Chapter 2023: Misty Fog
"I understand." Since Ni Xuan was like this, Yun Che, despite the boundless shock and doubt in his heart, could not press further.
At that moment, a pure, dream-like white silhouette slowly materialized beside Yun Che, its voice equally ethereal and distant as a dream: "Ni Xuan, how did you become... like this?"
Ni Xuan's gaze fell upon the white silhouette. After a long silence, he let out an incredulous murmur: "Li... Suo?"
"You still exist in this world?"
Li Suo replied, "Though I linger on, I am no longer what I once was. Nine-tenths of my memories of you are blurred or forgotten, but your appearance... should not be like this."
"Heh." Ni Xuan smiled faintly. "Afflicted by the Myriad Tribulations of Oblivion, even a Creation God's body is corroded into a dying withered tree. To meet again across eras, yet have you see me like this—it is both shame and regret."
"But..." Ni Xuan sighed softly, "I once made a vow to Jie Yuan never to see you again for the rest of my life. Entrusting Jie'er to you back then was already a breach of that vow. Now, this is another sin against her."
Jie'er?
Yun Che paused for a moment before realizing he was referring to the daughter he had with Jie Yuan—the girl named Ni Jie, before Hong'er and You Er were separated.
Li Suo's silhouette slowly faded until it completely vanished, only her voice remaining: "My memory and understanding are too faint to recall this matter. Sincere apologies." Ni Xuan smiled and shook his head. He felt guilt toward Jie Yuan, but also joy at seeing his old friend reborn anew: "Heaven and earth have been overturned, eras have changed. You are no longer the Life Creation God of the past, yet you are still the same Li Suo... almost without any change."
"Thinking back now, Mo E's and my obsession with you back then was ultimately mistaken. One as pure and holy as you should be like a star above a murky world, surpassing all brilliance, yet never to be touched by any living being."
Yun Che: (Was she really that holy and supreme back then? But now... she always seems a bit... silly somehow?)
"All that is past should indeed vanish like smoke." Li Suo said. "I awakened from a long dream, lost the mission of the Life Creation God, but found a new reason to exist. In that regard, at least compared to you, I am far too fortunate."
"That is truly for the best." Ni Xuan smiled warmly. "To have a friend like you is the greatest fortune in life. It's only a pity that my life has fallen; I have no way to repay your kindness from back then."
Li Suo's spiritual sense brushed against Yun Che: "He is my reason for existing in this world. He has received grace from you. Therefore, your grace to him is a return of grace to me. So towards me, you need not feel indebted."
"..." Based on Yun Che's current understanding of Li Suo, she always spoke with utmost purity and directness, never implying hidden meanings.
Yet it still sent a shiver down his spine.
Fortunately, the Ni Xuan before him was merely a faint soul remnant. Otherwise... no matter how divine his nature and cultivation, no matter how long he had severed his obsession with Li Suo, he would still be unable to suppress the urge to crush him.
After all, after tens of millions of years of persistence, he had never drawn close to her or gained her regard. And now she said in her own words that her life existed... for a mortal man...
Sure enough, the Mysterious Vein World fell into a silence that Yun Che found unavoidable and unsettling.
He felt Ni Xuan's spiritual sense re-evaluating him.
Then, he asked the two words that made Yun Che's heart pound: "Why..."
But immediately, before Li Suo could respond, he smiled faintly: "Enough. What does any of this have to do with me anymore? That you have found a new 'reason' is such a blessing that I should feel greatly relieved for you."
"Reason..." He murmured, "In my life, I never realized that the word 'reason' was such a luxury. Mo E was like this, and so was I..."
It was unimaginable what Ni Xuan had experienced back then to have such a sentiment.
Was it... at one point, he had even lost the reason to live?
Wait, Mo E was like this too?
That Heaven-Slaying God Emperor Mo E... had he also lost his reason to exist?
His natural death... was it due to depression!?
What exactly happened back then... what exactly happened!?
Ni Xuan's last soul breath could dissipate at any moment, and all that happened back then was destined to be eternally buried.
Though it was somewhat intrusive, faced with the Evil God's soul that could vanish at any time, Yun Che could no longer just watch these two Creation Gods continue talking like this. He spoke up: "Senior Ni Xuan, when I was in the Shen Realm, I found the inscriptions you left behind. You sank an Evil God Seed into the Abyss, worried that the complete Evil God's Mysterious Vein, even on a mortal, would develop power surpassing the current Shen Realm's limits, possibly causing the new Shen Realm to collapse into disorder again."
"But I think you also had another purpose: to attach a wisp of soul to the Evil God Seed, which cannot be destroyed by any force, so that as it fell into the Abyss, you could observe the Abyss's changes."
"Exactly," Ni Xuan nodded, showing a hint of approval. "In that distant era, I had already noticed anomalies in the Abyss's aura, but at that time, I did not become alarmed. I once thought it was merely fluctuations caused by the sinking of more and more guilty gods."
"Later, the Calamity of the Evil Infant, all were annihilated. Suddenly there was no world of gods or demons. The primordial Hongmeng energy and the purest essence of heaven and earth all began to flow toward the Abyss of Nothingness... at a speed and magnitude that I could not ignore even if I wanted to."
Yun Che: (As expected...)
"I once considered leaping into the Abyss of Nothingness, but my remaining wish was unfulfilled, so I dared not try."
Because he had to leave behind his inheritance to impede the Jie Yuan who would return to the world in the future. How could he risk dying in such an attempt?
"So, as you said, I infused a wisp of divine soul into the power core and let it sink into the Abyss."
"The power core was not devoured by the Abyss, so this wisp of soul was preserved. But once it entered the Abyss, the connection with the main soul was severed, and anything it observed was destined to remain untransmitted to that world."
Given how faint this wisp of soul was, over the years in the Abyss, its spiritual sense must have been released very rarely, mostly in a state of slumber... but it must have glimpsed countless secrets.
According to Mo Beichen's knowledge, in the Abyss, no one knew the name of the Abyss Emperor; they only knew him as "Abyss Emperor."
It was as if his original name carried some terrible taboo.
And no matter who he was, his most fundamental origin could only be a god or demon of that era... and according to Chi Wuyue's speculation, most likely a high-ranking demon who carried the strongest spatial demon artifact of the demon race.
The Earth Seed that existed in the Abyss had always followed Lin Shen. And Lin Shen had once come into close contact with the Abyss Emperor.
No one in the Abyss knew the Abyss Emperor. But what was Ni Xuan's existence? No matter how high the Abyss Emperor's level was, it couldn't be higher than the Evil God. Upon close contact, even a remnant soul could easily recognize him.
Yun Che then directly asked, "Based on what Senior Evil God has seen over the years, the Abyss Emperor who founded this Abyss world... who exactly is he?"
As Yun Che finished speaking, whether it was an illusion or not, he caught a vague, inexplicable look in Ni Xuan's gaze.
It took several breaths before he gave Yun Che his answer: "The one who built this world is my sin."
"...??" Yun Che's eyes widened noticeably. "What... did you say?"
Ni Xuan's words were so brief that Yun Che could not comprehend a single word.
"..." Ni Xuan did not speak again. Instead, he closed his eyes, as if trying to shut out that past.
Yun Che had thought that by touching the Evil God's remnant soul this time, he would be able to clarify many doubts in his heart.
But he never expected to end up in a state of nearly chaotic confusion and bewilderment.
Ni Xuan's current state prevented him from asking further... until his voice sounded again in Yun Che's soul:
"Stop him. You must stop him." He looked at Yun Che, his spiritual sense filled with one part sorrow and nine parts determination. "Let all the sins end in this era. You can do it... only you can do it."
"Consider it... your repayment for the grace of my divine inheritance." With his cognition in disarray and completely unaware of who the Abyss Emperor really was, Yun Che faced Ni Xuan's gaze, his eyes firm, and nodded heavily. "I came here to stop him, and I will definitely succeed... because behind me, there is no retreat."
"...Good." Ni Xuan looked up and closed his eyes again. "If it can truly end in this era, at least... it won't be the worst outcome."
"You are still young; he has grown. This path is destined to be long and arduous. That you have reassembled the scattered power core upon yourself is a testament to your will and the direction of destiny."
"But do not approach him too early, because he can easily recognize... the power aura that once belonged to the Element Creation God."
"...!" Yun Che's pupils trembled.
This... what did it mean?
"Alright. I thank Senior for the warning." He could only reply like this. Ni Xuan murmured slowly, "Who he once was no longer matters. I cannot... and have no face to mention it. Now, in the Abyss, he is merely a lost wanderer indulging in obsession. He needs to be stopped, to be saved... This heavy burden is entrusted to you."
"My time is also about to end."
As his voice weakened, his soul silhouette began to blur.
"Wait!" Yun Che quickly pulled his mind out of the chaos and spoke urgently, "Senior Ni Xuan, don't go yet!"
As he spoke, with a flurry of his thoughts, he moved the soul silhouettes of Hong'er and You Er beside him.
Identical bodies, identical faces... only with different eyes, different hair colors, different soul breaths.
Ni Xuan froze. His soul silhouette was fading, but his gaze was fixed on the two girls, unwilling to look away for even a moment.
Hong'er looked around at this strange world and then naturally asked the old man close by, "Who is this strange place... and this strange old grandfather?"
In stark contrast to her reaction, You Er was completely frozen, her gaze as blank as Ni Xuan's. Until, at that moment, a soul imprint from too long ago was profoundly stirred.
She parted her tender lips and uttered a difficult, soft sound: "Fa... ther..."
"Eh???" Hong'er swiftly turned her head, her vermilion starry eyes wide as she stared at You Er.
"..." Ni Xuan's soul silhouette trembled and wavered. If his soul could shed tears, he would have already sobbed uncontrollably.
"Hong'er." Yun Che took her and You Er's little hands and said very solemnly, "His name is Ni Xuan. He is your father, your real father."
"Oh..." Hong'er's gaze toward the 'old grandfather' suddenly became very serious, then a joyful smile blossomed on her face. "Hello, Father. I'm Hong'er. Sister Shen Xi and the white big sister said I used to have a very strange name called 'Wanhu'... is it because I love eating too much?"
"..." Ni Xuan looked at them, his soul silhouette still trembling, still unable to make a sound.
"So I really do have a father and a mother." Hong'er laughed happily. "I thought Master... uh... uh uh uh uh!"
A certain master, who had prepared for this, promptly sealed her mouth and said without changing expression, "What pigs, cats, geese, or dogs? The Abyss doesn't have those things. Hurry up and go to your father."
Just as Yun Che pushed Hong'er forward, You Er had already drifted lightly to Ni Xuan's side.
She reached out her tiny hand, tentatively touching her father, but could only brush against a fading shadow like a bubble.
Crystal teardrops slowly rolled down her snow-white cheeks, one after another, unstoppable.
Back then, her father had placed her in that dark and lonely world, with only a vast field of Netherworld Brahma Flowers for company.
Later, he had come to see her many times. The last time, he gave her a pitch-black light star, spoke many words... and then never returned.
Ni Xuan slowly reached out a trembling hand, wanting to catch his daughter's tears... but could only watch helplessly as those most brilliant yet heart-wrenching crystals passed through his palm.
"Father." Hong'er also flew over, looking at Ni Xuan more closely, her sparkling vermilion eyes full of curiosity and inquiry. "Why is your hair so long, your beard so long, and so big and bushy?"
"Sister He Ling said that father and mother are the closest people in the world. But Mother secretly ran away. Father... you won't secretly run away too, right? From now on, will there be one more person who often brings me delicious things?"
Yun Che averted his gaze and slowly exhaled. Hong'er's understanding of 'mother' and 'father' was clearly very different from ordinary people. But no matter how skewed the perception, the longing for family affection is always deeply buried in the blood of all living beings, something no method, time, or space can truly sever.
Ni Xuan looked at You Er, looked at Hong'er, and said softly, "I... am not worthy of being a father. I brought you into this world... yet pushed you into the Abyss..."
"Eh? Abyss? No, no," Hong'er corrected, "Master jumped down himself, it wasn't you pushing him."
"~!@#$%^..." Yun Che covered his face with his hand... Those two words still slipped out. Ni Xuan's soul silhouette had become mist-like. He seemed not to have clearly heard the word 'master' from Hong'er's mouth. With his final soul breath, his final voice, he gave his daughters his last love: "When the sin ends... someone will take the place of your mother and me... to show you all the beauty this world should have... to make up for everything you have missed..."
Yun Che said solemnly, "I swear by this body, that person will!"
"As for your father and mother... forget us if you wish... remember us sometimes if you wish... I only wish you... eternal... peace... in this life..."
At that moment, Ni Xuan's soul silhouette completely dissipated, turning into countless light stars that gradually faded.
These light stars quickly flew towards Yun Che, then dissolved entirely into his soul sea, accompanied by a gentle voice:
"Yun Che, thank you... I have no regrets."
Yun Che closed his eyes and sighed softly... Your grace to me is beyond return for ten thousand lifetimes. I am unworthy of your thanks.
"Eh? He's gone? Did he secretly run away like Mother again... You Er, you're crying again... don't cry, okay? Seeing you cry makes me suddenly sad... wuwu... I... suddenly want to cry too... wuwuwuwaaaa!"
Yun Che walked over, holding Hong'er and You Er in his arms, gently comforting them. And at that moment, those light stars that had flown into Yun Che's soul sea began to unfold distant scenes in his consciousness...