# Chapter 2156: Heart-Shaking Soul-Quivering
Watching Mo Su laugh heartily, completely losing the dignity of the Abyss Emperor, Yun Che also burst into laughter:
"Hahaha! Becoming sworn brothers with the supreme Abyss Emperor—this is a great fortune that others wouldn't even dare dream of. How could I possibly have any reason to refuse?"
Even as he laughed, he quietly calmed the agitation in his soul sea.
Mo Su's sudden proposal of sworn brotherhood was half genuine intention, half probing.
If, just now, his reaction had been even a half-instant slower, and he had blurted out a refusal, the outcome would have been completely different.
How much of Ni Xuan's shadow he carried determined how much weight he could hold in Mo Su's eyes.
In his gradually calming soul sea, Li Suo's voice sounded:
"You have woven so many, such great lies. Do you realize that the one opposite you is someone who could annihilate you in an instant? If any one of these lies is exposed, the consequences could very well be eternal damnation."
"So," Yun Che even had the leisure to respond to her, "the lies I speak are those that cannot be exposed. Back when I fell into the Abyss, the Demon Empress said that my greatest advantage in the Abyss would be the information gap."
"I naturally have to exploit that to the extreme."
"In areas he knows or might know, I give nothing but truth. But in areas I'm certain he cannot know, I weave lies for him... or rather, I bestow upon him my 'perceptions.'"
Li Suo said, "He is Mo Su, and also the Abyss Emperor. He possesses the broadest knowledge and the keenest spiritual perception in the Abyss. Today is your first meeting. Why would he believe you so easily, even want to become sworn brothers with you? I... cannot understand."
Yun Che said unhurriedly, "The smallest reason: he is the Abyss Emperor, and no one dares to lie before him."
"The second reason: he never lacks people who look up to him, but what he lacks most is an equal. He is the son of the Creation God, and I am the successor of the Creation God, also the successor of the elder brother he respects most. I am the only one in this world qualified to be his equal. And this equality—he might crave it more than anyone else in this world, thus he is more willing to believe."
"And the biggest reason... let him answer you himself."
Li Suo: "..."
Yun Che restrained his smile and said with a seemingly serious tone, "Before we become sworn brothers, there's something I'm very curious about. You are the supreme Abyss Emperor who looks down upon the entire history of the Abyss. You must have witnessed countless truths and falsehoods, good and evil. And I, a mere imperial son of a small divine kingdom, who would stop at nothing to achieve my goals—enough to deserve the word 'despicable.' Aren't you afraid that I am someone with malicious intent?"
"For example... aren't you afraid that I am relying on Master's grace and taking advantage of your bond with Master to deliberately approach you, so that I can use your prestige to bully others, oppress men and women, and wreak havoc across the worlds?"
Mo Su looked at Yun Che, his gaze already much closer to being level: "For someone Ni Xuan could choose and entrust everything to, I have no reason to doubt."
"Now that we are brothers, if you wish to borrow my influence, I would gladly oblige."
His words were calm and sincere.
In his soul sea, Yun Che's voice sounded much lighter than at the start: "See? That's the answer."
"From the height he stands at, he fears no one having any designs on him, because no one can make him lose anything."
"But he needs an 'equal' more than anyone else in this world."
That kind of terrifying loneliness—Yun Che had only endured it for a few short years. But Mo Su had endured it for millions of years. So he understood perfectly what Mo Su craved most in those millions of years of loneliness.
Although... when Mo Su uttered the words "sworn brothers," it had truly given him a huge fright.
Perhaps he had underestimated Mo Su's feelings for Ni Xuan. Or perhaps he had underestimated the terrifying loneliness Mo Su had endured over those millions of years.
Li Suo remained silent for a long time, quietly filling in some understanding of human emotions.
Facing Mo Su's gaze, Yun Che laughed again, more genuinely than any time before: "Good! With those words, you will forever be my eldest brother, Mo Su. I think if Master could see this scene, he would be immensely gratified."
The fragments of Ni Xuan's memory clearly reflected his demeanor, expressions, and manner of speaking. The hint in his soul that he was Ni Xuan, and his words and actions, increasingly naturally displayed the shadow of Ni Xuan.
"Good, Yun Che."
Again calling his name, but this time it clearly carried the emotions belonging to a human. He raised his arm, but just as it was half-raised, it froze for an instant—a kind of emotional timidity reaching out from endless loneliness.
Yun Che reached out his hand first, grabbing the arm Mo Su had extended, his fingers closing: "Brother Mo Su."
Mo Su's hand finally grasped Yun Che's arm. Their arms and qi intertwined without gap, bestowing upon each other the promise of mutual support: "Yun Che, I am very happy. Truly very happy."
"Me too." Yun Che said with utmost seriousness, "Originally I thought this face of mine was unmatched in the world, envied by all men. But to suddenly see someone who surpasses me by three points—truly displeasing. But if that person is my brother, then it doesn't matter."
Mo Su lowered his arm and smiled: "Ni Xuan's appearance was once universally acclaimed as the foremost among all realms, unrivaled. He often took pride and pleasure in it himself. But unfortunately, his looks could subdue all men and women in the world, yet they could not make the Li Suo he admired turn her head."
"I wonder if he ever got his wish in the end."
Li Suo: "...?"
Yun Che would never mention that Ni Xuan had long since transferred his affections to Jie Yuan, nor would he tell him that Ni Xuan repeatedly encouraged him not to be bound by the prohibitions between gods and demons—a hint of selfish motive hidden within.
Because that would certainly shatter his filter of Ni Xuan as "faithful and unwavering in love."
"Life Creation God, Li Suo." Yun Che murmured, "Master occasionally mentioned her, but never in depth. Perhaps there was regret in his heart. But..."
He raised his hand, and a pure and sacred white profound light blazed in his palm, overflowing with dense and pure life aura.
The white light reflected in Mo Su's pupils, and he recognized it at a glance: "Life Miracle. Indeed, since Ni Xuan found a successor, he naturally couldn't bear to let Li Suo's Creation God Art fade from the world."
The fragments of Ni Xuan's memory clearly mentioned that Creation Gods did not keep their arts secret from one another. For instance, Ni Xuan had mastered the Heaven-Breaking Ninety-Nine Swords of the Heaven-Slaying God Emperor, Mo E, in just four hundred years, and because of that, Mo E owed him a bet.
It was also because of that bet that Hong'er and You'er could exist to this day.
Although Life Miracle was a Creation God Art, it belonged to the Life Creation God and embodied compassion for the world and universal love. Its cultivation difficulty was much lower than ordinary divine arts, but it had extremely stringent requirements: a Saint Heart and Light Profound Force.
Therefore, he was confident enough that Ni Xuan must have known... and might even have attempted to cultivate Life Miracle.
The facts were indeed so.
Mo Su even revealed a past that Yun Che did not know: "Back then, Ni Xuan always tried to master Life Miracle, hoping to gain Li Suo's favor, but he never succeeded. Unexpectedly, it is on you that Light Profound Force shines brilliantly. I imagine he must have felt half lament, half relief at that time."
Yun Che: (*Indeed...*)
Facing Yun Che's display of Light Profound Force, Mo Su's reaction was very bland. Perhaps at the moment the light shone, there was a fleeting trace of slight surprise. After all, in the world of the Abyss, Light Profound Force had never been born.
And this blandness of his completely exceeded Yun Che's expectations.
He could view the appearance of Light Profound Force with indifference, but why... was he so unmoved by Life Miracle!?
Not even a flicker of joy or hope!?
Why...
"You... why did you actively expose your Light Profound Force?" Li Suo asked, puzzled.
Yun Che calmed his emotions and responded after a moment: "You should remember, in the Mist Sea, in order to quickly gain Hua Qingying's trust, I deliberately showed her my Light Profound Force. So, this is no longer an absolute secret."
"Me actively revealing it is naturally far better than him learning about it from elsewhere. Besides, one of my main purposes in meeting him in the Pure Land is to let him know I possess Life Miracle... but his reaction is too strange, completely beyond my expectations."
"..." Li Suo roughly understood what was "strange."
A drowning person will try to grasp any visible straw... let alone Life Miracle, which possesses the strongest healing ability in the world.
Unless...
"You are puzzled," Mo Su's voice slowly sounded, "as to why I am unmoved by the Life Miracle you revealed."
"Yes." Yun Che admitted frankly: "Master told me a lot about you. So I know your former identity, the reason you came to the Abyss world, and... the Panming girl who caused the upheaval in your fate..."
"Pan Xiao Die."
Facing Mo Su, he spoke that name, and clearly saw the ripples of sorrow stirring in his eyes.
Mo Su was silent. It had been too long since he had heard that name, etched into every corner of his soul, from another's lips.
Yun Che softened his voice: "Is she... still well?"
"She is well." Mo Su answered without a hint of hesitation: "Just sleeping, sleeping deeply, for a long time... All these years, I have been searching for a way to wake her. But that method will not be Life Miracle."
Yun Che's heart and soul suddenly grew heavy, as if sinking into an endless deep sea, sorrow permeating, desolation piercing to the bone.
"If it is Brother Mo Su, no matter what, it will surely be achieved." He wisely changed the subject: "Master also told me many other things about you, such as your Father God, your divine clan."
"There is no need to speak of them to me." Mo Su gave Yun Che an answer that would surprise anyone.
And from beginning to end, Mo Su never once asked Yun Che about any past he didn't know, or any secrets only Ni Xuan would know.
Yun Che thought for a moment, then asked: "Do you still hate your Father God?"
"I don't hate him."
No hesitation in the answer, no change in emotion or gaze.
"He had his position and his choices; I have my fate and my decisions. It has nothing to do with right or wrong, nothing to do with hate or not hate. It's just... none of it matters anymore. Now, I can hardly recall his face."
His words were as bland as the eternally still silent sea, as if stating someone else's irrelevant affairs.
Ni Xuan's end was regret; Mo E's end was soul-wounding. The latter was faithful to his mission, to his divine name and his divine clan—but he failed Mo Su alone. So Mo Su had the right to hate him.
But what he showed was such extreme blandness, so bland he had almost forgotten.
And what he viewed with indifference and had forgotten—was it only his father?
He didn't ask about Mo E, didn't ask about the changes in his divine clan after he fell into the Abyss... nothing at all. Instead, he lowered his gaze and smiled at Yun Che: "Today, all the nations happen to be present. I will proclaim our sworn brotherhood to the Pure Land and to all nations. From now on..."
"Oh, no, no, no, no, no!" Yun Che seemed greatly startled, frantically waving his hands: "Absolutely not!"
"Why?" Mo Su asked, half-smiling.
"Obviously." Yun Che spread his hands, his expression slightly exaggerated: "If the world knows I am the Abyss Emperor's brother, then everyone will fear and revere me. Even if they hate and despise me in their hearts, they will treat me with utmost respect on the surface. Whatever I want, I can get effortlessly. Even for others' possessions, one look from me and they'd obediently offer them up. To achieve any goal, not only would I not need to work, I wouldn't even need to lift a finger—countless people would scramble to do it for me to curry favor."
"Thus, life would have no enemies, no challenges, no motivation, and no true friends or any pure genuine feelings. Then life would become utterly absurd and dreadfully boring—just thinking about it is terrifying."
The Abyss Emperor's gaze seemed to deepen by a fraction: "The expected answer. If you had agreed directly, I would have found it strange instead."
"You are truly too similar to Ni Xuan."
Yun Che crooked the corner of his mouth and said matter-of-factly: "I cannot remember the past of Dreamweaving. The first image in my memory is Master. My life, temperament, perception—even my profound veins were shaped by Master, so of course I resemble him."
He tilted his gaze slightly, as if with interest: "Although I absolutely cannot let that happen, setting aside my personal reasons, your decision just now as the emperor of this Abyss was far too hasty. So hasty that even a child would find it unbelievable."
"Why?" Mo Su asked.
"Even more obvious." Yun Che said unhurriedly: "The Abyss world was created and developed by you, with millions of years of your effort poured into it to reach its current prosperity. If you were to proclaim our sworn brotherhood to the world, tsk..."
He shook his head, a strange light in his eyes, as if imagining something: "Then my status in the eyes of the world, even if not equal to yours, would be close. With just a little wicked intention, I could easily throw this peaceful and balanced Abyss world into chaos, plunging it into turmoil. By then, you would regret it, but it would be too late."
"Even the smallest, most remote nation's ruler in the lowliest birthlands would never do something like this."
These words, Yun Che spoke in a half-mocking, half-joking tone, deepening his image as Ni Xuan's carefree and unrestrained successor.
Mo Su looked at him and said blandly: "If you like, let alone causing chaos—even if you annihilated this entire Abyss world, what would it matter?"
"...!?" Yun Che jerked his head up to look at him, meeting those still utterly unruffled eyes.
The shock in his gaze was not feigned in the slightest.
"Or, if you like this world, then with just one word, I will entrust the title of Abyss Emperor to you."
"..." Yun Che opened his mouth, then suddenly laughed softly: "Hahaha, you, the Abyss Emperor, actually joke about the fate of the Abyss like this. If word got out, all the Abyss Knights would be shocked speechless."
Mo Su's gaze remained impeccably sincere: "I am not joking. Since you call me Brother Mo Su, then everything I have can be given to you—including the Pure Land, including this world."
Yun Che stared straight into Mo Su's eyes, trying to find any trace of falsehood or jest.
But everything he presented was as pure and flawless as the aura of this place. And when he spoke such world-shaking words, the surrounding qi did not ripple even the slightest.
"Why?"
In his private audience with the Abyss Emperor, he had successfully controlled the rhythm and guided Mo Su's emotions. And everything had gone as he wished—no, the result of "sworn brotherhood" had actually far exceeded his expectations.
But now, he suddenly realized that he might not have seen through the person before him at all.
Facing his gaze of doubt mixed with shock, Mo Su closed his eyes slightly, then turned around: "Yun Che, come with me to a place."
He did not move his feet, only gently waved his arm.
Instantly, the world before them twisted and collapsed, revealing a completely different space.
Yun Che stepped forward, standing shoulder to shoulder with Mo Su, looking in astonishment at the scene before them.
It was a square transparent barrier, one zhang in length and width. Inside the barrier surged chaotic destructive currents. And at the center of this barrier floated another small barrier.
That small barrier was a regular sphere, only the size of a fist, but not transparent. It was a deep gray-red, making it impossible to see even a trace of what was inside.
Mo Su's gaze pointed to that spherical barrier, and he said softly: "I am the son of the Creation God. In my blood flows a trace of Creation Power. But this minuscule Creation Power is far from enough for me to create planets and life like a true Creation God."
"Then, in the nine hundred and ninety-ninth thousand year after falling into this world, I suddenly began to be able to harness this thread of Creation Power. So, using that power, I spent ninety thousand years and successfully created a small planet."
That... was that gray-red sphere.
"This planet I created with my own hands, I named it—Paradise of the Other Shore."
Yun Che's heart stirred slightly.
Paradise...
Eden...
Cradle...
He fell into brief contemplation.
Mo Su gazed at the "Paradise of the Other Shore" he had created, his voice gradually becoming ethereal: "The son of the Creation God is ultimately not a Creation God. Being able to use this trace of Creation Power was already a great surprise. For this tiny so-called planet, I could only bestow the most basic laws of existence and the most basic source of life."
"But... in the years that followed, it gradually perfected its own laws on its own, and then derived the first life."
Yun Che's eyes showed novelty.
"Later, driven by life's instinct, life began to multiply and evolve. Multiply again, evolve again... Thus, races emerged, then communities. Later, there were nations, then separate continents... Later, they began to try to explore wider worlds. So, in their perception, there were star regions and a universe."
"...!" Yun Che frowned, and the novelty in his eyes gradually turned into deepening astonishment.
Mo Su continued: "Life multiplied and evolved, and the laws of the world also evolved accordingly, gradually giving rise to elements and power. And under the wisdom of life, power also continuously evolved. Gradually, clearer and greater differences in strength, status, and level emerged between different lives."
"In the end, those standing at the highest level explored the boundaries of the world. They began to try to break through those boundaries with powerful force. Time after time, generation after generation... Finally, just thirty thousand years ago, one life succeeded, breaking open the edge of the world."
"And what greeted him was an irresistible aura of destruction. He could only retreat. And the gap in the world he had opened also closed in an instant."
Yun Che's heart surged with turbulent waves.
Mo Su turned his gaze and looked into Yun Che's eyes: "Doesn't the boundary of that world resemble the Chaos Wall? And doesn't the destructive aura that prevented them from leaving the world resemble the destructive storm outside the Chaos Wall?"
"..." Yun Che was speechless for a long time.
"The one who could break through the world's edge—he was undoubtedly the supreme powerhouse of that world. He thought that heaven and earth were beneath his feet, and all living beings were only fit to bow to him."
"But he could never imagine that in our eyes, his existence was merely a tiny ant. With just a light finger, we could completely annihilate him and the entire world he lived in. They wouldn't even have a moment's power to struggle."
"So..." he asked, "Are we also in such a world?"
"Is our world also merely someone else's 'Paradise of the Other Shore'? Is what we think of as strength and nobility also just insects to be played with in someone else's eyes?"
"Or perhaps, we aren't even real existences... Could we merely be illusions constructed by some higher being?"
"A fragment of a dream..."
"Words in a book..."
"Or... a divine thought that could dissipate at any moment."
"..." Yun Che opened his mouth but could not speak. These were words he had never heard, never even imagined—soul-shaking words, too heavy, too terrifyingly impacting all his perceptions.
Sensing the violent tremors in Yun Che's heart and soul, Mo Su smiled: "So, do you understand now?"
"The higher one's perception, the higher one's standing, one instead finds that one's own existence, and the existence of the world, is so insignificant."
"So insignificant that what was once thought of as the vast myriad things is merely a handful of dust. So insignificant that... life can only hold one single matter. Everything else—status, power, fame, desire, gratitude, grudges—are all meaningless delusions."
"So..." Yun Che finally managed to speak, though with some difficulty, "Now, your life only holds one thing. Everything else... is meaningless?"
"It used to be." Mo Su reached out and gently placed his hand on Yun Che's shoulder: "To me, your appearance is a great joy. So, for the rest of my life, aside from that one matter, I have gained a brother."
He patted lightly, then let his hand fall: "Back then, I admired Ni Xuan's uninhibited freedom. Now, I also admire your unbridled boldness. But I am destined to never achieve it. Not because I am unwilling, but because I have no spare strength, and no qualification."
He spoke with a smile on his face, but the words were heartbreaking: "Meeting you has given this world one more person I can confide in, and let me let out a few truly hearty laughs. To me, that is already... an extravagance bordering on transgression."
In the depths of his soul sea, Li Suo's soft voice sounded: "Your heart is beating so violently."
Yun Che exhaled lightly, slowly suppressing the various chaotic emotions in his heart. He did not try to persuade, but slowly nodded: "I understand. You indulge my temperament, and I naturally respect all of Brother's choices."
The corner of his mouth twitched, and he re-displayed a smile: "Back at the Eden Cloud Summit, I found it strange that you hadn't mentioned a single word about the 'Mist Emperor' who caused such a stir and shook countless hearts with rumors in just a few years. Now I realize—it's because you truly didn't care."
Under Yun Che's abruptly frozen gaze, Mo Su's smile slowly faded.
He tilted his head up slightly and said softly: "I cannot hide this from you. What the Mist Emperor said was not a rumor."
"...!?" All of Yun Che's soul strings tightened simultaneously.
Wait...
What is he... saying?
Not at all surprised by Yun Che's shock, he spoke slowly: "Although I am called the Abyss Emperor, I do not have the ability to control the Abyss Dust. It was the Mist Emperor who caused the Abyss Dust of this world to gather and form the Mist Sea, leaving behind many birthlands. It was also the Mist Emperor who kept the soulless Abyss Beasts and Abyss Ghosts within the Mist Sea, not encroaching on the birthlands."
"That is how the current Abyss world came to be. So, her words contained not a single lie."
"..." Looking closely now, one could see Yun Che's pupils contracting slightly.
Mo Su looked ahead, continuing his bland murmur: "Back then, the Mist Emperor and I exchanged promises. And her anger now may be because my trajectory has deviated from her expectations."
"But... it no longer matters."
— End —