# Chapter 2046: The Broken Divine Son
"Bu Wang," the middle-aged man behind Qiheng Divine Venerable spoke. "Why must you be like this?"
"Bu Wang... Bu Wang? Hahaha... Hahahaha!" Pan Bu Wang threw his head back in manic laughter, letting the wine from the jar drench his body. "Listen to the name 'Divine Son' that Father God bestowed upon me back then—truly farsighted. Now that I've been trampled into the mud, Father God need never worry about me being arrogant and delusional for the rest of his life... Heh hehahaha..."
Pan Yu Sheng's face grew darker and darker, and a faint trace of black qi even rose between his brows. The middle-aged man quickly stepped forward half a pace, using his expression to signal Pan Yu Sheng to calm his anger, then said: "Bu Wang, although you are no longer the Divine Son now, your Father God has never thought of abandoning you. If he didn't care about you, why would he come today..."
"Shut up, you old thing."
Pan Bu Wang glanced at him, his skewed mouth carrying deep mockery: "Back then, you swore to assist me with your life, never to abandon me until death. But when Pan Bu Zhuo stepped on my head with his foot, you didn't even dare to fart a single sound. A piece of trash like you dares to lecture me? I spit on you~"
A wad of thick phlegm mixed with the pungent smell of alcohol was indeed sprayed toward the two.
Pan Bu Wang—throughout the entire Abyss, few didn't know this name.
Because this was the name of the former Divine Son of the Xiaodie Divine Kingdom.
Unfortunately, it was in the past.
In every era of the Six Divine Kingdoms of the Abyss, they spared no effort to find the next Divine Successor. Every time a new Divine Successor appeared, it was the greatest joyous celebration of an entire era for a divine kingdom.
But in this generation, several divine kingdoms actually had more than one Divine Successor who had awakened their Divine Rank.
For example, the Eternal Night Divine Kingdom, the Weaving Dream Divine Kingdom... even the Xiaodie Divine Kingdom, which had the weakest overall strength and historically faced the greatest difficulty in producing Divine Successors, had produced a second Divine Successor in an extremely short time.
The first was Pan Bu Wang. His Divine Son coronation ceremony back then shook the entire world, and even Abyss Sovereign Yuan Huang personally attended... This was an unparalleled honor that Divine Sons and Divine Maidens from other divine kingdoms would never receive.
But, in just a short two thousand years, the Xiaodie Divine Kingdom awakened a second Divine Successor.
And their Divine Rank and talent both surpassed his.
To any divine kingdom, the inheritance of a True God was paramount. Without a doubt, the one who could become the Divine Son was only the most outstanding.
The Xiaodie Divine Kingdom had never had a precedent of two Divine Successors appearing in one era. Pan Bu Wang also became the first Divine Son to be deposed in the history of the Xiaodie Divine Kingdom.
He had naively believed that the fate of a deposed Divine Son would just belong to the past... But reality was that he was trampled into the abyss.
Once, he possessed the most radiant halo of the Xiaodie Divine Kingdom, enjoying rights and resources that others dared not even covet. His fellow clan members, siblings, and even elders were all extremely respectful, even groveling before him.
But when he suddenly fell from the peak, the former gazes of admiration and flattery became, in many people, a kind of unbearable shame. They would double their mockery, ridicule, and even trampling to pursue some twisted sense of balance.
Moreover, in the eyes of the new Divine Son, this former Divine Son was undoubtedly a threat... Trampling this threat, stepping him into the mud from which he could never rise again, was to cater to the Divine Son, to cater to the future Xiaodie Divine Venerable.
"Bastard!"
Pan Yu Sheng's anger overflowed, and he swept out with his palm.
A heavy sound rang out as Pan Bu Wang was harshly slapped flying, a pillar of blood spouting into the air.
Pan Yu Sheng's palm tightened—he hadn't expected Pan Bu Wang to offer no defense at all.
After all, Pan Bu Wang had once been his most beloved and proud son. Could he truly be completely heartless? The moment he struck, he already regretted it, but being a Divine Venerable, how could he speak softly? He let out a cold heavy snort.
Pan Bu Wang tumbled and crashed to the ground. Lying face down, he spat several mouthfuls of bloody saliva. When he raised his head, he let out an even more manic and mocking laugh: "Hehehe... What an honor. Father God, amidst your endless busyness, you still found time to personally discipline this worthless son. Hehehehe..."
Almost every word he spoke sprayed out flakes of blood foam. Pan Yu Sheng looked away, his voice softening just a bit: "Bu Wang, I know you are resentful. But the divine kingdom's inheritance is paramount. You should understand..."
"Understand? Of course I understand."
He propped himself up shakily: "Having my title of Divine Son stripped away, I am unwilling and resentful, but I hold no grudge or hatred. That's right—the divine kingdom's inheritance is paramount. If a Divine Successor superior to me appears, then he should be the Divine Son! As a direct lineage successor, I should voluntarily step back."
"Those who once respectfully flattered me now pity and mock me. Those who once groveled before me now wish they could shatter the dignity they once gave me into a thousand times more humiliation... All of these, I can bear. Even if I am no longer the Divine Son, I am still an awakened Divine Rank. As long as I work hard enough, my future achievements will surely make them regret the faces they show today."
He lifted his head sharply, his eyes gradually turning as red as the blood at the corners of his lips: "But... why... why did you harm my mother!"
Pan Yu Sheng said in a deep voice: "I've told you! Your mother was depressed and fell ill from the immense fall from grace upon being stripped of her Divine Empress position, and she committed suicide. It has nothing to do with anyone... and even less to do with the Divine Empress."
"Ha hahahaha!" Pan Bu Wang let out a miserable laugh. "Do you even believe that yourself?!"
"That vile woman, back then, for the sake of Pan Bu Zhuo, she brazenly stole my Four-Phase Demon Crystal and was captured by my mother. Such a grave crime warranted public announcement to the entire clan, complete deposition, exile—that would not have been too much."
"But my mother was kind-hearted. As a mother herself, thinking of that woman's maternal love, she only ordered her arms to be severed and didn't make the matter public, nor did she tell Father God. But that vile woman held a grudge. On the very first day she became the Divine Empress, she mocked and humiliated my mother a hundred times over..."
His teeth ground together with a *creak*: "She indeed couldn't personally kill my mother. But with her current status, she only needs a single word... or even just a single look, and naturally someone will act for her! Father God, do you truly... do you truly know nothing at all?!"
"Enough!"
Pan Yu Sheng didn't want to hear any more: "Whether it's true or not, to me, to this Xiaodie Divine Kingdom, it is utterly unimportant. You should accept your fate."
"Furthermore." His posture and words carried the cold ruthlessness of a supreme emperor: "Don't think I don't know that your current disgraceful state is not only because of your mother, but also..."
"That Eternal Night Divine Maiden who was deposed just like you—Shen Wuqing!"
The words "Shen Wuqing" entered his ears, and Pan Bu Wang, who had been acting like a madman, was struck as if by lightning. His half-collapsed body instantly froze stiff.
"As a former Divine Son of the Xiaodie Divine Kingdom, to abandon yourself like this for just two women—by this alone, you are unworthy of the title 'Divine Son'!"
He gave a heavy snort, not casting another glance at Pan Bu Wang, and strode away with a flick of his sleeve.
After they had walked a great distance, the middle-aged man spoke: "Your Excellency, Bu Wang is ultimately just having difficulty accepting the fall from grace..."
"Don't mention him again." Pan Yu Sheng raised his hand abruptly: "If he wants to rot, then let him rot there completely. From now on, there's no need to bother with him anymore."
"Ah... very well." The middle-aged man nodded: "In that case, this isn't entirely a bad thing. At least there's no need to worry that he might have the ability and ambition in the future to contend with Bu Zhuo, causing unpredictable instability."
To this, Pan Yu Sheng responded with silent agreement.
*Bang!*
After Qiheng Divine Venerable left, Pan Bu Wang completely collapsed there, silent and motionless for a long time, like a cold corpse dead drunk.
But blood flowed from the corners of his mouth, and tears from the corners of his eyes.
Wuqing... Wuqing...
Your name is Wuqing—the world says you are the Eternal Night demoness who must never be approached...
But... when I fell from the peak to the dust, everyone pitied me, mocked me, humiliated me... brothers, sisters, elders, those I once thought were friends, even Father God... they all changed...
Yet only you—the way you looked at me was no different from before... only you reached out your hand to me in the mud... only you were willing to believe that my mother was murdered by that vile woman...
When I was shocked to learn that you were deposed like me, I felt ninety percent shock and pain, yet there was also one percent despicable secret joy. Because being both deposed, there would surely be no more obstacles like before between you and me.
But why...
Did you have to remain forever...
Wuqing... Wuqing... you are truly without feeling...
Between you and me, was it ultimately just a pitiful, pathetic dream...
Dream...
His clouded eyes regained a bit of focus.
He slowly rose, his movements as stiff as a dragged piece of dead wood.
Dream... Weaving Dream...
He lifted his head, looking lost in the distance. There lay the Weaving Dream Divine Kingdom.
A dream is fine. Wuqing, let me see you one last time...
---
Yun Che sat cross-legged on the ground, eyes closed in concentration. With Hua Caili by his side, he could relax his guard.
During this time traveling with Hua Caili, he had stopped cultivating. When he entered a meditative state, he silently perceived the flow of Abyss Dust, deepening his connection with Abyss Dust in an intangible, soundless manner.
But this process was something others could never perceive, let alone understand.
"Young Master Yun! I seem to have had another epiphany—quick, try it out with me!"
A voice as heavenly as a celestial melody rang in his ears, and then a jade-smooth snow-white hand grasped his wrist, pulling him up from the ground.
The movement was fluid and natural, without any hesitation.
The young girl danced like a butterfly, her Liyun Sword lightly thrusting toward Yun Che. A single soundless sword strike, yet it contained a thousand layers of sword intent. Excited and eager, she rushed to show Yun Che another small breakthrough in her Heaven-Breaking Sword.
Yun Che's lips curved slightly. Without a word, he thrust out the Heaven-Defying Demon-Slaying Sword directly, responding to the thousandfold changes with his unchanging, grand, and unrestrained style.
After the first "taboo" was broken, the "baseline" would quietly retreat with each subsequent time, until it became natural.
Such was the case with Hua Caili's contact with Yun Che.
During this period, every day she would spend about half an hour gripping Yun Che's arm, trying to perceive the so-called "Void Sword Intent" that she endlessly yearned for.
By now, she—whose every hair had been protected to the utmost since childhood—could very naturally use her hand to pull Yun Che over to practice swordplay with her.
Heavy sword and light sword, the clash of power and mystery, stirred up dazzling sword light and roaring storms in the dim space.
Hua Qingying watched silently. Over these days, she could clearly feel that since traveling with Yun Che, Hua Caili's sword path progress had notably accelerated.
Could it be that the sword intent she perceived from Yun Che... actually had some wondrous benefit?
*Boom!*
The sword hummed deafeningly. Yun Che's violent sword might was split into a thousand pieces, turning into swirling currents that scattered in all directions, lifting both their robes high.
Their sword tips touched, and their gazes met across the blades. Hua Caili's brows arched as she smiled sweetly: "How was that? Much more changes than yesterday, right?"
She didn't receive Yun Che's usual generous affirmation and praise. The Yun Che before her was staring blankly at her, completely unresponsive to her words, as if lost in a trance.
Hua Caili was startled, then suddenly realizing something, she quickly reached her hand toward her cheek... but didn't touch the layer of misty veil she had long grown accustomed to.
From the previous sword strike, her veil had been swept off by a broken blade of sword wind, flying to who knows where.
The face of the number one Divine Maiden of the Abyss World was thus revealed right before Yun Che's eyes, without a single trace left hidden.
He stared blankly, murmuring softly: "Now I know what it means to be 'the moon in the sky... the snow among the clouds...'"
Not finding the veil, the girl's snow-jade hand instinctively covered her lips. But her panic was unexpectedly brief. She moved her hand away, smiling as before, also gazing fixedly at the man's eyes, a strange light flowing in her beautiful orbs: "Such beautiful praise—I've never heard anything like it before. Hehe, as expected of Young Master Yun."
She was long accustomed to people being mesmerized and praising her appearance.
But this time, the feeling seemed to have some subtle difference.
A sense of... happiness that she had never experienced before?
Yun Che hurriedly averted his gaze, slanting the Heaven-Defying Sword to rest on the ground. He seemed to suppress the slight disturbance in his heart before speaking sincerely: "I always knew that Sister Qu must be of heavenly beauty, but I never imagined that it would be... it would be..."
It was as if, for a moment, he couldn't find any words to describe her appearance and his astonishment.
"Young Master Yun is the one who is handsome," she returned the compliment with a smile, equally sincere and flawless.
At least, among all the men she had seen in her life, the only one whose appearance could surpass Yun Che's was the Abyss Sovereign Uncle Yuan Huang, whom she respected most after her own family.
Yun Che smiled and shook his head: "My mortal face, how could it compare... with Sister Qu's divine bearing? If I had never met Sister Qu, in my entire life I could never have imagined that a woman could be so beautiful that... even divine miracles cannot describe it."
Hua Caili burst into a "pfft" laugh. She waved her jade hand, and the distant veil flew back into her grasp. But instead of repositioning it over her face, she directly put it away, then leaned forward, getting a bit closer to Yun Che, smiling teasingly: "Then Young Master Yun should look at me more every day, and also use these strange and wonderful words to praise me more, hehe."
Yun Che also laughed: "This is probably a privilege that all men in the world dream of in their most arrogant fantasies."
As Hua Caili leaned forward, the crimson sword light of the Heaven-Defying Demon-Slaying Sword reflected in her beautiful eyes. She shifted her gaze slightly and suddenly asked: "Young Master Yun, I've always wanted to ask—the sword aura of your sword is very strange, different from all the swords I've encountered. What's its name?"
Without any hesitation, Yun Che replied: "This sword was bestowed by my master. Its name is 'Yun Li'."
"Eh!?" Hua Caili suddenly lifted her head, her slightly widened eyes filled with bewilderment.