Chapter 2117: Shattering (Part 1)
The distorted and blurry picture silently changed like rippling water patterns, but it was still within the Life Divine Temple.
"Master, who is she? So cute."
She looked at the girl sleeping peacefully within the crystal, letting out an exclamation of stunning praise.
Yun Che's soul violently trembled.
Although the image and sound both had severe tearing and blurriness, Yun Che still instantly recognized it—that was Shen Xi's figure, Shen Xi's voice.
Although that voice carried the liveliness of a young girl, not the faint, ethereal quality he knew so well.
Li Suo said softly: "She will be my future adopted daughter, and also a very good friend of yours. However, I haven't had time to give her a name yet."
"As for a name..." Shen Xi thought for a moment, then said somewhat playfully: "Today, all the Wanhu flowers in the sacred garden bloomed in full. It was truly beautiful, as if welcoming her arrival. So, how about calling her Wanhu? Is that good?"
Li Suo smiled faintly and nodded slightly: "Good."
Her voice was always so gentle and tender, with a hint of doting affection, yet completely devoid of the authority a supreme creator god should possess.
A voice came from outside the temple: "Ling Zhen, current clan leader of the Sword Spirit Divine Clan, has answered the summons and requests an audience with Lady Li Suo."
"Xi'er, you may withdraw for now."
"Yes, Master."
A tall man, whose dignified righteousness was still hard to hide even in the blurry memory fragments, strode in quickly and bowed deeply: "Minor god Ling Zhen pays respects to Lady Li Suo. May I ask what command Lady Li Suo has for summoning me?"
Li Suo did not answer immediately but instead turned her gaze to the girl within the crystal.
Ling Zhen followed her gaze and exclaimed in surprise: "The Eternal Pivot!?"
"Minor god recalls that the Eternal Pivot was granted by Lord Xi Ke to Lord Ni Xuan. It contains eternal power and serves as the pivot foundation of the Elemental Divine Tower, ensuring the Elemental Divine Tower stands forever. Why does it appear here? And the girl within..."
He stopped his words, not daring to speak carelessly.
Li Suo said: "There is no longer an Elemental Creation God in this world, nor an Elemental Divine Tower."
Ling Zhen frowned and looked up, his expression one of boundless shock.
"You need not ask further. The will of heaven is thus, and nothing can change it." Her voice carried a sadness and helplessness rarely seen in a creation god.
"I summoned you here today to entrust this girl to your care."
Ling Zhen said respectfully: "Lady Li Suo's command, I shall naturally obey. But if I may ask, why me?"
Li Suo explained calmly: "Her name is Wanhu. Both her body and soul are extremely special. I have reconstructed her body and soul. However, one of her souls is a sword soul. This sword soul has a half defect, yet it is still extraordinarily peculiar. I used Holy Light Power to repair it completely, but no matter what, I could not make it achieve accord with her body."
"Clan Leader Ling Zhen, years ago, your young daughter Si Yao met an unfortunate early death. To remember her forever, you preserved her sword soul. I hope you can merge Si Yao's sword soul with her sword soul, using it as a guide so that the newly born sword soul can achieve accord with her body. When she awakens, she will be your daughter, Ling Zhen."
Ling Zhen's eyes shook violently. He suddenly knelt heavily and said in a trembling voice: "Lady Li Suo's sacred command, I would gladly obey even if it costs me ten thousand deaths. But... but my daughter Si Yao's fate was bitter. As her father, I failed her throughout her life. Every time I recall it, I am in unbearable pain. And her sword soul is the last remembrance she left behind in this world."
"In this matter alone, when it concerns Si Yao, I beg Lady Li Suo to rescind the sacred command..."
Li Suo said softly: "She is Ni Xuan's daughter."
Ling Zhen's voice cut off abruptly. He turned his gaze, staring fixedly at the girl within the Eternal Pivot, then suddenly shook his head violently and said with utmost determination: "Lord Ni Xuan's grace, my Sword Spirit Divine Clan can never repay in ten thousand generations. From today onward, she is my daughter! She is the most honored little princess of the Sword Spirit Divine Clan."
"I, Ling Zhen, swear by my life that I will give her a life of peace and joy. Even if the entire clan is annihilated, I will never allow her to suffer the slightest harm or sorrow."
Every word was resounding, as if reciting a heavenly decree.
"Good." Li Suo nodded gently. "With Clan Leader Ling Zhen's words, Ni Xuan can rest assured."
"However, do not let anyone, including herself, know of her origins."
"Lady Li Suo can rest assured." Ling Zhen's voice still trembled: "I will ask nothing, and no one will know anything either."
...
The scene dissolved into a vast expanse of white mist, then completely faded away.
"It seems this is indeed the memory fragment you gave to the Evil God senior." Yun Che said with complex emotions. "Probably to inform him of his daughter's place of settlement. And the Evil God senior carefully treasured it, preserving it until his very last wisp of soul... Perhaps this was his only comfort in his final years."
So Hong'er entered the Sword Spirit Divine Clan in such a way.
And her sword soul was so complex—she herself inherited from Jie Tian Mo Di, with the dark components stripped away, leaving a fragmented sword soul... The reshaping by Ni Xuan's power... The repair by Li Suo's sacred power... And in the end, it even merged with the complete sword soul of the Sword Spirit clan leader's daughter.
The sacred power of the sword she transformed into came from Li Suo... perfectly matching the guess Jie Tian Mo Di had gnashed her teeth over back then.
And her bizarre ability to devour swords and fuse with them—could it be an aberrant power born from the fusion of components from Jie Tian Mo Di, the Elemental Creation God, the Life Creation God, and the Sword Spirit Divine Clan?
"I'm a bit curious," Li Suo said softly. "That girl named Ni Jie, what exactly was the secret she wanted to tell me?"
But Yun Che had no interest in this: "The age of gods and demons has long ended. Whatever secrets from that era are no longer important."
At this moment, he recalled a question Jie Tian Mo Di had once asked him:
"Yun Che, do you think I should re-merge their souls?"
(Chapter 1461)
And he chose to advise against it, on the grounds that both Hong'er and You'er had become individuals of their own. Merging them would be equivalent to erasing the existence of both.
It was his words that made Jie Tian Mo Di decisively abandon that thought.
Now that he thought about it, Jie Tian Mo Di had clearly seen at a glance back then that Hong'er and You'er could be re-merged, and after merging, they would become the former Ni Jie.
That is to say, Li Suo had agreed to Ni Jie's request back then.
This was also why Hong'er, whether in body or temperament, always remained a young girl, as if she would never grow up.
Back then, he had advised against Jie Tian Mo Di's proposal to merge Hong'er and You'er, so naturally, he himself would not attempt such a thought. Therefore, the possibility left behind by Ni Jie's request and Li Suo's mercy did not cause much stir in him.
He even had a fleeting thought: the Hong'er transformed by such an anomaly, even if she could truly be re-merged with You'er, would the "Ni Jie" restored in such a way still be the Ni Jie of the past?
"Indeed, it's not that important." Li Suo expressed agreement. "Then, did this memory that Ni Xuan specifically left for you cause any significant stir in you? For example... did it change your original state of mind, perception, or... approach regarding 'him'?"
Yun Che did not answer.
After a long silence, he seemed to mutter to himself: "The Heaven-Slaying God Emperor mentioned two names... the Pan Ming Void-Shattering Mirror and the Nirvana Demon Reverse Wheel Pearl."
"He called them 'supreme demon artifacts' and said their power is a dual blockade of 'space' and 'time,' so strong that even the Heaven-Slaying God Emperor could not break free."
"The Demon Empress's speculations back then have all come true. They are precisely the 'Abyss Mirror' and 'Demon Pearl' she mentioned at that time."
"The pierced Abyss passage, the Time Black Tide and Cradle..."
Yun Che let out a long breath.
Li Suo said: "Are you worried that both the Pan Ming Void-Shattering Mirror and the Nirvana Demon Reverse Wheel Pearl are in 'his' hands?"
"It's not worry." Yun Che's voice carried a hint of heaviness: "It can almost be confirmed. Everything I know points to this."
"Even so, there's no need to worry too much." Li Suo comforted him: "Although the power level of the Abyss is higher than that of the divine realm, it is still far inferior to the era of gods and demons. Therefore, the power of the Abyss Mirror and Demon Pearl will inevitably not have recovered to that of the ancient times."
"Additionally, the Abyss Mirror and Demon Pearl are ultimately demon artifacts, while 'he' is a god, destined to be unable to fully control them. Based on what we know, every time 'he' activates the Abyss Mirror, he needs to gather the power of all the true gods of the Abyss. This should be the reason."
Yun Che fell silent once more. In the sea of his soul, the slow, even sound of his heartbeat echoed.
"It seems I need to adjust my strategy slightly."
...
Within the tranquil profound formation, Yun Che slowly opened his eyes.
The moment he stepped out, he was met by Meng Kongchan's ambiguous smile: "As expected of a young man, you still couldn't hold back, huh."
Yun Che was startled for a moment, then understood.
He sensed Hua Caili's aura, lingering not far away. She had clearly arrived long ago but did not approach, waiting instead for him to meet her.
Yun Che went along with it: "Senior Divine Venerable, I wonder... if it's convenient?"
"Convenient! Of course it's convenient!" Meng Kongchan said bluntly: "Two perfect divine ranks appearing in one era—this is an unprecedented, dual miracle. You two communicating with each other is the most natural thing."
"However, if other divine kingdoms arrive, you still need to be mindful of propriety. Your futures are long; there's no need to rush this moment... especially with the Senluo Divine Kingdom."
"I understand. Rest assured, Caili and I will not do anything inappropriate until you have paved the way for us."
Yun Che responded, then said to Meng Jianxi: "Divine Son Xi, I would trouble you to keep an eye on the movements of the other divine kingdoms. If another divine kingdom arrives, I hope you can inform me with a soul sound as soon as possible."
Stepping out of the courtyard, Yun Che spotted Hua Caili's figure at a glance. Even in this pure land like a dreamlike abyss, her figure was still too captivating.
Hua Caili's beautiful eyes sparkled, a smile blooming on her face. With a flash of gorgeous sword light, she was already standing daintily before Yun Che.
"Your father god actually let you out?" Yun Che said with a smile.
Neither of them stepped closer, keeping a restrained three-step distance.
"I had to make many promises to barely get out. And once another divine kingdom arrives, I have to go back."
Hua Caili voiced her dissatisfaction, but her brows remained curved: "Brother Yun, come with me quickly. I'll take you to meet someone."
"Uh... okay, what about Aunt?"
"Aunt went to see the High Divine Official. There's no danger in the Pure Land, so she won't follow me."
She led Yun Che, her radiant smile shining, her figure gracefully flying toward a pure white area north of the Pure Land.
At the same time, a mighty roar echoed outside the light barrier of the Pure Land.
The main profound vessel of the Senluo Divine Kingdom had arrived.