# Chapter 2171: Departure and Return
Inside the ship pavilion, Yun Che closed his eyes and calmed his mind, carefully reviewing and organizing everything he had experienced in the Pure Land.
Li Suo's voice sounded in his sea of consciousness: "Your spirit is rarely this relaxed. It seems your trip to the Pure Land yielded gains beyond expectations?"
"Not really," Yun Che said unhurriedly. "I need to recover my soul force as soon as possible to determine whether that intermittent sense of being watched is truly an illusion or not."
Li Suo said, "Meng Kongchan has already given you his answer. If you could perceive being watched, there's no reason he would have been completely unaware."
Yun Che spoke slowly, "I only trust myself."
Li Suo pondered for a long time, then said softly, "You seem very concerned about this strange sensation that is most likely an illusion. But... I don't sense any worry from you about it. Why?"
"Good question." Yun Che's brow furrowed slightly, as if he himself was puzzled. "I just inexplicably feel that the other party has no ill intent, but rather..."
He couldn't find the right words to describe that subtle feeling for a moment, and finally said, "I'd also prefer to believe it's just an abnormal sensation caused by soul trauma. But if it isn't..."
"Someone who can evade Meng Kongchan's perception to spy on me, yet I can somehow detect them. I used the Void-Breaking Array to travel between the Pure Land and the Divine Sleep Forbidden Zone, yet this person could follow me from the Divine Sleep Forbidden Zone to the Pure Land... If such an existence truly exists in this world and has inexplicably set their sights on me, that would be truly terrifying."
"It couldn't be that legendary Abyss Lord, could it?" Yun Che said in a teasing tone. "Did he wake up early and find out that I dared to impersonate him, so he... Oh, no, it can't be. Mo E said he cannot appear in places with thin abyss dust, let alone the Pure Land."
Li Suo pondered Yun Che's words, then said slowly, "Indeed. When all possibilities are ruled out, the only explanation left is that it's an abnormal sensation from your soul wounds. You endured two hundred breaths of the Wild Devouring Punishment, leaving over three thousand soul wounds, half of which remain unhealed. Don't dwell on it too much. It's best to rest your mind and spirit as much as possible for the next month at least."
Yun Che thought for a moment, then agreed, "Alright, alright. No matter how I think about it... someone that Meng Kongchan can't detect but I can, who can seamlessly follow me from the Divine Sleep Forbidden Zone to the Pure Land... it's too far from common sense. It can't be that I'm spying on myself..."
His voice abruptly cut off. His soul strings suddenly tightened.
"!?" Li Suo's voice became urgent: "What's wrong?"
"..." Yun Che slightly opened his eyes, and his taut soul strings gradually relaxed. A natural smile bloomed at the corner of his mouth, and he said lightly, "Nothing. Probably a stab of pain from a soul wound acting up. Indeed, I shouldn't overthink it."
Li Suo, after all, was attached to Yun Che's soul. She could sense that he wasn't being entirely honest, but since that was the case, she didn't press further. Instead, she proactively changed the subject: "What was your greatest impression from the trip to the Pure Land?"
Yun Che's answer was only two simple words: "Disconnection."
"Dis... connection?" Li Suo repeated the word softly. "What do you mean?"
Yun Che's tone slowed: "Eternal Pure Land is a legendary place in the Abyss World, like a celestial realm from a distant dream. Now that it's within reach, the Divine Kingdoms are overflowing with excitement, but the Four Divine Officials..."
"The Grand Divine Official is inscrutable—I can't say for sure. As for the other three Divine Officials... the Six Smiles Divine Official is obsessed with the culinary arts and has cut off all other thoughts; the Myriad Paths Divine Official claims to have savored every path, seeming like a man of extreme extravagance; the Spirit Immortal Divine Official sees all thoughts as illusions, with a will to die stronger than a will to live. At least from my close contact with them, I felt not a trace of longing or excitement for the Eternal Pure Land."
"And... what about the Abyss Emperor?"
Yun Che narrowed his eyes slightly, and his tone became somewhat heavier: "The words the Lin God spoke back then had already led me to have very high expectations for the depth of his 'obsession'. But... when he calmly and lightly spoke of life and death in this world, it still inevitably gave me a few breaths of suffocation. And..."
"'The Miracle of Life' that I had carefully planned in my mind was dismissed by him with indifference. This means that from now on, to ensure that he won't interfere when the dark thunder is detonated, I have to prepare other methods."
Li Suo said, "But... the Abyss Emperor never interferes in the affairs of the Divine Kingdoms. Isn't your preparation most likely unnecessary?"
Yun Che's voice was unwaveringly firm: "What I want is his 'absolute' non-interference. In no way can I leave the initiative to his own will. And to ensure he is indifferent to everything, it must involve... Pan Xiao Die!"
Boom—hum—
An immense aura rapidly approached, accompanied by an increasingly loud spatial hum. Yun Che stood up. Before he could step out, an ethereal maiden's voice came from afar: "Brother Yun!"
The two great ships from Zhe Tian and Weaving Dream slowly drew near. Before they could connect, Hua Caili's figure flashed over, rapidly closing in on Yun Che's aura... Behind her was Hua Fuchen, his face full of helplessness.
Yun Che stepped forward to meet her, calling out "Senior" from afar, only to have his arm grabbed by Hua Caili. There was a hint of shyness in her eyes, along with seven parts anticipation. She said cheerfully, "Brother Yun, I want to go with you to the Weaving Dream Divine Kingdom and take a good look at the place where you were born and live."
Hua Fuchen, who was about to greet Meng Kongchan, heard this and suddenly glared, exclaiming, "Nonsense! Absolutely not!"
But Hua Caili was not afraid at all. She stood close to Yun Che and said with a grin, "I've already decided. It's useless even if Father God opposes it."
"Foolishness!" Hua Fuchen reached out to pull her back, but retracted his hand halfway. However, his tone did not soften at all: "The obstacle between you and Yun Che may be gone, but that doesn't mean you can act willfully!"
Meng Kongchan smiled and waved his hand: "Brother Fuchen, calm down. Caili is young and lacks experience. Just speak to her gently."
"Why?" Hua Caili's face was full of reluctance and confusion. "For the past three years, you wouldn't let me see Brother Yun. Now that everyone knows about Brother Yun and me, and even Uncle Abyss Emperor has canceled the previous engagement, why can't I even go to Brother Yun's place?"
Hua Caili's voice was completely unguarded. It was imaginable that everyone on both the Zhe Tian and Weaving Dream ships could hear her clearly. Hua Fuchen's brow twitched, and he had to speak bluntly: "You are a maiden, and the Divine Maiden of the Zhe Tian Divine Kingdom at that. To go rushing to a man's place... This is utterly improper, utterly improper!"
"Huh?" Hua Caili blinked, looked at Yun Che beside her, then at her father, apparently not quite understanding the concern. "Why not? Aunt once said that back then, Mother crossed half the Abyss World alone to go to the Zhe Tian Divine Kingdom for Father."
"..." Hua Fuchen's gaze froze, and for a long time, he could not speak.
"Caili," Yun Che said softly, "Although I, like you, deeply wish we could be together day and night without parting, for now, it is indeed not suitable for you to come back to the Weaving Dream Divine Kingdom with me."
"Ah?" Hua Caili's jade-like face was instantly filled with deep disappointment. "Why?"
Yun Che explained in a gentle tone: "First, although there is no longer any obstacle between us, our fates are still, to a large extent, tied to the Zhe Tian and Weaving Dream Kingdoms. We have not yet entered into a marriage contract, let alone sent betrothal gifts. And you, esteemed as the Divine Maiden of Zhe Tian, if you voluntarily stay for an extended period in Weaving Dream, it will inevitably invite criticism from the world against the Zhe Tian Divine Kingdom."
Although her expression was gloomy, Hua Caili listened obediently, a stark contrast to her earlier instinctive rebuttal of Hua Fuchen. The Hua Xin Divine Venerable could not help but sigh inwardly.
"Second, although the Abyss Emperor has canceled your engagement with Dian Jiuzhi, the Jue Luo Divine Venerable has been thoroughly enraged. For those two Divine Venerable seniors, this will be a massive wound to the heart that we can hardly understand. Therefore, to allow them to resolve this matter, we should avoid anything that might provoke the Senluo Divine Kingdom in the near future."
Hua Fuchen exchanged a glance with Meng Kongchan, both feeling gratified in their hearts.
"Third..." Yun Che lowered his voice slightly. "Actually, when the Spirit Immortal Divine Officer summoned me earlier, she bestowed upon me nine drops of Vermilion Bird Source Blood."
As soon as these words were spoken, not only did Hua Caili's rosebud lips part slightly, but even Hua Fuchen's face showed surprise: "Is that so?"
"Mm." Meng Kongchan nodded slightly, feigning calm as he said, "But it wasn't to thank for that Primordial Flame Crystal. Rather, after the Spirit Immortal Divine Officer met Yuan'er, she deeply felt that there could be no better successor for the Vermilion Bird in the entire world, so she forced Yuan'er to accept this gift... Mm, that's how it is."
"..." Hua Fuchen looked askance and did not respond.
"Aunt Spirit Immortal actually..." After the initial surprise came excitement many times greater: "I understand. Brother Yun needs time to refine the Vermilion Bird Source Blood. I really shouldn't disturb Brother Yun at this time."
"Caili being by my side would never be a disturbance," Yun Che quickly corrected. "It's just that I do need to immediately refine the first drop of Source Blood, and I would be unable to attend to my Caili. But I promise that within three months at most, I will go to the Zhe Tian Divine Kingdom to accompany you."
"Good." She reached out and grasped his fingers, smiling lightly. "You said so. Three months at most. No cheating. Otherwise, I'll have Aunt bring me to the Weaving Dream Divine Kingdom to personally drag you back."
The ships separated, each heading their own way. Yun Che's figure quickly receded from Hua Caili's sight, until it became a blurry speck of light, yet it still firmly held her gaze.
Even when even that faint blurry speck of light was lost in the sky, Hua Caili still maintained her distant gazing posture, like a frozen jade statue, unmoving for a long time.
Wind carrying a faint trace of the Pure Land's atmosphere brushed through her hair strands. A few wisps of scattered hair stuck to her smooth, cream-like cheeks, carrying a slight cool dampness. Unbeknownst to her, crystal tears had silently rolled down from between her long lashes, sparkling with fine, hazy light, refracting the lingering attachment and melancholy that had not yet dissipated.
Hua Fuchen, who had been about to approach, stopped in his tracks. With a complex state of mind, he didn't know whether to feel distressed or to reprimand her.
After all, she was the dignified Divine Maiden of Zhe Tian, a prodigious maiden who could touch the Fourth Sword of Zhe Tian in less than half a Jiazi... and here she was, shedding tears over a mere three-month separation.
The Yao Guang Sword Venerable walked over, said with a smile: "The emotions of youth are truly so sincere and fervent. It's moving, and even enviable. But Yun Che of the Weaving Dream Divine Kingdom is indeed worthy of Caili's feelings."
These words dispelled the bitterness in Hua Fuchen's heart. He also smiled faintly: "Yes, after all, she is young. She was born ten thousand years ago, but I often forget that her time in this world is barely over twenty years."
"Forget it."
He turned around, not disturbing Hua Caili's melancholy. "Let her be unworthy of her status, then. After all, that Yun kid is indeed worth it, hahaha... sigh."
...
Back in the Weaving Dream Divine Kingdom, Meng Kongchan allowed himself no time to rest. He quickly gathered the masters of all the Dream Halls and began preparations for the Eternal Pure Land. It was easy to imagine that for a long time to come, the entire Divine Kingdom would be extremely busy, with an abrupt change in atmosphere.
"Brother Yuan, Father God has instructed that for the time being, you should rest well and focus on refining the Vermilion Bird Divine Blood bestowed by the Spirit Immortal Divine Officer. There's no need to concern yourself with external matters. If anything major occurs, I will personally inform you immediately."
Yun Che did not respond immediately. Instead, he said, "Before that, I need to go to the Xuanji Hall first."
Meng Jianxi was taken aback but didn't ask further. He nodded and said, "Alright, I'll go with you."
When leaving the Pure Land, Shen Wuyi's gesture of pointing to his ear with a single finger... the most likely possibility Yun Che could think of was that he wanted him to thoroughly investigate information about the Eternal Night Divine Kingdom.
And the "Seven Orifices" she mentioned afterward might well be hidden within.
—