Chapter 2177: Demon Emperor Jiusha
Yun Che, however, seemed oblivious to it all. He swept aside the barrier and shouted loudly, "Helu, bring every wine jar in the hall!"
Shangguan Helu softly acknowledged, and with a gentle breeze, several dozen ancient sealed wine jars landed beside the two. She waved her slender hand, opening the clay seal of one jar, releasing a clear, warm aroma of wine.
The young girl stepped lightly, filling the jade cups in front of them one by one, then silently withdrew, sealing the barrier once more.
The amber-colored wine swayed gently in the jade cups, reflecting the emotions hard to gather on Mo Su's brows. He raised his fingers, resting them on the cup, his voice ethereal: "Long ago, I once seared my thoughts with wine and sank my dreams in drunkenness, but when I awoke, there was only deeper emptiness and guilt."
Yun Che looked straight at him, his gaze devoid of the reverence with which the myriad beings of the Abyss looked up at the Abyss Emperor—only a calm like water, with a faint, concerned smile: "Drinking alone without company, even the finest brew feels desolate; admiring scenery alone without support, even the best moments feel cold and empty. Big Brother's heart holds countless words, but they have always been buried deep in his chest, so naturally only heartache and soul ruin remain. Now that a younger brother is before you, why not use wine as a guide and pour out your heart freely? You can give these three million years of loneliness entirely to this cup of pure joy."
Mo Su smiled faintly: "Such clever words are exactly the same as Brother Ni Xuan's."
He raised his jade cup, his gaze touching the ripples within, and in the sea of his heart swayed the memory of the delight and joy he had when drinking with Pan Xiaodie back then. At the time, he thought it was ordinary, but after the dream ended, there was only the cold hall, a solitary shadow, drinking alone in sorrow.
His eyes grew hazy, and between his lips he murmured as if in a dream:
"How to sever the sorrow in one's gut, how to pass the long night, how to speak of the pain of longing, how to tell of desolation."
Yun Che also raised his jade cup, still looking at him, and in a tone several times more spirited, he said:
"Raise the cup to sever sorrow's gut, pillow dreams to pass the long night, gaze at the sky to speak of longing's pain..."
Yun Che extended his arm, his jade cup clinking against Mo Su's, the splashing wine seeming to unintentionally dispel the haziness in Mo Su's eyes, meeting his gaze without obstruction: "And speak to your younger brother of desolation."
With those words, Yun Che raised his arm, tipped his head back, and drank it all in one gulp.
Mo Su's gaze paused for a moment, then he also raised his cup and drank, emptying it completely.
Yun Che's smile deepened by a fraction. Suddenly, he flung his hand, sending the jade cup flying far away, shattering into a pool of clear light. Then two large wine jars landed heavily on the table. Yun Che grabbed one directly and drank from it at an angle, the wine splashing everywhere, the sound of gulping roaring into his ears.
After nearly ten breaths, the sound stopped and the wine was gone. Yun Che tossed aside the empty jar. His face was now flushed red, and his eyes carried a cloudy haze. He did not use the slightest bit of profound energy to dispel the drunkenness, and his intoxicated gaze simply stared straight at Mo Su, full of indication, encouragement, and an undisguised hint of "provocation."
Mo Su narrowed his eyes slightly. His hesitation lasted only half an instant, then, just like Yun Che, he grabbed a wine jar and drank from it at an angle... The strong liquor poured down his throat, the intoxication spreading through his soul, seeming to silently peel away his identity and majesty as the Abyss Emperor, layer by layer.
Bang!
The empty jar crashed down. He let out a long breath. His aura, originally elegant and transcendent, now carried an extremely strong smell of alcohol, and even the way he propped himself against the jar's wall had taken on a recklessness that should never have belonged to the Abyss Emperor.
"Indeed... wanton and exhilarating."
He laughed. And this time, his smile was almost entirely devoid of divine posture and stiffness, carrying instead a sincerity that was far too long ago for him, far too unfamiliar and extravagant.
Yun Che waved his hand, and two more heavy wine jars landed in front of them, their rich aroma seeping out even before opening. He said with a smile: "With a younger brother as company and wine as a guide, can I exchange for Big Brother pouring out the thousands of words in his heart?"
Mo Su grabbed a wine jar, tipped his head back, and took a long gulp. But he did not finish it. Instead, he said with melancholy: "Thinking back to those days, I relied heavily on Brother Ni Xuan. Matters between Xiao Die and I could only be spoken of with him, and I told him everything. It seems Brother Ni Xuan must have already told you all of it."
Yun Che did not deny it: "But I would rather hear Big Brother tell it himself."
"How could I not know your intention?" Mo Su smiled faintly. "Thousands of words clogging the heart, festering slowly into poison. You are not curious; you want to relieve me. It seems this is also a task Brother Ni Xuan entrusted to you."
Yun Che opened his mouth, about to say something, when Mo Su continued: "I know Brother Ni Xuan instructed you to live life freely and do everything according to your own heart's choice. But from the moment I learned that your name was given by Brother Ni Xuan, I understood the hidden meaning behind it."
"Eh?" Yun Che showed surprise. "My name?"
This surprise was completely genuine, because his name truly had nothing to do with Ni Xuan.
"It seems Brother Ni Xuan did not tell you."
Mo Su's voice paused briefly, and his eyes grew even hazier. Between his lips, he slowly uttered that name: "Xiao Die... her mother, her maternal clan, their surname is 'Yun'."
"..." A faint, unfeigned surprise appeared on Yun Che's brow.
Mo Su continued: "Brother Ni Xuan deliberately gave you the surname Yun, carrying multiple layers of profound meaning. It was both for you and for me."
With those words, he grabbed the wine jar and took a long drink. When he raised his eyes, his gaze looked into the distance, as if gazing at the distant shadow of Ni Xuan from ancient times.
Only then did the surprise slowly fade from Yun Che's face. He nodded slightly, a sigh spilling out: "So that's how it is... I only learned today that this name has such a deep meaning."
In the era of gods and demons, Pan Xiaodie held an extremely high status within the Pan Ming clan, and even among the entire demon race. Even the Pan Ming Void Mirror protected her. Then her mother and maternal clan must have been extraordinary as well.
But...
Yun Che quickly searched his memories. The ancient demon clans recorded as being qualified to approach the Demon Emperor level did not seem to have any with the surname "Yun."
The Tiangang Cloud Clan from which he originated did bear the surname Yun, but they were merely a remnant demon clan struggling to survive, barely clinging to life in the crevices of the Northern Divine Region's powers. If not for him, they might have completely turned into historical dust of the Northern Divine Region, with no connection to the word "powerful."
However, the surviving records of ancient demon clans were far fewer than those of the divine clans. Yun Che did not ponder deeply. Instead, he followed the topic and sighed: "Master once said that after Big Brother's travels, your cultivation greatly increased, but in your first encounter with her, you were defeated and returned. Later, I learned she was the foremost figure of the demon race of that generation... To be able to nurture such an extraordinary woman, her mother must have come from the strongest demon clan under the Pan Ming Demon Emperor."
"No," Mo Su said slowly. "Xiao Die's maternal clan did not come from under Pan Ming, but from Jiusha."
"Jiusha..." Yun Che murmured, then narrowed his eyes slightly. "Oh? So it was a demon clan under the Jiusha Demon Emperor? It seems the ancient demon races were quite harmonious with each other, even able to 'unite' in such a way."
Mo Su turned his gaze to him, a faint smile on his lips: "It seems you know very little about demon clan matters."
For a moment, Yun Che was puzzled as to why his ordinary statement had led Mo Su to make such an evaluation. He "gurgled" down a big gulp of wine, then let out a loud belch, his voice carrying some slurring: "It's not just little. Master rarely mentioned ancient demon clan affairs to me. Sometimes when I actively asked, he would deliberately avoid the topic. Over time, I stopped asking."
He continued on his own: "Speaking of the four great Demon Emperors who led the ancient demon race, I roughly only know... the Calamity Demon Emperor had the highest status, the Pan Ming Demon Emperor had the strongest strength, the Nirvana Wheel Demon Emperor had the most powerful soul, and the Jiusha Demon Emperor... there was a rather contradictory evaluation, saying he was the weakest in power, yet also the most fearsome. Speaking of which, the Life Creation God Li Suo fell at the hands of the Jiusha Demon Emperor."
After saying this, he shook his head as if in confusion, then lifted his wine jar, clinked it heavily with Mo Su's, and took another big gulp.
Mo Su, however, said: "That evaluation is quite accurate."
"Oh?" Yun Che showed curiosity.
Mo Su did not begrudge him an explanation, speaking leisurely: "The Jiusha Demon Emperor's own power was indeed the weakest among the four Demon Emperors. But he was weak in himself, yet strong in the Nine Banes."
"In the early days of the demon race, the Jiusha Demon Emperor separated part of his flesh and blood, his demon soul, and the Nine Banes' powers. The Nine Banes' powers each formed their own demons, each passed down, gradually becoming the Nine Bane Demon Clans under his command."
"Shadow Bane, Nether Bane, Poison Bane, Blood Bane, Misfortune Bane, Devourer Bane, Ember Bane, Heaven Net Bane, Ghost Net Bane... The Nine Banes formed clans, jointly bearing the Emperor's name!"
"Due to the special origin and status of the Nine Bane Demon Clans, it would not be an exaggeration to call them all direct descendants of the Demon Emperor."
Yun Che listened quietly, then interjected at the right moment: "The name of the Jiusha Demon Emperor was indeed such a special existence. Master said that the Life Creation God Li Suo fell under the demon poison of the Jiusha Demon Emperor. I imagine... it was his Poison Bane power?"
Mo Su said: "According to the records and accounts of the beings of the Eternal Pure Land, that is indeed the case."
"The Poison Bane power can even kill a Creation God. It must be the strongest among the Nine Banes' powers." Yun Che sighed deeply, his mind wandering for a moment.
The Godslayer Desolation Poison that Mo Li had been struck with back then had a high probability of coming from the Poison Bane power left behind by the Jiusha Demon Emperor... The demon poison that had dissipated for a full million years could still easily push Mo Li into a dead end at that time—how terrifying it was.
"It's not like that," Mo Su said softly. "The strongest of the Nine Banes is called Shadow Bane. It is not only the strongest, but also the most special and mysterious existence. That was exactly... Xiao Die's maternal clan."
Every time he said the word "Xiao Die," deep in Mo Su's pupils, long-lasting ripples would tremble. He grabbed the wine jar and indulged in another round of wild drinking, letting the dizziness that he could easily dispel spread throughout his body.
Shadow Bane...
Neither in Yun Che's memories nor in Chi Wuyue's memories did these two words exist.
Obviously, with the fall of the Jiusha Demon Emperor and the end of the era of gods and demons, it had completely vanished into the dust of eternity.
"The direct bloodline of the Pan Ming Demon Emperor, the strongest descendant of the Jiusha Demon Emperor... No wonder such a stunningly talented person could be nurtured. Looking through the ages, I fear only Big Brother could match her."
Mo Su looked at him... Their eyes met, and Yun Che saw the haziness of intoxication in his eyes, as well as the obsession embedded within, which had not diminished in the slightest and was still terrifyingly powerful.
"Yun Che, I know your intention. As your older brother, I am deeply warmed and touched. But the matter between Xiao Die and I—the karma, causes, and grievances are far too heavy. There is no room for reversal, no path of retreat. I will not allow anyone I care about to be dragged into it anymore. I feel this way, and she... even more so."
These words meant that Yun Che could no longer press for details... not even a seemingly casual probe from the side.
"Alright!" Yun Che replied readily. His arm slammed down, and wine splashed freely. "The saying goes, raising a cup to talk joyfully—of course, we should speak of happy things. Big Brother, would you be interested in hearing many of Master's teasing remarks about you?"
"Hmm?" Mo Su suddenly sat up straight. "Brother Ni Xuan's cutting remarks are truly varied and strange. Just in the first year he took me traveling, he belittled the Heaven-Slaying God Emperor in countless ways. So, he doesn't even spare his own brothers behind their backs..."
"Hahaha! Far from sparing, I fear even if we drink until tomorrow, I won't be able to finish recounting them all."
Mo Su: "..."
...
"Reporting to the Dreamweaving Divine Son: a Night Patrol Envoy of the Eternal Night Divine Kingdom seeks an audience."
Meng Jianxi spun around sharply, his brow deeply furrowed: "Night Patrol Envoy? Which Night Patrol Envoy?"
"She calls herself the chief of the Eternal Night Patrol Envoys, with the envoy name 'Youshou Xiaoque'."
Meng Jianxi's tightly knit brow sank another degree.
The Eternal Night and the Dreamweaving had just become embroiled in deep enmity. Given the temperament of the Wuming Divine Venerable, he was likely already hateful to the bone, unwilling to rest until one was dead.
At such a time, a Night Patrol Envoy actually appeared in the Dreamweaving Divine Kingdom of her own accord.
What kind of person was Shen Wumingque? Ever since Shen Wuye Feng was degraded to a criminal slave, she had become the current chief of the Eternal Night Divine Kingdom's Night Patrol Envoys, a transcendent figure second only to the Wuming Divine Venerable in status.
For her to come in person at such a moment, and not even to see Meng Kongchan, but to condescend to see him, a Dreamweaving Divine Son?
Meng Jianxi fell into deep thought, remaining silent for a long time.
The man delivering the message spoke: "Should this matter be reported to the Divine Venerable and the Chief Hall Master first?"
"Mmm." Meng Jianxi nodded slowly in his contemplation. "Of course—wait!"
He suddenly thought of something, and his gaze abruptly turned focused.
"Go quickly and invite the distinguished guest, settling them in the main hall. Inform the distinguished guest that I am away on business and am rushing back at full speed... Also, there is no need to specially inform my father and the others about this."
After giving these instructions, Meng Jianxi set aside the matter at hand and rushed straight to Yun Che's Divine Son Hall.
Since returning from the Pure Land, Meng Kongchan had been busy with matters concerning the Eternal Pure Land, leaving almost all internal affairs in his hands, with little time for anything else. Naturally, he hadn't done anything that would attract the sidelong glances of other nations.
The only exception he could think of was that dragon-shaped profound crystal Yun Che had given him.
...
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