# Chapter 2070: Three Trials
For the next several days in a row, Hua Caili was unable to see Hua Fuchen, clearly avoiding her.
But Hua Fuchen also did not issue an order to expel Yun Che.
When she went to ask Hua Qingying, the latter said indifferently: "Your Father God needs time."
Then she added with a slightly heavier tone: "You and Yun Che should exercise some restraint. Don't think I don't know your intentions—you want to get pregnant as soon as possible to force your Father God's hand."
"Eh? Hehehe... Sure enough, nothing can be hidden from Aunt. Well then... I'll be going now. Auntie isn't allowed to secretly peek."
"..." Hua Qingying could only sigh helplessly.
It wasn't until the seventh day that Hua Caili, stepping into the Heart-Remembering Sword Pavilion, finally saw Hua Fuchen's figure.
"Father God!" She called out eagerly, approaching him with a coquettish expression.
"Sit properly." Hua Fuchen gestured to the side, his face full of authority.
Hua Caili obediently complied, then carefully and timidly asked: "Father God, are you... still angry with me?"
"Hmph!" Hua Fuchen snorted coldly: "These days, you ignore everyone, go nowhere, and stick to that brat like glue day and night, openly pressuring me. If I were angry... I'd have long been angered to death by you."
"Hehe." Hua Caili smiled ingratiatingly, her voice sweet: "Father God, I simply can't bear to be away from Brother Yun."
She jumped off her seat, knelt before her father, and gently shook his knee with her small hand: "Father God, I beg you, please just let me and Brother Yun be together. I promise I'll obey you in everything from now on..."
"Alright, alright." Hua Fuchen raised his hand to his forehead. What he could least bear was his daughter's coquettishness. He sighed: "These past days, I've been standing before your mother's grave."
"..." Hua Caili parted her lips but said nothing.
"I spoke a lot with your mother and thought a great deal, yet I still cannot truly cross that obstacle in my heart." His voice carried a struggle that had not yet fully dissipated, ultimately settling into deep helplessness: "But at the same time, I also cannot cross over what your aunt said..."
"Your heart and soul are now firmly tied to that brat. If I were to forcibly separate you, it would shatter your heart and break your spirit. No matter my original intention, no matter the reason, it would be a tremendous harm to you."
Hua Fuchen's words caused Hua Caili's starry eyes to gradually brighten. She said excitedly: "Father God, your... your meaning is that you are willing to accept..."
"I didn't say that." Hua Fuchen sternly interrupted, then changed his tone: "However, I can give that brat a chance."
"Wow!" Hua Caili's eyes instantly sparkled like a thousand stars. She cheered: "Father God, you really are the absolute best! I knew you would definitely..."
"Let me finish." Hua Fuchen used his voice to suppress his daughter's barely contained excitement: "I haven't accepted you two yet. I'm only giving him a chance. Whether he can seize it depends on himself."
"Next, I will give him three trials. If he passes all three trials, then..."
The tremendous pressure in his heart still caused his voice to pause briefly before continuing: "No matter what obstacles lie ahead, no matter the cost, I will fulfill your wish."
These words, though seemingly spoken for Hua Caili to hear, were actually a resolve he was making for himself.
If that Yun Che was truly someone trustworthy, then for Hua Caili's sake, he could bear all consequences... dignity, future path, even his life.
But if he was not... even if Hua Caili's heart would be torn to shreds, he must sever them completely at the first opportunity.
Hua Caili's joy instantly cooled by a few degrees: "Three trials... Father God, you're not going to deliberately make things difficult for Brother Yun and then use it as an excuse, are you?"
Hua Fuchen reached out and poked his daughter's crown, saying with exasperation: "Do you think I, the dignified Heart-Painting Divine Venerable, would stoop to using such means to deliberately torment a junior? Hmph, I've seen it clearly now. Ever since Yun Che appeared, in your eyes, I, your Father God, have completely become the villain."
"No, no!" Hua Caili quickly begged for mercy: "Father God is the best Father God in the world. Then... could Father God secretly tell me what the three trials are? I promise I won't tell Brother Yun."
Hua Fuchen glanced sideways at her: "You even revealed Pure Land's secrets to that brat without reservation. Do you think I would trust you?"
"Let's go." He stood up: "Come with me to see that brat."
............
"You don't seem anxious at all." Li Suo's words carried a note of concern.
"There's nothing to be anxious about." Yun Che reclined lazily on a jade chair in the courtyard, as comfortable as if he were resting at home: "Besides, it shouldn't take more than a few days before I leave this place."
"You mean... Hua Fuchen will still choose to expel you?" Li Suo's words carried confusion: "That contradicts what you said earlier."
"Of course not." Yun Che smiled slightly: "They say emperors are heartless, but to Hua Fuchen, Caili is far too important. So, after the initial fury and difficulty in acceptance, in the end, he will still make great compromises for Caili's sake."
"But this compromise requires an absolutely insurmountable prerequisite."
"Prerequisite?"
"Soon." Yun Che said softly: "Probably within a day or two. But in what manner, or rather, what excuse will he use?"
"If it were me, I would probably call it a 'trial.'"
As he pondered, Hua Lianzhi's noticeably hurried voice reached his ears: "Young Master Yun, Eldest Sister and Father God are back together!"
Yun Che's body instantly snapped taut like a spring.
Here it comes... He took a deep breath.
He stood up and saw Hua Fuchen and Hua Caili stepping into the barrier. He quickly moved forward, bowing slightly: "This junior Yun Che, welcomes Heart-Painting Divine Venerable."
"Brother Yun!" Hua Caili, who had been walking side by side with Hua Fuchen in an intimate manner, immediately stuck to Yun Che the moment she saw him. Her hands firmly wrapped around his arm, pressing against him without any gap.
"..." Hua Fuchen's anger surged up, then was forcefully suppressed.
Sigh, a daughter who doesn't want to stay.
"Brat," Hua Fuchen's eyes were like cold swords, fully displaying his Divine Venerable bearing: "I have some words to say to you alone."
With that, he walked straight toward the pavilion on the right side of the courtyard, turning his back to the two without saying another word.
Hua Caili secretly squeezed Yun Che's palm, then said with lingering worry: "Father God, then... you should talk nicely with Brother Yun. Don't be fierce with him. I... I've never been fierce with him."
"..." Hua Fuchen didn't respond, but there was a faint ache in his liver.
Yun Che gave her a comforting look and slowly walked behind Hua Fuchen.
Without any visible movement from Hua Fuchen, an isolation barrier formed around them, completely cutting off all external auras.
Hua Fuchen finally turned around. He looked at Yun Che, his gaze majestic but not oppressive. Yet the intangible pressure of a supreme superior was enough to make almost any soul in this world tremble.
"Yun Che," he spoke calmly, his expression unruffled: "Several days have passed. Have your thoughts changed?"
Yun Che said respectfully: "This junior's feelings for Caili have transcended life and death, witnessed by heaven and earth, and will never change in this lifetime."
"Hmph!" Hua Fuchen's tone carried a hint of coldness: "Coincidentally, my thoughts haven't changed either. No matter what, I will absolutely never allow you two to be together!"
Yun Che's head shot up, and he said urgently: "Senior, I..."
"Don't be in such a hurry to prove your so-called 'sincerity.'" Hua Fuchen interrupted him: "After you hear what I have to say next, you can re-examine your own 'sincerity.'"
Yun Che fell silent, then said: "Very well, this junior is all ears."
Hua Fuchen turned sideways, clasped his hands behind his back, and said slowly: "For me, completely severing you and Caili would be far too simple. It would only take a single thought, a single finger, to erase you from this world."
"However, after all, you did save Caili's life, so I cannot bring myself to do such a heartless thing. But..." His voice suddenly grew heavy: "Even if I don't do it, that doesn't mean others won't."
"Senluo Divine Son Dian Jiuzhi not only has a formal marriage contract with Caili, but he himself has waited for her for many years, with a depth of feeling that may even surpass yours. And to a man, the most unbearable things in life are none other than the murder of one's father and the theft of one's wife."
"Do you think Senluo Divine Son will let you go? Will Senluo Divine Kingdom let you go?"
"With your current abilities, as easily as I can kill you, so can he!"
Yun Che showed no fear: "When this junior made the decision in the Mist Sea to spend this life with Caili, I had already considered all of this. The wrath of a Divine Son of a Divine Kingdom is certainly fearsome, but since I have already made my choice, I have no regrets and no fear."
"No fear?" Hua Fuchen gave a faint cold laugh: "On what basis do you have no fear!?"
He suddenly turned his eyes: "Let me ask you, who saved your life? Who taught you this body of abilities?"
Yun Che was startled, then said frankly: "It was my master. When I was about ten years old, she awakened me from severe injuries and unconsciousness, where I had lost my past. All my abilities were also bestowed by my master."
"Good that you know." Hua Fuchen said: "Caili's aunt said you have many peculiarities, many abilities that perhaps only you possess in all of the Abyss."
"Your master was presumably an incredibly powerful ancient soul. She gave you new life and made you the inheritor of her power and proof of her existence. And you, still young, with wings not yet full-grown, have not even allowed your master's divine radiance to shine in this world for half a moment, yet you would throw away your life for an extremely irrational romantic entanglement!?"
"Have you considered whether this is worthy of your master, who bestowed everything upon you!?"
Just as Yun Che was about to speak, Hua Fuchen continued: "Moreover, if you truly want what's best for Caili, you should leave her as soon as possible. I have already explained the cause and effect to you. I simply didn't expect that after so many days, you would show no sign of yielding. This makes me unable to help but suspect whether your feelings for Caili are more genuine or driven by selfish desire!"
Yun Che did not refute but said instead: "The desire to be with someone you love is also a form of satisfying one's own selfish desires. The two are not in conflict."
"Heh, spare me such useless words." Hua Fuchen gave a faint cold laugh: "You only need to know one thing: no matter what, I will never betroth Caili to you. This twisted entanglement between the two of you will end completely today. Being able to keep you in the Divine Kingdom until today is already my immense tolerance and grace, considering that you saved Caili's life."
As his words fell, he lightly pressed his hand downward. On the stone table appeared a jade box about seven feet long, surrounded by swirling profound energy.
"My Zhe Tian Divine Kingdom never owes favors. Inside this box is one of the strongest divine swords forged by the Sword Casting Pavilion, named 'Nine-Star Molten Sunset.' Its might is not inferior to the swords of the Seven Sword Venerables. With this sword in hand, not only will your sword power be unmatched, but you can also rely on the name of my Zhe Tian Divine Kingdom to act with impunity, with no one daring to bully you."
"Additionally, there are three Soul-Tempering Pills and three Body-Tempering Pills. Their pill aura level is so high that even demigod profound practitioners would go mad for them. I am granting you six pills at once! This is treatment that even the most talented younger generation of my Divine Kingdom would not dare to hope for."
Hua Fuchen turned around, his finger pointing at the stone table, his Divine Venerable gaze fixed on Yun Che: "Take it, say goodbye to Caili, and then walk out of Zhe Tian Divine Kingdom on your own."
"Of course, you can also make another choice. That is to stubbornly cling to your so-called 'fearlessness,' be swept out of Zhe Tian Divine Kingdom, continue living in foolish delusion, continue trying to be a mantis trying to stop a chariot, burying your own brilliant life and all your master's expectations."
After Hua Fuchen's speech, he thought Yun Che would at least waver somewhat... But, looking at him, Yun Che's eyes and expression showed no sign of wavering, let alone any change. From start to finish, he didn't even see a trace of being moved.
Yun Che's gaze only swept indifferently over the jade box. Even upon hearing the names 'Nine-Star Molten Sunset' and the pills, his eyes never returned to it for half a moment.
He maintained the courtesy of a junior toward an elder, his tone as unwavering as before: "My master's kindness to me never came with any purpose, much less placed any chains upon me. On the contrary, her greater expectation for me was that I could live the life I desired more freely."
"The hatred and resentment of Senluo Divine Son is certainly fearsome, but it was already expected and reasonable. The feelings between Caili and me once transcended life and death, and now, we fear no threats."
He lifted his head, meeting Hua Fuchen's gaze proudly: "If Divine Venerable Senior wishes to expel this junior, I have no power to resist. But... I will still say the same thing: As long as Caili does not give up on me, I will never abandon her. This oath is witnessed by heaven and earth, and will not fade even in death!"
Hua Fuchen stared at him fixedly for several breaths, then his divine aura completely receded, and he sighed faintly: "You brat, you really are deaf to all persuasion."
He casually waved his arm, and the barrier instantly dissipated.
"Brother Yun!"
Hua Caili immediately rushed up, clinging tightly to Yun Che, her smile exceptionally radiant: "Father God, see? I told you that Brother Yun's feelings for me wouldn't be so easily shaken."
"Eh?" Yun Che's face showed surprise.
"Actually, that just now was a trial from Father God." Hua Caili directly exposed the scheme: "That barrier just now wasn't one-way isolation either. Aunt and I could clearly see you both and hear your voices from outside."
"A trial?" Yun Che's expression showed even more surprise: "What kind of trial?"
"It was... Father God said he would give you three trials. If Brother Yun passes all of them, he would agree to cancel the marriage contract with Senluo Divine Kingdom and allow us to be together."
The first trial had been passed by Yun Che without any danger at all. Hua Caili was undoubtedly in a good mood, and even her worry about the subsequent trials had faded considerably.
The surprise on Yun Che's face quickly turned to joy. He said with barely contained excitement: "So that's how it is. Divine Venerable Senior, thank you for granting this junior this opportunity. No matter what the trials are, I will give my all to prove to you my devotion to Caili."
"Hmph!" Hua Fuchen said with displeasure: "This is only the first trial. You two are rejoicing far too early."
With that, he soared into the air, vanishing beyond the courtyard in an instant: "Brat Yun, follow me. Caili, do not follow."
Hua Caili followed halfway into the air but was forced to stop. Hua Fuchen had finally given some leeway, and she dared not disobey, so she could only stamp her foot in irritation.
Just then, Hua Qingying's figure appeared beside her: "Your Father God has taken him to the Sword-Severing Platform. I can take you there, but you can only observe from afar and must not make a sound."
"Good!" Hua Caili quickly nodded: "Aunt is the best."
A hundred li away at the Sword-Severing Platform, ten thousand swords surrounded the area, sword aura surging like waves.
Hua Fuchen brought Yun Che straight down to the center of the Sword-Severing Platform. A massive barrier also activated at this moment, isolating the inside from the outside.
Clearly, even now, he did not wish for too many people to know of Yun Che's existence.
Yun Che looked around and said: "Could Divine Venerable Senior be testing this junior's swordsmanship?"
Hua Fuchen stood with his hands behind his back, not responding.
Yun Che said nothing more.
After a long silence, the barrier gradually revealed an opening, and three figures walked in side by side, accompanied by three sword howls.
The three landed in unison, then immediately bowed respectfully to Hua Fuchen:
"Your son, Hua Wanxiao / Hua Mengyu / Hua Guiyuan, pays respects to Father God."
Hua Wanxiao, the eldest, bowed and said: "May we ask Father God's summons—what are your instructions?"
Hua Fuchen did not answer but instead said to Yun Che: "I heard that you, with the power of a third-rank Divine Lord, can match the early stage of Divine Annihilation. Although there are often prodigies who can surpass minor realms to defeat opponents, this level of disparity is utterly absurd. If Caili's aunt had not said it herself, I would not have believed a single word."
The eyes of the three imperial sons also turned to Yun Che at this moment. Hearing the words 'with the power of a third-rank Divine Lord, matching the early stage of Divine Annihilation,' their expressions also became undoubtedly strange. If Hua Fuchen were not present, they would likely have been unable to resist sneering.
"Therefore, I have come today to personally verify this."
His gaze turned to the three: "These are my three sons. All broke through to the Divine Annihilation Realm within the last thousand years and have completed stabilizing their foundations at the first level of Divine Annihilation."
"You may choose one to spar with. If you can win... no, just as long as you do not lose, it will count as passing this trial. But if you lose, it means you used some method to deceive Caili and her aunt, which would be enough to prove your ulterior motives. The consequences you know!"
"This..." Hua Guiyuan blurted out, then quickly stopped himself.
Having achieved demigod status, they were undoubtedly among the best even among the imperial sons.
Yet they were to be pitted against someone of unknown origin whose profound aura was only at the third-rank Divine Lord level?
The three imperial sons looked at each other, their expressions very unpleasant. If this were not Hua Fuchen's command, anyone else would be issuing a challenge and an insult.
Glancing at his three sons, Hua Fuchen continued: "As sons of my Zhe Tian Divine Kingdom, they naturally focus primarily on sword cultivation. However, the three of them cultivate vastly different profound arts and sword paths. Choosing which opponent to face will test your own perception."
"No need."
As soon as Hua Fuchen finished speaking, Yun Che spoke calmly: "The three Imperial Princes have come specially—they should not return without achievement."
He extended his palm, facing the three: "I choose... all three Imperial Princes to come at me together."