Chapter 2074: Weaving Dream Divine Kingdom
Li Suo did not respond, seemingly pondering Yun Che's words.
Yun Che, however, began speaking on his own: "Take the former Eastern Divine Region of the God Realm alone. Among the four great King Realms, the Star God Realm and the Moon God Realm were mortal enemies, the Zhou Tian God Realm and the Brahma God Realm checked each other, the Moon God Realm bitterly hated the Brahma God Realm yet could only scheme in secret, and the Star God Realm was ambushed by the Brahma God Realm without the power to counterattack…"
"In just the Eastern Divine Region alone, there were countless covert wars, countless grudges, and countless schemes."
"Now look at the Abyss. Six great Divine Kingdoms—the Zhe Tian, Sen Luo, and Weaving Dream Divine Kingdoms each have Divine Venerables who are close friends, with intermarriages and mutual support. The Eternal Night Divine Kingdom never wishes to interact with other nations. The Star Moon Divine Kingdom rarely involves itself with external affairs. The Xiaodie Divine Kingdom is the weakest yet enjoys the open protection of Yuan Huang. And among all the rumors about the Divine Kingdoms I've heard so far, none involve tales of 'true god wars.'"
"In other words, although the living beings of the Abyss suffer bitterly under the Abyss Dust, the structure of the six Divine Kingdoms is far more stable, equal, calm, and peaceful than that of the God Realm."
"Under such a structure and environment, with no worries about self-preservation, the greatest pursuit of each Divine Kingdom is inheritance. Thus, there is far less intrigue and endless scheming."
Such a structure and environment naturally would not "forge" figures like Xing Juekong or Qianye Fantian—people who would stop at nothing and had hearts as deep as ten thousand abysses.
The former, for the faint hope of touching true god power, would not hesitate to ambush and sacrifice his own two biological daughters. The latter inflicted countless poison schemes to destroy other realms, secretly studied the Primordial Chaos Life-Death Seal, and treated all living and dead things as mere chess pieces.
As for extremists in the Abyss… perhaps Hua Fuchen's father counted, but his extreme actions were also for the sake of a legacy that had to be continued, not for power to crush other Divine Kingdoms or schemes targeting them.
Li Suo thought for a moment and said slowly, "Indeed, as you say, based on all known information, there may be minor grievances between the Divine Kingdoms, but no great hatreds, nor any widely known conflicts. However… the harsher the environment, the fiercer the competition should be. The living lands beneath the Divine Kingdoms use ruthless means for survival, yet the supreme Divine Kingdoms are so peaceful instead…"
Yun Che said, "The reason is obvious, isn't it?"
After a brief silence, Li Suo slowly gave the answer: "Yuan Huang."
"Exactly." A strange light surged in Yun Che's eyes: "In the God Realm back then, the three Divine Regions of East, West, and South had a total of fourteen King Realms. Although the Dragon God Realm was supreme, it lacked the complete dominance to overwhelm all other King Realms, and the Dragon God Realm never had any desire to rule. The Dragon Emperor's status was higher than the other Divine Emperors, but when they met, they were still essentially equals."
"But the Pure Land holds complete dominion over the six Divine Kingdoms. Even the true god inheritances of the six Divine Kingdoms were bestowed by Yuan Huang."
"When the people of the six Divine Kingdoms speak of Yuan Huang, they show reverence etched into their very marrow. Thus, under Yuan Huang's rule, who would harbor dissent? Who would dare to act rashly? Who would dare to scheme against other Divine Kingdoms?"
This also undoubtedly highlighted Yuan Huang's power… and for Yun Che, that "power" could be replaced with "terror."
Li Suo said softly, "Since it is as stable, equal, calm, and peaceful as you describe, naturally the major Divine Kingdoms would not have countless external schemes and layers of defenses. Then, for you, does this situation mean much less pressure?"
"No, no, no, quite the opposite."
Yun Che gave Li Suo another answer that defied her expectations.
"Back then, when I led the Northern Divine Region in a fierce attack on the Eastern Divine Region, the Demon Empress asserted that with her momentum, the Western and Southern Divine Regions would definitely sit on the sidelines and not harm themselves to save the Eastern Divine Region. And that's exactly what happened."
"Furthermore, the various King Realms had all kinds of accumulated grudges and hidden landmines. Although they were all my enemies, if handled properly, they could also become hidden blades stabbing at each other."
Yun Che's tone turned grave: "But these six Divine Kingdoms are, in a sense, united in spirit. Touching one Divine Kingdom will inevitably involve the other five, not to mention the unfathomable Pure Land."
"There are almost no major grievances that can be exploited or detonated between them. I have to forcibly create them."
He raised his hand and gently rubbed his brow: "Difficult. If it were the Demon Empress… how would she handle such a situation?"
At that moment, he heard Hua Qingying's voice: "As a man, one should harbor lofty ambitions. A mere five years of separation is but an instant in life. Why waste spirit on sorrow?"
Yun Che lowered his hand from his brow and said respectfully, "Auntie's lesson—ah, Sword Immortal's lesson is well taken. During this time with Caili, I felt that the ultimate perfection of life is nothing more than this. Now, suddenly separated, I feel as if my heart and soul are lost."
"Rest assured, senior. I will quickly dispel this slight melancholy. For the sake of Caili's and my future, when I am in the Weaving Dream Divine Kingdom, I will devote my heart and strength."
"Mm." Hua Qingying gave a slight nod, then suddenly said offhandedly, "Where did you learn your 'Star God Remnant Shadow'?"
Yun Che replied with complete candor, "It was taught by my master."
Hua Qingying showed no surprise. Compared to the other astonishing abnormalities about Yun Che, the fact that that "master" knew Star God Remnant Shadow was hardly strange. She warned, "In common understanding, Star God Remnant Shadow is a unique movement technique belonging to the Star Moon Divine Kingdom. Before your wings are fully grown, you had best not use it freely anymore, lest it invite unnecessary trouble."
"I understand." Yun Che obeyed without hesitation and said with great gratitude, "Thank you for the teaching, Aunt—ah, Sword Immortal."
Then, naturally, he asked, "When my master taught me Star God Remnant Shadow, he said it was a profound movement technique from the ancient Star Gods. Does that mean… the power of the Star Moon Divine Kingdom is also related to the ancient Star Gods?"
"Indeed it is." Hua Qingying spoke faintly: "The Star Moon Divine Kingdom has always had two gods as its supreme rulers, with two divine inheritances. Their divine source power comes respectively from the ancient Star Gods and the ancient Moon Gods."
Yun Che's eyes lit up with interest, and he pressed on, "My master also said that there were many ancient Star Gods and Moon Gods, with Star Gods all named after stars, and Moon Gods all named after moonlight. I wonder if the current Heavenly Star Divine Venerable and the Vault Moon Divine Venerable have inherited the power of which Star God and which Moon God respectively?"
Hua Qingying turned her gaze and gave him a deep look: "You indeed know very little about the Divine Kingdoms."
"In the distant ancient era, when Yuan Huang forged the inheritance artifact of the Star Moon Divine Kingdom, the Star God power he infused came from the strongest Star God, the Celestial Wolf Star God, and the Moon God power came from the strongest Moon God, the Purple Que Moon God."
Yun Che: "…!"
"Thus, no matter which Star Lord's descendant or which Star God's bloodline they bear, once they become the Divine Venerable, their bloodline and source power will mutate accordingly. They will inevitably convert to cultivate the power of the Celestial Wolf Star God, and their power core is called the 'Celestial Wolf Prison God Scripture.'"
"The Moon God inheritance is the same. Every generation of the Moon Divine Venerable is of the Purple Que Moon God."
By this point, Yun Che was fully convinced that the Star Gods and Moon Gods of the Star Moon Divine Kingdom were completely identical to the Star Gods and Moon Gods he knew.
The God Realm had the inheritance of the Celestial Wolf Star God, and the Abyss also had it, and as a true god divine source.
In terms of time, clearly, the Celestial Wolf Star God who left an inheritance in the Abyss was far, far senior to the one who left an inheritance in the God Realm.
"As it happens, this generation's Star God inheritor and Moon God inheritor happen to come from the Celestial Wolf lineage and the Purple Que lineage respectively. This is the first time in the history of the Star Moon Divine Kingdom. With such dual perfect alignment, the next generation's Star Moon Divine Venerable should surely be enough to surpass all in history."
Yun Che continued to ask, "Caili said that Yuan Huang created a total of seven divine inheritance artifacts back then. But why didn't he thereby create seven Divine Kingdoms, instead giving the Star Moon Divine Kingdom two divine sources alone?"
Hua Qingying said in that endlessly indifferent tone, "There were not seven divine inheritance artifacts, but six. The Star God divine power and the Moon God divine power share one divine inheritance artifact."
Yun Che looked puzzled.
Hua Qingying continued, "There is a vague rumor that the Star God clan and the Moon God clan actually share the same lineage. In distant worlds, they both belonged under the same Creation God, but they had long-standing grudges and were always at odds. Later, many Star Gods and Moon Gods fell into the Abyss. In the foreign environment, they instead united their strength and rendered great service to Yuan Huang in the early days of the Abyss world."
"Perhaps because of this, Yuan Huang left behind one Star God divine source and one Moon God divine source, and infused them into the same divine inheritance artifact, so that these two clans could reunite as one in the Abyss world. And the fact that these two divine sources could coexist in the same divine inheritance artifact indeed proves that they share the same origin."
"However, this move caused the inheritance of the Star Moon Divine Kingdom to be much more difficult than that of the other Divine Kingdoms. Not only must two inheritors of sufficient divine rank be found simultaneously, but also the inheritors' aura and cultivation must be kept as balanced as possible, and their minds must be as close and connected as possible. Otherwise, during the inheritance, imbalances in the divine sources could easily lead to unexpected accidents."
"I see." Yun Che looked greatly astonished: "There are so many peculiarities in the inheritance of the Divine Kingdoms. It seems that the inheritance of true gods is indeed not a simple matter."
Star Moon Twins…
Balance…
Yun Che lowered his head slightly, not letting Hua Qingying catch the dark, strange gleam that flickered in the depths of his eyes.
Hua Qingying said no more. She stood at the forefront of the Mystic Ark, gazing at the gray, desolate world ahead. Her blue robes fluttered, her black hair streamed in the wind, painting a scene of an ancient immortal silhouette that was unforgettable upon contact.
Although the Mystic Ark was small, it was after all an object of the Abyss, and its energy level far surpassed that of the God Realm. Its speed was naturally far greater than the fastest Mystic Ark in the God Realm—the Dun Yue Immortal Palace.
Several hours passed, and the Weaving Dream Divine Kingdom was near.
"Another half quarter-hour, and we'll arrive."
Hearing Hua Qingying's voice, Yun Che, who had been resting with his eyes closed, immediately stood up: "This junior is prepared. To have the Sword Immortal escort me all this way is truly overwhelming with trepidation."
Hua Qingying did not turn around. Her immortal voice was faint and distant: "There is a place called the 'Dreamfall Valley' in the Weaving Dream Divine Kingdom. Caili has repeatedly warned you not to approach it. Now that we are nearing the Weaving Dream Divine Kingdom, I will give you one final warning on her behalf… Under no circumstances, no matter who entices you, must you set foot even half a step into Dreamfall Valley!"
"Yes, this junior will remember." Yun Che immediately promised, then asked cautiously, "Caili said that Dreamfall Valley is a place that creates dreams, and many people go there voluntarily. Is it… really that terrifying?"
Hua Qingying said, "Dreams are not terrifying. What is terrifying is human nature."
Yun Che looked puzzled.
Hua Qingying explained with considerable patience: "In a lifetime, a person experiences hundreds of joys but thousands of sorrows. But the dreams woven there hold only endless joy, no sorrow or bitterness."
She turned her eyes and gave Yun Che a faint stare: "Does that sound like a place of countless wonders?"
Yun Che opened his mouth but did not answer.
"Dreams can originate from the soul's desires, weaving the most longed-for illusory dreams for each soul. What one dare not hope for in the mundane world can be fully realized and endlessly satisfied in the dream."
"A humble mortal can become the overlord of all worlds in the dream. Undefeatable enemies can only grovel and wail at one's feet in the dream. Treasures one would never dare to hope for are within easy reach in the dream. Even lost loved ones are 'reborn' in the dream world."
Hua Qingying paused slightly, then when she spoke again, her voice was extraordinarily cold: "Then, when a person has fully indulged in such a dream, upon waking and returning to the cruel reality, what will he do?"
Without much thought, Yun Che quickly answered: "He will find reality a thousand times harder to accept than before, and will immediately want to return to the dream… at any cost."
"Correct." Satisfied with Yun Che's rationality, she gave him an approving nod: "The consequence is that from then on, he will spare no effort, nearly frenzied, to repeatedly return to the dream, and will no longer strive even a little in the mundane world. For even ten thousand times the effort in the mundane world can never realize that perverse dream that satisfies the extreme of desire."
"In other words, that person is thus ruined."
Yun Che took a deep breath, putting on a look of alarm. He bowed respectfully and said, "I understand. Thank you for this warning, Aunt—ah, thank you, Sword Immortal. Knowing its harm, I will never set foot even half a step into Dreamfall Valley."
With Yun Che's declaration, Hua Qingying said no more.
Yun Che took a small step forward, his steps light, carrying obvious hesitation.
After a long while, Hua Qingying heard Yun Che's voice from behind him, cautious and seemingly mustering great courage to speak: "May I… like Caili, call you… Auntie?"
As if afraid of his own words, he quickly added, "Please don't be angry, senior. This junior absolutely does not mean to presumptuously climb. It's just… since Master is no longer here, I have no elder relatives in this world, and I never again heard words of concern and admonition like just now…"
Hua Qingying said coldly, "Everything I have done and said to you is for Caili's sake."
"This junior understands." Yun Che quickly nodded and took a small step back: "This junior was… rude and presumptuous. Please forget it, Sword Immortal."
"A title is nothing; do as you wish." Hua Qingying looked ahead, her expression faint and distant, revealing neither joy nor sorrow.
Yun Che's head shot up. The excessively intense fluctuation of his aura, even though Hua Qingying had her back to him, she could vaguely sense that his previously dimmed eyes seemed to suddenly brim with excited light.
"Thank you… Auntie." He smiled, his voice trembling slightly as if brushed by the wind.
At that moment, at the extreme edge of their vision, a massive barrier slowly came into view.
The barrier had a strange silvery-white hue, standing out conspicuously against the backdrop of the dim world.
The Mystic Ark descended, flying straight toward the barrier.
Yun Che also walked to the front of the Ark, watching as that enormous barrier grew closer and closer in his sight.
Weaving Dream Divine Kingdom.
Prepare to welcome… the illusionary dream I have woven for you!