Chapter 1932: At That Time, the Bright Moon Was There

Chapter 1932: At That Time, the Bright Moon Was There

What is the heaviest thing in this world?
For Yun Che, it was a debt of affection that could never be repaid.
Xia Qingyue had devoted her entire life to him, leaving for herself only endless guilt, sorrow, infamy, and an old bronze mirror.
The bronze mirror in his hands was soaked with tears. He held it gently… this was already the closest he could be to her. In the remaining years of his life, the hope of embracing her again was a luxury only granted by dreams.
She had once treasured this bronze mirror so much, wearing it around her neck day and night without parting from it. But later, this mirror constantly reminded her of her own "essence" and the cruelty behind that essence…
Perhaps, when she handed it to Jin Yue and ordered her to destroy it, her subconscious actually hoped Jin Yue would secretly disobey the order… After all, she was so clever and knew Jin Yue so well.
She suffered and resented her own fate, yet cherished her mother's keepsake. That was why she entrusted this "choice" to Jin Yue, the one closest and most trusted to her.
Later, she no longer allowed Jin Yue to come near her, even speaking through a curtain, afraid of bringing disaster upon her. In the end, she did not let Jin Yue leave with Yue Wuji and the others, but resolutely drove her away—this, too, was a form of favoritism.
And he himself had nearly…
He slowly straightened his body, which had been rigidly sitting for a long time. Before his eyes was the same scene, but a different world.
A world without the Primordial Will, without Xia Qingyue, and without the shackles of fate.

"So you have no right to live poorly."

Without those words from the Primordial Will, he didn't know how long it would take him to escape the too-heavy prison of his heart.
Pressing the bronze mirror against his chest, Yun Che looked ahead and said softly, "Qingyue, from Xiao Che, whom everyone could despise, to the Cloud Emperor whom everyone must look up to in awe, I once thought the ladder I climbed was the destiny that began with the Evil God's inheritance. It turns out that was your entire life."
"Meiyin once said she hoped I would treat this world kindly… I know that was your hope. Even after being treated and hurt so cruelly by fate, you still wanted to repay it with the greatest kindness."
"Qingyue, watch me… I will live my life in the best way possible. I will live better than anyone. And I will protect this world… that once bound our fates together, that made us meet and become husband and wife."

Years later, when the "Cloud Emperor" became a belief engraved into the faith of all living beings, a heavenly monument standing high in all star realms and lower realms, inviolable by anything… no one knew that behind it all was his oath to Xia Qingyue that he would never break.

With a spatial shift, he appeared before Chi Wuyue, Qianye Ying'er, Shui Meiyin, and Mu Xuanyin, who had been keeping their distance and watching over him all these days. Facing their collective stunned silence, he gave a faint smile, his somewhat hoarse throat producing the gentlest voice: "Making you worry again."
"I had a very long dream. And I finally understand why dreams are always so dark—because someone quietly reflected the light of dreams into my world, until her own world sank into eternal darkness."
"So," he opened his arms toward them, "I have no more reason to let down even the faintest light in this world."

His warm words deeply touched their hearts and gradually dissolved the heavy worry and oppression within them.
"Brother Yun Che!" Shui Meiyin threw herself onto Yun Che's chest and burst into loud sobs… She had already cried too much these past days, but each time it only added to the suffocating pain in her heart. This time, she could finally let it all out and vent.

Yun Che stretched out his arms and held Meiyin tightly against his chest. Over the years, she had truly endured too much… From now on, he never wanted to see her every smile hiding a soul-piercing sting.
He looked at Chi Wuyue and suddenly said, "Wuyue, can an emperor establish two empresses?"
Chi Wuyue was momentarily stunned, then gave a slight smile: "For other emperors to set such a precedent, they would indeed have to weigh many factors. But for you… with your imperial presence, it's only a matter of whether you want to or not, not a matter of whether you can!"
She understood in her heart that Yun Che had asked her first, rather than making the decision outright, because he cared about her feelings and dignity.

"You want to make Xia Qingyue empress?" Mu Xuanyin asked in the most direct manner, speaking the plainest words.
"Yes," Yun Che nodded. "I owe her… forever… forever… forever can never be repaid. I can only… I can only…"

The calm he had barely managed to regain still ached to the point of suffocation when his words even slightly touched on it. He shook his head and said, "When I married her, there was a grand banquet, a master of ceremonies, blessings from elders, and half the city as witnesses… The bridal escort… stepping over the brazier… bowing to heaven and earth… tying our hair together… a complete wedding ceremony. No one and no aspect could question the bond between husband and wife that she and I had."
"And that divorce letter back then—it was merely a spilling of blood to vent anger! It conformed to no ceremonial rules, no rituals, no propriety… it was utterly useless!"
"The names of myself and her are still on the marriage register in Liuyun City to this day. So the bond of husband and wife between us has never been severed, never changed… up to this very moment."

After becoming the Cloud Emperor and returning to Lan Ji Star, he had never ordered anyone to erase his and Xia Qingyue's names from the Liuyun City marriage register… It seemed he had completely forgotten about it until now.
"I want to… posthumously confer upon her the title of Empress."
"Good." Chi Wuyue nodded slightly, answering only with a single word, but without a hint of hesitation.

"And also…" Yun Che continued, "In the future divine realm, I want to…"
"How about naming it 'Cloud Moon'?" Chi Wuyue said with a smile, voicing what he had in his heart.

Right now, Yun Che was clearly doing everything in his power, almost frantically, to make amends and to be good to Xia Qingyue. But her shadow had already departed—no matter how much he reminisced or tried to remedy, it was all empty and illusory.

Qianye Ying'er, who had been silently standing by, quietly turned around and sank into soundless retreat.
But her hand was suddenly seized firmly.
Her eyes trembled violently… Only Yun Che could grab her body so unguardedly.
"Where are you going?" came Yun Che's voice from behind her ears, unreadable in emotion.
Without looking back, Qianye Ying'er said flatly, "You probably don't want to see me right now. When you want to, come find me at the Fantian Divine Realm."
This extremely proud woman, as she uttered these cold and majestic words, still inadvertently dragged a fleeting tremor in her voice.

The hand gripping her wrist eased slightly, but did not let go. The voice that sounded in her ear became exceptionally gentle:
"She was the moon in my darkness, leading me to bathe in light again."
"And you, you are the shadow in my darkness… In my darkest moments, you stayed by my side and never left. Now, do you think I would let you escape from my side?"
"…" Qianye Ying'er stood frozen, her vision spinning violently.
"Back in the Northern Divine Region, I once spoke of 'the future'…" He looked at her golden hair and profile, saying softly, "I have never forgotten. You must not forget either."

Chi Wuyue: "…"
Mu Xuanyin: "…"
"…" Qianye Ying'er did not respond. The wind whistled faintly, a warm breeze, yet it sent a light shiver through her body. Then her shoulders began to tremble… growing stronger… unable to stop.

Still not letting go of Qianye Ying'er, Yun Che patted the back of Shui Meiyin, who was nestled against his chest, and said softly, "Meiyin, take me… to that place."
"Qianying, you come too."

But Qianye Ying'er did not obey. Instead, she jerked her hand away and disappeared into the distance without looking back, absolutely refusing to let Yun Che see her at that moment.

Without needing to be told, Shui Meiyin, as clever as she was, naturally knew what place he meant.
"Mm!" She gave a soft response. The Cosmic Thorn appeared in her small hand, glowing with a faint crimson divine light.
In an instant, she and Yun Che vanished from the spot.

Mu Xuanyin and Chi Wuyue exchanged glances.
"He has changed," Mu Xuanyin said softly, half sigh, half relief.
"It's not that he has changed, but the world in his eyes has changed," Chi Wuyue said with a smile. "And it has changed dramatically."
"Mm," Mu Xuanyin nodded in agreement.

"Should we tell him about 'Yun Xi'?" Chi Wuyue suddenly asked.
She, normally so decisive in her judgment, was now seeking another's opinion. She didn't know if this was a suitable time… or perhaps, there would never be a suitable time.
"…" Mu Xuanyin shook her head. "Just forget about it. As the empress, you should think more about the matter of a divine heir."
Chi Wuyue pursed her lips and smiled: "If it were your child, I would be very willing to establish him as the crown prince."
"…" Mu Xuanyin turned away. "I've been away for so many days. Wuxin must be worried. Leave those matters to you."

Mu Xuanyin departed into the distance, but Chi Wuyue did not leave. She stood still for a very long time, gazing at the distant sky.
"Xia Qingyue, I really… have never misjudged you," she whispered with a smile, and the obsession that had weighed on her for so long finally released.
"Still, why did you choose to leave… You wouldn't say, and he wouldn't say…"
"Secrets—such beautiful and infuriating words," she smiled. "Maybe I will never be able to let go of you in this lifetime."

…………

Southern Divine Region, a remote corner.

Ahead was a barrier formed by the spatial divine power of the Cosmic Thorn, interwoven with the unique Hidden Moon Force of the Yue Shen Realm. Though only a thin layer, it could greatly isolate any aura.

It was because of this special barrier that Chi Wuyue, who could now mobilize the power of the four divine regions, had never been able to find the trace of the vanished Moon Gods.

Now, drawing closer, Yun Che could clearly sense the auras of the Moon Gods—eight distinct Moon God auras, all within.
And twenty-seven Moon Divine Envoys.

"Qingyue sister found this star a long time ago. This barrier was also set up long ago," Shui Meiyin said softly. "She told me that after Brother Yun Che returned, she would hide the core of the Yue Shen Realm here. In the future, when Brother Yun Che becomes the master of the divine realm, I would be the one to ask Brother Yun Che to pardon them and return the Yue Shen Realm to them."

……
"Meiyin, you saved his family and his life, so if it's a request from you, he will definitely agree. And I believe that, clever as you are, you will come up with better words and a better way by then."
……

Shui Meiyin had never forgotten a single word Xia Qingyue had spoken back then.

But…
Yun Che said nothing. He moved forward. Shui Meiyin lightly drew the Cosmic Thorn in her hand, and the two passed through the barrier without a trace, causing no ripple at all.

Once inside the barrier, the auras of the Moon Gods became clear and distinct. The eight Moon Gods were actually gathered together, and the Moon Divine Envoys were also right beside them.

Following the auras, before he even got close, fierce arguments mixed with barely restrained Moon God auras drifted over from afar.