# Chapter 2188: The “Imprisoned” Emperor
Weaving Dream Divine Kingdom.
Meng Zhaoyang stood beneath Meng Kongchan, his eyes slightly lowered, his gaze tilted at a faint angle, carrying an obvious subtlety and complexity.
“For the most calm and desireless of the nine hall masters to reveal such a conflicted state is truly rare indeed.”
Meng Kongchan set down the object in his hand and fixed his gaze upon him: “Is it about Yuan’er?”
Only then did Meng Zhaoyang meet Meng Kongchan’s eyes: “When we departed the domain, Your Excellency instructed that we need only quietly safeguard the Abyss Divine Son’s safety. So long as no danger was involved, we were not to interfere in any way, and upon return, there was no need to report. But…”
He paused, and the airflow within the hall seemed to congeal for an instant: “There are some matters that I feel are still necessary to mention to Your Excellency.”
Meng Kongchan spoke indifferently: “Is it about Yuan’er’s desire to return the Dragon Marrow and Dragon Soul to the Dragon Clan?”
Meng Zhaoyang showed no surprise, instead narrowing his eyes slightly with a clear hint of sarcasm: “Indeed… no matter how fast one’s pace, it can never match sound transmission. I fear that the moment my lord and I left, that old dragon was already impatiently spreading the news to every possible corner.”
Meng Kongchan displayed no change in expression, his voice still as calm as before: “Though somewhat unsightly, given the Dragon Clan’s current predicament, such behavior is understandable. Moreover, tracing it back to its root, this is a matter Yuan’er himself initiated… Or is it that the matter is not as the rumors say?”
Meng Zhaoyang shook his head: “The ‘return’ of the Dragon Marrow and Dragon Soul was indeed proposed by my lord himself, and his attitude was extremely resolute. Even if the Dragon Clan had the greatest of audacity, they would never dare to utter falsehoods regarding matters involving our Weaving Dream Divine Son.”
“However…” Meng Zhaoyang gazed at the changes in the Dreamless Divine Venerable’s expression, lowering his voice somewhat: “My lord’s many actions and reactions were quite strange.”
Meng Kongchan did not respond.
Meng Zhaoyang continued on his own: “The rumors likely did not mention that after my lord arrived at the Dragon Clan, he only exchanged brief pleasantries with that old dragon before suddenly requesting to see Long Xi. After meeting with Long Xi, he abruptly left without saying goodbye, departing the Dragon Clan… then, midair, he fell to the ground in a daze, vomiting uncontrollably, wracked with agony.”
“…!” Meng Kongchan slowly stood up, his brows unknowingly sinking into two terrifying arcs.
Meng Zhaoyang did not stop because of his reaction, pressing on: “At that time, faced with my confusion, my lord hastily fabricated a crude excuse. Afterwards, he returned to the Dragon Clan, proposed to return the Dragon Marrow and Dragon Soul, and explained his earlier abrupt departure as being unable to face them due to selfish motives. He also confessed that after leaving, the clash between his selfish desires and his master’s orders was like ten thousand ants gnawing at his soul, causing unbearable pain.”
“But…” Meng Zhaoyang slowly narrowed his eyes: “As I observed, my lord’s latter words were actually spoken for my benefit.”
“…” Meng Kongchan still remained silent.
Meng Zhaoyang’s voice dropped another notch, even though no one could eavesdrop here: “Selfishness, personal desire—these are the true foundation of human nature. At the Pure Land, I witnessed with my own eyes my lord enduring double the punishment of the Wild Devouring penalty, gritting his teeth without a sound. His strength of will and resilience of soul were unparalleled in my experience. How could he possibly be tormented to such agony by mere selfish thoughts?”
“On the journey back, I pondered everything and gradually felt that my lord’s sudden abnormal state might very well be related to that Long Xi…”
“Zhaoyang.”
A soft call, just two words, yet it caused Meng Zhaoyang’s divine soul to tremble slightly, his eyes instantly growing turbid, like a still pond violently churned by an invisible force. All his thoughts, speculations, and the words about to leave his lips were shattered in that instant.
And in the equally brief moment that followed, they were forcibly restored to clarity.
But the words in his mouth could no longer be spoken.
Meng Kongchan looked at him, his expression calm, unhurried: “This is precisely why I specifically instructed you only to protect from a distance, without any interference or superfluous words.”
“Your Excellency…”
Meng Kongchan raised his hand, pushing back the words about to emerge: “I know you are worried for him, but… Yuan’er’s current strength and temperament come from his master and himself. Though we are his closest elders, we have never given him any assistance, never witnessed his growth, and… have not even managed to fully protect him.”
“Now, what right do we have to interfere in his choices, or pry into secrets he does not wish others to know?”
He stared at Meng Zhaoyang, each word piercing the soul: “Zhaoyang, remember: anything Yuan’er does not wish to do, no one may force him; anything Yuan’er does not wish to say, no one may press him; anything Yuan’er wishes to conceal, no one may pry into, and they must help him conceal it… This applies to me as well!”
Meng Zhaoyang narrowed his brows, then let out a soft sigh: “Your Excellency, to this day, I still cannot clearly see—towards Jian Yuan, is it guilt that outweighs affection, or affection that outweighs guilt?”
A trace of softness appeared in Meng Kongchan’s eyes, soft as an ancient jade coated in moonlight: “And the trust I, as his father, ought to give him.”
Meng Zhaoyang was momentarily stunned.
“You hall masters know Jianxi better than anyone, yet now you so willingly step back behind Yuan’er. Is that not enough?”
After a brief silence, Meng Zhaoyang slowly nodded: “I understand Your Excellency’s intent.”
“Let him do as he wishes. I believe he will always bring surprises beyond our imagining. Even if he fails, even if he breaks everything, even if he causes a catastrophe of heaven-shaking proportions… so what?”
Meng Kongchan turned around, his voice neither heavy nor harsh, yet carrying an invisible authority that caused the entire hall to freeze.
“In this world, beneath the Pure Land, is there anything I, Meng Kongchan, cannot bear!?”
---
In the Divine Son Hall, Yun Che reclined on a rattan chair beside the courtyard pavilion, his eyes lightly closed. He appeared at ease, but in truth, the intense pain in his heart had yet to truly subside.
On the chessboard of his mind, an additional heavy piece had been placed… one that steamed with dark demonic aura.
The Dragon Clan…
He rose, then suddenly commanded, “Laisheng, close the hall doors. I will see no visitors today.”
“All of you withdraw as well. Do not approach.”
Yun Che moved to the guest hall, seated himself at the table, and raised his hand. Between his fingers, a faint white light flickered quietly.
It was the microcrystal that Mo Su had personally given him half a month ago, tinged with a trace of his soul.
Yun Che’s thumb rubbed against the surface of the crystal. He narrowed his eyes for a long time, remaining still for a while, then gently twisted it between two fingers.
*Boom!*
The crystal shattered. The white light dispersed silently, vanishing in an instant.
This amulet—arguably the most powerful and only protective charm in the Abyss World—was thus casually destroyed in a place devoid of any danger.
*Zheng—*
An extremely faint hum sounded. The space before him split open, revealing a pale crack.
But in Yun Che’s pupils and perception, beneath that seemingly pure white light, layers of deep, dark aura were clearly hidden.
A name silently surfaced in his soul sea:
Pan Ming Void-Breaking Mirror.
A figure slowly walked out from the spatial rift. He looked at Yun Che, a faint smile on his face, adding a touch of warmth to his otherwise indifferent countenance—and a hint of helplessness that rarely appeared on his face.
Yun Che rose to greet him with a smile: “Big Brother has arrived so quickly that I didn’t even have time to prepare wine to welcome you.”
Mo Su, in immaculate white robes, descended slowly: “If the soul star’s dispersion point hadn’t been in the Weaving Dream Domain, which holds no danger, I might have arrived in an instant. Half a month ago, you actively asked me for this item—was it to invite me for a drink?”
Yun Che shook his head with a smile, showing no sign of pain at having “wasted” the Abyss Emperor’s soul crystal: “Such a long-distance void crossing inevitably requires a great expenditure. Big Brother has surely been busy lately, focusing on the matter of Eternal Pure Land. If it weren’t for something sufficiently important, how would I dare to disturb Big Brother so lightly?”
Mo Su’s faint smile deepened: “You are an exception. A small matter would also suffice.”
He seated himself before Yun Che, seemingly offhandedly remarking, “Before I arrived, I heard a rumor that you intend to return the Dragon Marrow and Dragon Soul on your body to the Dragon Clan, to sustain their faltering lifeblood?”
Yun Che laughed with indifference: “I didn’t expect such a trivial matter to reach Big Brother’s ears.”
Mo Su raised his gaze: “Che Di, the current Dragon Clan does not deserve such an act from you.”
Simple words, stating an obvious fact.
Yun Che smiled faintly, without denying it: “Deserving or not is not important. What matters is Master’s sighs and instructions back then.”
“As expected.” Mo Su’s eyes showed no surprise, clearly already aware: “Big Brother Ni Xuan was most fond of bestowing favors upon others, yet most reluctant to owe favors himself.”
“Thinking back to those days, Big Brother Ni Xuan shared a deep friendship with the Supreme Dragon God (Primordial Azure Dragon). Though the Dragon God was still addressed as ‘Lord Ni Xuan’ in public, in private they were close friends. Such a bond, transcending levels and racial differences, greatly moved me back then.”
“At the Pure Land, when I sensed that the dragon aura on you likely came from the Supreme Dragon God, I was first surprised, then resigned.”
Yun Che’s face showed no ripple, as if he didn’t care: “As expected, nothing escapes Big Brother’s eyes.”
Mo Su said: “Given Big Brother Ni Xuan’s temperament and his friendship with the Dragon God, had he witnessed the Dragon Clan’s current state, he would certainly not have looked on indifferently. For him to leave such a last wish is truly only natural.”
When the Dragon Clan first spread the news, it naturally caused a considerable stir. While others were astonished, perhaps only one part would praise his righteousness and filial piety, while the remaining nine would sigh at his pedantic self-harm.
But Mo Su, on the other hand, was the least surprised.
“Though the Dragon Clan is undeserving, I imagine no one can change your decision.”
Yun Che smiled without speaking, personally pouring a cup of clear tea for Mo Su and pushing it before him.
Mo Su also smiled faintly, letting out a sigh identical to several times before: “You truly are too alike with Big Brother Ni Xuan. Cutting off your own benefit to help a lower race—such a foolish act that ordinary people cannot even comprehend—perhaps only you master and disciple could perform.”
He raised the teacup and took a light sip. Having said this, he no longer attempted to persuade Yun Che, letting the matter rest there.
The teacup was set down, tea fragrance permeating the air. He looked at Yun Che, his gaze clear and unguarded, reserved only for him: “So, what major matter did you specially invite me here for today? Could it be the item you mentioned last time?”
His voice was as elegant as a breeze brushing a shallow stream, without a single ripple of excitement. Clearly, though he remembered Yun Che’s previous words, he held no expectation for what was mentioned.
In other words, aside from his obsession, there was nothing left in this world that could stir him.
“Yes.”
Yun Che’s expression grew solemn, his voice lowering: “I have been hesitating and unable to decide. But this trip to the Dragon Clan has finally solidified my resolve.”
“Whether ‘returning’ this body’s Dragon Marrow and Dragon Soul to the Dragon Clan can save them from their peril, I do not know. Perhaps no one can say for certain. The myriad causes and effects, the fates of this world—all are like this.”
“But even knowing this act may be futile, I would still make the same decision.”
He tilted his head slightly, his eyes tinged with hazy remembrance and reverence: “Because Master once said: ask not of cause and effect, only of one’s own heart.”
A faint ripple quietly appeared in the depths of Mo Su’s eyes, extremely light and subtle, yet it did not subside for a long time.
How could he forget those words…
Back then, when he was entangled and pained by his uncontrollable feelings for Pan Xiaodie, the Demon Emperor’s daughter, it was precisely these words from Ni Xuan that gave him immense strength.
“Therefore, regarding the ownership of what Master entrusted to me… I choose to leave the decision to Big Brother.”
Yun Che raised his hand. A wisp of light mystical aura quietly supported a pure white divine light, slowly floating before Mo Su.
The divine light dissipated, revealing… a jade emitting a faint white glow.
The jade was palm-sized, shaped like a lustrous white disk. Its edges were engraved with irregular, strange divine patterns. These patterns were extremely ancient and crude, as if they were marks that had existed since the opening of Heaven and Earth, each containing an indescribable, mysterious significance.
At its center was a hollow, within which floated a crystalline water drop—like a still droplet, like a beauty’s tear.
If it appeared before others, even those who had read countless records about it would find it hard to recognize quickly.
But he was Mo Su.
He recognized it in an instant—it was none other than…
The Primordial Chaos Life-Death Seal!
The world suddenly became extraordinarily quiet.
Mo Su’s gaze silently touched the nearby white glow. No sound, no touch—he simply stared fixedly… for a very long time.
So long that the entire world seemed to sink into a stillness that transcended time, nearly frozen.
Yun Che too seemed trapped in this frozen time, motionless, silent. His heart did not grow heavy or uneasy from this terrifying stillness; instead, it gradually relaxed.
What he feared most was Mo Su having no reaction at all.
And this prolonged silence had completely dispelled that greatest worry.
Finally, Mo Su spoke, softly reciting its name: “Pri…mor…di…al… Cha…os… Life…-Death… Seal.”
His voice was still elegant, carrying indifference toward the world. But within that calm, something had changed.
It was as if some emotion long dormant, nearly dead, at the deepest part of his soul, had been awakened by the white light before him.
At this moment, for Mo Su, the world in his sight was reduced to a single expanse of white, leaving no room for anything else. Even Yun Che’s voice, ringing in his ears, came with a distant ethereality.
“When Master gave it to me, he asked me to decide whether to give it to you. Because he feared it might not help you, but instead trap you in another terrible obsession…”
“The obsession with eternity.”
Mo Su still showed no reaction.
Yun Che looked at him and continued: “That day, Big Brother told me that the power of light could not save your Pan Xiaodie. Then…”
“What about eternity?”
Mo Su’s eyelashes stirred faintly.
Though it was only the slightest movement—like a petal floating on still water, its edge brushed by a light wind—it was enough for Yun Che to know that the word “eternity” had truly touched the deepest part of his heart and soul.
“I cannot comprehend or be certain whether the word ‘eternity’ can lead to a terrible obsession.” Yun Che’s voice was as light as smoke, as if reluctant to disturb the lake in Mo Su’s heart at this moment: “But I believe that since Master was worried, there must be a reason. Yet, from what I have observed and understood of Big Brother, compared to Master’s concern, what Big Brother needs most is… hope.”
“So…”
Yun Che gently pushed his finger, advancing the Primordial Chaos Life-Death Seal, which shimmered with faint light, a little closer to Mo Su: “Today, at this moment, I hand over what Master entrusted to me, to Big Brother. How to use it, how to choose—all are for Big Brother to decide.”
Mo Su slowly raised his hand.
His movements were slow and careful, as if afraid to disturb a silent, emerging dream. But just as he was about to touch that white glow, his fingertip paused. His gaze, frozen for so long, slowly turned to Yun Che.
“Are you truly… giving this to me?”
He asked a question utterly unbefitting the Supreme Abyss Emperor.
“Of course.” Yun Che’s answer carried no hesitation, no impurity.
Mo Su looked into Yun Che’s eyes, encountering only a pool of clarity: “Do you know… that even the ancient gods would go mad with infatuation for the word ‘eternity’?”
But Yun Che only smiled unconcernedly: “Master told me many legends of the Primordial Chaos Life-Death Seal, and I have heard occasional mentions since entering the world. But no matter how powerful and mysterious its true form, in my hands, it has always been a dead object. At the very least, I have never sensed any aura of ‘eternity’ from it.”
“I think, in this world, only Big Brother has the ability to revive it. In my hands, it would likely remain in dead silence forever, a terrible waste of a heavenly treasure.”
“So, just like returning the Dragon Marrow and Dragon Soul to the Dragon Clan—the Primordial Chaos Life-Death Seal, which would only slumber in my hands, today returns to its most suitable master.”
Mo Su’s hand finally moved forward, lightly grasping the Primordial Chaos Life-Death Seal.
No rejection, no strange glow. The Primordial Chaos Life-Death Seal calmly and smoothly completed its change of ownership.
Since its reappearance, the Primordial Chaos Life-Death Seal had never chosen a master. With the departure of Li Suo’s remnant soul, it carried no lingering soul imprint or soul aura. An initial probe would only touch a pure white void.
This time, even Mo Su’s aura rippled slightly.
Eternity…
For Mo Su, his greatest fear was the passing of Pan Xiaodie.
Thus, he put her to sleep in the “cradle,” guarding her in solitude for three million years.
Now, the “cradle” was on the verge of collapse.
Even the “Eternal Pure Land” was merely the greatest hope… behind hope lurked the most cruel and eternal loss.
Then, if he possessed eternity…
She would exist eternally. There would be eternal hope… until one day, she awoke from her deep sleep and returned to his world.
He murmured: “Primordial Chaos Life-Death Seal. Since the Primordial Ancestor opened the world, it has been the third greatest treasure, inferior only to the Ancestral Heaven-Slaying Sword and the Evil Infant Myriad Calamity Wheel—the eternal vessel sought by all beings in the world… Che Di, even as the Abyss Emperor, I know not how to repay such a gift.”
But Yun Che waved his hand and laughed: “Between brothers, there is no talk of repayment. Just think of it as… something Big Brother Ni Xuan deliberately left for you, and I merely kept it in trust until now.”
Mo Su did not accept this so easily. He gazed ahead, his eyes deep. After a few breaths, as if suddenly thinking of something, he smiled faintly.
“There is one item that Big Brother Ni Xuan repeatedly sought from me back then. Though I revered and respected Big Brother Ni Xuan immensely, and we shared everything without reservation, this single thing I guarded most strictly, never yielding even a moment, leaving Big Brother’s wish forever unfulfilled.”
He smiled and sighed softly, carrying the melancholy and release of countless years: “Now, thinking back, how pedantic and laughable that strict adherence was. In the end, it was just a dead object—how could it compare to even a fraction of the bond between me and Big Brother Ni Xuan?”
He raised his hand, a light gathering at his fingertip, aimed at the space between Yun Che’s brows:
“Today, I give it to Che Di, to repay today’s gift, and to remedy the regret of those years.”
Soul light converged, condensing at Mo Su’s fingertip into a swirling vortex of divine light, one inch wide. Then, it halted in midair.
At this moment, Mo Su’s figure slowly began to fade. In his final moment, it froze into a faint smile, marked only by warmth.
He left in great haste, as if already unable to wait to pursue eternity… not eternal life, but eternal hope.
“Hoo!”
Yun Che let out a long sigh of relief, then narrowed his eyes and smiled: “Very good. It went basically as I expected… except he left even more hastily than I anticipated.”
He asked Li Suo, the only true master of the Primordial Chaos Life-Death Seal in history: “Are you certain… that within it lies a hope capable of anchoring all his thoughts?”
“Exceedingly faint, yet inextinguishable. The obsession he has guarded for three million years should be enough to make him willing to try everything, by any means, again and again. Yet he will never succeed.” Li Suo replied. “Won’t you first look at what he left behind?”
“Something that even Ni Xuan sought but could not obtain…”
The curiosity in Yun Che’s heart had long since surged beyond control. The moment Li Suo’s words fell, he reached out, carefully and expectantly, to touch the vortex of divine light left by Mo Su.
The instant his fingertip made contact, it suddenly shot forth, crashing into the space between Yun Che’s brows as a streak of flowing light, then vanishing in an instant.
Strange characters slowly appeared in Yun Che’s soul sea.
They were clearly words reflected in his soul sea, yet every stroke seemed like a sword scar from an extremely distant, primordial era—marks that had existed since the beginning of time, bearing the supreme will to cleave chaos and split heaven and earth.
When the first four characters clearly took form, Yun Che’s soul sea seemed to suddenly awaken four ancient sword souls that had slumbered for ages, stirring within his soul sea a vast, towering sword intent that permeated every corner, every soul string.
Outside the soul sea, Yun Che’s body also trembled uncontrollably for a moment, his pupils sharply contracting:
Heaven—
Slaying—
Sword—
Art!
—