Chapter 1993: If Only the First Meeting
Compared to his silver robes, what was even more peculiar were his eyes.
His eyes seemed to be covered by a thin layer of mist, and behind that mist, as if concealing one... or perhaps countless mysterious and unfathomable worlds.
They drew the gaze to converge, stirred the desire to explore, until reason itself drowned...
Yun Che averted his gaze: This person practices soul force as his main cultivation!
His identity was unquestionably extraordinary.
But unfortunately, Yun Che's look quickly shifted from curiosity to contempt.
This person's posture and gaze were all too familiar to Yun Che.
He walked with a leisurely, slow pace, his eyes only half open, as if he had just woken from a shallow slumber.
Figures, strange rocks, and buildings flickered rapidly through his field of vision, yet could not imprint themselves in his pupils for even an instant. As if nothing here, whether living or dead, was worthy of entering his sight.
The corners of his mouth held a faint, indifferent smile, and the occasional rise and fall of his brows conveyed undisguised disdain and disgust.
This posture was like a celestial descending to the mortal world, looking down upon the humble earthly beings.
His entire face and eyes declared: His condescension to come here was the supreme glory of this lowly world; and every person, every object, every brick and tile of this lowly world was invisibly defiling his supreme nobility.
"Heh! Another arrogant brat of noble birth who amounts to nothing great." Yun Che gave his assessment, then cast no further glance at him, and at the same time felt relieved.
It is human nature: the more one lacks something, the more one craves and flaunts it.
This silver-clad man must have been unfulfilled in his place of origin, which is why he so freely released his nobility and arrogance in this lower realm, displaying how he viewed everything here as mere ants.
But those who are either heaven-defying geniuses or hold high positions, never lacking in praise and admiration from others, simply would not... and disdained to be arrogant and self-righteous before lower beings.
Such people exist in every realm. Yun Che had seen too many... just stay away, they were not worth worrying about.
Presumably, someone of his level wouldn't be interested in the Lin Divine Realm either.
Withdrawing his attention, Yun Che maintained his pace, gradually moving away.
But in less than ten-odd breaths, his steps halted again, and even his gaze became briefly dazed.
Because he had encountered a glance... one from his dreams.
Those were eyes that seemed formed from the most brilliant starlight and moonlight extracted from countless stars and moons, flowing with a beauty that even illusions and crimson dreams had never dared to hope for.
He saw the only glazed jewel in the world, the only bright star in the night sky.
The girl's full appearance slowly came into focus in his vision.
She wore a gauzy smoke-white garment that was obviously incomparably noble. But the jade-like, creamy skin it covered made that noble smoke gauze seem truly fortunate.
She walked alone through this withered-yellow imperial city, her steps the simplest of strides, yet her posture was as delicate as a butterfly dancing gracefully. Her long hair swayed with her movements, like a stream of obsidian stars.
She seemed to be a maiden not yet fully grown, her face covered by a gauze veil that hid half her features. But the parts that were not hidden were all white as fresh snow, lustrous as immortal lychees, and even her faint, slender brows overflowed with spiritual charm.
Her full countenance was not revealed, but the instant of striking beauty was no less than Shen Xi back then, and the captivating elegance that pierced the soul was not inferior to the first meeting with the goddess Qianye.
"..." Yun Che forcibly averted his gaze.
After accepting all of Chi Wuyue's memories, Yun Che's way of perceiving others gradually became similar to hers... glimpsing the depths of their eyes, sensing their soul.
He firmly remembered Chi Wuyue's warning to him, and never dared to forget the purpose of his arrival in the Abyss... or rather, his mission.
Therefore, he sealed his heart and locked his emotions. No matter how his external emotions changed, others' gazes could only ever reach his eyes, never touch his heart.
But the moment he was touched by her gaze, it instantly reflected a lake of stars in the depths of his heart.
So, when he turned his gaze away, he forced his will to become a merciless blade, resolutely cutting away that lake of stars imprinted in the depths of his soul.
Anything that could stir his emotions or interfere with his will absolutely should not exist!
Soon, his figure crossed paths with the maiden, and her figure was no longer in his sight.
But then, Yun Che's steps suddenly slowed down.
Because the direction the maiden was heading was exactly where that silver-clad man was.
A storm raged in his mind.
The maiden's appearance looked only seventeen or eighteen years old, but her aura had already broken through the pinnacle of the Divine Lord Realm, which was the Half-step Divine Destruction Realm.
Between the Divine Lord Realm and the Divine Destruction Realm lay the chasm that spanned the boundary between man and demigod. Countless Abyss profound practitioners remained forever halted before this chasm, unable to break through in their entire lifetimes.
But this level, appearing on a seemingly not yet fully grown maiden, was extremely astonishing.
Such talent, such cultivation, such elegance, such eyes...
Her entire being could be described as completely flawless and spotless, without any trace of Abyss corrosion, and even... not a single mark of worldly defilement could be found.
First descent into the mortal world... these four words clearly appeared in Yun Che's sea of consciousness.
Then, what kind of birth, what kind of pampering, and what kind of utmost protection would be needed to nurture such a woman?
Could it be...
His steps became even slower, and his usually restrained spiritual sense silently spread out.
That silver-clad man reminded him of someone.
Back in Flowing Cloud City, when his profound veins were crippled, that Xiao Kuangyun from the Xiao Sect.
Different realms, different origins, but judging from his and Chi Wuyue's experience, they were birds of a feather.
When one of noble birth arrives in a lower realm, free from constraints and rules, able to fully release their arrogance and wildness, their judgment naturally plummets.
After all, why would a lower realm be worthy of careful thought or caution from a noble person?
So, how would he react when encountering this maiden...
But, that silver-clad man's origin must be extremely high-ranking, and there was someone even more terrifying than Mo Beichen secretly protecting him, someone Yun Che absolutely couldn't contend with.
Moreover, the Lin Divine Realm was imminent. Logically, he absolutely shouldn't create unnecessary trouble.
The weighing of safety and risk clashed violently in his mind.
...
Unsurprisingly, the silver-clad man saw the maiden approaching.
The silver-clad man, who had been strolling like an imperial sovereign inspecting the mortal world, suddenly froze. His features seemed to stiffen, only his eyeballs unconsciously bulging outward... almost popping out of their sockets.
With his background, what peerless beauties hadn't he seen, and his harem numbered in the thousands. In this Linyuan Realm, the women he had seen only warranted his contemptuous sneer.
But the moment he saw the gauze-veiled maiden, he lost his soul in an instant.
The maiden's peripheral gaze swept lightly past him. This dumbfounded look was something she had seen too many times in her short period of worldly training.
It was also during this time that she gained a clearer understanding of her own appearance.
The sandstorm and the not yet fully adapted Abyss dust had somewhat interfered with her spiritual senses, and her aunt refused to give her any guidance.
Out of pique, instead of hurrying out of the sandstorm, she lingered in it until her spiritual senses were no longer disturbed by the sandstorm. Only then did she contentedly emerge, step into this Linyuan Realm, and then walk into this mortal imperial city.
Due to [physical reasons], she had been protected to the extreme, and most of her time was [spent in the Pure Land]. Now that she had truly entered the world, she was filled with deep curiosity about everything.
The silver-clad man's staring eyes remained firmly fixed on the maiden, completely unaware of the ugly expression he was making.
Only when the maiden's figure had moved far away did he finally come back to his senses. He then realized that his eyes had twisted his body into a very comical shape trying to follow her figure.
"In such a shabby place, there is actually such a woman..."
Four parts excitement, four parts surprise, and two parts absent-mindedness. His voice trembled slightly, and the fingers of his outstretched hand unconsciously flexed and extended.
"Sure enough, going out for training is good. This remote little place actually has such a treasure."
"Little sister, you shouldn't be from this Linyuan Realm, right?"
A rather elegant voice came from behind the maiden, and before the words were finished, the speaker had already moved in front of her.
The silver-clad man had shifted in front of the maiden. He was tall and straight, with a misty look in his eyes, a flawless curve to his lips, and a posture that was elegant yet carried a hint of danger and mystery. His features were handsome enough to be unforgettable to any woman.
In his hand, he held a closed folding fan, swinging it with silver tassels swaying.
What a charming noble youth.
Compared to his background, this appearance was what he was most proud of.
The maiden stopped, but didn't examine him closely. She replied very naturally, "I am indeed not from here."
It was a very faint, almost emotionless sentence, yet it sounded like celestial music from beyond the clouds, endlessly pleasant and heart-soothing.
The silver-clad man smiled: "What a coincidence, neither am I. Since we are both alone, how about... we travel together?"
"No need."
The maiden refused and prepared to leave without another word.
"Little sister, don't be so quick to refuse."
The silver-clad man moved again, now only ten paces away from the maiden. The folding fan in his hand also opened at this moment, its swaying motion reflecting the lust and agitation in his eyes that he could no longer restrain: "This world is full of malice. Being alone can be very dangerous."
The maiden didn't want to bother with him. Just as she was about to instantly teleport away, her crescent-like brows slightly furrowed.
From the swaying fan, malicious soul ripples emanated, silently penetrating into her sea of consciousness.
And this kind of soul penetration... she recognized.
The warm moon in her eyes instantly turned into a cold star. She uttered a rare harsh word: "You'd better move aside. Otherwise..."
Otherwise, he would be in for a very miserable fate.
"Otherwise what?" The silver-clad man laughed, laughing heartily.
This woman before him, who could make even celestial palace fairies pale in comparison, must have an extraordinary background. But no matter how extraordinary, it couldn't possibly surpass his.
He swayed his fan, taking unhurried steps forward, getting closer and closer to the maiden. The space before him rippled faintly with visible waves from the stirring of his soul: "Encountering you by chance feels like seeing a heavenly star. I fear that missing this opportunity would leave me with lifelong regret. I only wish to make your acquaintance, with no other intentions."
His voice also carried soul ripples.
With every gesture, every move, he could silently capture one's will. Even if the opponent was of the same cultivation level, he was fully confident in disturbing their soul.
Because the soul technique he practiced was unparalleled in the Abyss, beyond comparison.
As he spoke, he stretched out his hand, naturally trying to touch the maiden's delicate wrist.
Just then, a not particularly strong, but highly intrusive aura rushed over from afar, crashed down between the two, and exploded toward the silver-clad man with blazing, dazzling flames.
"Get lost!" Yun Che stood before the maiden, his flames blocking the silver-clad man's gaze and aura from reaching her: "Didn't you hear her tell you to 'move aside'?!"
The silver-clad man narrowed his eyes, glanced at Yun Che, and the corners of his mouth curled up faintly.
There was no annoyance or anger at being disturbed, but rather a look of pity and amusement, as if watching a ignorant clown.
Yun Che was fully on guard, while not forgetting to glance back at the maiden and say: "Esteemed fairy, this man is a lecher, clearly with ill intentions toward you. You should leave quickly. I'll hold him off."
The maiden didn't move. Her lips slightly parted.
Eh?
This person... he actually called me "elder sister"?
---
If only life were as it is at first meeting,
One would not bear the shattering of glazed jade, hating deeply as clouds.
---
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