# Chapter 2055: The Rest of Life
The Mist Sea was dark, cold, and deathly still. For a long time, no roar from an Abyss Beast had been heard.
This was because all the Abyss Beasts within three hundred li had been wiped out by Hua Qingying.
Yet it had not been able to calm her fury in the slightest.
When it involved Hua Caili, her sword heart that had remained unruffled for ten thousand years collapsed in an instant.
Two hours had passed. These were almost the most difficult two hours of Hua Qingying's life. In this short span of time, she had shifted positions hundreds of times.
Hua Caili's identity, her marriage contract, the Zhe Tian Divine Kingdom and Senluo Divine Kingdom to which she was firmly bound, the oath she would guard with her life...
But now, she had personally handed her to...
At this moment, she had absolutely no idea how to face Hua Caili, how to face Hua Fuchen, or how to live up to Qu Wanxin, to whom she already owed immense guilt.
Inside the barrier, Yun Che slowly rose to his feet and fixed his gaze on the girl before him.
Her flawless white body was like the most perfect jade sculpture—delicately proportioned, slender and graceful. The Mist Sea was dim and gray, yet her jade-like skin shimmered with a soft luster, like flowing light covering snow.
He took one of his own outer robes and gently draped it over Hua Caili.
As if sensing something, the girl, still unconscious, parted her lips slightly and moved her slender waist. Even covered by the robe, the lines of her waist remained so perfect that they seemed to have absorbed all the effort and essence of the Creator's brush.
Yun Che averted his gaze and let out a soft breath.
Two hours were enough for Yun Che to recover a considerable amount of his vitality and profound energy. Hua Caili's severe internal injuries had also been slightly alleviated by his Light Profound Force.
He stood up, walked very lightly to the barrier, and reached out a hand to touch it. His fingertips passed through without any resistance.
This barrier blocked all perception, but did not block the physical body.
Stepping out of the barrier, the silence around him was terrifying. He knew in an instant that the Sword Immortal must be filled with endless resentment, causing the Abyss Beasts in this area to suffer a great calamity.
They were all such obedient and useful children. What a pity.
His gaze swept around, but he did not find Hua Qingying's figure.
Clearly, after two hours of "calming down," she still did not know how to face all of this.
Even a Sword Immortal could run away.
Yun Che sat down on the ground, staring ahead, remaining silent for a long time.
"Everything has gone as you wished. No surprises, no loopholes left. So why aren't you happy?" Li Suo's voice sounded.
Yun Che replied flatly, "Everything was within expectations. There's nothing to be happy about."
Li Suo immediately followed up, "Are you feeling guilty?"
"Guilty?" The corner of Yun Che's mouth twitched. "A man who swears to completely overturn this Abyss World, would he feel guilty over such a venomous scheme? If so, how could I be worthy of being this Calamity Demon God?"
"...Your heart is disturbed. You've even forgotten that our souls are connected. You cannot hide even a sliver of your emotions from me."
Yun Che was silent for a good while. The corner of his mouth twitched again, revealing a faint, rather ugly smile. "Probably... I haven't gotten used to it yet."
He stretched out his hand, staring intently at his own palm. "Once, for a period of time, I was filled with the desire to escape all grudges and conflicts, even to never again stain my hands with blood and slaughter... Because at that time, I had found my daughter, whom I had lost for ten years. She was too beautiful, and I didn't want to embrace her with hands stained by blood."
"And now, these hands are stained with far more than just blood."
Li Suo stated bluntly, "The state of your mind right now proves that, in the end, your nature is not inherently evil."
"Heh... hehe... hahahaha!" Yun Che laughed lowly, then burst into wild laughter. "A demon who has just used despicable and insidious means to scheme against and harm others—can he feel at peace and be forgiven just because he feels guilty?"
"You, a half-amnesiac Creation God, are still overflowing with a sacred heart... Ah!"
His trembling laughter pulled at the wounds all over his body, causing him to sharply inhale.
Li Suo: "..."
"However, you have reminded me." Yun Che continued, "These unnecessary emotions are the most unwanted burdens. Indeed, I haven't fully gotten used to it yet; I can't yet do it as the Demon Empress does."
"But a person always grows. So does a demon."
"Since I am determined to be a world-destroying Demon God, I must be thorough. If I succeed, I can save the world from peril. If there is retribution..." He closed his five fingers and gave a faint smile. "All evil deeds are done by me alone, so naturally, retribution will only fall on me alone."
"Quite a bargain."
Li Suo was silent for a long time. When she spoke again, it was a different question. "What do you plan to do next?"
Yun Che raised his eyes. "Enter the Zhe Tian Divine Kingdom."
"You... aren't you afraid that the Heart-Painting Divine Venerable will strike you down with one palm?" Li Suo's voice was ethereal and indifferent.
"Then wouldn't all my scheming these days have been in vain?" Yun Che's mind was not stirred by the slightest worry from Li Suo's words. "She will live and die with me. With that in mind, do you really think the Heart-Painting Divine Venerable would actually make a move?"
Li Suo could not determine.
"The Zhe Tian Divine Kingdom is just a springboard." Yun Che said slowly, hidden deep in his eyes a dark, eerie light. "I need to guide that Heart-Painting Divine Venerable to send me to another place."
"...Where?"
Just as Yun Che was about to answer, a very faint footstep sounded from behind him.
His expression froze, but he did not turn around. He continued to sit there as if he had not noticed.
The footsteps drew closer, carrying a clearly perceptible softness and frailty, but Hua Caili's voice never came.
Hua Caili's breath brushed against his body, carrying with it a lingering, unclean scent that had not yet dissipated, staining her pristine purity.
A pair of jade-like arms gently encircled Yun Che's waist, and her head rested against his body.
Her jade fingers, though weak and powerless, grasped the corner of his clothes so tightly, as if afraid that he would resolutely leave again, just like last time.
Not a single word was spoken, yet it was more eloquent than a thousand words.
Yun Che's entire body stiffened.
He had long anticipated all kinds of emotions, reactions, and possible words from Hua Caili. But now, he suddenly did not know how to respond or what to say.
Today, Hua Caili had undoubtedly experienced the greatest calamity and upheaval of fate in her life. No matter how intense or out-of-control her emotions might be, it would be understandable. But she showed no loss, no sorrow, no tears, and no emotional outburst at all... Instead, she quietly leaned against him.
Hua Qingying watched from afar, not daring to approach for a long time.
She could not face her.
It was she who insisted that Hua Caili go on a solitary training journey, and she who failed to protect her...
Yun Che stole a glance at the girl beside him. Her eyes were closed, her peerlessly beautiful face serene like a painting, her long eyelashes not trembling in the slightest, revealing a reliance, peace, and contentment that held not even a hint of wariness.
It felt as if some place in his heart had been silently touched. He finally spoke. "You... have very serious internal injuries. I only used Light Profound Force to temporarily soothe your pain. You need to rest and recover for a while."
Hua Caili did not reply to this. She continued to lean quietly against him.
Yun Che said no more. After a long while, the girl beside him slowly opened her beautiful eyes.
"This time, let me invite you to watch a meteor shower."
"...?" Under Yun Che's astonished gaze, Hua Caili gently opened her eyes. Her watery pupils carried the delicate weakness of one freshly baptized by rain and a hazy, enchanting charm, so heartbreakingly beautiful that it shattered one's soul.
She raised her hand, and the Glazed Cloud Sword flew into the sky, disappearing into the gray firmament in an instant, swallowed by layers of Abyss dust.
Soon, a beam of white radiance shone in the distant sky, like a newly appeared star. Then, the radiance swooped down, trailing a long trail of light, straight toward the two embracing figures.
Just as Yun Che thought it was the sword light of the Glazed Cloud Sword, the radiance suddenly split into two, intertwining as they fell.
They passed through layers of darkness, layers of Abyss dust, layers of gloom, yet their light did not diminish.
Tracing two intertwined and dependent trajectories, they finally flew down to the mortal world, slowing down, and arrived before Yun Che and Hua Caili, obediently falling into Hua Caili's outstretched palm.
They were two small jade beads, shining with an endlessly warm white light.
It was Soul Light, carrying the exact same soul aura as Hua Caili.
"The moment I was born, I encountered a fatal calamity." She looked at the white light in her palm, her voice as faint as smoke. "Fortunately, my Father God and aunt each had a Prayer Heaven Jade bestowed by Uncle Yuan Huang. With those two Prayer Heaven Jades, my life was saved."
"After the power of the two Prayer Heaven Jades was exhausted, my Father God attached my soul to them and told me to carry them with me at all times, as my protective 'Longevity Beads.' As long as my soul does not perish, they will shine forever."
"So..." She stared unblinkingly. "The light of a meteor does not always have to vanish in an instant. As long as you care for it with enough devotion, it can... last until the end of life."
"...?" Yun Che opened his mouth.
A warmth covered his palm. It was Hua Caili's hand. She placed one of the Longevity Beads into his hand, her movements gentle yet carrying her unwavering resolve.
"Now, I entrust half of my life to you. You... will you not leave like that again, okay?"
The hand gripping the corner of his clothes tightened imperceptibly, afraid of his refusal.
The warmth from another soul flowed from his palm to the bottom of his heart, and every word she spoke touched... collided with his soul.
He looked at Hua Caili, completely unaware that at this moment, her reflection in his eyes was no longer so clear, but had become increasingly blurred and hazy.
"Alright..."
As that extremely brief word left his lips, he suddenly froze.
Because this voice had not gone through his cold rationality and sobriety; it had murmured out in a daze of unintended absent-mindedness.
The mist of water that had been trembling slightly instantly dissolved in Hua Caili's beautiful eyes, stirring up endless, dazzling ripples.
The smile that bloomed at the corners of her lips... as if she had not just experienced the greatest calamity of her life, but had entered the most illusory and beautiful dream.
She looked at the Longevity Beads shining in her own hand and in Yun Che's, and murmured, "You know, just now, when they fell like stars, I suddenly thought of... the names of our children."
"..." Yun Che turned his head with some difficulty, as if listening to a phantom sound from another world.
Our... children...
What is she... saying...
"If it's a girl, let's name her [Xingluo]; if it's a boy, let's name him [Xingchen]... Would that be good?"
She seemed completely immersed in the dream, the smile on her lips and her soft voice reaching Yun Che's ears, all carrying a misty haziness.
Thump...
Thump...
Thump, thump...
He finally realized that the rhythm of his heartbeat was in chaos.
He also finally noticed that he had been looking at her smile, looking into her eyes for a very long time, and had been sinking into them for a very long time.
...
"Yun Che, remember this... In the Abyss World, no matter the feelings—friendship, mentorship, love between man and woman, or even feelings of gratitude—they can only be tools for you to use. You must absolutely not mix in even a shred of true emotion!"
"You understand your own nature. If true feelings arise, you will inevitably be shackled by them! And the consequence of being shackled... could very well be the utter ruin of you, and of this world!"
Utter ruin!
Utter ruin!!
Utter ruin!!!
...
"Every living and dead being in the Abyss is my enemy. I am the emperor of this world, bearing the burden of its survival."
"In the Abyss, any emotion is heartlessness!"
...
The mist in his eyes turned, bit by bit, almost cruelly, into complete cold sobriety. Pain and blood had already flooded his mouth.
He curled his fingers and held Hua Caili's Longevity Bead in his hand with exceptional care, then nodded heavily and answered in a voice much clearer than before. "Alright."
But immediately, he raised his head and looked into the dark, lightless sky. "If this moment were a dream, I wish to sleep forever. But... in the end, you must return to reality, to the Zhe Tian Divine Kingdom."
"I know."
She pressed her head a little deeper into his chest. "I am Hua Caili, the Divine Maiden of the Zhe Tian Divine Kingdom, bearing the future of the Zhe Tian Divine Kingdom on my shoulders. I also have a marriage contract personally bestowed by the Yuan Huang with the Divine Son of the Senluo Divine Kingdom."
She spoke these burdens, once heavy enough to suffocate, with her own lips, yet her tone was so warm and calm, as if none of them were heavy or important anymore.
"But, I am no longer afraid."
She gently pressed the Longevity Bead in her hand against the one in Yun Che's hand. "I have already died once. The life I have now was saved by you."
"You were willing to give your life to save me; I... how could I be afraid of these small obstacles?"
She raised her eyes, meeting Yun Che's gaze, letting him see every ray of light in her bright eyes. "So, let's work hard together, okay? Back then, you told me, 'As long as you are not dead, you must never give up.' You have already agreed now, so you absolutely cannot run away again. Absolutely not."
Her feelings, her resolve, with all the rest of her life, were laid bare before Yun Che without reservation or hesitation.
...
High above in the distant sky, Hua Qingying silently listened and watched, her heart in turmoil.
Hua Caili was inexperienced and pure-hearted, but by no means foolish. She knew very well what her words and this promise meant.
Born in the Zhe Tian Divine Kingdom, having lived long in the Pure Land, and having set foot in all Divine Kingdoms except the Eternal Night Divine Kingdom, she understood the concept of Divine Kingdoms better than anyone.
And she naturally knew exactly what this resolve of hers would face.
But she...
Hua Qingying raised her head and let out a very difficult sigh.
...
"Wanxin, you're actually not even afraid of my Father God. This is the first time I've seen someone able to stand firm before him at the Divine Lord Realm."
"Hehe, I have no parents, no roots, no clan. I'm covered only in sin marks. At most, I die. What's there to be afraid of?"
"...So, there's nothing in this world that can make you afraid?"
"Of course not... except, being separated from Fuchen."
...
Wanxin...
Ever since she met Yun Che, she has shown... your shadow in everything she does.
What... am I supposed to do...
...