he sent a sound transmission to the Bing Huang Realm from a great distance in advance.
But clearly, he had vastly underestimated the influence of his identity as “Demon Lord.”
Approaching the Bing Huang Realm, he sensed an astonishingly large number of auras already waiting from afar. Almost all the disciples with the Ice Phoenix bloodline had turned out.
When he appeared in the sky above the Bing Huang God Sect, the icy heaven and earth seemed to freeze instantly. Mu Huanzhi and Mu Tanzhi hurriedly approached, greeting him from afar with prostrations that bent their bodies completely: “The Bing Huang God Sect of the Yin Xue Realm humbly welcomes the arrival of the Demon Lord.”
Behind them, all the Ice Phoenix elders, palace masters, hall masters, and disciples bowed in reverence. None dared to show the slightest disrespect, and they even held their breath tightly. The air seemed to stop flowing entirely. The entire Bing Huang God Sect felt as if it were under a great invisible cauldron, filled with extreme tension and oppression.
The fearsome reputation of the Demon Lord was indeed apparent.
“Sigh.” Yun Che exhaled, saying somewhat helplessly, “Two elders need not be so formal. The Bing Huang God Sect was once my sect, and that will never change. Rise.”
“Yes.”
Mu Huanzhi and Mu Tanzhi obeyed and stood up, but their bodies were stiff as they stood there, not daring to speak rashly.
“Where is the Sect Master?” Yun Che asked.
“R-reply to the Demon Lord,” Mu Huanzhi said quickly, “the Sect Master is currently in the Holy Temple and will come out to greet you immediately.”
“No need. I’ll go see her. You may withdraw.”
Yun Che said no more, descending swiftly. His figure passed through the wind and snow, flying toward the place in the Divine Realm that he knew best.
Before the Ice Phoenix Holy Temple, a woman’s gaze followed his figure as it slowly descended. She looked at Yun Che, now clad in black robes with a dark and sinister aura. Unlike the other Ice Phoenix disciples, she did not bow in panic but said softly, “Are you the Demon Lord… or Senior Brother Yun?”
“…” Yun Che’s gaze lingered on Mu Feixue for a long time. Seeing her always stirred an indescribably subtle agitation in his heart… every time.
He said flatly, “How does it feel that the Demon Lord is your Senior Brother?”
Mu Feixue shook her head gently, looking at him, and said, “Actually, it doesn’t matter. As long as it’s you.”
A little startled, Yun Che smiled and asked, “Is the Sect Master inside?”
“Yes,” Mu Feixue nodded lightly. “Senior Brother, please go in.”
As Yun Che walked past her, he suddenly said, “Feixue, on you, I can no longer see any trace of her at all.”
“…” Mu Feixue was stunned for a very, very long time.
Entering the Ice Phoenix Holy Temple, Yun Che saw only Mu Bingyun’s figure, not Mu Xuanyin’s.
“Bingyun Sect Master.” Yun Che stepped forward and gave a slight bow.
A pair of icy eyes, carrying a cold light that Yun Che knew all too well, looked him up and down for a good while. She said, “The Demon Lord who is about to dominate the world is bowing to me? Aren’t you afraid of scaring this humble Mid-tier Realm King?”
Yun Che smiled and said, “Whether I am the Demon Lord or the future Cloud Emperor, before you, I will always be the little one who once hid under your wing…”
The word “junior” was about to leave his lips, but then he thought of something and stopped abruptly, forcing himself to change to: “…Yun Che.”
He suddenly remembered that after marrying Mu Xuanyin, Mu Bingyun would be his sister-in-law… calling himself “junior” was completely inappropriate!
“Little Yun Che?” Mu Bingyun was slightly surprised. Then the corners of her mouth lifted slightly as she let out a faint laugh: “A Demon Lord who refers to himself like that will probably leave countless people in the world dumbfounded.”
Yun Che: “Uh…”
“Sister said that after you destroyed the Long Shen Realm, the murderous intent in your heart is quickly dissipating. Seeing this now, it does seem to be true. I no longer need to worry too much.”
Mu Bingyun’s voice carried a trace of relief. She was now so close to Yun Che, feeling with utter clarity that Yun Che was still Yun Che. At least, even though his hands were stained with the blood of many regions, he hadn’t become a true demon.
“But I never expected that a thought from back then would completely overturn the Divine Realm… and even the fate of the entire Chaos World.” She sighed softly, filled with endless emotion. Then she continued, “Sister is currently at the Minghan Heavenly Lake, concentrating her heart to honor the departed Ice Phoenix deity. Perhaps she hasn’t yet sensed your arrival.”
Yun Che nodded. “Thank you for telling me, Bingyun Sect Master. I’ll go now.”
“Wait.” Just as Yun Che was about to turn, Mu Bingyun called out to stop him. “Sister said you are going to make the Yin Xue Realm the new King Realm of the Eastern Divine Region?”
“Yes.” Yun Che said, thinking she was worried about this suddenly imposed fate, so he reassured her, “Don’t worry. No matter the situation, I will never allow any harm to come to the Yin Xue Realm.”
But Mu Bingyun shook her head gently. “I’m not worried. For the Yin Xue Realm, this is a great honor that will glorify the clan and future generations. Moreover, the fact that Sister annihilated the Feimie Dragon God with a single sword has already spread across all realms, and this might alone will crush countless voices of noise and doubt.”
“What I want to say…” Her icy gaze, which had been fixed on him, suddenly drifted away slowly. Her snow-clad body, lightly veiled in ice gauze, also turned gracefully. “The Yin Xue Realm has her as its Realm King, but… she no longer needs to stay in the Yin Xue Realm. I am fully capable of handling everything here.”
“She… should live for herself now. You must hope for that too, right?”
Yun Che looked at Mu Bingyun’s back… She and Mu Xuanyin had completely different auras and gazes, but at the core of their souls, they were so alike.
“Bingyun Sect Master,” he didn’t answer but called out softly, “Do you still remember five years ago, at the Minghan Heavenly Lake… that slap you gave me?”
Mu Bingyun’s snow-white body trembled slightly.
Her jade-like lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but then she heard Yun Che’s voice, which had become especially gentle: “I want to tell you that there are some people, even if I kill them a hundred times, I cannot vent the hatred in my heart. And there are others… even if they slap me ten thousand times, I cannot harbor the slightest resentment or grudge in my heart.”
“…” Mu Bingyun stood frozen. Something seemed to spread silently within her heart, and her vision suddenly blurred inexplicably.
After who knows how long, she whirled around, but in her line of sight, Yun Che was already gone.
Mu Feixue walked in, but Mu Bingyun’s eyes held an expression she had never seen before. She stared blankly at the vast wind and snow outside the Holy Temple, as if completely unaware of her presence.
————
Minghan Heavenly Lake.
“Why are you here?”
As soon as Yun Che entered, the immortal figure by the lake stood up. A pair of icy eyes looked at him with a coldness even more piercing than the Minghan Heavenly Lake.
“Of course, because I missed you so much!” Yun Che quickly moved over and said with a cheeky grin.
Mu Xuanyin’s icy eyes rippled faintly. She instinctively dodged a little, but her snow-like face and voice remained as cold as ice: “The Coronation Ceremony is only a few months away, and you still have the leisure to come here.”
Yun Che put on a helpless expression: “The Demon Empress has taken over everything. Apart from asking for my opinion on renaming the Qiankun Dragon City, she doesn’t need my involvement in anything else. Staying with her would only get in the way, so I couldn’t wait to… Ah, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts!”
Mu Xuanyin slapped away his hand, which had stealthily tried to wrap around her waist, and said coldly, “Hmph! She spoils you too much! Aren’t you afraid she’ll make you even more unruly?”
Yun Che looked at her expression, hesitated, then asked, “Xuanyin, do you… still hate her now?”
Her snow-like face showed no sign of the emotion Yun Che had expected. Even her voice was calm without the slightest fluctuation: “I once hated her. But after I stabbed her with my sword, the grievances between us were settled, and there is no more hatred.”
Yun Che’s brow twitched. He said in surprise, “You stabbed her? When!?”
“Before you went to the Southern Divine Region,” Mu Xuanyin replied.
“…” The corner of Yun Che’s mouth twitched. “As I thought! It’s not just Cai Zhi; even the Demon Empress knew you were still alive long ago.”
“At that time, Bingyun was being held hostage by the Fan Di God Realm, so I had no choice but to reveal myself and act,” Mu Xuanyin said. “Moreover, before facing the final and most terrible enemy, I needed to… resolve the obstacles in our hearts with Chi Wuyue.”
“Do you really… not hate her at all anymore?” Yun Che’s voice lowered a little, and his gaze became somewhat unfocused.
Mu Xuanyin glanced at him and said, “Back then, before I died, I learned of Chi Wuyue’s existence. I learned that my will had been silently hijacked by her for a full ten thousand years. I couldn’t help but hate.”
Anyone would hate it.
“But when my consciousness was about to scatter completely, I heard the voice she left for me.” She paused briefly and softly recounted Chi Wuyue’s words from back then: “You can go in peace. I will protect him in your place, until the day I die as well.”
Yun Che: “…”
“She did not deceive me,” Mu Xuanyin said softly. “So I no longer hate her.”
She suddenly turned her gaze and looked into Yun Che’s eyes. “I know that because of me… whether I was alive or dead, you could not completely open your heart to her.”
Yun Che: “…………”
“Now that I am safe and sound, and I have no hatred or resentment toward her, on the contrary, because of our ten thousand years of soul fusion, we can easily connect hearts. The knot you have in your heart because of me is completely unnecessary.”
“Also… there is one more thing. Don’t deceive yourself any longer,” Mu Xuanyin continued. “The Mu Xuanyin who took you in, taught you, and rushed decisively toward the Lan Ji Star when you were bullied in the Yan Shen Realm—only half of her was me. The other half was her… Especially when she flew toward the Lan Ji Star at the end, her urgency was no less than mine.”
“You have a knot in your heart because of me, but her knot is far heavier than yours. Can you bear to let that guilt, which has already been compensated a thousand times over, continue to torment her?”