Chapter 1983: Enlightenment of Nothingness
Yun Che finally "awakened."
Helian Lingzhu and Mo Cangying, who were about to leave, heard the commotion and turned around simultaneously, seeing that Yun Che had already opened his eyes.
A hint of joy flashed in the depths of Helian Lingzhu's eyes, but she maintained the dignity of an imperial princess well, giving a faint smile. "You're awake."
Mo Cangying's gaze, on the other hand, held more surprise and scrutiny.
To be brought back alive with such severe injuries had already exceeded his expectations, and now to have awakened so quickly was even more unexpected.
Yun Che's body shifted slightly, but he couldn't prop himself up. He could only force a look of gratitude. "Thank you two... for your life-saving grace."
Mo Cangying narrowed his eyes. "How did you know that we saved you?"
Yun Che replied frankly, "Actually, I retained a sliver of consciousness all along. I simply couldn't wake up due to the severity of my injuries."
Helian Lingzhu and Mo Cangying both showed surprise.
They had both seen the extent of his injuries. Under those conditions... to still retain consciousness?
That was almost beyond the realm of their understanding.
Yun Che's gaze was pure, showing only the weakness and gratitude of a severely injured person. "Helian Eldest Princess, Brother Mo, this life-saving grace... in the future... I will surely..."
Those few words seemed to drain all his remaining energy; each syllable grew weaker. Helian Lingzhu said, "Alright, your injuries are too severe. Rest and recover first. Words of gratitude can wait until you've healed."
"This is the best Huitian Pavilion of the Helian Heavenly Mansion. The Yellow Profound Qi accumulated here will aid your recovery. You can rest easy here."
Compared to Helian Lingzhu, Mo Cangying's tone was much colder. He asked, "What's your name? Where are you from? Why were you so badly injured? And why did you set foot in our Linyuan Realm?"
Linyuan Realm was surrounded by sandstorms, close to the Mist Sea, and the force most active here was the Sandrock Force—the one most Xuan practitioners were least willing to cultivate. Hence, very few outsiders would forcefully traverse the sandstorms to arrive here.
Yun Che was silent for a moment, then murmured, "Linyuan Realm?"
Then his voice lowered slightly. "I don't know. When I woke up, I was already in the midst of a sandstorm, my whole body in excruciating pain. In my consciousness... only a few terrifying scenes vaguely flickered past—it seemed many people were chasing me... Beyond that, all was darkness and blankness... I don't know where I am, let alone how I got here... Sigh!"
As if "severe damage" had affected his soul sea, a trace of pain flickered across Yun Che's face, but he quickly suppressed it.
"Heh." Mo Cangying gave a cold laugh. "In this world, it's only natural to be wary of others. You might as well keep silent, instead of fabricating such a shoddy excuse."
Yun Che lifted his head, his weak eyes meeting Mo Cangying's cold gaze without any fear. "Brother Mo, Eldest Princess, you are my lifesavers. I have nothing but utmost gratitude in my heart. How could I have the face to deceive you?"
Mo Cangying's cold expression did not ease. He was about to speak when Helian Lingzhu reached out and touched his shoulder. "With injuries this severe, his soul is bound to be heavily damaged. It's perfectly normal for his memory to be hazy."
Yun Che turned his eyes and smiled in gratitude.
His eyes were too clear, too pure to accommodate even a shred of falsehood.
Those eyes made Helian Lingzhu's breath catch briefly, and her gaze unconsciously shifted slightly.
"Then... can you remember your own name?" Helian Lingzhu asked.
"..." Mo Cangying glanced sideways. Her voice was far too gentle, as if she were facing a wounded fawn, afraid of frightening it.
"Yun... Che..." Yun Che said slowly. "That's the only name that vaguely floated in my blank memory. I suppose it must be my name."
"Yun Che... Yun?" Helian Lingzhu frowned slightly. In the Abyss, that was a very uncommon surname. It didn't exist in the Linyuan Realm, nor did it belong to any flourishing clan or powerful figure that dominated the Abyss. It existed only in some obscure corner of the Abyss surname registry.
Still... the name suited him so well.
His eyes, his voice, his features... even in his severely wounded and weakened state, it was hard to conceal his bearing.
"Forget it." Mo Cangying couldn't be bothered to say more. He turned his back directly. "Junior Sister Lingzhu, it's time for us to go see Master."
"Alright." Helian Lingzhu nodded, her tone still gentle as water. "Young Master Yun, you can rest easy here. No outsiders will disturb you. Once your injuries heal, you should be able to recall some things."
Helian Lingzhu and Mo Cangying left, and all around fell silent.
Compared to the outside, the Profound Qi here was very mild and mixed with dozens of different medicinal auras. Indeed, as Helian Lingzhu had said, it must be a specialized healing place.
Unfortunately, no healing method in the world could compare to the self-healing of his own body.
Except... that "white big sister" Hong'er had mentioned.
Yun Che slowly raised his hand, sensing the existence of the Abyssal Dust.
Compared to the sandstorm-ravaged wasteland where he had awakened, the Abyssal Dust here was more than ten times thinner. To the Abyss Xuan practitioners born here and long accustomed to it, they might not even perceive its existence.
But for Yun Che, newly arrived in this world, the presence of the Abyssal Dust was as tangible as substance.
It was like a creature born to live in air, suddenly thrown into a world filled with endless poisonous swamps. The "deadly poison" was everywhere, seeping into every crevice, silently and cruelly devouring flesh, bone, blood, vital energy... and even the soul.
His raised fingers, moving body, and even his outward spiritual perception felt as if they were immersed in an invisible mire.
His sight, hearing, smell, and perception had all been suppressed to less than one-tenth of their original capacity.
And this was within the city, where the Abyssal Dust was heavily isolated.
Outside the city... and the legendary Mist Sea were beyond imagination.
On the other hand, the Xuan elements here were incredibly intense, and the plane itself completely shattered the boundaries of what Yun Che had once perceived and understood.
In the world he came from, the God Realm was the highest plane. But compared to this place, the God Realm was as far below as the lower realms were below the God Realm.
And this wasn't even a Divine Kingdom.
The space he could touch with his fingers was incredibly resilient to the extreme.
At his peak power, the space in the God Realm was as fragile as thin paper; a wave of his hand could collapse a region of space.
But here, perhaps even with his full strength, he could only stir up the slightest ripples.
With the same talent, the same effort, the same resources, the speed and upper limit of cultivation here would undoubtedly far exceed that of the world he came from.
But at the same time, he had to endure the erosion of the Abyssal Dust.
Even in this healing place with layer upon layer of isolation, the thin Abyssal Dust was still silently invading his body.
The personal description from the Primordial Divine made Yun Che fully understand the nature of the Abyssal Dust. It was the force of destruction separated from the most primordial Chaos.
The primordial Abyss, the primordial force of destruction—even True Gods and Creation Gods would be annihilated if they fell into it.
And the Abyssal Dust was the state of that primordial annihilation force diluted countless times. When diluted enough, it could be resisted by sufficiently powerful Profound Force. At the level of True Gods, it could be perfectly isolated... that was the "Divine Grace" that sheltered the Divine Kingdoms.
But it was absolutely impossible to control it like Profound Force!
No matter how diluted the annihilation force was, it was still the most primordial power of Chaos, the power of the Primordial Ancestor that birthed the Primordial Divine.
How could the spirits of this age ever hope to control it?
His arm dropped, and Yun Che quietly closed his eyes, silently sensing and resisting the Abyssal Dust. His spiritual perception slowly extended, reaching into the space farther away.
Soon, his perception touched the sound of Helian Lingzhu and Mo Cangying talking.
"...That kid's surname is Yun. Under that surname, there has never been any renown, and he certainly can't be from a Divine Kingdom. Junior Sister Lingzhu, you're bound to be disappointed this time."
"..." Helian Lingzhu made no reply.
"There are still twenty-seven days until the Lin Divine Realm opens," Mo Cangying said, his tone deepening with a hint of resolve. "We've been in decline for many years, and this time is sure to be no different. But rest assured, when we enter the Lin Divine Realm this time, I would rather forsake all opportunities than leave your side for a single step. I will definitely help you complete your breakthrough."
"..." Helian Lingzhu still did not respond.
"Junior Sister Lingzhu?" Mo Cangying glanced sideways.
"Ah?" Helian Lingzhu snapped back to attention, then said with a natural expression, "I was thinking, should I ask Master to heal Yun Che's wounds? After all, he's injured so severely..."
Mo Cangying abruptly stopped walking.
Helian Lingzhu herself knew this remark was inappropriate, and she couldn't continue.
Mo Cangying looked at her and said slowly, "Master's lifespan is nearly exhausted, and he has suffered from illness for many years. He still has to support this Helian Heavenly Mansion; he absolutely must not have any unnecessary expenditure. Saving that kid and bringing him here is already a great kindness. You've been exhausting yourself over the Lin Divine Realm matters lately... In any case, you have no reason to devote so much attention to an outsider of unknown origin."
"And," his gaze turned slightly cold, "I don't believe his words."
Helian Lingzhu did not insist or refute. She said with a hint of shame, "Ninth Senior Brother's lesson is well taken. Indeed, my thoughts have been scattered lately, and my considerations were inappropriate. I kept thinking that by forming a good connection, I might bring some fortune or miracle to the Helian Clan."
Yes, what could save the Helian Clan's current situation was nothing but fortune or a miracle. How tragic that was.
Mo Cangying opened his mouth to speak. He had originally wanted to point out that Helian Lingzhu's attitude toward Yun Che was somewhat too strange, but faced with her words and melancholy at this moment, he couldn't bring himself to say it.
He was probably overthinking things.
"After I finish discussing the matters of this Linyuan Assembly with Master, I will immediately return to court. As for Yun Che, as you said, we have already done our utmost. Let him stay here. Whether he will remember today's kindness in the future makes no difference. To save someone and then demand repayment would only disgrace the Helian Clan's honor."
Mo Cangying's expression relaxed, and he nodded heavily.
It seemed that his obviously abnormal attitude toward Yun Che was indeed just his imagination... It was merely that, nearing the Linyuan Assembly, she was too eager to seize any opportunity.
Their figures and voices grew increasingly distant. Yun Che's spiritual perception quietly followed them, gradually weakening under the erosion of the Abyssal Dust.
Yun Che's soul force surged, and he continued to follow them with his perception.
For this wind-and-sand region called the "Linyuan Realm," his soul and even his profound veins felt an extremely strong resonance.
He had to find an opportunity, and naturally, he needed to learn as much information as possible.
The two traveled a long distance. Then, in his perception, the aura of that old man named Ku Xian appeared.
Given Ku Xian's cultivation, if Yun Che continued to press forward, there would be a high chance of being detected.
Just as he was about to withdraw his perception, his heartstrings suddenly trembled slightly.
This was the Abyss. He had to be cautious in everything. When following the two with his perception, he had been extremely careful, fully gathering his mind.
But when he refocused, he suddenly realized that the perception, which had been progressively weakened by the Abyssal Dust ten breaths ago, had not been further suppressed... instead, it had become noticeably clearer.
When he concentrated his mind to extend his perception, the Abyssal Dust he touched was unconsciously being repelled by his soul force.
Withdrawing his mind, he raised his hand again, half-closing his eyes, using his five fingers to once again perceive the existence of the Abyssal Dust.
After a long time, he let out a soft murmur: "He Ling, do you think... it might be possible... for me to control the Abyssal Dust..."
No one answered. He remained still in that posture for a full several hours.
The Abyssal Dust—the form of the primordial annihilation force diluted countless times. Even True Gods and Creation Gods could only resist it, never control it.
But his body, his existence, was the Void Sacred Body granted by Xiao Lingxi.
That final Heaven-Defying World Scripture left by Xia Qingyue had allowed him to cultivate the complete Ancestral Divine Art.
Then...
Could it be possible...
...
In the long silence, Yun Che's pupils gradually solidified until they transformed into an inexplicable emptiness.
....
....