Chapter 2039: First Trap
The Mist Sea was as quiet and oppressive as ever, while Hua Caili's heartstrings were tauter than at any moment since entering the Mist Sea.
Her profound energy was heavily depleted, and she was covered in injuries. The bloodstain on her forehead was especially striking against her snow-jade-like complexion, yet she seemed entirely unaware of it, extending her spiritual sense as far as possible with full force, not daring to relax even slightly.
Her gaze repeatedly touched Yun Che, who had fallen silent, sometimes complex, sometimes confused.
Saved by him again...
All her life, she had grown up under the indulgence of others, long accustomed to being protected.
But Yun Che—within just half a year—kept appearing unexpectedly.
The first time he acted for her, she found it rather amusing and unconsciously remembered him.
The second time... that was the first time in her life that help arrived like a divine gift during a crisis.
This time, to prevent her from being hurt, he didn't hesitate to grab the sword with his hand... making her world, as pure as the gauze she wore, inevitably stained by the crimson blood dripping from his palm.
His protection came with danger and brutality, completely different from the heavy, reassuring care she had received throughout her life.
As if in return, she became extremely nervous about their surroundings, afraid of any accident that might harm Yun Che.
Above the gray dome, Hua Qingying watched Hua Caili's current state and couldn't help but furrow her brow.
She wasn't kept tense for long. Within a quarter of an hour, Yun Che opened his eyes. He raised his left hand; the hole in his palm had sealed shut, but it still looked quite terrifying.
His movement made Hua Caili's gaze snap back. She stepped forward two paces and asked with concern, "How is your injury? You'd better recover for a while longer."
But Yun Che stood up directly, smiling. "Don't worry, my constitution is special. This kind of injury is nothing to me."
He looked at Hua Caili, and his gaze suddenly froze for a moment. "Fairy sister, may I... approach and touch your forehead?"
Sensing the instant shock in her eyes, he quickly added, "I absolutely mean no offense, and I won't actually touch you—just within half a foot."
His hasty explanation and the obvious change in his expression made Hua Caili's surprise involuntarily turn into a smile. Curiously, she asked, "Why?"
Without further explanation, Yun Che stepped forward two paces and directly reached out his finger toward the bloodstained forehead of the young woman. "I promise it will be quick."
"?" Hua Caili instinctively stepped back... But before her heart could flutter, the white radiance that appeared before her captivated her entire mind.
She loved pure white things—like the smoke-snow gown she wore, the Liyun Sword in her hand, and the colorful cloud branches of the Pure Land.
But she had never seen a white light this pure. So pure that it seemed capable of exposing even the smallest stain in the world.
She stood frozen, letting the white light approach.
When the white light touched her, the pain in her forehead and the surrounding wounds instantly diminished by more than half. Her five senses felt as if they had been washed by a clear spring; the murkiness and oppression brought by the Mist Sea dissipated in an instant, becoming remarkably clear.
Her lips parted slightly, and she was completely stunned. Through the white light, her gaze involuntarily locked onto Yun Che's eyes, which reflected the radiance like white night.
From a distant space, Hua Qingying first felt puzzled, then suddenly thought of something. Her gaze stirred violently, but then she dismissed it with ninety percent denial.
But as the sacred sense brought by that white light grew clearer in her spiritual perception, the shock within her began to escalate wildly...
In the Abyss, the existence of "sacredness" was only recorded. If one insisted it existed, it was merely a "relative" sacredness.
But what now manifested in Hua Qingying's spiritual perception was a kind of sacredness that absolutely should not and could not exist—absolute sacredness, absolute purity.
Living beings inherently cannot recognize things they have never encountered. But that sacred feeling was so clear—as if it were an absolute cognition residing in the supreme laws, beyond the judgment and questioning of any being.
"Light... Profound... Force..."
Hua Qingying murmured the sacred words that should only exist in ancient records. Her cyan eyes slightly unfocused as she watched the blood groove on Hua Caili's forehead disappear under the white light at a speed completely beyond comprehension... until, along with the bloodstain, it vanished entirely without a trace.
The white light dissipated, and Yun Che withdrew his finger, a smile reappearing on his face.
Hua Caili raised her hand and touched her forehead. Her fingers only felt a touch like jade silk, with no trace of injury.
"What... power is this?" Her beautiful eyes were clearly dazed, and the words "Light Profound Force" floated in her heart.
After all, she was the Heaven-Breaking Divine Maiden, with a high level of cognition.
Although Light Profound Force had never appeared in the Abyss World, its characteristics were too obvious in the records. Pure white, pure, and sacred, possessing the purest and most powerful healing power in the world, even capable of creating life miracles.
Yun Che slightly averted his gaze, then said frankly, "It's a special power bestowed upon me by my master, and it's also a secret... that I must keep."
The appearance of Light Profound Force—once word got out—would undoubtedly cause an enormous shock.
Without a doubt, unless one was powerful enough not to be easily controlled by others, this was a secret that must be guarded with all one's might.
"A secret this important, why did you..."
Yun Che's gaze was warm, and the corners of his mouth curved slightly. "My master said that even a drop of kindness should be repaid with a gushing spring. Fairy sister saved me from danger just now. Even if I had to exhaust my life to repay you, it would be only right, let alone revealing a secret."
His gaze then lowered slightly, as if hesitating for a long time, before suppressing his embarrassment and saying, "Actually... actually, there's a bit of selfishness involved. Although Fairy Sister only shows half her face, you are the most beautiful, the most perfect... thing I have ever seen in my life."
"The wound on Fairy Sister's forehead made me suddenly understand why the most regrettable thing in the world is not a broken flawless jade, but a blemish on white jade. So I couldn't help but..."
"..." A completely unfamiliar tingling sensation surged in Hua Caili's heart, and she had no idea how to respond.
"Can Fairy Sister help me keep this secret?" Yun Che said softly. "My master repeatedly warned me never to reveal this power too early. But in front of Fairy Sister... I simply couldn't restrain myself."
Hua Caili was a third confused and seven-tenths inexplicably flustered. She quickly nodded. "Don't worry. You helped me... I will definitely keep this secret for you. I won't let anyone know."
"Also," she emphasized, "It's clearly you who saved me more often. I should be the one repaying you."
Yun Che replied with a smile. He said nothing more, grabbed his hand, and the Heaven-Defying Demon-Slaying Sword flew back into his grasp. He also didn't forget to retrieve the rather large Abyss Crystal. He gave Hua Caili a slight nod. "Fairy Sister, it was a pleasure to meet in the Mist Sea. I won't disturb your training any longer. Farewell if fate allows."
With that, he turned around directly and, dragging the Heaven-Defying Sword, left cleanly and decisively.
"..." Countless words that wanted to be spoken stopped in her heart. The young woman could only stare blankly at his receding figure.
At that moment, Hua Qingying's voice suddenly reached her ear:
"Caili, find a way to travel with him."
Hua Caili's beautiful eyes trembled... Since entering the Mist Sea, this was the first time she had heard Hua Qingying's voice.
She had never appeared during the several previous dangerous situations, nor during the two life-threatening crises today. It had even made Hua Caili begin to wonder if she had really left.
Now she finally spoke, not to give guidance or warning, but to tell her to... actively travel with a man?
"Aunt?" She tried to send a thought from her heart.
Hua Qingying's voice came through, carrying a cold sword intent: "This person's progress is extremely fast. In just half a year, he has grown from the Divine Sovereign Realm to the third level of the Divine Lord Realm. His profound energy is abnormally strange, to the point where he can defeat a first-level Demigod with the power of the Divine Lord Realm. Such a thing has never happened in the entire history of the Abyss."
"Moreover, you saw it yourself. When he broke through, he manifested five elemental forces. Five different elements coexist within him without any sign of chaos. And the white light he just showed... that is undoubtedly the Light Profound Force, which has been extinct in records for ages."
Hua Caili said, "So, Aunt means..."
"The strangeness of this child is beyond words," Hua Qingying continued. "He seems to have only recently entered the world; otherwise, he would have already astonished it. His background is absolutely far from ordinary. For now, stay close to him. There's no need for you to deliberately investigate him... I will observe on my own."
The astonishment in Hua Caili's beautiful eyes rippled like wind-swept waves for a long time. What surprised her wasn't Hua Qingying's evaluation of Yun Che, but...
In her understanding, her aunt was extremely indifferent by nature, caring about nothing except her and her sword. And now she wanted to actively observe a junior man she had just met?
As if sensing that her behavior was too unusual and urgent, Hua Qingying's tone calmed down: "Caili, you can rest assured on one point—this child is definitely not an evil person."
"All records concerning Light Profound Force have mentioned that it rarely appears in the world because to inherit it, one must not only have an undefiled body but also a soul of utmost purity and goodness, without the slightest filth or evil. Since he bears Light Profound Force, he must be a person with an extremely pure heart."
"He saved you repeatedly despite being strangers, and he severely injured himself to protect others... His actions so far undoubtedly align with the word 'pure goodness.' Otherwise, I would never allow you to travel with him."
"Mm, I understand." Hua Caili responded.
After entering the Mist Sea, she had never traveled with anyone. But now, facing her aunt's request, her heart oddly felt no rejection—instead, it seemed like a faint expectation?
She didn't immediately go after Yun Che. Lifting her beautiful eyes, which could dim the endless stars, she said very seriously, "But Aunt, I promised him to keep his secret. You..."
"Enough." Hua Qingying replied with two words. How could she stoop to revealing someone else's secret?
"Hehe." She secretly stuck out her tongue in the direction where her aunt might be, then her figure flashed like a slender shadow as she flew toward the direction Yun Che had taken.
Yun Che's pace was neither fast nor slow as he headed toward the outer reaches of the Mist Sea.
"Why did you expose your Light Profound Force?" Li Suo asked. Regarding other matters, she was merely puzzled, but this point she couldn't understand.
Yun Che said leisurely, "Revealing a secret is a form of exclusive trust. Keeping it together will invisibly shorten the distance between two people. The bigger the secret, the more so... It would be even better if there weren't that peeping person."
"..." Li Suo still found it hard to understand, but she didn't want to ask further. She warned, "Aren't you afraid this secret will be leaked? For you now, it would be a huge trouble."
"The cost of leakage is indeed high, and precisely because of that, proactively revealing it brings equally high trust benefits," Yun Che said slowly. "Of course, the prerequisite is that I trust them enough not to leak it."
Such a determined foundation was, in essence, utterly ruthless.
Before sinking into the Abyss and after setting foot in it, Yun Che's emotional state brought to Li Suo was as different as heaven and earth.
"Then what do you plan to do next?" Li Suo asked. "You worked so hard to get close to Hua Caili. Why did you pull away again at that perfect moment?"
"Approaching is one thing, but being approached is another—they are worlds apart," Yun Che said with a smile, maintaining a steady pace, showing caution in the Mist Sea without appearing hesitant. "I want her to take the initiative to come to me."
Li Suo was slightly surprised. "With her status and someone protecting her by her side, what makes you think she would..."
"Brother Yun!"
A young woman's shout came from behind, passing through layers of Abyss Mist, still so ethereal and pleasing to the heart.
"..." Li Suo's voice cut off.
Yun Che turned around, looking at the young woman flying toward him like a butterfly piercing the mist, with just the right amount of astonishment and surprise.
The young woman landed in front of him, her snow-white face tinged with a faint blush—whether from the nervousness of actively approaching a man for the first time in her life, or from the anxiety of having an "ulterior motive"... or perhaps other reasons she herself couldn't identify.
Her jade lips moved slightly, about to speak, when she heard the man before her say in surprise, "How do you know my surname is Yun?"
"..." Hua Caili was momentarily at a loss. Her thoughts raced anxiously, and only then did she recall that in their several encounters, he had never mentioned his name in front of her.
The young woman's sudden daze made Yun Che frown. With a tone that seemed both serious and probing, he said, "I've been wondering: how is it that in just half a year, I keep running into you from the Linyuan Realm to the vast Mist Sea? So it turns out you've been secretly investigating and following me?"
Li Suo: "..."
"No, no!"
The young woman, having been pampered all her life, had never suffered such injustice. It was as if her emotions had been pricked. She shook her head frantically and said, "I didn't! How could I..."
"Then how do you know my surname is Yun?" Yun Che asked again.
Seeing how easily the young woman panicked, Yun Che had to question her real age and experience again.
Strange... No matter how well-protected and inexperienced she was, at her age, shouldn't she be more composed than this?
Such a shallow, easily flustered disposition—how could she seem like a girl of only ten or twenty?
Hua Caili quickly explained, "In the Linyuan Realm, I already knew you were named Yun, and your given name is Che. Also..."
"Oh~~" Yun Che drew out his tone, looking enlightened, and his gaze immediately filled with deeper scrutiny. "So you found out all about me that early. No wonder... And you still say you weren't following me."
Her explanation had the opposite effect, making Hua Caili even more flustered. She could only shake her head harder. "I really didn't! At that time... at that time..."
"Hahaha!" Yun Che suddenly burst into laughter, leaving Hua Caili momentarily stunned.
"Just kidding. Of course I know you didn't." He looked at her. "I just thought about it. The reason you know my name is probably because you stayed in the Linyuan Realm and watched the Qilin God Assembly, right? After all, the only thing that could make you willing to stay in the Linyuan Realm would be the opening of the Qilin Divine Realm."
Before she could show surprise at his completely accurate guess, the young woman quickly nodded to prove her innocence. "Yes! That was it. I really wanted to see the legendary Qilin God with my own eyes, so I went to watch the Qilin God Assembly, and there I learned your name."
She immediately added, "And your age."
"As I thought," Yun Che said. "But the Qilin Divine Realm is not open to outsiders. It seems your wish wasn't fulfilled."
Having cleared herself of "suspicion," Hua Caili relaxed. "Right. So I left before the Qilin God Assembly ended."
After speaking, she grumbled inwardly... He deliberately tricked me. Aunt said he couldn't be a bad person, but he's actually quite mischievous.
She didn't realize that she never mentally described anyone like that.
Confirming that Hua Caili didn't know about the "anomaly" in the Qilin Divine Realm, Yun Che's smile remained unchanged, and he felt relieved.
"So, Fairy Sister, did you call out to me for some instruction?" he asked.
"Not an instruction." Hua Caili stepped closer, took a small breath, and blinked her star-bright beautiful eyes. The lips hidden beneath the smoky veil curved into a delicate arc. "The Mist Sea is far more terrifying than I imagined. If it weren't for you today, I might have already..."
"I haven't recovered from my injuries and profound energy yet, and I don't dare to go alone anymore. So, can I invite you to travel together for a while?"
Her too many small gestures to cover up her nervousness revealed the young woman's overly anxious and clumsy "scheme."
.