Chapter 2040: Subtly Drawing the Glazed Heart
After the young girl finished speaking, she should have inwardly breathed a sigh of relief, but instead, her heart suddenly began to race, the thumping sound almost filling her entire soul sea.
During this period of entering the world, she had gained an increasingly clear understanding of her own appearance. She had rejected countless approaches, and perceived too many gazes that were either infatuated or covetous.
And at this moment, it was the first time since she entered the Mist Sea... the first time in her entire life that she had taken the initiative to invite a man. That strange sense of tension was extremely unfamiliar and complex.
The first time in one's life is always filled with novelty and trepidation, and is always unforgettable.
As expected, the man before her looked at her with a stunned expression, saying nothing for a long time.
Hua Caili certainly would not forget that during their several encounters, Yun Che had always quickly turned and left each time, showing a clear posture of not wanting to have any interaction with her.
That line, "Because we are people from different worlds," was deeply impressed upon her memory.
Given Yun Che's previous actions, if he directly refused, she would not have been the least bit surprised. Just as she was about to say something more, she saw Yun Che nod slightly: "Alright, then I'll gratefully accept your kind offer."
"??" Hua Caili made no attempt to hide her surprise, then said with a hint of teasing: "I thought you were going to refuse. Before, you always walked away immediately whenever you met me, not even giving me a chance to thank you, as if I had something scary on me."
"How could that be." Yun Che shook his head with a smile: "For a person like Fairy Sister, even a chance encounter in life is a great honor, how could anyone possibly try to avoid you? It's just that before..."
His smile faded slightly, and he looked at her with deep meaning: "I've already said the reason. After all, we are ultimately people from two different worlds. I know I shouldn't get close to you, so I chose to step back."
"Why do you think that?" She thought for a moment, then asked very seriously.
"Some things cannot be hidden." Yun Che said in an extraordinarily calm tone: "Fairy Sister's background can be seen as noble at a glance. When we first met in the Helian Imperial City of Linyuan Realm, your words and actions made me understand that the nobility of your origins must be beyond my imagination, a level I could never touch."
His tone seemed to become even flatter by a few degrees: "People from different worlds should not have interactions."
Above the gray dome, Hua Qingying's azure eyes fell upon Yun Che's form, suddenly becoming hazy, and a sharp pain stabbed through her heart.
She knew that Yun Che was narrating a truth that was cruel in reality, yet too many people were unwilling to admit.
Such words should belong to someone who had experienced countless vicissitudes, or suffered countless scars, and not to a person whose life experience was less than sixty years, who should still be naive and frivolous.
Just like Hua Caili, at this moment she might understand the surface, but she could never grasp the true meaning contained in these words.
"But if you put it that way, we are actually both in a world called the Abyss, so how can we not be considered people from the same world?" Hua Caili blinked her eyes, arguing emphatically: "Then why are you willing to travel with me now? I was already prepared for you to refuse."
"I can't refuse the request of my savior." Yun Che answered very frankly: "Actually, I always thought that for a person like Fairy Sister, when out training, there would definitely be a very powerful person secretly protecting you. So before... I always felt that my intervention was meddling in other people's business."
Hua Caili's gaze rippled: So that's why...
"But it seems now that Fairy Sister really is training alone."
Yun Che's words were well-founded; after all, if he hadn't made a perilous move at the last moment, Hua Caili would have surely died under Fan Qingzhou's sword.
"My aunt said that if your heart has something to rely on during training, it's hard to make breakthroughs, and it's not really training. So..."
Her butterfly-wing-like long eyelashes fluttered at the right moment. She was clearly not good at lying, so as long as she didn't say the following words out loud, but let Yun Che figure it out himself, then it wouldn't count as her lying.
"I see." Yun Che then asked: "Aunt?"
"Mm! My aunt is also my master, and she's the one who pushed me out to train." Hua Caili took a light step and stood beside Yun Che: "So, from now on, we are companions, right?"
Yun Che nodded solemnly: "Alright. For Fairy Sister's life-saving grace, even repaying with my life wouldn't be an exaggeration. Before Fairy Sister's injuries heal, I will do my utmost to protect your safety."
Hua Qingying could hear that between his serious words, there was clearly a rational distance.
Given Hua Caili's grace and background, anyone who approached her would inevitably harbor all kinds of schemes in their hearts.
But Yun Che, facing Hua Caili who was actively approaching him, was...
This was a person bearing the power of light. Perhaps, as recorded, a soul of light could not tolerate any mundane darkness.
"By the way, I still don't know... Fairy Sister's divine name?" His clear eyes shimmered with a hint of anticipation.
Hua Caili gracefully stepped forward a few paces, forcing his gaze to fall only on her back: "My name is Qu Yixin."
Then, she added a rather redundant explanation: "This is the name my aunt gave me."
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Bang!
With a dull thud, two early Divine Lord realm Abyss Beasts were shattered in midair before they could even get close, and then fell silent.
Yun Che carefully scanned the surroundings once more before slowly lowering his arm.
"So, staying in Linyuan Realm and participating in that Lin Shen Gathering were all to repay the favor of that imperial princess?"
Hua Caili pressed him beside him, completely unaffected by the sudden appearance of the Abyss Beasts, her interest still soaring.
"The sandstorms outside Linyuan Realm are quite astonishing. I was heavily injured at the time; if not for the Helian Eldest Princess saving me, I don't know how long I would have been trapped in the sandstorm." Yun Che narrated casually: "As repayment, I temporarily joined the Helian Imperial Clan and helped them win the qualification to enter the Lin Shen Realm."
"I see. At that time, I thought you were the consort of that imperial princess." Hua Caili said with a smile.
Yun Che looked surprised and puzzled: "Why would you think that?"
"Because you two were very close. And between you... anyway, it made people think that way. Many people probably thought so too." She glanced sideways at Yun Che's astonished expression, a hint of teasing gathering between her brows.
Since stepping into the Mist Sea, her mind had never been so relaxed. Even her beautiful eyes seemed to have gained countless stars.
Alone in the Mist Sea, one must always be mentally tense; even a moment's respite could bring a sudden crisis. Every breath and instant felt as if immersed in a depressing and terrifying gray swamp.
But with someone to accompany her, one could stand guard while the other rested. The pressure they bore was more than halved.
"How is that possible." Yun Che shook his head with a wry smile: "She is a princess of the imperial clan, while I am just a rootless duckweed swept into Linyuan Realm by the sandstorm. If not for the favor she bestowed, I would never have had any interaction with her."
"You always place so much importance on favors." With no pressure in her heart, even Hua Caili's steps became much lighter: "After you entered the Lin Shen Realm, did you get to see the legendary Lin Shen in person?"
Yun Che shook his head directly, with no trace of regret on his face: "No. I wasn't interested in entering the Lin Shen Realm itself. Participating in the Lin Shen Gathering was only to repay the Helian Eldest Princess's favor. After entering the Lin Shen Realm with the Helian Imperial Clan, I only stayed for a few short hours before leaving Linyuan Realm."
"Ah?" Surprise covered half of her jade-like face: "You just... left directly? Didn't that imperial princess try to keep you? They... especially her, should have been very reluctant to let you go."
Yun Che smiled and shook his head: "Helping the Helian Imperial Clan obtain the qualification to enter the Lin Shen Realm was already my complete repayment of the favor. With the debt settled, I naturally had no reason to stay in Linyuan Realm."
"As you think, I also considered that she would likely try to keep me warmly. If I refused face to face, it would surely hurt her heart. But my master taught me that as a man, one may kill a woman's body, but must not wound a woman's heart. So I had no choice but to leave without saying goodbye."
"I see..." Hua Caili tilted her head slightly, trying hard to understand Yun Che's words.
She had so many questions to ask him, so many that for a moment she didn't know where to start.
Because there were so many things about him that made her deeply curious.
Especially... he was a person who made even her aunt so curious.
After a long silence, the girl suddenly glanced sideways: "By the way, Young Master Yun, where are you from? And why are you out alone?"
"From?" Yun Che shook his head: "I have no origin."
"No... origin?" Hua Caili couldn't understand: "How can a person have no origin? For example, where is your home, your parents and family..."
Yun Che looked ahead: "In this world... I have no home, nor any parents or family."
His home, his parents and family were not in this Abyss world, but in another world.
He wasn't lying a single word.
But to Hua Caili's ears, these words were the coldest and most desolate in the world, spoken in the calmest voice.
Hua Caili's head turned sharply, the stars in her beautiful eyes seeming about to shatter, and even her voice instantly became much softer: "Did you... encounter some great calamity?"
The man in her sight shook his head again, his tone as plain as before: "Since I came into this world, I have never had a home. As for parents and family, I have never even seen them, so how can I speak of origins? The calamity you speak of... is a calamity to others, but to me, I don't even have the chance to experience such a calamity."
"Losing may hurt, but at least one once possessed. But as for me... this vast Abyss world has no place from which I came, and no path to which I return."
His voice was as calm as a gentle breeze, devoid of any emotion. But falling upon the girl's ears, it made her breath suddenly stop, her soul seemed to be seized by something heavy, and a stifling pain surged.
But Yun Che suddenly turned his head, facing the girl's bright gaze with a smile: "Does it sound sad? Haha, actually, it means nothing to me. After all, it's been this way since I came into this world, and I've long since gotten used to it."
In his laughter, the stars in the girl's eyes seemed to gain a few more cracks.
Yun Che sneered inwardly... Such strong empathy. With a heart like that, how could she be a divine maiden of a divine kingdom?
Her path of training was far, far too long.
But of course, this was all the better for him.
At the same time, his doubt grew even stronger... Based on the information he had obtained in Linyuan Realm and the memories he had seized from Meng Jianxi, the name of Cai Li Divine Maiden of Zhe Tian Divine Kingdom had existed for at least several thousand years.
In his understanding, those who had experienced thousands of years of vicissitudes would face mountains of corpses and seas of blood without a ripple in their hearts, let alone the seemingly bleak past of an unrelated person.
Even if she had been protected perfectly, even if she had never set foot in the world before, she still had several thousand years of life experience. Could her understanding of human nature and the laws of survival really be so shallow and naive?
"It's also possible that I might have once possessed it, for all I know." He muttered casually.
The girl's heart was touched, and she asked: "Could it be that you... have lost your past?"
Yun Che nodded: "When I woke up in this world, I was faced with endless darkness and the master who awakened me. My master told me that I was probably around ten years old at the time, and both my body and soul had suffered severe injuries. If not for meeting my master, I would have died and my soul would have been destroyed."
"The injured soul was also saved by my master using extraordinary techniques. That I could even awaken again was already a miracle in the perception of the world. As for the memories of the past, they had all been destroyed and scattered, leaving not even a single trace. Naturally, I can never touch upon the past again."
His voice was calm and gentle, as if narrating an ordinary experience. There was no sadness, no melancholy, no complaint about fate, not even a trace of longing for the lost past.
Hua Caili looked at him, unconsciously stunned for a long time, before lowering her head and saying softly: "I have never seen my mother. My birthday is also my mother's death anniversary."
Yun Che: "..."
"My father is very, very good to me, and so is my aunt, and... everyone is good to me. But I still often think of the mother I have never met, envy others for having their mother's care and scolding, and always regret that my life has an irreparable flaw."
She continued: "And during this training, I have witnessed countless dark and tragic things I had never imagined before. Especially... that time I watched several newborn infants being cruelly discarded and destroyed because they were born with insufficient innate talent, not even having the right to grow up."
The misery manifested before her eyes was a thousand times more piercing than hearing it spoken. But in this cruel Abyss world, the vast majority of living beings had long since become accustomed to it.
"It was during this time that I gradually realized that my life was already so fortunate."
She raised her head, looking at him again with a comforting gaze. Just as she was about to speak, Yun Che shot her a sidelong glance that stopped her: "You're not trying to comfort me, are you? I never think of myself as miserable. On the contrary, I always believe that I am the most fortunate person in this world."
"Being reborn from the dead goes without saying. Meeting my master in this life is a gift beyond the attainment of ten thousand lifetimes for others."
When he mentioned the word "master," his body almost instinctively straightened, his head slightly raised. Even the eyes that never showed emotion even in peril surged with the deepest reverence.
"Your master must be an extraordinary and remarkable figure." Hua Caili lowered her voice, cautiously and with a hint of probing: "He must be very famous, right?"
Hua Qingying's attention immediately focused on Yun Che, scrutinizing every change in his expression.
To defeat a Divine Annihilation Realm cultivator at the Divine Lord realm, to possess five elemental powers, and the light profound force that only existed in records... She was extremely curious about who Yun Che's master could be.
With her extensive knowledge, she couldn't think of a single person who could match him.
Yun Che, however, shook his head, slowly and solemnly: "Sister Qu has saved my life, and I shouldn't keep anything from you. But... my master's kindness to me is as heavy as the heavens, yet his demands on me are very few. One of them is that I must never reveal his identity to outsiders."
Hua Caili was startled, and quickly said: "My words have overstepped."
A trace of guilt appeared on Yun Che's face. After hesitating for a moment, he said: "My master is not actually a person of this era. In fact... he is not a person at all, but an unextinguished remnant soul. Apart from me, he has no interaction with anything in this world. Therefore, his name has never existed in this world."
"Saving me was an accident born of a single kind thought... This is all I can tell Sister Qu. Please forgive me."
His voice carried a hint of apology, making Hua Caili feel half warm and half uneasy. She shook her head: "Of course, you must well follow your master's teachings. And your master... where is he now?"
Yun Che smiled faintly: "After my master bestowed everything upon me, he dispersed into the world. I have been alone ever since, and unknowingly, many years have passed."
Above the dome, Hua Qingying frowned, muttering softly: "An ancient remnant soul?"
In the distant abyss, countless gods and demons had fallen. As the abyssal dust gradually thinned and living lands appeared, some gods and demons barely managed to survive. But more, upon their destruction, had left behind remnant souls in various ways.
In distant eras, ancient remnant souls were often discovered, but they became rarer with the passage of time. In the present age, it had been hundreds of thousands of years since one had appeared.
If Yun Che's "master" was an ancient remnant soul that had never appeared in the world, then the bizarre, even seemingly impossible abilities he possessed would have a unique explanation.
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At the eastern extreme of the world, the Chaos Wall.
Chi Wuyue, Qianye Ying'er, and Shui Meiyin stood before the Chaos Wall, their expressions grave.
The guidance from various star realms toward the source of the sound, the fragments of planets destroyed by the terrifying sound wave around them—all pointed to... the source of that terrifying sound being not a planet or a star realm, but the Chaos Wall itself!
Shui Meiyin reached out her hand. The Cosmic Thorn, having lost its crimson divine radiance, touched the Chaos Wall, which flowed with the power of laws. After a moment, she said softly: "It's intact. However, even if the Chaos Wall were damaged, it would repair itself in an instant. What happened before cannot be determined."
"This location..." Qianye Ying'er slowly exhaled: "It's almost the same spot where Jie Tian Mo Di broke through the wall and returned to the world back then."
"Could it be that Jie Tian Mo Di and the gods and demons under her command..."
"There's no such possibility." Before Qianye Ying'er could finish, Chi Wuyue refuted: "The reason Jie Tian Mo Di and her gods and demons could survive in the Outer Chaos for so many years was by relying on the space carved out by the Cosmic Thorn in the Outer Chaos. The eventual breach of the Chaos Wall also depended on the power of the Cosmic Thorn."
"When Jie Tian Mo Di returned, she left the Cosmic Thorn in this world. Without the support of the Cosmic Thorn's divine power, the sanctuary space in the Outer Chaos would have certainly collapsed quickly. After so many years, Jie Tian Mo Di and the gods and demons under her command should have no possibility of survival."
She deliberately avoided mentioning one person... and that was Mo Li, who had been cast into the Outer Chaos by Zhou Xuzi. Her existence was far, far more fragile than that of Jie Tian Mo Di and the other gods and demons. Almost the moment she was cast into the Outer Chaos, she would have been directly erased.
"Even if they did survive, without the Cosmic Thorn, Jie Tian Mo Di herself would never have been able to break the Chaos Wall."
Chi Wuyue's words were all facts within common knowledge. Qianye Ying'er and Shui Meiyin could not raise any objection.
When Jie Tian Mo Di left the Cosmic Thorn, it was decided that she and the other gods and demons would soon be completely annihilated in the Outer Chaos.
"It seems you already have an answer in mind?" Qianye Ying'er said.
Chi Wuyue nodded slightly: "I tried to search through the knowledge of the Nirvana Wheel Demon Emperor. Similar situations occurred many times in the ancient era, roughly once every six million years. The cause could be the collision of Outer Chaos matter, or the dimensional explosion shock triggered by Outer Chaos space vortices touching the Chaos Wall."
Qianye Ying'er thought briefly, then said: "That sounds like a relatively acceptable explanation."
"And there seems to be no other possibility. It can't be that Jie Tian Mo Di had another Cosmic Thorn in her hand."
Chi Wuyue turned her gaze away from the Chaos Wall: "Now, the living beings of the God Realm are all caught in the panic brought by the Abyss. To have been able to calm things down this much is already an extraordinary effort. We cannot let any other chaos arise."
She pointed her finger, and a rather large dark sound transmission array spread out before her:
"This sound wave was caused by Outer Chaos matter colliding with the Chaos Wall. It has now completely subsided, with absolutely no lingering consequences. O Jin, quickly convey this explanation to all realms to reassure the masses."
The sound transmission array was withdrawn, and Chi Wuyue resolutely turned around: "The Chaos Wall is something beyond the law. Even if we spent ten thousand times the effort, we would not be able to fathom even a fraction of it. Since we have found the only possible cause, there is no need to expend more mental energy."
Qianye Ying'er and Shui Meiyin did not say anything more. The three women left, but each harbored their own thoughts.
Chi Wuyue was never one to make hasty decisions. She had found the most likely and most appropriate explanation under the circumstances, but deep in her soul, an undercurrent surged relentlessly, refusing to stop.
Fusing with the incomplete memories of the Nirvana Wheel Demon Emperor, Chi Wuyue's knowledge far surpassed any living being of this era.
Even the mighty ancient Creation Gods and Demon Emperors could never have shattered the Chaos Wall.
According to the Nirvana Wheel Demon Emperor's knowledge, the only things capable of breaking the Chaos Wall were the Ancestral Heaven-Slaying Sword, the Evil Infant Myriad Calamity Wheel, and the Cosmic Thorn with its extreme spatial divine power!
The Ancestral Heaven-Slaying Sword had left no trace since ancient times. The Cosmic Thorn was in Shui Meiyin's hands, and its divine power was already depleted.
And the Evil Infant Myriad Calamity Wheel...
Chi Wuyue's breath suddenly caught.
But immediately, that fleeting thought was completely erased.
The Evil Infant Myriad Calamity Wheel, along with Tiansha Xingshen Mo Li, had been cast into the Outer Chaos. At that time, the Evil Infant Myriad Calamity Wheel had already completely decayed with the mutation of the Chaos. Mo Li, who had transformed into the Evil Infant, could kill a Divine Emperor, but was far less powerful than Mo Beichen, who possessed a half-god's might.
In other words, the Evil Infant of this era was far below the half-god realm. Compared to the gods and demons of the Outer Chaos, it was even smaller than a speck of dust.
Such an Evil Infant could not possibly survive in the Outer Chaos, let alone release power sufficient to shake the Chaos Wall.
Chi Wuyue silently exhaled, trying her best to suppress all her strange thoughts.
The calamity of the Abyss hung over their heads. Yun Che had fallen alone into a place of certain death... This world, so fraught with misfortune, must not give rise to any other disasters.
On the other side, Shui Meiyin clasped the Cosmic Thorn tightly, her soul sea trembling with inexplicable panic.
When she touched the Chaos Wall just now, the Cosmic Thorn... had trembled?
A hallucination...
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