Chapter 1904: Journey (Eight)
Approaching the Abyss of Nothingness, amidst the drifting pale white mist, the figures of the Sword Lord and his disciple appeared.
They had been here for several years, both to temper Jun Xilei's sword heart and because Jun Wuming had chosen this as his final resting place.
"Sword Lord Senior, it has been a long time."
Even though he was now the Cloud Emperor, Yun Che's words and gaze still carried a measure of respect when facing Jun Wuming.
Jun Wuming opened his eyes, which had been closed for a long time. Looking at Yun Che, he revealed a faint smile. "The once brilliant and extraordinary youth has now become an emperor who overshadows the ages. For this old man to witness this miracle in person before my life ends is a sigh of utter contentment."
His aged eyes held no trace of murkiness, only a clarity that seemed capable of seeing through the vicissitudes of countless ages... Yun Che knew this was the final radiance before his lifespan came to an end.
Beside Jun Wuming, Jun Xilei seemed caught off guard by Yun Che's sudden arrival. Her gaze shifted in slight disarray, and she remained silent for a long time.
Disciple of Yin Xue... Son of the Sealed God... Savior Divine Son... Demon... Demon Lord... Cloud Emperor... Every time she met him, he bore an entirely different identity and destiny.
Yun Wuxin bowed to Jun Wuming, then secretly studied Jun Xilei.
Another very beautiful big sister... ah no, aunt. And her temperament was indescribably outstanding, like a beauty who had stepped out of an ancient painting.
And the way she looked at Father...
Could it be another... another... another...
"If it weren't for Sword Lord Senior's intervention back then, I would never be where I am today."
Knowing the truth of that year from Huo Poyun's memories, Yun Che's mindset facing Jun Wuming and Jun Xilei this time was completely different from before.
The welcome as an emperor and the rescue as a demon were concepts as different as heaven and earth. The latter was a grace as heavy as ten thousand mountains.
"..." Jun Xilei's lips moved slightly... How does he know?
Yun Che raised his hand, and the light of Light Profound Radiance bloomed in his palm. "Sword Lord Senior's lifespan is nearly exhausted, but with my Light Profound Force, supplemented by some spiritual herbs and Mysterious Pills, I might be able to seize a hundred more years for Senior."
Jun Wuming had already lived for fifty thousand years. It was not injury or damage, but the natural end of his lifespan, and thus the hardest to extend.
Slightly surprised, Jun Wuming then smiled faintly. His face, bearing both the vicissitudes of time and a refined elegance, showed not the slightest greed for life. "The Cloud Emperor's kindness is greatly appreciated by this old man. My intervention back then was merely to repay the Cloud Emperor's favor from that year. There is no need to dwell on it."
The "favor of that year" he referred to was Yun Che's "salvation" of Jun Xilei during their battle at the Xuan Shen Tournament.
Yun Che said solemnly, "What I did back then compared to Senior's grace is like a speck of dust compared to the bright moon. Now that I am the Cloud Emperor, I must not forget kindness and break promises. If I cannot repay Senior, I fear I will be uneasy for my entire life. I hope Senior will grant me this."
Jun Wuming smiled warmly, for Yun Che, for the God Realm, and also... for his own disciple.
"For a human to live for over fifty thousand years as I have is rare in this world. That is already a great blessing from Heaven's will. I can only feel gratitude and satisfaction. Xilei has grown up, and with these old eyes, I have witnessed a miracle that shatters the ages. I have no more regrets. There is no need for the Cloud Emperor to trouble himself and waste precious spiritual herbs and Mysterious Pills."
"If the Cloud Emperor truly cannot let it go," he tilted his gaze slightly, his smile even gentler, "then I ask that after this old man passes away, you take a little care of Xilei."
Jun Xilei startled, then blurted out coldly, "I don't need him to—"
"Alright, I will." Yun Che nodded without the slightest hesitation, giving Jun Wuming the most hoped-for promise.
His reply was very serious, his words and gaze filled with unwavering determination, which instead made Jun Xilei somewhat at a loss.
Long ago, she had sensed that whenever she faced Yun Che, her sword heart would inevitably become chaotic.
Back then, Jun Wuming had cultivated a clear and bright sword heart right here at the Abyss of Nothingness. She had followed him here for years, gradually perfecting her sword heart... but now, facing Yun Che, it was once again thrown into such turmoil.
"Good." Jun Wuming nodded deeply, his old eyes growing slightly misty. "With the Cloud Emperor's words, I can set aside even my last worry."
"Senior may pass on, but I believe that before long, the name of the Sword Lord and the radiance of the Nameless Sword will once again shine across the heavens."
He cast a deep glance at Jun Xilei, then shifted away with Yun Wuxin.
Jun Xilei leaned forward slightly, as if wanting to say something, but ultimately not a single word left her lips.
At that moment, as if remembering something, Yun Che stopped again.
He reached out and gently pushed something toward Jun Xilei—a faint, rosy red light flew toward her.
"This stone is called Qiankun Jade, containing the divine power of the Cosmic Thorn," Yun Che said, turning his head back. "If Fairy Jun ever encounters an insurmountable calamity in the future, touch it with your profound energy. It will transport you to Diyun City within two breaths, even here in the Tai Chu Divine Realm."
The rosy red light star hovered in front of Jun Xilei. After several breaths, she slowly reached out and grasped it in her palm.
"Thank you for the generous gift, Lord Cloud Emperor." Jun Xilei's voice was as cold and icy as a sword's edge. "Since it's a gift obtained through my master's kindness, I will not refuse."
(Yun Wuxin: (Ah... just as I thought!))
As she spoke, Jun Xilei flipped her hand, intending to place the Qiankun Jade into her personal space.
But Yun Che suddenly moved, appearing in front of her in an instant, his hand shooting out.
"You... what are you doing!" The sudden move made Jun Xilei shrink back, but the sword aura and sword light that always surrounded her seemed to lose their instinctive reaction, not striking out at Yun Che.
She immediately saw that in Yun Che's palm now rested that red jade—he had directly pulled it out from her personal space.
Biting her lip slightly, Jun Xilei steadied her breath, forced herself to remain calm, and said coldly, "What? Changed your mind?"
The moment she finished speaking, a gentle breeze wrapped around her waist, lightly attaching the Qiankun Jade to her skirt sash.
"Putting it in your personal space might cause a delay if you truly encounter danger. It's better to keep it on your outer garment." Yun Che's voice was slow, his gaze indifferent, a faint, enigmatic smile on his lips.
"...That's none of your business!"
As she spoke, she realized with alarm that Yun Che's face was right next to hers, those eyes, deeper than before, were staring directly at her cheek.
Her cheek suddenly felt a little hot. She stepped back in panic, subtly channeling her profound energy, but no matter what, she couldn't dispel that annoying warmth on her face.
"HAHAHAHA!" Jun Wuming's inexplicably joyful laughter rang out beside them.
With a slight smile, Yun Che turned around again and walked away with Yun Wuxin, leaving behind the little Sword Lord whose sword heart had completely collapsed.
…
…
"Father, I think I've completely figured you out now."
Walking slowly at the edge of the Abyss of Nothingness with his daughter, letting her experience that unique aura and law, Yun Wuxin suddenly blurted out a strange remark.
"Oh? In what aspect?" Yun Che asked.
"In the aspect of women!" Yun Wuxin emphasized her tone.
"Uh... ahem." Yun Che nearly choked on his own saliva.
"When to be gentle with a woman, when to be passive, when to be forceful, when to keep her at arm's length... Father really knows it all too well."
Yun Wuxin wrinkled her nose and gave a light snort. "And here I thought that Father kept refusing Aunt Wuyue's suggestion to expand the harem because he was already satisfied with having Mother, Master, and the others, and didn't want any other attachments. Turns out, that's not the case at all."
"Just now, that little... aunt, you were clearly deliberately teasing her."
"Sigh." Yun Che let out a light, wry laugh. "Watching your horizons broaden and your mind grow more meticulous bit by bit, as a father, I'm both gratified and troubled."
"Eh?" She hadn't expected Yun Che to admit it so readily. She murmured softly, "Not even trying to defend yourself."
"There's nothing to defend." Yun Che's words were firm, and his expression unchanged. "Even if you already possess countless treasures, when you see a magnificent pearl, you still want to obtain it."
"To put it nicely, it's being affectionate; bluntly, it's possessiveness; if I were to make excuses, I could say it's an incurable flaw in a man's nature."
Yun Wuxin secretly stuck out her tongue. "As expected of the Evil~ Cloud~ Great~ Emperor~, you can say something like that with such righteousness and perfect reasoning."
She actually wanted to ask her father if he would hope that she would one day meet a man like him... but thinking about it, that question seemed too difficult for him to answer, so she held it back.
"HAHAHAHA!" Yun Che burst into loud laughter.
Wuum————
A low and terrifying sound suddenly rang out, as if it came from within their hearts, or from a distance even farther than the horizon.
Yun Che's laughter stopped abruptly. His expression changed drastically, and his spiritual senses instantly released, spreading far into the distance.
The sudden change in his expression and aura startled Yun Wuxin. She quickly pressed close to Yun Che and asked nervously, "Father, what... happened?"
"That sound is very wrong." Yun Che said in a deep voice.
"Sound? What sound?" Yun Wuxin looked around in confusion.
"...?" Yun Che frowned. "You didn't hear it?"
"Ah? No, I didn't." Yun Wuxin shook her head.
Yun Che said no more, but continued to extend his spiritual senses.
Yet, with his powerful soul force, he still could not detect any anomalous aura.
Compared to the sound, what shook his soul was that sudden, intensely powerful sense of unease.
The reason he had rather impulsively given that precious Qiankun Jade to Jun Xilei earlier was precisely because of this vague sense of unease he had felt ever since approaching the Abyss of Nothingness.
After a long silence, Yun Che still found nothing. He even tried to probe his spiritual senses into the Abyss of Nothingness, but as always, upon touching the abyss, he only felt an emptiness that could not extend an inch further.
Yun Che withdrew his spiritual senses and looked back at Yun Wuxin, who was full of worry and panic, clearly frightened. He quickly smiled and comforted her, "It's nothing. I'm just too sensitive. Strange things often appear in the Tai Chu Divine Realm that are beyond our understanding. What I just heard was probably some kind of ancient remnant sound."
"Mm... You scared me!" Yun Wuxin let out a small sigh of relief. It was the first time she had seen her father, now the Cloud Emperor, make such a frightening face.
"Alright, let's go."
Taking Yun Wuxin's hand, Yun Che quickly flew through the air toward the exit of the Tai Chu Divine Realm. "Although there are still many amazing places here I haven't shown you, it's about time we left. If we delay any longer on the Eastern Domain, some people might come looking for us."
Yun Wuxin's beautiful eyes twinkled. "So, in the Eastern Domain, we're going to the Fan Di God Realm first, right?"
"Mhm."
"Hehe..." Yun Wuxin chuckled softly. "I've noticed that although Father is sometimes very harsh with Aunt Qianying, actually, he still dotes on her quite a bit."
"Me? Dote on her?" Yun Che's voice involuntarily rose several pitches. "Impossible! I just don't want that woman to cause me any unnecessary trouble!"
"Yes, yes, yes, whatever Father says must be right." Yun Wuxin echoed him verbally, but a sly smile played on her lips.