Chapter 2148: Jueluo's Fury Abyss
Yun Che's condition at this moment was quite poor.
In order to instantly crush Dian Sansi and completely shatter his spirit under the most disgraceful defeat, he had to activate an instant of Divine Ashes.
Although it was only an instant, the immense burden still caused his vision to go dark, nearly breaking his tendons and bones. A surge of blood rushed into his throat, which he forcefully swallowed back down.
But when Dian Sansi's frenzied roar echoed throughout the venue, even the excruciating pain in his body instantly became so strangely satisfying.
This abyss chess game had finally placed its most crucial early piece.
It was as if a giant cauldron had descended from the sky, instantly drowning the surging tide of exclamations.
The expressions of every single person were frozen rigid on their faces.
On the Yidian Cloud Summit, there was a deathly silence so heavy it was terrifying, with only the clouds rolling along with the fading, hoarse echo of Dian Sansi's voice.
Meng Kongchan and Hua Fuchen's souls at the True God level were immensely powerful, yet at this moment, their minds were blank, and they could only barely maintain a facade of calm.
Dian Luohou's raised hand froze in midair. Then, he abruptly turned his head, his gaze sharpening, and swung it forward.
Smack!!
A fierce slap sent Dian Sansi—aside from Dian Jiuzhi, the son he loved most—flying dozens of zhangs away in front of everyone, accompanied by a furious roar: "You worthless brat! How dare you utter such beastly words!"
On the side of the Zhe Tian Divine Kingdom, the leader of the Seven Sword Venerables—the Tianshu Sword Venerable—said angrily: "Utterly ridiculous! This Senluo whelp dares to slander the Divine Maiden of my Zhe Tian Divine Kingdom so brazenly!"
The Yaoguang Sword Venerable continued in fury: "Meng Jianyuan's name has been restored for only three years. During those three years, Caili was constantly within the Seven Star Zhe Tian Array, never leaving for a moment. How could there be any affair! Senluo whelp, this is the Pure Land above. How dare you utter such slander! If no explanation is given, Zhe Tian will not let this go."
"That's right!" The chief palace master of the Weaving Dream Divine Kingdom, Meng Cangji, said solemnly: "Since Meng Jianyuan's return, he has been within the divine domain. Before arriving at the Pure Land this time, apart from personally escorting Pan Buwang out of the divine domain, he never left even for a single step. Countless people within my divine domain can testify! When could he have had the opportunity to engage in this so-called 'affair' you speak of!"
"Such nonsense is not only absurd but also easily refuted. It's the greatest joke under heaven!"
The pain on his face, the rebukes in his ears, and the endless humiliation did not restore any calm to Dian Sansi; instead, they further stimulated his madness. He lay on the ground, letting out a roar that nearly tore his throat: "I did not! Outside the residence of the Lingxian Divine Officer, I personally saw..."
The rest of his words were forcefully pressed down by a hand.
Dian Jiuzhi pounced on him, his right hand gripping Dian Sansi's lower jaw tightly, his trembling fingers distorting with force, almost crushing Dian Sansi's jaw.
"Shut up... shut up!"
He howled... but the response he received was a long, lasting silence in his ears.
Suddenly, as if waking from a dream, he weakly released his fingers, completely dazed and wooden where he stood.
As the betrothed of Hua Caili, he should have been more eager than anyone to know the truth or falsehood, and absolutely should not have reacted this way.
His panicked attempt to stop it not only failed to conceal... but was instead a self-defeating confirmation.
Dian Luohou's anger was frozen on his face. He stared at Dian Sansi, then at Dian Jiuzhi, his lion-like beard clearly beginning to tremble violently.
Dian Sansi shifted forward. Since the words were out, he no longer needed to hold back. The anger, humiliation, and resentment that had been pent up in his chest for so long poured out wildly with his voice: "Yuan Huang... Father God... Not only me... Brother Jiuzhi also saw it with his own eyes!"
"Jiuzhi's marriage contract with the Zhe Tian Divine Maiden was personally bestowed by Father God... known to all under heaven! Yun Che's actions... are contempt for Yuan Huang! Contempt for the Pure Land! Insult to my Senluo! A person so shameless and despicable does not deserve Yuan Huang's praise... does not deserve to stand upon the Pure Land!"
"If even a single word is false, may I be devoured by Yuan Chen... abandoned by heaven and men..."
"Cough... cough cough cough..."
Dian Sansi's throat was completely torn, coughing up large patches of burnt blood.
But this time, Dian Luohou did not stop his roaring throughout.
Aside from Dian Sansi's painful coughing and blood, the surroundings remained silent for a long time... This concerned Senluo, Zhe Tian, and Weaving Dream, and even more so, Yuan Huang. They were all too clear: if this matter were true, the implications would be enormous. Who would dare to speak lightly?
Even the Sword Venerables of the Zhe Tian Divine Kingdom and the palace master of the Weaving Dream Divine Kingdom suddenly fell silent, with no one rebuking for a long time.
Because they all sensed the anomaly of their Divine Venerable.
The anger on their faces, in this terrifying silence, gradually transformed into an increasingly dreadful unease in their hearts.
Dian Luohou's head turned, but it moved with such sluggish rigidity, like a hunched old man with a broken neck.
It took several breaths, several jerks of his neck, before he shifted his gaze to the Zhe Tian Divine Kingdom.
At first, his line of sight did not fall on Hua Fuchen, but on Hua Caili.
Such drastic changes, such fright, were far beyond what Hua Caili's defenses could bear. Although she was hidden behind Hua Qingying, the small part of her face that was visible was only a sickly pale.
His gaze shifted again, and he looked at Hua Fuchen.
This friend who had known him since childhood, who had been inseparable from him, avoided his gaze, his face twitching with pain and struggle.
"Old Hua," Dian Luohou spoke, his voice seemingly calm as usual, but with a hint of hoarseness: "Is this matter... true... or false?"
Dian Luohou's temperament was extremely fiery, but at this moment, it was so calm. He suppressed his emotions so forcefully because he hoped more than anyone that everything was false, and he hoped more than anyone that Hua Fuchen would give him a negative answer.
Hua Fuchen opened his mouth, finally making a particularly difficult sound: "Old Dian, this matter..."
"Tell me, true, or false!" Dian Luohou's voice rose, carrying an anger that was intensely suppressed but still made souls tremble.
Hua Fuchen looked up and closed his eyes. Since it had come to this, any attempt to conceal was futile.
"...True."
Hua—
With a single word, the heavens shattered and the earth split.
The dead lake was thrown a massive boulder weighing ten thousand jun. The shocked exclamations that burst out were deafening, and the expressions on everyone's faces became so... brilliantly vivid.
"Your Excellency... this... this..."
The Seven Sword Venerables of Zhe Tian, and even everyone present from the Zhe Tian Divine Kingdom, were all stunned on the spot.
Everyone from Weaving Dream was also dumbfounded. They looked from Meng Kongchan to Yun Che, who still stood in the center of the battlefield, their expressions and emotions more complicated than they had ever experienced in their lives.
Meng Jianxi stepped forward twice, stood beside Meng Kongchan, and tried hard to adjust his breathing.
Before arriving at the Pure Land, when the two nations' profound ships met, this guess had surfaced in his mind. But it was too terrifying and absurd, and he immediately suppressed it firmly.
He never expected that it would actually...
But when did this all happen, under what circumstances, and for what reason...
"Sigh, this is truly an... unexpected grand drama." Wu Shenxing said with deep emotion.
Wu Shenyue said: "This way... I'm afraid the unbreakable alliance between Senluo, Zhe Tian, and Weaving Dream is about to collapse overnight."
"No, perhaps even worse," Wu Shenxing said. "All of this erupted above the Pure Land, right under Yuan Huang's eyes."
"In that case..." Wu Shenyue's eyes narrowed with a strange light: "The Zhe Tian Divine Maiden's earlier reckless sword strike was not at all to vent anger for Dian Jiuzhi, but rather... to use the permission granted by Yuan Huang to dissolve her engagement with Dian Jiuzhi."
"Pity... too late." He finished, then shook his head and repeated those two words: "Pity..."
"Hahahaha! Hahahahaha!"
Shen Wuyan let out wild laughter, laughing so hard that her entire palanquin shook.
"This is love between men and women... how filthy... how tragic... hahahahaha... a joke... what a monumental joke... hahahaha!"
She laughed uncontrollably, even more wildly than when Shen Wuyi had swept away Dian Jiuzhi... but at the tail end of her laughter, there was a trace of sorrow.
Yun Che stood still, his face ashen from forcefully activating Divine Ashes... but in the eyes of others, it was undoubtedly a look of extreme terror.
Dian Luohou's gaze then turned to Meng Kongchan.
He seemed to try to find confusion or anger on Meng Kongchan's face... but there was none, only the same painful struggle as Hua Fuchen.
"So," he said, "you... also knew long ago?"
All eyes fell on Meng Kongchan.
"Yes," he replied.
Dian Luohou's face turned gray at a terrifying speed.
The muscles on his face twitched, his lion-like body shook, and he staggered several times, on the verge of collapsing.
"Heh... heh..." he laughed, his laugh especially hoarse, then it turned into loud laughter, manic laughter...
"Haha... hahaha... hahahahaha!"
His loud laughter was still ear-splitting, but it no longer held any of his usual majesty and boldness, replaced instead by a bone-chilling desolation.
Hua Fuchen clenched his hands tightly and said painfully: "Old Dian..."
"Shut up!!"
A sky-shaking roar drowned out Hua Fuchen's voice: "How dare you call me 'Old Dian'! How dare you! How dare you!!!"
Dian Luohou's pupils were red as blood, his eyeballs covered with countless shocking blood streaks.
Hua Fuchen moved his lips, then painfully closed his eyes again.
He and Meng Kongchan had imagined many outcomes, good or bad... and the worst among them was being discovered prematurely by Dian Luohou before all the groundwork was laid.
To avoid this dire consequence, Yun Che and Hua Caili had spent these years separated in different nations, unable to meet.
After the Pure Land, no matter how reluctant they were, they had to be forcefully separated.
But they never expected that it would be this brief Pure Land gathering that would create such a loophole.
Even more unexpected... the situation was a thousand, a hundred times worse than the worst outcome they had imagined.
If Dian Luohou had found out privately, even though he would be furious, he would absolutely seal the information to protect the dignity of the Senluo Divine Kingdom and the Senluo Divine Son Dian Jiuzhi to the greatest extent.
Afterwards, it would be a matter between the three of them and within the three divine kingdoms.
But now... when this was suddenly exposed, it was in the presence of the six nations, the Dragon God Clan, and even more so, right before Yuan Huang and the Great Divine Officer.
What was inflicted upon Dian Luohou was undoubtedly betrayal and humiliation magnified to the extreme.
"Hua Fuchen, Meng Kongchan!"
He called out the names of his former friends, but his voice was piercing and his words were gnashing: "One of you has a daughter who betrayed my son's feelings, and the other has a son who stole my son's wife!"
"You knew all along... you knew all along!! Not only did you not stop it, but you treated me like a stupid pig, toyed with me like a clay dog! Heh... hahahaha... what good brothers, what good brothers you are! Hahahaha!"
Dian Luohou's life had been so glorious.
From birth, he was supremely noble, with an innate divine rank that made him the Senluo Divine Son, unmatched among men of his generation. After succeeding as Divine Venerable, he became the most powerful among the six divine kingdoms' Divine Venerables, the foremost person below the Pure Land in the abyss world.
But his greatest pride in life was not the title of the mightiest Divine Venerable, but his two friends made since childhood, who eventually became Divine Venerables alongside him.
Such a bond, so close and intertwined, a shared fate even after becoming Divine Venerables, was so precious, so incredible.
But it was precisely these two who gave him the greatest betrayal and shame of his life.
Hua Caili's small hands tightly clutched the front of Hua Qingying's clothes, already at a loss, her eyes blurred with tears. She bit her lip, not daring to look at her father, only letting out sobs: "Father... I'm sorry... I'm sorry..."
Her tour of the Pure Land with Yun Che was an active invitation she could not suppress due to longing.
They had maintained distance and restraint throughout, except for those few seconds of involuntary affection in front of the Lingxian Divine Residence...
Hua Qingying raised a hand to shield her and said softly, "Since it has come to this, there is no need for self-blame."
"Hua Caili!!"
Dian Luohou's roar directly targeted Hua Caili.
He pointed at her, his finger shaking violently: "What a fine Zhe Tian Divine Maiden, what a fine daughter of Hua Fuchen! My son Jiuzhi's deep love for you, and how well he treated you, is known to all under heaven, seen by the heavens!"
"For your sake, for all fifty-two jiazi, he did not let a single woman near him! For your sake, he swore that even if he became the Senluo Divine Venerable, he would only have you in this life! And for your sake..."
"Father God."
Dian Jiuzhi walked over and gently pressed down Dian Luohou's outstretched hand: "I know you are furious right now, but... please allow me to speak a word."
He took a deep breath and said in an extremely calm, extremely earnest voice: "Actually, between Caili and me, we had already mutually terminated our engagement long ago."
Hua Fuchen and Meng Kongchan both turned their heads, their expressions surprised.
"..." Dian Luohou slowly turned his gaze: "What did you say!?"
In the face of Dian Luohou's unprecedented fearsome gaze, Dian Jiuzhi's expression remained calm: "I originally thought that my feelings for Caili were of a man for a woman, but as time passed, one day I suddenly realized that my feelings for Caili were the fraternal bond formed in childhood."
"And Caili, innocent and pure, never even knew what romantic love was. She only followed the engagement set by her father, God Hua Xin, in a daze. Therefore, for both me and Caili, we had long hoped to break this engagement. We just never had the opportunity to speak of it."
"Originally, this Pure Land assembly, meeting with Yuan Huang, was the perfect opportunity, but I never expected..."
Smack!!!!
An extremely heavy slap slammed into Dian Jiuzhi's face. The horrifying crack clearly indicated that his forehead bone had been broken.
Dian Jiuzhi rolled far away on the ground, his body twitching in pain.
A group of Senluo elders were greatly alarmed and hurried forward: "Your Excellency, please calm your anger..."
"Get lost!!"
Dian Luohu let out a roar, and all who approached were violently sent flying, spitting blood.
Under everyone's horrified gaze, Dian Luohou walked to Dian Jiuzhi, who lay collapsed on the ground, his eyes filled with terrifying gloom: "I have always been strict with you, but I have never struck you before. Today, do you know why!?"
Dian Jiuzhi opened his mouth, but only a large gush of bloody foam came out.
"Your own words—do you believe them yourself? Are you taking me, your father, for a fool, or are you taking Yuan Huang and all the world for fools!"
"I... I..." Dian Jiuzhi dared not rise, nor even lift his head.
"Tell me," Dian Luohou's chest heaved as if about to split, "what is a man's greatest hatred, what is a man's greatest humiliation!"
Dian Jiuzhi's eyes were unfocused as he forced out the words: "A man's greatest hatred is the hatred of a father's murder; a man's greatest humiliation is... the humiliation of his wife being taken."
"Heh... heh..." Dian Luohou let out a mournful and angry sneer: "Do you know that from today on, everyone in this world will know that you, the dignified Senluo Divine Son, have had your betrothed wife taken from you!"
"Everyone will mock you, pity you! Even the most lowly person in this world can use you as talking fodder, as the greatest joke!"
"Even if you become a Divine Venerable in the future, even if your future achievements surpass mine tenfold, this brand of humiliation will always exist, never fading! When everyone sees you, they will first think of you as a pathetic wretch whose wife was taken... and the Senluo Divine Kingdom will share in that humiliation!"
"And that Yun Che... even if he accomplishes nothing in the future, you will always be a loser in front of him, always a joke! Do you understand!? Do you understand!!"
Dian Jiuzhi buried his head deeply, only emitting heavy, ragged breaths.
"And you, you are still trying to excuse them, still trying to protect them! I... heh, I, Dian Luohou, am a joke, and my son is an even bigger joke... hahahaha, hahahahaha!"
"Old Dian..."
Meng Kongchan could no longer remain silent and spoke with difficulty: "You are not a joke. The fault lies with us..."
Dian Luohou abruptly turned his head. His gaze, so terrifying, was like steel needles soaked in poison, piercing Meng Kongchan into momentary speechlessness.
"Meng Kongchan, Hua Fuchen," his gaze trembled, his lips parted, each word filled with sorrow, "what did I, Dian Luohou, ever do wrong? Was there any way I failed you, that you would treat me like this..."
Meng Kongchan and Hua Fuchen's lips moved, but neither could say a word, nor face him.
Boom!!!
With an explosion, Dian Luohou's figure appeared before Hua Fuchen. His fearsome aura instantly forced the Seven Sword Venerables away.
He reached out abruptly, grabbing Hua Fuchen's collar tightly, lifting his Divine Venerable body off the ground. His bulging eyes nearly burst: "What did I do wrong for you to treat me like this... Speak! Speak!!"
Hua Fuchen did not resist at all, allowing Dian Luohou's raging aura to seep into his flesh, blood, and marrow, his heart filled only with endless guilt and despair.
"Release His Excellency!"
The Seven Sword Venerables shouted in unison, but before they could act, a bronze profound light descended from the sky.
Clang!
An irresistible force repelled Dian Luohou far away. The bronze profound light did not dissipate but hung between Dian Luohou and Hua Fuchen, as if completely isolating the space they occupied.
The Great Divine Officer's judgment voice also sounded at this moment: "Above the Pure Land, private battles are forbidden. Jueluo Divine Venerable, considering that your soul is trapped in a fury abyss and you have not truly attacked, you will not be pursued for now. Reflect and control yourself. Whatever the grievances, handle them after leaving the Pure Land!"
Dian Luohou looked up at Yuan Huang, forcibly suppressing the anger on the verge of losing control, but his clenched hands still trembled incessantly.
At this moment, the voice of Yuan Huang sounded over the Yidian Cloud Summit:
"Waste, who broke the imperial decree, what punishment should be meted out?"
The Great Divine Officer responded coldly: "The Wild Devouring Punishment."
At the brief four words "Wild Devouring Punishment," the immensely powerful God Hua Xin and God Wu Meng both instantly lost all color from their faces, their features showing a terror that should never appear on a Divine Venerable.
"Donghuang." The Great Divine Officer raised his eyes and commanded: "Arrest Yun Che and Hua Caili!"
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