Chapter 1978: Hidden Soul, Falling Abyss
Entering the Tai Chu Divine Realm, the world turned a desolate gray. Not enough time had passed to even begin dispersing the traces of the battle with Mo Beichen.
In particular, the abyss of destruction scorched by Huo Poyun's final Golden Crow Flame was embedded in this gray world with such glaring prominence that, from a distance, it seemed as if the entire Tai Chu Divine Realm had been permanently pierced through.
*Severing oneself, destroying the body, the Canglan forever parted. Golden Crow shattered jade, the nine heavens darkened. How could this be betrayed!*
"Brother Yun Che!" An urgent, delicate shout came from behind, causing Yun Che to halt abruptly.
Soon, a petite black silhouette and a fantastical blue shadow arrived side by side—it was Shui Meiyin and Cang Shuhe, who had not appeared during the farewell.
Chi Wuyue smiled faintly at the corner of her lips: "It seems the final moment was a success." Her words made Yun Che's eyes flicker with surprise. He looked at the two: "Meiyin, Shuhe."
Shui Meiyin was breathing heavily, clearly not having used the Cosmic Thorn's spatial power to arrive, but had chased after him with all her speed.
Drawing close to Yun Che, she extended both hands. In her delicate, pale palms lay two interweaving, flickering red lights.
Though faint, it was the unique crimson divine light of the Cosmic Thorn.
"What is this?" Yun Che lifted his gaze.
"Spatial array pivot and spatial divine stone imprinted using the power of the Cosmic Thorn." Shui Meiyin's eyes shimmered with light, striving to conceal the fear and reluctance in her heart: "By planting the Cosmic array pivot in one place, you can use this Cosmic divine stone to open a dimensional mystic array and teleport to the pivot's location."
"However, once the Cosmic array pivot is planted, it cannot be moved. I also didn't have time to imprint too much power into the Cosmic divine stone, but I believe Brother Yun Che will find many ways over there to replenish its spatial power."
"Also," Shui Meiyin continued hurriedly, "the teleportation distance from the Cosmic divine stone to the Cosmic array pivot is not unlimited. If it exceeds that distance, you won't be able to connect the dimensional passage and complete the teleportation. The spatial laws of the Abyss are certainly far higher than those of the present world. You'll have to test and judge its teleportation limit yourself once you're there."
Yun Che reached out and, with the gentlest motion, covered the Cosmic array pivot and Cosmic divine stone in his hands.
Having gone through the calamity with Mo Beichen, Yun Che knew well that the Cosmic Thorn's power was nearly exhausted. Forcing it to imprint these Cosmic array pivot and Cosmic divine stone with its depleted divine power must have cost immense mental effort and sacrifice.
And in truth... countless divine crystals had been consumed, and the Cosmic Thorn had fallen completely into silence. When it would awaken, even Shui Meiyin, its master, had no idea.
Cang Shuhe stepped forward and placed a water-blue ring in his hand.
"This space ring contains a special Canglan space. Unless it collapses, you need not worry about the contents withering or decaying." Gently closing Yun Che's fingers over the ring, Cang Shuhe withdrew her jade-like hand, her beautiful eyes like a gently rippling starry lake: "My husband will surely return safely, so I need not worry. If you encounter an unsolvable problem, you might recall what I said that day—it may be of some help."
"Mm, I haven't forgotten." After bidding farewell to Shui Meiyin and Cang Shuhe, Yun Che and Chi Wuyue traveled through the space of the Tai Chu Divine Realm, gradually approaching the Abyss of Nothingness.
In the pale world, a stretch of land imprinted with countless sword scars appeared. At the center of the intersecting sword marks stood a lone, silent tombstone.
Before the tombstone knelt a white-robed woman with an ethereal divine bearing. From afar, she was like a beautiful, faded ancient painting.
Yun Che's gaze lingered on her for a moment, but he did not disturb her and passed by silently. Only when his figure vanished into the pale horizon did Jun Xilei slowly raise her head and gaze into the distance.
The silent sword scars listened to her misty, dreamlike whisper: "I will stay here to accompany my master... until the day you return."
"So you must come back."
.........
Abyss of Nothingness.
What was once known as the devouring abyss that would reduce everything to nothingness—now they understood that after a long period of mutation, it had become the only passage connecting two worlds.
"I'll leave everything here in your hands." Standing at the edge of the abyss, Yun Che gazed down at the empty world below, his pupils gradually turning chaotic.
"Treat the Wood Spirit Realm with the utmost kindness, and announce to the world the truth of He Ling's self-sacrifice to save us—this is the honor the Wood Spirit Clan deserves." Chi Wuyue spoke softly: "You can rest assured about everything here."
"Mm. The three things I promised you, I will surely accomplish." Yun Che slowly lowered his eyes: "I'm going."
He leaned forward, about to fall into that world below that seemed like the gaping maw of a demon god.
But then, a soul-entering softness pressed against his back. Chi Wuyue embraced him from behind, her jade-like arms wrapping around his chest and gradually tightening.
Yun Che stopped leaning forward and slowly exhaled. Neither of them spoke—there was no need for words.
Chi Wuyue's arms moved upward, her five fingers slowly caressing his face, her fingertips touching every feature one by one, as if she wanted to deeply etch this last touch before their separation into her heart.
From his lips, to the tip of his nose, to the corner of his eyes, to the center of his brow.
And then, in an instant, the quiet, water-like, cotton-breathing Chi Wuyue suddenly released a black light from her demon pupils.
In that single moment, they became as deep and profound as an eternal, endless night abyss.
Yun Che's half-closed eyes snapped open: "You!"
But aside from his dilated pupils, his entire body was motionless, and the words in his mouth abruptly ceased.
Chi Wuyue's Nirvana Wheel Demon Soul was slowly entering his sea of consciousness.
He knew in that instant what Chi Wuyue was doing. Terrified, he wanted to stop her, but didn't dare to—he didn't even dare to make a sound. Instead, he desperately suppressed the turbulent waves that had just risen in his soul sea.
Because in this situation, any resistance on his part would easily backlash against the very root of Chi Wuyue's soul. He could only choose to remain still, accepting it with the most peaceful and docile attitude.
He felt the presence of the Nirvana Wheel Demon Soul with absolute clarity. It was peeling away from Chi Wuyue's soul bit by bit, entering his soul sea...
One-tenth... two-tenths... five-tenths... seven-tenths...
Yun Che's lips trembled violently, but Chi Wuyue did not stop. The intense pain caused her face to constantly twist.
Finally, when only the last two-tenths of the Nirvana Wheel Demon Soul remained in Chi Wuyue's soul, she stopped.
The demon light in Chi Wuyue's eyes abruptly extinguished. Yun Che turned around like lightning, catching Chi Wuyue who was about to collapse weakly... and in that moment of turning, the pain on Chi Wuyue's face was forcibly concealed, leaving only a deathly pale calm.
"Have you gone mad?!" Yun Che growled.
The Nirvana Wheel Demon Soul was the most important thing in Chi Wuyue's life—the foundation of her becoming the Demon Empress of the Northern Domain, the core of her entire life's path.
But now, she had forcibly peeled off a full eighty percent of the Nirvana Wheel Demon Soul and forcibly transferred it onto him.
"... " After a long while, Chi Wuyue finally straightened herself from within Yun Che's arms. She smiled faintly, her enchanting face covered with a pale white like snow on a blade, heartbreakingly beautiful like a snow-edged icy heart: "Over here, we have Xuanyin, Qianying, Yanwu, and the others. Even without me, it's enough to quell any turmoil."
"Besides, I still have two-tenths of the demon soul left."
"But your safety, and the great undertaking you must accomplish—that surpasses everything!"
The demon light deep within her pupils was still profound, but it had already dimmed considerably.
Yun Che opened his mouth, but couldn't bring himself to say something like "take the demon soul back." Because he knew that since Chi Wuyue had done it, there was absolutely no turning back.
Chi Wuyue spoke slowly: "The Nirvana Wheel Demon Soul only recognizes me as its vessel in the present world. It cannot achieve harmony with your soul. So you cannot actively wield it."
"But since it was split and transferred by me personally, it will obediently hide within your soul... until the moment it is triggered."
"What happens when it's triggered?" Yun Che asked.
"It will be like a demon god awakened from a dream." Chi Wuyue described it so.
"But it can only be triggered once. That might be... the final fury of the Nirvana Wheel Demon Emperor."
Yun Che's heart shook violently.
Chi Wuyue's words meant: once the Nirvana Wheel Demon Soul in his soul was triggered, it would dissipate forever.
The soul counterattack unleashed at the cost of the eternal disappearance of eighty percent of the Nirvana Wheel Demon Soul... what kind of power would it create? Even Chi Wuyue herself didn't know.
"...Alright." Yun Che nodded solemnly: "I will strive to never fall into such desperate straits, and then I will bring it back to you intact."
Chi Wuyue smiled and shook her head. Though she said nothing, both her expression and her gaze told him that his safety was worth a million times more than the demon soul.
"It's time to go." She reached out and placed her hand on his shoulder: "The sooner you go, the sooner you can return."
"The man of my choosing—how could he end here?"
Her jade-like fingers pressed forward, gently pushing Yun Che, who stood at the edge of the abyss, down.
Chi Wuyue disappeared from Yun Che's sight, and with her went all color. He fell straight into the world below.
In that single instant, his figure was swallowed by the gray-white mist. Even his aura vanished completely.
The moment Yun Che's aura fully disappeared, Chi Wuyue's heart suddenly felt empty. Her body, which she had been forcibly holding up, went limp and she knelt on the ground. It was a long time before her demon eyes slowly regained focus.
They—Yun Qinghong and his wife, everyone—each appeared calm and untroubled, but in truth, every heart was suspended over a fearful abyss.
He was the supreme Cloud Emperor in this world, but in that world, one misstep would lead to eternal damnation.
Even the mere process of falling into the abyss was fraught with life-and-death uncertainty.
After standing still for several hours, Chi Wuyue finally rose and departed alone.
At the exit of the Tai Chu Divine Realm, the Nine Demonesses were all waiting there. They understood Chi Wuyue best and knew clearly that after Yun Che's departure, the heavy burden of this world would fall entirely on her shoulders.
Chi Wuyue's expression showed no change, nor could any trace of severe damage to her demon soul be seen. She looked ahead, without any superfluous words, and said directly: "Chanyi, send a message to Yanwu and Fen Daoqi. Have them station people at the Abyss of Nothingness. Before Cloud Emperor returns, no one—no living being—is to be allowed near it!"
"Remember, this concerns Cloud Emperor's safety. At any time, in any area, there must be no oversight!"
The Abyss world knew nothing of the changing winds and clouds of this present era.
And the Abyss's ignorance about Yun Che was one of his greatest advantages. If during this time, someone at the Divine Lord Realm were to also fall into the Abyss of Nothingness and, by a stroke of luck, survive to reach the Abyss world... though this possibility was extremely low, Chi Wuyue had to guard against it to the utmost.
Those stationed there must also be people from the Northern Divine Region.
"Yes!" Nanhuang Chanyi responded solemnly.
"Remember, do not disturb the Little Sword Lord." Her voice softened a fraction: "On the contrary, she will be the most devoted guardian."
"Qingying, Lanyan, Yuwu." Chi Wuyue turned her gaze: "Starting today, set aside your current tasks for the time being, return to the Northern Divine Region, and do your utmost to search for ancient records left behind in various star realms. This includes ancient texts, inscriptions, demon runes... regardless of their form, regardless of their truth or weight!"
Qingying, Lanyan, and Yuwu were all startled at the same time.
Calling out the names of three Demonesses at once, they had assumed it must be a matter of great importance. It was only to search for ancient remnants of records?
Though puzzled in their hearts, the three Demonesses did not ask further and quickly departed to carry out the order.
With no Cloud Emperor in the world, only the Demon Empress remained to command the winds and clouds of all realms.
After the winds and clouds, what would descend—an eternal abyss, or...