Chapter 1976: Parting
The Divine Realm was in turmoil, with hearts filled with fear. The immense cost of killing Mo Beichen brought no excitement or peace. The word "Abyss," accompanied by great terror and panic, spread like an uncontrollable plague across every corner of the Divine Realm, intensifying with each passing day. The divine light continued to dim, and dark clouds blotted out the sky everywhere. Even the Heavenly Dao, which upheld the basic order of the world according to the laws of the Primordial, trembled in fear, its oppressive thunderclaps like desperate wails over the world's fate.
During this time, aside from Emperor Yun's awakening and Qi Tianli being spared by the Dragon God Emperor's plea to keep his life, no further news emerged from Diyun City. Every star realm attempted to contemplate the possibility of resisting the Abyss, and the conclusion was, without a doubt, complete hopelessness. After all, just one Abyss Knight—a precursor, more plainly a discard of the Abyss—had easily trampled the entire Divine Realm underfoot. His death was not due to any combined force the Divine Realm could muster, but a fleeting miracle born from the convergence of faith and the light of wonder… one that could never be replicated. Let alone…
On the Blue Pole Star, in the Illusory Demon Realm, within the Yun family compound, Yun Che knelt on the ground, offering tea one by one to Xiao Lie, Mu Feiyan, Yun Qinghong, and Mu Yurou.
"Grandfather, Grandfather-in-law, Father, Mother…" Yun Che looked up with downcast eyes, his words carrying none of the imperial majesty that dominated the heavens, only deep remorse from his heart. "Your son has wandered all his life, thinking he’d finally found peace. But before I could repay even a fraction of the kindness of raising and birthing me, I must leave again, causing you to worry and be anxious."
"Your son is unfilial."
"Che'er…" Mu Yurou gently shook her head. She had been doing her utmost to maintain a calm smile, not wanting to add any more concern or worry to Yun Che, but his words touched her heart, instantly blurring her eyes. That involuntary call was almost choked with tears she could barely control.
Yun Qinghong gently held her hand. After Yun Che finished offering tea, he stepped forward and said with a smile, "Che'er, get up." He raised his hand to help Yun Che up, his warm gaze meeting his eyes. "What you are about to do is a great matter of saving the entire world. There has been no one before you, and there will be no one after. From the moment you take this step, because of you, we possess a glory that will shine for thousands and tens of thousands of generations."
"Xiao Ying, who died young to save you, and your grandfather, who gave his life to protect you… they too will truly smile with no regrets in another world."
"Indeed." Mu Feiyan nodded heavily, his palm landing firmly on Yun Che's shoulder. "Che'er, in that other world, you will certainly face hardships, but we will be safe and sound here. Always keep your own safety in mind. There is nothing else you need to worry about." Xiao Lie spoke, a peaceful smile slowly spreading on his face. "Before, although you sometimes returned late, you always came home safely. This time, you surely will too."
"Of course." Yun Che nodded with a smile. "No matter how high a wanderer climbs or how far he goes, deep in his heart, what he longs for most is to return home."
"Big Brother… you must… must return without a single injury." Xiao Yun stepped forward, his clenched hands trembling slightly. "Grandfather, Father, and Mother, I will take care of them with all my might. You don't need to worry about anything."
"Mm, with you here, I naturally feel at ease." Yun Che smiled. "By the time I return, Yong'an might already have a family." Xiao Yong'an said seriously, "My life was saved by Uncle Yun. When I start a family, if Uncle Yun is not here to witness it, it will be a lifelong regret. So, together with my parents and Yongning, I will earnestly wait for Uncle Yun to return."
"Haha, good." Yun Che laughed. "It seems that to let your parents rest easy sooner, I dare not linger outside too long."
"By the way," he turned his gaze, "why don't you settle your lifelong matter during this time, Uncle, so that after I return, I won't have to see Grandfather fuming every day." Mu Yubai twisted his mouth and rolled his eyes, muttering, "Mind your own business. Just take good care of your own life!" Parting was too hard, especially this time—it was hard to speak of fate or return. Someone had to give a push.
Chi Wuyue stepped forward and said softly, "It's time to go." Mu Yurou's body trembled, but she slowly loosened her five fingers that tightly gripped Yun Che's wrist, until her fingertips fully separated from his sleeve.
"Go, my child," she whispered. In the eyes of the world, he was the supreme emperor, the only hope. In her eyes, he was just a wandering son about to step into a terrifying danger. "Since you've made your choice, do not hesitate, do not look back." Feng Xian'er gently supported her from the side, feeling her uncontrollable trembling despite her efforts.
No one spoke or tried to stop him, only a thousand gazes fixed unblinkingly on him. Cang Yue, Xiao Lingxi, Chu Yuechan, Feng Xue'er, Su Ling'er, Huan Caiyi, Mu Xuanyin, Cai Zhi, Qianye Ying'er, Yun Wuxin… Yun Che's eyes swept over them one by one.
The news that he was about to go alone to the Abyss was not made public, otherwise, it would have undoubtedly stirred another wave of unrest in the turbulent Divine Realm. Even the Northern Divine Region was not informed; otherwise, today's farewell could well be imagined.
"I'm leaving. I'll be back soon." Turning around, Yun Che raised his hand, but ultimately said nothing more. His toes silently left the ground, his body slowly floating into the air. The next time he stepped on his homeland, who knew what month or year it would be.
"Father…" Yun Wuxin's voice finally broke free, brushing against her father's ear. "You must remember what you promised me." Tears shimmered in her starry eyes. "If you break your word again this time, I… truly… truly will never forgive you."
"…Mm." Without looking back, Yun Che answered calmly and firmly. A gentle breeze stirred, and in a myriad of eyes, he soon drifted away, reaching the horizon. But immediately, a streak of black light followed, drawing near his side in an instant.
"I'll see you off." Once he entered the Abyss, his fate was unpredictable. As he fell toward the Abyss, Yun Che wanted to shed all attachments, alone in body and heart. But when he turned to meet Chi Wuyue's clearly profound gaze, he swallowed the refusal on his lips and instead said, "You've already stuffed all sorts of advice into my head. What else do you have to say to me this time?"
"I have made some new discoveries. No, I should call them guesses," Chi Wuyue said.
"About… the Abyss?" Yun Che's gaze sharpened. "Did you extract more memories and knowledge from Mo Beichen's remnant soul?"
"It has nothing to do with Mo Beichen." Chi Wuyue spoke slowly. "Looking back at all your understanding of the ancient war between gods and demons, is there any point that strikes you as particularly incongruous?" A statement seemingly unrelated to the matter at hand made Yun Che pause. "Which aspect do you mean?"
Chi Wuyue said, "The cause, the process, the outcome."
Numerous ancient records, the accounts of the Golden Crow remnant soul, the Ice Phoenix spirit, Jie Yuan, and others, along with some ancient memories, gave Yun Che a far deeper and broader understanding of the ancient god-demon war than most. That Chi Wuyue brought it up now was clearly related to the Abyss. Yun Che furrowed his brows in thought for a moment, then shook his head. "Just say it plainly."
Their figures had already left the Blue Pole Star, heading toward the distant Tai Chu Divine Realm.
"The Primordial God divided chaos into two worlds: 'Life' and 'Extinction,' creating a balance. She created gods and demons as the two ruling races of the world of life, also a balance." Chi Wuyue's words were low and drawn out, as if trying to pull Yun Che's thoughts back to the distant ancient times. "Since it was a balance, the overall strength of the gods and demons should have been comparable."
"Even if differences gradually emerged over time, with that 'foundation' of balance, they shouldn't have been far apart."
"In ancient times, gods and demons were always in opposition. Especially the Heaven-Slaying God Emperor Mo E, who hated demons to the bone, wishing to wipe them from existence forever."
"But even so, before the war that brought about the end, they maintained a long period of mutual non-aggression—meaning that during that ancient era, both sides clearly recognized a balance of power. If war truly broke out, it would only lead to mutual destruction."
Yun Che's brows twitched sharply. He suddenly realized what Chi Wuyue meant by "incongruity."
Under "balance," why did the demons ultimately suffer a crushing defeat? Not just defeat—a complete rout!
Chi Wuyue continued, "Later, the Heaven's Calamity Demon Emperor Jie Yuan was ambushed by the Heaven-Slaying God Emperor Mo E and cast into the Outer Chaos."
"The demons lost one Demon Emperor."
"Soon after, after a battle with Mo E, the Element Creation God abandoned the title of Creation God, named himself the Evil God, and went into seclusion."
"After that, Mo E died prematurely."
"Among the four Creation Gods, one fell and one hid within a short period, leaving only Order Creation God Xi Ke and Life Creation God Li Suo."
"After losing Heaven's Calamity Demon Emperor, the demons still had three Demon Emperors: Pan Ming, Jius Sha, and Nie Lun."
"It was also after Mo E's death and the Evil God's seclusion that the demons suddenly struck. Jius Sha Demon Emperor, who had long prepared, broke through dimensions, descended upon Life Divine Palace, and poisoned Life Creation God Li Suo with Jiusha Demon Poison."
"In other words, after the full outbreak of the war between the two races, the demons were led by three Demon Emperors, while the gods were left with only Order Creation God Xi Ke."
"The gap in levels was nearly insurmountable. With such a vast disparity in top-level power, the demons should have been overwhelming. But in the end, the demons were routed, and in despair, they unsealed the Evil Infant Myriad Calamity Wheel, bringing about the end of the god-demon era."
Thinking of the ancient records of the Dragon God he had read in the Dragon God Realm, Yun Che's heart stirred again. When he had read those ancient accounts, he had only found them astonishing and soul-shaking. But now, viewed through the lens of "balance" as Chi Wuyue had framed it, they were indeed full of incongruities.
Chi Wuyue turned her gaze. "You and Qianye once read the ancient Dragon God records in the Dragon God Temple. Do you remember the key factor that quickly put the demons at a disadvantage?"
Yun Che answered directly, "At the beginning of the war, Order Creation God Xi Ke used himself as bait, sealing himself and the three demon emperors—Pan Ming, Jius Sha, and Nie Lun—within the Zhou Tian Thousand-Layered Realm of the Zhou Tian Pearl." The Zhou Tian Thousand-Layered Realm had a thousandfold time flow. Until the war's end, when the Evil Infant Myriad Calamity Wheel hijacked the Heavenly Poison Pearl and unleashed the Myriad Tribulations of Oblivion, the Zhou Tian Pearl's divine realm collapsed and its divine power was destroyed. A battle of three demon emperors against one Creation God should have been a crushing victory for the demons. But because they were sealed throughout, the demons' absolute advantage was completely nullified. Moreover, since many powerful demon gods of the Heaven's Calamity Demon Clan were exiled along with Jie Yuan, the top-tier combat strength below the demon emperors was far inferior to that of the gods, leading to successive defeats. By the time the three demon emperors finally broke free, they were all cast into the Abyss of Myriad Tribulations of Oblivion, with no chance of survival.
"Indeed." Chi Wuyue nodded slowly. "And this is the greater incongruity."