Chapter 2017: Heart-Piercing Soul-Stabbing
Yun Che carried Yun Xi as they flew out of the Qilin Divine Domain. After confirming they had left Ximen Boyun's sensory range, he suddenly increased speed, crossing one stretch of desert and city territory after another until they flew into a sandstorm.
Compared to when Yun Che had arrived, the sandstorm here had also calmed down considerably.
When they left the sandstorm area, the light did not become clear, but instead suddenly darkened.
As far as the eye could see, the world ahead was a gray haze, as if covered by an eternal, unyielding thick fog, indistinguishing earth from sky, and unable to touch the seemingly nonexistent edge.
Mist Sea... two words appeared in Yun Che's soul sea.
The "mist" of the Mist Sea was an excessively thick Abyss Dust. It occupied over ninety percent of the Abyss's space, a death ground known to all beings in the Abyss. The deeper one went, the denser the Abyss Dust, the more terrifying the Abyss Beasts, and the closer to death.
Linyuan Realm was adjacent to the Mist Sea; he had known this since the first day of his arrival.
Having left Linyuan Realm, Yun Che's tightly strung soul string finally relaxed a bit. Weakness and intense pain assaulted him wildly, as if ten thousand mountains were pressing down on every inch of his body.
His disordered breath and obviously swaying flight trajectory made Yun Xi notice his abnormal state. She spoke coldly, "Put me down."
This was a borderland, naturally sparsely populated. Being near the Mist Sea, his spiritual perception detected no human presence.
In the past, every time he activated Divine Ashes, he would inevitably be knocked unconscious for a long time by the backlash. This time, he had forcibly held on for so long. Not only was his body on the verge of collapse, even his consciousness had become noticeably dazed.
Without insisting, Yun Che slowly descended. The moment his feet touched the ground, the feeling of utter exhaustion and the urge to fall to his knees were overwhelmingly strong, but he stood firm, striving to maintain his balance.
He had to heal Yun Xi's injuries first... he had to.
At least... he could not fall before her.
His consciousness struggled back to cold alertness from a moment of daze, only then realizing that Yun Xi had already separated from him and moved ten steps away.
Her wounds had long since closed, and her aura was exceptionally calm—completely unlike the near-death miserable state in the Lin Divine Realm.
The same injuries would indeed be extremely severe on a human, but she was, after all, a Dragon God.
Even though Yun Che's mind was somewhat confused, he still understood that Yun Xi's previous state had been an act. Perhaps it was to lower the vigilance of Ximen Borong and the others, or perhaps... just to anger him.
His throat moved, and he called out that name which still felt like a dream at this moment: "Yun... Xi..."
"My name is Long Xi!" She turned her back to him, her voice icy cold. "'Long' comes from my mother's surname, 'Xi' was given by my mother. Don't call me wrong again!"
A thin but extremely pure and holy white profound light floated on her body, silently healing her injuries.
That was Life Miracle in operation... She had indeed inherited her mother's Light Profound Force and had also cultivated Life Miracle.
Yun Che stepped forward and said softly, "I know... I owe you and your mother far too much. I am not worthy of being called a father. Your hatred for me is deserved..."
"No, I don't hate you. Not at all."
Yun Xi's voice remained exceptionally flat. "Mother's calamity was ultimately rooted in her choices back then. It has nothing to do with you. She has no regrets or complaints. I am her daughter; I should share everything with her. Likewise, I have no regrets or hatred."
Yun Che: "..."
"You are indeed my father by blood. But..." She finally turned around, looking directly into Yun Che's eyes. But her gaze was even colder than her voice. "I no longer need a father. I don't need you."
"If it weren't for having to use you to escape this time, I would never have let you know of my existence."
Indeed, nothing about her emitted even a trace of resentment—only extreme coldness and detachment.
But to Yun Che, that was far more piercing to the heart and stabbing to the soul than any hatred.
Earlier, she had been firmly concealing her aura and appearance, and was extremely repulsed by his approach, even threatening to die.
She had recognized him long ago but had no desire whatsoever to acknowledge him.
His eldest daughter, Yun Wuxin... He had similarly not witnessed her birth, had missed her growth. But when they met, she was so happy and joyful, like a pure spirit.
Because although she had no father by her side, she always had her mother's companionship.
But Yun Xi... What exactly...
His heavy injuries and the sharp pain in his heart blurred his vision. When it cleared again, the crisscrossing black scars on her face stabbed at his eyes.
He blurted out, "The wounds on your face... Who..."
"Heh." Yun Xi laughed, but it was completely devoid of emotion. "Of course, myself."
Yun Che: "...!?"
Yun Xi said coldly, "My mother is the most beautiful woman in the world. I was fortunate—and unfortunate—to inherit her appearance."
"When I was fifteen, I noticed the strangeness in others' gazes toward me. More and more divine senses lingered on me excessively."
"So I stole an Abyss Core from a Mist Sea Abyss Beast, cut open my own face, and released the Abyss Dust from the core, letting it erode until... no one dared to look at me again."
"...!!!" Yun Che's body shook violently. He could no longer support himself; his knees heavily hit the ground. His whole body trembled, unable to stand. The pain and cruelty were like ten thousand arrows piercing his heart, but when Yun Xi spoke of it, she was as indifferent as if describing a trivial matter about someone else.
"This is the result of Abyss Dust erosion. For decades, it has completely fused with my body. Even Life Miracle cannot remove it."
"..." Yun Che clenched his teeth, trying several times to stand, but in the extreme collapse of his heart, he could not muster an ounce of strength.
"Why... did you..."
Suddenly, a thought struck him. He jerked his head up, his pupils contracting. "Your mother? She... isn't she by your side?"
"Of course, Mother is by my side!" Yun Xi's tone suddenly sharpened, but then she immediately turned her head, not letting him see the grief rising in her eyes. From her lips came a somewhat dazed whisper. "Always... Mother would never abandon me... no..."
Yun Che's heartstrings did not relax at all. That unconscious murmur only multiplied his unease. "What happened to Shen Xi? What exactly happened to her? Tell me!"
"What happens to my mother is none of your concern!"
Her cold words carried a sharp harshness, stabbing deeply into Yun Che's heart, freezing him in place.
Yun Xi turned her gaze away again and slowly exhaled... Why, even though she just wanted to ignore him and stay away, did her emotions still lose control?
She said coldly, "When Mother was in her most painful and desperate moments, you were not by her side. She endured it alone, and to save me... geh..."
"In my loneliest, darkest, saddest, most desperate moments, when I wanted to die the most, when I needed... even the slightest support, you were never there."
She took a deep breath, and her voice gradually returned to calm. "But it's fine. I have endured everything. Mother has also been strong; she still 'exists.'"
"..." Yun Che closed his eyes. Blood flowed from the corner of his mouth, and his whole body trembled uncontrollably.
Self-mutilated face, bone-deep indifference... He couldn't imagine, dared not imagine how she had spent her years in the Abyss.
"Now, I am strong enough. I have long been able to protect myself, and I have found a way to make Mother 'awaken.' I no longer need to rely on anyone, nor do I crave reliance. Yet you appear so 'timely'!"
"And the moment you appear..." Yun Xi bit her teeth. "You almost destroyed my only hope of saving my mother!"
"...?" Yun Che murmured in confusion. "You took the Lin Bone Spirit Orchid... for Shen Xi?"
"That's right." Yun Xi said slowly. "Originally, if I concealed my aura and quietly approached the Lin God, I could easily obtain the Lin Bone Spirit Orchid."
"Because my grandfather... the Primordial Azure Dragon had a great favor with the Lin God clan in ancient times. The Lin Gods are the most grateful race; they pass down unreturned favors through generations. The Lin God in the Lin Divine Realm would surely recognize my aura. If I asked, it would eagerly give me all the Lin Bone Spirit Orchids."
"I could have obtained it safely and left quietly."
"But you..." Yun Xi's chest heaved. "Dare you say that the sudden fall of the Lin God had nothing to do with you!?"
"..." Another heavy blow struck his heart and soul. Yun Che's hand, propping him on the ground, trembled for a long time.
Grandfather... Primordial Azure Dragon...
So Shen Xi was indeed the daughter of the Primordial Azure Dragon...
But at this moment, only pain filled his soul sea. He had no mental energy left to ponder.
"So don't think that just because you saved me, I have to be grateful. That's what you owed me, and you even gave me a body full of injuries!"
Yun Che's consciousness felt as if it had sunk into a lightless deep sea—guilt, bitterness, pain, self-hatred...
He had become an emperor in the Divine Realm, feared by all beings in heaven and earth, with all bowing before him. How magnificent.
Yet unbeknownst to him, in another world, his daughter was carrying her mother on her back, walking alone in the dark Abyss.
"Yun... Xi..." He murmured. All the words in the world seemed so pale at this moment. "I'm sorry... I didn't know... I really didn't know..."
"I didn't even know you existed... Back then, when I left your mother... I had no choice... Later, I could never find her again..."
She coldly interrupted Yun Che's voice. "I know you have many hardships, many unavoidable circumstances, and many other wives and children to protect. So what?"
"Must I accept it? Must I forgive? Must I forgive on behalf of my mother? And then respectfully call you 'Father' when you appear?"
"..." Yun Che bowed his head, speechless. After a long silence, he said painfully, "At least give me a chance to make amends..."
"No need!" Yun Xi turned away, her refusal without the slightest hesitation. "I have already said clearly: I no longer need a father, nor do I need your so-called amends."
"I don't hate you either. In the future, when I save Mother, if she wants to reunite with you, I won't stop her. But before that, please don't interfere with the current state of me and my mother! Because what you bring... might only be disaster!"
"I beg you."
With that, she soared into the air and resolutely flew away.
"Wait!"
A power from an unknown source surged through his nearly collapsed body, propelling him to flash in front of Yun Xi.
Yun Xi was forced to stop.
"Tell me... Shen Xi... what exactly happened to your mother... where is she..." Yun Che's eyes were full of pleading.
Yun Xi's gaze was ice-cold. "And if I tell you? What can you do? Save her? Protect her?"
Yun Che: ""
"Killing a few small fry from Linyuan Realm—do you think that's impressive?" Yun Xi gave a mocking smile. "Do you know that before the true strong ones of this Abyss, you are nothing but a slightly bigger ant! You think you're worthy of protecting my mother? Ridiculous!"
Before Yun Che could respond, she suddenly changed her tone. "That Abyss Knight named Mo Beichen—you killed him, right?"
Yun Che's words, about to leave his mouth, instantly turned to shock.
"Hmph, as expected." Yun Xi revealed a momentary strange expression. "Judging by the power you used to kill those Linyuan nobodies, combined with your Mystic Heaven Supreme Treasure, it is indeed possible. So then, your appearance in this Abyss is indeed to find a way to block the Abyss's erosion of that world."
"..." Yun Che stared at her, speechless.
With a flicker, she circled behind him and vanished into the distance in an instant. "If you don't want me to expose your existence, stay as far away from me as possible. Otherwise..."
Her voice rapidly faded until it dissolved into the dim sky.
Yun Che pressed his hand to his heart and slowly closed his eyes.
So clever...
Truly frighteningly clever...
No wonder...
She is my daughter...
His consciousness snapped, and he fell through the air, plummeting into complete unconsciousness.
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[Author's note: By the way, why would anyone think that Helian Lingzhu was Yun Che's lifesaver? I am deeply shocked... but it might indeed be that my writing was not clear and straightforward enough. I'll pay more attention in the future.]