Chapter 2077: Divine Son Hall
Walking alongside the Dreamless Divine Venerable, Yun Che could constantly sense the excitement and emotion that was still barely contained within him.
"This generation of the Six Divine Kingdoms—the other five Divine Kingdoms all had Divine Successors long ago. Even the most difficult to pass down, the Star Moon Divine Kingdom, found twins that were considered a perfect match."
"Only our Weaving Dream Divine Kingdom... I have held the position of Divine Venerable for a full ten thousand years, sired countless descendants, yet never produced a single Divine Successor. Even more ridiculous is that the best among all my offspring only had a Divine Rank of six parts."
(Meng Jianzhou.)
"In those years, the Weaving Dream Divine Kingdom endured countless silent mockeries and sympathies. Then a thousand years passed, then several thousand, then ten thousand—within the kingdom, hearts were uneasy, whispers never ceased, and there were even rumors questioning whether I, despite possessing a Divine Rank, had inferior origins, making it difficult for me to produce outstanding children."
"The Jueluo Divine Venerable of the Senluo Divine Kingdom and the Heart-Painting Divine Venerable of the Zhe Tian Divine Kingdom are both my closest friends. But... Dian Luo Hou's son, Dian Jiuzhi, is recognized as the number one Divine Son. And that girl Caili goes without saying—she possesses a Perfect Divine Rank that is almost a divine miracle. As for me... in those years, I rarely set foot outside the Weaving Dream Divine Kingdom, and even less frequently gathered with them. I simply had no face to meet them."
"Every time I went to the Pure Land to pay homage to the Abyss Emperor, facing the gazes of the other five Divine Venerables... their looks always made me feel they carried pity, making me feel utterly ashamed. So after each audience, I was always the first to hastily leave."
He shook his head, and the anxiety and bitterness of those years were palpable.
"Until a hundred years ago, your mother gave birth to you... my Yuan'er, with an innate Divine Rank of eight parts."
His tone changed: "Do you know how happy I was that day? The pent-up frustration of ten thousand years vanished in an instant, and the mountains weighing on my chest collapsed overnight. They say that for several days, I laughed like a madman."
To some extent, Yun Che already knew these things from the memories he had extracted from Meng Jianzhou.
Meng Jianyuan's birth mother was the youngest concubine of Meng Kongchan at the time, and also the most favored. After giving birth to Meng Jianyuan with an innate eight-part Divine Rank, she undoubtedly posed a threat to the then Divine Empress.
At Meng Jianyuan's birth, the Dreamless Divine Venerable's laughter echoed across the Weaving Dream Divine Kingdom for nearly three days and nights straight. And the favor he showed Meng Jianyuan made Meng Jianzhou, who had previously been the most valued, so jealous he almost ground his teeth to powder.
In other words, Meng Jianzhou's hatred and jealousy toward Meng Jianyuan had been sown from the moment of his birth.
"I named you 'Jianyuan.' The dream world and the waking world are supposed to be opposites. If the dream sees an abyss, then waking shall soar to the heavens."
Meng Kongchan tilted his head slightly, a smile on his lips, as if recalling those days: "I waited a full ten thousand years for your birth. At that time, you were not just my son and the Divine Son of Weaving Dream—you were a divine grace, a redemption."
"In those days, I wished I could hold you in my arms every hour of every day. Even when Dian Luo Hou and Hua Fuchen came personally to congratulate me, I never let you go... Only your mother could briefly take you from my arms, but within half an hour, I couldn't resist rushing over to see you again."
As he spoke, this Divine Venerable, who had nearly thirty thousand descendants, had tears glistening in his eyes.
"When you grew older, you were closest to me, even more than to your mother. As a child, you needed at least four hours of sleep each day, but when you fell asleep, you needed me by your side, or you would cry and fuss. So during that time, I, a mighty Divine Venerable, had to rest for four hours every day, which made many people laugh, hahaha."
"..." Yun Che lowered his gaze, unable to stop a slight stir in his heart.
Meng Kongchan's voice gradually became softer: "But I failed to protect you. When you were ten years old, I was too eager and appointed you as the Divine Son of Weaving Dream. My Yuan'er should have such a noble status early on. But perhaps it was this impatient decision of mine... that brought disaster upon you."
"Less than a year after you were named Divine Son... that day, I was holding a memorial ceremony for your grandfather. When I returned, you had vanished—from right within your mother's bedchamber. Disappeared without a trace, not even a wisp of aura left behind."
"The only thing we could find was a faint remnant of spatial imprint that hadn't fully dissipated. But it had been too long—that space imprint could no longer be identified as what had carved it, nor could it be traced. But it proved that your disappearance was the result of someone abducting you with a spatial tool of a very high level... taken to somewhere unknown."
Meng Kongchan let out a long sigh. Though a hundred years had passed, and though Meng Jianyuan had now "returned," his words still carried pain:
"I slapped myself dozens of times that day, hating myself for being a worthless Divine Venerable who couldn't even protect his most treasured son. I sent people searching everywhere like headless flies, and I waited at the kingdom for news... because I hoped more that it was an enemy who had taken you, to use you as leverage—at least then, your life would be safe."
"But there was never any news, and before I knew it, a hundred years had passed."
At this point, Yun Che understood why Meng Kongchan's feelings for Meng Jianyuan were so special.
Because the most extreme, most intense joys, delights, sorrows, griefs, and guilts in his life were all because of Meng Jianyuan.
Even though soon after Meng Jianyuan's disappearance, Meng Jianxi awakened his Divine Rank later in life, and even surpassed Meng Jianyuan by a fraction, giving the Weaving Dream Divine Kingdom a "replacement," it could never again stir in Meng Kongchan that pure and fervent emotion and fatherly love.
"My son, we have arrived."
Stepping through a transparent barrier, a courtyard dozens of miles wide appeared before them.
At the center stood the main hall, wrapped in dreamy light—beautiful yet majestic. Its appearance and presence were not inferior to Hua Caili's Divine Maiden Court.
"This is the Divine Son Hall that I ordered built for you when you were seven years old. Construction continued even after you disappeared. But by the time it was completed, there was still no news of you."
He raised his hand, showing Yun Che everything before him: "Since its completion, this Divine Son Hall has never been lived in, nor even stepped foot inside. Because it was built exclusively for you—everything here belongs only to you. And over the years, it has also held my obsession... I always thought that one day, you would suddenly return."
He turned to look at Yun Che, filled with emotion: "See? Hahaha."
"Senior Divine Venerable, your deep love for your son is truly moving," Yun Che said sincerely. "If this junior truly were Meng Jianyuan, after recovering my memories, I would surely be overwhelmed with emotion."
Meng Kongchan nodded: "That is enough. But unfortunately, your mother was unable to..."
He stopped, forcing a smile: "Since you have no memories, let's not dwell on these somber matters. Another day, I will take you to her grave, so she can see you. At last, she can rest in peace in the underworld."
Although Meng Kongchan didn't mention it, Yun Che already knew the fate of Meng Jianyuan's birth mother from Meng Jianzhou's memories.
Four years after Meng Jianyuan vanished, his mother fell ill from anxiety and sorrow. To find him, she left the kingdom herself, ultimately dying in the Mist Sea... But Yun Che had strong suspicions about the cause of her death. After all, a person who had genuinely threatened the Divine Empress's position, having lost her support, would be a prime target for the Divine Empress's schemes... It was all too logical.
And the Divine Empress at that time, and still currently, was the birth mother of Meng Jianzhou and Meng Jianxi.
"This is the main hall... This is your bedchamber... These are all guest halls... And this area, heh, a Divine Son of Weaving Dream must have his consorts—these are all for that purpose... And here, this is a training space exclusively for you."
Yun Che stopped, looking at the inner hall ahead, where thick profound energy surged.
Seeing his interest, Meng Kongchan immediately explained in detail: "Inside this hall, a space of a hundred miles has been created, paved with countless altar stones and dream crystals to aid soul cultivation. Seven layers of isolation barriers allow you to do as you please within. The various profound formations laid down long ago are still intact, helping to the greatest extent in healing or refining abyss crystals."
Yun Che said: "Senior Divine Venerable may be aware that I came here to complete the trials set by the Heart-Painting Divine Venerable. Therefore, during this five-year period, I will spend the vast majority of my time in focused cultivation. However... my master is a reclusive extraordinary person, and the profound arts he taught me are extremely peculiar. He repeatedly warned me never to casually reveal my secrets before I have grown my wings."
"So, I have an improper request."
Meng Kongchan smiled and nodded: "Valuing your master's feelings, following your master's instructions, keeping your master's promises—very good. There's no need to be polite with me. Speak directly. If I am not mistaken, you want this training space to have sufficient isolation power, lest it leak the secrets of your master?"
"Yes!" Yun Che nodded. "I wonder if..."
"Hahaha, that couldn't be simpler!"
With a loud laugh, Meng Kongchan stepped forward and extended his arm.
Whoosh!
In an instant, the wind stopped, the air froze, heaven and earth fell silent. Only the Dreamless Divine Venerable's robes billowed and his long hair flew. Where his five fingers pointed, True God power slowly surged.
Yun Che stood by. The flow of his power was extremely gentle, but the aura of True God released made the sky sink faintly and the earth shrink back in silence.
True God power... Yun Che silently clenched his fingers.
If such power were to enter the world of his origin... in the snap of a finger, all realms would turn to barren soil.
Even if these True Gods never acted, just their existence would cause the fragile laws of the Divine Realm to be unable to withstand the power of such a level, gradually collapsing...
Forty-nine years left...
He must never allow even a single person from the Abyss to set foot in the Divine Realm!
Never!! Absolutely not!!
The True God aura lasted a full hundred breaths before Meng Kongchan finally lowered his arm. The sky cleared, and Yun Che's tightened chest slowly relaxed.
On the outside of the training space, a silver isolation barrier appeared.
Meng Kongchan pointed, and a drop of blood flew from Yun Che's fingertip. Meng Kongchan flicked it forward, onto the isolation barrier, where it silently merged.
The isolation barrier flashed with silver light, then slowly faded, becoming invisible.
Silent and formless when undisturbed, but if touched, it would release an aura at the True God level.
Having personally fulfilled "Yuan'er's" first request, Meng Kongchan was in an excellent mood. He clasped one hand behind his back and said cheerfully: "There, it's done. This is an isolation barrier built with my True God-level power. No one—including myself—can enter or leave without permission, except you."
"I've also left a soul imprint on it. If anyone dares to force it open, I will personally come and sweep that reckless fool away."
"Every fifty years from now, I will come to reinforce it. So, feel free to cultivate inside with peace of mind."
Just then, a flicker crossed Meng Kongchan's brow. He turned, half-resigned and half-apologetic, and said: "Yuan'er, news of your return has spread, causing quite a stir. I have to go out and handle it. For now, familiarize yourself here... Rest assured, every brick and every blade of grass here exists for you. Do whatever you wish without any concern."
As if not wanting to hear Yun Che thank him with a junior's formalities, the moment he finished speaking, he soared into the air and vanished from Yun Che's sight.
Only a heartfelt message slowly floated into Yun Che's ears: "Yuan'er, I know your memories are incomplete and you cannot identify with the identity of 'Meng Jianyuan.' No need to rush, no need to force. I failed to protect you back then—I owe you far too much. Now that I have you back... I swear by the name of Divine Venerable that I will never let anyone harm you again."
"..." Looking in the direction Meng Kongchan had departed, Yun Che's heart was unusually complicated.
"You have succeeded again," Li Suo's voice came slowly, long after Meng Kongchan had disappeared.
"Yes... and succeeded a bit too well."
As he spoke, Yun Che walked toward the training space. The moment his body touched the barrier, a flash of silver light appeared, and the barrier parted on its own. Once Yun Che was fully inside, it closed instantly, becoming invisible again.
A hundred-mile space spread out before him, filled with intertwining dream light and dense spiritual energy that bordered on extravagant.
"You... altered Meng Kongchan's perception?" Li Suo asked.
"Mm," Yun Che replied. "When the counterattacking Nirvana Wheel Demon Soul broke open his divine soul, I carved the cognition 'I am Meng Jianyuan' into the gap in his soul."
"With a backlash at the Demon Emperor level, even though he is a True God, he can never erase it, and he will never notice it for the rest of his life."
This cognitive imprint carved by the Nirvana Wheel Demon Soul would make Meng Kongchan absolutely believe that Yun Che was Meng Jianyuan... No matter what—even if ten thousand irrefutable proofs appeared—he would never waver or doubt.
"Aren't you afraid of exposure?" Li Suo asked with concern. "Meng Kongchan's cognition is of course unshakable. But what about people other than Meng Kongchan? After all, your bloodline, your soul... many things could be fatal flaws."
"You're overthinking," Yun Che said, not a trace of worry on his face. "The Weaving Dream Divine Kingdom reveres Meng Kongchan as its supreme ruler. And in the world's perception, would a Divine Kingdom's Divine Venerable mistake his own son?"
"These people would sooner suspect their own children are not biological than ever suspect that a supreme Divine Venerable could mistake his own son... especially the Dreamless Divine Venerable, who possesses the strongest soul power and is least likely to be mistaken."
"Even if, by some wild chance, someone dares to suspect, the moment they voice their doubt, they will incur the Divine Venerable's wrath. Any blood or soul verification would be completely stopped before it even begins. As for age and such, I've made basic modifications—enough."
"So, as long as Meng Kongchan believes I am Meng Jianyuan, then no one will doubt I am Meng Jianyuan. And the only two flaws... the two who killed Meng Jianyuan (Meng Jianzhou and Meng Jingzhe) are already dead, not even ashes left."
"..." Li Suo seemed to understand. She asked again: "That strand of Nirvana Wheel Demon Soul—you seemed to have carved more than just that cognition."
"Mm!" Yun Che nodded, his gaze cold and dark. "With such a large dark hole opened by the backlash on Meng Kongchan's soul, it would be a waste to only carve a single cognition. Besides that, I left behind three subtle suggestions."
"Suggestions?"
"Only three uses," Yun Che didn't elaborate, but there was a hint of regret in his voice. "I was afraid that if I got greedy, it would be overkill and might be detected."
Gazing at this training space that belonged only to him, a slight smile curled at the corner of Yun Che's lips. He had never expected that this place, which he thought would require immense effort to obtain, had fallen into his hands so easily, and it was far more perfect than he had imagined.
"My original plan was to step by step undermine Meng Jianxi, tilting the position of Divine Son in my favor. That way, I could gradually make demands of Meng Kongchan that got closer to my true goal."
"But I never expected Meng Kongchan's feelings for Meng Jianyuan to be so special." Yun Che let out a deep sigh. "Almost no less than Hua Fuchen's doting on Caili."
"Besides doting, there's also guilt," Li Suo said.
Yun Che spread his arms and half-closed his eyes: "It seems that the fate of this Abyss world has been favoring me all along."
Li Suo thought for a moment, then finally asked: "What exactly are you trying to achieve with this series of actions?"
"Simple." This time, Yun Che spoke frankly. "The most fundamental way to prevent Abyss people from setting foot in the Divine Realm is to seize or destroy the 'Ming Mirror' in the Abyss Emperor's hands, which is used to open the Abyss passage."
"But the Abyss Emperor is too powerful, too distant. So I have to change direction and destroy... one by one... the energy sources of the 'Ming Mirror.'"
"You want to... destroy the Divine Sources of the Six Divine Kingdoms?" Li Suo murmured in thought, but didn't seem too surprised.
The "Ming Mirror" can be used once every fifty years. Each use requires the infusion of True God power from the Abyss Emperor, the Four Divine Officials, and the Seven Gods of the Six Kingdoms.
If the Divine Sources of the Six Divine Kingdoms are destroyed, it will cut off the True God inheritance of the Six Divine Kingdoms, and also cut off the energy needed to activate the "Ming Mirror"... Even if not completely severed, it would at least delay it by a very, very long time.
"Yes!" Yun Che said calmly. "The Senluo, Zhe Tian, and Weaving Dream Divine Kingdoms are already in the net. I have a plan for the Star Moon Divine Kingdom. The Xiaodie Divine Kingdom specializes in Dark Profound Force—I have no contact with them yet, but it will surely be the easiest to deal with. As for the Eternal Night Divine Kingdom..."
"That Wuming Divine Venerable has a strange temperament, despises males, and never wants close contact with other Divine Kingdoms. He is the most troublesome one for me. I still don't know where to start."
In the Eternal Night Divine Kingdom, males are all base slaves... Such a terrifying place. For Yun Che, a male, just setting foot there would be an extreme challenge.
It would have to be slowly planned in the future.